Radiation control standards and procedures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1956-12-14

This manual contains the Radiation Control Standards'' and Radiation Control Procedures'' at Hanford Operations which have been established to provide the necessary control radiation exposures within Irradiation Processing Department. Provision is also made for including, in the form of Bulletins'', other radiological information of general interest to IPD personnel. The purpose of the standards is to establish firm radiological limits within which the Irradiation Processing Department will operate, and to outline our radiation control program in sufficient detail to insure uniform and consistent application throughout all IPD facilities. Radiation Control Procedures are intended to prescribe the best method of accomplishing an objective within the limitations of the Radiation Control Standards. A procedure may be changed at any time provided the suggested changes is generally agreeable to management involved, and is consistent with department policies and the Radiation Control Standards.

Synthetic salt cake standards for analytical laboratory quality control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schilling, A.E.; Miller, A.G.

1980-01-01

The validation of analytical results in the characterization of Hanford Nuclear Defense Waste requires the preparation of synthetic waste for standard reference materials. Two independent synthetic salt cake standards have been prepared to monitor laboratory quality control for the chemical characterization of high-level salt cake and sludge waste in support of Rockwell Hanford Operations' High-Level Waste Management Program. Each synthetic salt cake standard contains 15 characterized chemical species and was subjected to an extensive verification/characterization program in two phases. Phase I consisted of an initial verification of each analyte in salt cake form in order to determine the current analytical capability for chemical analysis. Phase II consisted of a final characterization of those chemical species in solution form where conflicting verification data were observed. The 95 percent confidence interval on the mean for the following analytes within each standard is provided: sodium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, carbonate, sulfate, hydroxide, chromate, chloride, fluoride, aluminum, plutonium-239/240, strontium-90, cesium-137, and water

Procedure for hazards analysis of plutonium gloveboxes used in analytical chemistry operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delvin, W.L.

1977-06-01

A procedure is presented to identify and assess hazards associated with gloveboxes used for analytical chemistry operations involving plutonium. This procedure is based upon analytic tree methodology and it has been adapted from the US Energy Research and Development Administration's safety program, the Management Oversight and Risk Tree

Assessment of passive drag in swimming by numerical simulation and analytical procedure.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbosa, Tiago M; Ramos, Rui; Silva, António J; Marinho, Daniel A

2018-03-01

The aim was to compare the passive drag-gliding underwater by a numerical simulation and an analytical procedure. An Olympic swimmer was scanned by computer tomography and modelled gliding at a 0.75-m depth in the streamlined position. Steady-state computer fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were performed on Fluent. A set of analytical procedures was selected concurrently. Friction drag (D f ), pressure drag (D pr ), total passive drag force (D f +pr ) and drag coefficient (C D ) were computed between 1.3 and 2.5 m · s -1 by both techniques. D f +pr ranged from 45.44 to 144.06 N with CFD, from 46.03 to 167.06 N with the analytical procedure (differences: from 1.28% to 13.77%). C D ranged between 0.698 and 0.622 by CFD, 0.657 and 0.644 by analytical procedures (differences: 0.40-6.30%). Linear regression models showed a very high association for D f +pr plotted in absolute values (R 2  = 0.98) and after log-log transformation (R 2  = 0.99). The C D also obtained a very high adjustment for both absolute (R 2  = 0.97) and log-log plots (R 2  = 0.97). The bias for the D f +pr was 8.37 N and 0.076 N after logarithmic transformation. D f represented between 15.97% and 18.82% of the D f +pr by the CFD, 14.66% and 16.21% by the analytical procedures. Therefore, despite the bias, analytical procedures offer a feasible way of gathering insight on one's hydrodynamics characteristics.

Analytical procedures for water-soluble vitamins in foods and dietary supplements: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Christopher J

2007-09-01

Water-soluble vitamins include the B-group vitamins and vitamin C. In order to correctly monitor water-soluble vitamin content in fortified foods for compliance monitoring as well as to establish accurate data banks, an accurate and precise analytical method is a prerequisite. For many years microbiological assays have been used for analysis of B vitamins. However they are no longer considered to be the gold standard in vitamins analysis as many studies have shown up their deficiencies. This review describes the current status of analytical methods, including microbiological assays and spectrophotometric, biosensor and chromatographic techniques. In particular it describes the current status of the official methods and highlights some new developments in chromatographic procedures and detection methods. An overview is made of multivitamin extractions and analyses for foods and supplements.

18 CFR 725.6 - Principles, standards and procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Principles, standards... Responsibilities § 725.6 Principles, standards and procedures. The Principles, Standards and Procedures established... Orders. These Principles, Standards and Procedures are found in 18 CFR parts 710 through 717. ...

Multicriteria decision analysis in ranking of analytical procedures for aldrin determination in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobiszewski, Marek; Orłowski, Aleksander

2015-03-27

The study presents the possibility of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) application when choosing analytical procedures with low environmental impact. A type of MCDA, Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), was chosen as versatile tool that meets all the analytical chemists--decision makers requirements. Twenty five analytical procedures for aldrin determination in water samples (as an example) were selected as input alternatives to MCDA analysis. Nine different criteria describing the alternatives were chosen from different groups--metrological, economical and the most importantly--environmental impact. The weights for each criterion were obtained from questionnaires that were sent to experts, giving three different scenarios for MCDA results. The results of analysis show that PROMETHEE is very promising tool to choose the analytical procedure with respect to its greenness. The rankings for all three scenarios placed solid phase microextraction and liquid phase microextraction--based procedures high, while liquid-liquid extraction, solid phase extraction and stir bar sorptive extraction--based procedures were placed low in the ranking. The results show that although some of the experts do not intentionally choose green analytical chemistry procedures, their MCDA choice is in accordance with green chemistry principles. The PROMETHEE ranking results were compared with more widely accepted green analytical chemistry tools--NEMI and Eco-Scale. As PROMETHEE involved more different factors than NEMI, the assessment results were only weakly correlated. Oppositely, the results of Eco-Scale assessment were well-correlated as both methodologies involved similar criteria of assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 120.6 - Sanitation standard operating procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Sanitation standard operating procedures. 120.6... Provisions § 120.6 Sanitation standard operating procedures. (a) Sanitation controls. Each processor shall have and implement a sanitation standard operating procedure (SSOP) that addresses sanitation...

A review of simple multiple criteria decision making analytic procedures which are implementable on spreadsheet packages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.J. Stewart

2003-12-01

Full Text Available A number of modern multi-criteria decision making aids for the discrete choice problem, are reviewed, with particular emphasis on those which can be implemented on standard commercial spreadsheet packages. Three broad classes of procedures are discussed, namely the analytic hierarchy process, reference point methods, and outranking methods. The broad principles are summarised in a consistent framework, and on a spreadsheet. LOTUS spreadsheets implementing these are available from the author.

Synergistic relationships between Analytical Chemistry and written standards.

Science.gov (United States)

Valcárcel, Miguel; Lucena, Rafael

2013-07-25

This paper describes the mutual impact of Analytical Chemistry and several international written standards (norms and guides) related to knowledge management (CEN-CWA 14924:2004), social responsibility (ISO 26000:2010), management of occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001/2), environmental management (ISO 14001:2004), quality management systems (ISO 9001:2008) and requirements of the competence of testing and calibration laboratories (ISO 17025:2004). The intensity of this impact, based on a two-way influence, is quite different depending on the standard considered. In any case, a new and fruitful approach to Analytical Chemistry based on these relationships can be derived. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Manual of Standard Operating Procedures for Veterinary Drug Residue Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

Laboratories are crucial to national veterinary drug residue monitoring programmes. However, one of the main challenges laboratories encounter is obtaining access to relevant methods of analysis. Thus, in addition to training, providing technical advice and transferring technology, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has resolved to develop clear and practical manuals to support Member State laboratories. The Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Development of Radiometric and Allied Analytical Methods to Strengthen Residue Control Programs for Antibiotic and Anthelmintic Veterinary Drug Residues has developed a number of analytical methods as standard operating procedures (SOPs), which are now compiled here. This publication contains SOPs on chromatographic and spectrometric techniques, as well as radioimmunoassay and associated screening techniques, for various anthelmintic and antimicrobial veterinary drug residue analysis. Some analytical method validation protocols are also included. The publication is primarily aimed at food and environmental safety laboratories involved in testing veterinary drug residues, including under organized national residue monitoring programmes. It is expected to enhance laboratory capacity building and competence through the use of radiometric and complementary tools and techniques. The publication is also relevant for applied research on residues of veterinary drugs in food and environmental samples

42 CFR 493.1289 - Standard: Analytic systems quality assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard: Analytic systems quality assessment. 493.1289 Section 493.1289 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... through 493.1283. (b) The analytic systems quality assessment must include a review of the effectiveness...

Tritium fractionation in biological systems and in analytical procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, M.A.; Baumgaertner, F.

1991-01-01

The organically bound tritium (OBT) is evaluated in biological systems by measuring the tritium distribution ratio (R-value), i.e. tritium concentrations in organic substance to tissue water. The determination of the R-value is found to involve always isotope fractionation in applied analytical procedures and hence the evaluation of the true OBT-value in a given biological system appears more complicated than hitherto known in the literature. The present work concentrates on the tritium isotope fraction in the tissue water separation and on the resulting effects on the R-value. The analytical procedures examined are vacuum freeze drying under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions and azeotropic distillation. The vaporization isotope effects are determined separately in the phase transition of solid or liquid to gas in pure water systems as well as in real biological systems, e.g. maize plant. The results are systematically analysed and the influence of isotope effects on the R-value is rigorously quantified. (orig.)

"Heidelberg standard examination" and "Heidelberg standard procedures" - Development of faculty-wide standards for physical examination techniques and clinical procedures in undergraduate medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikendei, C; Ganschow, P; Groener, J B; Huwendiek, S; Köchel, A; Köhl-Hackert, N; Pjontek, R; Rodrian, J; Scheibe, F; Stadler, A-K; Steiner, T; Stiepak, J; Tabatabai, J; Utz, A; Kadmon, M

2016-01-01

The competent physical examination of patients and the safe and professional implementation of clinical procedures constitute essential components of medical practice in nearly all areas of medicine. The central objective of the projects "Heidelberg standard examination" and "Heidelberg standard procedures", which were initiated by students, was to establish uniform interdisciplinary standards for physical examination and clinical procedures, and to distribute them in coordination with all clinical disciplines at the Heidelberg University Hospital. The presented project report illuminates the background of the initiative and its methodological implementation. Moreover, it describes the multimedia documentation in the form of pocketbooks and a multimedia internet-based platform, as well as the integration into the curriculum. The project presentation aims to provide orientation and action guidelines to facilitate similar processes in other faculties.

Measuring myokines with cardiovascular functions: pre-analytical variables affecting the analytical output.

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardi, Giovanni; Sansoni, Veronica; Banfi, Giuseppe

2017-08-01

In the last few years, a growing number of molecules have been associated to an endocrine function of the skeletal muscle. Circulating myokine levels, in turn, have been associated with several pathophysiological conditions including the cardiovascular ones. However, data from different studies are often not completely comparable or even discordant. This would be due, at least in part, to the whole set of situations related to the preparation of the patient prior to blood sampling, blood sampling procedure, processing and/or store. This entire process constitutes the pre-analytical phase. The importance of the pre-analytical phase is often not considered. However, in routine diagnostics, the 70% of the errors are in this phase. Moreover, errors during the pre-analytical phase are carried over in the analytical phase and affects the final output. In research, for example, when samples are collected over a long time and by different laboratories, a standardized procedure for sample collecting and the correct procedure for sample storage are acknowledged. In this review, we discuss the pre-analytical variables potentially affecting the measurement of myokines with cardiovascular functions.

Application of analytical procedure on system reliability, GO-FLOW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuoka, Takeshi; Fukuto, Junji; Mitomo, Nobuo; Miyazaki, Keiko; Matsukura, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Michiyuki

2000-01-01

In the Ship Research Institute, research and development of GO-FLOW procedure with various advanced functions as a system reliability analysis method occupying main part of the probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) were promoted. In this study, as an important evaluation technique on executing PSA with lower than level 3, by intending fundamental upgrading of the GO-FLOW procedure, a safety assessment system using the GO-FLOW as well as an analytical function coupling of dynamic behavior analytical function and physical behavior of the system with stochastic phenomenon change were developed. In 1998 fiscal year, preparation and verification of various functions such as dependence addition between the headings, rearrangement in order of time, positioning of same heading to plural positions, calculation of forming frequency with elapsing time were carried out. And, on a simulation analysis function of accident sequence, confirmation on analysis covering all of main accident sequence in the reactor for improved marine reactor, MRX was carried out. In addition, a function near automatically producible on input data for analysis was also prepared. As a result, the conventional analysis not always easy understanding on analytical results except an expert of PSA was solved, and understanding of the accident phenomenon, verification of validity on analysis, feedback to analysis, and feedback to design could be easily carried out. (G.K.)

Analytical procedures. Pt. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rackwitz, R.

1985-01-01

The semi-analytical procedures are summarized under the heading 'first or second-order reliability method'. The asymptotic aggravation of the theory was repeatedly hinted at. In supporting structures the probability of outage of components always is also a function of the condition of all other components. It depends moreover on the stress affecting mostly all components. This fact causes a marked reduction of the effect of redundant component arrangements in the system. It moreover requires very special formulations. Although theoretically interesting and practically important developments will leave their mark on the further progress of the theory, the statements obtained by those approaches will continue to depend on how closely the chosen physical relationships and stoachstic models can come to the scatter quantities. Sensitivity studies show that these are partly aspects of substantially higher importance with a view to decision criteria than the refinement of the (probabilistic) method. Questions of relevance and reliability of data and their adequate treatment in reliability analyses seem to rank higher in order of sequence than exaggerated demands on methodics. (orig./HP) [de

Validation of an advanced analytical procedure applied to the measurement of environmental radioactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Thanh, Tran Thien; Vuong, Le Quang; Ho, Phan Long; Chuong, Huynh Dinh; Nguyen, Vo Hoang; Tao, Chau Van

2018-04-01

In this work, an advanced analytical procedure was applied to calculate radioactivity in spiked water samples in a close geometry gamma spectroscopy. It included MCNP-CP code in order to calculate the coincidence summing correction factor (CSF). The CSF results were validated by a deterministic method using ETNA code for both p-type HPGe detectors. It showed that a good agreement for both codes. Finally, the validity of the developed procedure was confirmed by a proficiency test to calculate the activities of various radionuclides. The results of the radioactivity measurement with both detectors using the advanced analytical procedure were received the ''Accepted'' statuses following the proficiency test. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From basic survival analytic theory to a non-standard application

CERN Document Server

Zimmermann, Georg

2017-01-01

Georg Zimmermann provides a mathematically rigorous treatment of basic survival analytic methods. His emphasis is also placed on various questions and problems, especially with regard to life expectancy calculations arising from a particular real-life dataset on patients with epilepsy. The author shows both the step-by-step analyses of that dataset and the theory the analyses are based on. He demonstrates that one may face serious and sometimes unexpected problems, even when conducting very basic analyses. Moreover, the reader learns that a practically relevant research question may look rather simple at first sight. Nevertheless, compared to standard textbooks, a more detailed account of the theory underlying life expectancy calculations is needed in order to provide a mathematically rigorous framework. Contents Regression Models for Survival Data Model Checking Procedures Life Expectancy Target Groups Researchers, lecturers, and students in the fields of mathematics and statistics Academics and experts work...

Biomass Compositional Analysis Laboratory Procedures | Bioenergy | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Biomass Compositional Analysis Laboratory Procedures Biomass Compositional Analysis Laboratory Procedures NREL develops laboratory analytical procedures (LAPs) for standard biomass analysis. These procedures help scientists and analysts understand more about the chemical composition of raw biomass

Bio-Oil Analysis Laboratory Procedures | Bioenergy | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Bio-Oil Analysis Laboratory Procedures Bio-Oil Analysis Laboratory Procedures NREL develops laboratory analytical procedures (LAPs) for the analysis of raw and upgraded pyrolysis bio-oils. These standard procedures have been validated and allow for reliable bio-oil analysis. Procedures Determination

Tritium isotope fractionation in biological systems and in analytical procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, M.A.; Baumgaertner, Franz

1989-01-01

The organically bound tritium (OBT) is evaluated in biological systems by determining the tritium distribution ratio (R-value), i.e. tritium concentrations in organic substance to cell water. The determination of the R-value always involves isotope fractionation is applied analytical procedures and hence the evaluation of the true OBT -value in a given biological system appears more complicated than hitherto known in the literature. The present work concentrates on the tritium isotope fractionation in the cell water separation and on the resulting effects on the R-value. The analytical procedures examined are vacuum freeze drying under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions and azeotropic distillation. The vaporization isotope effects are determined separately in the phase transition of solid or liquid to gas in pure tritium water systems as well as in real biological systems, e.g. corn plant. The results are systematically analyzed and the influence of isotope effects on the R-value is rigorously quantified

Consistency of FMEA used in the validation of analytical procedures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oldenhof, M.T.; van Leeuwen, J.F.; Nauta, Maarten

2011-01-01

is always carried out under the supervision of an experienced FMEA-facilitator and that the FMEA team has at least two members with competence in the analytical method to be validated. However, the FMEAs of both teams contained valuable information that was not identified by the other team, indicating......In order to explore the consistency of the outcome of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in the validation of analytical procedures, an FMEA was carried out by two different teams. The two teams applied two separate FMEAs to a High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection...

Establishing the analytical procedure for acetate in water by ion chromatography method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Thi Hong Thinh; Ha Lan Anh; Vo Thi Anh

2015-01-01

In recent studies of contamination sources of arsenic, ammonium, iron, organic carbon in groundwater, acetate is measured a lot because it is the main decomposition product of organic compounds from sediment into groundwater. In order to better support for the study of the origin and mobilization mechanism of the pollutants, acetate was studied analysis method in Isotopes Hydrology Laboratory using ion chromatography technique. Project Researchers used Ion Chromatography system - DX-600 including IonPac ICE-AS1 column for separating acetate and conductivity detector CD 25 to quantify acetate in water samples. The study results showed that project team has successfully developed analytical procedures of acetate in water with acetate’s retention time is 12 minutes, limit of detection (LOD) of the method was 0.01 ppm. The accuracy of the method was established by calculating the precision and bias of 10 analysis times of a standard sample at content levels 1 ppm and 8 ppm. The results of the 10 measurements are satisfiable about precision and bias with repeated standard deviation coefficient CVR were 1.3% and 0.2% and the recoveries R were 99.92% and 101.72%. (author)

40 CFR 160.81 - Standard operating procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

.... (10) Data handling, storage and retrieval. (11) Maintenance and calibration of equipment. (12... GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Testing Facilities Operation § 160.81 Standard operating procedures... test, control, and reference substances. (4) Test system observations. (5) Laboratory or other tests...

Procedure prediction from symbolic Electronic Health Records via time intervals analytics.

Science.gov (United States)

Moskovitch, Robert; Polubriaginof, Fernanda; Weiss, Aviram; Ryan, Patrick; Tatonetti, Nicholas

2017-11-01

Prediction of medical events, such as clinical procedures, is essential for preventing disease, understanding disease mechanism, and increasing patient quality of care. Although longitudinal clinical data from Electronic Health Records provides opportunities to develop predictive models, the use of these data faces significant challenges. Primarily, while the data are longitudinal and represent thousands of conceptual events having duration, they are also sparse, complicating the application of traditional analysis approaches. Furthermore, the framework presented here takes advantage of the events duration and gaps. International standards for electronic healthcare data represent data elements, such as procedures, conditions, and drug exposures, using eras, or time intervals. Such eras contain both an event and a duration and enable the application of time intervals mining - a relatively new subfield of data mining. In this study, we present Maitreya, a framework for time intervals analytics in longitudinal clinical data. Maitreya discovers frequent time intervals related patterns (TIRPs), which we use as prognostic markers for modelling clinical events. We introduce three novel TIRP metrics that are normalized versions of the horizontal-support, that represents the number of TIRP instances per patient. We evaluate Maitreya on 28 frequent and clinically important procedures, using the three novel TIRP representation metrics in comparison to no temporal representation and previous TIRPs metrics. We also evaluate the epsilon value that makes Allen's relations more flexible with several settings of 30, 60, 90 and 180days in comparison to the default zero. For twenty-two of these procedures, the use of temporal patterns as predictors was superior to non-temporal features, and the use of the vertically normalized horizontal support metric to represent TIRPs as features was most effective. The use of the epsilon value with thirty days was slightly better than the zero

Manual of Standard Operating Procedures for Veterinary Drug Residue Analysis (Spanish Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Laboratories are crucial to national veterinary drug residue monitoring programmes. However, one of the main challenges laboratories encounter is obtaining access to relevant methods of analysis. Thus, in addition to training, providing technical advice and transferring technology, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has resolved to develop clear and practical manuals to support Member State laboratories. The Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Development of Radiometric and Allied Analytical Methods to Strengthen Residue Control Programs for Antibiotic and Anthelmintic Veterinary Drug Residues has developed a number of analytical methods as standard operating procedures (SOPs), which are now compiled here. This publication contains SOPs on chromatographic and spectrometric techniques, as well as radioimmunoassay and associated screening techniques, for various anthelmintic and antimicrobial veterinary drug residue analysis. Some analytical method validation protocols are also included. The publication is primarily aimed at food and environmental safety laboratories involved in testing veterinary drug residues, including under organized national residue monitoring programmes. It is expected to enhance laboratory capacity building and competence through the use of radiometric and complementary tools and techniques. The publication is also relevant for applied research on residues of veterinary drugs in food and environmental samples

Manual of Standard Operating Procedures for Veterinary Drug Residue Analysis (French Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Laboratories are crucial to national veterinary drug residue monitoring programmes. However, one of the main challenges laboratories encounter is obtaining access to relevant methods of analysis. Thus, in addition to training, providing technical advice and transferring technology, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has resolved to develop clear and practical manuals to support Member State laboratories. The Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Development of Radiometric and Allied Analytical Methods to Strengthen Residue Control Programs for Antibiotic and Anthelmintic Veterinary Drug Residues has developed a number of analytical methods as standard operating procedures (SOPs), which are now compiled here. This publication contains SOPs on chromatographic and spectrometric techniques, as well as radioimmunoassay and associated screening techniques, for various anthelmintic and antimicrobial veterinary drug residue analysis. Some analytical method validation protocols are also included. The publication is primarily aimed at food and environmental safety laboratories involved in testing veterinary drug residues, including under organized national residue monitoring programmes. It is expected to enhance laboratory capacity building and competence through the use of radiometric and complementary tools and techniques. The publication is also relevant for applied research on residues of veterinary drugs in food and environmental samples

Local properties of analytic functions and non-standard analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brian, N.R.

1976-01-01

This is an expository account which shows how the methods of non-standard analysis can be applied to prove the Nullstellensatz for germs of analytic functions. This method of proof was discovered originally by Abraham Robinson. The necessary concepts from model theory are described in some detail and the Nullstellensatz is proved by investigating the relation between the set of infinitesimal elements in the complex n-plane and the spectrum of the ring of germs of analytic functions. (author)

Analytical procedures for determining Pb and Sr isotopic compositions in water samples by ID-TIMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veridiana Martins

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Few articles deal with lead and strontium isotopic analysis of water samples. The aim of this study was to define the chemical procedures for Pb and Sr isotopic analyses of groundwater samples from an urban sedimentary aquifer. Thirty lead and fourteen strontium isotopic analyses were performed to test different analytical procedures. Pb and Sr isotopic ratios as well as Sr concentration did not vary using different chemical procedures. However, the Pb concentrations were very dependent on the different procedures. Therefore, the choice of the best analytical procedure was based on the Pb results, which indicated a higher reproducibility from samples that had been filtered and acidified before the evaporation, had their residues totally dissolved, and were purified by ion chromatography using the Biorad® column. Our results showed no changes in Pb ratios with the storage time.

Standardized procedure for tsunami PRA by AESJ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirimoto, Yukihiro; Yamaguchi, Akira; Ebisawa, Katsumi

2013-01-01

After Fukushima Accident (March 11, 2011), the Atomic Energy Society of Japan (AESJ) started to develop the standard of Tsunami Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) for nuclear power plants in May 2011. As Japan is one of the countries with frequent earthquakes, a great deal of efforts has been made in the field of seismic research since the early stage. To our regret, the PRA procedures guide for tsunami has not yet been developed although the importance is held in mind of the PRA community. Accordingly, AESJ established a standard to specify the standardized procedure for tsunami PRA considering the results of investigation into the concept, the requirements that should have and the concrete methods regarding tsunami PRA referring the opinions of experts in the associated fields in December 2011 (AESJ-SC-RK004:2011). (author)

Practical approach to a procedure for judging the results of analytical verification measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beyrich, W.; Spannagel, G.

1979-01-01

For practical safeguards a particularly transparent procedure is described to judge analytical differences between declared and verified values based on experimental data relevant to the actual status of the measurement technique concerned. Essentially it consists of two parts: Derivation of distribution curves for the occurrence of interlaboratory differences from the results of analytical intercomparison programmes; and judging of observed differences using criteria established on the basis of these probability curves. By courtesy of the Euratom Safeguards Directorate, Luxembourg, the applicability of this judging procedure has been checked in practical data verification for safeguarding; the experience gained was encouraging and implementation of the method is intended. Its reliability might be improved further by evaluation of additional experimental data. (author)

Preliminary results of testing bioassay analytical performance standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, D.R.; Robinson, A.V.; Hadley, R.T.

1983-08-01

The analytical performance of both in vivo and in vitro bioassay laboratories is being studied to determine the capability of these laboratories to meet the minimum criteria for accuracy and precision specified in the draft ANSI Standard N13.30, Performance Criteria for Radiobioassay. This paper presents preliminary results of the first round of testing

Analytical chemistry methods for boron carbide absorber material. [Standard

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DELVIN WL

1977-07-01

This standard provides analytical chemistry methods for the analysis of boron carbide powder and pellets for the following: total C and B, B isotopic composition, soluble C and B, fluoride, chloride, metallic impurities, gas content, water, nitrogen, and oxygen. (DLC)

Standard Operating Procedure for Accelerated Corrosion Testing at ARL

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

ARL-TN-0855 ● NOV 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Standard Operating Procedure for Accelerated Corrosion Testing at ARL by... Corrosion Testing at ARL by Thomas A Considine Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, ARL Approved for public...November 2017 2. REPORT TYPE Technical Note 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Standard Operating Procedure for Accelerated

A column exchange chromatographic procedure for the automated purification of analytical samples in nuclear spent fuel reprocessing and plutonium fuel fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahradnik, P.; Swietly, H.; Doubek, N.; Bagliano, G.

1992-11-01

A Column Exchange Chromatographic procedure using Tri-n-Octyl-Phosphine-Oxide (TOPO) as stationary phase, is in routine use at SAL since 1984 on nuclear spent fuel reprocessing and on Pu product samples, prior to alpha and mass spectrometric analysis. This standard procedure was further on modified in view of its automation in a glove box; the resulting new procedure is described in this paper. Laboratory Robot Compatible (LRC) disposable columns were selected because their dimensions are particularly favorable and reproducible. A less corrosive HNO 3 -HI mixture substituted the former HC1-HI plutonium eluant. The inorganic support of the stationary phase used to test the above mentioned changes was unexpectedly withdrawn from the market so that another support had to be selected and the procedure reoptimized accordingly. The resulting procedure was tested with the robot and validated against the manual procedure taken as reference: the comparison showed that the modified procedure meets the analytical requirements and has the same performance than the original procedure. (author). Refs, figs and tabs

The European Stroke Organisation Guidelines: a standard operating procedure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ntaios, George; Bornstein, Natan M; Caso, Valeria

2015-01-01

pace with this progress and driven by the strong determination of the European Stroke Organisation to further promote stroke management, education, and research, the European Stroke Organisation decided to delineate a detailed standard operating procedure for its guidelines. There are two important...... cornerstones in this standard operating procedure: The first is the implementation of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology for the development of its Guideline Documents. The second one is the decision of the European Stroke Organisation to move from the classical...... and significant input from European Stroke Organisation members as well as methodologists and analysts, this document presents the official standard operating procedure for the development of the Guideline Documents of the European Stroke Organisation....

Consistency of FMEA used in the validation of analytical procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Oldenhof, M T; van Leeuwen, J F; Nauta, M J; de Kaste, D; Odekerken-Rombouts, Y M C F; Vredenbregt, M J; Weda, M; Barends, D M

2011-02-20

In order to explore the consistency of the outcome of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in the validation of analytical procedures, an FMEA was carried out by two different teams. The two teams applied two separate FMEAs to a High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS) analytical procedure used in the quality control of medicines. Each team was free to define their own ranking scales for the probability of severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D) of failure modes. We calculated Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) and we identified the failure modes above the 90th percentile of RPN values as failure modes needing urgent corrective action; failure modes falling between the 75th and 90th percentile of RPN values were identified as failure modes needing necessary corrective action, respectively. Team 1 and Team 2 identified five and six failure modes needing urgent corrective action respectively, with two being commonly identified. Of the failure modes needing necessary corrective actions, about a third were commonly identified by both teams. These results show inconsistency in the outcome of the FMEA. To improve consistency, we recommend that FMEA is always carried out under the supervision of an experienced FMEA-facilitator and that the FMEA team has at least two members with competence in the analytical method to be validated. However, the FMEAs of both teams contained valuable information that was not identified by the other team, indicating that this inconsistency is not always a drawback. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Usefulness of Analytical Procedures - An Empirical Approach in the Auditing Sector in Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Pinho

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The conceptual conflict between the efficiency and efficacy on financial auditing arises from the fact that resources are scarce, both in terms of the time available to carry out the audit and the quality and timeliness of the information available to the external auditor. Audits tend to be more efficient, the lower the combination of inherent risk and control risk is assessed to be, allowing the auditor to carry out less extensive and less timely auditing tests, meaning that in some cases analytical audit procedures are a good tool to support the opinions formed by the auditor. This research, by means of an empirical study of financial auditing in Portugal, aims to evaluate the extent to which analytical procedures are used during a financial audit engagement in Portugal, throughout the different phases involved in auditing. The conclusions point to the fact that, in general terms and regardless of the size of the audit company and the way in which professionals work, Portuguese auditors use analytical procedures more frequently during the planning phase rather than during the phase of evidence gathering and the phase of opinion formation.

Analytical quality assurance procedures developed for the IAEA's Reference Asian Man Project (Phase 2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawamura, H.; Parr, R.M.; Dang, H.S.; Tian, W.; Barnes, R.M.; Iyengar, G.V.

2000-01-01

Analytical quality assurance procedures adopted for use in the IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project on Ingestion and Organ Content of Trace Elements of Importance in Radiological Protection are designed to ensure comparability of the analytical results for Cs, I, Sr, Th, U and other elements in human tissues and diets collected and analysed in nine participating countries. The main analytical techniques are NAA and ICP-MS. For sample preparation, all participants are using identical food blenders which have been centrally supplied after testing for contamination. For quality control of the analyses, six NIST SRMs covering a range of matrices with certified and reference values for the elements of interest have been distributed. A new Japanese reference diet material has also been developed. These quality assurance procedures are summarized here and new data are presented for Cs, I, Sr, Th and U in the NIST SRMs. (author)

Standard interface files and procedures for reactor physics codes. Version IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Dell, R.D.

1977-09-01

Standards, procedures, and recommendations of the Committee on Computer Code Coordination for promoting the exchange of reactor physics codes are updated to Version IV status. Standards and procedures covering general programming, program structure, standard interface files, and file management and handling subroutines are included

Applying Behavior Analytic Procedures to Effectively Teach Literacy Skills in the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Laurice M.; Alber-Morgan, Sheila; Neef, Nancy

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the application of behavior analytic procedures for advancing and evaluating methods for teaching literacy skills in the classroom. Particularly, applied behavior analysis has contributed substantially to examining the relationship between teacher behavior and student literacy performance. Teacher…

Using a standards committee to design practical procedure system improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grider, D.A.; Plung, D.

1993-01-01

In the post-Three Mile Island (TMI) environment, numerous reports have been issued on how to improve the quality of procedures used at government and commercial nuclear facilities. The studies tend to be long on what is wrong with existing procedures and short on practical directions on how to fix those faults. Few of these studies have been conducted by practitioners with full-time procedure-managing or procedure writing experience. None of these studies go into detail on how to improve the procedure system itself. Over the last 10 yr, various nuclear facilities within the US Department of Energy (DOE) have carried out individual programs to develop procedures that meet post-TMI standards. However, ∼2 yr ago, DOE formed a Procedures Standards Committee to advise DOE in developing a set of post-TMI guidelines that could be consistently applied throughout all DOE nuclear facilities. The committee has achieved not only its original mission by producing a series of integrated guidance documents but has also evolved a systems approach to procedures management that sets new standards for procedure quality and efficiency. As members of this committee, the authors want to describe what has made the group's approach so successful. The lessons learned may be translatable to a wide range of government and commercial industry procedure programs

Towards Standardization of Sampling Methodology for Evaluation of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article proposes the procedure that may be adopted for comparable, representative and cost effective, soil sampling, and thereafter explores the policy issues regarding standardization of sampling activities and analytical process as it relates to soil pollution in Nigeria. Standardized sampling and analytical data for soil ...

Comparative evaluation of analytical procedures for the recovery of Enterobacteriaceae in coastal marine waters; Valutazione comparativa di procedure analitiche per il rilevamento di Enterobacteriaceae in acque marine costiere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonadonna, Lucia; Chiaretti, Gianluca; Coccia, Anna Maria; Semproni, Maurizio [Istituto Superiore di Sanita`, Rome (Italy). Lab. di Igiene Ambientale

1997-03-01

The use of quick and reliable procedures is fundamental for water quality evaluation control. In order to improve the analytical methods for microbiological examination of bathing waters, a comparison of different substrates for the recovery of Enterobacteriaceae from coastal marine waters was carried out. The medium indicated in the Italian technical normative has shown a good selectivity when the red colonies with a green metallic surface sheen were counted, as stated in the Standard Methods. On the other hand, the chronogenic substrate used in this study resulted easy to read, selective and specific for both Escherichia coli and total coliforms.

Standard Review Plan Maintenance Program implementing procedures document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-11-01

The implementing Procedures Document (IPD) was developed by the Inspection Program Projects Branch, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, with assistance from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, for the Standard Review Plan Maintenance Program (SRP-MP). The SRP-MP was established to maintain the Standard Review Plan (SRP) on an on-going basis. The IPD provides guidance, including an overall approach and procedures, for SRP-MP tasks. The objective of the IPD is to ensure that modifications to SRP need to reflect current NRC requirements and guidance are identified and that a consistent methodology is used to develop and revise SRP sections

Procedures and Standards Handbook. Version 3.0. What Works Clearinghouse

Science.gov (United States)

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

This "What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook (Version 3.0)" provides a detailed description of the standards and procedures of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The remaining chapters of this Handbook are organized to take the reader through the basic steps that the WWC uses to develop a review protocol, identify…

Lead isotope analyses of standard rock samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koide, Yoshiyuki; Nakamura, Eizo

1990-01-01

New results on lead isotope compositions of standard rock samples and their analytical procedures are reported. Bromide form anion exchange chromatography technique was adopted for the chemical separation lead from rock samples. The lead contamination during whole analytical procedure was low enough to determine lead isotope composition of common natural rocks. Silica-gel activator method was applied for emission of lead ions in the mass spectrometer. Using the data reduction of 'unfractionated ratios', we obtained good reproducibility, precision and accuracy on lead isotope compositions of NBS SRM. Here we present new reliable lead isotope compositions of GSJ standard rock samples and USGS standard rock, BCR-1. (author)

Analytic of elements for the determination of soil->plant transfer factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liese, T.

1985-02-01

This article describes a part of the conventional analytical work, which was done to determine soil to plant transfer factors. The analytical methods, the experiments to find out the best way of sample digestion and the resulting analytical procedures are described. Analytical methods are graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). In case of ICP-AES the necessity of right background correction and correction of the spectral interferences is shown. The reliability of the analytical procedure is demonstrated by measuring different kinds of standard reference materials and by comparison of AAS and AES. (orig./HP) [de

Moving standard deviation and moving sum of outliers as quality tools for monitoring analytical precision.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiakai; Tan, Chin Hon; Badrick, Tony; Loh, Tze Ping

2018-02-01

An increase in analytical imprecision (expressed as CV a ) can introduce additional variability (i.e. noise) to the patient results, which poses a challenge to the optimal management of patients. Relatively little work has been done to address the need for continuous monitoring of analytical imprecision. Through numerical simulations, we describe the use of moving standard deviation (movSD) and a recently described moving sum of outlier (movSO) patient results as means for detecting increased analytical imprecision, and compare their performances against internal quality control (QC) and the average of normal (AoN) approaches. The power of detecting an increase in CV a is suboptimal under routine internal QC procedures. The AoN technique almost always had the highest average number of patient results affected before error detection (ANPed), indicating that it had generally the worst capability for detecting an increased CV a . On the other hand, the movSD and movSO approaches were able to detect an increased CV a at significantly lower ANPed, particularly for measurands that displayed a relatively small ratio of biological variation to CV a. CONCLUSION: The movSD and movSO approaches are effective in detecting an increase in CV a for high-risk measurands with small biological variation. Their performance is relatively poor when the biological variation is large. However, the clinical risks of an increase in analytical imprecision is attenuated for these measurands as an increased analytical imprecision will only add marginally to the total variation and less likely to impact on the clinical care. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microwave-assisted versus conventional decomposition procedures applied to a ceramic potsherd standard reference material by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papadopoulou, D.N.; Zachariadis, G.A.; Anthemidis, A.N.; Tsirliganis, N.C.; Stratis, J.A

2004-03-03

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is a powerful, sensitive analytical technique with numerous applications in chemical characterization including that of ancient pottery, mainly due to its multi-element character, and the relatively short time required for the analysis. A critical step in characterization studies of ancient pottery is the selection of a suitable decomposition procedure for the ceramic matrix. The current work presents the results of a comparative study of six decomposition procedures applied on a standard ceramic potsherd reference material, SARM 69. The investigated decomposition procedures included three microwave-assisted decomposition procedures, one wet decomposition (WD) procedure by conventional heating, one combined microwave-assisted and conventional heating WD procedure, and one fusion procedure. Chemical analysis was carried out by ICP-AES. Five major (Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg), three minor (Mn, Ba, Ti) and two trace (Cu, Co) elements were determined and compared with their certified values. Quantitation was performed at two different spectral lines for each element and multi-element matrix-matched calibration standards were used. The recovery values for the six decomposition procedures ranged between 75 and 110% with a few notable exceptions. Data were processed statistically in order to evaluate the investigated decomposition procedures in terms of recovery, accuracy and precision, and eventually select the most appropriate one for ancient pottery analysis.

A sensitive analytical procedure for monitoring acrylamide in environmental water samples by offline SPE-UPLC/MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Togola, Anne; Coureau, Charlotte; Guezennec, Anne-Gwenaëlle; Touzé, Solène

2015-05-01

The presence of acrylamide in natural systems is of concern from both environmental and health points of view. We developed an accurate and robust analytical procedure (offline solid phase extraction combined with UPLC/MS/MS) with a limit of quantification (20 ng L(-1)) compatible with toxicity threshold values. The optimized (considering the nature of extraction phases, sampling volumes, and solvent of elution) solid phase extraction (SPE) was validated according to ISO Standard ISO/IEC 17025 on groundwater, surface water, and industrial process water samples. Acrylamide is highly polar, which induces a high variability during the SPE step, therefore requiring the use of C(13)-labeled acrylamide as an internal standard to guarantee the accuracy and robustness of the method (uncertainty about 25 % (k = 2) at limit of quantification level). The specificity of the method and the stability of acrylamide were studied for these environmental media, and it was shown that the method is suitable for measuring acrylamide in environmental studies.

Multielement trace determination in SiC powders: assessment of interlaboratory comparisons aimed at the validation and standardization of analytical procedures with direct solid sampling based on ETV ICP OES and DC arc OES.

Science.gov (United States)

Matschat, Ralf; Hassler, Jürgen; Traub, Heike; Dette, Angelika

2005-12-01

The members of the committee NMP 264 "Chemical analysis of non-oxidic raw and basic materials" of the German Standards Institute (DIN) have organized two interlaboratory comparisons for multielement determination of trace elements in silicon carbide (SiC) powders via direct solid sampling methods. One of the interlaboratory comparisons was based on the application of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry with electrothermal vaporization (ETV ICP OES), and the other on the application of optical emission spectrometry with direct current arc (DC arc OES). The interlaboratory comparisons were organized and performed in the framework of the development of two standards related to "the determination of mass fractions of metallic impurities in powders and grain sizes of ceramic raw and basic materials" by both methods. SiC powders were used as typical examples of this category of material. The aim of the interlaboratory comparisons was to determine the repeatability and reproducibility of both analytical methods to be standardized. This was an important contribution to the practical applicability of both draft standards. Eight laboratories participated in the interlaboratory comparison with ETV ICP OES and nine in the interlaboratory comparison with DC arc OES. Ten analytes were investigated by ETV ICP OES and eleven by DC arc OES. Six different SiC powders were used for the calibration. The mass fractions of their relevant trace elements were determined after wet chemical digestion. All participants followed the analytical requirements described in the draft standards. In the calculation process, three of the calibration materials were used successively as analytical samples. This was managed in the following manner: the material that had just been used as the analytical sample was excluded from the calibration, so the five other materials were used to establish the calibration plot. The results from the interlaboratory comparisons were summarized and

Net Analyte Signal Standard Additions Method for Simultaneous Determination of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Biological Fluids

OpenAIRE

Givianrad, M. H.; Mohagheghian, M.

2012-01-01

The applicability of a novel net analyte signal standard addition method (NASSAM) to the resolving of overlapping spectra corresponding to the sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim was verified by UV-visible spectrophotometry. The results confirmed that the net analyte signal standard additions method with simultaneous addition of both analytes is suitable for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in aqueous media. Moreover, applying the net analyte signal standard a...

Standards for radiation protection instrumentation: design of safety standards and testing procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meissner, Frank

2008-01-01

This paper describes by means of examples the role of safety standards for radiation protection and the testing and qualification procedures. The development and qualification of radiation protection instrumentation is a significant part of the work of TUV NORD SysTec, an independent expert organisation in Germany. The German Nuclear Safety Standards Commission (KTA) establishes regulations in the field of nuclear safety. The examples presented may be of importance for governments and nuclear safety authorities, for nuclear operators and for manufacturers worldwide. They demonstrate the advantage of standards in the design of radiation protection instrumentation for new power plants, in the upgrade of existing instrumentation to nuclear safety standards or in the application of safety standards to newly developed equipment. Furthermore, they show how authorities may proceed when safety standards for radiation protection instrumentation are not yet established or require actualization. (author)

Development of an Analytical Procedure for the Determination of Multiclass Compounds for Forensic Veterinary Toxicology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sell, Bartosz; Sniegocki, Tomasz; Zmudzki, Jan; Posyniak, Andrzej

2018-04-01

Reported here is a new analytical multiclass method based on QuEChERS technique, which has proven to be effective in diagnosing fatal poisoning cases in animals. This method has been developed for the determination of analytes in liver samples comprising rodenticides, carbamate and organophosphorus pesticides, coccidiostats and mycotoxins. The procedure entails addition of acetonitrile and sodium acetate to 2 g of homogenized liver sample. The mixture was shaken intensively and centrifuged for phase separation, which was followed by an organic phase transfer into a tube containing sorbents (PSA and C18) and magnesium sulfate, then it was centrifuged, the supernatant was filtered and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. A validation of the procedure was performed. Repeatability variation coefficients forensic toxicology cases.

Trends and the determination of effective doses for standard X-ray procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, H.M.; Neduzak, C.; Gallet, J.; Sandeman, J.

2001-01-01

Trends in the entrance skin exposures (air kerma) for standard x-ray imaging procedures are reported for the Province of Manitoba, Canada. Average annual data per procedure using standard phantoms and standard ion chambers have been recorded since 1981. For example, chest air kerma (backscatter included) has decreased from 0.14 to 0.09 mGy. Confounding factors may negate the gains unless facility quality control programs are maintained. The data were obtained for a quality assurance and regulatory compliance program. Quoting such data for risk evaluation purposes lacks rigor hence a compartment model for organ apportioning, using organ absorbed doses and weighting factors, has been applied to determine effective dose per procedure. The effective doses for the standard procedures are presented, including the value of 0.027 mSv (1999) calculated for the effective dose in PA chest imaging. (author)

Quantifying the measurement uncertainty of results from environmental analytical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, J; Wegscheider, W; Sperka-Gottlieb, C

2001-07-01

The Eurachem-CITAC Guide Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Measurement was put into practice in a public laboratory devoted to environmental analytical measurements. In doing so due regard was given to the provisions of ISO 17025 and an attempt was made to base the entire estimation of measurement uncertainty on available data from the literature or from previously performed validation studies. Most environmental analytical procedures laid down in national or international standards are the result of cooperative efforts and put into effect as part of a compromise between all parties involved, public and private, that also encompasses environmental standards and statutory limits. Central to many procedures is the focus on the measurement of environmental effects rather than on individual chemical species. In this situation it is particularly important to understand the measurement process well enough to produce a realistic uncertainty statement. Environmental analytical methods will be examined as far as necessary, but reference will also be made to analytical methods in general and to physical measurement methods where appropriate. This paper describes ways and means of quantifying uncertainty for frequently practised methods of environmental analysis. It will be shown that operationally defined measurands are no obstacle to the estimation process as described in the Eurachem/CITAC Guide if it is accepted that the dominating component of uncertainty comes from the actual practice of the method as a reproducibility standard deviation.

Preparation of standard hair material and development of analytical methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gangadharan, S.; Ganapathi Iyer, S.; Ali, M.M.; Thantry, S.S.; Verma, R.; Arunachalam, J.; Walvekar, A.P.

1992-01-01

In 1976 Indian Researchers suggested the possible use of hair as an indicator of environmental exposure and established through a study of country wide student population and general population of the metropolitan city of Bombay that human scalp hair could indeed be an effective first level monitor in a scheme of multilevel monitoring of environmental exposure to inorganic pollutants. It was in this context and in view of the ready availability of large quantities of scalp hair subjected to minimum treatment by chemicals that they proposed to participate in the preparation of a standard material of hair. It was also recognized that measurements of trace element concentrations at very low levels require cross-validation by different analytical techniques, even within the same laboratory. The programme of work that has been carried out since the first meeting of the CRP had been aimed at these two objectives. These objectives include the preparation of standard material of hair and the development of analytical methodologies for determination of elements and species of interest. 1 refs., 3 tabs

The Analytical Pragmatic Structure of Procedural Due Process: A Framework for Inquiry in Administrative Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, James E.; Sealey, Ronald W.

The study describes the analytical pragmatic structure of concepts and applies this structure to the legal concept of procedural due process. This structure consists of form, purpose, content, and function. The study conclusions indicate that the structure of the concept of procedural due process, or any legal concept, is not the same as the…

42 CFR 493.1276 - Standard: Clinical cytogenetics.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION LABORATORY REQUIREMENTS Quality System for Nonwaived Testing Analytic Systems § 493.1276 Standard: Clinical cytogenetics. (a) The laboratory must have policies and procedures for ensuring accurate and reliable patient specimen identification during the process...

Appendix 1: Analytical Techniques (Online supplementary material ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

HP

Further details of analytical techniques are given in http://www.actlabs.com. Zircon U–Pb dating and trace element analysis. The zircons were separated using standard procedures including crushing (in iron mortar and pestle), sieving (375 to 75 micron), tabling, heavy liquid separation (bromoform and methylene iodide) ...

Control Chart on Semi Analytical Weighting

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, G. S.; Oliveira, C. C.; Silva, T. B. S. C.; Stellato, T. B.; Monteiro, L. R.; Marques, J. R.; Faustino, M. G.; Soares, S. M. V.; Ulrich, J. C.; Pires, M. A. F.; Cotrim, M. E. B.

2018-03-01

Semi-analytical balance verification intends to assess the balance performance using graphs that illustrate measurement dispersion, trough time, and to demonstrate measurements were performed in a reliable manner. This study presents internal quality control of a semi-analytical balance (GEHAKA BG400) using control charts. From 2013 to 2016, 2 weight standards were monitored before any balance operation. This work intended to evaluate if any significant difference or bias were presented on weighting procedure over time, to check the generated data reliability. This work also exemplifies how control intervals are established.

Standard Ship Test and Inspection Plan, Procedures and Database

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1999-01-01

... construction schedules and increased cost is the area of test and inspection. This project investigates existing rules and regulations for testing and inspection of commercial ships and identifies differences and similarities within the requirements. The results include comparison matrices, a standard test plan, a set of standard test procedures, and a sample test database developed for a typical commercial ship.

Analysis of plant gums and saccharide materials in paint samples: comparison of GC-MS analytical procedures and databases.

