Productivity improvements in gas distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, M.R.

1997-01-01

In 1993, the Hilmer Report resulted in the introduction of the National Competition Policy which, in the case of the gas industry, aims to promote gas-on-gas competition where to date it has been excluded. In response, and to prepare for wide gas industry reform, Gas and Fuel formed three fundamentally different core businesses on 1 July 1996 - Energy Retail, Network, and Contestable Services. In one productivity improvement initiative which is believed to be unique, Gas and Fuel appointed three companies as strategic alliance partners for distribution system maintenance. Gas and Fuel can now concentrate on its core role as asset manager which owns and operates the distribution system while procuring all services from what will become non-regulated businesses. This Paper details this initiative and the benefits which have resulted from overall changes and improvements, and outlines the challenges facing Gas and Fuel in the future. (au)

75 FR 64699 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status; VF Corporation (Apparel, Footwear and Luggage Distribution...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-20

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1714] Grant of Authority for Subzone Status; VF Corporation (Apparel, Footwear and Luggage Distribution), Martinsville, VA Pursuant to its... authority for subzone status for activity related to apparel, footwear and luggage warehousing and...

75 FR 38077 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status; Abercrombie & Fitch (Footwear and Apparel Distribution...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1687] Grant of Authority for Subzone Status; Abercrombie & Fitch (Footwear and Apparel Distribution); New Albany, OH Pursuant to its authority... footwear and apparel warehousing and distribution at the facility of Abercrombie & Fitch, located in New...

Physiotherapy improves patient reported shoulder function and health status in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Storgaard, Filip Holst; Pedersen, Christina Gravgaard; Jensen, Majbritt Lykke

Physiotherapy improves patient reported shoulder function and health status in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome.......Physiotherapy improves patient reported shoulder function and health status in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome....

Are Improvements in Child Health Due to Increasing Status of Women in Developing Nations?

Science.gov (United States)

Heaton, Tim B

2015-01-01

This research tests the hypothesis that change over time in women's status leads to improvements in their children's health. Specifically, we examine whether change in resources and empowerment in mother's roles as biological mothers, caregivers, and providers and social contexts that promote the rights and representation of and investment in women are associated with better nutritional status and survival of young children. Analysis is based on a broad sample of countries (n = 28), with data at two or more points in time to enable examination of change. Key indicators of child health show improvement in the last 13 years in developing nations. Much of this improvement--90 percent of the increase in nutritional status and 47 percent of the reduction in mortality--is associated with improving status of women. Increased maternal education, control over reproduction, freedom from violence, access to health care, legislation and enforcement of women's rights, greater political representation, equality in the education system, and lower maternal mortality are improving children's health. These results imply that further advancement of women's position in society would be beneficial.

Geographic distribution and conservation status of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae in Uruguay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Borteiro

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Populations of Caiman latirostris are known to occur in Uruguay but their geographic distribution remains uncertain. This work presents anupdate of the species distribution and conservation status in Uruguay. Surveys conducted by the authors confirmed the presence of this species in the previously known distribution range of northwestern Uruguay, where it seems to be widespread and relatively abundant in contrast to earlier reports. We report new localities for C. latirostris, most relevant being those of the Cebollatí and Tacuarí Rivers, and the Pelotas, India Muerta and San Miguel stream basins, which significantly expand its distribution through important wetlands in the eastern part of the country. The overall distribution is coincident with different landscape types, where lagoons, artificial impoundments, livestock waterholes, rivers, streams, creeks and marshes are inhabited by caiman. Illegal non-commercial hunting was detected all over the country.

DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS IN MODERN DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMERS

OpenAIRE

Ćućić, Branimir; Meško, Nina; Mikulić, Martina; Trstoglavec, Dominik

2017-01-01

In the paper design improvements of distribution transformers related to improved energy efficiency and environmental awareness are discussed. Eco design of transformers, amorphous transformers, voltage regulated transformers and transformers filled with ester liquids are analyzed. As a consequence of growing energy efficiency importance, European Commission has adopted new regulation which defines maximum permissible levels of load and no-load losses of transformers with rated...

Improving the Status of Human and Material Resources in Public ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Improving the Status of Human and Material Resources in Public Primary School in Oyo States ... the Millennium Development Goals project in the State. ... libraries, well-equipped first aid centres, adequate electronically projected instructional ...

76 FR 22672 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status, Allegro Mfg. Inc. (Distribution of Cosmetic, Organizer and...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1754] Grant of Authority for Subzone Status, Allegro Mfg. Inc. (Distribution of Cosmetic, Organizer and Electronic Bags and Accessories... grants authority for subzone status for activity related to cosmetic, organizer and electronic bags and...

Population status, habitat associations, and distribution of the steppe polecat Mustela eversmanii in Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šálek, Martin; Spassov, N.; Anděra, M.; Enzinger, K.; Ottlecz, B.; Hegyeli, Z.

2013-01-01

Roč. 58, č. 3 (2013), s. 233-244 ISSN 0001-7051 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Steppe polecat * Mustela eversmanii * Distribution * Habitat associations * Population status * Europe Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.161, year: 2013

Status and distribution of mammals in the Netherlands since 1800

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Thissen

1996-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract The recent and historical status and distribution of 64 Dutch wild mammals are described. In the last two centuries there have been a lot of changes in this field. Some species are increasing, but others are decreasing. Greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (in 1984, lesser horseshoe bat Rh. hipposideros (in 1983, wolf Canis lupus (in 1869, otter (in 1988, but a very small number of solitary individuals is still present and Eurasian beaver (in 1826, but reintroduced in 1988 got extinct.

Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2018-02-27

The Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) is a periodic solicitation through the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) is a periodic solicitation through the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Manufacturers of small and medium wind turbines are awarded cost-shared grants via a competitive process to optimize their designs, develop advanced manufacturing processes, and perform turbine testing. The goals of the CIP are to make wind energy cost competitive with other distributed generation technology and increase the number of wind turbine designs certified to national testing standards. This fact sheet describes the CIP and funding awarded as part of the project.ufacturers of small and medium wind turbines are awarded cost-shared grants via a competitive process to optimize their designs, develop advanced manufacturing processes, and perform turbine testing. The goals of the CIP are to make wind energy cost competitive with other distributed generation technology and increase the number of wind turbine designs certified to national testing standards. This fact sheet describes the CIP and funding awarded as part of the project.

Clonal Evaluation of Prostate Cancer by ERG/SPINK1 Status to Improve Prognosis Prediction

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

19 NIH Exploiting drivers of androgen receptor signaling negative prostate cancer for precision medicine Goal(s): Identify novel potential drivers...AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-1-0466 TITLE: Clonal evaluation of prostate cancer by ERG/SPINK1 status to improve prognosis prediction PRINCIPAL...Sept 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Clonal Evaluation of Prostate Cancer by ERG/SPINK1 Status to Improve Prognosis Prediction 5b

Fish oil supplementation improves docosahexaenoic acid status of malnourished infants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, EN; Oelen, EA; Seerat, E; Boersma, ER; Muskiet, FAJ

Aim-To investigate whether the low docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status of malnourished, mostly breast fed, Pakistani children can be improved by fish oil (FO) supplementation. Methods-Ten malnourished children (aged 8-30 months) received 500 mg FO daily for nine weeks. The supplement contained 62.8

The distribution, diversity, and conservation status of Cycas in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Ying; Liu, Jian; Feng, Xiuyan; Gong, Xun

2017-05-01

As ancient gymnosperm and woody plants, cycads have survived through dramatic tectonic activities, climate fluctuation, and environmental variations making them of great significance in studying the origin and evolution of flora biodiversity. However, they are among the most threatened plant groups in the world. The principal aim of this review is to outline the distribution, diversity, and conservation status of Cycas in China and provide suggestions for conservation practices. In this review, we describe the taxonomy, distribution, and conservation status of Cycas in China. By comparing Chinese Cycas species with its relatives worldwide, we then discuss the current genetic diversity, genetic differentiation of Cycas, and try to disentangle the potential effects of Quaternary climate changes and topographical events on Cycas . We review conservation practices from both researchers and practitioners for these rare and endangered species. High genetic diversity at the species level and strong genetic differentiation within Cycas have been observed. Most Cycas species in southwest China have experienced population retreats in contrast to the coastal Cycas 's expansion during the Quaternary glaciation. Additionally, human activities and habitat fragmentation have pushed these endangered taxa to the brink of extinction. Although numerous efforts have been made to mitigate threats to Cycas survival, implementation and compliance monitoring in protection zones are currently inadequate. We outline six proposals to strengthen conservation measures for Cycas in China and anticipate that these measures will provide guidelines for further research on population genetics as well as conservation biology of not only cycads but also other endangered species worldwide.

Improving flow distribution in influent channels using computational fluid dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, No-Suk; Yoon, Sukmin; Jeong, Woochang; Lee, Seungjae

2016-10-01

Although the flow distribution in an influent channel where the inflow is split into each treatment process in a wastewater treatment plant greatly affects the efficiency of the process, and a weir is the typical structure for the flow distribution, to the authors' knowledge, there is a paucity of research on the flow distribution in an open channel with a weir. In this study, the influent channel of a real-scale wastewater treatment plant was used, installing a suppressed rectangular weir that has a horizontal crest to cross the full channel width. The flow distribution in the influent channel was analyzed using a validated computational fluid dynamics model to investigate (1) the comparison of single-phase and two-phase simulation, (2) the improved procedure of the prototype channel, and (3) the effect of the inflow rate on flow distribution. The results show that two-phase simulation is more reliable due to the description of the free-surface fluctuations. It should first be considered for improving flow distribution to prevent a short-circuit flow, and the difference in the kinetic energy with the inflow rate makes flow distribution trends different. The authors believe that this case study is helpful for improving flow distribution in an influent channel.

Improved nutritional status in elderly patients 6 months after stroke

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brynningsen, P K; Damsgaard, Else Marie; Husted, Steen

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Nutritional status among stroke patients has received limited attention despite the fact, that it may have an influence on clinical outcome. Previous studies have estimated that 15-20 % of patients suffer from malnutrition in the acute phase of stroke, but so far no studies have...... focused on the late rehabilitation phase after stroke in the patients own home, where the attention on nutrition may be reduced. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition during 6 months of stroke rehabilitation, and to investigate the association between nutritional status, functional recovery...... improvement for serum proteins, and 22 % of the patients were malnourished 6 months after stroke. Udgivelsesdato: null-null...

An improved AVC strategy applied in distributed wind power system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y. N.; Liu, Q. H.; Song, S. Y.; Mao, W.

2016-08-01

Traditional AVC strategy is mainly used in wind farm and only concerns about grid connection point, which is not suitable for distributed wind power system. Therefore, this paper comes up with an improved AVC strategy applied in distributed wind power system. The strategy takes all nodes of distribution network into consideration and chooses the node having the most serious voltage deviation as control point to calculate the reactive power reference. In addition, distribution principles can be divided into two conditions: when wind generators access to network on single node, the reactive power reference is distributed according to reactive power capacity; when wind generators access to network on multi-node, the reference is distributed according to sensitivity. Simulation results show the correctness and reliability of the strategy. Compared with traditional control strategy, the strategy described in this paper can make full use of generators reactive power output ability according to the distribution network voltage condition and improve the distribution network voltage level effectively.

Improving nutritional status of children under 6 through nutrition counseling in rural area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minaei, Mina; Zarei, Maryam

2014-01-01

Full text: Nutrition counseling is one of the nutritional activities for improving child nutrition. It is the best way for decreasing malnutrition in children. Goal: To improve nutritional status of children under 6 through nutrition counseling in rural area with high prevalence of malnutrition. Methods: An international study with a total of 660 children with their mothers and with duration of seven months started in Lali district (in Khozestan province of Iran). Data gathered with using a demographic questionnaire and anthropometric measurements in children. Afterwards, malnourished children determined and referred to nutrition counseling centers. After training mothers, planning a diet and monitoring nutritional status were determined. Results: The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight in studied children at the beginning of the study were 9.6%, 6.2% and 4.8% respectively, which reached 8.7%, 3.3% and 2.4% by the end of the project (P<0.05). The intervention was most efficient in children suffering growth retardation, with a cure rate of 91%; only 48.6% of malnourished children referred to the center health were cured. Conclusion: Results obtained from this study showed that over 90% of children suffering growth retardation were cured. This means establishing nutrition counseling centers to encourage proper nutrition behaviors, evaluate current issues and find possible solutions, persuade mothers to improve child nutrition status making use of practical and specific methods appropriate with the tradition of the region has had an important role in improving the nutrition status of the children in the region. (author)

A multifaceted intervention model can give a lasting improvement of older peoples' nutritional status.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorefält, B; Wilhelmsson, S

2012-04-01

The purpose of this study was with a multifaceted intervention model improve the nutritional status of elderly people living in residential homes to increase their energy intake and to maintain improvements over time. Three different municipal residential homes in the south-east of Sweden. The study population consisted of 67 elderly people. A within-subjects design was used which means that the participants were their own controls. A multifaceted intervention model was chosen, which included education on both theoretical and practical issues, training and support for staff, and individualized snacks to the residents. Nutritional status was measured by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), the consumption of food was recorded by the staff using a food record method for 3 consecutive days. The length of night-time fasting has been calculated from the food records. Nutritional status improved after 3 months of intervention and was maintained after 9 months. Weight increased during the whole study period. Night-time fasting decreased but not to the recommended level. This study shows that it is possible by a multifaceted intervention model to increase energy intake including expanding snacks and thereby improve and maintain nutritional status over a longer period in the elderly living in residential homes. This result was possible to achieve because staff received education and training in nutritional issues and by provision of support during a period when new routines were introduced.

Risk Assessment for Distribution Systems Using an Improved PEM-Based Method Considering Wind and Photovoltaic Power Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qingwu Gong

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The intermittency and variability of permeated distributed generators (DGs could cause many critical security and economy risks to distribution systems. This paper applied a certain mathematical distribution to imitate the output variability and uncertainty of DGs. Then, four risk indices—EENS (expected energy not supplied, PLC (probability of load curtailment, EFLC (expected frequency of load curtailment, and SI (severity index—were established to reflect the system risk level of the distribution system. For the certain mathematical distribution of the DGs’ output power, an improved PEM (point estimate method-based method was proposed to calculate these four system risk indices. In this improved PEM-based method, an enumeration method was used to list the states of distribution systems, and an improved PEM was developed to deal with the uncertainties of DGs, and the value of load curtailment in distribution systems was calculated by an optimal power flow algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness and advantages of this proposed PEM-based method for distribution system assessment were verified by testing a modified IEEE 30-bus system. Simulation results have shown that this proposed PEM-based method has a high computational accuracy and highly reduced computational costs compared with other risk assessment methods and is very effective for risk assessments.

An Even Distribution of Protein Intake Daily Promotes Protein Adequacy but Does Not Influence Nutritional Status in Institutionalized Elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Tieland, Michael; Beelen, Janne; Laan, Anna C M; Poon, Shirley; de Groot, Lisette C P G M; Seeman, Ego; Wang, Xiaofang; Iuliano, Sandra

2018-01-01

Although it has been established that sufficient protein is required to maintain good nutritional status and support healthy aging, it is not clear if the pattern of protein consumption may also influence nutritional status, especially in institutionalized elderly who are at risk of malnutrition. Therefore, we aim to determine the association between protein intake distribution and nutritional status in institutionalized elderly people. Cross-sectional study among 481 institutionalized older adults. Dietary data from 481 ambulant elderly people (68.8% female, mean age 87.5 ± 6.3 years) residing in 52 aged-care facilities in Victoria, Australia, were assessed over 2 days using plate waste analysis. Nutritional status was determined using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment tool and serum (n = 208) analyzed for albumin, hemoglobin, and IGF-1. Protein intake distribution was classified as: spread (even distribution across 3 meals, n = 65), pulse (most protein consumed in one meal, n = 72) or intermediate (n = 344). Regression analysis was used to investigate associations. Mean protein intakes were higher in the spread (60.5 ± 2.0 g/d) than intermediate group (56.0 ± 0.8 g/d, P = .037), and tended to be higher than those in the pulse group (55.9 ± 1.9 g/d, P = .097). Residents with an even distribution of protein intake achieved a higher level of the recommended daily intake for protein (96.2 ± 30.0%) than the intermediate (86.3 ± 26.2%, P = .008) and pulse (87.4 ± 30.5%, P = .06) groups, and also achieved a greater level of their estimated energy requirements (intermediate; P = .039, pulse; P = .001). Nutritional status (Mini-Nutritional Assessment score) did not differ between groups (pulse; 20.5 ± 4.5, intermediate; 21.0 ± 2.5, spread; 20.5 ± 3.5), nor did any other indices of nutritional status. Meeting protein requirements is required before protein distribution may influence nutritional status in institutionalized

Testing the status-legitimacy hypothesis: A multilevel modeling approach to the perception of legitimacy in income distribution in 36 nations.

Science.gov (United States)

Caricati, Luca

2017-01-01

The status-legitimacy hypothesis was tested by analyzing cross-national data about social inequality. Several indicators were used as indexes of social advantage: social class, personal income, and self-position in the social hierarchy. Moreover, inequality and freedom in nations, as indexed by Gini and by the human freedom index, were considered. Results from 36 nations worldwide showed no support for the status-legitimacy hypothesis. The perception that income distribution was fair tended to increase as social advantage increased. Moreover, national context increased the difference between advantaged and disadvantaged people in the perception of social fairness: Contrary to the status-legitimacy hypothesis, disadvantaged people were more likely than advantaged people to perceive income distribution as too large, and this difference increased in nations with greater freedom and equality. The implications for the status-legitimacy hypothesis are discussed.