Science.gov (United States)

Lluveras-Tenorio, Anna; Mazurek, Joy; Restivo, Annalaura; Colombini, Maria Perla; Bonaduce, Ilaria

2012-10-10

Saccharide materials have been used for centuries as binding media, to paint, write and illuminate manuscripts and to apply metallic leaf decorations. Although the technical literature often reports on the use of plant gums as binders, actually several other saccharide materials can be encountered in paint samples, not only as major binders, but also as additives. In the literature, there are a variety of analytical procedures that utilize GC-MS to characterize saccharide materials in paint samples, however the chromatographic profiles are often extremely different and it is impossible to compare them and reliably identify the paint binder. This paper presents a comparison between two different analytical procedures based on GC-MS for the analysis of saccharide materials in works-of-art. The research presented here evaluates the influence of the analytical procedure used, and how it impacts the sugar profiles obtained from the analysis of paint samples that contain saccharide materials. The procedures have been developed, optimised and systematically used to characterise plant gums at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, USA (GCI) and the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa, Italy (DCCI). The main steps of the analytical procedures and their optimisation are discussed. The results presented highlight that the two methods give comparable sugar profiles, whether the samples analysed are simple raw materials, pigmented and unpigmented paint replicas, or paint samples collected from hundreds of centuries old polychrome art objects. A common database of sugar profiles of reference materials commonly found in paint samples was thus compiled. The database presents data also from those materials that only contain a minor saccharide fraction. This database highlights how many sources of saccharides can be found in a paint sample, representing an important step forward in the problem of identifying polysaccharide binders in

10 CFR 440.21 - Weatherization materials standards and energy audit procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Weatherization materials standards and energy audit... FOR LOW-INCOME PERSONS § 440.21 Weatherization materials standards and energy audit procedures. (a...) of this section describes the performance and quality standards for renewable energy systems...

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) procedure compendium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-06-01

Covered are: analytical laboratory operations (ALO) sample receipt and control, ALO data report/package preparation review and control, single shell tank (PST) project sample tracking system, sample receiving, analytical balances, duties and responsibilities of sample custodian, sample refrigerator temperature monitoring, security, assignment of staff responsibilities, sample storage, data reporting, and general requirements for glassware

An analytical procedure for computing smooth transitions between two specified cross sections with applications to blended wing body configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Barger, R. L.

1982-01-01

An analytical procedure is described for designing smooth transition surfaces for blended wing-body configurations. Starting from two specified cross section shapes, the procedure generates a gradual transition from one cross section shape to the other as an analytic blend of the two shapes. The method utilizes a conformal mapping, with subsequent translation and scaling, to transform the specified and shapes to curves that can be combined more smoothly. A sample calculation is applied to a blended wing-body missile type configuration with a top mounted inlet.

Standardization of the time for the execution of HANARO start-up and shutdown procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, H. Y.; Lim, I. C.; Hwang, S. R.; Kang, T. J.; Youn, D. B.

2003-01-01

For the standardization of the time to execute HANARO start-up and shutdown procedures, code names were assigned to the individual procedures and the work time were investigated. The data recorded by the operators during start-up and shutdown were statistically analyzed. The analysis results will be used for the standardization of start-up and shutdown procedures and it will be reflected in the procedure document

Analytical capabilities of laser-probe mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovalev, I.D.; Madsimov, G.A.; Suchkov, A.I.; Larin, N.V.

1978-01-01

The physical bases and quantitative analytical procedures of laser-probe mass spectrometry are considered in this review. A comparison is made of the capabilities of static and dynamic mass spectrometers. Techniques are studied for improving the analytical characteristics of laser-probe mass spectrometers. The advantages, for quantitative analysis, of the Q-switched mode over the normal pulse mode for lasers are: (a) the possibility of analysing metals, semiconductors and insulators without the use of standards; and (b) the possibility of layer-by-layer and local analysis. (Auth.)

Procedures and Standards for Residential Ventilation System Commissioning: An Annotated Bibliography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stratton, J. Chris [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Wray, Craig P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-04-01

Beginning with the 2008 version of Title 24, new homes in California must comply with ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007 requirements for residential ventilation. Where installed, the limited data available indicate that mechanical ventilation systems do not always perform optimally or even as many codes and forecasts predict. Commissioning such systems when they are installed or during subsequent building retrofits is a step towards eliminating deficiencies and optimizing the tradeoff between energy use and acceptable IAQ. Work funded by the California Energy Commission about a decade ago at Berkeley Lab documented procedures for residential commissioning, but did not focus on ventilation systems. Since then, standards and approaches for commissioning ventilation systems have been an active area of work in Europe. This report describes our efforts to collect new literature on commissioning procedures and to identify information that can be used to support the future development of residential-ventilation-specific procedures and standards. We recommend that a standardized commissioning process and a commissioning guide for practitioners be developed, along with a combined energy and IAQ benefit assessment standard and tool, and a diagnostic guide for estimating continuous pollutant emission rates of concern in residences (including a database that lists emission test data for commercially-available labeled products).

Integrating analytical procedures into the continuous audit environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eija Koskivaara

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this article is to show how to embed analytical procedures (AP into the continuous audit environment. The audit environment is discussed in terms of audit phases, where the role of APs is to obtain evidence for auditors. The article addresses different characteristics of AP techniques. Furthermore, the article compares four different AP techniques to form expectations for the monthly sales values. Two of these techniques are simple quantitative ones, such as the previous year’s value and the mean of the previous years’ values. The advanced quantitative techniques are regression analysis and an artificial neural network (ANN-based model. In a comparison of the prediction results, the regression analysis and ANN model turn out to be equally good. The development of these kinds of tools is crucial to the continuous audit environment, especially when most data transmission between companies and their stakeholders are moved into the electronic form.

Standard Review Plan Update and Development Program. Implementing Procedures Document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-05-01

This implementing procedures document (IPD) was prepared for use in implementing tasks under the standard review plan update and development program (SRP-UDP). The IPD provides comprehensive guidance and detailed procedures for SRP-UDP tasks. The IPD is mandatory for contractors performing work for the SRP-UDP. It is guidance for the staff. At the completion of the SRP-UDP, the IPD will be revised (to remove the UDP aspects) and will replace NRR Office Letter No. 800 as long-term maintenance procedures.

Microbial ecology laboratory procedures manual NASA/MSFC

Science.gov (United States)

Huff, Timothy L.

1990-01-01

An essential part of the efficient operation of any microbiology laboratory involved in sample analysis is a standard procedures manual. The purpose of this manual is to provide concise and well defined instructions on routine technical procedures involving sample analysis and methods for monitoring and maintaining quality control within the laboratory. Of equal importance is the safe operation of the laboratory. This manual outlines detailed procedures to be followed in the microbial ecology laboratory to assure safety, analytical control, and validity of results.

Standardization of SMP procedure and its impact on outcome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachita S Dhurat

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Cosmetic deformities can result from various types of alopecia or even post hair transplantation procedures. Patients with such deformities seek aesthetically appealing longer-lasting options. Scalp concealers are commonly used by men and women to camouflage these deformities. Scalp micropigmentation (SMP is one of the concealers recently gaining popularity. Objectives: SMP is a novel technique wherein microdot tattoos are placed in a stippling pattern to mimic hair follicles that are cut close to the scalp and various variables affecting its outcome were evaluated. Methods: Forty-five subjects were recruited for the study. The various factors affecting outcome of SMP—angle of needle against the scalp, depth of needle into the scalp, time of the needle contact in scalp, speed of the rotor, resistance of scalp, color of pigment, viscosity of dye, needle number, needle thickness, and pattern of dot placement—were systematically studied in 15 patients through clinical photographs and trichoscopy. Ideal depth of pigment deposition was assessed through histopathological examination. After using these optimum variables, standardized SMP was performed in 30 patients with hair loss (3 patients with cicatricial and 27 patients with diffuse non-cicatricial alopecia. SMP was also used to create an aesthetically denser hairline. The outcome of the procedure was evaluated using standardized global photographs. Results: The ideal parameters were established to achieve standard reproducible results. There were great patient satisfaction and acceptance of the procedure. All the patients showed moderate to great improvement after the procedure with satisfactory scalp coverage. Adverse events were transient which were seen in the form of edema and redness. Conclusion: SMP offers a non-medical, tattoo-based cosmetically appealing and effective “cover-up” that hides the unsightly conditions. The cosmetic tattoo placement creates an illusion of

Nanometrology, Standardization and Regulation of Nanomaterials in Brazil: A Proposal for an Analytical-Prospective Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Rusmerg Giménez Ledesma

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to propose an analytical-prospective model as a tool to support decision-making processes concerning metrology, standardization and regulation of nanomaterials in Brazil, based on international references and ongoing initiatives in the world. In the context of nanotechnology development in Brazil, the motivation for carrying out this research was to identify potential benefits of metrology, standardization and regulation of nanomaterials production, from the perspective of future adoption of the model by the main stakeholders of development of these areas in Brazil. The main results can be summarized as follows: (i an overview of international studies on metrology, standardization and regulation of nanomaterials, and nanoparticles, in special; (ii the analytical-prospective model; and (iii the survey questionnaire and the roadmapping tool for metrology, standardization and regulation of nanomaterials in Brazil, based on international references and ongoing initiatives in the world.

Development of quantitative analytical procedures on two-phase flow in tight-lattice fuel bundles for reduced-moderation light-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnuki, A.; Kureta, M.; Takae, K.; Tamai, H.; Akimoto, H.; Yoshida, H.

2004-01-01

The research project to investigate thermal-hydraulic performance in tight-lattice rod bundles for Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) started at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) in 2002. The RMWR is a light water reactor for which a higher conversion ratio more than one can be expected. In order to attain this higher conversion ratio, triangular tight-lattice fuel bundles whose gap spacing between each fuel rod is around 1 mm are required. As for the thermal design of the RMWR core, conventional analytical methods are no good because the conventional composition equations can not predict the RMWR core with high accuracy. Then, development of new quantitative analytical procedures was carried out. Those analytical procedures are constructed by model experiments and advanced two-phase flow analysis codes. This paper describes the results of the model experiments and analytical results with the developed analysis codes. (authors)

EVALUASI SANITATION STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES KERUPUKAMPLANG DI UD SARINA KECAMATAN KALIANGET KABUPATEN SUMENEP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ach Triharjono

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Industri pangan untuk menghasilkan produk yang memenuhi standar keamanan pangan. Standar tersebut dapat dipenuhi dengan menerapkan 8 aspek kunci Sanitation Standard Operating Prosedures (SSOP. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk memperoleh hasil penerapan 8 aspek kunci Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP dan mengevaluasi penerapan Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP Di UD Sarina Kecamatan Kalianget Kabupaten Sumenep. Jenis penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dengan lokasi penelitian di UD Sarina Kecamatan Kalianget Kabupaten Sumenep. Hasil penelitian diketahui bahwa penerapan 8 aspek kunci Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP di UD Sarina sudah terlaksana tapi terdapat 3 tahapan kunci yang belum terlaksana dengan baik yaitu pencegahan kontaminasi silang, pengawasan kondisi kesehatan personil dan menghilangkan hama dari unit pengolahan. Hal yang perlu ditingkatkan terkait dengan penerapan SSOP di UD Sarina yaitu masih perlu adanya manual prosedur untuk berbagai pelaksanaan sanitasi yang dilakukan oleh UD Sarina ini

40 CFR 75.38 - Standard missing data procedures for Hg CEMS.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Hg CEMS. 75.38 Section 75.38 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... Standard missing data procedures for Hg CEMS. (a) Once 720 quality assured monitor operating hours of Hg... substitute data for Hg concentration in accordance with the procedures in ( 75.33(b)(1) through (b)(4...

Differences in metabolite profiles caused by pre-analytical blood processing procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiumi, Shin; Suzuki, Makoto; Kobayashi, Takashi; Yoshida, Masaru

2018-05-01

Recently, the use of metabolomic analysis of human serum and plasma for biomarker discovery and disease diagnosis in clinical studies has been increasing. The feasibility of using a metabolite biomarker for disease diagnosis is strongly dependent on the metabolite's stability during pre-analytical blood processing procedures, such as serum or plasma sampling and sample storage prior to centrifugation. However, the influence of blood processing procedures on the stability of metabolites has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we compared the levels of metabolites in matched human serum and plasma samples using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In addition, we evaluated the changes in plasma metabolite levels induced by storage at room temperature or at a cold temperature prior to centrifugation. As a result, it was found that 76 metabolites exhibited significant differences between their serum and plasma levels. Furthermore, the pre-centrifugation storage conditions significantly affected the plasma levels of 45 metabolites. These results highlight the importance of blood processing procedures during metabolome analysis, which should be considered during biomarker discovery and the subsequent use of biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analytical procedures for the determination of disperse azo dyes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Betowski, L.D.; Jones, T.L. (Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV (USA)); Munslow, W.; Nunn, N.J. (Lockheed Engineering and Management Services Co., Las Vegas, NV (USA))

1988-09-01

Disperse Blue 79 is the most widely-used azo dye in the US. Its economic importance for the dye industry and textile industry is very great. Because of its use and potential for degradation to aromatic amines, this compound has been chosen for testing by the Interagency Testing Committee. The authors laboratory has been developing methods for the analytical determination of Disperse Blue 79 and any possible degradation products in wastewater. This work has been taking place in conjunction with the study of the fate of azo dyes in the wastewater treatment processes by the Water Engineering Research Laboratory of the US EPA in Cincinnati. There were various phases for this analytical development. The first step involved purifying the commercial material or presscake to obtain a standard for quantitative determination. A combination of HPLC, TLC and mass spectrometric methods was used to determine purity after extraction and column cleanup. Phase two involved the extraction of the dye from the matrices involved. The third phase was the actual testing of Disperse Blue 79 in the waste activated sludge system and anaerobic digester. Recovery of the dye and any degradation products at each sampling point (e.g., secondary effluent, waste activated sludge) was the goal of this phase.

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF EFFICACY OF CORNEAL COLLAGEN CROSSLINKING C3R PROCEDURE IN PROGRESSIVE KERATOCONUS PATIENTS

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Rajasekar K

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Keratoconus affects a significant number of the general population with conical weakened protruded area from the cornea due to weakening of the corneal stroma by a genetically premeditated preponderance. We see keratoconus as a standalone disease or accompanying other syndrome manifestations in patients. Mainly, the inferotemporal cornea is affected and the conical protrusion causes profound high irregular myopic astigmatism as a refractive error, which is very difficult to correct in progressed advanced stages. Especially in economically productive age group patients, the poor vision becomes very difficult to live with. Corneal collagen crosslinking procedure is a novel tool in the armamentarium of treatment procedures against this malady. MATERIALS AND METHODS This analytical study was conducted at cornea services, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Chennai, for a period of 14 months. Forty five eyes of forty patients with early progressive keratoconus who presented to cornea services were subjected to riboflavin UVA collagen crosslinking procedures using a standard protocol after getting an informed consent. Further response to treatment were assessed in the follow up period. RESULTS Out of 40 patients in our series, 23 were males and 17 were females. The maximum patients in our series were in the age group between 10 to 25 yrs. Epi-off procedure was done in 31 eyes and epi-on procedure was done in 14 eyes. The patients with pachymetry 400-450 microns underwent epi-on procedure and more than 450 microns underwent epi-off C3R procedure. The K values in our series were between 49D to maximum 63D. The topographic flattening was seen in 52% in epi-on and epi-off procedures. Vision improvement in our series was 57% following epi-on and 65% following epi-off procedures. CONCLUSION C3R is a very promising therapeutic modality that may halt the progression of ectatic process. It is a less invasive mode

75 FR 72942 - Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-29

...: Harry J. Hodges, Flight Procedure Standards Branch (AFS-420), Flight Technologies and Programs Divisions..., SD, Rapid City Rgnl, ILS OR LOC RWY 32, Amdt 19 Newport News, VA, Newport News/Williamsburg Intl, ILS OR LOC RWY 7, Amdt 33 Newport News, VA, Newport News/Williamsburg Intl, ILS OR LOC RWY 25, Amdt 1...

Standard procedures for adults in accredited sleep medicine centres in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fischer, Jürgen; Dogas, Zoran; Bassetti, Claudio L

2012-01-01

The present paper describes standardized procedures within clinical sleep medicine. As such, it is a continuation of the previously published European guidelines for the accreditation of sleep medicine centres and European guidelines for the certification of professionals in sleep medicine, aimed...... at creating standards of practice in European sleep medicine. It is also part of a broader action plan of the European Sleep Research Society, including the process of accreditation of sleep medicine centres and certification of sleep medicine experts, as well as publishing the Catalogue of Knowledge...... and Skills for sleep medicine experts (physicians, non-medical health care providers, nurses and technologists), which will be a basis for the development of relevant educational curricula. In the current paper, the standard operational procedures sleep medicine centres regarding the diagnostic...

Definition, development, and demonstration of analytical procedures for the structured assessment approach. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

Analytical procedures were refined for the Structural Assessment Approach for assessing the Material Control and Accounting systems at facilities that contain special nuclear material. Requirements were established for an efficient, feasible algorithm to be used in evaluating system performance measures that involve the probability of detection. Algorithm requirements to calculate the probability of detection for a given type of adversary and the target set are described

Experimental verification for standard analysis procedure of 241Am in food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qingfen; Zhu Hongda; Liu Shutian; Pan Jingshun; Yang Dating

2005-01-01

Objective: The briefly experimental verification for 'determination of 241 Am in food' has been described. Methods: The overall recovery, the MDL of method and decontamination experiment has been done by standard analysis procedure. Results: The overall recovery is 76.26 ± 4.1%. The MDL is 3.4 x 10 -5 Bq/g ash, decontamination factor is higher than 10 3 for Po, 10 2 for U, Th, Pu and 60 for 237 Np. Conclusion: The results showed that the overall recovery is quite high and reliable, the MDL of method is able to meet examining 241 Am limited values in foods. the obtained decontamination factors of recommended procedure can meet analysis of 241 Am in food examination. Venifying results of the procedure are satisfied by using 243 Am spike and 241 Am standard reference material. (authors)

Analytical procedure for experimental quantification of carrier concentration in semiconductor devices by using electric scanning probe microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Takaya; Matsumura, Koji; Itoh, Hiroshi; Fujita, Daisuke

2014-01-01

Scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) is based on a contact-mode variant of atomic force microscopy, which is used for imaging two-dimensional carrier (electrons and holes) distributions in semiconductor devices. We introduced a method of quantification of the carrier concentration by experimentally deduced calibration curves, which were prepared for semiconductor materials such as silicon and silicon carbide. The analytical procedure was circulated to research organizations in a round-robin test. The effectiveness of the method was confirmed for practical analysis and for what is expected for industrial pre-standardization from the viewpoint of comparability among users. It was also applied to other electric scanning probe microscopy techniques such as scanning spreading resistance microscopy and scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy. Their depth profiles of carrier concentration were found to be in good agreement with those characterized by SCM. These results suggest that our proposed method will be compatible with future next-generation microscopy. (paper)

An analytical inductor design procedure for three-phase PWM converters in power factor correction applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kouchaki, Alireza; Niroumand, Farideh Javidi; Haase, Frerk

2015-01-01

This paper presents an analytical method for designing the inductor of three-phase power factor correction converters (PFCs). The complex behavior of the inductor current complicates the inductor design procedure as well as the core loss and copper loss calculations. Therefore, this paper analyze...... to calculate the core loss in the PFC application. To investigate the impact of the dc link voltage level, two inductors for different dc voltage levels are designed and the results are compared.......This paper presents an analytical method for designing the inductor of three-phase power factor correction converters (PFCs). The complex behavior of the inductor current complicates the inductor design procedure as well as the core loss and copper loss calculations. Therefore, this paper analyzes...... circuit is used to provide the inductor current harmonic spectrum. Therefore, using the harmonic spectrum, the low and high frequency copper losses are calculated. The high frequency minor B-H loops in one switching cycle are also analyzed. Then, the loss map provided by the measurement setup is used...

Optimization of organic contaminant and toxicity testing analytical procedures for estimating the characteristics and environmental significance of natural gas processing plant waste sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, N.

1990-10-01

The Gas Plant Sludge Characterization Phase IIB program is a continuation of the Canadian Petroleum Association's (CPA) initiatives to characterize sludge generated at gas processing plants. The objectives of the Phase IIB project were to develop an effective procedure for screening waste sludges or centrifuge/leachate generated from sludge samples for volatile, solvent-soluble and water-soluble organics; verify the reproducibility of the three aquatic toxicity tests recommended as the battery of tests for determining the environmental significance of sludge centrifugates or leachates; assess the performance of two terrestrial toxicity tests in determining the environmental significance of whole sludge samples applied to soil; and to assess and discuss the reproducibility and cost-effectiveness of the sampling and analytical techniques proposed for the overall sludge characterization procedure. Conclusions and recommendations are provided for sludge collection, preparation and distribution, organic analyses, toxicity testing, project management, and procedure standardization. The three aquatic and two terrestrial toxicity tests proved effective in indicating the toxicity of complex mixtures. 27 refs., 3 figs., 59 tabs

Standardized methods for photography in procedural dermatology using simple equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hexsel, Doris; Hexsel, Camile L; Dal'Forno, Taciana; Schilling de Souza, Juliana; Silva, Aline F; Siega, Carolina

2017-04-01

Photography is an important tool in dermatology. Reproducing the settings of before photos after interventions allows more accurate evaluation of treatment outcomes. In this article, we describe standardized methods and tips to obtain photographs, both for clinical practice and research procedural dermatology, using common equipment. Standards for the studio, cameras, photographer, patients, and framing are presented in this article. © 2017 The International Society of Dermatology.

An off-line two-dimensional analytical procedure for determination of polcyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoke aerosol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claessens, H.A.; Lammerts van Bueren, L.G.D.

1987-01-01

Smoke aerosol from stoves consists of a wide variety of chemical substances of which a number have toxic properties. To study the impact of aerosol emissions on health and environment reliable analytical procedures must be available for these samples. An off-line two-dimensional HPLC method is

Poor compliance with standard precautions against infections during minor gynaecological procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Maharaj, Dushyant; Lawton, Beverley; Garrett, Sue

2012-06-01

Splash injuries occurring during minor surgical procedures are associated with a significant infective risk to the operator. It is a common misconception that minor operations carry low risks. To determine the prevalence of the practice of Standard Precautions by medical staff in the obstetric and gynaecology (O & G) units of two hospitals in New Zealand, and to assess self-observed splash injury rates. A cross-sectional survey of all doctors working in the O & G units of two public hospitals servicing a population of 435 000. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to 43 doctors with questions related to the use of Standard Precautions, perceived likelihood of infection from a splash and splash injuries sustained during procedures. The response rate was 76.6% (n = 33/43). Of the respondents, only 30.3% (n = 10) used Standard Precautions during minor procedures. Sixty-four per cent (n = 21) routinely used goggles/visor for eye protection. Forty-five per cent (n = 15) thought they were likely to get an infection from a splash, and 55% (n = 18) of clinicians had experienced a splash injury. Of the minor procedures during which splash injuries had occurred, repair of episiotomy 45.8% (n = 11) was the commonest. This survey shows poor compliance with guidelines for Standard Precautions to protect from infection despite self-reported rates of splash injury being high at 55%. Effective interventions are needed to increase compliance and prevent infection. © 2012 The Authors ANZJOG © 2012 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Optimisation (sampling strategies and analytical procedures) for site specific environment monitoring at the areas of uranium production legacy sites in Ukraine - 59045

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voitsekhovych, Oleg V.; Lavrova, Tatiana V.; Kostezh, Alexander B.

2012-01-01

There are many sites in the world, where Environment are still under influence of the contamination related to the Uranium production carried out in past. Author's experience shows that lack of site characterization data, incomplete or unreliable environment monitoring studies can significantly limit quality of Safety Assessment procedures and Priority actions analyses needed for Remediation Planning. During recent decades the analytical laboratories of the many enterprises, currently being responsible for establishing the site specific environment monitoring program have been significantly improved their technical sampling and analytical capacities. However, lack of experience in the optimal site specific sampling strategy planning and also not enough experience in application of the required analytical techniques, such as modern alpha-beta radiometers, gamma and alpha spectrometry and liquid-scintillation analytical methods application for determination of U-Th series radionuclides in the environment, does not allow to these laboratories to develop and conduct efficiently the monitoring programs as a basis for further Safety Assessment in decision making procedures. This paper gives some conclusions, which were gained from the experience establishing monitoring programs in Ukraine and also propose some practical steps on optimization in sampling strategy planning and analytical procedures to be applied for the area required Safety assessment and justification for its potential remediation and safe management. (authors)

Net Analyte Signal Standard Additions Method for Simultaneous Determination of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Biological Fluids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. H. Givianrad

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The applicability of a novel net analyte signal standard addition method (NASSAM to the resolving of overlapping spectra corresponding to the sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim was verified by UV-visible spectrophotometry. The results confirmed that the net analyte signal standard additions method with simultaneous addition of both analytes is suitable for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in aqueous media. Moreover, applying the net analyte signal standard additions method revealed that the two drugs could be determined simultaneously with the concentration ratios of sulfamethoxazole to trimethoprim varying from 1:35 to 60:1 in the mixed samples. In addition, the limits of detections were 0.26 and 0.23 μmol L-1 for sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, respectively. The proposed method has been effectively applied to the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in some synthetic, pharmaceutical formulation and biological fluid samples.

Development of analytical procedures for the determination of hexavalent chromium in corrosion prevention coatings used in the automotive industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Séby, F; Castetbon, A; Ortega, R; Guimon, C; Niveau, F; Barrois-Oudin, N; Garraud, H; Donard, O F X

2008-05-01

The European directive 2000/53/EC limits the use of Cr(VI) in vehicle manufacturing. Although a maximum of 2 g of Cr(VI) was authorised per vehicle for corrosion prevention coatings of key components, since July 2007 its use has been prohibited except for some particular applications. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop direct analytical procedures for Cr(VI) determination in the different steel coatings used for screws. Instead of working directly with screws, the optimisation of the procedures was carried out with metallic plates homogeneously coated to improve the data comparability. Extraction of Cr(VI) from the metallic parts was performed by sonication. Two extraction solutions were tested: a direct water extraction solution used in standard protocols and an ammonium/ammonia buffer solution at pH 8.9. The extracts were further analysed for Cr speciation by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometry or HPLC ICP mass spectrometry depending on the concentration level. When possible, the coatings were also directly analysed by solid speciation techniques (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure, XANES) for validation of the results. Very good results between the different analytical approaches were obtained for the sample of coating made up of a heated paint containing Zn, Al and Cr when using the extracting buffer solution at pH 8.9. After a repeated four-step extraction procedure on the same portion test, taking into account the depth of the surface layer reached, good agreement with XPS and XANES results was obtained. In contrast, for the coatings composed of an alkaline Zn layer where Cr(VI) and Cr(III) are deposited, only the extraction procedure using water allowed the detection of Cr(VI). To elucidate the Cr(VI) reduction during extraction at pH 8.9, the reactivity of Cr(VI) towards different species of Zn generally present in the

A Comparison of Standard-Setting Procedures for an OSCE in Undergraduate Medical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufman, David M.; Mann, Karen V.; Muijtjens, Arno M. M.; van der Vleuten, Cees P. M.

2000-01-01

Compared four standard-setting procedures for an objective structure clinical examination (OSCE) in medical education. Applied Angoff, borderline, relative, and holistic procedures to the data used to establish a cutoff score for a pass/fail decision. The Angoff and borderline procedures gave similar results; however, the relative and holistic…

Characterization of Analytical Reference Glass-1 (ARG-1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, G.L.

1993-12-01

High-level radioactive waste may be immobilized in borosilicate glass at the West Valley Demonstration Project, West Valley, New York, the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), Aiken, South Carolina, and the Hanford Waste Vitrification Project (HWVP), Richland, Washington. The vitrified waste form will be stored in stainless steel canisters before its eventual transfer to a geologic repository for long-term disposal. Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS) (DOE 1993), Section 1.1.2 requires that the waste form producers must report the measured chemical composition of the vitrified waste in their production records before disposal. Chemical analysis of glass waste forms is receiving increased attention due to qualification requirements of vitrified waste forms. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has been supporting the glass producers' analytical laboratories by a continuing program of multilaboratory analytical testing using interlaboratory ''round robin'' methods. At the PNL Materials Characterization Center Analytical Round Robin 4 workshop ''Analysis of Nuclear Waste Glass and Related Materials,'' January 16--17, 1990, Pleasanton, California, the meeting attendees decided that simulated nuclear waste analytical reference glasses were needed for use as analytical standards. Use of common standard analytical reference materials would allow the glass producers' analytical laboratories to calibrate procedures and instrumentation, to control laboratory performance and conduct self-appraisals, and to help qualify their various waste forms

Improving the safety and quality of nursing care through standardized operating procedures in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Science.gov (United States)

Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Rakic, Severin; Novo, Ahmed; Dropic, Emira; Fisekovic, Eldin; Sredic, Ana; Van Malderen, Greet

2016-06-01

We explored how selected 'positive deviant' healthcare facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina approach the continuous development, adaptation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nursing-related standard operating procedures. Standardized nursing care is internationally recognized as a critical element of safe, high-quality health care; yet very little research has examined one of its key instruments: nursing-related standard operating procedures. Despite variability in Bosnia and Herzegovina's healthcare and nursing care quality, we assumed that some healthcare facilities would have developed effective strategies to elevate nursing quality and safety through the use of standard operating procedures. Guided by the 'positive deviance' approach, we used a multiple-case study design to examine a criterion sample of four facilities (two primary healthcare centres and two hospitals), collecting data via focus groups and individual interviews. In each studied facility, certification/accreditation processes were crucial to the initiation of continuous development, adaptation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nursing-related SOPs. In one hospital and one primary healthcare centre, nurses working in advanced roles (i.e. quality coordinators) were responsible for developing and implementing nursing-related standard operating procedures. Across the four studied institutions, we identified a consistent approach to standard operating procedures-related processes. The certification/accreditation process is enabling necessary changes in institutions' organizational cultures, empowering nurses to take on advanced roles in improving the safety and quality of nursing care. Standardizing nursing procedures is key to improve the safety and quality of nursing care. Nursing and Health Policy are needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish a functioning institutional framework, including regulatory bodies, educational systems for developing nurses' capacities or the

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-09-01

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

Price adjustment for traditional Chinese medicine procedures: Based on a standardized value parity model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haiyin; Jin, Chunlin; Jiang, Qingwu

2017-11-20

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important part of China's medical system. Due to the prolonged low price of TCM procedures and the lack of an effective mechanism for dynamic price adjustment, the development of TCM has markedly lagged behind Western medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the need to enhance the development of alternative and traditional medicine when creating national health care systems. The establishment of scientific and appropriate mechanisms to adjust the price of medical procedures in TCM is crucial to promoting the development of TCM. This study has examined incorporating value indicators and data on basic manpower expended, time spent, technical difficulty, and the degree of risk in the latest standards for the price of medical procedures in China, and this study also offers a price adjustment model with the relative price ratio as a key index. This study examined 144 TCM procedures and found that prices of TCM procedures were mainly based on the value of medical care provided; on average, medical care provided accounted for 89% of the price. Current price levels were generally low and the current price accounted for 56% of the standardized value of a procedure, on average. Current price levels accounted for a markedly lower standardized value of acupuncture, moxibustion, special treatment with TCM, and comprehensive TCM procedures. This study selected a total of 79 procedures and adjusted them by priority. The relationship between the price of TCM procedures and the suggested price was significantly optimized (p based on a standardized value parity model is a scientific and suitable method of price adjustment that can serve as a reference for other provinces and municipalities in China and other countries and regions that mainly have fee-for-service (FFS) medical care.

Improving the review of standard operating procedures: a novel electronic system for compounding pharmacies.

Science.gov (United States)

Brensel, Robert; Brensel, Scott; Ng, Amy

2013-01-01

Since the New England Compounding Center disaster in 2012, the importance of following correct procedures during every phase of customized pharmacy has been a focus of governmental interest and action as well as public scrutiny. Many pharmacies rely on the rote review of standard operating procedures to ensure that staff members understand and follow protocols that ensure the safety and potency of all compounds prepared, but that approach to continuing education can be cumbersome and needlessly time-consuming. In addition, documenting and retrieving evidence of employee competence can be difficult. In this article, we describe our use of online technology to improve our methods of educating staff about the full range of standard operating procedures that must be followed in our pharmacy. The system we devised and implemented has proven to be effective, easy to update and maintain, very inexpensive, and user friendly. Its use has reduced the time previously required for a read-over review of standard operating procedures from 30 or 40 minutes to 5 or 10 minutes in weekly staff meetings, and we can now easily document and access proof of employees' comprehension of that content. It is our hope that other small compounding pharmacies will also find this system of online standard operating procedure review helpful.

Methodological procedures and analytical instruments to evaluate an indicators integrated archive for urban management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Ciello, R.; Napoleoni, S.

1998-01-01

This guide provides the results of a research developed at ENEA (National Agency for new Technology, Energy and the Environment) Casaccia center (Rome, Italy) aimed to define methodological procedures and analytical instruments needed to carry out an indicators integrated archive for urban management. The guide also defines the scheme of a negotiation process aimed to reach and exchange data and information among governmental and local administrations, non-governmental organizations and scientific bodies [it

The reasonable woman standard: a meta-analytic review of gender differences in perceptions of sexual harassment.

Science.gov (United States)

Blumenthal, J A

1998-02-01

Courts and legislatures have begun to develop the "reasonable woman standard" (RWS) as a criterion for deciding sexual harassment trials. This standard rests on assumptions of a "wide divergence" between the perceptions of men and women when viewing social-sexual behavior that may be considered harassing. Narrative reviews of the literature on such perceptions have suggested that these assumptions are only minimally supported. To test these assumptions quantitatively, a meta-analytic review was conducted that assessed the size, stability, and moderators of gender differences in perceptions of sexual harassment. The effect of the actor's status relative to the target also was evaluated meta-analytically, as one alternative to the importance of gender effects. Results supported the claims of narrative reviews for a relatively small gender effect, and draw attention to the status effect. In discussing legal implications of the present findings, earlier claims are echoed suggesting caution in establishing the reasonable woman standard, and one alternative to the RWS, the "reasonable victim standard," is discussed.

The European Stroke Organisation Guidelines: a standard operating procedure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ntaios, George; Bornstein, Natan M; Caso, Valeria; Christensen, Hanne; De Keyser, Jacques; Diener, Hans-Christoph; Diez-Tejedor, Exuperio; Ferro, Jose M; Ford, Gary A; Grau, Armin; Keller, Emanuella; Leys, Didier; Russell, David; Toni, Danilo; Turc, Guillaume; Van der Worp, Bart; Wahlgren, Nils; Steiner, Thorsten

2015-10-01

In 2008, the recently founded European Stroke Organisation published its guidelines for the management of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. This highly cited document was translated in several languages and was updated in 2009. Since then, the European Stroke Organisation has published guidelines for the management of intracranial aneurysms and subarachnoidal hemorrhage, for the establishment of stroke units and stroke centers, and recently for the management of intracerebral hemorrhage. In recent years, the methodology for the development of guidelines has evolved significantly. To keep pace with this progress and driven by the strong determination of the European Stroke Organisation to further promote stroke management, education, and research, the European Stroke Organisation decided to delineate a detailed standard operating procedure for its guidelines. There are two important cornerstones in this standard operating procedure: The first is the implementation of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology for the development of its Guideline Documents. The second one is the decision of the European Stroke Organisation to move from the classical model of a single Guideline Document about a major topic (e.g. management of ischemic stroke) to focused modules (i.e. subdivisions of a major topic). This will enable the European Stroke Organisation to react faster when new developments in a specific stroke field occur and update its recommendations on the related module rather swiftly; with the previous approach of a single large Guideline Document, its entire revision had to be completed before an updated publication, delaying the production of up-to-date guidelines. After discussion within the European Stroke Organisation Guidelines Committee and significant input from European Stroke Organisation members as well as methodologists and analysts, this document presents the official standard operating procedure for

A comparative examination of sample treatment procedures for ICAP-AES analysis of biological tissue

Science.gov (United States)

De Boer, J. L. M.; Maessen, F. J. M. J.

The objective of this study was to contribute to the evaluation of existing sample preparation procedures for ICAP-AES analysis of biological material. Performance characteristics were established of current digestion procedures comprising extraction, solubilization, pressure digestion, and wet and dry ashing methods. Apart from accuracy and precision, a number of criteria of special interest for the analytical practice was applied. As a test sample served SRM bovine liver. In this material six elements were simultaneously determined. Results showed that every procedure has its defects and advantages. Hence, unambiguous recommendation of standard digestion procedures can be made only when taking into account the specific analytical problem.

Analytical method for the identification and assay of 12 phthalates in cosmetic products: application of the ISO 12787 international standard "Cosmetics-Analytical methods-Validation criteria for analytical results using chromatographic techniques".

Science.gov (United States)

Gimeno, Pascal; Maggio, Annie-Françoise; Bousquet, Claudine; Quoirez, Audrey; Civade, Corinne; Bonnet, Pierre-Antoine

2012-08-31

Esters of phthalic acid, more commonly named phthalates, may be present in cosmetic products as ingredients or contaminants. Their presence as contaminant can be due to the manufacturing process, to raw materials used or to the migration of phthalates from packaging when plastic (polyvinyl chloride--PVC) is used. 8 phthalates (DBP, DEHP, BBP, DMEP, DnPP, DiPP, DPP, and DiBP), classified H360 or H361, are forbidden in cosmetics according to the European regulation on cosmetics 1223/2009. A GC/MS method was developed for the assay of 12 phthalates in cosmetics, including the 8 phthalates regulated. Analyses are carried out on a GC/MS system with electron impact ionization mode (EI). The separation of phthalates is obtained on a cross-linked 5%-phenyl/95%-dimethylpolysiloxane capillary column 30 m × 0.25 mm (i.d.) × 0.25 mm film thickness using a temperature gradient. Phthalate quantification is performed by external calibration using an internal standard. Validation elements obtained on standard solutions, highlight a satisfactory system conformity (resolution>1.5), a common quantification limit at 0.25 ng injected, an acceptable linearity between 0.5 μg mL⁻¹ and 5.0 μg mL⁻¹ as well as a precision and an accuracy in agreement with in-house specifications. Cosmetic samples ready for analytical injection are analyzed after a dilution in ethanol whereas more complex cosmetic matrices, like milks and creams, are assayed after a liquid/liquid extraction using ter-butyl methyl ether (TBME). Depending on the type of cosmetics analyzed, the common limits of quantification for the 12 phthalates were set at 0.5 or 2.5 μg g⁻¹. All samples were assayed using the analytical approach described in the ISO 12787 international standard "Cosmetics-Analytical methods-Validation criteria for analytical results using chromatographic techniques". This analytical protocol is particularly adapted when it is not possible to make reconstituted sample matrices. Copyright © 2012

Application of advanced nuclear and instrumental analytical techniques for characterisation of environmental materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudersanan, M.; Pawaskar, P.B.; Kayasth, S.R.; Kumar, S.C.

2002-01-01

Full text: Increasing realisation about the toxic effects of metal ions in environmental materials has given an impetus to research on analytical techniques for their characterization. The large number of analytes present at very low levels has necessitated the use of sensitive, selective and element specific techniques for their characterization. The concern about precision and accuracy on such analysis, which have socio-economic bearing, has emphasized the use of Certified Reference Materials and the use of multi-technique approach for the unambiguous characterization of analytes. The recent work carried out at Analytical Chemistry Division, BARC on these aspects is presented in this paper. Increasing use of fossil fuels has led to the generation of large quantities of fly ash which pose problems of safe disposal. The utilization of these materials for land filling is an attractive option but the presence of trace amounts of toxic metals like mercury, arsenic, lead etc may cause environmental problems. In view of the inhomogeneous nature of the material, efficient sample processing is an important factor, in addition to the validation of the results by the use of proper standards. Analysis was carried out on flyash samples received as reference materials and also as samples from commercial sources using a combination of both nuclear techniques like INAA and RNAA as well as other techniques like AAS, ICPAES, cold vapour AAS for mercury and hydride generation technique for arsenic. Similar analysis using nuclear techniques was employed for the characterization of air particulates. Biological materials often serve as sensitive indicator materials for pollution measurements. They are also employed for studies on the uptake of toxic metals like U, Th, Cd, Pb, Hg etc. The presence of large amounts of organic materials in them necessitate an appropriate sample dissolution procedure. In view of the possibility of loss of certain analytes like Cd, Hg, As, by high

User-calibration of Mettler AT200 analytical balance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estill, J.

1996-01-01

The purpose of this technical implementing procedure (TIP) is to describe the calibration of the Mettler AT200 analytical balance or similar type balance (henceforth called the balance). This balance is used for activities of the Scientific Investigation Plan (SIP) ''Metal Barrier Selection and Testing'' (SIP-CM-01, WBS nr. 1.2.2.5.1). In particular, it will be used for Activity E-20-50, ''Long-Term Corrosion Studies.'' The balance will be used for weighing test specimens and reagent chemicals. However, it is not limited to these uses. The calibration procedures consist of activating the internal (self) calibration of the apparatus, and weighing and recording of traceable standards. The balance is equipped with self (internal) calibration and linearization capabilities. It has an internal (built in) set of weights which are used for self calibration. The standard weights are traceable to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the Instituto de Geociências, USP: instrumentation, analytical procedures, and calibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PAULO M. VASCONCELOS

2002-06-01

Full Text Available Laser heating 40Ar/39Ar geochronology provides high analytical precision and accuracy, mum-scale spatial resolution, and statistically significant data sets for the study of geological and planetary processes. A newly commissioned 40Ar/39Ar laboratory at CPGeo/USP, São Paulo, Brazil, equips the Brazilian scientific community with a new powerful tool applicable to the study of geological and cosmochemical processes. Detailed information about laboratory layout, environmental conditions, and instrumentation provides the necessary parameters for the evaluation of the CPGeo/USP 40Ar/39Ar suitability to a diverse range of applications. Details about analytical procedures, including mineral separation, irradiation at the IPEN/CNEN reactor at USP, and mass spectrometric analysis enable potential researchers to design the necessary sampling and sample preparation program suitable to the objectives of their study. Finally, the results of calibration tests using Ca and K salts and glasses, international mineral standards, and in-house mineral standards show that the accuracy and precision obtained at the 40Ar/39Ar laboratory at CPGeo/USP are comparable to results obtained in the most respected laboratories internationally. The extensive calibration and standardization procedures undertaken ensure that the results of analytical studies carried out in our laboratories will gain immediate international credibility, enabling Brazilian students and scientists to conduct forefront research in earth and planetary sciences.A geocronologia de 40Ar/39Ar por aquecimento a laser permite alta precisão e acurácia analítica, tem resolução espacial em escala micrométrica, e fornece um número de dados estatisticamente significantes para o estudo de processos geológicos e planetários. Um recém construído laboratório de 40Ar/39Ar no CPGeo/USP, São Paulo, Brazil, mune a sociedade científica brasileira com uma técnica eficaz aplicável aos estudos geol

Role of the IAEA's ALMERA network in harmonization of analytical procedures applicable worldwide for radiological emergencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitois, A.; Osvath, I.; Tarjan, S.; Groening, M.; Osborn, D.; )

2016-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) coordinates and provides analytical support to the worldwide network of Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA), consisting at the end of 2015 of 154 laboratories in 85 countries. This network, established by the IAEA in 1995, has for aim to provide timely and reliable measurement results of environmental radioactivity in routine monitoring and emergency situations. The IAEA supports the ALMERA laboratories in their routine and emergency response environmental monitoring activities by organizing proficiency tests and inter-laboratory comparison exercises, developing validated analytical procedures for environmental radioactivity measurement, and organizing training courses and workshops. The network also acts as a forum for sharing knowledge and expertise. The aim of this paper is to describe the current status of ALMERA analytical method development activities for radiological emergencies and the plans for further development in the field

76 FR 54528 - Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) Process for the...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

...) of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) Process for the Sequencing of Certification and... on the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) standard operating procedure (SOP) describing the process... comments on the SOP : AIR-100-001; Standard Operating Procedure--Aircraft Certification Service Project...

Standardized Procedure Content And Data Structure Based On Human Factors Requirements For Computer-Based Procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bly, Aaron; Oxstrand, Johanna; Le Blanc, Katya L

2015-01-01

Most activities that involve human interaction with systems in a nuclear power plant are guided by procedures. Traditionally, the use of procedures has been a paper-based process that supports safe operation of the nuclear power industry. However, the nuclear industry is constantly trying to find ways to decrease the human error rate, especially the human errors associated with procedure use. Advances in digital technology make computer-based procedures (CBPs) a valid option that provides further enhancement of safety by improving human performance related to procedure use. The transition from paper-based procedures (PBPs) to CBPs creates a need for a computer-based procedure system (CBPS). A CBPS needs to have the ability to perform logical operations in order to adjust to the inputs received from either users or real time data from plant status databases. Without the ability for logical operations the procedure is just an electronic copy of the paper-based procedure. In order to provide the CBPS with the information it needs to display the procedure steps to the user, special care is needed in the format used to deliver all data and instructions to create the steps. The procedure should be broken down into basic elements and formatted in a standard method for the CBPS. One way to build the underlying data architecture is to use an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, which utilizes basic elements to build each step in the smart procedure. The attributes of each step will determine the type of functionality that the system will generate for that step. The CBPS will provide the context for the step to deliver referential information, request a decision, or accept input from the user. The XML schema needs to provide all data necessary for the system to accurately perform each step without the need for the procedure writer to reprogram the CBPS. The research team at the Idaho National Laboratory has developed a prototype CBPS for field workers as well as the

Standardized Procedure Content And Data Structure Based On Human Factors Requirements For Computer-Based Procedures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bly, Aaron; Oxstrand, Johanna; Le Blanc, Katya L

2015-02-01

Most activities that involve human interaction with systems in a nuclear power plant are guided by procedures. Traditionally, the use of procedures has been a paper-based process that supports safe operation of the nuclear power industry. However, the nuclear industry is constantly trying to find ways to decrease the human error rate, especially the human errors associated with procedure use. Advances in digital technology make computer-based procedures (CBPs) a valid option that provides further enhancement of safety by improving human performance related to procedure use. The transition from paper-based procedures (PBPs) to CBPs creates a need for a computer-based procedure system (CBPS). A CBPS needs to have the ability to perform logical operations in order to adjust to the inputs received from either users or real time data from plant status databases. Without the ability for logical operations the procedure is just an electronic copy of the paper-based procedure. In order to provide the CBPS with the information it needs to display the procedure steps to the user, special care is needed in the format used to deliver all data and instructions to create the steps. The procedure should be broken down into basic elements and formatted in a standard method for the CBPS. One way to build the underlying data architecture is to use an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, which utilizes basic elements to build each step in the smart procedure. The attributes of each step will determine the type of functionality that the system will generate for that step. The CBPS will provide the context for the step to deliver referential information, request a decision, or accept input from the user. The XML schema needs to provide all data necessary for the system to accurately perform each step without the need for the procedure writer to reprogram the CBPS. The research team at the Idaho National Laboratory has developed a prototype CBPS for field workers as well as the

Environmental Sciences Division Toxicology Laboratory standard operating procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kszos, L.A.; Stewart, A.J.; Wicker, L.F.; Logsdon, G.M.

1989-09-01

This document was developed to provide the personnel working in the Environmental Sciences Division's Toxicology Laboratory with documented methods for conducting toxicity tests. The document consists of two parts. The first part includes the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that are used by the laboratory in conducting toxicity tests. The second part includes reference procedures from the US Environmental Protection Agency document entitled Short-Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Freshwater Organisms, upon which the Toxicology Laboratory's SOPs are based. Five of the SOPs include procedures for preparing Ceriodaphnia survival and reproduction test. These SOPs include procedures for preparing Ceriodaphnia food (SOP-3), maintaining Ceriodaphnia cultures (SOP-4), conducting the toxicity test (SOP-13), analyzing the test data (SOP-13), and conducting a Ceriodaphnia reference test (SOP-15). Five additional SOPs relate specifically to the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) larval survival and growth test: methods for preparing fathead minnow larvae food (SOP-5), maintaining fathead minnow cultures (SOP-6), conducting the toxicity test (SOP-9), analyzing the test data (SOP-12), and conducting a fathead minnow reference test (DOP-14). The six remaining SOPs describe methods that are used with either or both tests: preparation of control/dilution water (SOP-1), washing of glassware (SOP-2), collection and handling of samples (SOP-7), preparation of samples (SOP-8), performance of chemical analyses (SOP-11), and data logging and care of technical notebooks (SOP-16)

The importance of production standard operating procedure in a family business company

Science.gov (United States)

Hongdiyanto, C.

2017-12-01

Plastic industry is a growing sector, therefore UD X which engage in this business has a great potential to grow as well. The problem faced by this family business company is that no standard operating procedure is used and it lead to problem in the quality and quantity produced. This research is aim to create a production standard operating procedure for UD X. Semistructure interview is used to gather information from respondent to help writer create the SOP. There are four SOP’s created, namely: classifying SOP, sorting SOP, milling SOP and packing SOP. Having SOP will improve the effectiveness of production because employees already know how to work in each stages of production process.

Analytical Procedures for Testability.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

Beat Internal Classifications", AD: A018516. "A System of Computer Aided Diagnosis with Blood Serum Chemistry Tests and Bayesian Statistics", AD: 786284...6 LIST OF TALS .. 1. Truth Table ......................................... 49 2. Covering Problem .............................. 93 3. Primary and...quential classification procedure in a coronary care ward is evaluated. In the toxicology field "A System of Computer Aided Diagnosis with Blood Serum

Radioimmunoassay. A revolution in the analytic procedure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strecker, H; Eckert, H G [Farbwerke Hoechst A.G., Frankfurt am Main (Germany, F.R.). Radiochemisches Lab.

1978-04-01

Radioimmunoassay is an analytic method which combines the sensitivity of radioactive measurement and the specificity of the antigen-antibody reaction Substances down to a concentration of some picograms per ml serum (or biological material) can be measured in the presence of a millionfold excess of otherwise interfering substances. The method is easy to carry out (test tube chemistry). The main field of application at the moment is in endocrinology; further possibilities of application are in pharmaceutical research, environmental protection, forensic medicine, and for general analytic purposes. Radioactive sources are used only in vitro in the nanocurie range, i.e. radiation exposure is negligible.

Simultaneous grouping and ranking with combination of SOM and TOPSIS for selection of preferable analytical procedure for furan determination in food.

Science.gov (United States)

Jędrkiewicz, Renata; Tsakovski, Stefan; Lavenu, Aurore; Namieśnik, Jacek; Tobiszewski, Marek

2018-02-01

Novel methodology for grouping and ranking with application of self-organizing maps and multicriteria decision analysis is presented. The dataset consists of 22 objects that are analytical procedures applied to furan determination in food samples. They are described by 10 variables, referred to their analytical performance, environmental and economic aspects. Multivariate statistics analysis allows to limit the amount of input data for ranking analysis. Assessment results show that the most beneficial procedures are based on microextraction techniques with GC-MS final determination. It is presented how the information obtained from both tools complement each other. The applicability of combination of grouping and ranking is also discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of trace impurities in uranium-transition metal alloy fuels by ICP-MS using extended common analyte internal standardization (ECAIS) technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saha, Abhijit; Deb, S.B.; Nagar, B.K.; Saxena, M.K.

2015-01-01

An analytical methodology was developed for the determination of eight trace impurities viz, Al, B, Cd, Co, Cu, Mg, Mn and Ni in three different uranium-transition metal alloy fuels (U-Me; Me = Ti, Zr and Mo) employing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The well known common analyte internal standardization (CAIS) chemometric technique was modified and then employed to minimize and account for the matrix effect on analyte intensity. Standard addition of analytes to the pure synthetic U-Me sample solutions and subsequently their ≥ 94% recovery by the ICP-MS measurement validates the proposed methodology. One real sample of each of these alloys was analyzed by the developed analytical methodology and the %RSD observed was in the range of 5-8%. The method detection limits were found to be within 4-10 μg L -1 . (author)

Pre-analytical issues in the haemostasis laboratory: guidance for the clinical laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnette, A; Chatelain, M; Chatelain, B; Ten Cate, H; Mullier, F

2016-01-01

Ensuring quality has become a daily requirement in laboratories. In haemostasis, even more than in other disciplines of biology, quality is determined by a pre-analytical step that encompasses all procedures, starting with the formulation of the medical question, and includes patient preparation, sample collection, handling, transportation, processing, and storage until time of analysis. This step, based on a variety of manual activities, is the most vulnerable part of the total testing process and is a major component of the reliability and validity of results in haemostasis and constitutes the most important source of erroneous or un-interpretable results. Pre-analytical errors may occur throughout the testing process and arise from unsuitable, inappropriate or wrongly handled procedures. Problems may arise during the collection of blood specimens such as misidentification of the sample, use of inadequate devices or needles, incorrect order of draw, prolonged tourniquet placing, unsuccessful attempts to locate the vein, incorrect use of additive tubes, collection of unsuitable samples for quality or quantity, inappropriate mixing of a sample, etc. Some factors can alter the result of a sample constituent after collection during transportation, preparation and storage. Laboratory errors can often have serious adverse consequences. Lack of standardized procedures for sample collection accounts for most of the errors encountered within the total testing process. They can also have clinical consequences as well as a significant impact on patient care, especially those related to specialized tests as these are often considered as "diagnostic". Controlling pre-analytical variables is critical since this has a direct influence on the quality of results and on their clinical reliability. The accurate standardization of the pre-analytical phase is of pivotal importance for achieving reliable results of coagulation tests and should reduce the side effects of the influence

Manual for the GAW Precipitation Chemistry Programme: Guidelines, Data Quality Objectives and Standard Operating Procedures

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Allan, Mary A

2004-01-01

This is a manual for the Global Atmosphere Watch Precipitation Chemistry (GAW-PC) Programme. Where possible, it describes standard operating procedures and otherwise provides guidance on methods and procedures...

A standardized procedure for using human corpus cavernosum strips to evaluate drug activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirone, V; Sorrentino, R; di Villa Bianca, R; Imbimbo, C; Palmieri, A; Fusco, F; Tajana, G; Cirino, G

2000-01-01

The main problem of using human corpus cavernosum (HCC) tissue to perform bioassay is linked to its limited availability further complicated by the heterogeneous source of the tissues used. Here, we show that gender reassignment is a reliable source of human tissue without major ethical problems. Indeed, the entire corpus cavernosum is obtained from the surgery procedure, which allows creating a standardized procedure to prepare HCC strip. In addition, human tissue, if kept in the fridge in the condition described, does not loose its ability to contract to phenylephrine (PE; alpha agonist), angiotensin II (AG II) and KCl up to 4 days. Furthermore, once contracted with PE, HCC relaxes to acetylcholine (endothelium-dependent mechanism); sodium nitroprusside (endothelium-independent mechanism); cromakalim (CRK), a K(ATP) channel opener; or alprostadil, a synthetic PGE2 (ALPR). In conclusion, we have standardized a procedure that allows the use of HCC strips to evaluate drug activity and/or to study pathophysiological mechanisms with an intact functional human tissue up to 4 days from the surgery procedure.

“Heidelberg standard examination” and “Heidelberg standard procedures” – Development of faculty-wide standards for physical examination techniques and clinical procedures in undergraduate medical education

Science.gov (United States)

Nikendei, C.; Ganschow, P.; Groener, J. B.; Huwendiek, S.; Köchel, A.; Köhl-Hackert, N.; Pjontek, R.; Rodrian, J.; Scheibe, F.; Stadler, A.-K.; Steiner, T.; Stiepak, J.; Tabatabai, J.; Utz, A.; Kadmon, M.

2016-01-01

The competent physical examination of patients and the safe and professional implementation of clinical procedures constitute essential components of medical practice in nearly all areas of medicine. The central objective of the projects “Heidelberg standard examination” and “Heidelberg standard procedures”, which were initiated by students, was to establish uniform interdisciplinary standards for physical examination and clinical procedures, and to distribute them in coordination with all clinical disciplines at the Heidelberg University Hospital. The presented project report illuminates the background of the initiative and its methodological implementation. Moreover, it describes the multimedia documentation in the form of pocketbooks and a multimedia internet-based platform, as well as the integration into the curriculum. The project presentation aims to provide orientation and action guidelines to facilitate similar processes in other faculties. PMID:27579354

Procedure and reference standard to determine the structural resolution in coordinate metrology

Science.gov (United States)

Illemann, Jens; Bartscher, Markus; Jusko, Otto; Härtig, Frank; Neuschaefer-Rube, Ulrich; Wendt, Klaus

2014-06-01

A new procedure and reference standards for specifying the structural resolution in coordinate metrology traceable to the SI unit the metre are proposed. With the definition of the structural resolution, a significant gap will be closed to complete ‘acceptance and verification tests’ of the coordinate measuring systems (CMSs) which are specified in the ISO 10360 series dealing with tactile sensors, optical sensors, and x-ray computed tomography measurement systems (CTs). The proposed new procedure uses reference standards with circular rounded edges. The idea is to measure the radius of curvature on a calibrated round edge structure. From the deviation between the measured and the calibrated radius, an analogue Gaussian broadening of the measurement system is determined. This value is a well-defined and easy-to-apply measure to define the structural resolution for dimensional measurements. It is applicable to CMSs which are based on different sensing principles, e.g. tactile, optical and CT systems. On the other hand, it has a physical meaning similar to the classical optical point-spread function. It makes it possible to predict which smallest details the CMS is capable of measuring reliably for an arbitrary object shape. The theoretical background of the new procedure is given, an appropriate reference standard is described and comparative, quantitative measurement data of CMSs featuring different sensors are shown.

Standard operation procedures for conducting the on-the-road driving test, and measurement of the standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP).

Science.gov (United States)

Verster, Joris C; Roth, Thomas

2011-01-01

This review discusses the methodology of the standardized on-the-road driving test and standard operation procedures to conduct the test and analyze the data. The on-the-road driving test has proven to be a sensitive and reliable method to examine driving ability after administration of central nervous system (CNS) drugs. The test is performed on a public highway in normal traffic. Subjects are instructed to drive with a steady lateral position and constant speed. Its primary parameter, the standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), ie, an index of 'weaving', is a stable measure of driving performance with high test-retest reliability. SDLP differences from placebo are dose-dependent, and do not depend on the subject's baseline driving skills (placebo SDLP). It is important that standard operation procedures are applied to conduct the test and analyze the data in order to allow comparisons between studies from different sites.

[Procedure of seed quality testing and seed grading standard of Prunus humilis].

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Hao; Ren, Guang-Xi; Gao, Ya; Luo, Jun; Liu, Chun-Sheng; Li, Wei-Dong

2014-11-01

So far there exists no corresponding quality test procedures and grading standards for the seed of Prunus humilis, which is one of the important source of base of semen pruni. Therefor we set up test procedures that are adapt to characteristics of the P. humilis seed through the study of the test of sampling, seed purity, thousand-grain weight, seed moisture, seed viability and germination percentage. 50 cases of seed specimens of P. humilis tested. The related data were analyzed by cluster analysis. Through this research, the seed quality test procedure was developed, and the seed quality grading standard was formulated. The seed quality of each grade should meet the following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 68%, thousand-grain weight 383 g, purity ≥ 93%, seed moisture ≤ 5%; for second grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 26%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 266 g, purity ≥ 73%, seed moisture ≤9%; for third grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 10%, purity ≥ 50%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 08 g, seed moisture ≤ 13%.

Standard working procedures in production of traditionally fermented Sremska sausage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesković-Moračanin Slavica

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Investigations conducted within project "Techonological and protective characteristics of autochthonous strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional fermented sausages and possibilities for their implementation in the meat industry" (Project Number: 20127, financed on behalf of the Ministry for Science and Technology of the Republic of Serbia, have provided an answer on the characteristics of the quality of the used raw materials for the production of Sremska sausage - one of the most well-known Serbian traditionally fermented sausages (choice of meat, fatty tissue, additives and spices, and data have been registered in connection with the procedures of their processing, microclimatic conditions have been established (temperature, relative humidity, and air circulation during the entire process of production and fermentation, as well as the presence and types of microorganisms, primarily lactic acid bacteria (BMK, the carrier of lactic fermentation. The most important characteristics of the filling have been established, the smoking regimen, the regimens of fermentation, maturing, drying, as well as the parameters for quality and safety of the finished product. At the same time, the standard working procedure has been determined for the preparation of the meat, fatty tissue, the forming and inserting of the filling into the wrappers, as well as the characteristics of the finished products. The given standard working procedure should serve as a guideline for the meat industry in the production process of this traditional fermented sausage.

In situ impulse test: an experimental and analytical evaluation of data interpretation procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-08-01

Special experimental field testing and analytical studies were undertaken at Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington, to study ''close-in'' wave propagation and evaluate data interpretation procedures for a new in situ impulse test. This test was developed to determine the shear wave velocity and dynamic modulus of soils underlying potential nuclear power plant sites. The test is different from conventional geophysical testing in that the velocity variation with strain is determined for each test. In general, strains between 10 -1 and 10 -3 percent are achieved. The experimental field work consisted of performing special tests in a large test sand fill to obtain detailed ''close-in'' data. Six recording transducers were placed at various points on the energy source, while approximately 37 different transducers were installed within the soil fill, all within 7 feet of the energy source. Velocity measurements were then taken simultaneously under controlled test conditions to study shear wave propagation phenomenology and help evaluate data interpretation procedures. Typical test data are presented along with detailed descriptions of the results

Current issues on a standard for surrogate pregnancy procedures

OpenAIRE

Ha, Jung-Ok

2012-01-01

While Korea does not have any legal statement on surrogacy, treatments are carried out in practice. As a result, every Institutional Review Board (IRB) of each fertility clinic faces an ethical predicament in reviewing each case. There is a need to arrange the institutions' own standards of surrogate pregnancy procedures before the establishment of national or professional regulation. This article examines the legal, social, and medical issues of surrogacy to help IRBs to judge their cases.

Current issues on a standard for surrogate pregnancy procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Jung-Ok

2012-12-01

While Korea does not have any legal statement on surrogacy, treatments are carried out in practice. As a result, every Institutional Review Board (IRB) of each fertility clinic faces an ethical predicament in reviewing each case. There is a need to arrange the institutions' own standards of surrogate pregnancy procedures before the establishment of national or professional regulation. This article examines the legal, social, and medical issues of surrogacy to help IRBs to judge their cases.

Procedure of trace element analysis in oyster tissues by using X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vo Thi Tuong Hanh; Dinh Thi Bich Lieu; Dinh Thien Lam and Nguyen Manh Hung

2004-01-01

The procedure of trace element analysis such as Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb in molluscs (oyster tissues) was established by using X-ray fluorescence techniques. The procedure was investigated from the sample collection, drying, ashing ratio to the analytical techniques by using Cd-109, detector Si (Li) and the peak processing MCAPLUS program was applied for this study. The procedure is based on direct comparison with certified concentrations of international standard reference SRM 1566b Oyster Tissue of National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of commerce, United States of America for Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu and the Standard Addition Methods for Pb. The accuracy of the Standard Addition Methods was estimated by CRM281 Rye Grass of Community Bureau of Reference-BCR, European Commission. The results of 10 samples which were collected from several markets in Hanoi are shown. (author)

Standard and procedures for measuring and evaluating of the field electromagnetic signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fallas Cordero, Oscar

2007-01-01

Rules and procedures are developed for measuring the intensity of electromagnetic field signals produced by public commercial broadcasters. International and national standards applicable to existing broadcasting area were investigated. The Manual para la Comprobacion Tecnica de las Emisiones of the International Radio Consultative Committee of the International Telecommunications Union was used for reference in the procedures. It was worked in coordination with the Control Nacional de Radio and Radio U to obtain information and to study the teams to present a measurement system for laboratory that meets with the standards suggested and which can encompass a wide range of transmission services. Finally agreed with the analysis and research work done, a series of recommendations were made for improvement, which are considered to implement them in medium and long time. (author) [es

How to conduct External Quality Assessment Schemes for the pre-analytical phase?

Science.gov (United States)

Kristensen, Gunn B B; Aakre, Kristin Moberg; Kristoffersen, Ann Helen; Sandberg, Sverre

2014-01-01

In laboratory medicine, several studies have described the most frequent errors in the different phases of the total testing process, and a large proportion of these errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Schemes for registration of errors and subsequent feedback to the participants have been conducted for decades concerning the analytical phase by External Quality Assessment (EQA) organizations operating in most countries. The aim of the paper is to present an overview of different types of EQA schemes for the pre-analytical phase, and give examples of some existing schemes. So far, very few EQA organizations have focused on the pre-analytical phase, and most EQA organizations do not offer pre-analytical EQA schemes (EQAS). It is more difficult to perform and standardize pre-analytical EQAS and also, accreditation bodies do not ask the laboratories for results from such schemes. However, some ongoing EQA programs for the pre-analytical phase do exist, and some examples are given in this paper. The methods used can be divided into three different types; collecting information about pre-analytical laboratory procedures, circulating real samples to collect information about interferences that might affect the measurement procedure, or register actual laboratory errors and relate these to quality indicators. These three types have different focus and different challenges regarding implementation, and a combination of the three is probably necessary to be able to detect and monitor the wide range of errors occurring in the pre-analytical phase.

Licensing procedure, nuclear codes and standards in the Federal Republic of Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultheiss, G.F.

1980-01-01

The present paper deals with legal background of licensing in nuclear technology and atomic energy use, licensing procedures for nuclear power plants and with codes, standards and guidelines in the Federal Republic of Germany. (orig./RW)

Estimating the Standard Error of the Judging in a modified-Angoff Standards Setting Procedure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert G. MacCann

2004-03-01

Full Text Available For a modified Angoff standards setting procedure, two methods of calculating the standard error of the..judging were compared. The Central Limit Theorem (CLT method is easy to calculate and uses readily..available data. It estimates the variance of mean cut scores as a function of the variance of cut scores within..a judging group, based on the independent judgements at Stage 1 of the process. Its theoretical drawback is..that it is unable to take account of the effects of collaboration among the judges at Stages 2 and 3. The..second method, an application of equipercentile (EQP equating, relies on the selection of very large stable..candidatures and the standardisation of the raw score distributions to remove effects associated with test..difficulty. The standard error estimates were then empirically obtained from the mean cut score variation..observed over a five year period. For practical purposes, the two methods gave reasonable agreement, with..the CLT method working well for the top band, the band that attracts most public attention. For some..bands in English and Mathematics, the CLT standard error was smaller than the EQP estimate, suggesting..the CLT method be used with caution as an approximate guide only.

Chapter 8. Medical procedures. Recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza epidemic or mass disaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zimmerman, Janice L.; Sprung, Charles L.; Christian, Michael D.; Camargo, Ruben; Ceraso, Daniel; Azoulay, Elie; Duguet, Alexandre; Guery, Benoit; Reinhart, Konrad; Adini, Bruria; Barlavie, Yaron; Benin-Goren, Odeda; Cohen, Robert; Klein, Motti; Leoniv, Yuval; Margalit, Gila; Rubinovitch, Bina; Sonnenblick, Moshe; Steinberg, Avraham; Weissman, Charles; Wolff, Donna; Kesecioglu, Jozef; de Jong, Menno; Moreno, Rui; An, Youzhong; Du, Bin; Joynt, Gavin M.; Colvin, John; Loo, Shi; Richards, Guy; Artigas, Antonio; Pugin, Jerome; Amundson, Dennis; Devereaux, Asha; Beigel, John; Danis, Marion; Farmer, Chris; Hick, John L.; Maki, Dennis; Masur, Henry; Rubinson, Lewis; Sandrock, Christian; Talmor, Daniel; Truog, Robert; Zimmerman, Janice; Brett, Steve; Montgomery, Hugh; Rhodes, Andrew; Sanderson, Frances; Taylor, Bruce

2010-01-01

To provide recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza pandemic or mass disaster with a specific focus on ensuring that adequate resources are available and appropriate protocols are developed to safely perform procedures in

How to develop a Standard Operating Procedure for sorting unfixed cells

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Ingrid

2012-01-01

Written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are an important tool to assure that recurring tasks in a laboratory are performed in a consistent manner. When the procedure covered in the SOP involves a high-risk activity such as sorting unfixed cells using a jet-in-air sorter, safety elements are critical components of the document. The details on sort sample handling, sorter set-up, validation, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance, personal protective equipment (PPE), and operator training, outlined in the SOP are to be based on careful risk assessment of the procedure. This review provides background information on the hazards associated with sorting of unfixed cells and the process used to arrive at the appropriate combination of facility design, instrument placement, safety equipment, and practices to be followed. PMID:22381383

How to develop a standard operating procedure for sorting unfixed cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Ingrid

2012-07-01

Written standard operating procedures (SOPs) are an important tool to assure that recurring tasks in a laboratory are performed in a consistent manner. When the procedure covered in the SOP involves a high-risk activity such as sorting unfixed cells using a jet-in-air sorter, safety elements are critical components of the document. The details on sort sample handling, sorter set-up, validation, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance, personal protective equipment (PPE), and operator training, outlined in the SOP are to be based on careful risk assessment of the procedure. This review provides background information on the hazards associated with sorting of unfixed cells and the process used to arrive at the appropriate combination of facility design, instrument placement, safety equipment, and practices to be followed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An analytical procedure to evaluate electronic integrals for molecular quantum mechanical calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mundim, Kleber C.

2004-01-01

Full text: We propose an alternative methodology for the calculation of electronic integrals, through an analytical function based on the generalized Gaussian function (q Gaussian), where a single q Gaussian replaces the usual linear combination of Gaussian functions for different basis set. Moreover, the integrals become analytical functions of the interatomic distances. Therefore, when estimating certain quantities such as molecular energy, g Gaussian avoid new calculations of the integrals: they are simply another value of the corresponding function. The procedure proposed here is particularly advantageous, when compared with the usual one, because it reduces drastically the number of two-electronic integrals used in the construction of the Fock matrix, enabling the use of the quantum mechanics in the description of macro-molecular systems. This advantage increases when the size of the molecular systems become larger and more complex. While in the usual approach CPU time increases with n4, in the one proposed here the CPU time scales linearly with n. This catastrophic dependence of the rank the Hamiltonian or Fock matrix with n4 two-electron integrals is a severe bottleneck for petaFLOPS computing time. Its is important to emphasize that this methodology is equally applicable to systems of any sizes, including biomolecules, solid materials and solutions, within the HF, post-HF and DFT theories. (author)

Analytical quality, performance indices and laboratory service

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hilden, Jørgen; Magid, Erik

1999-01-01

analytical error, bias, cost effectiveness, decision-making, laboratory techniques and procedures, mass screening, models, statistical, quality control......analytical error, bias, cost effectiveness, decision-making, laboratory techniques and procedures, mass screening, models, statistical, quality control...

Influence of new customs procedures and logistic security standards on companies competiveness – a Croatian company case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandar Erceg

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In today’s global market, companies are constantly confronted with the competition on the local, national and international level. Companies therefore use a variety of strategies and tools to become and/or remain competitive. Potential areas for cost reduction in companies are supply chain management and logistic and customs procedures. Implementation of various logistic standards in supply chain management can provide significant cost savings for the company’s daily operations and thus reduce overall costs and improve the competitiveness. Using different customs procedures and logistic standards to reduce their costs and become more competitive in the market is necessary for Croatian companies. The method of using these tools is not a one-time process and requires constant efforts. Companies therefore have to be ready to improve daily to be and remain competitive. Using a variety of modern customs procedures can save their money and time, not only through these procedures, but also through better use of their employee’s time, their own vehicles and other equipment. The paper analyzes various customs procedures and logistic standards that can help companies save time and money and improve their competitiveness. In the example of Croatian company, which uses various available procedures and standards the benefits of their use are shown. Apart from bringing savings in operations, all these procedures and standards allow the company to be better, cheaper and more attractive to buyers.

Standard audit procedure for continuous emission monitors and ambient air monitoring instruments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-06-15

The instruments were published in an operational policy manual in 2009. This policy aims to introduce standard audit criteria that can be used to determine if continuous emission monitors and ambient air monitoring devices are operating within acceptable parameters. Before delivering upscale points of the instrument to be audited, each one of the audit equipment used in the field is required to be at normal operating conditions. Before the beginning of the audit, each one of the meteorological and flow measurement equipment is required to be conditioned to current conditions. If the audit fails, the instrument will have to be audited quarterly. The establishment of specific procedures based on instrument manufacturer or certifying body operational standards is required in the case of non-continuous monitoring instruments presenting operational principles outside of the audit procedures listed in the document.

CARVEDILOL POPULATION PHARMACOKINETIC ANALYSIS – APPLIED VALIDATION PROCEDURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandra Catić-Đorđević

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Carvedilol is a nonselective beta blocker/alpha-1 blocker, which is used for treatment of essential hypertension, chronic stable angina, unstable angina and ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to describe carvedilol population pharmacokinetic (PK analysis as well as the validation of analytical procedure, which is an important step regarding this approach. In contemporary clinical practice, population PK analysis is often more important than standard PK approach in setting a mathematical model that describes the PK parameters. Also, it includes the variables that have particular importance in the drugs pharmacokinetics such as sex, body mass, dosage, pharmaceutical form, pathophysiological state, disease associated with the organism or the presence of a specific polymorphism in the isoenzyme important for biotransformation of the drug. One of the most frequently used approach in population PK analysis is the Nonlinear Modeling of Mixed Effects - NONMEM modeling. Analytical methods used in the data collection period is of great importance for the implementation of a population PK analysis of carvedilol in order to obtain reliable data that can be useful in clinical practice. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC analysis of carvedilol is used to confirm the identity of a drug and provide quantitative results and also to monitor the efficacy of the therapy. Analytical procedures used in other studies could not be fully implemented in our research as it was necessary to perform certain modification and validation of the method with the aim of using the obtained results for the purpose of a population pharmacokinetic analysis. Validation process is a logical terminal phase of analytical procedure development that provides applicability of the procedure itself. The goal of validation is to ensure consistency of the method and accuracy of results or to confirm the selection of analytical method for a given sample

15 CFR 10.7 - Procedure when a recommended standard is not supported by a consensus.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedure when a recommended standard is not supported by a consensus. 10.7 Section 10.7 Commerce and Foreign Trade Office of the Secretary... recommended standard is not supported by a consensus. If the Department determines that a recommended standard...

General Procedure for the Easy Calculation of pH in an Introductory Course of General or Analytical Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Cepriá, Gemma; Salvatella, Luis

2014-01-01

All pH calculations for simple acid-base systems used in introductory courses on general or analytical chemistry can be carried out by using a general procedure requiring the use of predominance diagrams. In particular, the pH is calculated as the sum of an independent term equaling the average pK[subscript a] values of the acids involved in the…

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) procedure compendium. Volume 1, Administrative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-06-01

Covered are: analytical laboratory operations (ALO) sample receipt and control, ALO data report/package preparation review and control, single shell tank (PST) project sample tracking system, sample receiving, analytical balances, duties and responsibilities of sample custodian, sample refrigerator temperature monitoring, security, assignment of staff responsibilities, sample storage, data reporting, and general requirements for glassware.

The primary exposure standard for Co-60 gamma radiation: characteristics and measurements procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laitano, R.F.; Toni, M.P.

1983-01-01

A description is given of a cavity ionization chamber used, as a primary exposure standard, at the Laboratorio di Metrologia delle Radiazioni Ionizzanti of the ENEA in Italy. The primary standard is designed to make absolute measurements of exposure due to the Co-60 gamma radiation. The procedures for the realizationof the exposure unit are also described. Finally results of some international comparisons are reported

Th-U-PbT dating by Electron Probe Microanalysis, Part I. Monazite: analytical procedures and data treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vlach, Silvio Roberto Farias

2010-01-01

Dating methodology by the electron probe microanalyser (EPMA) of (Th, U)-bearing minerals, highlighting monazite, acquired greater than ever importance in literature, particularly due to its superior spatial resolution, as well as versatility, which allow correlating petrological processes at times registered only in micro-scales in minerals and rocks with absolute ages. Although the accuracy is inferior to the one achieved with conventional isotopic methods in up to an order of magnitude, EPMA is the instrument that allows the best spatial resolution, reaching a few μm 3 in some conditions. Quantification of minor and trace elements with suitable precision and accuracy involves the own instrumental and analytical set-ups and data treatment strategies, significantly more rigorous when compared with those applied in conventional analyses. Th-U-Pb T dating is an example of these cases. Each EPMA is a unique machine as for its instrumental characteristics and respective automation system. In such a way, analytical procedures ought to be adjusted for laboratory specificities. The analytical strategies and data treatment adopted in the Electronic Microprobe Laboratory from Instituto de Geociencias of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a JEOL JXA8600S EPMA, and a ThermoNoran-Voyager 4.3 automation system, are presented and compared with the ones used in other laboratories. The influence of instrumental factors and spectral overlaps on Th, U, and Pb quantification is discussed. Applied procedures to interference correction, error propagation, data treatment, and fi nal chemical age presentation as well as to sampling and analyses are emphasized. Some typical applications are discussed, drawing attention to the most relevant aspects of electron microprobe dating. (author)

Analytical performance of 17 general chemistry analytes across countries and across manufacturers in the INPUtS project of EQA organizers in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom and Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Weykamp, Cas; Secchiero, Sandra; Plebani, Mario; Thelen, Marc; Cobbaert, Christa; Thomas, Annette; Jassam, Nuthar; Barth, Julian H; Perich, Carmen; Ricós, Carmen; Faria, Ana Paula

2017-02-01

Optimum patient care in relation to laboratory medicine is achieved when results of laboratory tests are equivalent, irrespective of the analytical platform used or the country where the laboratory is located. Standardization and harmonization minimize differences and the success of efforts to achieve this can be monitored with international category 1 external quality assessment (EQA) programs. An EQA project with commutable samples, targeted with reference measurement procedures (RMPs) was organized by EQA institutes in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, UK, and Spain. Results of 17 general chemistry analytes were evaluated across countries and across manufacturers according to performance specifications derived from biological variation (BV). For K, uric acid, glucose, cholesterol and high-density density (HDL) cholesterol, the minimum performance specification was met in all countries and by all manufacturers. For Na, Cl, and Ca, the minimum performance specifications were met by none of the countries and manufacturers. For enzymes, the situation was complicated, as standardization of results of enzymes toward RMPs was still not achieved in 20% of the laboratories and questionable in the remaining 80%. The overall performance of the measurement of 17 general chemistry analytes in European medical laboratories met the minimum performance specifications. In this general picture, there were no significant differences per country and no significant differences per manufacturer. There were major differences between the analytes. There were six analytes for which the minimum quality specifications were not met and manufacturers should improve their performance for these analytes. Standardization of results of enzymes requires ongoing efforts.

Does leaf chemistry differentially affect breakdown in tropical vs temperate streams? Importance of standardized analytical techniques to measure leaf chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Marcelo Ard& #243; n; Catherine M. Pringle; Susan L. Eggert

2009-01-01

Comparisons of the effects of leaf litter chemistry on leaf breakdown rates in tropical vs temperate streams are hindered by incompatibility among studies and across sites of analytical methods used to measure leaf chemistry. We used standardized analytical techniques to measure chemistry and breakdown rate of leaves from common riparian tree species at 2 sites, 1...

Standard guide for establishing a quality assurance program for analytical chemistry laboratories within the nuclear industry

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2006-01-01

1.1 This guide covers the establishment of a quality assurance (QA) program for analytical chemistry laboratories within the nuclear industry. Reference to key elements of ANSI/ISO/ASQC Q9001, Quality Systems, provides guidance to the functional aspects of analytical laboratory operation. When implemented as recommended, the practices presented in this guide will provide a comprehensive QA program for the laboratory. The practices are grouped by functions, which constitute the basic elements of a laboratory QA program. 1.2 The essential, basic elements of a laboratory QA program appear in the following order: Section Organization 5 Quality Assurance Program 6 Training and Qualification 7 Procedures 8 Laboratory Records 9 Control of Records 10 Control of Procurement 11 Control of Measuring Equipment and Materials 12 Control of Measurements 13 Deficiencies and Corrective Actions 14

Standard Guidelines of Care: Performing Procedures in Patients on or Recently Administered with Isotretinoin.

Science.gov (United States)

Mysore, Venkataram; Mahadevappa, Omprakash H; Barua, Shyamanta; Majid, Imran; Viswanath, Vishalakshi; Bhat, Ramesh M; Talwar, Suresh; Thurakkal, Salim; Aurangabadkar, Sanjeev J; Chatterjee, Manas; Ganjoo, Anil

2017-01-01

Currently, the standard protocol regarding the performance of procedures on patients receiving or having recently received isotretinoin (13- cis -retinoic acid) states that the procedures should not be performed. The recommendations in standard books and drug insert require discontinuation of isotretinoin for 6 months before performing cosmetic procedures, including waxing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, or incisional and excisional cold-steel surgery. These recommendations have been followed for over two decades despite little evidence for the stated increased risk of scarring. The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (I) constituted a task force to review the evidence and to recommend consensus guidelines regarding the safety of skin procedures, including resurfacing, energy-device treatments, and dermatosurgical procedures in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. Data were extracted from the literature through a PubMed search using the keywords "isotretinoin," "safety," "scarring," "keloids," "hypertrophic scarring," and "pigmentation." The evidence was then labeled and circulated to all members of task force for review. The task force is of the opinion that there is insufficient evidence to support the current protocol of avoiding and delaying treatments in the patient group under consideration and recommends that the current practice should be discontinued. The task force concludes that performing procedures such as laser hair removal, fractional lasers for aging and acne scarring, lasers for pigmented skin lesions, fractional radio-frequency microneedling, superficial and medium-depth peels, microdermabrasion, dermaroller, biopsies, radio-frequency ablation, and superficial excisions is safe in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration.

New Analytical Monographs on TCM Herbal Drugs for Quality Proof.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Hildebert; Bauer, Rudolf; Melchart, Dieter

2016-01-01

Regardless of specific national drug regulations there is an international consensus that all TCM drugs must meet stipulated high quality standards focusing on authentication, identification and chemical composition. In addition, safety of all TCM drugs prescribed by physicians has to be guaranteed. During the 25 years history of the TCM hospital Bad Kötzting, 171 TCM drugs underwent an analytical quality proof including thin layer as well as high pressure liquid chromatography. As from now mass spectroscopy will also be available as analytical tool. The findings are compiled and already published in three volumes of analytical monographs. One more volume will be published shortly, and a fifth volume is in preparation. The main issues of the analytical procedure in TCM drugs like authenticity, botanical nomenclature, variability of plant species and parts as well as processing are pointed out and possible ways to overcome them are sketched. © 2016 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

New procedure of quantitative mapping of Ti and Al released from dental implant and Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn as physiological elements in oral mucosa by LA-ICP-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajnóg, Adam; Hanć, Anetta; Koczorowski, Ryszard; Barałkiewicz, Danuta

2017-12-01

A new procedure for determination of elements derived from titanium implants and physiological elements in soft tissues by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is presented. The analytical procedure was developed which involved preparation of in-house matrix matched solid standards with analyte addition based on certified reference material (CRM) MODAS-4 Cormorant Tissue. Addition of gelatin, serving as a binding agent, essentially improved physical properties of standards. Performance of the analytical method was assayed and validated by calculating parameters like precision, detection limits, trueness and recovery of analyte addition using additional CRM - ERM-BB184 Bovine Muscle. Analyte addition was additionally confirmed by microwave digestion of solid standards and analysis by solution nebulization ICP-MS. The detection limits are in range 1.8μgg -1 to 450μgg -1 for Mn and Ca respectively. The precision values range from 7.3% to 42% for Al and Zn respectively. The estimated recoveries of analyte addition line within scope of 83%-153% for Mn and Cu respectively. Oral mucosa samples taken from patients treated with titanium dental implants were examined using developed analytical method. Standards and tissue samples were cryocut into 30µm thin sections. LA-ICP-MS allowed to obtain two-dimensional maps of distribution of elements in tested samples which revealed high content of Ti and Al derived from implants. Photographs from optical microscope displayed numerous particles with µm size in oral mucosa samples which suggests that they are residues from implantation procedure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 75.33 - Standard missing data procedures for SO2, NOX, Hg, and flow rate.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... SO2, NOX, Hg, and flow rate. 75.33 Section 75.33 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Procedures § 75.33 Standard missing data procedures for SO2, NOX, Hg, and flow rate. (a) Following initial...—Missing Data Procedure for SO2 CEMS, CO2 CEMS, Moisture CEMS, Hg CEMS, and Diluent (CO2 or O2) Monitors...

HASL procedures manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harley, J.H.

1977-08-01

Additions and corrections to the following sections of the HASL Procedures Manual are provided: General, Sampling, Field Measurements; General Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Procedures, Data Section, and Specifications

Standard testing procedures for optical fiber and unshielded twisted pair at Sandia National Laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, R.L.

1993-11-01

This document will establish a working standard for testing optical fiber and unshielded twisted pair cables included in the Lab-wide telecommunications cabling system. The purpose of these standard testing procedures is to deliver to all Sandians a reliable, low-maintenance, state-of-the-art, ubiquitous telecommunications cabling infrastructure capable of satisfying all current and future telecommunication needs.

9 CFR 354.210 - Minimum standards for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Minimum standards for sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants. 354.210 Section 354.210 Animals and Animal Products... sanitation, facilities, and operating procedures in official plants. The provisions of §§ 354.210 to 354.247...

Green analytical chemistry introduction to chloropropanols determination at no economic and analytical performance costs?

Science.gov (United States)

Jędrkiewicz, Renata; Orłowski, Aleksander; Namieśnik, Jacek; Tobiszewski, Marek

2016-01-15

In this study we perform ranking of analytical procedures for 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol determination in soy sauces by PROMETHEE method. Multicriteria decision analysis was performed for three different scenarios - metrological, economic and environmental, by application of different weights to decision making criteria. All three scenarios indicate capillary electrophoresis-based procedure as the most preferable. Apart from that the details of ranking results differ for these three scenarios. The second run of rankings was done for scenarios that include metrological, economic and environmental criteria only, neglecting others. These results show that green analytical chemistry-based selection correlates with economic, while there is no correlation with metrological ones. This is an implication that green analytical chemistry can be brought into laboratories without analytical performance costs and it is even supported by economic reasons. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Case for Adopting Server-side Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

Tino, C.; Holmes, C. P.; Feigelson, E.; Hurlburt, N. E.

2017-12-01

The standard method for accessing Earth and space science data relies on a scheme developed decades ago: data residing in one or many data stores must be parsed out and shipped via internet lines or physical transport to the researcher who in turn locally stores the data for analysis. The analyses tasks are varied and include visualization, parameterization, and comparison with or assimilation into physics models. In many cases this process is inefficient and unwieldy as the data sets become larger and demands on the analysis tasks become more sophisticated and complex. For about a decade, several groups have explored a new paradigm to this model. The names applied to the paradigm include "data analytics", "climate analytics", and "server-side analytics". The general concept is that in close network proximity to the data store there will be a tailored processing capability appropriate to the type and use of the data served. The user of the server-side analytics will operate on the data with numerical procedures. The procedures can be accessed via canned code, a scripting processor, or an analysis package such as Matlab, IDL or R. Results of the analytics processes will then be relayed via the internet to the user. In practice, these results will be at a much lower volume, easier to transport to and store locally by the user and easier for the user to interoperate with data sets from other remote data stores. The user can also iterate on the processing call to tailor the results as needed. A major component of server-side analytics could be to provide sets of tailored results to end users in order to eliminate the repetitive preconditioning that is both often required with these data sets and which drives much of the throughput challenges. NASA's Big Data Task Force studied this issue. This paper will present the results of this study including examples of SSAs that are being developed and demonstrated and suggestions for architectures that might be developed for

Standard Operating Procedures for Female Genital Sexual Pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fugl-Meyer, Kerstin S; Bohm-Starke, Nina; Damsted Petersen, Christina

2012-01-01

Introduction.  Female genital sexual pain (GSP) is a common, distressing complaint in women of all ages that is underrecognized and undertreated. Definitions and terminology for female GSP are currently being debated. While some authors have suggested that GSP is not per se a sexual dysfunction......, but rather a localized genial pain syndrome, others adhere to using clearly sexually related terms such as dyspareunia and vaginismus. Aim.  The aims of this brief review are to present definitions of the different types of female GSP. Their etiology, incidence, prevalence, and comorbidity with somatic......-Meyer KS, Bohm-Starke N, Damsted Petersen C, Fugl-Meyer A, Parish S, and Giraldi A. Standard operating procedures for female genital sexual pain. J Sex Med **;**:**-**....

Comparison of different cleanup procedures for oil crops based on the development of a trace analytical method for the determination of pyraclostrobin and epoxiconazole.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Xinglu; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Cheng, Youpu; Chen, Zenglong; Liu, Na; Chen, Xixi; Tao, Yan; Zheng, Yongquan

2014-12-01

The effects of different cleanup procedures in removing high-molecular-mass lipids and natural colorants from oil-crop extracts, including dispersive solid-phase extraction, low-temperature precipitation and gel permeation chromatography, were studied. The pigment removal, lipid quantity, and matrix effects of the three cleanup methods were evaluated. Results indicated that the gel permeation chromatography method is the most effective way to compare the dispersive solid-phase extraction and low-temperature precipitation. Pyraclostrobin and epoxiconazole applied extensively in oil-crop production were selected as typical pesticides to study and a trace analytical method was developed by gel permeation chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Average recoveries of the target pesticides at three levels (10, 50, and 100 μg/kg) were in the range of 74.7-96.8% with relative standard deviation values below 9.2%. The limits of detection did not exceed 0.46 μg/kg, whereas the limits of quantification were below 1.54 μg/kg and much lower than maximum residue limit in all matrices. This study may provide the essential data for optimizing the analytical method of pesticides in oil-crop samples. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Standardization of specifications and inspection procedures for LEU plate-type research reactor fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

With the transition to high density uranium LEU fuel, fabrication costs of research reactor fuel elements have a tendency to increase because of two reasons. First, the amount of the powder of the uranium compound required increases by more than a factor of five. Second, fabrication requirements are in many cases nearer the fabrication limits. Therefore, it is important that measures be undertaken to eliminate or reduce unnecessary requirements in the specification or inspection procedures of research reactor fuel elements utilizing LEU. An additional stimulus for standardizing specifications and inspection procedures at this time is provided by the fact that most LEU conversions will occur within a short time span, and that nearly all of them will require preparation of new specifications and inspection procedures. In this sense, the LEU conversions offer an opportunity for improving the rationality and efficiency of the fuel fabrication and inspection processes. This report focuses on the standardization of specifications and inspection processes of high uranium density LEU fuels for research reactors. However, in many cases the results can also be extended directly to other research reactor fuels. 15 refs, 1 fig., 3 tabs

Standard Guidelines of Care: Performing Procedures in Patients on or Recently Administered with Isotretinoin

Science.gov (United States)

Mysore, Venkataram; Mahadevappa, Omprakash H.; Barua, Shyamanta; Majid, Imran; Viswanath, Vishalakshi; Bhat, Ramesh M.; Talwar, Suresh; Thurakkal, Salim; Aurangabadkar, Sanjeev J.; Chatterjee, Manas; Ganjoo, Anil

2017-01-01

Background: Currently, the standard protocol regarding the performance of procedures on patients receiving or having recently received isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) states that the procedures should not be performed. The recommendations in standard books and drug insert require discontinuation of isotretinoin for 6 months before performing cosmetic procedures, including waxing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, or incisional and excisional cold-steel surgery. These recommendations have been followed for over two decades despite little evidence for the stated increased risk of scarring. Objective: The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (I) constituted a task force to review the evidence and to recommend consensus guidelines regarding the safety of skin procedures, including resurfacing, energy-device treatments, and dermatosurgical procedures in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. Materials and Methods: Data were extracted from the literature through a PubMed search using the keywords “isotretinoin,” “safety,” “scarring,” “keloids,” “hypertrophic scarring,” and “pigmentation.” The evidence was then labeled and circulated to all members of task force for review. Results: The task force is of the opinion that there is insufficient evidence to support the current protocol of avoiding and delaying treatments in the patient group under consideration and recommends that the current practice should be discontinued. The task force concludes that performing procedures such as laser hair removal, fractional lasers for aging and acne scarring, lasers for pigmented skin lesions, fractional radio-frequency microneedling, superficial and medium-depth peels, microdermabrasion, dermaroller, biopsies, radio-frequency ablation, and superficial excisions is safe in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. PMID:29491653

Standard guidelines of care: Performing procedures in patients on or recently administered with isotretinoin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venkataram Mysore

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Currently, the standard protocol regarding the performance of procedures on patients receiving or having recently received isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid states that the procedures should not be performed. The recommendations in standard books and drug insert require discontinuation of isotretinoin for 6 months before performing cosmetic procedures, including waxing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, or incisional and excisional cold-steel surgery. These recommendations have been followed for over two decades despite little evidence for the stated increased risk of scarring. Objective: The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (I constituted a task force to review the evidence and to recommend consensus guidelines regarding the safety of skin procedures, including resurfacing, energy-device treatments, and dermatosurgical procedures in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. Materials and Methods: Data were extracted from the literature through a PubMed search using the keywords “isotretinoin,” “safety,” “scarring,” “keloids,” “hypertrophic scarring,” and “pigmentation.” The evidence was then labeled and circulated to all members of task force for review. Results: The task force is of the opinion that there is insufficient evidence to support the current protocol of avoiding and delaying treatments in the patient group under consideration and recommends that the current practice should be discontinued.The task force concludes that performing procedures such as laser hair removal, fractional lasers for aging and acne scarring, lasers for pigmented skin lesions, fractional radio-frequency microneedling, superficial and medium-depth peels, microdermabrasion, dermaroller, biopsies, radio-frequency ablation, and superficial excisions is safe in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration.

EML procedures manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volchok, H.L.; de Planque, G.

1982-01-01

This manual contains the procedures that are used currently by the Environmental Measurements Laboratory of the US Department of Energy. In addition a number of analytical methods from other laboratories have been included. These were tested for reliability at the Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratory under contract with the Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research of the AEC. These methods are clearly distinguished. The manual is prepared in loose leaf form to facilitate revision of the procedures and inclusion of additional procedures or data sheets. Anyone receiving the manual through EML should receive this additional material automatically. The contents are as follows: (1) general; (2) sampling; (3) field measurements; (4) general analytical chemistry; (5) chemical procedures; (6) data section; (7) specifications

Compilation of elemental concentration data for NBS Biological and Environmental Standard Reference Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladney, E.S.

1980-07-01

Concentration data on up to 76 elementals in 19 NBS Standard Reference Materials have been collected from 325 journal articles and technical reports. These data are summarized into mean +- one standard deviation values and compared with available data from NBS and other review articles. Data are presented on the analytical procedures employed and all raw data are presented in appendixes

Th-U-Pb{sub T} dating by electron probe microanalysis, Part I. Monazite: analytical procedures and data treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vlach, Silvio Roberto Farias [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias. Dept. de Mineralogia e Geotectonica], e-mail: srfvlach@usp.br

2010-03-15

Dating methodology by the electron probe microanalyser (EPMA) of (Th, U)-bearing minerals, highlighting monazite, acquired greater than ever importance in literature, particularly due to its superior spatial resolution, as well as versatility, which allow correlating petrological processes at times registered only in micro-scales in minerals and rocks with absolute ages. Although the accuracy is inferior to the one achieved with conventional isotopic methods in up to an order of magnitude, EPMA is the instrument that allows the best spatial resolution, reaching a few {mu}m{sup 3} in some conditions. Quantification of minor and trace elements with suitable precision and accuracy involves the own instrumental and analytical set-ups and data treatment strategies, significantly more rigorous when compared with those applied in conventional analyses. Th-U-Pb{sub T} dating is an example of these cases. Each EPMA is a unique machine as for its instrumental characteristics and respective automation system. In such a way, analytical procedures ought to be adjusted for laboratory specific cities. The analytical strategies and data treatment adopted in the Electronic Microprobe Laboratory from Instituto de Geociencias of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a JEOL JXA8600S EPMA, and a ThermoNoran-Voyager 4.3 automation system, are presented and compared with the ones used in other laboratories. The influence of instrumental factors and spectral overlaps on Th, U, and Pb quantification is discussed. Applied procedures to interference correction, error propagation, data treatment, and final chemical age presentation as well as to sampling and analyses are emphasized. Some typical applications are discussed, drawing attention to the most relevant aspects of electron microprobe dating. (author)

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) procedure compendium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This volume contains the interim change notice for the safety operation procedure for hot cell. It covers the master-slave manipulators, dry waste removal, cell transfers, hoists, cask handling, liquid waste system, and physical characterization of fluids

Recommendations for fluorescence instrument qualification: the new ASTM Standard Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

DeRose, Paul C; Resch-Genger, Ute

2010-03-01

Aimed at improving quality assurance and quantitation for modern fluorescence techniques, ASTM International (ASTM) is about to release a Standard Guide for Fluorescence, reviewed here. The guide's main focus is on steady state fluorometry, for which available standards and instrument characterization procedures are discussed along with their purpose, suitability, and general instructions for use. These include the most relevant instrument properties needing qualification, such as linearity and spectral responsivity of the detection system, spectral irradiance reaching the sample, wavelength accuracy, sensitivity or limit of detection for an analyte, and day-to-day performance verification. With proper consideration of method-inherent requirements and limitations, many of these procedures and standards can be adapted to other fluorescence techniques. In addition, procedures for the determination of other relevant fluorometric quantities including fluorescence quantum yields and fluorescence lifetimes are briefly introduced. The guide is a clear and concise reference geared for users of fluorescence instrumentation at all levels of experience and is intended to aid in the ongoing standardization of fluorescence measurements.