[Evaluation of nutritional status of school-age children after implementation of "Nutrition Improvement Program" in rural area in Hunan, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhu-Juan; Mao, Guang-Xu; Wang, Yu-Jun; Liu, Li; Chen, Yan

2016-09-01

To investigate the nutritional status of school-age children in rural area in Hunan, China from 2012 to 2015 and to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Nutrition Improvement Program for Compulsory Education Students in Rural Area" (hereinafter referred to as "Nutrition Improvement Program"). The nutritional status of school-age children aged 6-14 years was evaluated after the implementation of the "Nutrition Improvement Program" and the changing trend of the children's nutritional status was analyzed. The statistical analysis was performed on the monitoring data of the school-age children aged 6-14 years in rural area in Hunan, China from 2012 to 2015, which came from "The Nutrition and Health Status Monitoring and Evaluation System of Nutrition Improvement Program for Compulsory Education Students in Rural Area". In 2015, female students aged 6-7 years in rural area in Hunan, China had a significantly greater body length than the rural average in China (PNutrition Improvement Program", the prevalence rate of growth retardation decreased (PNutrition Improvement Program" has achieved some success, but the nutritional status of school-age children has not improved significantly. Overweight/obesity and malnutrition are still present. Therefore, to promote the nutritional status of school-age children it is recommended to improve the measures for the "Nutrition Improvement Program".

Supply chain solutions to improve the distribution of antiretroviral ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Recommendations to address the problems include: Implementing a supply chain planning and design process; improving inventory management and warehousing practices; implementing more effective and reliable distribution and transportation processes; as well as improving supply chain coordination and overall ...

Coordinated Optimization of Distributed Energy Resources and Smart Loads in Distribution Systems: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Rui; Zhang, Yingchen

2016-08-01

Distributed energy resources (DERs) and smart loads have the potential to provide flexibility to the distribution system operation. A coordinated optimization approach is proposed in this paper to actively manage DERs and smart loads in distribution systems to achieve the optimal operation status. A three-phase unbalanced Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem is developed to determine the output from DERs and smart loads with respect to the system operator's control objective. This paper focuses on coordinating PV systems and smart loads to improve the overall voltage profile in distribution systems. Simulations have been carried out in a 12-bus distribution feeder and results illustrate the superior control performance of the proposed approach.

Do health-status measures play a role in improving treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, T; Kocks, JWH

During the past few decades, health status has become increasingly important in the clinical research of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The use of health-status questionnaires in routine practice can enhance understanding about the impact of the disease on the patient, improve

Distributed collaborative team effectiveness: measurement and process improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, R.; Hihn, J.; Wilkinson, B.

2002-01-01

This paper describes a measurement methodology developed for assessing the readiness, and identifying opportunities for improving the effectiveness, of distributed collaborative design teams preparing to conduct a coccurent design session.

Improved Quantum Artificial Fish Algorithm Application to Distributed Network Considering Distributed Generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Tingsong; Hu, Yang; Ke, Xianting

2015-01-01

An improved quantum artificial fish swarm algorithm (IQAFSA) for solving distributed network programming considering distributed generation is proposed in this work. The IQAFSA based on quantum computing which has exponential acceleration for heuristic algorithm uses quantum bits to code artificial fish and quantum revolving gate, preying behavior, and following behavior and variation of quantum artificial fish to update the artificial fish for searching for optimal value. Then, we apply the proposed new algorithm, the quantum artificial fish swarm algorithm (QAFSA), the basic artificial fish swarm algorithm (BAFSA), and the global edition artificial fish swarm algorithm (GAFSA) to the simulation experiments for some typical test functions, respectively. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can escape from the local extremum effectively and has higher convergence speed and better accuracy. Finally, applying IQAFSA to distributed network problems and the simulation results for 33-bus radial distribution network system show that IQAFSA can get the minimum power loss after comparing with BAFSA, GAFSA, and QAFSA.

Improved Quantum Artificial Fish Algorithm Application to Distributed Network Considering Distributed Generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tingsong Du

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An improved quantum artificial fish swarm algorithm (IQAFSA for solving distributed network programming considering distributed generation is proposed in this work. The IQAFSA based on quantum computing which has exponential acceleration for heuristic algorithm uses quantum bits to code artificial fish and quantum revolving gate, preying behavior, and following behavior and variation of quantum artificial fish to update the artificial fish for searching for optimal value. Then, we apply the proposed new algorithm, the quantum artificial fish swarm algorithm (QAFSA, the basic artificial fish swarm algorithm (BAFSA, and the global edition artificial fish swarm algorithm (GAFSA to the simulation experiments for some typical test functions, respectively. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can escape from the local extremum effectively and has higher convergence speed and better accuracy. Finally, applying IQAFSA to distributed network problems and the simulation results for 33-bus radial distribution network system show that IQAFSA can get the minimum power loss after comparing with BAFSA, GAFSA, and QAFSA.

Comparison between probiotic lozenges and drinks towards periodontal status improvement of orthodontic patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasia Melita Kohar

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Fixed orthodontic appliances may interfere with daily oral hygiene procedure, causing more abundant plaque accumulation, therefore increasing the risk of periodontal disease. Probiotic methods represent a breakthrough approach in maintaining oral health and preventing periodontal disease. Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effect between probiotic lozenges containing Lactobacillus reuteri and probiotic drinks containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota towards periodontal status of orthodontic patients. Method: Fixed orthodontic patients (n=30 from Faculty of Dentistry, Trisakti University Dental Hospital were included in this clinical trial. Periodontal status consisting of Plaque Index (PlI, Interdental Hygiene Index (HYG, and Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI were then recorded from each patient. All patients received the phase one of periodontal treatment, as well as plaque control instruction. The subjects (n=10/gp were randomly assigned to one of three groups; control group; probiotic lozenges group (Biogaia®; and probiotic drinks group (Yakult®. For 14 days, the probiotic groups were instructed to use the probiotic. Periodontal index improvement (PlI, HYG, and PBI was found in all groups after 14 days research periode. These indices were then analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis analysis test. Result: It was found that L. reuteri and L. casei strain Shirota may improve periodontal status in fixed orthodontic patients. The best results were obtained from probiotic lozenges group. However, the results were not statistically significant (p>0.05. Conclusion: It was concluded that probiotics consumption containing L. reuteri and L. casei strain Shirota may slightly improve periodontal status in fixed orthodontic patients.

Comprehensive care improves physical recovery of hip-fractured elderly Taiwanese patients with poor nutritional status.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hsin-Yun; Tseng, Ming-Yueh; Li, Hsiao-Juan; Wu, Chi-Chuan; Cheng, Huey-Shinn; Yang, Ching-Tzu; Chou, Shih-Wei; Chen, Ching-Yen; Shyu, Yea-Ing L

2014-06-01

The effects of nutritional management among other intervention components have not been examined for hip-fractured elderly persons with poor nutritional status. Accordingly, this study explored the intervention effects of an in-home program using a comprehensive care model that included a nutrition-management component on recovery of hip-fractured older persons with poor nutritional status at hospital discharge. A secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial with 24-month follow-up. A 3000-bed medical center in northern Taiwan. Subjects were included only if they had "poor nutritional status" at hospital discharge, including those at risk for malnutrition or malnourished. The subsample included 80 subjects with poor nutritional status in the comprehensive care group, 87 in the interdisciplinary care group, and 85 in the usual care group. The 3 care models were usual care, interdisciplinary care, and comprehensive care. Usual care provided no in-home care, interdisciplinary care provided 4 months of in-home rehabilitation, and comprehensive care included management of depressive symptoms, falls, and nutrition as well as 1 year of in-home rehabilitation. Data were collected on nutritional status and physical functions, including range of motion, muscle power, proprioception, balance and functional independence, and analyzed using a generalized estimating equation approach. We also compared patients' baseline characteristics: demographic characteristics, type of surgery, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, cognitive function, and depression. Patients with poor nutritional status who received comprehensive care were 1.67 times (95% confidence interval 1.06-2.61) more likely to recover their nutritional status than those who received interdisciplinary and usual care. Furthermore, the comprehensive care model improved the functional independence and balance of patients who recovered their nutritional status over the first year following discharge

Influence of denture improvement on the nutritional status and quality of life of geriatric patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Wöstmann, Bernd; Michel, Karin; Brinkert, Bernd; Melchheier-Weskott, Andrea; Rehmann, Peter; Balkenhol, Markus

2008-10-01

Recent research suggests that there is a correlation between nutrition, oral health, dietary habits, patients' satisfaction and their socio-economic status. However, the dependent and independent variables have remained unclear. This exploratory interventional study aimed to identify the impact of denture improvement on the nutritional status as well as the oral health-related quality of life in geriatric patients. Forty-seven patients who were capable of feeding themselves (minimum age: 60 years) and with dentures requiring repair or replacement were selected from a random sample of 100 residents of two nursing homes. Before and 6 months after the dentures were optimised a Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and a masticatory function test were carried out. Nutritional markers (pre-albumin, serum albumin, zinc) were determined and an OHIP-G14 (Oral Health Impact Profile, German version) was recorded in order to determine the effect of the optimised oral situation on the patient's nutritional status and oral health-related quality of life. Despite the highly significant improvement in masticatory ability after the optimisation of the dentures, no general improvement regarding the nutritional status was observed since the albumin, zinc and MNA values remained unchanged and pre-albumin even decreased. Since masticatory ability and masticatory efficiency are not the only factors affecting this, prosthetic measures alone apparently cannot effect a lasting improvement in nutritional status as masticatory ability and masticatory efficiency are not the only factors of influence. Nutrition is not only a matter of masticatory function, but also depends on other influencing factors (e.g. habits, taste and cultural customs as well as financial and organisational aspects).