Analytical procedure for characterization of medieval wall-paintings by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syta, Olga; Rozum, Karol; Choińska, Marta; Zielińska, Dobrochna; Żukowska, Grażyna Zofia; Kijowska, Agnieszka; Wagner, Barbara

2014-01-01

Analytical procedure for the comprehensive chemical characterization of samples from medieval Nubian wall-paintings by means of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) was proposed in this work. The procedure was used for elemental and molecular investigations of samples from archeological excavations in Nubia (modern southern Egypt and northern Sudan). Numerous remains of churches with painted decorations dated back to the 7th–14th century were excavated in the region of medieval kingdoms of Nubia but many aspects of this art and its technology are still unknown. Samples from the selected archeological sites (Faras, Old Dongola and Banganarti) were analyzed in the form of transfers (n = 26), small fragments collected during the excavations (n = 35) and cross sections (n = 15). XRF was used to collect data about elemental composition, LA-ICPMS allowed mapping of selected elements, while RS was used to get the molecular information about the samples. The preliminary results indicated the usefulness of the proposed analytical procedure for distinguishing the substances, from both the surface and sub-surface domains of the wall-paintings. The possibility to identify raw materials from the wall-paintings will be used in the further systematic, archeometric studies devoted to the detailed comparison of various historic Nubian centers. - Highlights: • The analytical procedure for examination of unique wall paintings was proposed. • Identification of pigments and supporting layers of wall-paintings was obtained. • Heterogeneous samples were mapped with the use of LA-ICPMS. • Anatase in the sub-surface regions of samples was detected by Raman spectroscopy

Analytical procedure for characterization of medieval wall-paintings by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syta, Olga; Rozum, Karol; Choińska, Marta [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland); Zielińska, Dobrochna [Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw (Poland); Żukowska, Grażyna Zofia [Chemical Faculty, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego 3, 00-664 Warsaw (Poland); Kijowska, Agnieszka [National Museum in Warsaw, Aleje Jerozolimskie 3, 00-495 Warsaw (Poland); Wagner, Barbara, E-mail: barbog@chem.uw.edu.pl [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland)

2014-11-01

Analytical procedure for the comprehensive chemical characterization of samples from medieval Nubian wall-paintings by means of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) was proposed in this work. The procedure was used for elemental and molecular investigations of samples from archeological excavations in Nubia (modern southern Egypt and northern Sudan). Numerous remains of churches with painted decorations dated back to the 7th–14th century were excavated in the region of medieval kingdoms of Nubia but many aspects of this art and its technology are still unknown. Samples from the selected archeological sites (Faras, Old Dongola and Banganarti) were analyzed in the form of transfers (n = 26), small fragments collected during the excavations (n = 35) and cross sections (n = 15). XRF was used to collect data about elemental composition, LA-ICPMS allowed mapping of selected elements, while RS was used to get the molecular information about the samples. The preliminary results indicated the usefulness of the proposed analytical procedure for distinguishing the substances, from both the surface and sub-surface domains of the wall-paintings. The possibility to identify raw materials from the wall-paintings will be used in the further systematic, archeometric studies devoted to the detailed comparison of various historic Nubian centers. - Highlights: • The analytical procedure for examination of unique wall paintings was proposed. • Identification of pigments and supporting layers of wall-paintings was obtained. • Heterogeneous samples were mapped with the use of LA-ICPMS. • Anatase in the sub-surface regions of samples was detected by Raman spectroscopy.

Background Contamination by Coplanar Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBS) in Trace Level High Resolution Gas Chromatography/High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) Analytical Procedures

Science.gov (United States)

The addition of the "dioxin-like" polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners to the assessment of risk associated with the 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted dioxins and furans has dramatically increased the number of laboratories worldwide that are developing analytical procedures for t...

Analytical procedure for the titrimetric determination of uranium in concentrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Florence, T.M.; Pakalns, P.

1989-01-01

In 1964 Davis and gray published a titrimetric method for uranium which does not require column reductors, electronic instruments or inert atmospheres, and is sufficiently selective to enable uranium to be determined without prior separation. The method involves reduction of uranium (VI) to (IV) by ferrous sulphate in concentrated phosphoric acid medium. The excess ion (II) is then selectively oxidised by nitric acid using molybdenum catalyst. After addition of sulphuric acid and dilution with water, the uranium (IV) is titrated with standard potassium dichromate, using barium diphenylamine sulphonate indicator. This method has been found to be simple, precise and reliable, and applicable to a wide range of uranium-containing materials. The method given here for determining uranium in concentrates is essentially that of Davies and Gray. Its applications, apparatus, reagents, procedures and accuracy and precision are discussed. 10 refs

Standard operating procedures improve acute neurologic care in a sub-Saharan African setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaiteh, Lamin E S; Helwig, Stefan A; Jagne, Abubacarr; Ragoschke-Schumm, Andreas; Sarr, Catherine; Walter, Silke; Lesmeister, Martin; Manitz, Matthias; Blaß, Sebastian; Weis, Sarah; Schlund, Verena; Bah, Neneh; Kauffmann, Jil; Fousse, Mathias; Kangankan, Sabina; Ramos Cabrera, Asmell; Kronfeld, Kai; Ruckes, Christian; Liu, Yang; Nyan, Ousman; Fassbender, Klaus

2017-07-11

Quality of neurologic emergency management in an under-resourced country may be improved by standard operating procedures (SOPs). Neurologic SOPs were implemented in a large urban (Banjul) and a small rural (Brikama) hospital in the Gambia. As quality indicators of neurologic emergency management, performance of key procedures was assessed at baseline and in the first and second implementation years. At Banjul, 100 patients of the first-year intervention group exhibited higher rates of general procedures of emergency management than 105 control patients, such as neurologic examination (99.0% vs 91.4%; p process quality of neurologic emergency management in under-resourced settings. This study provides Class IV evidence that, for patients with suspected neurologic emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa, neurologic SOPs increase the rate of performance of guideline-recommended procedures. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.

New Serbian criminal procedure: New reasons for harmonization with European legal standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đurđić Vojislav

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The new criminal procedure, set forth in 2011, represents a compilation of the inquisitive model of preliminary proceedings, on the one hand, and adversarial trial of the Anglo-American type of criminal procedure on the other. Introduction of the public prosecutor's investigation required a subtle legislative approach to the protection of human rights in criminal proceedings, in order to establish equilibrium between efficient and just procedure. Instead of the expected, the erroneous conception based on the ideas that the public prosecutor's investigation should be strictly formal as that of a court, that evidence taken by the non-judicial authorities should have the same bearing as those taken by the courts, and that the court should have no role in conducting investigation, resulted in an overly inferior position of the accuses compared to that of the public prosecutor. Beside the fact that such conception can not pass the ECJ test, the specific legal solutions referring the investigation open the question of harmonization with the European legal standards. The provisions on initiation of this phase of the proceedings, not being legally sanctioned, put in question the right of the accused to access justice, as well as his right to an effective legal remedy, and the introduced investigation against the unknown perpetrator, the right to be present at one's own trial is being jeopardized. Neither do all procedural rules pertaining to the trial support the fair procedure principle: the indirect extortion of evidence from the defense is discordant with the rule that the burden of proof lies on the prosecutor, as one of the main pillars of the assumption of innocence; as well as the broad opportunity to use non-judicial evidence at the hearing without any major legal obstacles, have demolished the principles of directness and contradictoriness. Even some of the minimal right of the defense as well as the guarantees of personal freedom in the course

Dispersant field testing : a review of procedures and considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fingas, M.F.

2004-01-01

The effectiveness of a dispersant is defined by the amount of oil that the dispersant puts into the water column compared to the amount of oil that was initially spilled. Effectiveness is generally determined visually in plumes of dispersed oil that are visible from ships and aircraft. This paper describes 25 specific issues and technical concerns regarding field testing of dispersant effectiveness. Recent field tests were reviewed and literature that relates to testing procedures was sited. The 25 factors that are important for the appropriate outcome of dispersant field experiments include: mass balance; proper controls; analytical method; differential plume movement; time lag and length of time followed; mathematics of calculation and integration; lower and upper limits of analytical methods; use of remote sensing; thickness measurement; behaviour of oil with surfactant content; surfactant stripping; tracking surface oil and dispersed oil; recovering surface oil; visibility of oil from the surface; background levels of hydrocarbons; fluorescence of dispersant; herding; emulsion breaking; application success; heterogeneity of slick and plume; deposition measurements; true analytical standards; effect of wind on dispersant and slick; dispersant run-off; and weathering of the oil. It was concluded that the most important factors are the ability to determine mass balance, use proper controls, analytical methods and to avoid procedures that give incorrect results. 34 refs., 4 tabs., 1 fig

Analytical toxicology of emerging drugs of abuse--an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Markus R; Peters, Frank T

2012-12-01

The steady increase of new drugs of abuse on the illicit drug market is a great challenge for analytical toxicologists. Because most of these new drugs or drug classes are not included in established analytical methods targeting classic drugs of abuse, analytical procedures must be adapted or new procedures must be developed to cover such new compounds. This review summarizes procedures for analysis of these drugs of abuse published from January 2009 to January 2012 covering the following classes of emerging drugs of abuse as follows: β-keto-amphetamines, pyrrolidinophenones, tryptamines, and synthetic cannabinoids.

Net analyte signal standard addition method for simultaneous determination of sulphadiazine and trimethoprim in bovine milk and veterinary medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajian, Reza; Mousavi, Esmat; Shams, Nafiseh

2013-06-01

Net analyte signal standard addition method has been used for the simultaneous determination of sulphadiazine and trimethoprim by spectrophotometry in some bovine milk and veterinary medicines. The method combines the advantages of standard addition method with the net analyte signal concept which enables the extraction of information concerning a certain analyte from spectra of multi-component mixtures. This method has some advantages such as the use of a full spectrum realisation, therefore it does not require calibration and prediction step and only a few measurements require for the determination. Cloud point extraction based on the phenomenon of solubilisation used for extraction of sulphadiazine and trimethoprim in bovine milk. It is based on the induction of micellar organised media by using Triton X-100 as an extraction solvent. At the optimum conditions, the norm of NAS vectors increased linearly with concentrations in the range of 1.0-150.0 μmolL(-1) for both sulphadiazine and trimethoprim. The limits of detection (LOD) for sulphadiazine and trimethoprim were 0.86 and 0.92 μmolL(-1), respectively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental analytical laboratory setup operation and QA/QC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, J.P.; Boyd, J.A.; DeViney, S.

1991-01-01

Environmental analysis requires precise and timely measurements. The required precise measurement is ensured with quality control and timeliness through an efficient operation. The efficiency of the operation also ensures cost-competitiveness. Environmental analysis plays a very important role in the environmental protection program. Due to the possible litigation involvement, most environmental analyses follow stringent criteria, such as the U.S. EPA Contract Laboratory Program procedures with analytical results documented in an orderly manner. The documentation demonstrates that all quality control steps are followed and facilitates data evaluation to determine the quality and usefulness of the data. Furthermore, the tedious documents concerning sample checking, chain-of-custody, standard or surrogate preparation, daily refrigerator and oven temperature monitoring, analytical and extraction logbooks, standard operation procedures, etc., also are an important part of the laboratory documentation. Quality control for environmental analysis is becoming more stringent, required documentation is becoming more detailed and turnaround time is shorter. However, the business is becoming more cost-competitive and it appears that this trend will continue. In this paper, we discuss what should be done to deal this high quality, fast-paced and tedious environmental analysis process at a competitive cost. The success of environmental analysis is people. The knowledge and experience of the staff are the key to a successful environmental analysis program. In order to be successful in this new area, the ability to develop new methods is crucial. In addition, the laboratory information system, laboratory automation and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) are major factors for laboratory success. This paper concentrates on these areas

Nationwide Multicenter Reference Interval Study for 28 Common Biochemical Analytes in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Liangyu; Chen, Ming; Liu, Min; Tao, Zhihua; Li, Shijun; Wang, Liang; Cheng, Xinqi; Qin, Xuzhen; Han, Jianhua; Li, Pengchang; Hou, Li'an; Yu, Songlin; Ichihara, Kiyoshi; Qiu, Ling

2016-03-01

A nationwide multicenter study was conducted in the China to explore sources of variation of reference values and establish reference intervals for 28 common biochemical analytes, as a part of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Committee on Reference Intervals and Decision Limits (IFCC/C-RIDL) global study on reference values. A total of 3148 apparently healthy volunteers were recruited in 6 cities covering a wide area in China. Blood samples were tested in 2 central laboratories using Beckman Coulter AU5800 chemistry analyzers. Certified reference materials and value-assigned serum panel were used for standardization of test results. Multiple regression analysis was performed to explore sources of variation. Need for partition of reference intervals was evaluated based on 3-level nested ANOVA. After secondary exclusion using the latent abnormal values exclusion method, reference intervals were derived by a parametric method using the modified Box-Cox formula. Test results of 20 analytes were made traceable to reference measurement procedures. By the ANOVA, significant sex-related and age-related differences were observed in 12 and 12 analytes, respectively. A small regional difference was observed in the results for albumin, glucose, and sodium. Multiple regression analysis revealed BMI-related changes in results of 9 analytes for man and 6 for woman. Reference intervals of 28 analytes were computed with 17 analytes partitioned by sex and/or age. In conclusion, reference intervals of 28 common chemistry analytes applicable to Chinese Han population were established by use of the latest methodology. Reference intervals of 20 analytes traceable to reference measurement procedures can be used as common reference intervals, whereas others can be used as the assay system-specific reference intervals in China.

Examination of fast reactor fuels, FBR analytical quality assurance standards and methods, and analytical methods development: irradiation tests. Progress report, April 1--June 30, 1976, and FY 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, R.D.

1976-08-01

Characterization of unirradiated and irradiated LMFBR fuels by analytical chemistry methods will continue, and additional methods will be modified and mechanized for hot cell application. Macro- and microexaminations will be made on fuel and cladding using the shielded electron microprobe, emission spectrograph, radiochemistry, gamma scanner, mass spectrometers, and other analytical facilities. New capabilities will be developed in gamma scanning, analyses to assess spatial distributions of fuel and fission products, mass spectrometric measurements of burnup and fission gas constituents and other chemical analyses. Microstructural analyses of unirradiated and irradiated materials will continue using optical and electron microscopy and autoradiographic and x-ray techniques. Analytical quality assurance standards tasks are designed to assure the quality of the chemical characterizations necessary to evaluate reactor components relative to specifications. Tasks include: (1) the preparation and distribution of calibration materials and quality control samples for use in quality assurance surveillance programs, (2) the development of and the guidance in the use of quality assurance programs for sampling and analysis, (3) the development of improved methods of analysis, and (4) the preparation of continuously updated analytical method manuals. Reliable analytical methods development for the measurement of burnup, oxygen-to-metal (O/M) ratio, and various gases in irradiated fuels is described

Adequacy and validation of an analytical method for the quantification of lead in chamomile tisanes produced in Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanco Barrantes, Jeimy

2014-01-01

An analytical methodology is developed and validated to quantify lead in chamomile tisanes. Lead is quantified by utilizing the technique of flame atomic absorption spectroscopy in three brands of chamomile tisanes sold in Costa Rica to determine its safety and quality based on international standards. A method of sample preparation is established through a comparison of different forms of extraction. The acid digestion extraction method has been the procedure utilized, reaching an average recovery percentage of 97,1%, with a standard deviation of 2,3%. The optimization of the chosen analytical procedure and complete validation is performed. The results obtained in the validation of the analytical procedure have shown that the interval where is generated the best calibration curve in terms of the correlation coefficient and the value of the statistically significant intercept equal to zero, have been the comprised between (0,2-3,2) μg/mL (r 2 =0,9996), corresponding to a range between 20% to 320% of the maximum allowed limit. In addition, the procedure has been adequate in terms of accuracy (average recovery percentage 101,1%) and precision under repeatability and intermediate precision (RSD max. 9,3%) and limit of quantification (0,2551 μg/mL). The safety criterion of World Health Organization (WHO) is determined with respect to the concentration of lead in the analyzed products. The 9 analyzed samples of products to prepare chamomile tisanes have stayed without evidencing concentrations of lead above the limit value of 10 μg/g suggested for medicinal herbs by WHO [es

ASSESSING GOING CONCERN ASSUMPTION BY USING RATING VALUATION MODELS BASED UPON ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES IN CASE OF FINANCIAL INVESTMENT COMPANIES

OpenAIRE

Tatiana Danescu; Ovidiu Spatacean; Paula Nistor; Andrea Cristina Danescu

2010-01-01

Designing and performing analytical procedures aimed to assess the rating of theFinancial Investment Companies are essential activities both in the phase of planning a financialaudit mission and in the phase of issuing conclusions regarding the suitability of using by themanagement and other persons responsible for governance of going concern, as the basis forpreparation and disclosure of financial statements. The paper aims to examine the usefulness ofrecognized models used in the practice o...

75 FR 60171 - Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-29

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0521] Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA Guaranteed Loans) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY... comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act...

78 FR 60379 - Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-01

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0521] Proposed Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA Guaranteed Loans) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY... comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act...

Development and validation of analytical methods for dietary supplements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, Darryl; Crowley, Richard

2006-01-01

The expanding use of innovative botanical ingredients in dietary supplements and foods has resulted in a flurry of research aimed at the development and validation of analytical methods for accurate measurement of active ingredients. The pressing need for these methods is being met through an expansive collaborative initiative involving industry, government, and analytical organizations. This effort has resulted in the validation of several important assays as well as important advances in the method engineering procedures which have improved the efficiency of the process. The initiative has also allowed researchers to hurdle many of the barricades that have hindered accurate analysis such as the lack of reference standards and comparative data. As the availability for nutraceutical products continues to increase these methods will provide consumers and regulators with the scientific information needed to assure safety and dependable labeling

Evolution of standardized procedures for adjusting lumber properties for change in moisture content

Science.gov (United States)

David W. Green; James W. Evans

2001-01-01

This paper documents the development of procedures in American Society for Testing and Materials standards for adjusting the allowable properties of lumber for changes in moisture content. The paper discusses the historical context of efforts to establish allowable properties on a consensus basis, beginning in the 19th century. Where possible, the reasons for proposed...

VALIDATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODS AND INSTRUMENTATION FOR BERYLLIUM MEASUREMENT: REVIEW AND SUMMARY OF AVAILABLE GUIDES, PROCEDURES, AND PROTOCOLS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ekechukwu, A.

2008-12-17

This document proposes to provide a listing of available sources which can be used to validate analytical methods and/or instrumentation for beryllium determination. A literature review was conducted of available standard methods and publications used for method validation and/or quality control. A comprehensive listing of the articles, papers, and books reviewed is given in Appendix 1. Available validation documents and guides are listed in the appendix; each has a brief description of application and use. In the referenced sources, there are varying approaches to validation and varying descriptions of validation at different stages in method development. This discussion focuses on validation and verification of fully developed methods and instrumentation that have been offered up for use or approval by other laboratories or official consensus bodies such as ASTM International, the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). This review was conducted as part of a collaborative effort to investigate and improve the state of validation for measuring beryllium in the workplace and the environment. Documents and publications from the United States and Europe are included. Unless otherwise specified, all documents were published in English.

Standard Procedure for Grid Interaction Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svensson, Bertil; Lindahl, Sture; Karlsson, Daniel; Joensson, Jonas; Heyman, Fredrik

2015-01-01

Grid events, simultaneously affecting all safety related auxiliary systems in a nuclear power plant, are critical and must be carefully addressed in the design, upgrading and operational processes. Up to now, the connecting grid has often been treated as either fully available or totally unavailable, and too little attention has been paid to specify the grid performance criteria. This paper deals with standard procedures for grid interaction analysis, to derive tools and criteria to handle grid events challenging the safety systems of the plant. Critical external power system events are investigated and characterised, with respect to severity and rate of occurrence. These critical events are then grouped with respect to impact on the safety systems, when a disturbance propagates into the plant. It is then important to make sure that 1) the impact of the disturbance will never reach any critical system, 2) the impact of the disturbance will be eliminated before it will hurt any critical system, or 3) the critical systems will be proven to be designed in such a way that they can withstand the impact of the disturbance, and the associated control and protection systems can withstand voltage and frequency transients associated with the disturbances. A number of representative disturbance profiles, reflecting connecting grid conditions, are therefore derived, to be used for equipment testing. (authors)

75 FR 76082 - Agency Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-07

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0521] Agency Information Collection (Credit Underwriting Standards and Procedures for Processing VA Guaranteed Loans) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY... information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA...

Figures of merit of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for compliant analysis of waters and wastes using USEPA standard operating procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenner, I.B.; Spence, B.; Walder, A.

2004-01-01

The scope of this study is to critically review the performance of the ICP-MS instrumentation and aspects of the analytical methodology for compliant determination of Al, Sb, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, Ag, Tl, V, and Zn in surface and subsurface water, soil, sludge, sediments and various solid wastes. The evaluation was performed using conventional and practical figures of analytical merit detailed in using USEPA SW (Solid Waste) 846 procedures and ISO/EC 17025

Comparation of fundamental analytical methods for quantitative determination of copper(IIion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ačanski Marijana M.

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Copper is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity, and finds extensive use as an electrical conductor, heat conductor, as a building material, and as a component of various alloys. In this work accuracy of methods for quantitative determination (gravimetric and titrimetric methods of analysis of copper(II ion was studied. Gravimetric methods do not require a calibration or standardization step (as all other analytical procedures except coulometry do because the results are calculated directly from the experimental data and molar masses. Thus, when only one or two samples are to be analyzed, a gravimetric procedure may be the method of choice because it involves less time and effort than a procedure that requires preparation of standards and calibration. In this work in gravimetric analysis the concentration of copper(II ion is established through the measurement of a mass of CuSCN and CuO. Titrimetric methods is a process in which a standard reagent is added to a solution of an analyze until the reaction between the analyze and reagent is judged to be complete. In this work in titrimetric analysis the concentration of copper(II ion is established through the measurement of a volume of different standard reagents: Km, Na2S2O3 and AgNO3. Results were discussed individually and mutually with the aspect of exactility, reproductivity and rapidity. Relative error was calculated for all methods.

Different Analytical Procedures for the Study of Organic Residues in Archeological Ceramic Samples with the Use of Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kałużna-Czaplińska, Joanna; Rosiak, Angelina; Kwapińska, Marzena; Kwapiński, Witold

2016-01-01

The analysis of the composition of organic residues present in pottery is an important source of information for historians and archeologists. Chemical characterization of the materials provides information on diets, habits, technologies, and original use of the vessels. This review presents the problem of analytical studies of archeological materials with a special emphasis on organic residues. Current methods used in the determination of different organic compounds in archeological ceramics are presented. Particular attention is paid to the procedures of analysis of archeological ceramic samples used before gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Advantages and disadvantages of different extraction methods and application of proper quality assurance/quality control procedures are discussed.

Effects of adding Braun jejunojejunostomy to standard Whipple procedure on reduction of afferent loop syndrome - a randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakaei, Farzad; Beheshtirouy, Samad; Nejatollahi, Seyed Moahammad Reza; Rashidi, Iqbal; Asvadi, Touraj; Habibzadeh, Afshin; Oliaei-Motlagh, Mohammad

2015-12-01

Whipple surgery (pancreaticodeudenectomy) has a high complication rate. We aimed to evaluate whether adding Braun jejunojejunostomy (side-to-side anastomosis of afferent and efferent loops distal to the gastrojejunostomy site) to a standard Whipple procedure would reduce postoperative complications. We conducted a randomized clinical trial comparing patients who underwent standard Whipple surgery (standard group) and patients who underwent standard Whipple surgery with Braun jejunojejunostomy (Braun group). Patients were followed for 1 month after the procedure and postoperative complications were recorded. Our study included 30 patients: 15 in the Braun and 15 in the standard group. In the Braun group, 4 (26.7%) patients experienced 6 complications, whereas in the standard group, 7 (46.7%) patients experienced 11 complications (p = 0.14). Complications in the Braun group were gastrointestinal bleeding and wound infection (n = 1 each) and delayed gastric emptying and pulmonary infection (n = 2 each). Complications in the standard group were death, pancreatic anastomosis leak and biliary anastomosis leak (n = 1 each); gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 2); and afferent loop syndrome and delayed gastric emptying (n = 3 each). There was no significant difference between groups in the subtypes of complications. Our results showed that adding Braun jejunojejunostomy to standard Whipple procedure was associated with lower rates of afferent loop syndrome and delayed gastric emptying. However, more studies are needed to define the role of Braun jejunojejunostomy in this regard. IRCT2014020316473N1 (www.irct.ir).

The capabilities of total reflection X-ray fluorescence in the polymeric analytical field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez, Cristina

2004-01-01

This paper presents the capabilities of total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) as analytical technique specially focused in high-viscosity polymer dispersions. Appropriate sample preparation procedures are described taking into account the time stability of these dispersions. Special remarks considering different ways for drying samples in order to obtain the most uniform deposited film are investigated focusing on the behavior of aqueous and viscous systems. Due to the difficulty found for obtaining a homogeneous mixture between sample and internal standard in such systems, the use of Compton incoherent scattering is discussed as an alternative procedure for trace quantification in high viscous systems without any mixing processes

Analytical aids in land management planning

Science.gov (United States)

David R. Betters

1978-01-01

Quantitative techniques may be applied to aid in completing various phases of land management planning. Analytical procedures which have been used include a procedure for public involvement, PUBLIC; a matrix information generator, MAGE5; an allocation procedure, linear programming (LP); and an input-output economic analysis (EA). These techniques have proven useful in...

Standard procedures for pooling health physics data for epidemiologic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strom, D.J.; Beck, W.L.; Stansbury, P.S.; Tankersley, W.G.; Watson, J.E. Jr.

1983-01-01

The objectives of the study are: (1) to determine the availability of dosimetry data and supporting documentation at multiple facilities; (2) to develop criteria and methods for optimally retrieving data; (3) to evaluate and document the quality and completeness of data and dosimetry programs; (4) to put dosimetry data (e.g., external, whole body counting, and bioassay data) from various facilities in a single format for epidemiologic analysis; and (5) to document all work for peer review. To achieve these objectives, a ''Dosimetry Records and Radiation Hazards Questionnaire'' was developed to send to the facilities under study. Responses to this questionnaire are used to develop data retrieval criteria and methods, and to retrieve data. Dose data are reformatted into Standard Intermediate Dosimetry Files for editing and characterization. Evaluations of dosimetry programs are performed concurrently. Results of these steps are brought together and analysis files created. Status of this work in the context of the Department of Energy 5-Rem Study is reported. The standard procedures are applicable to single- as well as multiple-facility studies

Evaluation of the ISO standard 11063 DNA extraction procedure for assessing soil microbial abundance and community structure.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre Plassart

Full Text Available Soil DNA extraction has become a critical step in describing microbial biodiversity. Historically, ascertaining overarching microbial ecological theories has been hindered as independent studies have used numerous custom and commercial DNA extraction procedures. For that reason, a standardized soil DNA extraction method (ISO-11063 was previously published. However, although this ISO method is suited for molecular tools such as quantitative PCR and community fingerprinting techniques, it has only been optimized for examining soil bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess an appropriate soil DNA extraction procedure for examining bacterial, archaeal and fungal diversity in soils of contrasting land-use and physico-chemical properties. Three different procedures were tested: the ISO-11063 standard; a custom procedure (GnS-GII; and a modified ISO procedure (ISOm which includes a different mechanical lysis step (a FastPrep ®-24 lysis step instead of the recommended bead-beating. The efficacy of each method was first assessed by estimating microbial biomass through total DNA quantification. Then, the abundances and community structure of bacteria, archaea and fungi were determined using real-time PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism approaches. Results showed that DNA yield was improved with the GnS-GII and ISOm procedures, and fungal community patterns were found to be strongly dependent on the extraction method. The main methodological factor responsible for differences between extraction procedure efficiencies was found to be the soil homogenization step. For integrative studies which aim to examine bacteria, archaea and fungi simultaneously, the ISOm procedure results in higher DNA recovery and better represents microbial communities.

VALIDATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODS AND INSTRUMENTATION FOR BERYLLIUM MEASUREMENT: REVIEW AND SUMMARY OF AVAILABLE GUIDES, PROCEDURES, AND PROTOCOLS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ekechukwu, A

2009-05-27

Method validation is the process of evaluating whether an analytical method is acceptable for its intended purpose. For pharmaceutical methods, guidelines from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH), and the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) provide a framework for performing such valications. In general, methods for regulatory compliance must include studies on specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, detection limit, quantitation limit, and robustness. Elements of these guidelines are readily adapted to the issue of validation for beryllium sampling and analysis. This document provides a listing of available sources which can be used to validate analytical methods and/or instrumentation for beryllium determination. A literature review was conducted of available standard methods and publications used for method validation and/or quality control. A comprehensive listing of the articles, papers and books reviewed is given in the Appendix. Available validation documents and guides are listed therein; each has a brief description of application and use. In the referenced sources, there are varying approches to validation and varying descriptions of the valication process at different stages in method development. This discussion focuses on valication and verification of fully developed methods and instrumentation that have been offered up for use or approval by other laboratories or official consensus bodies such as ASTM International, the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). This review was conducted as part of a collaborative effort to investigate and improve the state of validation for measuring beryllium in the workplace and the environment. Documents and publications from the United States and Europe are included. Unless otherwise specified, all referenced documents were published in English.

Development of analytical procedures for determination of total chromium by quadrupole ICP-MS and high-resolution ICP-MS, and hexavalent chromium by HPLC-ICP-MS, in different materials used in the automotive industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Séby, F; Gagean, M; Garraud, H; Castetbon, A; Donard, O F X

2003-10-01

A European directive was recently adopted limiting the use of hazardous substances such as Pb, Hg, Cd, and Cr(VI) in vehicle manufacturing. From July 2003 a maximum of 2 g Cr(VI) will be authorised per vehicle in corrosion-preventing coatings of key components. As no standardised procedures are available to check if produced vehicles are in agreement with this directive, the objective of this work was to develop analytical procedures for total chromium and Cr(VI) determination in these materials. The first step of this study was to optimise digestion procedures for total chromium determination in plastic and metallic materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). High resolution (HR) ICP-MS was used to examine the influence of polyatomic interferences on the detection of the (52)Cr(+) and (53)Cr(+) isotopes. If there was strong interference with m/ z 52 for plastic materials, it was possible to use quadrupole ICP-MS for m/ z 53 if digestions were performed with HNO(3)+H(2)O(2). This mixture was also necessary for digestion of chromium from metallic materials. Extraction procedures in alkaline medium (NH(4)(+)/NH(3) buffer solution at pH 8.9) assisted by sonication were developed for determining Cr(VI) in four different corrosion-preventing coatings by HPLC-ICP-MS. After optimisation and validation with the only solid reference material certified for its Cr(VI) content (BCR 545; welding dusts), the efficiency of this extraction procedure for screw coatings was compared with that described in the EN ISO 3613 standard generally used in routine laboratories. For coatings comprising zinc and aluminium passivated in depth with chromium oxides the extraction procedure developed herein enabled determination of higher Cr(VI) concentrations. This was also observed for the screw covered with a chromium passivant layer on zinc-nickel. For coating comprising a chromium passivant layer on alkaline zinc the standardized extraction procedure was more efficient

Quality assurance and quality control of nuclear analytical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cincu, Emanuelathor

2001-01-01

involved in the RER 2/004 Project. The latter 6 groups deal with gamma-ray spectrometry, analysis of the total beta-ray spectra, neutron activation and radiochemical analysis. IFIN-HH follows the IAEA Project plan consisting of participation in the IAEA training workshops and proficiency tests and elaboration of QA documents 2-3 times /year. In the year 2000 we worked out part of the QA technical operation procedures and QA Procedures of general interest, namely: 'Organization, Sample registration', 'Report of results', 'Relations with Clients' and other QA-Procedures according to the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard. In April - May 2000 all analytical working groups successfully participated in the Proficiency Test 1 organized by IAEA. The 2nd series of Proficiency Test measurements are scheduled for May-June 2001. The Progress Report no.2 (the 3rd in the PR series) was the last document prepared in 2000; by means of the last 4th and 5th Progress Reports that will be prepared in April-June 2001 the contents of the typical accreditation dossier of each group taking part in the Project will be established. The QA System and QA Manual (previously prepared according to European Norms 45001), will also be updated according to the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard requirements. The final objective of the activity in 2001 (the last year of the project) consists of preparing valid 'accreditation dossiers' with a view to securing certification/accreditation from the national accreditation/ regulatory body; we need to operate efficiently and effectively and as soon as possible on a certified basis and ensure high performance in the current applications on the clients' samples coming from various fields, including medicine, environment, industry, forensics, geology and archaeology. After the previous steps and evaluations by IAEA experts, IFIN-HH got a quite good position, ranking 5th among the participating countries. Also due to its deep involvement in the Project, IFIN-HH proposed to IAEA to organize

Fatigue crack extension in nozzle junctions; comparison of analytical approximations with experimental data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broekhoven, M.J.G.; Ruijtenbeek, M.G. van de

1975-01-01

The fracture mechanics based stress intensity factor (K-factor) concept has obtained wide-spread acceptance as a tool for quantitative analysis of both fatigue crack growth and instable fracture. The present study discusses the applicability of various simple analytical approximations by comparing results with experimental data. A semi-analytical procedure has been developed whose main characteristics are: the true stress distribution perpendicular to the crack plane for the uncracked structure is used as input data; an extended version of the Shah and Kobayashi solution for elliptical cracks, loaded on their surfaces by tractions described by fourth order double symmetrical polynomials fit through the data of previous step is used to calculate full K-factor variations along the crack fronts; several corrections, a.o. to correct for free surfaces and for a corner radius are incorporated. The experiments concern careful monitoring crack growth rates (da/dN) under uniaxial fatigue loading of precracked nozzle-on-plate models, a.o. using a closed T.V. circuit. Resulting da/dN versus crack length (a) curves are converted into K versus a curves using da/dN versus ΔK curves for the same material (ASTM A 508 C12) obtained by standard procedures. Comparison of theoretical and experimental data yields the conclusion that: simple analytical approximations as sometimes recommended in literature may largely overestimate or underestimate K-factors for nozzle corner cracks; a computer program based on the semi-analytical procedure yields results within seconds of CPU-time once the input data have been generated. These results compare well with experimental and available finite element data for the range of crack depths of practical concern

Procedures For Microbial-Ecology Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Huff, Timothy L.

1993-01-01

Microbial Ecology Laboratory Procedures Manual provides concise and well-defined instructions on routine technical procedures to be followed in microbiological laboratory to ensure safety, analytical control, and validity of results.

Recent applications of nuclear analytical methods to the certification of elemental content in NIST standard reference materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenberg, R.R.; Zeisler, R.; Mackey, E.A.

2006-01-01

Well-characterized, certified reference materials (CRMs) play an essential role in assuring the quality of analytical measurements. NIST has been producing CRMs, currently called NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), to validate analytical measurements for nearly one hundred years. The predominant mode of certifying inorganic constituents in complex-matrix SRMs is through the use of two critically evaluated, independent analytical techniques at NIST. These techniques should have no significant sources of error in common. The use of nuclear analytical methods in combination with one of the chemically based analytical method at NIST eliminates the possibility of any significant, common error source. The inherent characteristics of the various forms of nuclear analytical methods make them extremely valuable for SRM certification. Instrumental NAA is nondestructive, which eliminates the possibility of any dissolution problems, and often provides homogeneity information. Radiochemical NAA typically provides nearly blank-free determinations of some highly important, but difficult elements at very low levels. Prompt-gamma NAA complements INAA, and provides independent determinations of some key elements. In addition, all significant uncertainty components can be evaluated for these techniques, and we believe these methods can meet all the requirements of a primary method of measurement as defined by ISO and the CCQM. NIST has certified several SRMs using INAA and RNAA as primary methods. In addition, NIST has compared measurements by INAA and PGAA with other primary methods as part of the CCQM intercomparisons of national metrology institutes. Some significant SRMs recently certified for inorganic constituents with contributions from the nuclear analytical methods include: Toxic Substances in Urine (SRM 2670a), Lake Superior Fish Tissue (SRM 1946), Air Particulate on Filter Media (SRM 2783), Inorganics in Marine Sediment (SRM 2702), Sediment for Solid Sampling (Small

U.S. Geological Survey Noble Gas Laboratory’s standard operating procedures for the measurement of dissolved gas in water samples

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Andrew G.

2015-08-12

This report addresses the standard operating procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Noble Gas Laboratory in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., for the measurement of dissolved gases (methane, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide) and noble gas isotopes (helium-3, helium-4, neon-20, neon-21, neon-22, argon-36, argon-38, argon-40, kryton-84, krypton-86, xenon-103, and xenon-132) dissolved in water. A synopsis of the instrumentation used, procedures followed, calibration practices, standards used, and a quality assurance and quality control program is presented. The report outlines the day-to-day operation of the Residual Gas Analyzer Model 200, Mass Analyzer Products Model 215–50, and ultralow vacuum extraction line along with the sample handling procedures, noble gas extraction and purification, instrument measurement procedures, instrumental data acquisition, and calculations for the conversion of raw data from the mass spectrometer into noble gas concentrations per unit mass of water analyzed. Techniques for the preparation of artificial dissolved gas standards are detailed and coupled to a quality assurance and quality control program to present the accuracy of the procedures used in the laboratory.

Use of fractional factorial design for optimization of digestion procedures followed by multi-element determination of essential and non-essential elements in nuts using ICP-OES technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Momen, Awad A; Zachariadis, George A; Anthemidis, Aristidis N; Stratis, John A

2007-01-15

Two digestion procedures have been tested on nut samples for application in the determination of essential (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn) and non-essential (Al, Ba, Cd, Pb) elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). These included wet digestions with HNO(3)/H(2)SO(4) and HNO(3)/H(2)SO(4)/H(2)O(2). The later one is recommended for better analytes recoveries (relative errortime, pre-digestion time, temperature of the hot plate and sample weight) were used for optimization of sample digestion procedures. For this purpose Plackett-Burman fractional factorial design, which involve eight experiments was adopted. The factors HNO(3) and H(2)O(2) volume, and the digestion time were found to be the most important parameters. The instrumental conditions were also optimized (using peanut matrix rather than aqueous standard solutions) considering radio-frequency (rf) incident power, nebulizer argon gas flow rate and sample uptake flow rate. The analytical performance, such as limits of detection (LOD<0.74mugg(-1)), precision of the overall procedures (relative standard deviation between 2.0 and 8.2%) and accuracy (relative errors between 0.4 and 11%) were assessed statistically to evaluate the developed analytical procedures. The good agreement between measured and certified values for all analytes (relative error <11%) with respect to IAEA-331 (spinach leaves) and IAEA-359 (cabbage) indicates that the developed analytical method is well suited for further studies on the fate of major elements in nuts and possibly similar matrices.

Teachers' use of a self-assessment procedure : the role of criteria, standards, feedback and reflection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diggelen, van M.R.; Brok, den P.J.; Beijaard, D.

2013-01-01

This article reports on the way teachers assess their own coaching competencies regarding the development of vocational education students’ reflection skills. The participating teachers used a self-assessment procedure in which they had to judge themselves with the help of criteria and standards,

Reference materials for micro-analytical nuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valkovic, V.; Zeisler, R.; Bernasconi, G.; Danesi, P.R.

1994-01-01

Direct application of many existing reference materials in micro-analytical procedures such as energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), particle induced x-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and ion probe techniques for the determination of trace elements is often impossible or difficult because: 1) other constituents present in large amounts interfere with the determination; 2) trace components are not sufficiently homogeneously distributed in the sample. Therefore specific natural-matrix reference materials containing very low levels of trace elements and having high degree of homogeneity are required for many micro-analytical procedures. In this report, selection of the types of environmental and biological materials which are suitable for micro-analytical techniques will be discussed. (author)

Comparison of the acetyl bromide spectrophotometric method with other analytical lignin methods for determining lignin concentration in forage samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, Romualdo S; Hatfield, Ronald D

2004-06-16

Present analytical methods to quantify lignin in herbaceous plants are not totally satisfactory. A spectrophotometric method, acetyl bromide soluble lignin (ABSL), has been employed to determine lignin concentration in a range of plant materials. In this work, lignin extracted with acidic dioxane was used to develop standard curves and to calculate the derived linear regression equation (slope equals absorptivity value or extinction coefficient) for determining the lignin concentration of respective cell wall samples. This procedure yielded lignin values that were different from those obtained with Klason lignin, acid detergent acid insoluble lignin, or permanganate lignin procedures. Correlations with in vitro dry matter or cell wall digestibility of samples were highest with data from the spectrophotometric technique. The ABSL method employing as standard lignin extracted with acidic dioxane has the potential to be employed as an analytical method to determine lignin concentration in a range of forage materials. It may be useful in developing a quick and easy method to predict in vitro digestibility on the basis of the total lignin content of a sample.

The capabilities of total reflection X-ray fluorescence in the polymeric analytical field*1

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez, Cristina

2004-08-01

This paper presents the capabilities of total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) as analytical technique specially focused in high-viscosity polymer dispersions. Appropriate sample preparation procedures are described taking into account the time stability of these dispersions. Special remarks considering different ways for drying samples in order to obtain the most uniform deposited film are investigated focusing on the behavior of aqueous and viscous systems. Due to the difficulty found for obtaining a homogeneous mixture between sample and internal standard in such systems, the use of Compton incoherent scattering is discussed as an alternative procedure for trace quantification in high viscous systems without any mixing processes.

R2SM: a package for the analytic computation of the R2 Rational terms in the Standard Model of the Electroweak interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garzelli, M.V.

2011-01-01

The analytical package written in FORM presented in this paper allows the computation of the complete set of Feynman Rules producing the Rational terms of kind R 2 contributing to the virtual part of NLO corrections in the Standard Model of the Electroweak interactions. Building block topologies filled by means of generic scalars, vectors and fermions, allowing to build these Feynman Rules in terms of specific elementary particles, are explicitly given in the R ξ gauge class, together with the automatic dressing procedure to obtain the Feynman Rules from them. The results in more specific gauges, like the 't Hooft Feynman one, follow as particular cases, in both the HV and the FDH dimensional regularization schemes. As a check on our formulas, the gauge independence of the total Rational contribution (R 1 +R 2 ) to renormalized S-matrix elements is verified by considering the specific example of the H →γγ decay process at 1-loop. This package can be of interest for people aiming at a better understanding of the nature of the Rational terms. It is organized in a modular way, allowing a further use of some its files even in different contexts. Furthermore, it can be considered as a first seed in the effort towards a complete automation of the process of the analytical calculation of the R 2 effective vertices, given the Lagrangian of a generic gauge theory of particle interactions. (orig.)

Evaluation of the effect of coal cleaning of fugitive elements. Part II. Analytical methods. Final report, Phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bosshart, R.E.; Price, A.A.; Ford, C.T.

1980-03-01

This report contains the analytical and test methods which were used routinely at Bituminous Coal Research, Inc. during the project. The procedures contained herein should aid coal industry laboratories and others, including commercial laboratories, who might be required to determine trace elements in coal. Some of the procedures have been presented in previous BCR reports; however, this report includes additional procedures which are described in greater detail. Also presented are many as the more basic coal methods which have been in use at BCR for many years, or which have been adapted or refined from other standard reference sources for coal and water. The basis for choosing specific analytical procedures for trace elements in coal is somewhat complex. At BCR, atomic absorption was selected as the basic method in the development of these procedures. The choice was based on sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy, precision, practicability, and economy. Whenever possible, the methods developed had to be both adequate and amenable for use by coal industry laboratories by virtue of relative simplicity and cost. This is not to imply that the methods described are simple or inexpensive; however, atomic abosrption techniques do meet these criteria in relation to more complex and costly methods such as neutron activation, mass spectrometry, and x-ray fluorescence, some of which require highly specialized personnel as well as access to sophisticated nuclear and computational facilities. Many of the analytical procedures for trace elements in coal have been developed or adapted specifically for the BCR studies. Their presentation is the principal purpose of this report.

An analytical procedure for determination of sulphur species and isotopes in boreal acid sulphate soils and sediments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. BACKLUND

2008-12-01

Full Text Available An analytical scheme suitable for boreal acid sulphate (AS soils and sediments was developed on the basis of existing methods. The presented procedure can be used to quantify and discriminate among acid volatile sulphide, cold chromium reducible sulphur, hot chromium reducible sulphur, elemental sulphur, sulphate sulphur, organic sulphur, total reducible sulphur and total sulphur. The sulphur fractions are recovered as either Ag2S or BaSO4 precipitates and can further be used for isotope analysis. Overlaps between sulphur species are common during speciation, and must be minimized. Some of these overlaps are caused by poor sampling and storage, inappropriate conditions during the distillation, or natural variations in the sample (e.g. Fe3+ interference and grain size. The procedural impact was determined by conducting tests on both artificial and natural samples containing one or several sulphur species. The method is applied on reduced sediment from an AS soil locality (Överpurmo and a brackish lake (Larsmo Lake in western Finland and the results, including S-isotopes, are discussed.;

Standard operating procedures for female orgasmic disorder: consensus of the International Society for Sexual Medicine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laan, Ellen; Rellini, Alessandra H.; Barnes, Tricia

2013-01-01

As the field of sexual medicine evolves, it is important to continually improve patient care by developing contemporary "standard operating procedures" (SOPs), reflecting the consensus view of experts in sexual medicine. Few, if any, consensus SOPs have been developed for the diagnosis and treatment

Development of an analytical procedure for plutonium in the concentration range of femtogram/gram and its application to environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuettelkopf, H.

1981-09-01

To study the behaviour of plutonium in the environment and to measure plutonium in the vicinity of nuclear facilities, a quick, sensitive analytical method is required which can be applied to all sample materials found in the environment. For a sediment contaminated with plutonium a boiling out method using first HNO 3 /HF and subsequently HNO 3 /Al(NO 3 ) 3 was found to be successful. The leaching solution was then extracted by TOPO and the plutonium backextracted by ascorbic acid/HCl. Some different purification steps and finally electroplating using ammonium oxalate led to an optimum sample for α- spectroscopic determination of plutonium. An analytical method was worked out for plutonium which can be applied to all materials found in the environment. The sample size is 100 g but it might also be much greater. The average chemical yield is 70 and 80%. The detection limit for soil samples is 0.1 fCi/g and for plant samples 0.5 fCi/g. One technician can perform eight analyses per working day. The analytical procedure was applied to a large number of environmental samples and the results of these analyses are indicated. (orig./RB) [de

Standard-E hydrogen monitoring system shop acceptance test procedure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, T.C.

1997-10-02

The purpose of this report is to document that the Standard-E Hydrogen Monitoring Systems (SHMS-E), fabricated by Mid-Columbia Engineering (MCE) for installation on the Waste Tank Farms in the Hanford 200 Areas, are constructed as intended by the design. The ATP performance will verify proper system fabrication.

Assessment of organ doses by standard X-ray procedures in the GDR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tautz, M.; Brandt, G.A.

1986-01-01

A modern method has been described to assess the radiation burden by X-ray procedures with consideration of the standards of our Society for Medical Radiology in the GDR. The underlying methodology is a Monte Carlo computer technique, which simulates stochastically the energy deposition of X-ray photons in a mathematically described heterogeneous anthropomorphic phantom by Rosenstein (US Department of Health, Education and Welfare). To apply the procedure specific values for the following parameters must be determined for each dose estimation: projection and view, X-ray field size and location entrance exposure at skin surface, beam quality, source-to-image receptor distance. The base data are obtained in terms of tissue-air ratio. Organ doses were calculated for chest, urography, skull, cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, pelvis and lymphography. Concluding possibilities have been discussed for reduction of radiation burden. 9 refs., 6 figs., 9 tabs. (author)

Standardized uptake values of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose: the value of different normalization procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schomburg, A.; Bender, H.; Reichel, C.; Sommer, T.; Ruhlmann, J.; Kozak, B.; Biersack, H.J.

1996-01-01

While the evident advantages of absolute metabolic rate determinations cannot be equalled by static image analysis of fluorine-18 fluorodexyglucose positron emission tomographic (FDG PET) studies, various algorithms for the normalization of static FDG uptake values have been proposed. This study was performed to compare different normalization procedures in terms of dependency on individual patient characteristics. Standardized FDG uptake values (SUVs) were calculated for liver and lung tissue in 126 patients studied with whole-body FDG PET. Uptake values were normalized for total body weight, lean body mass and body surface area. Ranges, means, medians, standard deviations and variation coefficients of these SUV parameters were calculated and their interdependency with total body weight, lean body mass, body surface area, patient height and blood sugar levels was calculated by means of regression analysis. Standardized FDG uptake values normalized for body surface area were clearly superior to SUV parameters normalized for total body weight or lean body mass. Variation and correlation coefficients of body surface area-normalized uptake values were minimal when compared with SUV parameters derived from the other normalization procedures. Normalization for total body weight resulted in uptake values still dependent on body weight and blood sugar levels, while normalization for lean body mass did not eliminate the positive correlation with lean body mass and patient height. It is concluded that normalization of FDG uptake values for body surface area is less dependent on the individual patient characteristics than are FDG uptake values normalized for other parameters, and therefore appears to be preferable for FDG PET studies in oncology. (orig.)

Primary calibration of TXRF in comparison with the standard droplet procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobler, M.; Reus, U.; Knoth, J.; Schwenke, H.

2000-01-01

For the determination of contamination on wafer surfaces with total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) normally external 1 ng Ni droplet standards were used for calibration. This method is based on several assumptions about the properties of the standard droplet which are strongly affected by the preparation of the samples. In this paper a study is resented which compares the external droplet method with a calibration procedure using the fundamental physical background of total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectrometry and the properties of Ni bulk material. The particular features of the two methods will be discussed and the obtained results compared to each other. It is demonstrated in this study that the calibration with Ni bulk material is a primary method which offers several advantages compared to the calibration based on droplet standards. These advantages are unique and enable a more reliable and reproducible quantification of contamination on wafer surfaces. This is caused by the fact that the method is standardless and only based on fundamental parameters and natural constants. It is also demonstrated that effects which could be caused by especial features of the measured samples (particle or film, e.g.) or by the degradation of the calibration sample could be excluded. (author)

21 CFR 606.100 - Standard operating procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... units. (9) Procedures for investigating adverse donor and recipient reactions. (10) Storage temperatures... accurately relating the product(s) to the donor. (5) Blood collection procedure, including in-process precautions taken to measure accurately the quantity of blood removed from the donor. (6) Methods of component...

Optimization of analytical and pre-analytical conditions for MALDI-TOF-MS human urine protein profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvano, C D; Aresta, A; Iacovone, M; De Benedetto, G E; Zambonin, C G; Battaglia, M; Ditonno, P; Rutigliano, M; Bettocchi, C

2010-03-11

Protein analysis in biological fluids, such as urine, by means of mass spectrometry (MS) still suffers for insufficient standardization in protocols for sample collection, storage and preparation. In this work, the influence of these variables on healthy donors human urine protein profiling performed by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was studied. A screening of various urine sample pre-treatment procedures and different sample deposition approaches on the MALDI target was performed. The influence of urine samples storage time and temperature on spectral profiles was evaluated by means of principal component analysis (PCA). The whole optimized procedure was eventually applied to the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of human urine samples taken from prostate cancer patients. The best results in terms of detected ions number and abundance in the MS spectra were obtained by using home-made microcolumns packed with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) resin as sample pre-treatment method; this procedure was also less expensive and suitable for high throughput analyses. Afterwards, the spin coating approach for sample deposition on the MALDI target plate was optimized, obtaining homogenous and reproducible spots. Then, PCA indicated that low storage temperatures of acidified and centrifuged samples, together with short handling time, allowed to obtain reproducible profiles without artifacts contribution due to experimental conditions. Finally, interesting differences were found by comparing the MALDI-TOF-MS protein profiles of pooled urine samples of healthy donors and prostate cancer patients. The results showed that analytical and pre-analytical variables are crucial for the success of urine analysis, to obtain meaningful and reproducible data, even if the intra-patient variability is very difficult to avoid. It has been proven how pooled urine samples can be an interesting way to make easier the comparison between

Analytical method used for intermediate products in continuous distillation of furfural

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Z.L.; Jia, M.; Wang, L.J.; Deng, Y.X.

1981-01-01

During distillation of furfural, analysis of main components in the crude furfural condensate and intermediate products is very important. Since furfural and methylfurfural are homologous and both furfural and acetone contain a carbonyl group, components in the sample must be separated before analysis. An improved analytical method has been studied, the accuracy and precision of which would meet the requirement of industrial standards. The analytical procedure was provided as follows: to determine the furfural content with gravimetric method of barbituric acid; to determine the methanol content with dichromate method after precipitating furfural and acetone, and distilling the liquid for analysis; and to determine the methylfurfural content with bromide-bromate method, which can be used only in the sample containing higher content of methylfurfural. For the sample in low content, the gas-liquid chromatographic method can be used. 7 references.

CSNI international standard problem procedures - CSNI Report No. 17 - Revision 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Micaelli, J.C.

2004-01-01

. Careful consideration and planning is therefore required. After a brief recall of the ISPs' objectives, this document provides guidelines to be followed during the different phases of an ISP. Two phases are considered. The first one consists in proposing and selecting an ISP, the second one consists in performing an ISP. This revised document was prepared under the Leadership of J.-C. Micaelli (IRSN). It was reviewed and endorsed in September 2003 by the Working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents (GAMA), GAMA performed in 2003 a survey on updating CSNI Report No. 17, 'CSNI Standard Problem Procedures', first published in 1977, last updated in 1989. The objective of this activity was to collect proposals regarding the improvement of ISP efficiency with respect to their objectives and the improvement of the quality of the procedures document. Eleven series of questions were asked in the survey, related to: - General structure of the procedures document; - ISP objectives; - Six phases: ISP proposal, ISP specification, ISP results reporting, Preparation of the preliminary data comparison and interpretation report, Post-ISP analysis, Preparation of the final comparison and interpretation report; - Updating of the procedures; - Support to be provided by the participants

LC-MS/MS analytical procedure to quantify tris(nonylphenyl)phosphite, as a source of the endocrine disruptors 4-nonylphenols, in food packaging materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Mottier, Pascal; Frank, Nancy; Dubois, Mathieu; Tarres, Adrienne; Bessaire, Thomas; Romero, Roman; Delatour, Thierry

2014-01-01

Tris(nonylphenyl)phosphite, an antioxidant used in polyethylene resins for food applications, is problematic since it is a source of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals 4-nonylphenols (4NP) upon migration into packaged foods. As a response to concerns surrounding the presence of 4NP-based compounds in packaging materials, some resin producers and additive suppliers have decided to eliminate TNPP from formulations. This paper describes an analytical procedure to verify the "TNPP-free" statement in multilayer laminates used for bag-in-box packaging. The method involves extraction of TNPP from laminates with organic solvents followed by detection/quantification by LC-MS/MS using the atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) mode. A further acidic treatment of the latter extract allows the release of 4NP from potentially extracted TNPP. 4NP is then analysed by LC-MS/MS using electrospray ionisation (ESI) mode. This two-step analytical procedure ensures not only TNPP quantification in laminates, but also allows the flagging of other possible sources of 4NP in such packaging materials, typically as non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). The limits of quantification were 0.50 and 0.48 µg dm⁻² for TNPP and 4NP in laminates, respectively, with recoveries ranging between 87% and 114%. Usage of such analytical methodologies in quality control operations has pointed to a lack of traceability at the packaging supplier level and cross-contamination of extrusion equipment at the converter level, when TNPP-containing laminates are processed on the same machine beforehand.

Importance of implementing an analytical quality control system in a core laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques-Garcia, F; Garcia-Codesal, M F; Caro-Narros, M R; Contreras-SanFeliciano, T

2015-01-01

The aim of the clinical laboratory is to provide useful information for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of disease. The laboratory should ensure the quality of extra-analytical and analytical process, based on set criteria. To do this, it develops and implements a system of internal quality control, designed to detect errors, and compare its data with other laboratories, through external quality control. In this way it has a tool to detect the fulfillment of the objectives set, and in case of errors, allowing corrective actions to be made, and ensure the reliability of the results. This article sets out to describe the design and implementation of an internal quality control protocol, as well as its periodical assessment intervals (6 months) to determine compliance with pre-determined specifications (Stockholm Consensus(1)). A total of 40 biochemical and 15 immunochemical methods were evaluated using three different control materials. Next, a standard operation procedure was planned to develop a system of internal quality control that included calculating the error of the analytical process, setting quality specifications, and verifying compliance. The quality control data were then statistically depicted as means, standard deviations, and coefficients of variation, as well as systematic, random, and total errors. The quality specifications were then fixed and the operational rules to apply in the analytical process were calculated. Finally, our data were compared with those of other laboratories through an external quality assurance program. The development of an analytical quality control system is a highly structured process. This should be designed to detect errors that compromise the stability of the analytical process. The laboratory should review its quality indicators, systematic, random and total error at regular intervals, in order to ensure that they are meeting pre-determined specifications, and if not, apply the appropriate corrective actions

Management of thyroid cytological material, pre-analytical procedures and bio-banking.

Science.gov (United States)

Bode-Lesniewska, Beata; Cochand-Priollet, Beatrix; Straccia, Patrizia; Fadda, Guido; Bongiovanni, Massimo

2018-06-09

Thyroid nodules are common and increasingly detected due to recent advances in imaging techniques. However, clinically relevant thyroid cancer is rare and the mortality from aggressive thyroid cancer remains constant. FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) is a standard method for diagnosing thyroid malignancy and the discrimination of malignant nodules from goiter. As the examined nodules on thyroid FNAC are often small incidental findings, it is important to maintain a low rate of undetermined diagnoses requiring further clinical work up or surgery. The most important factors determining the accuracy of the cytological diagnosis and suitability for biobanking of thyroid FNACs are the quality of the sample and availability of adequate tissue for auxiliary studies. This article analyses technical aspects (pre-analytics) of performing thyroid FNACs, including image guidance and rapid on slide evaluation (ROSE), sample collection methods (conventional slides, liquid based methods (LBC), cell blocks) and storage (bio-banking). The spectrum of the special studies (immunocytochemistry on direct slides or LBC, immunohistochemistry on cell blocks and molecular methods) required for improving the precision of the cytological diagnosis of the thyroid nodules is discussed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Standard test methods for chemical, mass spectrometric, spectrochemical, nuclear, and radiochemical analysis of uranium hexafluoride

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2011-01-01

1.1 These test methods cover procedures for subsampling and for chemical, mass spectrometric, spectrochemical, nuclear, and radiochemical analysis of uranium hexafluoride UF6. Most of these test methods are in routine use to determine conformance to UF6 specifications in the Enrichment and Conversion Facilities. 1.2 The analytical procedures in this document appear in the following order: Note 1—Subcommittee C26.05 will confer with C26.02 concerning the renumbered section in Test Methods C761 to determine how concerns with renumbering these sections, as analytical methods are replaced with stand-alone analytical methods, are best addressed in subsequent publications. Sections Subsampling of Uranium Hexafluoride 7 - 10 Gravimetric Determination of Uranium 11 - 19 Titrimetric Determination of Uranium 20 Preparation of High-Purity U3O 8 21 Isotopic Analysis 22 Isotopic Analysis by Double-Standard Mass-Spectrometer Method 23 - 29 Determination of Hydrocarbons, Chlorocarbons, and Partially Substitut...

Recent trends in analytical procedures in forensic toxicology.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Bocxlaer, Jan F

2005-12-01

Forensic toxicology is a very demanding discipline,heavily dependent on good analytical techniques. That is why new trends appear continuously. In the past years. LC-MS has revolutionized target compound analysis and has become the trend, also in toxicology. In LC-MS screening analysis, things are less straightforward and several approaches exist. One promising approach based on accurate LC-MSTOF mass measurements and elemental formula based library searches is discussed. This way of screening has already proven its applicability but at the same time it became obvious that a single accurate mass measurement lacks some specificity when using large compound libraries. CE too is a reemerging approach. The increasingly polar and ionic molecules encountered make it a worthwhile addition to e.g. LC, as illustrated for the analysis of GHB. A third recent trend is the use of MALDI mass spectrometry for small molecules. It is promising for its ease-of-use and high throughput. Unfortunately, re-ports of disappointment but also accomplishment, e.g. the quantitative analysis of LSD as discussed here, alternate, and it remains to be seen whether MALDI really will establish itself. Indeed, not all new trends will prove themselves but the mere fact that many appear in the world of analytical toxicology nowadays is, in itself, encouraging for the future of (forensic) toxicology.

8. All Polish Conference on Analytical Chemistry: Analytical Chemistry for the Community of the 21. Century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koscielniak, P.; Wieczorek, M.; Kozak, J.

2010-01-01

Book of Abstracts contains short descriptions of lectures, communications and posters presented during 8 th All Polish Conference on Analytical Chemistry (Cracow, 4-9.07.2010). Scientific programme consisted of: basic analytical problems, preparation of the samples, chemometry and metrology, miniaturization of the analytical procedures, environmental analysis, medicinal analyses, industrial analyses, food analyses, biochemical analyses, analysis of relicts of the past. Several posters were devoted to the radiochemical separations, radiochemical analysis, environmental behaviour of the elements important for the nuclear science and the professional tests.

Analytical quadrics

CERN Document Server

Spain, Barry; Ulam, S; Stark, M

1960-01-01

Analytical Quadrics focuses on the analytical geometry of three dimensions. The book first discusses the theory of the plane, sphere, cone, cylinder, straight line, and central quadrics in their standard forms. The idea of the plane at infinity is introduced through the homogenous Cartesian coordinates and applied to the nature of the intersection of three planes and to the circular sections of quadrics. The text also focuses on paraboloid, including polar properties, center of a section, axes of plane section, and generators of hyperbolic paraboloid. The book also touches on homogenous coordi

Teachers' Use of a Self-Assessment Procedure: The Role of Criteria, Standards, Feedback and Reflection

Science.gov (United States)

van Diggelen, Migchiel; den Brok, Perry; Beijaard, Douwe

2013-01-01

This article reports on the way teachers assess their own coaching competencies regarding the development of vocational education students' reflection skills. The participating teachers used a self-assessment procedure in which they had to judge themselves with the help of criteria and standards, received feedback from a colleague based on the…

Research And Establishment Of The Analytical Procedure For/Of Sr-90 In Milk Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Thi Tuyet Mai; Duong Duc Thang; Nguyen Thi Linh; Bui Thi Anh Duong

2014-01-01

Sr-90 is an indicator for the transfer radionuclides from environment to human. This work was setup to build a procedure for Sr-90 determination in main popular foodstuff and focus to fresh milk. The deal of this work was establish procedure for Sr-90 , assessment for chemical yield and test sample of Vietnam fresh milk, also in this work, the QA, QC for the procedure was carried out using standard sample of IAEA. The work has been completed for the procedure of determination Sr-90 in milk. The chemical yield of recovery for Y-90 and Sr-90 were at 46.76 % ±1.25% and 0.78 ± 0.086, respectively. The QA & QC program was carried out using reference material IAEA-373. The result parse is appropriate equally and well agreement with the certificate value. Three reference samples were analyses with 15 measurements. The results of Sr-90 concentration after processing statistics given a value at 3.69 Bq/kg with uncertainty of 0.23 Bq/kg. The certificate of IAEA-154 for Sr-90 (half live 28.8 year) is the 6.9 Bq/kg, with the range 95% Confidence Interval as (6.0 -8.0 ) Bq/kg at 31st August 1987. After adjusting decay, the radioactivity at this time is 3.67 Bq/kg. It means that such the result of this work was perfect matching the value of stock index IAEA. Five Vietnam fresh milk samples were analyzed for Sr-90, the specific radioactivity of Sr-90 in milk were in a range from 0.032 to 0.041 Bq/l. (author)

Method Validation Procedure in Gamma Spectroscopy Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Samad, O.; Baydoun, R.

2008-01-01

The present work describes the methodology followed for the application of ISO 17025 standards in gamma spectroscopy laboratory at the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission including the management and technical requirements. A set of documents, written procedures and records were prepared to achieve the management part. The technical requirements, internal method validation was applied through the estimation of trueness, repeatability , minimum detectable activity and combined uncertainty, participation in IAEA proficiency tests assure the external method validation, specially that the gamma spectroscopy lab is a member of ALMERA network (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurements of Environmental Radioactivity). Some of these results are presented in this paper. (author)

Analytic continuation in perturbative QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caprini, Irinel

2002-01-01

We discuss some attempts to improve standard perturbative expansion in QCD by using the analytic continuation in the momentum and the Borel complex planes. We first analyse the momentum-plane analyticity properties of the Borel-summed Green functions in perturbative QCD and the connection between the Landau singularities and the infrared renormalons. By using the analytic continuation in the Borel complex plane, we propose a new perturbative series replacing the standard expansion in powers of the normalized coupling constant a. The new expansion functions have branch point and essential singularities at the origin of the complex a-plane and divergent Taylor expansions in powers of a. On the other hand the modified expansion of the QCD correlators is convergent under rather conservative conditions. (author)

Manual of selected physico-chemical analytical methods. IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beran, M.; Klosova, E.; Krtil, J.; Sus, F.; Kuvik, V.; Vrbova, L.; Hamplova, M.; Lengyel, J.; Kelnar, L.; Zakouril, K.

1990-11-01

The Central Testing Laboratory of the Nuclear Research Institute at Rez has for a decade been participating in the development of analytical procedures and has been providing analyses of samples of different types and origin. The analytical procedures developed have been published in special journals and a number of them in the Manuals of analytical methods, in three parts. The 4th part of the Manual contains selected physico-chemical methods developed or modified by the Laboratory in the years 1986-1990 within the project ''Development of physico-chemical analytical methods''. In most cases, techniques are involved for non-nuclear applications. Some can find wider applications, especially in analyses of environmental samples. Others have been developed for specific cases of sample analyses or require special instrumentation (mass spectrometer), which partly restricts their applicability by other institutions. (author)

Analytically solvable models of reaction-diffusion systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zemskov, E P; Kassner, K [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Otto-von-Guericke-Universitaet, Universitaetsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg (Germany)

2004-05-01

We consider a class of analytically solvable models of reaction-diffusion systems. An analytical treatment is possible because the nonlinear reaction term is approximated by a piecewise linear function. As particular examples we choose front and pulse solutions to illustrate the matching procedure in the one-dimensional case.

Radioisotopic studies concerning the efficacy of standard washing procedures for the cleansing of hair before zinc analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckley, R.A.; Dreosti, I.E.

1984-01-01

Various standard procedures were investigated in relation to the removal of exogenously applied 65Zn from human hair and endogenously incorporated 65Zn from rat hair. Human hair was found to adsorb zinc and a variety of other metal ions from aqueous solutions in a manner which suggested some ion-exchange capacity. Uptake of zinc varied considerably between human hair samples, but in most cases accumulation of zinc occurred rapidly and often resulted in hair zinc levels several-fold higher than found in control samples. Extraction of zinc and other metal ions was greatest after treatment with disodium EDTA and sodium lauryl sulfate than after washing with water or aqueous Triton X-100. However, no procedure effectively removed all exogenous zinc, while all treatments extracted varying proportions of the endogenous zinc component. Because of the inability of standard washing procedures to remove exogenous zinc without reducing endogenous or indicator zinc levels, use of hair zinc analyses to indicate nutritional zinc status are inadvisable if hair zinc contamination is likely to have occurred

Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Manghani, Kishu

2011-01-01

It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

Quality assurance: Importance of systems and standard operating procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kishu Manghani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available It is mandatory for sponsors of clinical trials and contract research organizations alike to establish, manage and monitor their quality control and quality assurance systems and their integral standard operating procedures and other quality documents to provide high-quality products and services to fully satisfy customer needs and expectations. Quality control and quality assurance systems together constitute the key quality systems. Quality control and quality assurance are parts of quality management. Quality control is focused on fulfilling quality requirements, whereas quality assurance is focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled. The quality systems must be commensurate with the Company business objectives and business model. Top management commitment and its active involvement are critical in order to ensure at all times the adequacy, suitability, effectiveness and efficiency of the quality systems. Effective and efficient quality systems can promote timely registration of drugs by eliminating waste and the need for rework with overall financial and social benefits to the Company.

Standardization of solvent extraction procedure for determination of uranium in sea water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maity, Sukanta; Dusane, C.B.; Sahu, S.K.; Pandit, G.G.

2014-01-01

Marine ecosystem is becoming polluted by heavy metals and naturally occurring radionuclides due to rapid industrialization and human activities. Many contaminants such as heavy metals and naturally occurring radionuclides though occur at extremely low concentration in sea water, are accumulated by marine organisms and concentrations in their body tissue can be hundreds of times greater than sea water. As human being consume different marine organisms like biota, can lead potential health problem to human being. Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element which is important for nuclear technology. However, mineral resources for uranium are limited. Seawater is a major source of uranium. The total estimated quantity of uranium in seawater is around four and a half billion tones. Thus, the oceans have the potential to become the most eco-friendly and long sustainable resource for uranium. A number of countries in the world are in search of techniques to recover uranium from seawater economically. For this purpose and also for the environmental monitoring, the determination of uranium in seawater is very much important. Seawater contains very high concentrations of salts and its uranium content is very low. Accordingly, the separation and preconcentration of uranium is usually involved in the analytical procedures used for the determination of uranium in seawater. In the present study solvent extraction procedure was adopted for the determination of uranium in sea water collected from different locations across Thane Creek area, Mumbai, India

An analytical approach to Sr isotope ratio determination in Lambrusco wines for geographical traceability purposes.

Science.gov (United States)

Durante, Caterina; Baschieri, Carlo; Bertacchini, Lucia; Bertelli, Davide; Cocchi, Marina; Marchetti, Andrea; Manzini, Daniela; Papotti, Giulia; Sighinolfi, Simona

2015-04-15

Geographical origin and authenticity of food are topics of interest for both consumers and producers. Among the different indicators used for traceability studies, (87)Sr/(86)Sr isotopic ratio has provided excellent results. In this study, two analytical approaches for wine sample pre-treatment, microwave and low temperature mineralisation, were investigated to develop accurate and precise analytical method for (87)Sr/(86)Sr determination. The two procedures led to comparable results (paired t-test, with tanalytical procedure was evaluated by using a control sample (wine sample), processed during each sample batch (calculated Relative Standard Deviation, RSD%, equal to 0.002%. Lambrusco PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) wines coming from four different vintages (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) were pre-treated according to the best procedure and their isotopic values were compared with isotopic data coming from (i) soils of their territory of origin and (ii) wines obtained by same grape varieties cultivated in different districts. The obtained results have shown no significant variability among the different vintages of wines and a perfect agreement between the isotopic range of the soils and wines has been observed. Nevertheless, the investigated indicator was not enough powerful to discriminate between similar products. To this regard, it is worth to note that more soil samples as well as wines coming from different districts will be considered to obtain more trustworthy results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nuclear microprobe analysis of the standard reference materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaksic, M.; Fazinic, S.; Bogdanovic, I.; Tadic, T.

2002-01-01

Most of the presently existing Standard Reference Materials (SRM) for nuclear analytical methods are certified for the analyzed mass of the order of few hundred mg. Typical mass of sample which is analyzed by PIXE or XRF methods is very often below 1 mg. By the development of focused proton or x-ray beams, masses which can be typically analyzed go down to μg or even ng level. It is difficult to make biological or environmental SRMs which can give desired homogeneity at such low scale. However, use of fundamental parameter quantitative evaluation procedures (absolute method), minimize needs for SRMs. In PIXE and micro PIXE setup at our Institute, fundamental parameter approach is used. For exact calibration of the quantitative analysis procedure just one standard sample is needed. In our case glass standards which showed homogeneity down to micron scale were used. Of course, it is desirable to use SRMs for quality assurance, and therefore need for homogenous materials can be justified even for micro PIXE method. In this presentation, brief overview of PIXE setup calibration is given, along with some recent results of tests of several SRMs

Hasse diagram as a green analytical metrics tool: ranking of methods for benzo[a]pyrene determination in sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bigus, Paulina; Tsakovski, Stefan; Simeonov, Vasil; Namieśnik, Jacek; Tobiszewski, Marek

2016-05-01

This study presents an application of the Hasse diagram technique (HDT) as the assessment tool to select the most appropriate analytical procedures according to their greenness or the best analytical performance. The dataset consists of analytical procedures for benzo[a]pyrene determination in sediment samples, which were described by 11 variables concerning their greenness and analytical performance. Two analyses with the HDT were performed-the first one with metrological variables and the second one with "green" variables as input data. Both HDT analyses ranked different analytical procedures as the most valuable, suggesting that green analytical chemistry is not in accordance with metrology when benzo[a]pyrene in sediment samples is determined. The HDT can be used as a good decision support tool to choose the proper analytical procedure concerning green analytical chemistry principles and analytical performance merits.

Potential sources of analytical bias and error in selected trace element data-quality analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Angela P.; Garbarino, John R.; Olsen, Lisa D.; Rosen, Michael R.; Mebane, Christopher A.; Struzeski, Tedmund M.

2016-09-28

Potential sources of analytical bias and error associated with laboratory analyses for selected trace elements where concentrations were greater in filtered samples than in paired unfiltered samples were evaluated by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Quality Specialists in collaboration with the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) and the Branch of Quality Systems (BQS).Causes for trace-element concentrations in filtered samples to exceed those in associated unfiltered samples have been attributed to variability in analytical measurements, analytical bias, sample contamination either in the field or laboratory, and (or) sample-matrix chemistry. These issues have not only been attributed to data generated by the USGS NWQL but have been observed in data generated by other laboratories. This study continues the evaluation of potential analytical bias and error resulting from matrix chemistry and instrument variability by evaluating the performance of seven selected trace elements in paired filtered and unfiltered surface-water and groundwater samples collected from 23 sampling sites of varying chemistries from six States, matrix spike recoveries, and standard reference materials.Filtered and unfiltered samples have been routinely analyzed on separate inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry instruments. Unfiltered samples are treated with hydrochloric acid (HCl) during an in-bottle digestion procedure; filtered samples are not routinely treated with HCl as part of the laboratory analytical procedure. To evaluate the influence of HCl on different sample matrices, an aliquot of the filtered samples was treated with HCl. The addition of HCl did little to differentiate the analytical results between filtered samples treated with HCl from those samples left untreated; however, there was a small, but noticeable, decrease in the number of instances where a particular trace-element concentration was greater in a filtered sample than in the associated

Validation of a densimeter calibration procedure for a secondary calibration laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alpizar Herrera, Juan Carlos

2014-01-01

A survey was conducted to quantify the need for calibration of a density measurement instrument at the research units at the Sede Rodrigo Facio of the Universidad de Costa Rica. A calibration procedure was documented for the instrument that presented the highest demand in the survey by the calibration service. A study of INTE-ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 and specifically in section 5.4 of this standard was done, to document the procedure for calibrating densimeters. Densimeter calibration procedures and standards were sought from different national and international sources. The method of hydrostatic weighing or Cuckow method was the basis of the defined procedure. Documenting the calibration procedure and creating other documents was performed for data acquisition log, intermediate calculation log and calibration certificate copy. A veracity test was performed using as reference laboratory a laboratory of calibration secondary national as part of the validation process of the documented procedure. The results of the E_n statistic of 0.41; 0.34 and 0.46 for the calibration points 90%, 50% and 10% were obtained for the densimeter scale respectively. A reproducibility analysis of the method was performed with satisfactory results. Different suppliers were contacted to estimate the economic costs of the equipment and materials, needed to develop the documented method of densimeter calibration. The acquisition of an analytical balance was recommended, instead of a precision scale, in order to improve the results obtained with the documented method [es

A standards-based ontology and support for Big Data Analytics in the insurance industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitrios A. Koutsomitropoulos

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Standardization efforts have led to the emergence of conceptual models in the insurance industry. Simultaneously, the proliferation of digital information poses new challenges for the efficient management and analysis of available data. Based on the property and casualty data model, we propose an OWL ontology to represent insurance processes and to map large data volumes collected in traditional data stores. By the virtue of reasoning, we demonstrate a set of semantic queries using the ontology vocabulary that can simplify analytics and deduce implicit facts from these data. We compare this mapping approach to data in native RDF format, as in a triple store. As proof-of-concept, we use a large anonymized dataset for car policies from an actual insurance company.

Preoperative Decision Making for Nephron-Sparing Procedure in the Renal Mass: Time for Using Standard Tools?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zondervan, Patricia J.; van Lienden, Krijn P.; van Delden, Otto M.; de La Rosette, Jean J. M. C. H.; Laguna, M. Pilar

2016-01-01

To determine if the application of using standard tools on tumor complexity and comorbidity indexes may replace the traditional choice of nephron-sparing procedure (NSP) based on clinical maximal tumor diameter (cMTD), age, and comorbidity. Anatomic complexity scores (PADUA and RENAL) and Charlson

Analytical procedures used by the uranium - radon - radium geochemistry group; Methodes d'analyses utilisees par la section de geochimie uranium, radon, radium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berthollet, P [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1968-07-01

The analytical methods described are applied to the geochemical prospecting of uranium. The nature of the material under investigation, which may be soil, alluvium, rock, plant or water, and the particular requirements of geochemical exploration, have prompted us to adjust the widely used conventional methods to the demands of large scale operation, without lowering their standards of accuracy and reliability. These procedures are explained in great detail. Though most of this technical information may appear superfluous to the chemical engineer well versed in trace element determination, it will, however, serve a useful purpose both with the operator in charge of routine testing and with the chemist called upon to interpret results. (author) [French] Les methodes d'analyses decrites sont utilisees pour la prospection geochimique de l'uranium. La nature des materiaux: sols, alluvions, roches, vegetaux, eaux, et les exigences propres a la prospection geochimique, nous ont conduit a adapter des methodes classique couramment utilisees pour les rendre aptes a etre executees en grande serie, sans abandonner leurs qualites de precision et de fidelite. Ces methodes sont presentees avec un maximum de details operatoires qui paraitront superflus aux chimistes habitues aux dosages de traces, mais seront utiles aussi bien aux manipulateurs charges des analyses qu'aux geochimistes appeles a exploiter les resultats. (auteur)

Validation of a new analytical procedure for determination of residual solvents in [18F]FDG by gas chromatography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, Flávia M.; Costa, Cassiano L.S.; Silva, Juliana B.; Ferreira, Soraya M.Z.M.D.

2017-01-01

Fludeoxyglucose F 18 ([ 18 F]FDG) is the most used radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography, especially on oncology. Organic solvents such as ether, ethanol and acetonitrile might be used in the synthesis of [ 18 F]FDG; however, they might not be completely removed during purification steps. The determination of residual solvents in [ 18 F]FDG is required in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) monographs. While the procedure described in the EP is quite general, the one described in the USP requires a long runtime (about 13 minutes). In this work a simple and fast (4-minute) analytical procedure was developed and validated for determination of residual solvents in [ 18 F]FDG. Analyses were carried out in a Perkin Elmer gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. The separation was obtained on a 0.53-mm x 30 m fused-silica column. Validation included the evaluation of various parameters, such as: specificity, linearity and range, limits of detection and quantitation, precision (repeatability and intermediate precision), accuracy, and robustness. Results were found to be within acceptable limits, indicating the developed procedure is suitable for its intended application. Considering the short half-life of fluorine-18 (109.7 minutes), this new method could be a valuable alternative for routine quality control of [ 18 F]FDG. (author)

Standardizing the practice of human reliability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hallbert, B.P.

1993-01-01

The practice of human reliability analysis (HRA) within the nuclear industry varies greatly in terms of posited mechanisms that shape human performance, methods of characterizing and analytically modeling human behavior, and the techniques that are employed to estimate the frequency with which human error occurs. This variation has been a source of contention among HRA practitioners regarding the validity of results obtained from different HRA methods. It has also resulted in attempts to develop standard methods and procedures for conducting HRAs. For many of the same reasons, the practice of HRA has not been standardized or has been standardized only to the extent that individual analysts have developed heuristics and consistent approaches in their practice of HRA. From the standpoint of consumers and regulators, this has resulted in a lack of clear acceptance criteria for the assumptions, modeling, and quantification of human errors in probabilistic risk assessments

Experimental design technique applied to the validation of an instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Uanda Paula de M. dos; Moreira, Edson Gonçalves

2017-01-01

In this study optimization of procedures and standardization of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) method were carried out for the determination of the elements bromine, chlorine, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and vanadium in biological matrix materials using short irradiations at a pneumatic system. 2 k experimental designs were applied for evaluation of the individual contribution of selected variables of the analytical procedure in the final mass fraction result. The chosen experimental designs were the 2 3 and the 2 4 , depending on the radionuclide half life. Different certified reference materials and multi-element comparators were analyzed considering the following variables: sample decay time, irradiation time, counting time and sample distance to detector. Comparator concentration, sample mass and irradiation time were maintained constant in this procedure. By means of the statistical analysis and theoretical and experimental considerations, it was determined the optimized experimental conditions for the analytical methods that will be adopted for the validation procedure of INAA methods in the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory (LAN) of the Research Reactor Center (CRPq) at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN /CNEN-SP). Optimized conditions were estimated based on the results of z-score tests, main effect, interaction effects and better irradiation conditions. (author)

Experimental design technique applied to the validation of an instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis procedure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Uanda Paula de M. dos; Moreira, Edson Gonçalves, E-mail: uandapaula@gmail.com, E-mail: emoreira@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

In this study optimization of procedures and standardization of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) method were carried out for the determination of the elements bromine, chlorine, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and vanadium in biological matrix materials using short irradiations at a pneumatic system. 2{sup k} experimental designs were applied for evaluation of the individual contribution of selected variables of the analytical procedure in the final mass fraction result. The chosen experimental designs were the 2{sup 3} and the 2{sup 4}, depending on the radionuclide half life. Different certified reference materials and multi-element comparators were analyzed considering the following variables: sample decay time, irradiation time, counting time and sample distance to detector. Comparator concentration, sample mass and irradiation time were maintained constant in this procedure. By means of the statistical analysis and theoretical and experimental considerations, it was determined the optimized experimental conditions for the analytical methods that will be adopted for the validation procedure of INAA methods in the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory (LAN) of the Research Reactor Center (CRPq) at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN /CNEN-SP). Optimized conditions were estimated based on the results of z-score tests, main effect, interaction effects and better irradiation conditions. (author)

Government by standards

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Triantafillou, Peter

2016-01-01

Since 2009, all Danish hospitals have been subjected to a comprehensive, mandatory accreditation system, the so-called Danish Quality Model (DDKM), in order to assure the quality of hospital services. So far there is no evidence of DDKM’s positive effects on clinical outcome and it may even be co......, it is argued that the accreditation system is hard to refuse because it promises to increase the quality of hospital services and, more importantly, because the procedural standards espoused by DDKM work through the structured and accountable freedom of medical staff....... be contributing to accountability overload. This article seeks to provide an explanation for why hospital staff seems to accept, albeit grudgingly and partially, the imposition of a new, comprehensive accountability system with questionable clinical merits. Inspired by Michel Foucault’s analytics of government...

Breed-specific variation of hematologic and biochemical analytes in healthy adult Bernese Mountain dogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lise; Kjelgaard-Hansen, Mads; Jensen, Asger Lundorff

2010-01-01

Background: Hematology and serum biochemistry reference intervals in dogs may be affected by internal factors, such as breed and age, and external factors, such as the environment, diet, and lifestyle. In humans, it is well established that geographic origin and age may have an impact on reference...... reference intervals were rejected. Methods: The procedure was performed using the human Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute-approved model modified for veterinary use. Thirty-two dogs were included in the study using a direct a priori method, as recommended. Results: While 23 of the standard...... intervals and, therefore, more specific reference intervals are sought for subpopulations. Objective: The objective of this study was to validate and transfer standard laboratory reference intervals for healthy Bernese Mountain dogs and to create new intervals for analytes where the established laboratory...

A review on test procedure, energy efficiency standards and energy labels for room air conditioners and refrigerator-freezers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahlia, T.M.I.; Saidur, R. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2010-09-15

Air conditioners and refrigerator-freezers are major energy users in a household environment and hence efficiency improvement of these appliances can be considered as an important step to reduce their energy consumption along with environmental pollution prevention. Energy efficiency standards and labels are commonly used tools to reduce the energy uses for household appliances for many countries around the world. The first step towards adopting energy efficiency standards is to establish a test procedure for rating and testing of an appliance. It may be mentioned that an energy test procedure is the technical foundation for energy efficiency standards, energy labels, and other related programs. This paper reviews requirements and specifications of various international test standards for testing and rating of room air conditioners and refrigerators. A review on the development of the energy efficiency standards has been provided as well. Finally, energy labels that provide some useful information for identifying energy efficient products have been reviewed for these appliances. It may be stated that the review will be useful for the developing countries who wish to develop these energy savings strategies. It is also expected to be useful to revise the existing strategies for a few selected countries who already implemented these strategies earlier. (author)

Performance testing of HEPA filters: Progress towards a European standard procedure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dyment, J.

1997-08-01

Proposals for a future European testing procedure for {open_quotes}High Efficiency Particulate Air Filters (HEPA and ULPA){close_quotes} are being developed by CEN (Comite Europeen de Normalisation). The new standard will be given the status of national standard in participating countries, conflicting national standards being withdrawn. The standard will comprise 5 parts covering the grouping and classification of HEPA and ULPA filters according to their efficiency, fundamental principles of testing, marking etc (in part 1). Part 2 will cover aerosol production, measurement principles, counting equipment and statistics. Parts 3-5 will cover testing flat sheet media, leak testing of filter elements and the efficiency testing of filter elements respectively. The efficiency test methods allow the use of either homogeneous monodisperse or polydisperse aerosols for the determination of particulate filtration efficiencies as a function of particle size. The particle size at which maximum penetration occurs is first determined in flat sheet media tests; tests on filter elements (constructed using the same filter medium) may be carried out using either a homogeneous monodisperse aerosol of the size at which maximum penetration occurs (MPPS) or a polydisperse aerosol whose median size is close to the MPPS. Tests with monodisperse aerosols may be conducted using condensation nucleus counting equipment; tests using polydisperse test aerosols require the use of optical sizing particle counters. When determining the efficiency of filter elements the downstream aerosol concentrations may be determined from air samples obtained using either an overall method (single point sampling after mixing) or a scan method. The scan method also allows {open_quotes}local{close_quotes} efficiency values to be determined. 1 ref., 1 fig., 1 tab.

Standard formatted data units-control authority procedures

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

The purpose of this document is to establish a set of minimum and optional requirements for the implementation of Control Authority (CA) organizations within and among the Agencies participating in the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). By satisfying these requirements, the resultant cooperating set of CA organizations will produce a global CA service supporting information transfer with digital data under the Standard Formatted Data Unit (SFDU) concept. This service is primarily accomplished through the registration, permanent archiving, and dissemination of metadata in the form of Metadata Objects (MDO) that assist in the interpretation of data objects received in SFDU form. This Recommendation addresses the responsibilities, services, and interface protocols for a hierarchy of CA organizations. The top level, consisting of the CCSDS Secretariat and its operational agent, is unique and primarily provides a global coordination function. The lower levels are Agency CA organizations that have primary responsibility for the registration, archiving, and dissemination of MDOs. As experience is gained and technology evolves, the CA Procedures will be extended to include enhanced services and their supporting protocols. In particular, it is anticipated that eventually CA organizations will be linked via networks on a global basis, and will provide requestors with online automated access to CA services. While this Recommendation does not preclude such operations, it also does not recommend the specific protocols to be used to ensure global compatibility of these services. These recommendations will be generated as experience is gained.

An isotope-dilution standard GC/MS/MS method for steroid hormones in water

Science.gov (United States)

Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; ReVello, Rhiannon C.; Lindley, Chris E.; Losche, Scott A.

2013-01-01

An isotope-dilution quantification method was developed for 20 natural and synthetic steroid hormones and additional compounds in filtered and unfiltered water. Deuterium- or carbon-13-labeled isotope-dilution standards (IDSs) are added to the water sample, which is passed through an octadecylsilyl solid-phase extraction (SPE) disk. Following extract cleanup using Florisil SPE, method compounds are converted to trimethylsilyl derivatives and analyzed by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Validation matrices included reagent water, wastewater-affected surface water, and primary (no biological treatment) and secondary wastewater effluent. Overall method recovery for all analytes in these matrices averaged 100%; with overall relative standard deviation of 28%. Mean recoveries of the 20 individual analytes for spiked reagent-water samples prepared along with field samples analyzed in 2009–2010 ranged from 84–104%, with relative standard deviations of 6–36%. Detection levels estimated using ASTM International’s D6091–07 procedure range from 0.4 to 4 ng/L for 17 analytes. Higher censoring levels of 100 ng/L for bisphenol A and 200 ng/L for cholesterol and 3-beta-coprostanol are used to prevent bias and false positives associated with the presence of these analytes in blanks. Absolute method recoveries of the IDSs provide sample-specific performance information and guide data reporting. Careful selection of labeled compounds for use as IDSs is important because both inexact IDS-analyte matches and deuterium label loss affect an IDS’s ability to emulate analyte performance. Six IDS compounds initially tested and applied in this method exhibited deuterium loss and are not used in the final method.

Standard operating procedures for ESPEN guidelines and consensus papers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bischoff, Stephan C; Singer, Pierre; Koller, Michael; Barazzoni, Rocco; Cederholm, Tommy; van Gossum, André

2015-12-01

The ESPEN Guideline standard operating procedures (SOP) is based on the methodology provided by the Association of Scientific Medical Societies of Germany (AWMF), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), and the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford. The SOP is valid and obligatory for all future ESPEN-sponsored guideline projects aiming to generate high-quality guidelines on a regular basis. The SOP aims to facilitate the preparation of guideline projects, to streamline the consensus process, to ensure quality and transparency, and to facilitate the dissemination and publication of ESPEN guidelines. To achieve this goal, the ESPEN Guidelines Editorial board (GEB) has been established headed by two chairmen. The GEB will support and supervise the guideline processes and is responsible for the strategic planning of ESPEN guideline activities. Key elements of the SOP are the generation of well-built clinical questions according to the PICO system, a systemic literature search, a classification of the selected literature according to the SIGN evidence levels providing an evidence table, and a clear and straight-forward consensus procedure consisting of online voting's and a consensus conference. Only experts who meet the obligation to disclosure any potential conflict of interests and who are not employed by the Industry can participate in the guideline process. All recommendations will be graded according to the SIGN grading and novel outcome models besides biomedical endpoints. This approach will further extent the leadership of ESPEN in creating up-to-date and suitable for implementation guidelines and in sharing knowledge on malnutrition and clinical nutrition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Life cycle management of analytical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Parr, Maria Kristina; Schmidt, Alexander H

2018-01-05

In modern process management, the life cycle concept gains more and more importance. It focusses on the total costs of the process from invest to operation and finally retirement. Also for analytical procedures an increasing interest for this concept exists in the recent years. The life cycle of an analytical method consists of design, development, validation (including instrumental qualification, continuous method performance verification and method transfer) and finally retirement of the method. It appears, that also regulatory bodies have increased their awareness on life cycle management for analytical methods. Thus, the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), as well as the United States Pharmacopeial Forum discuss the enrollment of new guidelines that include life cycle management of analytical methods. The US Pharmacopeia (USP) Validation and Verification expert panel already proposed a new General Chapter 〈1220〉 "The Analytical Procedure Lifecycle" for integration into USP. Furthermore, also in the non-regulated environment a growing interest on life cycle management is seen. Quality-by-design based method development results in increased method robustness. Thereby a decreased effort is needed for method performance verification, and post-approval changes as well as minimized risk of method related out-of-specification results. This strongly contributes to reduced costs of the method during its life cycle. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Three Analytical Methods for Separation of Mineral and Chelated Fraction from an Adulterated Zn-EDTA Fertilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M.S.; Qazi, M.A.; Khan, N.A.; Mian, S.M.; Ahmed, N.; Ahmed, N.

2013-01-01

Summary: Different analytical procedures are being employed in the world to quantify the chelated portion in a Zn-EDTA fertilizer. Agriculture Department, Government of the Punjab is following Shahid's analytical method in this regard. This method is based on Ion-chromatography (IC) that separates the mineral zinc (Zn) from an adulterated Zn-EDTA fertilizer sample i.e. mixture of mineral and chelated Zn fractions. To find out its effectiveness and suitability, this comparative study was carried out by analyzing adulterated, non-adulterated Zn-EDTA standard and Zn-EDTA samples taken from market in thrice following three methods namely Shahid's (IC) analytical method, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric (AAS) method based on the principle of precipitating the mineral Zn fraction at high pH value by using alkali solution of suitable concentration and analysis of filtrate containing only chelated fraction and Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) method FM-841 respectively. Adulterated Zn-EDTA samples were prepared by mixing of known quantity of mineral Zn with chelated Zn-EDTA standard. The results showed that Shahid's analytical method and AAS method, both successfully estimated the chelated fraction. The AOAC FM-841 method was insensitive to put a ceiling on the mineral fraction hence did not furnish the reliable results. The Shahid's analytical method was selected being equallyeffective to produce reliable results both for solid and liquid Zn-EDTA samples. The AAS method was comparable in only liquid samples. (author)

A highly rationalized procedure of neutron activation analysis for routine applications in dairy science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heine, K.; Wiechen, A.

1976-01-01

A rational procedure was developed for the multi-element analysis by neutron activation for applications in dairy science. The preparation of samples prior to irradiation consists of drying, weighing, and welding in quartz ampoules. The neutron flux, samples are exposed to during reactor irradiation , is determined by the mono-comparator technique for which the Co-content of a commercial aluminium foil was chosen as the flux monitor. Constancy of the Co-content and uncomplicated handling of the foil essentially simplify the determination of flux. The samples are irradiated for 72 h, dissolved in HNO 3 /H 2 SO 4 and measured in the liquid state after waiting times of 1-2, 4 and 8 weeks by a Ge(Li)-detector and a 4,096 channel spectrometer. The procedure was confirmed by investigations of the biological KALE standard and by participation in inter-comparisons of biological substances of the Analytical Quality Control Service of the IAEA for the analysis of the elements Na, Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Zn, Se, Rb, and Cs. So a procedure was developed suitable for routine multi-element analysis of biologic samples by optimizing and rationalizing all analytical steps. (orig./MG) [de

Calibration in atomic spectrometry: A tutorial review dealing with quality criteria, weighting procedures and possible curvatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mermet, Jean-Michel

2010-01-01

Calibration is required to obtain analyte concentrations in atomic spectrometry. To take full benefit of it, the adequacy of the coefficient of determination r 2 is discussed, and its use is compared with the uncertainty due to the prediction bands of the regression. Also discussed from a tutorial point of view are the influence of the weighting procedure and of different weighting factors, and the comparison between linear and quadratic regression to cope with curvatures. They are illustrated with examples based on the use of ICP-AES with nebulization and laser ablation, and of LIBS. Use of a calibration graph over several orders of magnitude may be problematic as well as the use of a quadratic regression to cope with possible curvatures. Instrument softwares that allow reprocessing of the calibration by selecting standards around the expected analyte concentration are convenient for optimizing the calibration procedure.

Experience of Brazilian safeguards analytical laboratory in DA analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezerra, J.H.B.; Araujo, R.M.S.; Pereira, J.C.A.

2001-01-01

Full text: The Brazilian Safeguards Analytical Laboratory, inaugurated in September 1983, performs uranium analysis in samples of nuclear materials taken during national safeguards inspections as well as in samples taken during ABACC's inspections performed in Argentina. The Laboratory analyzes Intercomparison samples provided by IAEA, NBL, ABACC, CEN and EQRAIN. The method used to perform uranium analysis is the Davies and Gray/NBL. All the steps of the analytical procedures, such as chemical kinetics of the reactions and instrumental parameters, are rigorously controlled. An internal Quality Control of the measurements is made by means of analysis of Certified Reference Materials and the performance of the results meets the ESARDA's Target Values for Random and Systematic Components both in Intercomparison Samples and in samples taken during inspections. The typical precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, and accuracy obtained in a routine basis for nuclear grade materials is 0.1% and 0.14% respectively. The performance of the results obtained are comparable to the best international laboratories which perform uranium analysis in nuclear materials for safeguards purposes. (author)

A Big Data Analytics Methodology Program in the Health Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Lawler, James; Joseph, Anthony; Howell-Barber, H.

2016-01-01

The benefits of Big Data Analytics are cited frequently in the literature. However, the difficulties of implementing Big Data Analytics can limit the number of organizational projects. In this study, the authors evaluate business, procedural and technical factors in the implementation of Big Data Analytics, applying a methodology program. Focusing…

Analytic tests and their relation to jet fuel thermal stability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heneghan, S.P.; Kauffman, R.E. [Univ. of Dayton Research Institute, OH (United States)

1995-05-01

The evaluation of jet fuel thermal stability (TS) by simple analytic procedures has long been a goal of fuels chemists. The reason is obvious: if the analytic chemist can determine which types of material cause his test to respond, the refiners will know which materials to remove to improve stability. Complicating this quest is the lack of an acceptable quantitative TS test with which to compare any analytic procedures. To circumvent this problem, we recently compiled the results of TS tests for 12 fuels using six separate test procedures. The results covering a range of flow and temperature conditions show that TS is not as dependent on test conditions as previously thought. Also, comparing the results from these tests with several analytic procedures shows that either a measure of the number of phenols or the total sulfur present in jet fuels is strongly indicative of the TS. The phenols have been measured using a cyclic voltammetry technique and the polar material by gas chromatography (atomic emission detection) following a solid phase extraction on silica gel. The polar material has been identified as mainly phenols (by mass spectrometry identification). Measures of the total acid number or peroxide concentration have little correlation with TS.