Improving Distribution Resiliency with Microgrids and State and Parameter Estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuffner, Francis K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Williams, Tess L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Schneider, Kevin P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Elizondo, Marcelo A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Sun, Yannan [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Liu, Chen-Ching [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Xu, Yin [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gourisetti, Sri Nikhil Gup [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-09-30

Modern society relies on low-cost reliable electrical power, both to maintain industry, as well as provide basic social services to the populace. When major disturbances occur, such as Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy, the nation’s electrical infrastructure can experience significant outages. To help prevent the spread of these outages, as well as facilitating faster restoration after an outage, various aspects of improving the resiliency of the power system are needed. Two such approaches are breaking the system into smaller microgrid sections, and to have improved insight into the operations to detect failures or mis-operations before they become critical. Breaking the system into smaller sections of microgrid islands, power can be maintained in smaller areas where distribution generation and energy storage resources are still available, but bulk power generation is no longer connected. Additionally, microgrid systems can maintain service to local pockets of customers when there has been extensive damage to the local distribution system. However, microgrids are grid connected a majority of the time and implementing and operating a microgrid is much different than when islanded. This report discusses work conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that developed improvements for simulation tools to capture the characteristics of microgrids and how they can be used to develop new operational strategies. These operational strategies reduce the cost of microgrid operation and increase the reliability and resilience of the nation’s electricity infrastructure. In addition to the ability to break the system into microgrids, improved observability into the state of the distribution grid can make the power system more resilient. State estimation on the transmission system already provides great insight into grid operations and detecting abnormal conditions by leveraging existing measurements. These transmission-level approaches are expanded to using

Landscape and flow metrics affecting the distribution of a federally-threatened fish: Improving management, model fit, and model transferability

Science.gov (United States)

Worthington, Thomas A.; Zhang, T.; Logue, Daniel R.; Mittelstet, Aaron R.; Brewer, Shannon K.

2016-01-01

Truncated distributions of pelagophilic fishes have been observed across the Great Plains of North America, with water use and landscape fragmentation implicated as contributing factors. Developing conservation strategies for these species is hindered by the existence of multiple competing flow regime hypotheses related to species persistence. Our primary study objective was to compare the predicted distributions of one pelagophil, the Arkansas River Shiner Notropis girardi, constructed using different flow regime metrics. Further, we investigated different approaches for improving temporal transferability of the species distribution model (SDM). We compared four hypotheses: mean annual flow (a baseline), the 75th percentile of daily flow, the number of zero-flow days, and the number of days above 55th percentile flows, to examine the relative importance of flows during the spawning period. Building on an earlier SDM, we added covariates that quantified wells in each catchment, point source discharges, and non-native species presence to a structured variable framework. We assessed the effects on model transferability and fit by reducing multicollinearity using Spearman’s rank correlations, variance inflation factors, and principal component analysis, as well as altering the regularization coefficient (β) within MaxEnt. The 75th percentile of daily flow was the most important flow metric related to structuring the species distribution. The number of wells and point source discharges were also highly ranked. At the default level of β, model transferability was improved using all methods to reduce collinearity; however, at higher levels of β, the correlation method performed best. Using β = 5 provided the best model transferability, while retaining the majority of variables that contributed 95% to the model. This study provides a workflow for improving model transferability and also presents water-management options that may be considered to improve the

Status and distribution of mangrove forests of the world using earth observation satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Giri, Chandra; Ochieng, E.; Tieszen, Larry L.; Zhu, Zhi-Liang; Singh, Ashbindu; Loveland, Thomas R.; Masek, Jeffery G.; Duke, Norm

2011-01-01

Aim  Our scientific understanding of the extent and distribution of mangrove forests of the world is inadequate. The available global mangrove databases, compiled using disparate geospatial data sources and national statistics, need to be improved. Here, we mapped the status and distributions of global mangroves using recently available Global Land Survey (GLS) data and the Landsat archive. Methods  We interpreted approximately 1000 Landsat scenes using hybrid supervised and unsupervised digital image classification techniques. Each image was normalized for variation in solar angle and earth–sun distance by converting the digital number values to the top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance. Ground truth data and existing maps and databases were used to select training samples and also for iterative labelling. Results were validated using existing GIS data and the published literature to map ‘true mangroves’. Results  The total area of mangroves in the year 2000 was 137,760 km2 in 118 countries and territories in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Approximately 75% of world's mangroves are found in just 15 countries, and only 6.9% are protected under the existing protected areas network (IUCN I-IV). Our study confirms earlier findings that the biogeographic distribution of mangroves is generally confined to the tropical and subtropical regions and the largest percentage of mangroves is found between 5° N and 5° S latitude. Main conclusions  We report that the remaining area of mangrove forest in the world is less than previously thought. Our estimate is 12.3% smaller than the most recent estimate by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. We present the most comprehensive, globally consistent and highest resolution (30 m) global mangrove database ever created. We developed and used better mapping techniques and data sources and mapped mangroves with better spatial and thematic details than previous studies.

Regulatory Improvements for Effective Integration of Distributed Generation into Electricity Distribution Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheepers, M.J.J.; Jansen, J.C.; De Joode, J.; Bauknecht, D.; Gomez, T.; Pudjianto, D.; Strbac, G.; Ropenus, S.

2007-11-01

The growth of distributed electricity supply of renewable energy sources (RES-E) and combined heat and power (CHP) - so called distributed generation (DG) - can cause technical problems for electricity distribution networks. These integration problems can be overcome by reinforcing the network. Many European Member States apply network regulation that does not account for the impact of DG growth on the network costs. Passing on network integration costs to the DG-operator who is responsible for these extra costs may result in discrimination between different DG plants and between DG and large power generation. Therefore, in many regulatory systems distribution system operators (DSOs) are not being compensated for the DG integration costs. The DG-GRID project analysed technical and economical barriers for integration of distributed generation into electricity distribution networks. The project looked into the impact of a high DG deployment on the electricity distribution system costs and the impact on the financial position of the DSO. Several ways for improving network regulation in order to compensate DSOs for the increasing DG penetration were identified and tested. The DG-GRID project looked also into stimulating network innovations through economic regulation. The project was co-financed by the European Commission and carried out by nine European universities and research institutes. This report summarises the project results and is based on a number of DG-GRID reports that describe the conducted analyses and their results

Method of Fusion Diagnosis for Dam Service Status Based on Joint Distribution Function of Multiple Points

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenxiang Jiang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The traditional methods of diagnosing dam service status are always suitable for single measuring point. These methods also reflect the local status of dams without merging multisource data effectively, which is not suitable for diagnosing overall service. This study proposes a new method involving multiple points to diagnose dam service status based on joint distribution function. The function, including monitoring data of multiple points, can be established with t-copula function. Therefore, the possibility, which is an important fusing value in different measuring combinations, can be calculated, and the corresponding diagnosing criterion is established with typical small probability theory. Engineering case study indicates that the fusion diagnosis method can be conducted in real time and the abnormal point can be detected, thereby providing a new early warning method for engineering safety.

Diversity, distribution, and conservation status of the native freshwater fishes of the Southern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Melvin L. Warren; Brooks M. Burr; Stephen J. Walsh; Henry L. Bart; Robert C. Cashner; David A. Etnier; Byron J. Freeman; Bernard R. Kuhajda; Richard L. Mayden; Henry W. Robison; Stephen T. Ross; Wayne C. Starnes

2000-01-01

The Southeastern Fishes Council Technical Advisory Committee reviewed the diversity, distribution, and status of all native freshwater and diadromous fishes across 51 major drainage units of the Southern United States. The Southern United States supports more native fishes than any area of comparable size on the North American continent north of Mexico, but also has a...

78 FR 20887 - Approval of Subzone Status; Pepsi Cola Puerto Rico Distributing, LLC, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-08

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [S-132-2012] Approval of Subzone Status; Pepsi Cola Puerto Rico Distributing, LLC, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico On December 7, 2012, the Executive Secretary... activation limit of FTZ 7, on [[Page 20888

Value-based distributed generator placements for service quality improvements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teng, Jen-Hao; Chen, Chi-Fa [Department of Electrical Engineering, I-Shou University, No. 1, Section 1, Syuecheng Road, Dashu Township, Kaohsiung Country 840 (Taiwan); Liu, Yi-Hwa [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei (Taiwan); Chen, Chia-Yen [Department of Computer Science, The University of Auckland (New Zealand)

2007-03-15

Distributed generator (DG) resources are small, self-contained electric generating plants that can provide power to homes, businesses or industrial facilities in distribution feeders. They can be used to reduce power loss and improve service reliability. However, the values of DGs are largely dependent on their types, sizes and locations as they were installed in distribution feeders. A value-based method is proposed in this paper to enhance the reliability and obtain the benefits for DG placement. The benefits of DG placement described in this paper include power cost saving, power loss reduction, and reliability enhancement. The costs of DG placement include the investment, maintenance and operating costs. The proposed value-based method tries to find the best tradeoff between the costs and benefits of DG placement and then find the optimal types of DG and their corresponding locations and sizes in distribution feeders. The derived formulations are solved by a genetic algorithm based method. Test results show that with proper types, sizes and installation site selection, DG placement can be used to improve system reliability, reduce customer interruption costs and save power cost; as well as enabling electric utilities to obtain the maximal economical benefits. (author)

Nutrients distribution and trophic status assessment in the northern Beibu Gulf, China

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Junxiang; Jiang, Fajun; Ke, Ke; Xu, Mingben; Lei, Fu; Chen, Bo

2014-09-01

Using historical and 2010 field data, the distribution of nutrients in the northern Beibu Gulf of China is described. There was a decreasing trend in the concentration of nutrients from the north coast to offshore waters of the northern Beibu Gulf, reflecting the influence of inputs from land-based sources. High concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphate (PO4-P) occurred mainly at Fangchenggang Bay, Qinzhou Bay, and Lianzhou Bay. Four different methods were used to assess eutrophication. The trophic status of the Beibu Gulf was characterized using the single factor, Eutrophication index (EI), Trophic index (TRIX) and Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) methods. Based on nutrient concentrations, 73.9% of DIN and 26.7% of PO4-P samples exceeded the fourth grade Seawater Quality Standard of China. Eutrophication index values varied widely, but higher levels of eutrophication were generally found in bays and estuaries. TRIX values ranged from 2.61 to 7.27, with an average of 4.98, indicating a mesotrophic and moderately productive system. A positive correlation between TRIX and harmful algal species richness and abundance was observed. The ASSETS model evaluates eutrophication status based on a Pressure-State-Response approach, including three main indices: influencing factors, overall eutrophic condition, and future outlook. The Beibu Gulf was graded as moderate using ASSETS. The single factor and Chinese nutrient index methods were considered inadequate for the assessment of trophic status. TRIX can be used as an indicator of trophic state and ASSETS showed good potential to assess eutrophication. The results of TRIX and ASSETS depend on threshold values. To establish these values, further research is required within the northern Beibu Gulf.

Simultaneous allocation of distributed resources using improved teaching learning based optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanwar, Neeraj; Gupta, Nikhil; Niazi, K.R.; Swarnkar, Anil

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Simultaneous allocation of distributed energy resources in distribution networks. • Annual energy loss reduction is optimized using a multi-level load profile. • A new penalty factor approach is suggested to check node voltage deviations. • An improved TLBO is proposed by suggesting several modifications in standard TLBO. • An intelligent search is proposed to enhance the performance of solution technique. - Abstract: Active and reactive power flow in distribution networks can be effectively controlled by optimally placing distributed resources like shunt capacitors and distributed generators. This paper presents improved variant of Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) to efficiently and effectively deal with the problem of simultaneous allocation of these distributed resources in radial distribution networks while considering multi-level load scenario. Several algorithm specific modifications are suggested in the standard form of TLBO to cope against the intrinsic flaws of this technique. In addition, an intelligent search approach is proposed to restrict the problem search space without loss of diversity. This enhances the overall performance of the proposed method. The proposed method is investigated on IEEE 33-bus, 69-bus and 83-bus test distribution systems showing promising results

Improved side information generation for distributed video coding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Xin; Forchhammer, Søren

2008-01-01

As a new coding paradigm, distributed video coding (DVC) deals with lossy source coding using side information to exploit the statistics at the decoder to reduce computational demands at the encoder. The performance of DVC highly depends on the quality of side information. With a better side...... information generation method, fewer bits will be requested from the encoder and more reliable decoded frames will be obtained. In this paper, a side information generation method is introduced to further improve the rate-distortion (RD) performance of transform domain distributed video coding. This algorithm...

Improved Root Normal Size Distributions for Liquid Atomization

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-01

ANSI Std. Z39.18 j CONVERSION TABLE Conversion Factors for U.S. Customary to metric (SI) units of measurement. MULTIPLY BY TO...Gray (Gy) coulomb /kilogram (C/kg) second (s) kilogram (kg) kilo pascal (kPa) 1 Improved Root Normal Size Distributions for Liquid

Probiotic yogurt improves antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ejtahed, Hanie S; Mohtadi-Nia, Javad; Homayouni-Rad, Aziz; Niafar, Mitra; Asghari-Jafarabadi, Mohammad; Mofid, Vahid

2012-05-01

Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes. Among various functional foods with an antioxidant effect, probiotic foods have been reported to repress oxidative stress. The objective of this clinical trial was to assess the effects of probiotic and conventional yogurt on blood glucose and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients. Sixty-four patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 30 to 60 y old, were assigned to two groups in this randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. The patients in the intervention group consumed 300 g/d of probiotic yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 and those in the control group consumed 300 g/d of conventional yogurt for 6 wk. Fasting blood samples, 24-h dietary recalls, and anthropometric measurements were collected at the baseline and at the end of the trial. Probiotic yogurt significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (P activities and total antioxidant status (P activity within either group (P > 0.05). The consumption of probiotic yogurt improved fasting blood glucose and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients. These results suggest that probiotic yogurt is a promising agent for diabetes management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reptiles of Chubut province, Argentina: richness, diversity, conservation status and geographic distribution maps

Science.gov (United States)

Minoli, Ignacio; Morando, Mariana; Avila, Luciano Javier

2015-01-01

Abstract An accurate estimation of species and population geographic ranges is essential for species-focused studies and conservation and management plans. Knowledge of the geographic distributions of reptiles from Patagonian Argentina is in general limited and dispersed over manuscripts from a wide variety of topics. We completed an extensive review of reptile species of central Patagonia (Argentina) based on information from a wide variety of sources. We compiled and checked geographic distribution records from published literature and museum records, including extensive new data from the LJAMM-CNP (CENPAT-CONICET) herpetological collection. Our results show that there are 52 taxa recorded for this region and the highest species richness was seen in the families Liolaemidae and Dipsadidae with 31 and 10 species, respectively. The Patagónica was the phytogeographic province most diverse in species and Phymaturus was the genus of conservation concern most strongly associated with it. We present a detailed species list with geographical information, richness species, diversity analyses with comparisons across phytogeographical provinces, conservation status, taxonomic comments and distribution maps for all of these taxa. PMID:25931966

DSTATCOM allocation in distribution networks considering reconfiguration using differential evolution algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jazebi, S.; Hosseinian, S.H.; Vahidi, B.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Reconfiguration and DSTATCOM allocation are implemented for RDS planning. → Differential evolution algorithm is applied to solve the nonlinear problem. → Optimal status of tie switches, DSTATCOM size and location are determined. → The goal is to minimize network losses and to improve voltage profile. → The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method to satisfy objectives. -- Abstract: The main idea in distribution network reconfiguration is usually to reduce loss by changing the status of sectionalizing switches and determining appropriate tie switches. Recently Distribution FACTS (DFACTS) devices such as DSTATCOM also have been planned for loss reduction and voltage profile improvement in steady state conditions. This paper implements a combinatorial process based on reconfiguration and DSTATCOM allocation in order to mitigate losses and improve voltage profile in power distribution networks. The distribution system tie switches, DSTATCOM location and size have been optimally determined to obtain an appropriate operational condition. Differential evolution algorithm (DEA) has been used to solve and overcome the complicity of this combinatorial nonlinear optimization problem. To validate the accuracy of results a comparison with particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been made. Simulations have been applied on 69 and 83 busses distribution test systems. All optimization results show the effectiveness of the combinatorial approach in loss reduction and voltage profile improvement.