Accredited Standards Committee N15 Developments And Future Directions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathews, Caroline E.; May, Melanie; Preston, Lynne

2009-01-01

Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) N15, Methods of Nuclear Material Control, is sponsored by the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) to develop standards for protection, control and accounting of special nuclear materials in all phases of the nuclear fuel cycle, including analytical procedures where necessary and special to this purpose, except that physical protection of special nuclear material within a nuclear power plant is not included. Voluntary consensus standards complement federal regulations and technical standards and fulfill an important role for the nuclear regulatory agencies. This paper describes the N15 standards development process, with INMM as the Standards Developing Organization (SDO) and the N15 Committee responsible for implementation. Key components of the N15 standards development process include ANSI accreditation; compliance with the ANSI Essential Requirements (ER), coordination with other SDOs, communication with stakeholders, maintenance of balance between interest categories, and ANSI periodic audits. Recent and future ASC N15 activities are discussed, with a particular focus on new directions in anticipation of renewed growth in nuclear power.

International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry cell sorter biosafety standards.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Kevin L; Fontes, Benjamin; Hogarth, Philip; Konz, Richard; Monard, Simon; Pletcher, Charles H; Wadley, Robert B; Schmid, Ingrid; Perfetto, Stephen P

2014-05-01

Flow cytometric cell sorting of biological specimens has become prevalent in basic and clinical research laboratories. These specimens may contain known or unknown infectious agents, necessitating precautions to protect instrument operators and the environment from biohazards arising from the use of sorters. To this end the International Society of Analytical Cytology (ISAC) was proactive in establishing biosafety guidelines in 1997 (Schmid et al., Cytometry 1997;28:99-117) and subsequently published revised biosafety standards for cell sorting of unfixed samples in 2007 (Schmid et al., Cytometry Part A J Int Soc Anal Cytol 2007;71A:414-437). Since their publication, these documents have become recognized worldwide as the standard of practice and safety precautions for laboratories performing cell sorting experiments. However, the field of cytometry has progressed since 2007, and the document requires an update. The new Standards provides guidance: (1) for laboratory design for cell sorter laboratories; (2) for the creation of laboratory or instrument specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOP); and (3) on procedures for the safe operation of cell sorters, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and validation of aerosol containment. Published © 2014 Wiley Periodicals Inc.

Analytical Methodology for the Determination of Radium Isotopes in Environmental Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

Reliable, comparable and 'fit for purpose' results are an essential requirement for any decision based on analytical measurements. For the analyst, the availability of tested and validated analytical procedures is an extremely important tool for production of such analytical measurements. For maximum utility, such procedures should be comprehensive, clearly formulated, and readily available to both the analyst and the customer for reference. Since 2004, the environment programme of the IAEA has included activities aimed at the development of a set of procedures for the determination of radionuclides in terrestrial environmental samples. Measurements of radium isotopes are important for radiological and environmental protection, geochemical and geochronological investigations, hydrology, etc. The suite of isotopes creates and stimulates continuing interest in the development of new methods for determination of radium in various media. In this publication, the four most routinely used analytical methods for radium determination in biological and environmental samples, i.e. alpha spectrometry, gamma spectrometry, liquid scintillation spectrometry and mass spectrometry, are reviewed

Analytical Tools to Improve Optimization Procedures for Lateral Flow Assays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen V. Hsieh

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Immunochromatographic or lateral flow assays (LFAs are inexpensive, easy to use, point-of-care medical diagnostic tests that are found in arenas ranging from a doctor’s office in Manhattan to a rural medical clinic in low resource settings. The simplicity in the LFA itself belies the complex task of optimization required to make the test sensitive, rapid and easy to use. Currently, the manufacturers develop LFAs by empirical optimization of material components (e.g., analytical membranes, conjugate pads and sample pads, biological reagents (e.g., antibodies, blocking reagents and buffers and the design of delivery geometry. In this paper, we will review conventional optimization and then focus on the latter and outline analytical tools, such as dynamic light scattering and optical biosensors, as well as methods, such as microfluidic flow design and mechanistic models. We are applying these tools to find non-obvious optima of lateral flow assays for improved sensitivity, specificity and manufacturing robustness.

A comparative study on assessment procedures and metric properties of two scoring systems of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised items: standard and modified scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Sattin, Davide; Lovaglio, Piergiorgio; Brenna, Greta; Covelli, Venusia; Rossi Sebastiano, Davide; Duran, Dunja; Minati, Ludovico; Giovannetti, Ambra Mara; Rosazza, Cristina; Bersano, Anna; Nigri, Anna; Ferraro, Stefania; Leonardi, Matilde

2017-09-01

The study compared the metric characteristics (discriminant capacity and factorial structure) of two different methods for scoring the items of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised and it analysed scale scores collected using the standard assessment procedure and a new proposed method. Cross sectional design/methodological study. Inpatient, neurological unit. A total of 153 patients with disorders of consciousness were consecutively enrolled between 2011 and 2013. All patients were assessed with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised using standard (rater 1) and inverted (rater 2) procedures. Coma Recovery Scale-Revised score, number of cognitive and reflex behaviours and diagnosis. Regarding patient assessment, rater 1 using standard and rater 2 using inverted procedures obtained the same best scores for each subscale of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised for all patients, so no clinical (and statistical) difference was found between the two procedures. In 11 patients (7.7%), rater 2 noted that some Coma Recovery Scale-Revised codified behavioural responses were not found during assessment, although higher response categories were present. A total of 51 (36%) patients presented the same Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scores of 7 or 8 using a standard score, whereas no overlap was found using the modified score. Unidimensionality was confirmed for both score systems. The Coma Recovery Scale Modified Score showed a higher discriminant capacity than the standard score and a monofactorial structure was also supported. The inverted assessment procedure could be a useful evaluation method for the assessment of patients with disorder of consciousness diagnosis.

Analytical Aerodynamic Simulation Tools for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deglaire, Paul

2010-01-01

Wind power is a renewable energy source that is today the fastest growing solution to reduce CO 2 emissions in the electric energy mix. Upwind horizontal axis wind turbine with three blades has been the preferred technical choice for more than two decades. This horizontal axis concept is today widely leading the market. The current PhD thesis will cover an alternative type of wind turbine with straight blades and rotating along the vertical axis. A brief overview of the main differences between the horizontal and vertical axis concept has been made. However the main focus of this thesis is the aerodynamics of the wind turbine blades. Making aerodynamically efficient turbines starts with efficient blades. Making efficient blades requires a good understanding of the physical phenomena and effective simulations tools to model them. The specific aerodynamics for straight bladed vertical axis turbine flow are reviewed together with the standard aerodynamic simulations tools that have been used in the past by blade and rotor designer. A reasonably fast (regarding computer power) and accurate (regarding comparison with experimental results) simulation method was still lacking in the field prior to the current work. This thesis aims at designing such a method. Analytical methods can be used to model complex flow if the geometry is simple. Therefore, a conformal mapping method is derived to transform any set of section into a set of standard circles. Then analytical procedures are generalized to simulate moving multibody sections in the complex vertical flows and forces experienced by the blades. Finally the fast semi analytical aerodynamic algorithm boosted by fast multipole methods to handle high number of vortices is coupled with a simple structural model of the rotor to investigate potential aeroelastic instabilities. Together with these advanced simulation tools, a standard double multiple streamtube model has been developed and used to design several straight bladed

Assessment of modal-pushover-based scaling procedure for nonlinear response history analysis of ordinary standard bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, E.; Kwong, N.

2012-01-01

The earthquake engineering profession is increasingly utilizing nonlinear response history analyses (RHA) to evaluate seismic performance of existing structures and proposed designs of new structures. One of the main ingredients of nonlinear RHA is a set of ground motion records representing the expected hazard environment for the structure. When recorded motions do not exist (as is the case in the central United States) or when high-intensity records are needed (as is the case in San Francisco and Los Angeles), ground motions from other tectonically similar regions need to be selected and scaled. The modal-pushover-based scaling (MPS) procedure was recently developed to determine scale factors for a small number of records such that the scaled records provide accurate and efficient estimates of “true” median structural responses. The adjective “accurate” refers to the discrepancy between the benchmark responses and those computed from the MPS procedure. The adjective “efficient” refers to the record-to-record variability of responses. In this paper, the accuracy and efficiency of the MPS procedure are evaluated by applying it to four types of existing Ordinary Standard bridges typical of reinforced concrete bridge construction in California. These bridges are the single-bent overpass, multi-span bridge, curved bridge, and skew bridge. As compared with benchmark analyses of unscaled records using a larger catalog of ground motions, it is demonstrated that the MPS procedure provided an accurate estimate of the engineering demand parameters (EDPs) accompanied by significantly reduced record-to-record variability of the EDPs. Thus, it is a useful tool for scaling ground motions as input to nonlinear RHAs of Ordinary Standard bridges.

Automated statistical modeling of analytical measurement systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobson, J.J.

1992-01-01

The statistical modeling of analytical measurement systems at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) has been completely automated through computer software. The statistical modeling of analytical measurement systems is one part of a complete quality control program used by the Remote Analytical Laboratory (RAL) at the ICPP. The quality control program is an integration of automated data input, measurement system calibration, database management, and statistical process control. The quality control program and statistical modeling program meet the guidelines set forth by the American Society for Testing Materials and American National Standards Institute. A statistical model is a set of mathematical equations describing any systematic bias inherent in a measurement system and the precision of a measurement system. A statistical model is developed from data generated from the analysis of control standards. Control standards are samples which are made up at precise known levels by an independent laboratory and submitted to the RAL. The RAL analysts who process control standards do not know the values of those control standards. The object behind statistical modeling is to describe real process samples in terms of their bias and precision and, to verify that a measurement system is operating satisfactorily. The processing of control standards gives us this ability

Validation of a new analytical procedure for determination of residual solvents in [{sup 18}F]FDG by gas chromatography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costa, Flávia M.; Costa, Cassiano L.S.; Silva, Juliana B.; Ferreira, Soraya M.Z.M.D., E-mail: flaviabiomedica@yahoo.com.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (UPPR/CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Unidade de Pesquisa e Produção de Radiofármacos

2017-07-01

Fludeoxyglucose F 18 ([{sup 18}F]FDG) is the most used radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography, especially on oncology. Organic solvents such as ether, ethanol and acetonitrile might be used in the synthesis of [{sup 18}F]FDG; however, they might not be completely removed during purification steps. The determination of residual solvents in [{sup 18}F]FDG is required in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) monographs. While the procedure described in the EP is quite general, the one described in the USP requires a long runtime (about 13 minutes). In this work a simple and fast (4-minute) analytical procedure was developed and validated for determination of residual solvents in [{sup 18}F]FDG. Analyses were carried out in a Perkin Elmer gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. The separation was obtained on a 0.53-mm x 30 m fused-silica column. Validation included the evaluation of various parameters, such as: specificity, linearity and range, limits of detection and quantitation, precision (repeatability and intermediate precision), accuracy, and robustness. Results were found to be within acceptable limits, indicating the developed procedure is suitable for its intended application. Considering the short half-life of fluorine-18 (109.7 minutes), this new method could be a valuable alternative for routine quality control of [{sup 18}F]FDG. (author)

Applicability of bioanalysis of multiple analytes in drug discovery and development: review of select case studies including assay development considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivas, Nuggehally R

2006-05-01

The development of sound bioanalytical method(s) is of paramount importance during the process of drug discovery and development culminating in a marketing approval. Although the bioanalytical procedure(s) originally developed during the discovery stage may not necessarily be fit to support the drug development scenario, they may be suitably modified and validated, as deemed necessary. Several reviews have appeared over the years describing analytical approaches including various techniques, detection systems, automation tools that are available for an effective separation, enhanced selectivity and sensitivity for quantitation of many analytes. The intention of this review is to cover various key areas where analytical method development becomes necessary during different stages of drug discovery research and development process. The key areas covered in this article with relevant case studies include: (a) simultaneous assay for parent compound and metabolites that are purported to display pharmacological activity; (b) bioanalytical procedures for determination of multiple drugs in combating a disease; (c) analytical measurement of chirality aspects in the pharmacokinetics, metabolism and biotransformation investigations; (d) drug monitoring for therapeutic benefits and/or occupational hazard; (e) analysis of drugs from complex and/or less frequently used matrices; (f) analytical determination during in vitro experiments (metabolism and permeability related) and in situ intestinal perfusion experiments; (g) determination of a major metabolite as a surrogate for the parent molecule; (h) analytical approaches for universal determination of CYP450 probe substrates and metabolites; (i) analytical applicability to prodrug evaluations-simultaneous determination of prodrug, parent and metabolites; (j) quantitative determination of parent compound and/or phase II metabolite(s) via direct or indirect approaches; (k) applicability in analysis of multiple compounds in select

The application of analytical procedures in the audit process: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

kirstam

collected through interviews with senior audit managers at large audit ... providing a perspective of why and how South African auditors apply analytical ... and includes the objectives of each study, the data collection method used, and a ...... 2It is recommended that scholars use the findings of this study to perform further.

Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) procedures manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chieco, N.A.; Bogen, D.C.; Knutson, E.O.

1990-11-01

Volume 1 of this manual documents the procedures and existing technology that are currently used by the Environmental Measurements Laboratory. A section devoted to quality assurance has been included. These procedures have been updated and revised and new procedures have been added. They include: sampling; radiation measurements; analytical chemistry; radionuclide data; special facilities; and specifications. 228 refs., 62 figs., 37 tabs. (FL)

Constructing an exposure chart: step by step (based on standard procedures)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, Jocelyn L; Cansino, Percedita T.; Taguibao, Angileo P.

2000-01-01

An exposure chart is very important in conducting radiographic inspection of materials. By using an accurate exposure chart, an inspector is able to avoid a trial and error way of determining correct time to expose a specimen, thereby producing a radiograph that has an acceptable density based on a standard. The chart gives the following information: x-ray machine model and brand, distance of the x-ray tube from the film, type and thickness of intensifying screens, film type, radiograph density, and film processing conditions. The methods of preparing an exposure chart are available in existing radiographic testing manuals. These described methods are presented in step by step procedures, covering the actual laboratory set-up, data gathering, computations, and transformation of derived data into Characteristic Curve and Exposure Chart

A Modified GC-MS Analytical Procedure for Separation and Detection of Multiple Classes of Carbohydrates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong-Gang Xia

2018-05-01

Full Text Available A modified GC-MS analytical procedure based on trimethylsilyl-dithioacetal (TMSD derivatization has been established for a simultaneous determination of thirteen carbohydrates. Different from previous approaches, the current GC-MS method was featured by a powerful practicability for simultaneous detection of aldoses, uronic acids, ketoses, and amino sugars; simplifying GC-MS chromatograms and producing a single peak for each derivatized sugar, as well as high resolution, sensitivity, and repeatability. An additional liquid-liquid extraction from derivatization mixtures was performed not only to increase the detection sensitivity of amino sugars but also to decrease the by-products of derivatization. Contrarily, three amino sugars were detected at a very low intensity or not detected at all. The effect of time on monosaccharide- mercaptalated reaction was systematically investigated. The effect of trimethylsilylation on the formation of TMSD was also optimized. The established GC-MS based on TMSD derivatization was suitable for complex carbohydrate analysis and has been successfully applied for the detection of free carbohydrates in water extracts of Anemarrhena asphodeloides roots and determination of monosaccharides in Glossy ganoderma polysaccharides.

The Cox-maze IV procedure in its second decade: still the gold standard?

Science.gov (United States)

Ruaengsri, Chawannuch; Schill, Matthew R; Khiabani, Ali J; Schuessler, Richard B; Melby, Spencer J; Damiano, Ralph J

2018-04-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and the treatment options include medical treatment and catheter-based or surgical interventions. AF is a major cause of stroke, and its prevalence is increasing. The surgical treatment of AF has been revolutionized over the past 2 decades through surgical innovation and improvements in endoscopic imaging, ablation technology and surgical instrumentation. The Cox-maze (CM) procedure, which was developed by James Cox and introduced clinically in 1987, is a procedure in which multiple incisions are created in both the left and the right atria to eliminate AF while allowing the sinus impulse to reach the atrioventricular node. This procedure became the gold standard for the surgical treatment of AF. Its latest iteration is termed the CM IV and was introduced in 2002. The CM IV replaced the previous cut-and-sew method (CM III) by replacing most of the incisions with a combination of bipolar radiofrequency and cryoablation. The use of ablation technologies, made the CM IV technically easier, faster and more amenable to minimally invasive approaches. The aims of this article are to review the indications and preoperative planning for the CM IV, to describe the operative technique and to review the literature including comparisons of the CM IV with the previous cut-and-sew method. Finally, this review explores future directions for the surgical treatment of patients with AF.

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) procedure compendium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This volume contains the interim change notice for sample preparation methods. Covered are: acid digestion for metals analysis, fusion of Hanford tank waste solids, water leach of sludges/soils/other solids, extraction procedure toxicity (simulate leach in landfill), sample preparation for gamma spectroscopy, acid digestion for radiochemical analysis, leach preparation of solids for free cyanide analysis, aqueous leach of solids for anion analysis, microwave digestion of glasses and slurries for ICP/MS, toxicity characteristic leaching extraction for inorganics, leach/dissolution of activated metal for radiochemical analysis, extraction of single-shell tank (SST) samples for semi-VOC analysis, preparation and cleanup of hydrocarbon- containing samples for VOC and semi-VOC analysis, receiving of waste tank samples in onsite transfer cask, receipt and inspection of SST samples, receipt and extrusion of core samples at 325A shielded facility, cleaning and shipping of waste tank samplers, homogenization of solutions/slurries/sludges, and test sample preparation for bioassay quality control program

Analytical method comparisons for the accurate determination of PCBs in sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Numata, M.; Yarita, T.; Aoyagi, Y.; Yamazaki, M.; Takatsu, A. [National Metrology Institute of Japan, Tsukuba (Japan)

2004-09-15

National Metrology Institute of Japan in National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NMIJ/AIST) has been developing several matrix reference materials, for example, sediments, water and biological tissues, for the determinations of heavy metals and organometallic compounds. The matrix compositions of those certified reference materials (CRMs) are similar to compositions of actual samples, and those are useful for validating analytical procedures. ''Primary methods of measurements'' are essential to obtain accurate and SI-traceable certified values in the reference materials, because the methods have the highest quality of measurement. However, inappropriate analytical operations, such as incomplete extraction of analytes or crosscontamination during analytical procedures, will cause error of analytical results, even if one of the primary methods, isotope-dilution, is utilized. To avoid possible procedural bias for the certification of reference materials, we employ more than two analytical methods which have been optimized beforehand. Because the accurate determination of trace POPs in the environment is important to evaluate their risk, reliable CRMs are required by environmental chemists. Therefore, we have also been preparing matrix CRMs for the determination of POPs. To establish accurate analytical procedures for the certification of POPs, extraction is one of the critical steps as described above. In general, conventional extraction techniques for the determination of POPs, such as Soxhlet extraction (SOX) and saponification (SAP), have been characterized well, and introduced as official methods for environmental analysis. On the other hand, emerging techniques, such as microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), give higher recovery yields of analytes with relatively short extraction time and small amount of solvent, by reasons of the high

Play vs. Procedures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammar, Emil

Through the theories of play by Gadamer (2004) and Henricks (2006), I will show how the relationship between play and game can be understood as dialectic and disruptive, thus challenging understandings of how the procedures of games determine player activity and vice versa. As such, I posit some...... analytical consequences for understandings of digital games as procedurally fixed (Boghost, 2006; Flannagan, 2009; Bathwaite & Sharp, 2010). That is, if digital games are argued to be procedurally fixed and if play is an appropriative and dialectic activity, then it could be argued that the latter affects...... and alters the former, and vice versa. Consequently, if the appointed procedures of a game are no longer fixed and rigid in their conveyance of meaning, qua the appropriative and dissolving nature of play, then understandings of games as conveying a fixed meaning through their procedures are inadequate...

Dataset and standard operating procedure for newborn screening of six lysosomal storage diseases: By tandem mass spectrometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Elliott

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this data article we provide a detailed standard operating procedure for performing a tandem mass spectrometry, multiplex assay of 6 lysosomal enzymes for newborn screening of the lysosomal storage diseases Mucopolysaccharidosis-I, Pompe, Fabry, Niemann-Pick-A/B, Gaucher, and Krabbe, (Elliott, et al., 2016 [1]. We also provide the mass spectrometry peak areas for the product and internal standard ions typically observed with a dried blood spot punch from a random newborn, and we provide the daily variation of the daily mean activities for all 6 enzymes.

Analytical quality assurance in laboratories using tracers for biological and environmental studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melaj, Mariana; Martin, Olga; Lopez, Silvia; Rojas de Tramontini, Susana

1999-01-01

This work describe the way we are organizing a quality assurance system to apply in the analytical measurements of the relation 14 N/ 15 N in biological and soil material. The relation 14 / 15 is measured with a optic emission spectrometer (NOI6PC), which distinguish the differences in wave length of electromagnetic radiation emitted by N-28, N-29 and N-30. The major problem is the 'cross contamination' of samples with different enrichments. The elements that are been considered to reach satisfactory analytical results are: 1) A proper working area; 2) The samples must be homogeneous and the samples must represent the whole sampled system; 3) The use of reference materials. In each digestion, a known reference sample must be added; 4) Adequate equipment operation; 5) Standard operating procedures; 6) Control charts, laboratory and equipment books. All operations using the equipment is registered in a book; 7) Training of the operators. (author)

Nanomaterials in consumer products: a challenging analytical problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catia eContado

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Many products used in everyday life are made with the assistance of nanotechnologies. Cosmetic, pharmaceuticals, sunscreen, powdered food are only few examples of end products containing nano-sized particles (NPs, generally added to improve the product quality. To evaluate correctly benefits versus risks of engineered nanomaterials and consequently to legislate in favor of consumer’s protection, it is necessary to know the hazards connected with the exposure levels. This information implies transversal studies and a number of different competences.On analytical point of view the identification, quantification and characterization of NPs in food matrices and in cosmetic or personal care products pose significant challenges, because NPs are usually present at low concentration levels and the matrices, in which they are dispersed, are complexes and often incompatible with analytical instruments that would be required for their detection and characterization.This paper focused on some analytical techniques suitable for the detection, characterization and quantification of NPs in food and cosmetics products, reports their recent application in characterizing specific metal and metal-oxide NPs in these two important industrial and market sectors.The need of a characterization of the NPs as much as possible complete, matching complementary information about different metrics, possible achieved through validate procedures, is what clearly emerges from this research. More work should be done to produce standardized materials and to set-up methodologies to determine number-based size distributions and to get quantitative date about the NPs in such a complex matrices.

Nanomaterials in consumer products: a challenging analytical problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Contado, Catia

2015-01-01

Many products used in everyday life are made with the assistance of nanotechnologies. Cosmetic, pharmaceuticals, sunscreen, powdered food are only few examples of end products containing nano-sized particles (NPs), generally added to improve the product quality. To evaluate correctly benefits vs. risks of engineered nanomaterials and consequently to legislate in favor of consumer's protection, it is necessary to know the hazards connected with the exposure levels. This information implies transversal studies and a number of different competences. On analytical point of view the identification, quantification and characterization of NPs in food matrices and in cosmetic or personal care products pose significant challenges, because NPs are usually present at low concentration levels and the matrices, in which they are dispersed, are complexes and often incompatible with analytical instruments that would be required for their detection and characterization. This paper focused on some analytical techniques suitable for the detection, characterization and quantification of NPs in food and cosmetics products, reports their recent application in characterizing specific metal and metal-oxide NPs in these two important industrial and market sectors. The need of a characterization of the NPs as much as possible complete, matching complementary information about different metrics, possible achieved through validate procedures, is what clearly emerges from this research. More work should be done to produce standardized materials and to set-up methodologies to determine number-based size distributions and to get quantitative date about the NPs in such a complex matrices.

Compliance determination procedures for environmental radiation protection standards for uranium recovery facilities 40 CFR part 190

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-03-01

Uranium Milling operations are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and by some States in agreement with the Commission. The radiation dose to any individual from the operation of facilities within the uranium fuel cycle is limited to levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency. These levels are contained in the EPA Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Nuclear Power Operations, in Part 190 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR Part 190). This report describes the procedures used within NRC's Uranium Recovery Licensing Branch for evaluating compliance with these regulations for uranium milling operations. The report contains descriptions of these procedures, dose factors for evaluating environmental measurement data, and guidance to the NRC staff reviewer

Pre-Analytical Parameters Affecting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Measurement in Plasma: Identifying Confounders.

Science.gov (United States)

Walz, Johanna M; Boehringer, Daniel; Deissler, Heidrun L; Faerber, Lothar; Goepfert, Jens C; Heiduschka, Peter; Kleeberger, Susannah M; Klettner, Alexa; Krohne, Tim U; Schneiderhan-Marra, Nicole; Ziemssen, Focke; Stahl, Andreas

2016-01-01

Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is intensively investigated in various medical fields. However, comparing VEGF-A measurements is difficult because sample acquisition and pre-analytic procedures differ between studies. We therefore investigated which variables act as confounders of VEGF-A measurements. Following a standardized protocol, blood was taken at three clinical sites from six healthy participants (one male and one female participant at each center) twice one week apart. The following pre-analytical parameters were varied in order to analyze their impact on VEGF-A measurements: analyzing center, anticoagulant (EDTA vs. PECT / CTAD), cannula (butterfly vs. neonatal), type of centrifuge (swing-out vs. fixed-angle), time before and after centrifugation, filling level (completely filled vs. half-filled tubes) and analyzing method (ELISA vs. multiplex bead array). Additionally, intrapersonal variations over time and sex differences were explored. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear regression model. The following parameters were identified as statistically significant independent confounders of VEGF-A measurements: analyzing center, anticoagulant, centrifuge, analyzing method and sex of the proband. The following parameters were no significant confounders in our data set: intrapersonal variation over one week, cannula, time before and after centrifugation and filling level of collection tubes. VEGF-A measurement results can be affected significantly by the identified pre-analytical parameters. We recommend the use of CTAD anticoagulant, a standardized type of centrifuge and one central laboratory using the same analyzing method for all samples.

Pre-Analytical Parameters Affecting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Measurement in Plasma: Identifying Confounders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johanna M Walz

Full Text Available Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A is intensively investigated in various medical fields. However, comparing VEGF-A measurements is difficult because sample acquisition and pre-analytic procedures differ between studies. We therefore investigated which variables act as confounders of VEGF-A measurements.Following a standardized protocol, blood was taken at three clinical sites from six healthy participants (one male and one female participant at each center twice one week apart. The following pre-analytical parameters were varied in order to analyze their impact on VEGF-A measurements: analyzing center, anticoagulant (EDTA vs. PECT / CTAD, cannula (butterfly vs. neonatal, type of centrifuge (swing-out vs. fixed-angle, time before and after centrifugation, filling level (completely filled vs. half-filled tubes and analyzing method (ELISA vs. multiplex bead array. Additionally, intrapersonal variations over time and sex differences were explored. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear regression model.The following parameters were identified as statistically significant independent confounders of VEGF-A measurements: analyzing center, anticoagulant, centrifuge, analyzing method and sex of the proband. The following parameters were no significant confounders in our data set: intrapersonal variation over one week, cannula, time before and after centrifugation and filling level of collection tubes.VEGF-A measurement results can be affected significantly by the identified pre-analytical parameters. We recommend the use of CTAD anticoagulant, a standardized type of centrifuge and one central laboratory using the same analyzing method for all samples.

The CIPM list of recommended frequency standard values: guidelines and procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Riehle, Fritz; Gill, Patrick; Arias, Felicitas; Robertsson, Lennart

2018-04-01

A list of standard reference frequency values (LoF) of quantum transitions from the microwave to the optical regime has been recommended by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (Comité international des poids et mesures, CIPM) for use in basic research, technology, and for the metrology of time, frequency and length. The CIPM LoF contains entries that are recommended as secondary representations of the second in the International System of Units, and entries that can be used to serve as realizations of the definition of the metre. The historical perspective that led to the CIPM LoF is outlined. Procedures have been developed for updating existing, and validating new, entries into the CIPM LoF. The CIPM LoF might serve as an entry for a future redefinition of the second by an optical transition.

Standard test methods for chemical and spectrochemical analysis of nuclear-Grade silver-indium-cadmium alloys

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1990-01-01

1.1 These test methods cover procedures for the chemical and spectrochemical analysis of nuclear grade silver-indium-cadmium (Ag-In-Cd) alloys to determine compliance with specifications. 1.2 The analytical procedures appear in the following order: Sections Silver, Indium, and Cadmium by a Titration Method 7-15 Trace Impurities by Carrier-Distillation Spectro- chemical Method 16-22 1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. 1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard and precautionary statements, see Section 5 and Practices E50. 7.1 This test method is applicable to the determination of silver, indium, and cadmium in alloys of approximately 80 % silver, 15 % indium, and 5 % cadmium used in nuclear reactor control r...

Analytical validation of an ultraviolet-visible procedure for determining lutein concentration and application to lutein-loaded nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Jéssica Thaís do Prado; Silva, Anderson Clayton da; Geiss, Julia Maria Tonin; de Araújo, Pedro Henrique Hermes; Becker, Daniela; Bracht, Lívia; Leimann, Fernanda Vitória; Bona, Evandro; Guerra, Gustavo Petri; Gonçalves, Odinei Hess

2017-09-01

Lutein is a carotenoid presenting known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Lutein-rich diets have been associated with neurological improvement as well as reduction of the risk of vision loss due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Micro and nanoencapsulation have demonstrated to be effective techniques in protecting lutein against degradation and also in improving its bioavailability. However, actual lutein concentration inside the capsules and encapsulation efficiency are key parameters that must be precisely known when designing in vitro and in vivo tests. In this work an analytical procedure was validated for the determination of the actual lutein content in zein nanoparticles using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Method validation followed the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines which evaluate linearity, detection limit, quantification limit, accuracy and precision. The validated methodology was applied to characterize lutein-loaded nanoparticles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Documentation for assessment of modal pushover-based scaling procedure for nonlinear response history analysis of "ordinary standard" bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, Erol; Kwong, Neal S.

2010-01-01

The earthquake engineering profession is increasingly utilizing nonlinear response history analyses (RHA) to evaluate seismic performance of existing structures and proposed designs of new structures. One of the main ingredients of nonlinear RHA is a set of ground-motion records representing the expected hazard environment for the structure. When recorded motions do not exist (as is the case for the central United States), or when high-intensity records are needed (as is the case for San Francisco and Los Angeles), ground motions from other tectonically similar regions need to be selected and scaled. The modal-pushover-based scaling (MPS) procedure recently was developed to determine scale factors for a small number of records, such that the scaled records provide accurate and efficient estimates of 'true' median structural responses. The adjective 'accurate' refers to the discrepancy between the benchmark responses and those computed from the MPS procedure. The adjective 'efficient' refers to the record-to-record variability of responses. Herein, the accuracy and efficiency of the MPS procedure are evaluated by applying it to four types of existing 'ordinary standard' bridges typical of reinforced-concrete bridge construction in California. These bridges are the single-bent overpass, multi span bridge, curved-bridge, and skew-bridge. As compared to benchmark analyses of unscaled records using a larger catalog of ground motions, it is demonstrated that the MPS procedure provided an accurate estimate of the engineering demand parameters (EDPs) accompanied by significantly reduced record-to-record variability of the responses. Thus, the MPS procedure is a useful tool for scaling ground motions as input to nonlinear RHAs of 'ordinary standard' bridges.

Median of patient results as a tool for assessment of analytical stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Jørgensen, Lars Mønster; Hansen, Steen Ingemann; Petersen, Per Hyltoft; Sölétormos, György

2015-06-15

In spite of the well-established external quality assessment and proficiency testing surveys of analytical quality performance in laboratory medicine, a simple tool to monitor the long-term analytical stability as a supplement to the internal control procedures is often needed. Patient data from daily internal control schemes was used for monthly appraisal of the analytical stability. This was accomplished by using the monthly medians of patient results to disclose deviations from analytical stability, and by comparing divergences with the quality specifications for allowable analytical bias based on biological variation. Seventy five percent of the twenty analytes achieved on two COBASs INTEGRA 800 instruments performed in accordance with the optimum and with the desirable specifications for bias. Patient results applied in analytical quality performance control procedures are the most reliable sources of material as they represent the genuine substance of the measurements and therefore circumvent the problems associated with non-commutable materials in external assessment. Patient medians in the monthly monitoring of analytical stability in laboratory medicine are an inexpensive, simple and reliable tool to monitor the steadiness of the analytical practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary developments in x ray and electron energy loss microanalysis instrumentation for the analytical electron microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Zaluzec, Nester J.

Developments in instrumentation for both X ray Dispersive and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (XEDS/EELS) over the last ten years have given the experimentalist a greatly enhanced set of analytical tools for characterization. Microanalysts have waited for nearly two decades now in the hope of getting a true analytical microscope and the development of 300 to 400 kV instruments should have allowed us to attain this goal. Unfortunately, this has not generally been the case. While there have been some major improvements in the techniques, there has also been some devolution in the modern AEM (Analytical Electron Microscope). In XEDS, the majority of today's instruments are still plagued by the hole count effect, which was first described in detail over fifteen years ago. The magnitude of this problem can still reach the 20 percent level for medium atomic number species in a conventional off-the-shelf intermediate voltage AEM. This is an absurd situation and the manufacturers should be severely criticized. Part of the blame, however, also rests on the AEM community for not having come up with a universally agreed upon standard test procedure. Fortunately, such a test procedure is in the early stages of refinement. The proposed test specimen consists of an evaporated Cr film approx. 500 to 1000A thick supported upon a 3mm diameter Molybdenum 200 micron aperture.

Standardized procedure for eddy-current testing of stainless steel, thin-walled nuclear fuel element cladding tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barat, P; Raj, B; Bhattacharya, D K [Reactor Research Centre, Kalpakkam (India)

1982-10-01

Thin-walled nuclear fuel cladding tubes made of AISI 316 stainless steel have been examined by eddy-current testing. Standardization of the procedures has required investigations on optimizing the test frequency, finding a method to locate a defect with respect to the probe reference end, and the use of standard defects and sequential metallography of natural defects detected by eddy-current testing, to understand the influence of the nature of defects on the impedance output signals. Test frequency and method of locating the defect were optimized by the use of standard defects made by machining in reference cladding tubes. Subsequent metallography of natural defects detected by eddy-current testing revealed mainly clusters of inclusions but also other types of defects. The effect of the distribution of inclusions along the length of the tube on the impedance output is discussed.

[Falling Short of Minimum Volume Standards, Exemptions and Their Consequences from 2018 Onwards. Complex Procedures on Oesophagus and Pancreas in German Hospitals from 2006 to 2014].

Science.gov (United States)

de Cruppé, Werner; Geraedts, Max

2018-03-16

The minimum volume standards for hospitals in Germany, in force since 2004, provide four exemptions for non-complying hospitals. This study investigates the extent and importance of these exemptions for complex procedures on the oesophagus and pancreas for all non-complying hospitals and for the revised minimum volume regulations in force since the beginning of 2018. Longitudinal, descriptive analyses of data on minimum volume standards and their exemptions for complex procedures on the oesophagus and pancreas, as presented by the hospital quality report cards of the reporting years from 2006 to 2014. For each year and both procedures, about 120 hospitals with some 500 cases report non-compliance with the minimum volume standards. Of these a third report no exemptions (with 180 procedures), a third state emergencies (110), and another third report exemptions due to internal hospital restructuring (210). Ensuring geographical access to care as an exemption is of no importance. After the three year exemption period for installation of a new service line, 20% of the hospitals with procedures on the oesophagus and 30% on the pancreas complied with the minimum volume standards. After the two-year period for staff realignment, the figures were 40 and 50%, respectively. Exemptions do not entirely explain all procedures performed by hospitals not complying with the minimum volume standards. The revised minimum volume regulations' restructuring of exemptions to "emergencies" and "new or renewed service lines" with a two year exemption period, are concordant with the empirical findings of this study. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Atmospheric Deposition: Sampling Procedures, Analytical Methods, and Main Recent Findings from the Scientific Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Amodio

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The atmosphere is a carrier on which some natural and anthropogenic organic and inorganic chemicals are transported, and the wet and dry deposition events are the most important processes that remove those chemicals, depositing it on soil and water. A wide variety of different collectors were tested to evaluate site-specificity, seasonality and daily variability of settleable particle concentrations. Deposition fluxes of POPs showed spatial and seasonal variations, diagnostic ratios of PAHs on deposited particles, allowed the discrimination between pyrolytic or petrogenic sources. Congener pattern analysis and bulk deposition fluxes in rural sites confirmed long-range atmospheric transport of PCDDs/Fs. More and more sophisticated and newly designed deposition samplers have being used for characterization of deposited mercury, demonstrating the importance of rain scavenging and the relatively higher magnitude of Hg deposition from Chinese anthropogenic sources. Recently biological monitors demonstrated that PAH concentrations in lichens were comparable with concentrations measured in a conventional active sampler in an outdoor environment. In this review the authors explore the methodological approaches used for the assessment of atmospheric deposition, from the analysis of the sampling methods, the analytical procedures for chemical characterization of pollutants and the main results from the scientific literature.

Electronic Procedures for Medical Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Electronic procedures are replacing text-based documents for recording the steps in performing medical operations aboard the International Space Station. S&K Aerospace, LLC, has developed a content-based electronic system-based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML) standard-that separates text from formatting standards and tags items contained in procedures so they can be recognized by other electronic systems. For example, to change a standard format, electronic procedures are changed in a single batch process, and the entire body of procedures will have the new format. Procedures can be quickly searched to determine which are affected by software and hardware changes. Similarly, procedures are easily shared with other electronic systems. The system also enables real-time data capture and automatic bookmarking of current procedure steps. In Phase II of the project, S&K Aerospace developed a Procedure Representation Language (PRL) and tools to support the creation and maintenance of electronic procedures for medical operations. The goal is to develop these tools in such a way that new advances can be inserted easily, leading to an eventual medical decision support system.

Croatian Analytical Terminology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kastelan-Macan; M.

2008-04-01

�oljić, I. Eškinja, M. Kaštelan-Macan, I. Piljac. Š. Cerjan-Stefanović and others translated Chromatographic nomenclature (IUPAC Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature. The related area is covered by books of V. Grdinić and F. Plavšić.During the project Croatian nomenclature of analytical chemistry there shall be an analysis of dictionaries, textbooks, handbooks, professional and scientific monographs and articles, official governmental and economic publications, regulations and instructions. The Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature is expected to have been translated and the translation mostly adjusted to the Croatian language standard. EUROLAB and EURACHEM documents related to quality assurance in analytical laboratories, especially in research and development have not yet been included in the Compendium, and due to the globalization of the information and service market, such documents need to be adjusted to the Croatian language standard in collaboration with consultants from the Institute for Croatian Language and Lingiustics. The terms shall be sorted according to the analytical process from sampling to final information.It is expected that the project's results shall be adopted by the Croatian scientific and professional community, so as to raise the awareness of the necessity of using Croatian terms in everyday professional communication and particularly in scientific and educational work. The Croatian language is rich enough for all analytical terms to be translated appropriately. This shall complete the work our predecessors began several times. We face a great challenge of contributing to the creation of the Croatian scientific terminology and believe we shall succeed.

Review of cause-based decision tree approach for the development of domestic standard human reliability analysis procedure in low power/shutdown operation probabilistic safety assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, D. I.; Jung, W. D.

2003-01-01

We review the Cause-Based Decision Tree (CBDT) approach to decide whether we incorporate it or not for the development of domestic standard Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) procedure in low power/shutdown operation Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). In this paper, we introduce the cause based decision tree approach, quantify human errors using it, and identify merits and demerits of it in comparision with previously used THERP. The review results show that it is difficult to incorporate the CBDT method for the development of domestic standard HRA procedure in low power/shutdown PSA because the CBDT method need for the subjective judgment of HRA analyst like as THERP. However, it is expected that the incorporation of the CBDT method into the development of domestic standard HRA procedure only for the comparision of quantitative HRA results will relieve the burden of development of detailed HRA procedure and will help maintain consistent quantitative HRA results

A Guide for Developing Standard Operating Job Procedures for the Tertiary Chemical Treatment - Lime Precipitation Process Wastewater Treatment Facility. SOJP No. 6.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrasek, Al, Jr.

This guide describes the standard operating job procedures for the tertiary chemical treatment - lime precipitation process of wastewater treatment plants. Step-by-step instructions are given for pre-start up, start-up, continuous operation, and shut-down procedures. In addition, some theoretical material is presented along with some relevant…

Development of a standardized training course for laparoscopic procedures using Delphi methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Bethlehem, Martijn S; Kramp, Kelvin H; van Det, Marc J; ten Cate Hoedemaker, Henk O; Veeger, Nicolaas J G M; Pierie, Jean Pierre E N

2014-01-01

Content, evaluation, and certification of laparoscopic skills and procedure training lack uniformity among different hospitals in The Netherlands. Within the process of developing a new regional laparoscopic training curriculum, a uniform and transferrable curriculum was constructed for a series of laparoscopic procedures. The aim of this study was to determine regional expert consensus regarding the key steps for laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy using Delphi methodology. Lists of suggested key steps for laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy were created using surgical textbooks, available guidelines, and local practice. A total of 22 experts, working for teaching hospitals throughout the region, were asked to rate the suggested key steps for both procedures on a Likert scale from 1-5. Consensus was reached with Crohnbach's α ≥ 0.90. Of the 22 experts, 21 completed and returned the survey (95%). Data analysis already showed consensus after the first round of Delphi on the key steps for laparoscopic appendectomy (Crohnbach's α = 0.92) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (Crohnbach's α = 0.90). After the second round, 15 proposed key steps for laparoscopic appendectomy and 30 proposed key steps for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were rated as important (≥4 by at least 80% of the expert panel). These key steps were used for the further development of the training curriculum. By using the Delphi methodology, regional consensus was reached on the key steps for laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy. These key steps are going to be used for standardized training and evaluation purposes in a new regional laparoscopic curriculum. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CytometryML: a markup language for analytical cytology

Science.gov (United States)

Leif, Robert C.; Leif, Stephanie H.; Leif, Suzanne B.

2003-06-01

Cytometry Markup Language, CytometryML, is a proposed new analytical cytology data standard. CytometryML is a set of XML schemas for encoding both flow cytometry and digital microscopy text based data types. CytometryML schemas reference both DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) codes and FCS keywords. These schemas provide representations for the keywords in FCS 3.0 and will soon include DICOM microscopic image data. Flow Cytometry Standard (FCS) list-mode has been mapped to the DICOM Waveform Information Object. A preliminary version of a list mode binary data type, which does not presently exist in DICOM, has been designed. This binary type is required to enhance the storage and transmission of flow cytometry and digital microscopy data. Index files based on Waveform indices will be used to rapidly locate the cells present in individual subsets. DICOM has the advantage of employing standard file types, TIF and JPEG, for Digital Microscopy. Using an XML schema based representation means that standard commercial software packages such as Excel and MathCad can be used to analyze, display, and store analytical cytometry data. Furthermore, by providing one standard for both DICOM data and analytical cytology data, it eliminates the need to create and maintain special purpose interfaces for analytical cytology data thereby integrating the data into the larger DICOM and other clinical communities. A draft version of CytometryML is available at www.newportinstruments.com.

International Society for Analytical Cytology biosafety standard for sorting of unfixed cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Ingrid; Lambert, Claude; Ambrozak, David; Marti, Gerald E; Moss, Delynn M; Perfetto, Stephen P

2007-06-01

Cell sorting of viable biological specimens has become very prevalent in laboratories involved in basic and clinical research. As these samples can contain infectious agents, precautions to protect instrument operators and the environment from hazards arising from the use of sorters are paramount. To this end the International Society of Analytical Cytology (ISAC) took a lead in establishing biosafety guidelines for sorting of unfixed cells (Schmid et al., Cytometry 1997;28:99-117). During the time period these recommendations have been available, they have become recognized worldwide as the standard practices and safety precautions for laboratories performing viable cell sorting experiments. However, the field of cytometry has progressed since 1997, and the document requires an update. Initially, suggestions about the document format and content were discussed among members of the ISAC Biosafety Committee and were incorporated into a draft version that was sent to all committee members for review. Comments were collected, carefully considered, and incorporated as appropriate into a draft document that was posted on the ISAC web site to invite comments from the flow cytometry community at large. The revised document was then submitted to ISAC Council for review. Simultaneously, further comments were sought from newly-appointed ISAC Biosafety committee members. This safety standard for performing viable cell sorting experiments was recently generated. The document contains background information on the biohazard potential of sorting and the hazard classification of infectious agents as well as recommendations on (1) sample handling, (2) operator training and personal protection, (3) laboratory design, (4) cell sorter set-up, maintenance, and decontamination, and (5) testing the instrument for the efficiency of aerosol containment. This standard constitutes an updated and expanded revision of the 1997 biosafety guideline document. It is intended to provide

The standardisation of trace elements in international biological standard reference materials with neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pieterse, H.

1981-12-01

An investigation was undertaken into the analytical procedures and the identification of problem areas, for the certification of a new biological standard reference material supplied by the International Atomic Energy Agency, namely, a human hair sample designated as HH-I. The analyses comprised the determination of the elements As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Sb, Se, and Zn in the hair sample by using two analytical techniques, namely, Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and Atomic Absorption. Three other certified biological reference materials, namely, Orchard Leaves (ORCH-L), Sea Plant Material (SPM-I) and Copepod (MAA-I) were used as control standards. Determinations were made of the moisture content of the samples, using varying conditions of drying, and the necessary corrections were applied to all analytical results so that the final elemental values related to dry weight of samples. Attention was also given to the possible loss of specific elements during ashing of the samples prior to the actual instrumental analysis. The results obtained for the hair sample by the two techniques were in good agreement for the elements Co, Fe, Mn, and Zn, but did not agree for the elements Cr and Sb. As, Hg and Se could only be determined with Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, and Cd, Cu and Ni only with Atomic Absorption. Most of the results obtained for the three control standard reference materials were within the ranges specified for the individual elements in each sample. The analytical procedures used for determining Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Sb with Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and As, Cr, Sb and Se with Atomic Absorption, need further investigation. The measurement of the moisture content and the ashing of samples also require further investigation with a view to improving accuracy

37Cl/35Cl isotope ratio analysis in perchlorate by ion chromatography/multi collector -ICPMS: Analytical performance and implication for biodegradation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakon, Yevgeni; Ronen, Zeev; Halicz, Ludwik; Gelman, Faina

2017-10-01

In the present study we propose a new analytical method for 37 Cl/ 35 Cl analysis in perchlorate by Ion Chromatography(IC) coupled to Multicollector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICPMS). The accuracy of the analytical method was validated by analysis of international perchlorate standard materials USGS-37 and USGS -38; analytical precision better than ±0.4‰ was achieved. 37 Cl/ 35 Cl isotope ratio analysis in perchlorate during laboratory biodegradation experiment with microbial cultures enriched from the contaminated soil in Israel resulted in isotope enrichment factor ε 37 Cl = -13.3 ± 1‰, which falls in the range reported previously for perchlorate biodegradation by pure microbial cultures. The proposed analytical method may significantly simplify the procedure for isotope analysis of perchlorate which is currently applied in environmental studies. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Procedure for the Sequential Determination of Radionuclides in Environmental Samples. Liquid Scintillation Counting and Alpha Spectrometry for 90Sr, 241Am and Pu Radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Since 2004, IAEA activities related to the terrestrial environment have aimed at the development of a set of procedures to determine radionuclides in environmental samples. Reliable, comparable and ‘fit for purpose’ results are an essential requirement for any decision based on analytical measurements. For the analyst, tested and validated analytical procedures are extremely important tools for the production of analytical data. For maximum utility, such procedures should be comprehensive, clearly formulated and readily available for reference to both the analyst and the customer. This publication describes a combined procedure for the sequential determination of 90 Sr, 241 Am and Pu radioisotopes in environmental samples. The method is based on the chemical separation of strontium, americium and plutonium using ion exchange chromatography, extraction chromatography and precipitation followed by alpha spectrometric and liquid scintillation counting detection. The method was tested and validated in terms of repeatability and trueness in accordance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines using reference materials and proficiency test samples. Reproducibility tests were performed later at the IAEA Terrestrial Environment Laboratory. The calculations of the massic activity, uncertainty budget, decision threshold and detection limit are also described in this publication. The procedure is introduced for the determination of 90 Sr, 241 Am and Pu radioisotopes in environmental samples such as soil, sediment, air filter and vegetation samples. It is expected to be of general use to a wide range of laboratories, including the Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network for routine environmental monitoring purposes

PROCEDURE FOR ANALYSIS COMPLIANCE WITH QUALITY STANDARDS OFFER OF THE BUFFET RESTAURANT CASONA MELIA SANTIAGO DE CUBA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Parada-Pérez

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The company hotel Cuban faces the challenge of the competitiveness and the client’s satisfaction in an environment that demands of actions that they assure the quality. This article has as objective to show the application of a procedure for the evaluation of the standards of quality of the offer in the restaurant buffet La Casona of the Hotel Meliá Santiago de Cuba. The results achieved by the application of the procedure allow to perfect the process of taking of decisions and it contributes to the efficiency of the hotel and the elevation of the quality of the service. 

Computer controlled quality of analytical measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, J.P.; Huff, G.A.