Removal of Endobronchial Malignant Mass by Cryotherapy Improved Performance Status to Receive Chemotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Meng-Heng; Wang, Tsai-Yu; Yu, Chih-Teng; Chou, Chun-Liang; Lin, Shu-Min; Kuo, Chih-Hsi; Chung, Fu-Tsai

2014-01-01

Although malignant endobronchial mass (MEM) has poor prognosis, cryotherapy is reportedly a palliative treatment. Clinical data on postcryotherapy MEM patients in a university-affiliated hospital between 2007 and 2011 were evaluated. Survival curve with or without postcryotherapy chemotherapy and performance status (PS) improvement of these subjects were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. There were 59 patients (42 males), with median age of 64 years (range, 51–76, and median performance status of 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-3). Postcryotherapy complications included minor bleeding (n = 12) and need for multiple procedures (n = 10), while outcomes were relief of symptoms (n = 51), improved PS (n = 45), and ability to receive chemotherapy (n = 40). The survival of patients with chemotherapy postcryotherapy was longer than that of patients without such chemotherapy (median, 534 versus 106 days; log-rank test, P = 0.007; hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.69). The survival of patients with PS improvement postcryotherapy was longer than that of patients without PS improvement (median, 406 versus 106 days; log-rank test, P = 0.02; hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.81). Cryotherapy is a feasible treatment for MEM. With better PS after cryotherapy, further chemotherapy becomes possible for patients to improve survival when MEM caused dyspnea and poor PS. PMID:25383370

Application Status and Problem Investigation of Distributed Generation in China: The Case of Natural Gas, Solar and Wind Resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian-tian Feng

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The development of distributed energy systems in China is one of the important measures to promote the revolution for energy production and its utilization patterns. First of all, we analyze the present application status of China’s distributed generation from three major types: natural gas, photovoltaic, and distributed wind. Secondly, based on the analysis of the project overview, project scale, and project effect in three patterns of distributed generation, we summarize the policy deficiencies and development obstacles. Finally, aiming to promote the development of distributed energy in China, we propose some relevant policies corresponding to countermeasures on the problems existing in the development process of China’s distributed generation of natural gas, photovoltaic, and wind power.

Regional assessment of the status, distribution and conservation needs of cheetahs in southern Africa

OpenAIRE

Purchase, Gianetta; Marker, Laurie; Marnewick, Kelly; Klein, Rebecca; Williams, Samual

2007-01-01

A country by country assessment of the status, distribution and conservation needs for cheetah Acinonyx jubatus in the southern African region indicates that this area holds a significant proportion of the global population of cheetahs, at least 4 500 adults. The largest proportion of this regional population occurs in four range states, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe where it is under threat as a result of conflict with livestock and wildlife ranchers, removal of animals (both ...

Contribution of industrial density and socioeconomic status to the spatial distribution of thyroid cancer risk in Hangzhou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Fei, Xufeng; Lou, Zhaohan; Christakos, George; Liu, Qingmin; Ren, Yanjun; Wu, Jiaping

2018-02-01

The thyroid cancer (TC) incidence in China has increased dramatically during the last three decades. Typical in this respect is the case of Hangzhou city (China), where 7147 new TC cases were diagnosed during the period 2008-2012. Hence, the assessment of the TC incidence risk increase due to environmental exposure is an important public health matter. Correlation analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Poisson regression were first used to evaluate the statistical association between TC and key risk factors (industrial density and socioeconomic status). Then, the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) theory and the integrative disease predictability (IDP) criterion were combined to quantitatively assess both the overall and the spatially distributed strength of the "exposure-disease" association. Overall, higher socioeconomic status was positively correlated with higher TC risk (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.687, P<0.01). Compared to people of low socioeconomic status, people of median and high socioeconomic status showed higher TC risk: the Relative Risk (RR) and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) were found to be, respectively, RR=2.29 with 95% CI=1.99 to 2.63, and RR=3.67 with 95% CI=3.22 to 4.19. The "industrial density-TC incidence" correlation, however, was non-significant. Spatially, the "socioeconomic status-TC" association measured by the corresponding IDP coefficient was significant throughout the study area: the mean IDP value was -0.12 and the spatial IDP values were consistently negative at the township level. It was found that stronger associations were distributed among residents mainly on a stripe of land from northeast to southwest (consisting mainly of sub-district areas). The "industrial density-TC" association measured by its IDP coefficient was spatially non-consistent. Socioeconomic status is an important indicator of TC risk factor in Hangzhou (China) whose effect varies across space. Hence, socioeconomic status shows the highest TC

High-intensity intermittent swimming improves cardiovascular health status for women with mild hypertension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohr, Magni; Nordsborg, Nikolai Baastrup; Lindenskov, Annika

2014-01-01

To test the hypothesis that high-intensity swim training improves cardiovascular health status in sedentary premenopausal women with mild hypertension, sixty-two women were randomized into high-intensity (n = 21; HIT), moderate-intensity (n = 21; MOD), and control groups (n = 20; CON). HIT perfor...

Framing Feedback for School Improvement around Distributed Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Carolyn; Dikkers, Seann

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the utility of framing formative feedback to improve school leadership with a focus on task-based evaluation of distributed leadership rather than on role-based evaluation of an individual leader. Research Methods/Approach: Using data from research on the development of the Comprehensive…

Distributed SLAM Using Improved Particle Filter for Mobile Robot Localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fujun Pei

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The distributed SLAM system has a similar estimation performance and requires only one-fifth of the computation time compared with centralized particle filter. However, particle impoverishment is inevitably because of the random particles prediction and resampling applied in generic particle filter, especially in SLAM problem that involves a large number of dimensions. In this paper, particle filter use in distributed SLAM was improved in two aspects. First, we improved the important function of the local filters in particle filter. The adaptive values were used to replace a set of constants in the computational process of importance function, which improved the robustness of the particle filter. Second, an information fusion method was proposed by mixing the innovation method and the number of effective particles method, which combined the advantages of these two methods. And this paper extends the previously known convergence results for particle filter to prove that improved particle filter converges to the optimal filter in mean square as the number of particles goes to infinity. The experiment results show that the proposed algorithm improved the virtue of the DPF-SLAM system in isolate faults and enabled the system to have a better tolerance and robustness.

Historical Study (1986-2014): Improvements in nutritional status of dialysis patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koefoed, Mette; Kromann, Charles Boy; Hvidtfeldt, Danni

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Malnutrition is common in dialysis patients and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Despite an increased focus on improved nutrition in dialysis patients, it is claimed that the prevalence of malnutrition in this group of patients has not changed during the last decades. Direct......: Relative body weight, triceps skinfold, MAMC, body mass index, and prevalence of protein-caloric malnutrition as defined in the original study from 1986. RESULTS: Average relative body weight, triceps skinfold, MAMC, and body mass index were significantly higher in 2014 compared with 1986. The prevalence...... of protein-caloric malnutrition was significantly lower in 2014 (18%) compared with 1986 (52%). CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional status of maintenance dialysis patients has improved during the last 3 decades. The reason for this improvement could not be identified in the present study, but the most likely...

Giardiasis and Poor Vitamin A Status among Aboriginal School Children in Rural Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Mekhlafi, Hesham M.; Surin, Johari; Sallam, Atiya A.; Abdullah, Ariffin W.; Mahdy, Mohammed A. K.

2010-01-01

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 241 primary schoolchildren in Pahang, Malaysia to update their vitamin A status and to investigate the association of poor vitamin A status with their health and socioeconomic factors. All children were screened for intestinal parasitic infections. Blood samples were collected and vitamin A status was assessed. Socioeconomic data were collected by using pre-tested questionnaires. The results showed that 66 (27.4%) children had low serum retinol levels (Malaysia. Vitamin A supplementation and treatment of intestinal parasitic infections should be distributed periodically to these children to improve their health and nutritional status. PMID:20810815

ATLAS Distributed Computing Automation

CERN Document Server

Schovancova, J; The ATLAS collaboration; Borrego, C; Campana, S; Di Girolamo, A; Elmsheuser, J; Hejbal, J; Kouba, T; Legger, F; Magradze, E; Medrano Llamas, R; Negri, G; Rinaldi, L; Sciacca, G; Serfon, C; Van Der Ster, D C

2012-01-01

The ATLAS Experiment benefits from computing resources distributed worldwide at more than 100 WLCG sites. The ATLAS Grid sites provide over 100k CPU job slots, over 100 PB of storage space on disk or tape. Monitoring of status of such a complex infrastructure is essential. The ATLAS Grid infrastructure is monitored 24/7 by two teams of shifters distributed world-wide, by the ATLAS Distributed Computing experts, and by site administrators. In this paper we summarize automation efforts performed within the ATLAS Distributed Computing team in order to reduce manpower costs and improve the reliability of the system. Different aspects of the automation process are described: from the ATLAS Grid site topology provided by the ATLAS Grid Information System, via automatic site testing by the HammerCloud, to automatic exclusion from production or analysis activities.

Improvement in the distribution of services in multi-agent systems with SCODA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús Ángel ROMÁN GALLEGO

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The distribution of services on multi-agent systems allows it to reduce to the agents their computational load. The functionality of the system does not reside in the agents themselves, however it is ubiquitously distributed so that allows you to perform tasks in parallel avoiding an additional computational cost to the elements in the system. The distribution of services that offers SCODA (Distributed and Specialized Agent Communities allows an intelligent management of these services provided by agents of the system and the parallel execution of threads that allow to respond to requests asynchronously, which implies an improvement in the performance of the system at both the computational level as the level of quality of service in the control of these services. The comparison carried out in the case of study that is presented in this paper demonstrates the existing improvement in the distribution of services on systems based on SCODA.

Nuclear safety in Slovak Republic. Status of safety improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toth, A.

1999-01-01

Status of the safety improvements at Bohunice V-1 units concerning WWER-440/V-230 design upgrading were as follows: supplementing of steam generator super-emergency feed water system; higher capacity of emergency core cooling system; supplementing of automatic links between primary and secondary circuit systems; higher level of secondary system automation. The goal of the modernization program for Bohunice V-1 units WWER-440/V-230 was to increase nuclear safety to the level of the proposals and IAEA recommendations and to reach probability goals of the reactor concerning active zone damage, leak of radioactive materials, failures of safety systems and damage shields. Upgrading program for Mochovce NPP - WWER-440/V-213 is concerned with improving the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel, steam generators 'leak before break' methods applied for the NPP, instrumentation and control of safety systems, diagnostic systems, replacement of in-core monitoring system, emergency analyses, pressurizers safety relief valves, hydrogen removal system, seismic evaluations, non-destructive testing, fire protection. Implementation of quality assurance has a special role in improvement of operational safety activities as well as safety management and safety culture, radiation protection, decommissioning and waste management and training. The Year 2000 problem is mentioned as well

Linking Intra-Aggregate Pore Size Distribution with Organic Matter Decomposition Status, Evidence from FTIR and X-Ray Tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Toosi, E. R.; Quigley, M.; Kravchenko, A. N.

2014-12-01

It has been reported that conversion of intensively cultivated lands to less disturbed systems enhances soil OM storage capacity, primarily through OM stabilization in macroaggregates. We hypothesized that the potential for OM stabilization inside macro-aggregates is influenced by presence and abundance of intra-aggregate pores. Pores determine microbial access to OM and regulate diffusion of solution/gases within aggregates which drives microbial functioning. We investigated the influence of longterm disturbance intensity on soil OM composition and its relation to pore size distribution within macroaggregates. We used quantitative FTIR to determine OM decomposition status and X-ray micro-tomography to assess pore size distribution in macroaggregates as affected by management and landuse. Macroaggregates 4-6 mm in size where selected from topsoil under long term conventional tillage (CT), cover-crop (CC), and native succession vegetation (NS) treatments at Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan. Comparison of main soil OM functional groups suggested that with increasing disturbance intensity, the proportion of aromatic and carboxylic/carbohydrates associated compounds increased and it was concomitant with a decrease in the proportion of aliphatic associated compounds and lignin derivatives. Further, FTIR-based decomposition indices revealed that overall decomposition status of macroaggregates followed the pattern of CT > CC ≈ NS. X-ray micro-tomography findings suggested that greater OM decomposition within the macroaggregates was associated with i) greater percent of pores >13 micron in size within the aggregates, as well as ii) greater proportion of small to medium pores (13-110 micron). The results develop previous findings, suggesting that shift in landuse or management indirectly affects soil OM stabilization through alteration of pore size distribution within macroaggregates that itself, is coupled with OM decomposition status.

Improving diagnostic accuracy using agent-based distributed data mining system.

Science.gov (United States)

Sridhar, S

2013-09-01

The use of data mining techniques to improve the diagnostic system accuracy is investigated in this paper. The data mining algorithms aim to discover patterns and extract useful knowledge from facts recorded in databases. Generally, the expert systems are constructed for automating diagnostic procedures. The learning component uses the data mining algorithms to extract the expert system rules from the database automatically. Learning algorithms can assist the clinicians in extracting knowledge automatically. As the number and variety of data sources is dramatically increasing, another way to acquire knowledge from databases is to apply various data mining algorithms that extract knowledge from data. As data sets are inherently distributed, the distributed system uses agents to transport the trained classifiers and uses meta learning to combine the knowledge. Commonsense reasoning is also used in association with distributed data mining to obtain better results. Combining human expert knowledge and data mining knowledge improves the performance of the diagnostic system. This work suggests a framework of combining the human knowledge and knowledge gained by better data mining algorithms on a renal and gallstone data set.

[Increase of physical activity by improvement of the nutritional status].

Science.gov (United States)

Torún, B

1989-09-01

Physical activity is affected by nutritional modifications and, in turn, influences growth, cognition, social behavior, work performance and other functions. Studies in preschool children showed that: 1. A decrease in energy intake during four to seven days reduced the time allocated to energy-demanding activities and increased sedentary activities. 2. Children with mild weight deficit were more sedentary than well-nourished counterparts. 3. Children became more active when nutritional status improved. 4. A 10% reduction in energy intake reduced total energy expenditure by 15% without affecting weight gain nor basal metabolism. Studies of men working in non-mechanized agriculture showed that: 1. Dietary improvements led to faster salaried work, reduction of napping time and greater physical activity after work. 2. An increase in energy intake increased total daily energy expenditure, tending to maintain energy balance and relatively stable body weight within the cyclic variations of the agricultural year. 3. Food supplementation did not necessarily improve productivity. Other labor incentives without dietary improvements increased energy expenditure during working hours, which resulted in weight loss. In conclusion, good health and nutrition provide the biological basis for adequate physical activity that may improve cognitive development, social interactions, economic productivity and the quality of life of an individual or a population, but other incentives are required for the optimal expression of that biologic potential.

Current status of light water reactor and Hitachi's technical improvements for BWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miki, Minoru; Ohki, Arahiko.

1984-01-01

Gradual technical improvements in Japan over the years has improved the reliability of light water reactors, and has achieved the highest capacity factor level in the world. Commercial operation of Fukushima 2-2 (1,100 MW) of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. was started in February, 1984, as the first standardized BWR base plant, ushering in a new age of domestic light water reactor technology. The ABWR (1,300 MW class) has been developed as Japan's next generation light water reactor, with construction aimed at the latter half of the 1980's. Hitachi's extensive efforts range from key nuclear equipment to various related robots, directed at improving safety, reliability, and the capacity factor, while reducing radiation exposure. This paper presents an outline of Hitachi's participation in the light water reactor's improvement and standardization, and the current status of our role in the international cooperation plan for the ABWR. (author)

Distributed leadership, team working and service improvement in healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Boak, George; Dickens, Victoria; Newson, Annalisa; Brown, Louise

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the introduction of distributed leadership and team working in a therapy department in a healthcare organisation and to explore the factors that enabled the introduction to be successful. This paper used a case study methodology. Qualitative and quantitative information was gathered from one physiotherapy department over a period of 24 months. Distributed leadership and team working were central to a number of system changes that were initiated by the department, which led to improvements in patient waiting times for therapy. The paper identifies six factors that appear to have influenced the successful introduction of distributed learning and team working in this case. This is a single case study. It would be interesting to explore whether these factors are found in other cases where distributed leadership is introduced in healthcare organisations. The paper provides an example of successful introduction of distributed leadership, which has had a positive impact on services to patients. Other therapy teams may consider how the approach may be adopted or adapted to their own circumstances. Although distributed leadership is thought to be important in healthcare, particularly when organisational change is needed, there are very few studies of the practicalities of how it can be introduced.

The status quo, problems and improvements pertaining to radiation source management in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Jiaqi

1998-01-01

Early in 1930s, radiation sources were used in medicine in China, and since then their application has been widely extended in a variety of fields. This paper presents a brief outline of the status quo, problems on management for radiation sources, and some relevant improvements as recommended by author are also included in it. (author)

Community energy storage and distribution SCADA improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riggins, M.

2010-01-01

The mission of American Electric Power (AEP) is to sustain the real time balance of energy supply and demand. Approximately 2.5 percent of energy generated in the United States (USA) is stored as pumped hydro, compressed air, or in batteries and other devices. This power point presentation discussed the use of SCADA for improving community energy storage (CES) and distribution systems. CES is a distributed fleet of small energy units connected to the transformers in order to serve houses or small commercial loads. CES is operated as a fleet offering multi-megawatt (MW) multi-hour storage. The benefits of CES include backup power, flicker mitigation, and renewable integration. Benefits to the electricity grid include power factor correct, ancillary services, and load leveling at the substation level. SCADA is being used to determine when emergency load reductions are required or when emergency inspections on fans, oil pumps or other devices are needed. An outline of AEP's monitoring system installation plan was also included. tabs., figs.

Distributed Cognition and Distributed Morality: Agency, Artifacts and Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Heersmink, Richard

2017-04-01

There are various philosophical approaches and theories describing the intimate relation people have to artifacts. In this paper, I explore the relation between two such theories, namely distributed cognition and distributed morality theory. I point out a number of similarities and differences in these views regarding the ontological status they attribute to artifacts and the larger systems they are part of. Having evaluated and compared these views, I continue by focussing on the way cognitive artifacts are used in moral practice. I specifically conceptualise how such artifacts (a) scaffold and extend moral reasoning and decision-making processes, (b) have a certain moral status which is contingent on their cognitive status, and (c) whether responsibility can be attributed to distributed systems. This paper is primarily written for those interested in the intersection of cognitive and moral theory as it relates to artifacts, but also for those independently interested in philosophical debates in extended and distributed cognition and ethics of (cognitive) technology.