1979-01-01

A PDP 11/35 computer system is used in evaluating analytical chemistry measurements quality control data at the Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant. This computerized measurement quality control system has several features which are not available in manual systems, such as real-time measurement control, computer calculated bias corrections and standard deviation estimates, surveillance applications, evaluaton of measurement system variables, records storage, immediate analyst recertificaton, and the elimination of routine analysis of known bench standards. The effectiveness of the Barnwell computer system has been demonstrated in gathering and assimilating the measurements of over 1100 quality control samples obtained during a recent plant demonstration run. These data were used to determine equaitons for predicting measurement reliability estimates (bias and precision); to evaluate the measurement system; and to provide direction for modification of chemistry methods. The analytical chemistry measurement quality control activities represented 10% of the total analytical chemistry effort

The use of high accuracy NAA for the certification of NIST Standard Reference Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, D.A.; Greenberg, R.R.; Stone, S.

1991-01-01

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is only one of many analytical techniques used at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the certification of NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). We compete daily against all of the other available analytical techniques in terms of accuracy, precision, and the cost required to obtain that requisite accuracy and precision. Over the years, the authors have found that NAA can and does compete favorably with these other techniques because of its' unique capabilities for redundancy and quality assurance. Good examples are the two new NIST leaf SRMs, Apple Leaves (SRM 1515) and Peach Leaves (SRM 1547). INAA was used to measure the homogeneity of 12 elements in 15 samples of each material at the 100 mg sample size. In addition, instrumental and radiochemical NAA combined for 27 elemental determinations, out of a total of 54 elemental determinations made on each material with all NIST techniques combined. This paper describes the NIST NAA procedures used in these analyses, the quality assurance techniques employed, and the analytical results for the 24 elements determined by NAA in these new botanical SRMs. The NAA results are also compared to the final certified values for these SRMs

Analytical tools for determination of new oral antidiabetic drugs, glitazones, gliptins, gliflozins and glinides, in bulk materials, pharmaceuticals and biological samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gumieniczek Anna

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The review presents analytical methods for determination of new oral drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, focusing on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists (glitazones, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (gliptins and sodium/glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (gliflozins. Drugs derived from prandial glucose regulators, such as glinides, are considered because they are present in some new therapeutic options. The review presents analytical procedures suitable for determination of the drugs in bulk substances, such as pharmaceuticals and biological samples, including HPLC-UV, HPLC/LC-MS, TLC/HPTLC, CE/CE-MS, spectrophotometric (UV/VIS, spectrofluorimetric and electrochemical methods, taken from the literature over the past ten years (2006-2016. Some new procedures for extraction, separation and detection of the drugs, including solid phase extraction with molecularly imprinted polymers (SPE-MIP, liquid phase microextraction using porous hollow fibers (HP-LPME, HILIC chromatography, micellar mobile phases, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS and isotopically labeled internal standards, are discussed.

77 FR 65823 - Control of Air Pollution From Aircraft and Aircraft Engines; Emission Standards and Test Procedures

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-31

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Parts 87 [EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0687; FRL-9678-1] RIN 2060-AO70 Control of Air Pollution From Aircraft and Aircraft Engines; Emission Standards and Test Procedures Correction In rule document 2012-13828 appearing on pages 36341-36386 in the issue of Monday, June 18, 2012, make the following corrections: Sec. 87.2...

Theoretical, analytical, and statistical interpretation of environmental data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lombard, S.M.

1974-01-01

The reliability of data from radiochemical analyses of environmental samples cannot be determined from nuclear counting statistics alone. The rigorous application of the principles of propagation of errors, an understanding of the physics and chemistry of the species of interest in the environment, and the application of information from research on the analytical procedure are all necessary for a valid estimation of the errors associated with analytical results. The specific case of the determination of plutonium in soil is considered in terms of analytical problems and data reliability. (U.S.)

Guided-inquiry laboratory experiments to improve students' analytical thinking skills

Science.gov (United States)

Wahyuni, Tutik S.; Analita, Rizki N.

2017-12-01

This study aims to improve the experiment implementation quality and analytical thinking skills of undergraduate students through guided-inquiry laboratory experiments. This study was a classroom action research conducted in three cycles. The study has been carried out with 38 undergraduate students of the second semester of Biology Education Department of State Islamic Institute (SII) of Tulungagung, as a part of Chemistry for Biology course. The research instruments were lesson plans, learning observation sheets and undergraduate students' experimental procedure. Research data were analyzed using quantitative-descriptive method. The increasing of analytical thinking skills could be measured using gain score normalized and statistical paired t-test. The results showed that guided-inquiry laboratory experiments model was able to improve both the experiment implementation quality and the analytical thinking skills. N-gain score of the analytical thinking skills was increased, in spite of just 0.03 with low increase category, indicated by experimental reports. Some of undergraduate students have had the difficulties in detecting the relation of one part to another and to an overall structure. The findings suggested that giving feedback the procedural knowledge and experimental reports were important. Revising the experimental procedure that completed by some scaffolding questions were also needed.

FY 2000 Project of developing international standards for supporting new industries. Standardization of the marine environment analyzers (Analyzers for measuring CO2 in ocean); 2000 nendo shinki sangyo shiengata kokusai hyojun kaihatsu jigyo seika hokokusho. Kaiyo kankyo keisoku kiki (kaiyo CO2 sokutei kanren kikirui) no hyojunka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

Described herein are the FY 2000 results of the research and development of analyzers and analytical procedures necessary for evaluating CO2 abatement effects and fixed quantities in ocean, for proposing the international standards. The program for studying the analytical procedures makes a literature survey mainly on papers and also on patent publications, to collect the data related to this project and establish the database. The program for measuring CO2 in deep ocean studies a suspension type CO2 profiler with a liquid-liquid leveler and develops a small-size, high-precision device serviceable at a depth of 3,000m, around 1m in length and 40kg in weight. The program for flux meters tests various commercial sensors, to obtain the design requirements for the sensor of improved functions to withstand splashes and rolling/pitching. The program for CO2 flux measurement methods study aims at the eddy correlation method, which is the most direct procedure involving limited number of assumptions, after having investigated various procedures, to improve precision of the sensor. (NEDO)

IBM Watson Analytics: Automating Visualization, Descriptive, and Predictive Statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyt, Robert Eugene; Snider, Dallas; Thompson, Carla; Mantravadi, Sarita

2016-10-11

We live in an era of explosive data generation that will continue to grow and involve all industries. One of the results of this explosion is the need for newer and more efficient data analytics procedures. Traditionally, data analytics required a substantial background in statistics and computer science. In 2015, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) released the IBM Watson Analytics (IBMWA) software that delivered advanced statistical procedures based on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The latest entry of Watson Analytics into the field of analytical software products provides users with enhanced functions that are not available in many existing programs. For example, Watson Analytics automatically analyzes datasets, examines data quality, and determines the optimal statistical approach. Users can request exploratory, predictive, and visual analytics. Using natural language processing (NLP), users are able to submit additional questions for analyses in a quick response format. This analytical package is available free to academic institutions (faculty and students) that plan to use the tools for noncommercial purposes. To report the features of IBMWA and discuss how this software subjectively and objectively compares to other data mining programs. The salient features of the IBMWA program were examined and compared with other common analytical platforms, using validated health datasets. Using a validated dataset, IBMWA delivered similar predictions compared with several commercial and open source data mining software applications. The visual analytics generated by IBMWA were similar to results from programs such as Microsoft Excel and Tableau Software. In addition, assistance with data preprocessing and data exploration was an inherent component of the IBMWA application. Sensitivity and specificity were not included in the IBMWA predictive analytics results, nor were odds ratios, confidence intervals, or a confusion matrix

A semi-analytical modelling of multistage bunch compression with collective effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zagorodnov, Igor; Dohlus, Martin

2010-07-01

In this paper we introduce an analytical solution (up to the third order) for a multistage bunch compression and acceleration system without collective effects. The solution for the system with collective effects is found by an iterative procedure based on this analytical result. The developed formalism is applied to the FLASH facility at DESY. Analytical estimations of RF tolerances are given. (orig.)

A semi-analytical modelling of multistage bunch compression with collective effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zagorodnov, Igor; Dohlus, Martin

2010-07-15

In this paper we introduce an analytical solution (up to the third order) for a multistage bunch compression and acceleration system without collective effects. The solution for the system with collective effects is found by an iterative procedure based on this analytical result. The developed formalism is applied to the FLASH facility at DESY. Analytical estimations of RF tolerances are given. (orig.)

Standards for holdup measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zucker, M.S.

1982-01-01

Holdup measurement, needed for material balance, depend intensively on standards and on interpretation of the calibration procedure. More than other measurements, the calibration procedure using the standard becomes part of the standard. Standards practical for field use and calibration techniques have been developed. While accuracy in holdup measurements is comparatively poor, avoidance of bias is a necessary goal

Analytical Energy Gradients for Excited-State Coupled-Cluster Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Wladyslawski, Mark; Nooijen, Marcel

The equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EOM-CC) and similarity transformed equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (STEOM-CC) methods have been firmly established as accurate and routinely applicable extensions of single-reference coupled-cluster theory to describe electronically excited states. An overview of these methods is provided, with emphasis on the many-body similarity transform concept that is the key to a rationalization of their accuracy. The main topic of the paper is the derivation of analytical energy gradients for such non-variational electronic structure approaches, with an ultimate focus on obtaining their detailed algebraic working equations. A general theoretical framework using Lagrange's method of undetermined multipliers is presented, and the method is applied to formulate the EOM-CC and STEOM-CC gradients in abstract operator terms, following the previous work in [P.G. Szalay, Int. J. Quantum Chem. 55 (1995) 151] and [S.R. Gwaltney, R.J. Bartlett, M. Nooijen, J. Chem. Phys. 111 (1999) 58]. Moreover, the systematics of the Lagrange multiplier approach is suitable for automation by computer, enabling the derivation of the detailed derivative equations through a standardized and direct procedure. To this end, we have developed the SMART (Symbolic Manipulation and Regrouping of Tensors) package of automated symbolic algebra routines, written in the Mathematica programming language. The SMART toolkit provides the means to expand, differentiate, and simplify equations by manipulation of the detailed algebraic tensor expressions directly. The Lagrangian multiplier formulation establishes a uniform strategy to perform the automated derivation in a standardized manner: A Lagrange multiplier functional is constructed from the explicit algebraic equations that define the energy in the electronic method; the energy functional is then made fully variational with respect to all of its parameters, and the symbolic differentiations directly yield the explicit

Standard operating procedures in the disorders of orgasm and ejaculation.

Science.gov (United States)

McMahon, Chris G; Jannini, Emmanuele; Waldinger, Marcel; Rowland, David

2013-01-01

Ejaculatory/orgasmic disorders are common male sexual dysfunctions and include premature ejaculation (PE), inhibited ejaculation, anejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, and anorgasmia. To provide recommendations and guidelines of the current state-of-the-art knowledge for management of ejaculation/orgasmic disorders in men as standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the treating health care professional. The International Society of Sexual Medicine Standards Committee assembled over 30 multidisciplinary experts to establish SOPs for various male and female sexual medicine topics. The SOP for the management of disorders of orgasm and ejaculation represents the opinion of four experts from four countries developed in a process over a 2-year period. Expert opinion was based on grading of evidence-based medical literature, limited expert opinion, widespread internal committee discussion, public presentation, and debate. PE management is largely dependent upon etiology. Lifelong PE is best managed with PE pharmacotherapy (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and/or topical anesthetics). The management of acquired PE is etiology specific and may include erectile dysfunction (ED) pharmacotherapy in men with comorbid ED. All men seeking treatment for PE should receive basic psychosexual education. Graded behavioral therapy is indicated when psychogenic or relationship factors are present and is often best combined with PE pharmacotherapy in an integrated treatment program. Delayed ejaculation, anejaculation, and/or anorgasmia may have a biogenic and/or psychogenic etiology. Men with age-related penile hypoanesthesia should be educated, reassured, and instructed in revised sexual techniques which maximize arousal. Retrograde ejaculation is managed by education, patient reassurance, and pharmacotherapy. Additional research is required to further the understanding of the disorders of ejaculation and orgasm. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Analytical chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1985-01-01

The division for Analytical Chemistry continued to try and develope an accurate method for the separation of trace amounts from mixtures which, contain various other elements. Ion exchange chromatography is of special importance in this regard. New separation techniques were tried on certain trace amounts in South African standard rock materials and special ceramics. Methods were also tested for the separation of carrier-free radioisotopes from irradiated cyclotron discs

A Procedure for the Rapid Determination of 226Ra and 228Ra in Drinking Water by Liquid Scintillation Counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Since 2004, the environment programme of the IAEA has included activities aimed at the development of a set of procedures for the determination of radionuclides in terrestrial environmental samples. Reliable, comparable and ‘fit for purpose’ results are essential requirements for any decision based on analytical measurements. For the analyst, tested and validated analytical procedures are extremely important tools for the production of such data. For maximum utility, such procedures should be comprehensive, clearly formulated and readily available to both the analyst and the customer. This publication describes a procedure for the rapid determination of 226 Ra and 228 Ra in drinking water. The determination of radium in drinking water is important for protecting human health, since the consumption of drinking water containing radium may lead to an accumulation in the body, contributing to the radiological dose. The method is based on the separation of 226 Ra and 228 Ra from interfering elements using PbSO 4 and Ba(Ra)SO 4 coprecipitation steps. The isotopes 226 Ra and 228 Ra are then determined by liquid scintillation counting. The procedure is expected to be of general use to a wide range of laboratories, including the laboratories of the Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network, both in emergency situations and for routine environmental monitoring purposes. The method was established after an extensive review of papers from the scientific literature, and was tested and validated in terms of repeatability and trueness (relative bias) in accordance with International Organization for Standardization guidelines. Reproducibility tests were performed at expert laboratories. The calculation of massic activities, uncertainty budget, decision threshold and detection limit are also described

Analytical approximations for wide and narrow resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suster, Luis Carlos; Martinez, Aquilino Senra; Silva, Fernando Carvalho da

2005-01-01

This paper aims at developing analytical expressions for the adjoint neutron spectrum in the resonance energy region, taking into account both narrow and wide resonance approximations, in order to reduce the numerical computations involved. These analytical expressions, besides reducing computing time, are very simple from a mathematical point of view. The results obtained with this analytical formulation were compared to a reference solution obtained with a numerical method previously developed to solve the neutron balance adjoint equations. Narrow and wide resonances of U 238 were treated and the analytical procedure gave satisfactory results as compared with the reference solution, for the resonance energy range. The adjoint neutron spectrum is useful to determine the neutron resonance absorption, so that multigroup adjoint cross sections used by the adjoint diffusion equation can be obtained. (author)

Analytical approximations for wide and narrow resonances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suster, Luis Carlos; Martinez, Aquilino Senra; Silva, Fernando Carvalho da [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Engenharia Nuclear]. E-mail: aquilino@lmp.ufrj.br

2005-07-01

This paper aims at developing analytical expressions for the adjoint neutron spectrum in the resonance energy region, taking into account both narrow and wide resonance approximations, in order to reduce the numerical computations involved. These analytical expressions, besides reducing computing time, are very simple from a mathematical point of view. The results obtained with this analytical formulation were compared to a reference solution obtained with a numerical method previously developed to solve the neutron balance adjoint equations. Narrow and wide resonances of U{sup 238} were treated and the analytical procedure gave satisfactory results as compared with the reference solution, for the resonance energy range. The adjoint neutron spectrum is useful to determine the neutron resonance absorption, so that multigroup adjoint cross sections used by the adjoint diffusion equation can be obtained. (author)

Analytic chemistry of molybdenum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, G.A.

1983-01-01

Electrochemical, colorimetric, gravimetric, spectroscopic, and radiochemical methods for the determination of molybdenum are summarized in this book. Some laboratory procedures are described in detail while literature citations are given for others. The reader is also referred to older comprehensive reviews of the analytical chemistry of molybdenum. Contents, abridged: Gravimetric methods. Titrimetric methods. Colorimetric methods. X-ray fluorescence. Voltammetry. Catalytic methods. Molybdenum in non-ferrous alloys. Molydbenum compounds

Establishing the traceability of a uranyl nitrate solution to a standard reference material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, C.H.; Clark, J.P.

1978-01-01

A uranyl nitrate solution for use as a Working Calibration and Test Material (WCTM) was characterized, using a statistically designed procedure to document traceability to National Bureau of Standards Reference Material (SPM-960). A Reference Calibration and Test Material (PCTM) was prepared from SRM-960 uranium metal to approximate the acid and uranium concentration of the WCTM. This solution was used in the characterization procedure. Details of preparing, handling, and packaging these solutions are covered. Two outside laboratories, each having measurement expertise using a different analytical method, were selected to measure both solutions according to the procedure for characterizing the WCTM. Two different methods were also used for the in-house characterization work. All analytical results were tested for statistical agreement before the WCTM concentration and limit of error values were calculated. A concentration value was determined with a relative limit of error (RLE) of approximately 0.03% which was better than the target RLE of 0.08%. The use of this working material eliminates the expense of using SRMs to fulfill traceability requirements for uranium measurements on this type material. Several years' supply of uranyl nitrate solution with NBS traceability was produced. The cost of this material was less than 10% of an equal quantity of SRM-960 uranium metal

Orthogonal analytical methods for botanical standardization: determination of green tea catechins by qNMR and LC-MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Napolitano, José G; Gödecke, Tanja; Lankin, David C; Jaki, Birgit U; McAlpine, James B; Chen, Shao-Nong; Pauli, Guido F

2014-05-01

The development of analytical methods for parallel characterization of multiple phytoconstituents is essential to advance the quality control of herbal products. While chemical standardization is commonly carried out by targeted analysis using gas or liquid chromatography-based methods, more universal approaches based on quantitative (1)H NMR (qHNMR) measurements are being used increasingly in the multi-targeted assessment of these complex mixtures. The present study describes the development of a 1D qHNMR-based method for simultaneous identification and quantification of green tea constituents. This approach utilizes computer-assisted (1)H iterative Full Spin Analysis (HiFSA) and enables rapid profiling of seven catechins in commercial green tea extracts. The qHNMR results were cross-validated against quantitative profiles obtained with an orthogonal LC-MS/MS method. The relative strengths and weaknesses of both approaches are discussed, with special emphasis on the role of identical reference standards in qualitative and quantitative analyses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Evaluation of Blood Serum and Plasma Pre-Analytics for Metabolomics Cohort Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elodie Jobard

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The recent thriving development of biobanks and associated high-throughput phenotyping studies requires the elaboration of large-scale approaches for monitoring biological sample quality and compliance with standard protocols. We present a metabolomic investigation of human blood samples that delineates pitfalls and guidelines for the collection, storage and handling procedures for serum and plasma. A series of eight pre-processing technical parameters is systematically investigated along variable ranges commonly encountered across clinical studies. While metabolic fingerprints, as assessed by nuclear magnetic resonance, are not significantly affected by altered centrifugation parameters or delays between sample pre-processing (blood centrifugation and storage, our metabolomic investigation highlights that both the delay and storage temperature between blood draw and centrifugation are the primary parameters impacting serum and plasma metabolic profiles. Storing the blood drawn at 4 °C is shown to be a reliable routine to confine variability associated with idle time prior to sample pre-processing. Based on their fine sensitivity to pre-analytical parameters and protocol variations, metabolic fingerprints could be exploited as valuable ways to determine compliance with standard procedures and quality assessment of blood samples within large multi-omic clinical and translational cohort studies.

Development of quality standards of medicinal mistletoe – Helicanthes elastica (Desr. Danser employing Pharmacopoeial procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.N. Sunil Kumar

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Helicanthes elastica (Desr. Danser (Loranthaceae, commonly known as Indian mango mistletoe, is a parasitic shrub found widely growing on mango trees in southern India. Development of monographic quality standards is need of the hour for Pharmacopoeial/extra-Pharmacopoeial and folk medicinal plants. Systematic pharmacognostical evaluation of leaves of H. elastica has been carried out employing Pharmacopoeial procedures of testing herbal drugs. Macro–microscopic features of H. elastica leaf were recorded. Ethanolic extract was tested positive for alkaloids, steroids, carbohydrates, tannins, saponins and phenols. HPTLC fingerprint profile was developed for the identification of extracts using reference standard β-sitosterol glucoside. Results of the present investigation would serve as a source of pharmacognostical information and a document to control the quality of H. elastica (Desr. Danser. Keywords: HPTLC, Mango mistletoe, Medicinal plant monograph, Quality control

The primary exposure standard of ENEA for medium energy X-ray: characteristics and measurements procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laitano, R.F.; Toni, M.P.

1983-01-01

A description is given of a medium energy X-ray free-air chamber used, as primary exposure standard, at the Laboratorio di Metrologia delle Radiazioni Ionizzanti of the Enea in Italy. The main features of an X-ray facility for the production of radiation between 40 KeV and 400 KeV are also described. The measurements procedures are then analyzed with respect to the realization of the exposure unit in the relevant energy range. Finally the results of some international comparisons are reported

A standardized procedure for eddy-current testing of stainless steel, thin-walled nuclear fuel element cladding tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barat, P.; Raj, B.; Bhattacharya, D.K.

1982-01-01

Thin-walled nuclear fuel cladding tubes made of AISI 316 stainless steel have been examined by eddy-current testing. Standardization of the procedures has required investigations on optimizing the test frequency, finding a method to locate a defect with respect to the probe reference end, and the use of standard defects and sequential metallography of natural defects detected by eddy-current testing, to understand the influence of the nature of defects on the impedance output signals. Test frequency and method of locating the defect were optimized by the use of standard defects made by machining in reference cladding tubes. Subsequent metallography of natural defects detected by eddy-current testing revealed mainly clusters of inclusions but also other types of defects. The effect of the distribution of inclusions along the length of the tube on the impedance output is discussed. (author)

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory: Progress report for FY 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Graczyk, D.G.; Lindahl, P.C.; Erickson, M.D.

1988-12-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for fiscal year 1988 (October 1987 through September 1988). The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. In addition, the ACL conducts a research program in analytical chemistry, works on instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory progress report for FY 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Graczyk, D.G.; Lindahl, P.C.; Erickson, M.D.

1989-12-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year 1989 (October 1988 through September 1989). The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost-recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. In addition, the ACL conducts a research program in analytical chemistry, works on instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory: Progress report for FY 1988

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, D.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Graczyk, D.G.; Lindahl, P.C.; Erickson, M.D.

1988-12-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for fiscal year 1988 (October 1987 through September 1988). The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. In addition, the ACL conducts a research program in analytical chemistry, works on instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques.

A standard operating procedure for the surgical implantation of transmitters in juvenile salmonids

Science.gov (United States)

Liedtke, T.L.; Beeman, J.W.; Gee, L.P.

2012-01-01

Biotelemetry is a useful tool to monitor the movements of animals and is widely applied in fisheries research. Radio or acoustic technology can be used, depending on the study design and the environmental conditions in the study area. A broad definition of telemetry also includes the use of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, either separately or with a radio or acoustic transmitter. To use telemetry, fish must be equipped with a transmitter. Although there are several attachment procedures available, surgical implantation of transmitters in the abdominal cavity is recognized as the best technique for long-term telemetry studies in general (Stasko and Pincock, 1977; Winter, 1996; Jepsen, 2003), and specifically for juvenile salmonids, Oncorhynchus spp. (Adams and others, 1998a, 1998b; Martinelli and others, 1998; Hall and others, 2009). Studies that use telemetry assume that the processes by which the animals are captured, handled, and tagged, as well as the act of carrying the transmitter, will have minimal effect on their behavior and performance. This assumption, commonly stated as a lack of transmitter effects, must be valid if telemetry studies are to describe accurately the movements and behavior of an entire population of interest, rather than the subset of that population that carries transmitters. This document describes a standard operating procedure (SOP) for surgical implantation of radio or acoustic transmitters in juvenile salmonids. The procedures were developed from a broad base of published information, laboratory experiments, and practical experience in tagging thousands of fish for numerous studies of juvenile salmon movements near Columbia River and Snake River hydroelectric dams. Staff from the Western Fisheries Research Center's Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL) frequently have used telemetry studies to evaluate new structures or operations at hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin, and these evaluations typically

Test Standard Revision Update: JESD57, "Procedures for the Measurement of Single-Event Effects in Semiconductor Devices from Heavy-Ion Irradiation"

Science.gov (United States)

Lauenstein, Jean-Marie

2015-01-01

The JEDEC JESD57 test standard, Procedures for the Measurement of Single-Event Effects in Semiconductor Devices from Heavy-Ion Irradiation, is undergoing its first revision since 1996. In this talk, we place this test standard into context with other relevant radiation test standards to show its importance for single-event effect radiation testing for space applications. We show the range of industry, government, and end-user party involvement in the revision. Finally, we highlight some of the key changes being made and discuss the trade-space in which setting standards must be made to be both useful and broadly adopted.

Analytical procedures for identifying anthocyanins in natural extracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marco, Paulo Henrique; Poppi, Ronei Jesus; Scarminio, Ieda Spacino

2008-01-01

Anthocyanins are among the most important plant pigments. Due to their potential benefits for human health, there is considerable interest in these natural pigments. Nonetheless, there is great difficulty in finding a technique that could provide the identification of structurally similar compounds and estimate the number and concentration of the species present. A lot of techniques have been tried to find the best methodology to extract information from these systems. In this paper, a review of the most important procedures is given, from the extraction to the identification of anthocyanins in natural extracts. (author)

Diosgenin: Recent Highlights on Pharmacology and Analytical Methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jesus, Mafalda; Martins, Ana P J; Gallardo, Eugenia; Silvestre, Samuel

2016-01-01

Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, occurs abundantly in plants such as Dioscorea alata , Smilax China, and Trigonella foenum graecum . This bioactive phytochemical not only is used as an important starting material for the preparation of several steroidal drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, but has revealed also high potential and interest in the treatment of various types of disorders such as cancer, hypercholesterolemia, inflammation, and several types of infections. Due to its pharmacological and industrial importance, several extraction and analytical procedures have been developed and applied over the years to isolate, detect, and quantify diosgenin, not only in its natural sources and pharmaceutical compositions, but also in animal matrices for pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological studies. Within these, HPLC technique coupled to different detectors is the most commonly analytical procedure described for this compound. However, other alternative methods were also published. Thus, the present review aims to provide collective information on the most recent pharmacological data on diosgenin and on the most relevant analytical techniques used to isolate, detect, and quantify this compound as well.

Diosgenin: Recent Highlights on Pharmacology and Analytical Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mafalda Jesus

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, occurs abundantly in plants such as Dioscorea alata, Smilax China, and Trigonella foenum graecum. This bioactive phytochemical not only is used as an important starting material for the preparation of several steroidal drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, but has revealed also high potential and interest in the treatment of various types of disorders such as cancer, hypercholesterolemia, inflammation, and several types of infections. Due to its pharmacological and industrial importance, several extraction and analytical procedures have been developed and applied over the years to isolate, detect, and quantify diosgenin, not only in its natural sources and pharmaceutical compositions, but also in animal matrices for pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological studies. Within these, HPLC technique coupled to different detectors is the most commonly analytical procedure described for this compound. However, other alternative methods were also published. Thus, the present review aims to provide collective information on the most recent pharmacological data on diosgenin and on the most relevant analytical techniques used to isolate, detect, and quantify this compound as well.

Scenes for Social Information Processing in Adolescence: Item and factor analytic procedures for psychometric appraisal.

Science.gov (United States)

Vagos, Paula; Rijo, Daniel; Santos, Isabel M

2016-04-01

Relatively little is known about measures used to investigate the validity and applications of social information processing theory. The Scenes for Social Information Processing in Adolescence includes items built using a participatory approach to evaluate the attribution of intent, emotion intensity, response evaluation, and response decision steps of social information processing. We evaluated a sample of 802 Portuguese adolescents (61.5% female; mean age = 16.44 years old) using this instrument. Item analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic procedures were used for psychometric examination. Two measures for attribution of intent were produced, including hostile and neutral; along with 3 emotion measures, focused on negative emotional states; 8 response evaluation measures; and 4 response decision measures, including prosocial and impaired social behavior. All of these measures achieved good internal consistency values and fit indicators. Boys seemed to favor and choose overt and relational aggression behaviors more often; girls conveyed higher levels of neutral attribution, sadness, and assertiveness and passiveness. The Scenes for Social Information Processing in Adolescence achieved adequate psychometric results and seems a valuable alternative for evaluating social information processing, even if it is essential to continue investigation into its internal and external validity. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Rapid and Efficient Production of Stevia Tissue Culture Seedlings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norazlina Noordin; Peng, C.S.; Rusli Ibrahim

2015-01-01

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a non-caloric natural sweetener which is 300 times sweeter than cane sugar. Extracts from stevia leaves has vast application in food and beverages based industries, can be added to tea and coffee, cooked or baked goods, processed foods and confectionary goods. Recently, stevia attained awareness owing to its natural, non-caloric sweetness by diet/ health conscious and diabetic persons (Arpita et al., 2011). This natural sweetener has high commercial value in global market, it was estimated that global market value for stevia is be around USD11 billion by year 2015. Although stevia is being largely popularized in Malaysia and other countries but large-scale propagation procedures for the continuous supply of planting materials in commercial plantation has yet to be established, optimized and standardized. Furthermore, propagation through stevia seeds is often very difficult due to self-incompatibility which results in sterile seeds (Sakaguchi et al., 1982). Tissue culture is the only rapid process for the mass propagation of stevia and there have been few reports of in vitro growth of stevia (Miyagaya et al., 1986) and in vitro micropropagation from shoot tip and leaf (Uddin et al., 2006). Hence, study was carried out to establish a suitable protocol for in vitro propagation of S. rebaudiana Bertoni that can be further up-scaled for mass propagation of stevia seedlings. The established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will ensure rapid and efficient production of stevia tissue culture seedlings for continuous supply of planting materials for commercial stevia plantations in Malaysia. Preparation of growth medium, multiplication of shoots, rooting of plant lets and hardening of ex-vitro rooted plant lets is discussed in this paper. (author)

Comparison of Test Procedures and Energy Efficiency Criteria in Selected International Standards & Labeling Programs for Copy Machines, External Power Supplies, LED Displays, Residential Gas Cooktops and Televisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Nina [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Zhou, Nan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fridley, David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-03-01

This report presents a technical review of international minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), voluntary and mandatory energy efficiency labels and test procedures for five products being considered for new or revised MEPS in China: copy machines, external power supply, LED displays, residential gas cooktops and flat-screen televisions. For each product, an overview of the scope of existing international standards and labeling programs, energy values and energy performance metrics and description and detailed summary table of criteria and procedures in major test standards are presented.

Extended device profiles and testing procedures for the approval process of integrated medical devices using the IEEE 11073 communication standard.

Science.gov (United States)

Janß, Armin; Thorn, Johannes; Schmitz, Malte; Mildner, Alexander; Dell'Anna-Pudlik, Jasmin; Leucker, Martin; Radermacher, Klaus

2018-02-23

Nowadays, only closed and proprietary integrated operating room systems (IORS) from big manufacturers are available on the market. Hence, the interconnection of components from third-party vendors is only possible with increased time and costs. In the context of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)-funded project OR.NET (2012-2016), the open integration of medical devices from different manufacturers was addressed. An integrated operating theater based on the open communication standard IEEE 11073 shall give clinical operators the opportunity to choose medical devices independently of the manufacturer. This approach would be advantageous especially for hospital operators and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) of medical devices. Actual standards and concepts regarding technical feasibility and the approval process do not cope with the requirements for a modular integration of medical devices in the operating room (OR), based on an open communication standard. Therefore, innovative approval strategies and corresponding certification and test procedures, which cover actual legal and normative standards, have to be developed in order to support the future risk management and the usability engineering process of open integrated medical devices in the OR. The use of standardized device and service profiles and a three-step testing procedure, including conformity, interoperability and integration tests are described in this paper and shall support the manufacturers to integrate their medical devices without disclosing the medical devices' risk analysis and related confidential expertise or proprietary information.

The use of faces as stimuli in neuroimaging and psychological experiments: a procedure to standardize stimulus features.

Science.gov (United States)

Gronenschild, Ed H B M; Smeets, Floortje; Vuurman, Eric F P M; van Boxtel, Martin P J; Jolles, Jelle

2009-11-01

In psychological experiments involving facial stimuli, it is of great importance that the basic perceptual or psychological characteristics that are investigated are not confounded by factors such as brightness and contrast, head size, hair cut and color, skin color, and the presence of glasses and earrings. Standardization of facial stimulus materials reduces the effect of these confounding factors. We therefore employed a set of basic image processing techniques to deal with this issue. The processed images depict the faces in grayscale, all at the same size, brightness, and contrast, and confined to an oval mask revealing only the basic features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. The standardization was successfully applied to four different face databases, consisting of male and female faces and including neutral as well as happy facial expressions. An important advantage of the proposed standardization is that featural as well as configurational information is retained. We also consider the procedure to be a major contribution to the development of a de facto standard for the use of facial stimuli in psychological experiments. Such methodological standardization would allow a better comparison of the results of these studies.

A New Project-Based Lab for Undergraduate Environmental and Analytical Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Adami, Gianpiero

2006-01-01

A new project-based lab was developed for third year undergraduate chemistry students based on real world applications. The experience suggests that the total analytical procedure (TAP) project offers a stimulating alternative for delivering science skills and developing a greater interest for analytical chemistry and environmental sciences and…

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory progress report for FY 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, D.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Graczyk, D.G.; Lindahl, P.C.; Boparai, A.S.

1991-12-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year 1991 (October 1990 through September 1991). This is the eighth annual report for the ACL. The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost-recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of analytical chemistry support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. In addition, the ACL conducts a research program in analytical chemistry, works on instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques.

Development of international standards for surface analysis by ISO technical committee 201 on surface chemical analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powell, C.J.

1999-01-01

Full text: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) established Technical Committee 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis in 1991 to develop documentary standards for surface analysis. ISO/TC 201 met first in 1992 and has met annually since. This committee now has eight subcommittees (Terminology, General Procedures, Data Management and Treatment, Depth Profiling, AES, SIMS, XPS, and Glow Discharge Spectroscopy (GDS)) and one working group (Total X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy). Each subcommittee has one or more working groups to develop standards on particular topics. Australia has observer-member status on ISO/TC 201 and on all ISO/TC 201 subcommittees except GDS where it has participator-member status. I will outline the organization of ISO/TC 201 and summarize the standards that have been or are being developed. Copyright (1999) Australian X-ray Analytical Association Inc

Standard Test Method for Gravimetric Determination of Nonvolatile Residue From Cleanroom Wipers

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2006-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of solvent extractable nonvolatile residue (NVR) from wipers used in assembly, cleaning, or testing of spacecraft, but not from those used for analytical surface sampling of hardware. 1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard. 1.3 The NVR of interest is that which can be extracted from cleanroom wipers using a specified solvent that has been selected for its extractive qualities. Alternative solvents may be selected, but since their use may result in different values being generated, they must be identified in the procedure data sheet. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Numerical and semi-analytical modelling of the process induced distortions in pultrusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baran, Ismet; Carlone, P.; Hattel, Jesper Henri

2013-01-01

, the transient distortions are inferred adopting a semi-analytical procedure, i.e. post processing numerical results by means of analytical methods. The predictions of the process induced distortion development using the aforementioned methods are found to be qualitatively close to each other...

Quantitation of biological retinoids by high-pressure liquid chromatography: primary internal standardization using tritiated retinoids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullum, M.E.; Zile, M.H.

1986-01-01

A single method is described for quantitation of 14 retinoids found in biological material. The method consists of reversed-phase HPLC, internal standardization, and carrier extraction procedures with three synthetic retinoids. Primary standardization of HPLC uv detector is achieved using tritiated all-trans-retinoic acid, all-trans-retinol, all-trans-retinyl palmitate, and all-trans-retinyl acetate. Extraction methods are standardized by correlating the uv absorbance of retinoids at 340 nm with radioactivity of tritiated retinoids of known specific activity. Quantitation of 10 pg of tritiated or 5 ng of nonradioactive retinoid per 0.1 g sample in a polarity range from 4-oxo-retinoic acid to retinyl stearate can be achieved in a single, 50-min chromatographic run. A single HPLC pump, a C 18 reversed-phased analytical column, a multistep three-solvent gradient, and inexpensive solvents based on methanol, water, and chloroform comprise this cost-effective chromatographic system. Our primary standardization method allows investigators employing different procedures to compare results between laboratories by standardizing the HPLC uv detector with commercially available tritiated retinoids. With this method we were able to quantitate nanomolar amounts of endogenous retinoic acids and retinyl esters, that HPLC uv only conditions usually would not detect in the circulation and liver of rats under physiological conditions

Determination of Pesticides Residues in Cucumbers Grown in Greenhouse and the Effect of Some Procedures on Their Residues.

Science.gov (United States)

Leili, Mostafa; Pirmoghani, Amin; Samadi, Mohammad Taghi; Shokoohi, Reza; Roshanaei, Ghodratollah; Poormohammadi, Ali

2016-11-01

The objective of this study was to determine the residual concentrations of ethion and imidacloprid in cucumbers grown in greenhouse. The effect of some simple processing procedures on both ethion and imidacloprid residues were also studied. Ten active greenhouses that produce cucumber were randomly selected. Ethion and imidacloprid as the most widely used pesticides were measured in cucumber samples of studied greenhouses. Moreover, the effect of storing, washing, and peeling as simple processing procedures on both ethion and imidacloprid residues were investigated. One hour after pesticide application; the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of ethion and imidacloprid were higher than that of Codex standard level. One day after pesticide application, the levels of pesticides were decreased about 35 and 31% for ethion and imidacloprid, respectively, which still were higher than the MRL. Washing procedure led to about 51 and 42.5% loss in ethion and imidacloprid residues, respectively. Peeling procedure also led to highest loss of 93.4 and 63.7% in ethion and imidacloprid residues, respectively. The recovery for both target analytes was in the range between 88 and 102%. The residue values in collected samples one hour after pesticides application were higher than standard value. The storing, washing, and peeling procedures lead to the decrease of pesticide residues in greenhouse cucumbers. Among them, the peeling procedure has the greatest impact on residual reduction. Therefore, these procedures can be used as simple and effective processing techniques for reducing and removing pesticides from greenhouse products before their consumption.

An evaluation of analytical heat transfer area with various boiling heat transfer correlations in steam generator thermal sizing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, B. R.; Park, H. S.; Chung, D. M.; Baik, S. J.

1999-01-01

The computer program SAFE has been used to size and analyze the performance of a steam generator which has two types of heat transfer regions in Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plants (KSNP) and Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR) design. The SAFE code calculates the analytical boiling heat transfer area using the modified form of the saturated nucleate pool boiling correlation suggested by Rohsenow. The predicted heat transfer area in the boiling region is multiplied by a constant to obtain a final analytical heat transfer area. The inclusion of the multiplier in the analytical calculation has some disadvantage of loss of complete correlation by the governing heat transfer equation. Several comparative analyses have been performed quantitatively to evaluate the possibility of removing the multiplier in the analytical calculation in the SAFE code. The evaluation shows that the boiling correlation and multiplier used in predicting the boiling region heat transfer area can be replaced with other correlations predicting nearly the same heat transfer area. The removal of multiplier included in the analytical calculation will facilitate a direct use of a set of concerned analytical sizing values that can be exactly correlated by the governing heat transfer equation. In addition this will provide more reasonable basis for the steam generator thermal sizing calculation and enhance the code usability without loss of any validity of the current sizing procedure. (author)

Quantifying uncertainty in nuclear analytical measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-07-01

The lack of international consensus on the expression of uncertainty in measurements was recognised by the late 1970s and led, after the issuance of a series of rather generic recommendations, to the publication of a general publication, known as GUM, the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. This publication, issued in 1993, was based on co-operation over several years by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and the Organisation internationale de metrologie legale. The purpose was to promote full information on how uncertainty statements are arrived at and to provide a basis for harmonized reporting and the international comparison of measurement results. The need to provide more specific guidance to different measurement disciplines was soon recognized and the field of analytical chemistry was addressed by EURACHEM in 1995 in the first edition of a guidance report on Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Measurements, produced by a group of experts from the field. That publication translated the general concepts of the GUM into specific applications for analytical laboratories and illustrated the principles with a series of selected examples as a didactic tool. Based on feedback from the actual practice, the EURACHEM publication was extensively reviewed in 1997-1999 under the auspices of the Co-operation on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry (CITAC), and a second edition was published in 2000. Still, except for a single example on the measurement of radioactivity in GUM, the field of nuclear and radiochemical measurements was not covered. The explicit requirement of ISO standard 17025:1999, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration

Intercalibration of analytical methods on marine environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

The pollution of the seas by various chemical substances constitutes nowadays one of the principal concerns of mankind. The International Atomic Energy Agency has organized in past years several intercomparison exercises in the framework of its Analytical Quality Control Service. The present intercomparison had a double aim: first, to give laboratories participating in this intercomparison an opportunity for checking their analytical performance. Secondly, to produce on the basis of the results of this intercomparison a reference material made of fish tissue which would be accurately certified with respect to many trace elements. Such a material could be used by analytical chemists to check the validity of new analytical procedures. In total, 53 laboratories from 29 countries reported results (585 laboratory means for 48 elements). 5 refs, 52 tabs

Improving the efficiency of quantitative (1)H NMR: an innovative external standard-internal reference approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yande; Su, Bao-Ning; Ye, Qingmei; Palaniswamy, Venkatapuram A; Bolgar, Mark S; Raglione, Thomas V

2014-01-01

The classical internal standard quantitative NMR (qNMR) method determines the purity of an analyte by the determination of a solution containing the analyte and a standard. Therefore, the standard must meet the requirements of chemical compatibility and lack of resonance interference with the analyte as well as a known purity. The identification of such a standard can be time consuming and must be repeated for each analyte. In contrast, the external standard qNMR method utilizes a standard with a known purity to calibrate the NMR instrument. The external standard and the analyte are measured separately, thereby eliminating the matter of chemical compatibility and resonance interference between the standard and the analyte. However, the instrumental factors, including the quality of NMR tubes, must be kept the same. Any deviations will compromise the accuracy of the results. An innovative qNMR method reported herein utilizes an internal reference substance along with an external standard to assume the role of the standard used in the traditional internal standard qNMR method. In this new method, the internal reference substance must only be chemically compatible and be free of resonance-interference with the analyte or external standard whereas the external standard must only be of a known purity. The exact purity or concentration of the internal reference substance is not required as long as the same quantity is added to the external standard and the analyte. The new method reduces the burden of searching for an appropriate standard for each analyte significantly. Therefore the efficiency of the qNMR purity assay increases while the precision of the internal standard method is retained. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Guide for Developing Standard Operating Job Procedures for the Screening & Grinding Process Wastewater Treatment Facility. SOJP No. 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Deal, Gerald A.; Montgomery, James A.

This guide describes standard operating job procedures for the screening and grinding process of wastewater treatment facilities. The objective of this process is the removal of coarse materials from the raw waste stream for the protection of subsequent equipment and processes. The guide gives step-by-step instructions for safety inspection,…

Multielemental analysis of 18 essential and toxic elements in amniotic fluid samples by ICP-MS: Full procedure validation and estimation of measurement uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Markiewicz, B; Sajnóg, A; Lorenc, W; Hanć, A; Komorowicz, I; Suliburska, J; Kocyłowski, R; Barałkiewicz, D

2017-11-01

Amniotic fluid is the substantial factor in the development of an embryo and fetus due to the fact that water and solutes contained in it penetrate the fetal membranes in an hydrostatic and osmotic way as well as being swallowed by the fetus. Elemental composition of amniotic fluid influences the growth and health of the fetus, therefore, an analysis of amniotic fluid is important because the results would indicate abnormal levels of minerals or toxic elements. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) is often used for determination of trace and ultra-trace level elements in a wide range of matrices including biological samples because of its unique analytical capabilities. In the case of trace and ultra-trace level analysis detailed characteristics of analytical procedure as well as properties of the analytical result are particularly important. The purpose of this study was to develop a new analytical procedure for multielemental analysis of 18 elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, U, V and Zn) in amniotic fluid samples using ICP-MS. Dynamic reaction cell (DRC) with two reaction gases, ammonia and oxygen, was involved in the experiment to eliminate spectral interferences. Detailed validation was conducted using 3 certified reference mterials (CRMs) and real amniotic fluid samples collected from patients. Repeatability for all analyzed analytes was found to range from 0.70% to 8.0% and for intermediate precision results varied from 1.3% to 15%. Trueness expressed as recovery ranged from 80% to 125%. Traceability was assured through the analyses of CRMs. Uncertainty of the results was also evaluated using single-laboratory validation approach. The obtained expanded uncertainty (U) results for CRMs, expressed as a percentage of the concentration of an analyte, were found to be between 8.3% for V and 45% for Cd. Standard uncertainty of the precision was found to have a greater influence on the combined standard uncertainty

Discharge communication from inpatient care: an audit of written medical discharge summary procedure against the new National Health Service Standard for clinical handover.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Daniel Brooks; Parsons, Shaun R; Gill, Stephen D; Hughes, Andrew J

2015-04-01

To audit written medical discharge summary procedure and practice against Standard Six (clinical handover) of the Australian National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards at a major regional Victorian health service. Department heads were invited to complete a questionnaire about departmental discharge summary practices. Twenty-seven (82%) department heads completed the questionnaire. Seven (26%) departments had a documented discharge summary procedure. Fourteen (52%) departments monitored discharge summary completion and 13 (48%) departments monitored the timeliness of completion. Seven (26%) departments informed the patient of the content of the discharge summary and six (22%) departments provided the patient with a copy. Seven (26%) departments provided training for staff members on how to complete discharge summaries. Completing discharge summaries was usually delegated to the medical intern. The introduction of the National Service Standards prompted an organisation-wide audit of discharge summary practices against the external criterion. There was substantial variation in the organisation's practices. The Standards and the current audit results highlight an opportunity for the organisation to enhance and standardise discharge summary practices and improve communication with general practice.

Proposal of a new analytical procedure for the measurement of water absorption by stone. Preliminary study for an alternative to the Italian technical normative NORMAL 07-81

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Plattner Susanne

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Italian technical normative in the field of cultural heritage is often considered insufficient or not suitable in practise, therefore efforts are necessary to design new and/or improve already existing ones. Results In this paper an alternative analytical procedure for the determination of water absorption (by full immersion by stone material, described in the NORMAL 07-81 document, is proposed. Improvements concern methods accuracy and reduction of sample size; further also density data is obtained. Conclusions The new procedure was applied on three different marble samples and outcomes are encouraging, but further testing is running to better understand to what extent sample size can be reduced without worsening accuracy of results, taking into account that stone is a very heterogeneous material.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare e-Feedback Versus "Standard" Face-to-Face Verbal Feedback to Improve the Acquisition of Procedural Skill.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Jundi, Wissam; Elsharif, Mohamed; Anderson, Melanie; Chan, Phillip; Beard, Jonathan; Nawaz, Shah

Constructive feedback plays an important role in learning during surgical training. Standard feedback is usually given verbally following direct observation of the procedure by a trained assessor. However, such feedback requires the physical presence of expert faculty members who are usually busy and time-constrained by clinical commitments. We aim to evaluate electronic feedback (e-feedback) after video observation of surgical suturing in comparison with standard face-to-face verbal feedback. A prospective, blinded, randomized controlled trial comparing e-feedback with standard verbal feedback was carried out in February 2015 using a validated pro formas for assessment. The study participants were 38 undergraduate medical students from the University of Sheffield, UK. They were recorded on video performing the procedural skill, completed a self-evaluation form, and received e-feedback on the same day (group 1); observed directly by an assessor, invited to provide verbal self-reflection, and then received standard verbal feedback (group 2). In both groups, the feedback was provided after performing the procedure. The participants returned 2 days later and performed the same skill again. Poststudy questionnaire was used to assess the acceptability of each feedback among the participants. Overall, 19 students in group 1 and 18 students in group 2 completed the study. Although there was a significant improvement in the overall mean score on the second performance of the task for all participants (first performance mean 11.59, second performance mean 15.95; p ≤ 0.0001), there was no difference in the overall mean improvement score between group 1 and group 2 (4.74 and 3.94, respectively; p = 0.49). The mean overall scores for the e-feedback group at baseline recorded by 2 independent investigators showed good agreement (mean overall scores of 12.84 and 11.89; Cronbach α = 0.86). Poststudy questionnaire demonstrated that both e-feedback and standard verbal feedback

Field and laboratory procedures used in a soil chronosequence study

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Michael J.; Janitzky, Peter

1986-01-01

In 1978, the late Denis Marchand initiated a research project entitled "Soil Correlation and Dating at the U.S. Geological Survey" to determine the usefulness of soils in solving geologic problems. Marchand proposed to establish soil chronosequences that could be dated independently of soil development by using radiometric and other numeric dating methods. In addition, by comparing dated chronosequences in different environments, rates of soil development could be studied and compared among varying climates and mineralogical conditions. The project was fundamental in documenting the value of soils in studies of mapping, correlating, and dating late Cenozoic deposits and in studying soil genesis. All published reports by members of the project are included in the bibliography.The project demanded that methods be adapted or developed to ensure comparability over a wide variation in soil types. Emphasis was placed on obtaining professional expertise and on establishing consistent techniques, especially for the field, laboratory, and data-compilation methods. Since 1978, twelve chronosequences have been sampled and analyzed by members of this project, and methods have been established and used consistently for analysis of the samples.The goals of this report are to:Document the methods used for the study on soil chronosequences,Present the results of tests that were run for precision, accuracy, and effectiveness, andDiscuss our modifications to standard procedures.Many of the methods presented herein are standard and have been reported elsewhere. However, we assume less prior analytical knowledge in our descriptions; thus, the manual should be easy to follow for the inexperienced analyst. Each chapter presents one or more references of the basic principle, an equipment and reagents list, and the detailed procedure. In some chapters this is followed by additional remarks or example calculations.The flow diagram in figure 1 outlines the step-by-step procedures used to

Using Analytic Hierarchy Process in Textbook Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Shigeo

2014-01-01

This study demonstrates the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in English language teaching materials evaluation, focusing in particular on its potential for systematically integrating different components of evaluation criteria in a variety of teaching contexts. AHP is a measurement procedure wherein pairwise comparisons are made…

Seminar on standards, standardization, quality control and interlaboratory test programmes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

de Bievre, P. [Central Bureau for Nuclear Measurements, Geel (Belgium)

1978-12-15

The author gives a resume on the proper use of standards and standardization of measurement procedures. Results of measurements obtained on the same instrument and on the same series of standards of different isotopic compositions are displayed.

Analytical quality control [An IAEA service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1973-07-01

In analytical chemistry the determination of small or trace amounts of elements or compounds in different types of materials is increasingly important. The results of these findings have a great influence on different fields of science, and on human life. Their reliability, precision and accuracy must, therefore, be checked by analytical quality control measures. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set up an Analytical Quality Control Service (AQCS) in 1962 to assist laboratories in Member States in the assessment of their reliability in radionuclide analysis, and in other branches of applied analysis in which radionuclides may be used as analytical implements. For practical reasons, most analytical laboratories are not in a position to check accuracy internally, as frequently resources are available for only one method; standardized sample material, particularly in the case of trace analysis, is not available and can be prepared by the institutes themselves only in exceptional cases; intercomparisons are organized rather seldom and many important types of analysis are so far not covered. AQCS assistance is provided by the shipment to laboratories of standard reference materials containing known quantities of different trace elements or radionuclides, as well as by the organization of analytical intercomparisons in which the participating laboratories are provided with aliquots of homogenized material of unknown composition for analysis. In the latter case the laboratories report their data to the Agency's laboratory, which calculates averages and distributions of results and advises each laboratory of its performance relative to all the others. Throughout the years several dozens of intercomparisons have been organized and many thousands of samples provided. The service offered, as a consequence, has grown enormously. The programme for 1973 and 1974, which is currently being distributed to Member States, will contain 31 different types of materials.

Recent developments in computer vision-based analytical chemistry: A tutorial review.

Science.gov (United States)

Capitán-Vallvey, Luis Fermín; López-Ruiz, Nuria; Martínez-Olmos, Antonio; Erenas, Miguel M; Palma, Alberto J

2015-10-29

Chemical analysis based on colour changes recorded with imaging devices is gaining increasing interest. This is due to its several significant advantages, such as simplicity of use, and the fact that it is easily combinable with portable and widely distributed imaging devices, resulting in friendly analytical procedures in many areas that demand out-of-lab applications for in situ and real-time monitoring. This tutorial review covers computer vision-based analytical (CVAC) procedures and systems from 2005 to 2015, a period of time when 87.5% of the papers on this topic were published. The background regarding colour spaces and recent analytical system architectures of interest in analytical chemistry is presented in the form of a tutorial. Moreover, issues regarding images, such as the influence of illuminants, and the most relevant techniques for processing and analysing digital images are addressed. Some of the most relevant applications are then detailed, highlighting their main characteristics. Finally, our opinion about future perspectives is discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 761.79 - Decontamination standards and procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

.... (b) Decontamination standards. Chopping (including wire chopping), distilling, filtering, oil/water... burned and marketed in accordance with the requirements for used oil in § 761.20(e), disposed of in... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Decontamination standards and...

Risk analysis of analytical validations by probabilistic modification of FMEA.

Science.gov (United States)

Barends, D M; Oldenhof, M T; Vredenbregt, M J; Nauta, M J

2012-05-01

Risk analysis is a valuable addition to validation of an analytical chemistry process, enabling not only detecting technical risks, but also risks related to human failures. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) can be applied, using a categorical risk scoring of the occurrence, detection and severity of failure modes, and calculating the Risk Priority Number (RPN) to select failure modes for correction. We propose a probabilistic modification of FMEA, replacing the categorical scoring of occurrence and detection by their estimated relative frequency and maintaining the categorical scoring of severity. In an example, the results of traditional FMEA of a Near Infrared (NIR) analytical procedure used for the screening of suspected counterfeited tablets are re-interpretated by this probabilistic modification of FMEA. Using this probabilistic modification of FMEA, the frequency of occurrence of undetected failure mode(s) can be estimated quantitatively, for each individual failure mode, for a set of failure modes, and the full analytical procedure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation procedures used in the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-12-01

The purpose of this report is (1) to document the data validation process developed for the Background Soil Characterization Project (BSCP); (2) to offer members of other project teams and potential data users the benefit of the experience gained in the BSCP in the area of developing project-specific data validation criteria and procedures based on best available guidance and technical information; and (3) to provide input and guidance to the efforts under way within Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., to develop standard operating procedures to streamline and optimize the analytical laboratory data validation process for general use by making it more technically rigorous, consistent, and cost effective. Lessons learned from the BSCP are also provided to meet this end (Sect. 1.3)

Formation of stress/strain cycles for analytical assessment of fatigue crack initiation and growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tashkinov, A.V.

2005-01-01

This paper discusses standard techniques for setting up cycles of stresses, strains and stress intensity factors (SIF) for use in analysing the fatigue characteristics of crack-free components or the fatigue crack growth if crack-like flaws are present. A number of improved techniques are proposed. An enhanced procedure for analytical description of true metal stress-strain curves, covering plastic effects, is presented. This procedure involves standard physical and mechanical properties of the metal in question, such as ultimate stress, yield stress and elasticity modulus. It is emphasized that the currently practiced rain-flow method of design cycle formation, which is effective for an actual (truly known) cyclic loading history, is not suitable for a projected (anticipated) history, as it leaves out of account possible variations in the sequence of operating conditions. Improved techniques for establishing design stress/strain and SIF cycles are described, which make allowance for the most unfavourable sequence of events in the projected loading history. The paper points to a basic difference in the methods of design cycle formation, employed in assessment of the current condition of a component (with the actual history accounted for) and in estimation of the residual lifetime or life extension (for a projected history). (authors)

Patient controlled sedation using a standard protocol for dressing changes in burns: patients' preference, procedural details and a preliminary safety evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Andreas; Steinvall, Ingrid; Bak, Zoltan; Sjöberg, Folke

2008-11-01

Patient controlled sedation (PCS) enables patients to titrate doses of drugs by themselves during different procedures involving pain or discomfort. We studied it in a prospective crossover design using a fixed protocol without lockout time to examine it as an alternative method of sedation for changing dressings in burned patients. Eleven patients with >10% total burn surface area (TBSA) had their dressings changed, starting with sedation by an anaesthetist (ACS). The second dressing change was done with PCS (propofol/alfentanil) and the third time the patients had to choose ACS or PCS. During the procedures, data on cardiopulmonary variables, sedation (bispectral index), pain intensity (VAS), procedural details, doses of drugs, and patients' preferences were collected to compare the two sedation techniques. The study data indicated that wound care in burned patients is feasible with a standardized PCS protocol. The patients preferred PCS to ACS on the basis of self-control, and because they had less discomfort during the recovery period. Wound care was also considered adequate by the staff during PCS. No respiratory (respiratory rate/transcutaneous PCO(2)) or cardiovascular (heart rate/blood pressure) adverse events were recorded at any time during any of the PCS procedures. The doses of propofol and alfentanil and BIS index decrease were less during PCS than ACS. Procedural pain was higher during PCS but lower after the procedure. We suggest that PCS using a standard protocol is an interesting alternative to anaesthetist-provided sedation during dressing changes. It seems effective, saves resources, is safe, and at same time is preferred by the patients. The strength of these conclusions is, however, hampered by the small size of this investigation and therefore further studies are warranted.

Standard Operating Procedure for the Grinding and Extraction of Lead in Paint using Nitric Acid and a Rotor/Stator System Powered by a High Speed Motor

Science.gov (United States)

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) describes a new, rapid, and relatively inexpensive one step procedure which grinds the paint samples removed from the substrate and simultaneously quantitatively extracts the Pb from the paint in only one step in preparation for quantitativ...

Standards and (self)implosion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brøgger, Katja; Staunæs, Dorthe

2016-01-01

of standards often tends to conceptualize the travelling of standards as contagious processes resulting in epidemic spreads. In this article, the abstract metaphor of epidemic spread is replaced by an analytical configuration of a new mode of educational governance in which orchestrating webs of incentives...

Quantification procedures in micro X-ray fluorescence analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanngiesser, Birgit

2003-01-01

For the quantification in micro X-ray fluorescence analysis standardfree quantification procedures have become especially important. An introduction to the basic concepts of these quantification procedures is given, followed by a short survey of the procedures which are available now and what kind of experimental situations and analytical problems are addressed. The last point is extended by the description of an own development for the fundamental parameter method, which renders the inclusion of nonparallel beam geometries possible. Finally, open problems for the quantification procedures are discussed

Automation of analytical processes. A tool for higher efficiency and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groll, P.

1976-01-01

The analytical laboratory of a radiochemical facility is usually faced with the fact that numerous analyses of a similar type must be routinely carried out. Automation of such routine analytical procedures helps in increasing the efficiency and safety of the work. A review of the requirements for automation and its advantages is given and demonstrated on three examples. (author)

Analytical Performance Requirements for Systems for Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose With Focus on System Accuracy: Relevant Differences Among ISO 15197:2003, ISO 15197:2013, and Current FDA Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Freckmann, Guido; Schmid, Christina; Baumstark, Annette; Rutschmann, Malte; Haug, Cornelia; Heinemann, Lutz

2015-07-01

In the European Union (EU), the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 15197 standard is applicable for the evaluation of systems for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) before the market approval. In 2013, a revised version of this standard was published. Relevant revisions in the analytical performance requirements are the inclusion of the evaluation of influence quantities, for example, hematocrit, and some changes in the testing procedures for measurement precision and system accuracy evaluation, for example, number of test strip lots. Regarding system accuracy evaluation, the most important change is the inclusion of more stringent accuracy criteria. In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States published their own guidance document for the premarket evaluation of SMBG systems with even more stringent system accuracy criteria than stipulated by ISO 15197:2013. The establishment of strict accuracy criteria applicable for the premarket evaluation is a possible approach to further improve the measurement quality of SMBG systems. However, the system accuracy testing procedure is quite complex, and some critical aspects, for example, systematic measurement difference between the reference measurement procedure and a higher-order procedure, may potentially limit the apparent accuracy of a given system. Therefore, the implementation of a harmonized reference measurement procedure for which traceability to standards of higher order is verified through an unbroken, documented chain of calibrations is desirable. In addition, the establishment of regular and standardized post-marketing evaluations of distributed test strip lots should be considered as an approach toward an improved measurement quality of available SMBG systems. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

Elaboration and implementation of standard operational procedure for quality assurance of cone beam CT image in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonatto, Larisse N.; Estacio, Daniela R.; Lopes, Juliane S.; Sansson, Angela; Duarte, Lucas O.; Sbaraini, Patricia; Silva, Ana M. Marques da; Streck, Elaine E.

2016-01-01

The objective of this article is to present the implementation of the quality Control of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) image, generated by the On-Board Imager, integrated with the linear accelerator Trilogy. Standard operating procedures (POPs) have been developed based on the literature and manuals of the simulator object Catphan 504 and the On-Board Imager. The following POPs were developed: acquisition of the CBCT image; linearity of CT number; uniformity; spatial resolution; low contrast resolution; spatial linearity; thickness of the cut. The validation of the elaborated procedures was done from an experimental acquisition of the simulator object. The results obtained in the validation of the POPs are in compliance with the parameters established by the manufacturer of the simulator object, as well as those obtained in the acceptance of the On-Board Imager device.

Analytic central path, sensitivity analysis and parametric linear programming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.G. Holder; J.F. Sturm; S. Zhang (Shuzhong)

1998-01-01

textabstractIn this paper we consider properties of the central path and the analytic center of the optimal face in the context of parametric linear programming. We first show that if the right-hand side vector of a standard linear program is perturbed, then the analytic center of the optimal face

Development of special analytical system for determination of free acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Lihua; Wu Jizong; Liu Huanliang; Liu Quanwei; Fan Dejun; Su Tao

2008-01-01

The determination of free-acid plays an important role in spent fuel reprocessing analysis. Its work accounts for about 30% of all analytical work in reprocessing. It is necessary to study and develop a special fast analytical system for determination of free acid. The special analytical system is particularly applicable to determination of free acid in high-level radioactive environment, which is composed of an optical fiber spectrophotometer and an automatic sample-in device. Small sample-in volume needed, fast procedure, easy operation and physical protection are its advantages. All kinds of performance and parameters satisfy the requirements of spent fuel reprocessing control analysis. For long-distance determination, the optical fiber spectrophotometer is connected with an 4.5 meters long optical fiber. To resolve the change of 0.1 mol/L acidity, the measuring optical path is 2 cm. Mass of 10-20 μm in diameter optical fibers are assembled. The optical fiber probe is composed of a reflecting mirror and a concave mirror on the top of optical fibers. To eliminate the interference of external light, a stainless steel measuring chamber is used. The automatic sample-in device is composed of state valve, quantifying pump and pipe. The sample-in precision of 15 μl and 35 μl quantifying loops is better than 0.5%. The special analytical system takes less than 7 minutes to complete one measurement. The linear range is 0.5 mol/L-3.5 mol/L. The relative standard deviation is better than 2.0% when the concentration of the free acid is about 2.0 mol/L. For samples in different medium, the results are comparable with the method of pH titration of determining the free acid in reprocessing. (authors)

On anti-earthquake design procedure of equipment and pipings in near future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, H.

1981-01-01

The requirement of anti-earthquake design of nuclear power plants is getting severe year by year. The author will try to discuss how to control its severity and how to find a proper design procedure for licensing of new plants under such severe requirements. On the other hand we suffered from the enormous volumes of documents. To decrease such volumes, the format of documents should be standardized as well as the design procedure standardization. Starting from this point, we need the research and development on the following subjects: i) Standardization of design procedure. ii) Standardization of document. iii) Establishment of standard review procedure using computer. iv) Standardization of earthquake-resistant designed equipment. v) Standardization of anti-earthquake design procedure of piping systems. vi) Introducing margin evaluation procedure to design procedure. vii) Introducing proving test procedure of active component to design procedure. viii) Establishment of evaluation of human reliability in design, fabrication, inspection procedures. ix) Establishment of the proper relation of seismic trigger level and post-earthquake design procedures. (orig./HP)

Influence of new customs procedures and logistic security standards on companies competiveness – a Croatian company case study

OpenAIRE

Erceg, Aleksandar

2014-01-01

In today’s global market, companies are constantly confronted with the competition on the local, national and international level. Companies therefore use a variety of strategies and tools to become and/or remain competitive. Potential areas for cost reduction in companies are supply chain management and logistic and customs procedures. Implementation of various logistic standards in supply chain management can provide significant cost savings for the company’s daily operations an...

Reliability and Validity of 10 Different Standard Setting Procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Halpin, Glennelle; Halpin, Gerald

Research indicating that different cut-off points result from the use of different standard-setting techniques leaves decision makers with a disturbing dilemma: Which standard-setting method is best? This investigation of the reliability and validity of 10 different standard-setting approaches was designed to provide information that might help…

Evaluation of the quality of results obtained in institutions participating in interlaboratory experiments and of the reliability characteristics of the analytical methods used on the basis of certification of standard soil samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parshin, A.K.; Obol' yaninova, V.G.; Sul' dina, N.P.

1986-08-20

Rapid monitoring of the level of pollution of the environment and, especially, of soils necessitates preparation of standard samples (SS) close in properties and material composition to the objects to be analyzed. During 1978-1982 four sets (three types of samples in each) of State Standard Samples of different soils were developed: soddy-podzolic sandy-loamy, typical chernozem, krasnozem, and calcareous sierozem. The certification studies of the SS of the soils were carried out in accordance with the classical scheme of interlab experiment (ILE). More than 100 institutions were involved in the ILE and the total number of independent analytical results was of the order of 10/sup 4/. With such a volume of analytical information at their disposal they were able to find some general characteristics intrinsic to certification studies, to assess the quality of work of the ILE participants with due regard for their specialization, and the reliability characteristics of the analytical methods used.

Analytic continuation of quantum Monte Carlo data by stochastic analytical inference.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Sebastian; Pruschke, Thomas; Jarrell, Mark

2010-05-01

We present an algorithm for the analytic continuation of imaginary-time quantum Monte Carlo data which is strictly based on principles of Bayesian statistical inference. Within this framework we are able to obtain an explicit expression for the calculation of a weighted average over possible energy spectra, which can be evaluated by standard Monte Carlo simulations, yielding as by-product also the distribution function as function of the regularization parameter. Our algorithm thus avoids the usual ad hoc assumptions introduced in similar algorithms to fix the regularization parameter. We apply the algorithm to imaginary-time quantum Monte Carlo data and compare the resulting energy spectra with those from a standard maximum-entropy calculation.

[Studies on the identification of psychotropic substances. VIII. Preparation and various analytical data of reference standard of some stimulants, amfepramone, cathinone, N-ethylamphetamine, fenethylline, fenproporex and mefenorex].

Science.gov (United States)

Shimamine, M; Takahashi, K; Nakahara, Y

1992-01-01

The Reference Standards for amfepramone, cathinone, N-ethylamphetamine, fenethylline, fenproporex and mefenorex were prepared. Their purities determined by HPLC were more than 99.5%. For the identification and determination of these six drugs, their analytical data were measured and discussed by TLC, UV, IR, HPLC, GC/MS and NMR.

CSNI International standard problems (ISP): brief descriptions (1975-1997)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

Over the last twenty years (1975-1999) the NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) has sponsored more than forty International Standard Problems (ISPs) in the fields of in-vessel thermal-hydraulic behaviour, fuel behaviour under accident conditions, fission product release and transport, core/concrete interactions, hydrogen distribution and mixing, containment thermal-hydraulic, and iodine behaviour in the containment. ISPs are comparative exercises in which predictions of different computer codes for a given physical problem are compared with each other or with the results of a carefully controlled experimental study. The main goal of ISP exercises is to increase confidence in the validity and accuracy of analytical tools or testing procedures which are needed in warranting the safety of nuclear installations, and to demonstrate the competence of involved institutions. ISP exercises are performed as 'open' or 'blind' problems. The main characteristics of 41 ISPs completed between 1975 and 1999, and 3 containment analysis standard problems (CASPs) are briefly presented

Teachable, high-content analytics for live-cell, phase contrast movies.

Science.gov (United States)

Alworth, Samuel V; Watanabe, Hirotada; Lee, James S J

2010-09-01

CL-Quant is a new solution platform for broad, high-content, live-cell image analysis. Powered by novel machine learning technologies and teach-by-example interfaces, CL-Quant provides a platform for the rapid development and application of scalable, high-performance, and fully automated analytics for a broad range of live-cell microscopy imaging applications, including label-free phase contrast imaging. The authors used CL-Quant to teach off-the-shelf universal analytics, called standard recipes, for cell proliferation, wound healing, cell counting, and cell motility assays using phase contrast movies collected on the BioStation CT and BioStation IM platforms. Similar to application modules, standard recipes are intended to work robustly across a wide range of imaging conditions without requiring customization by the end user. The authors validated the performance of the standard recipes by comparing their performance with truth created manually, or by custom analytics optimized for each individual movie (and therefore yielding the best possible result for the image), and validated by independent review. The validation data show that the standard recipes' performance is comparable with the validated truth with low variation. The data validate that the CL-Quant standard recipes can provide robust results without customization for live-cell assays in broad cell types and laboratory settings.

Analytical chemistry of nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1963-01-01

The last two decades have witnessed an enormous development in chemical analysis. The rapid progress of nuclear energy, of solid-state physics and of other fields of modern industry has extended the concept of purity to limits previously unthought of, and to reach the new dimensions of these extreme demands, entirely new techniques have been invented and applied and old ones have been refined. Recognizing these facts, the International Atomic Energy Agency convened a Panel on Analytical Chemistry of Nuclear Materials to discuss the general problems facing the analytical chemist engaged in nuclear energy development, particularly in newly developing centre and countries, to analyse the represent situation and to advise as to the directions in which research and development appear to be most necessary. The Panel also discussed the analytical programme of the Agency's laboratory at Seibersdorf, where the Agency has already started a programme of international comparison of analytical methods which may lead to the establishment of international standards for many materials of interest. Refs and tabs

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory progress report for FY 1985

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, D.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Jensen, K.J.

1985-12-01

The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost-recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of technical support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. In addition, ACL conducts a research program in analytical chemistry, works on instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques. The purpose of this report is to summarize the technical and administrative activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year 1985 (October 1984 through September 1985). This is the second annual report for the ACL. 4 figs., 1 tab.

Analytical Chemistry Laboratory progress report for FY 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, D.W.; Heinrich, R.R.; Jensen, K.J.

1985-12-01

The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is a full-cost-recovery service center, with the primary mission of providing a broad range of technical support services to the scientific and engineering programs at ANL. In addition, ACL conducts a research program in analytical chemistry, works on instrumental and methods development, and provides analytical services for governmental, educational, and industrial organizations. The ACL handles a wide range of analytical problems, from routine standard analyses to unique problems that require significant development of methods and techniques. The purpose of this report is to summarize the technical and administrative activities of the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for Fiscal Year 1985 (October 1984 through September 1985). This is the second annual report for the ACL. 4 figs., 1 tab

Measuring fuel moisture content in Alaska: standard methods and procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodney A. Norum; Melanie. Miller

1984-01-01

Methods and procedures are given for collecting and processing living and dead plant materials for the purpose of determining their water content. Wild-land fuels in Alaska are emphasized, but the methodology is applicable elsewhere. Guides are given for determining the number of samples needed to attain a chosen precision. Detailed procedures are presented for...

Optimization of wet digestion procedure of blood and tissue for selenium determination by means of 75Se tracer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holynska, B.; Lipinska, K.

1977-01-01

Selenium-75 tracer has been used for optimization of analytical procedure of selenium determination in blood and tissue. Wet digestion procedure and reduction of selenium to its elemental form with tellurium as coprecipitant have been tested. Recovery of selenium obtained with the use of optimized analytical procedure amounts up 95% and precision is equal to 4.2%. (author)

Evaluation of a standardized procedure for [corrected] microscopic cell counts [corrected] in body fluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Emerson, Jane F; Emerson, Scott S

2005-01-01

A standardized urinalysis and manual microscopic cell counting system was evaluated for its potential to reduce intra- and interoperator variability in urine and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell counts. Replicate aliquots of pooled specimens were submitted blindly to technologists who were instructed to use either the Kova system with the disposable Glasstic slide (Hycor Biomedical, Inc., Garden Grove, CA) or the standard operating procedure of the University of California-Irvine (UCI), which uses plain glass slides for urine sediments and hemacytometers for CSF. The Hycor system provides a mechanical means of obtaining a fixed volume of fluid in which to resuspend the sediment, and fixes the volume of specimen to be microscopically examined by using capillary filling of a chamber containing in-plane counting grids. Ninety aliquots of pooled specimens of each type of body fluid were used to assess the inter- and intraoperator reproducibility of the measurements. The variability of replicate Hycor measurements made on a single specimen by the same or different observers was compared with that predicted by a Poisson distribution. The Hycor methods generally resulted in test statistics that were slightly lower than those obtained with the laboratory standard methods, indicating a trend toward decreasing the effects of various sources of variability. For 15 paired aliquots of each body fluid, tests for systematically higher or lower measurements with the Hycor methods were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Also examined was the average difference between the Hycor and current laboratory standard measurements, along with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the true average difference. Without increasing labor or the requirement for attention to detail, the Hycor method provides slightly better interrater comparisons than the current method used at UCI. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Median of patient results as a tool for assessment of analytical stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Lars Mønster; Hansen, Steen Ingemann; Petersen, Per Hyltoft

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: In spite of the well-established external quality assessment and proficiency testing surveys of analytical quality performance in laboratory medicine, a simple tool to monitor the long-term analytical stability as a supplement to the internal control procedures is often needed. METHOD......: Patient data from daily internal control schemes was used for monthly appraisal of the analytical stability. This was accomplished by using the monthly medians of patient results to disclose deviations from analytical stability, and by comparing divergences with the quality specifications for allowable...... analytical bias based on biological variation. RESULTS: Seventy five percent of the twenty analytes achieved on two COBASs INTEGRA 800 instruments performed in accordance with the optimum and with the desirable specifications for bias. DISCUSSION: Patient results applied in analytical quality performance...

Transfer of analytical procedures: a panel of strategies selected for risk management, with emphasis on an integrated equivalence-based comparative testing approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Agut, C; Caron, A; Giordano, C; Hoffman, D; Ségalini, A

2011-09-10

In 2001, a multidisciplinary team made of analytical scientists and statisticians at Sanofi-aventis has published a methodology which has governed, from that time, the transfers from R&D sites to Manufacturing sites of the release monographs. This article provides an overview of the recent adaptations brought to this original methodology taking advantage of our experience and the new regulatory framework, and, in particular, the risk management perspective introduced by ICH Q9. Although some alternate strategies have been introduced in our practices, the comparative testing one, based equivalence testing as statistical approach, remains the standard for assays lying on very critical quality attributes. This is conducted with the concern to control the most important consumer's risk involved at two levels in analytical decisions in the frame of transfer studies: risk, for the receiving laboratory, to take poor release decisions with the analytical method and risk, for the sending laboratory, to accredit such a receiving laboratory on account of its insufficient performances with the method. Among the enhancements to the comparative studies, the manuscript presents the process settled within our company for a better integration of the transfer study into the method life-cycle, just as proposals of generic acceptance criteria and designs for assay and related substances methods. While maintaining rigor and selectivity of the original approach, these improvements tend towards an increased efficiency in the transfer operations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the service quality of Iran military hospitals: Joint Commission International standards and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique

Science.gov (United States)

Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Ravangard, Ramin; Yaghoubi, Maryam; Alimohammadzadeh, Khalil

2014-01-01

Background: Military hospitals are responsible for preserving, restoring and improving the health of not only armed forces, but also other people. According to the military organizations strategy, which is being a leader and pioneer in all areas, providing quality health services is one of the main goals of the military health care organizations. This study was aimed to evaluate the service quality of selected military hospitals in Iran based on the Joint Commission International (JCI) standards and comparing these hospitals with each other and ranking them using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique in 2013. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted on five military hospitals, selected using the purposive sampling method, in 2013. Required data collected using checklists of accreditation standards and nominal group technique. AHP technique was used for prioritizing. Furthermore, Expert Choice 11.0 was used to analyze the collected data. Results: Among JCI standards, the standards of access to care and continuity of care (weight = 0.122), quality improvement and patient safety (weight = 0.121) and leadership and management (weight = 0.117) had the greatest importance, respectively. Furthermore, in the overall ranking, BGT (weight = 0.369), IHM (0.238), SAU (0.202), IHK (weight = 0.125) and SAB (weight = 0.066) ranked first to fifth, respectively. Conclusion: AHP is an appropriate technique for measuring the overall performance of hospitals and their quality of services. It is a holistic approach that takes all hospital processes into consideration. The results of the present study can be used to improve hospitals performance through identifying areas, which are in need of focus for quality improvement and selecting strategies to improve service quality. PMID:25250364

Assessing the service quality of Iran military hospitals: Joint Commission International standards and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Ravangard, Ramin; Yaghoubi, Maryam; Alimohammadzadeh, Khalil

2014-01-01

Military hospitals are responsible for preserving, restoring and improving the health of not only armed forces, but also other people. According to the military organizations strategy, which is being a leader and pioneer in all areas, providing quality health services is one of the main goals of the military health care organizations. This study was aimed to evaluate the service quality of selected military hospitals in Iran based on the Joint Commission International (JCI) standards and comparing these hospitals with each other and ranking them using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique in 2013. This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted on five military hospitals, selected using the purposive sampling method, in 2013. Required data collected using checklists of accreditation standards and nominal group technique. AHP technique was used for prioritizing. Furthermore, Expert Choice 11.0 was used to analyze the collected data. Among JCI standards, the standards of access to care and continuity of care (weight = 0.122), quality improvement and patient safety (weight = 0.121) and leadership and management (weight = 0.117) had the greatest importance, respectively. Furthermore, in the overall ranking, BGT (weight = 0.369), IHM (0.238), SAU (0.202), IHK (weight = 0.125) and SAB (weight = 0.066) ranked first to fifth, respectively. AHP is an appropriate technique for measuring the overall performance of hospitals and their quality of services. It is a holistic approach that takes all hospital processes into consideration. The results of the present study can be used to improve hospitals performance through identifying areas, which are in need of focus for quality improvement and selecting strategies to improve service quality.

The stability of uranium microspheres for future application as reference standard in analytical measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Middendorp, R.; Duerr, M.; Bosbach, D. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, IEK-6, 52428 Juelich (Germany)

2016-07-01

The monitoring of fuel-cycle facilities provides a tool to confirm the compliant operation, for example with respect to emissions into the environment or to supervise non-proliferation commitments. Hereby, anomalous situations can be detected in a timely manner and responsive action can be initiated to prevent an escalation into an event of severe consequence to society. In order to verify non-nuclear weapon states' compliance with the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), international authorities such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conduct inspections at facilities dealing with fissile or fertile nuclear materials. One measure consists of collection of swipe samples through inspectors for later analysis of collected nuclear material traces in the laboratory. Highly sensitive mass spectrometric methods provide a means to detect traces from nuclear material handling activities that provide indication of undeclared use of the facility. There are, however, no relevant (certified) reference materials available that can be used as calibration or quality control standards. Therefore, an aerosol-generation based process was established at Forschungszentrum Juelich for the production of spherical, mono-disperse uranium oxide micro-particles with accurately characterized isotopic compositions and amounts of uranium in the pico-gram range. The synthesized particles are studied with respect to their suitability as (certified) reference material in ultra-trace analysis. Several options for preparation and stabilization of the particles are available, where preparation of particles in suspension offers the possibility to produces specific particle mixtures. In order to assess the stability of particles, dissolution behavior and isotope exchange effects of particles in liquid suspension is studied on the bulk of suspended particles and also via micro-analytical methods applied for single particle characterization. The insights gained within these studies will

Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems recommendation for space data system standards: Telecommand. Part 2.1: Command operation procedures

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

This recommendation contains the detailed specification of the logic required to carry out the Command Operations Procedures of the Transfer Layer. The Recommendation for Telecommand--Part 2, Data Routing Service contains the standard data structures and data communication procedures used by the intermediate telecommand system layers (the Transfer and Segmentation Layers). In particular, it contains a brief description of the Command Operations Procedures (COP) within the Transfer Layer. This recommendation contains the detailed definition of the COP's in the form of state tables, along with definitions of the terms used. It is assumed that the reader of this document is familiar with the data structures and terminology of part 2. In case of conflict between the description of the COP's in part 2 and in this recommendation, the definition in this recommendation will take precedence. In particular, this document supersedes section 4.3.3.1 through 4.3.3.4 of part 2.

Pre-analytical and analytical aspects affecting clinical reliability of plasma glucose results.

Science.gov (United States)

Pasqualetti, Sara; Braga, Federica; Panteghini, Mauro

2017-07-01

The measurement of plasma glucose (PG) plays a central role in recognizing disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism, with established decision limits that are globally accepted. This requires that PG results are reliable and unequivocally valid no matter where they are obtained. To control the pre-analytical variability of PG and prevent in vitro glycolysis, the use of citrate as rapidly effective glycolysis inhibitor has been proposed. However, the commercial availability of several tubes with studies showing different performance has created confusion among users. Moreover, and more importantly, studies have shown that tubes promptly inhibiting glycolysis give PG results that are significantly higher than tubes containing sodium fluoride only, used in the majority of studies generating the current PG cut-points, with a different clinical classification of subjects. From the analytical point of view, to be equivalent among different measuring systems, PG results should be traceable to a recognized higher-order reference via the implementation of an unbroken metrological hierarchy. In doing this, it is important that manufacturers of measuring systems consider the uncertainty accumulated through the different steps of the selected traceability chain. In particular, PG results should fulfil analytical performance specifications defined to fit the intended clinical application. Since PG has tight homeostatic control, its biological variability may be used to define these limits. Alternatively, given the central diagnostic role of the analyte, an outcome model showing the impact of analytical performance of test on clinical classifications of subjects can be used. Using these specifications, performance assessment studies employing commutable control materials with values assigned by reference procedure have shown that the quality of PG measurements is often far from desirable and that problems are exacerbated using point-of-care devices. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian

Optimizing RDF Data Cubes for Efficient Processing of Analytical Queries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Kim Ahlstrøm; Andersen, Alex B.; Hose, Katja

2015-01-01

data warehouses and data cubes. Today, external data sources are essential for analytics and, as the Semantic Web gains popularity, more and more external sources are available in native RDF. With the recent SPARQL 1.1 standard, performing analytical queries over RDF data sources has finally become...

Orders- Versus Encounters-Based Image Capture: Implications Pre- and Post-Procedure Workflow, Technical and Build Capabilities, Resulting, Analytics and Revenue Capture: HIMSS-SIIM Collaborative White Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Cram, Dawn; Roth, Christopher J; Towbin, Alexander J

2016-10-01

The decision to implement an orders-based versus an encounters-based imaging workflow poses various implications to image capture and storage. The impacts include workflows before and after an imaging procedure, electronic health record build, technical infrastructure, analytics, resulting, and revenue. Orders-based workflows tend to favor some imaging specialties while others require an encounters-based approach. The intent of this HIMSS-SIIM white paper is to offer lessons learned from early adopting institutions to physician champions and informatics leadership developing strategic planning and operational rollouts for specialties capturing clinical multimedia.

Development of Radioanalytical and Microanalytical Procedures for the Determination of Actinides in Environmental Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macsik, Zsuzsanna; Vajda, Nora; Bene, Balazs; Varga, Zsolt

2008-01-01

A radio-analytical procedure has been developed for the simultaneous determination of actinides in swipe samples by alpha-spectrometry after the separation of the actinides by extraction chromatography. The procedure is based on the complete decomposition of the sample by destruction with microwave digestion or ashing in furnace. Actinides are separated on an extraction chromatographic column filled with TRU resin (product of Eichrom Industries Inc.). Alpha sources prepared from the separated fractions of americium, plutonium, thorium and uranium are counted by alpha spectrometry. Micro-analytical procedure is being developed for the location and identification of individual particles containing fissile material using solid state nuclear track detectors. The parameters of alpha and fission track detection have been optimized and a procedure has been elaborated to locate the particles on the sample by defining the coordinates of the tracks created by the particles on the track detector. Development of a procedure is planned to separate the located particles using micromanipulator and these particles will be examined individually by different micro- and radio-analytical techniques. (authors)

Development of Radioanalytical and Microanalytical Procedures for the Determination of Actinides in Environmental Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macsik, Zsuzsanna [Institute of Nuclear Techniques, Moegyetem rakpart 9, H-1111 Budapest (Hungary); Vajda, Nora [RadAnal Ltd., Bimbo ut 119/a, H-1026 Budapest (Hungary); Bene, Balazs [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (United States); Varga, Zsolt [Institute of Isotopes, Konkoly-Thege M. ut 29-33, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary)

2008-07-01

A radio-analytical procedure has been developed for the simultaneous determination of actinides in swipe samples by alpha-spectrometry after the separation of the actinides by extraction chromatography. The procedure is based on the complete decomposition of the sample by destruction with microwave digestion or ashing in furnace. Actinides are separated on an extraction chromatographic column filled with TRU resin (product of Eichrom Industries Inc.). Alpha sources prepared from the separated fractions of americium, plutonium, thorium and uranium are counted by alpha spectrometry. Micro-analytical procedure is being developed for the location and identification of individual particles containing fissile material using solid state nuclear track detectors. The parameters of alpha and fission track detection have been optimized and a procedure has been elaborated to locate the particles on the sample by defining the coordinates of the tracks created by the particles on the track detector. Development of a procedure is planned to separate the located particles using micromanipulator and these particles will be examined individually by different micro- and radio-analytical techniques. (authors)

Development of a standard operating procedure for mammography equipment used in calibration of ionized chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Yklys Santos; Potiens, Maria da Penha Albuquerque

2011-01-01

Mammography is one widely used technique in the detection of breast cancer. In order to optimize the results achieving better images with lower dose rates, a quality assurance programme must be applied to the equipment. Some control tests use ionization chambers to measure air kerma and other quantities. These tests can only be reliable if the ionization chambers used on them are correctly calibrated. In the present work, it was developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) for quality control tests in a commercial mammography equipment installed in the Calibration Laboratory (LCI) at IPEN - Brazilian Institute for energy and nuclear research). Seven tests were performed in the equipment: Tube voltage and exposition time accuracy and reproducibility, linearity and reproducibility of Air kerma and Half Value Layer (HVL). Then, it was made a measurement of the air kerma in the mammography equipment, using a reference ionization chamber with traceability to a primary laboratory in Germany (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt - PTB), that was later compared with the air kerma measured in an industrial irradiator. This industrial X-ray generator was recently used in the implementation of X-radiation Standards beams, mammography level, following the Standard IEC 61267. The HVL values varied from 0.36 (25kV) to 0.41 mmA1 (35kV), and the measured air kerma rates were between 9.78 and 17.97 mGy/min. (author)

Towards analytical mix design for large-stone asphalt mixes.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Rust, FC

1992-08-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the development of an analytically based design procedure for large-aggregate asphalt and its application in thirteen trial sections. The physical and engineering properties of the various materials are discussed and related...

MATLAB-implemented estimation procedure for model-based assessment of hepatic insulin degradation from standard intravenous glucose tolerance test data.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Nardo, Francesco; Mengoni, Michele; Morettini, Micaela

2013-05-01

Present study provides a novel MATLAB-based parameter estimation procedure for individual assessment of hepatic insulin degradation (HID) process from standard frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT) data. Direct access to the source code, offered by MATLAB, enabled us to design an optimization procedure based on the alternating use of Gauss-Newton's and Levenberg-Marquardt's algorithms, which assures the full convergence of the process and the containment of computational time. Reliability was tested by direct comparison with the application, in eighteen non-diabetic subjects, of well-known kinetic analysis software package SAAM II, and by application on different data. Agreement between MATLAB and SAAM II was warranted by intraclass correlation coefficients ≥0.73; no significant differences between corresponding mean parameter estimates and prediction of HID rate; and consistent residual analysis. Moreover, MATLAB optimization procedure resulted in a significant 51% reduction of CV% for the worst-estimated parameter by SAAM II and in maintaining all model-parameter CV% MATLAB-based procedure was suggested as a suitable tool for the individual assessment of HID process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and evaluation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for quality control tests and radiological protection activities in a Nuclear Medicine Service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krempser, Alexandre R., E-mail: krempser@peb.ufrj.br [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (PEB/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Biomedica; Soares, Alexandre B. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IF/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica; Corbo, Rossana [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (FM/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Radiologia

2011-07-01

The quality management in Nuclear Medicine Services is a requirement of national and international standards. The Brazilian regulatory agency in health surveillance, the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA), in its Resolucao de Diretoria Colegiada (Collegiate Directory Resolution) no. 38, requires the elaboration of documents describing the technical and clinical routine activities. This study aimed to elaborate, implement and evaluate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for quality control tests and radiological protection activities in the Nuclear Medicine Service of a university hospital. Eighteen SOPs were developed, involving tasks related to dose calibrator, gamma camera, Geiger-Muller detectors and radiological protection activities. The performance of its application was evaluated for a period of six months. It was observed a reduction in 75% of reported operational errors and 42% of the number of reported incidents with contamination by radioactive material. The SOPs were adequate and successful in its application. New procedures involving clinical activities will also be developed and evaluated. (author)

Toward analytic aids for standard setting in nuclear regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, R.V.; O'Connor, M.F.; Peterson, C.R.

1979-05-01

US NRC promulgates standards for nuclear reprocessing and other facilities to safeguard against the diversion of nuclear material. Two broad tasks have been directed toward establishing performance criteria for standard settings: general-purpose modeling, and analysis specific to a particular performance criterion option. This report emphasizes work on the second task. Purpose is to provide a framework for the evaluation of such options that organizes the necessary components in a way that provides for meaningful assessments with respect to required inputs

7 CFR 93.13 - Analytical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... No. 1, USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, Science and Technology, 3521 South Agriculture Building... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Analytical methods. 93.13 Section 93.13 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards...

Standard test methods for chemical, mass spectrometric, and spectrochemical analysis of nuclear-grade aluminum oxide and aluminum oxide-boron carbide composite pellets

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1994-01-01

1.1 These test methods cover procedures for the chemical, mass spectrometric, and spectrochemical analysis of nuclear-grade aluminum oxide and aluminum oxide-boron carbide composite pellets to determine compliance with specifications. 1.2 The analytical procedures appear in the following order: Sections Boron by Titrimetry 7 to 13 Separation of Boron for Mass Spectrometry 14 to 19 Isotopic Composition by Mass Spectrometry 20 to 23 Separation of Halides by Pyrohydrolysis 24 to 27 Fluoride by Ion-Selective Electrode 28 to 30 Chloride, Bromide, and Iodide by Amperometric Microtitrimetry 31 to 33 Trace Elements by Emission Spectroscopy 34 to 46 1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. 1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. (F...

Quality system implementation for nuclear analytical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The international effort (UNIDO, ILAC, BIPM, etc.) to establish a functional infrastructure for metrology and accreditation in many developing countries needs to be complemented by assistance to implement high quality practices and high quality output by service providers and producers in the respective countries. Knowledge of how to approach QA systems that justify a formal accreditation is available in only a few countries and the dissemination of know how and development of skills is needed bottom up from the working level of laboratories and institutes. Awareness building, convincing of management, introduction of good management practices, technical expertise and good documentation will lead to the creation of a quality culture that assures a sustainability and inherent development of quality practices as a prerequisite of economic success. Quality assurance and quality control can be used as a valuable management tool and is a prerequisite for international trade and information exchange. This publication tries to assist quality managers, Laboratory Managers and staff involved in setting up a QA/QC system in a nuclear analytical laboratory to take appropriate action to start and complete the necessary steps for a successful quality system for ultimate national accreditation. This guidebook contributes to a better understanding of the basic ideas behind ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for 'General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories'. It provides basic information and detailed explanation about the establishment of the QC system in analytical and nuclear analytical laboratories. It is a proper training material for training of trainers and makes managers with QC management and implementation familiar. This training material aims to facilitate the implementation of internationally accepted quality principles and to promote attempts by Member States' laboratories to obtain accreditation for nuclear analytical

Regional technical cooperation model project, IAEA - RER/2/2004 ''quality control and quality assurance for nuclear analytical techniques'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arikan, P.

2002-01-01

An analytical laboratory should produce high quality analytical data through the use of analytical measurements that is accurate, reliable and adequate for the intended purpose. This objective can be accomplished in a cost-effective manner under a planned and documented quality system of activities. It is well-known that serious deficiencies can occur in laboratory operations when insufficient attention is given to the quality of the work. It requires not only a thorough knowledge of the laboratory's purpose and operation, but also the dedication of the management and operating staff to standards of excellence. Laboratories employing nuclear and nuclear-related analytical techniques are sometimes confronted with performance problems which prevent them from becoming accepted and respected by clients, such as industry, government and regulatory bodies, and from being eligible for contracts. The International Standard ISO 17025 has been produced as the result of extensive experience in the implementation of ISO/IEC Guide 25:1990 and EN 45001:1989, which replaces both of them now. It contains all of the requirements that testing and calibration laboratories must meet if they wish to demonstrate that they operate a quality system that is technically competent, and are able to generate technically valid results. The use of ISO 17025 should facilitate cooperation between laboratories and other bodies to assist in the exchange of information and experience, and in the harmonization of standards and procedures. IAEA model project RER/2/004 entitled 'Quality Assurance/Quality Control in Nuclear Analytical Techniques' was initiated in 1999 as a Regional TC project in East European countries to assist Member State laboratories in the region to install a complete quality system according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. 12 laboratories from 11 countries plus the Agency's Laboratories in Seibersdorf have been selected as participants to undergo exercises and training with the

Evaluation of some procedures relevant to the determination of trace elemental components in biological materials by destructive neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, D.L.

1979-01-01

The development of a simplified procedure for the analysis of biological materials by destructive neutron activation analysis (DNAA) is described. The sample manipulations preceding gamma ray assay were investigated as five specific stages of processing: (1) pre-irradiation treatment; (2) sample irradiation; (3) removal of the organic matrix; (4) removal of interfering radioactivities; and (5) concentration and separation of analyte activities. Each stage was evaluated with respect to susceptibility to sample contamination, loss of trace elemental components, and compatibility with other operations in the overall DNAA procedures. A complete DNAA procedure was proposed and evaluated for the analysis of standard bovine liver and blood samples. The DNAA system was effective for the determination of As, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, Rb, Sb, Se, and Zn without yield determinations and with a minimum turn-around time of approximately 3 days

Evaluation of some procedures relevant to the determination of trace elemental components in biological materials by destructive neutron activation analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berry, D.L.

1979-01-01

The development of a simplified procedure for the analysis of biological materials by destructive neutron activation analysis (DNAA) is described. The sample manipulations preceding gamma ray assay were investigated as five specific stages of processing: (1) pre-irradiation treatment; (2) sample irradiation; (3) removal of the organic matrix; (4) removal of interfering radioactivities; and (5) concentration and separation of analyte activities. Each stage was evaluated with respect to susceptibility to sample contamination, loss of trace elemental components, and compatibility with other operations in the overall DNAA procedures. A complete DNAA procedure was proposed and evaluated for the analysis of standard bovine liver and blood samples. The DNAA system was effective for the determination of As, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, Rb, Sb, Se, and Zn without yield determinations and with a minimum turn-around time of approximately 3 days.

Analytical procedure in aseismic design of eccentric structure using response spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takemori, T.; Kuwabara, Y.; Suwabe, A.; Mitsunobu, S.

1977-01-01

In this paper, the response are evaluated by the following two methods by the use of the typical torsional analytical models in which masses, rigidities, eccentricities between the centers thereof and several actual earthquake waves are taken as the parameters: (1) the root mean square of responses by using the response spectra derived from the earthquake waves, (2) the time history analysis by using the earthquake wave. The earthquake waves used are chosen to present the different frequency content and magnitude of the response spectra. The typical results derived from the study are as follows: (a) the response accelerations of mass center in the input earthquake direction by the (1) method coincide comparatively well with those by the (2) method, (b) the response accelerations perpendicular to the input earthquake direction by (1) method are 2 to 3 times as much as those by the (2) method, (c) the amplification of the response accelerations at arbitrary points distributed on the spread mass to those of center of the lumped mass by the (1) method are remarkably large compared with those by the (2) method in both directions respectively. These problems on the response spectrum analysis for the above-mentioned eccentric structure are discussed, and an improved analytical method applying the amplification coefficients of responses derived from this parametric time history analysis is proposed to the actual seismic design by the using of the given design ground response spectrum with root mean square technique

SPARTex: A Vertex-Centric Framework for RDF Data Analytics

KAUST Repository

Abdelaziz, Ibrahim

2015-08-31

A growing number of applications require combining SPARQL queries with generic graph search on RDF data. However, the lack of procedural capabilities in SPARQL makes it inappropriate for graph analytics. Moreover, RDF engines focus on SPARQL query evaluation whereas graph management frameworks perform only generic graph computations. In this work, we bridge the gap by introducing SPARTex, an RDF analytics framework based on the vertex-centric computation model. In SPARTex, user-defined vertex centric programs can be invoked from SPARQL as stored procedures. SPARTex allows the execution of a pipeline of graph algorithms without the need for multiple reads/writes of input data and intermediate results. We use a cost-based optimizer for minimizing the communication cost. SPARTex evaluates queries that combine SPARQL and generic graph computations orders of magnitude faster than existing RDF engines. We demonstrate a real system prototype of SPARTex running on a local cluster using real and synthetic datasets. SPARTex has a real-time graphical user interface that allows the participants to write regular SPARQL queries, use our proposed SPARQL extension to declaratively invoke graph algorithms or combine/pipeline both SPARQL querying and generic graph analytics.

Hanford performance evaluation program for Hanford site analytical services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markel, L.P.