Distributed power quality improvement in residential microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naderi Zarnaghi, Yahya; Hosseini, Seyed Hossein; Ghassem Zadeh, Saeid

2017-01-01

The importance of power quality issue on micro grids and also the changing nature of power system distortions will lead the future power systems to use distributed power quality improvement (DPQI) devices. One possible choice of these DPQIs are multifunctional DGs that could compensate some...... harmonics in the location of generation and prevent the harmonics to enter main power grid. In this paper a control method based on virtual harmonic impedance is presented for these multifunctional DGs and the effect of the location of these DGs on compensation procedure is studied with simulating...

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project Status

Data.gov (United States)

Montgomery County of Maryland — This dataset includes pertinent information relating to a capital project’s status administered by the Department of Transportation and the Department of General...

The Case of Web-Based Course on Taxation: Current Status, Problems and Future Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Zhigang

This paper mainly introduces the case of the web-based course on taxation developed by Xiamen University. We analyze the current status, problems and future improvement of the web-based course. The web-based course has the basic contents and modules, but it has several problems including unclear object, lacking interaction, lacking examination module, lacking study management module, and the learning materials and the navigation are too simple. According to its problems, we put forward the measures to improve it.

Improvements in Iron Status and Cognitive Function in Young Women Consuming Beef or Non-Beef Lunches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia Blanton

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Iron status is associated with cognitive performance and intervention trials show that iron supplementation improves mental function in iron-deficient adults. However, no studies have tested the efficacy of naturally iron-rich food in this context. This investigation measured the hematologic and cognitive responses to moderate beef consumption in young women. Participants (n = 43; age 21.1 ± 0.4 years were randomly assigned to a beef or non-beef protein lunch group [3-oz (85 g, 3 times weekly] for 16 weeks. Blood was sampled at baseline, and weeks 8 and 16, and cognitive performance was measured at baseline and week 16. Body iron increased in both lunch groups (p < 0.0001, with greater improvement demonstrated in women with lower baseline body iron (p < 0.0001. Body iron had significant beneficial effects on spatial working memory and planning speed (p < 0.05, and ferritin responders (n = 17 vs. non-responders (n = 26 showed significantly greater improvements in planning speed, spatial working memory strategy, and attention (p < 0.05. Lunch group had neither significant interactions with iron status nor consistent main effects on test performance. These findings support a relationship between iron status and cognition, but do not show a particular benefit of beef over non-beef protein consumption on either measure in young women.

Improvement of axial power distribution synthesis methodology in CPC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H. H.; Gee, S. G.;; Kim, Y. B.; In, W. K.

2003-01-01

The capability of axial power distribution synthesis in CPC plays an important role in determining the DNBR and LPD trip caused by CPC. The axial power distribution is synthesized using the cubic spline function based on the three excore detector signals. The axial power distributions are categorized into 8 function sets and each sets are stored as pre-calculated values in CPC to save the calculation time. In this study, the additional function sets, the real break-point function sets and the polynomial function are suggested to evaluate the possibility of improving the synthesis capability in CPC. In addition, RMS errors are compared and evaluated for each synthesis method. As a result, it was confirmed that the function sets stored in CPC were not optimal. The analysis result showed that RMS error could be reduced by selecting the proper function sets suggested in this study

Improving the Status of Women in the Third World: A Challenge to Adult Educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Elmer J.

Adult educators face a challenge if they are to aid in the improvement of the status of women in the Third World. Women in developing countries, especially those in rural and poverty areas, are often restricted to second class educational and work opportunities. Adult educators could contribute to the reduction of such discrimination in the…

Effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and housing status of homeless people: a rapid systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick-Lewis, Donna; Ganann, Rebecca; Krishnaratne, Shari; Ciliska, Donna; Kouyoumdjian, Fiona; Hwang, Stephen W

2011-08-10

Research on interventions to positively impact health and housing status of people who are homeless has received substantially increased attention over the past 5 years. This rapid review examines recent evidence regarding interventions that have been shown to improve the health of homeless people, with particular focus on the effect of these interventions on housing status. A total of 1,546 articles were identified by a structured search of five electronic databases, a hand search of grey literature and relevant journals, and contact with experts. Two reviewers independently screened the first 10% of titles and abstracts for relevance. Inter-rater reliability was high and as a result only one reviewer screened the remaining titles and abstracts. Articles were included if they were published between January 2004 and December 2009 and examined the effectiveness of an intervention to improve the health or healthcare utilization of people who were homeless, marginally housed, or at risk of homelessness. Two reviewers independently scored all relevant articles for quality. Eighty-four relevant studies were identified; none were of strong quality while ten were rated of moderate quality. For homeless people with mental illness, provision of housing upon hospital discharge was effective in improving sustained housing. For homeless people with substance abuse issues or concurrent disorders, provision of housing was associated with decreased substance use, relapses from periods of substance abstinence, and health services utilization, and increased housing tenure. Abstinent dependent housing was more effective in supporting housing status, substance abstinence, and improved psychiatric outcomes than non-abstinence dependent housing or no housing. Provision of housing also improved health outcomes among homeless populations with HIV. Health promotion programs can decrease risk behaviours among homeless populations. These studies provide important new evidence regarding

Effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and housing status of homeless people: a rapid systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kouyoumdjian Fiona

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research on interventions to positively impact health and housing status of people who are homeless has received substantially increased attention over the past 5 years. This rapid review examines recent evidence regarding interventions that have been shown to improve the health of homeless people, with particular focus on the effect of these interventions on housing status. Methods A total of 1,546 articles were identified by a structured search of five electronic databases, a hand search of grey literature and relevant journals, and contact with experts. Two reviewers independently screened the first 10% of titles and abstracts for relevance. Inter-rater reliability was high and as a result only one reviewer screened the remaining titles and abstracts. Articles were included if they were published between January 2004 and December 2009 and examined the effectiveness of an intervention to improve the health or healthcare utilization of people who were homeless, marginally housed, or at risk of homelessness. Two reviewers independently scored all relevant articles for quality. Results Eighty-four relevant studies were identified; none were of strong quality while ten were rated of moderate quality. For homeless people with mental illness, provision of housing upon hospital discharge was effective in improving sustained housing. For homeless people with substance abuse issues or concurrent disorders, provision of housing was associated with decreased substance use, relapses from periods of substance abstinence, and health services utilization, and increased housing tenure. Abstinent dependent housing was more effective in supporting housing status, substance abstinence, and improved psychiatric outcomes than non-abstinence dependent housing or no housing. Provision of housing also improved health outcomes among homeless populations with HIV. Health promotion programs can decrease risk behaviours among homeless populations

Effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and housing status of homeless people: a rapid systematic review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Research on interventions to positively impact health and housing status of people who are homeless has received substantially increased attention over the past 5 years. This rapid review examines recent evidence regarding interventions that have been shown to improve the health of homeless people, with particular focus on the effect of these interventions on housing status. Methods A total of 1,546 articles were identified by a structured search of five electronic databases, a hand search of grey literature and relevant journals, and contact with experts. Two reviewers independently screened the first 10% of titles and abstracts for relevance. Inter-rater reliability was high and as a result only one reviewer screened the remaining titles and abstracts. Articles were included if they were published between January 2004 and December 2009 and examined the effectiveness of an intervention to improve the health or healthcare utilization of people who were homeless, marginally housed, or at risk of homelessness. Two reviewers independently scored all relevant articles for quality. Results Eighty-four relevant studies were identified; none were of strong quality while ten were rated of moderate quality. For homeless people with mental illness, provision of housing upon hospital discharge was effective in improving sustained housing. For homeless people with substance abuse issues or concurrent disorders, provision of housing was associated with decreased substance use, relapses from periods of substance abstinence, and health services utilization, and increased housing tenure. Abstinent dependent housing was more effective in supporting housing status, substance abstinence, and improved psychiatric outcomes than non-abstinence dependent housing or no housing. Provision of housing also improved health outcomes among homeless populations with HIV. Health promotion programs can decrease risk behaviours among homeless populations. Conclusions These studies

Macrophyte distribution and ecological status of the Turiec River (Slovakia: Changes after seven years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hrivnák R.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Characteristics of diversity, abundance, distribution, and ecological status of aquatic macrophytes were observed in 2000 and 2007 on a circa 4.5 km long section of the Turiec River using Kohler's method. In comparison to 2000, the total number of macrophytes in 2007 increased markedly (from 25 to 35, although only the numbers of amphi­phytes and helophytes were changed substantially. The number of hydrophytes increased from 11 to 12; an invasive, Elodea canadenis, was the only new species. The relative plant mass of hydrophytes represents the bulk of all recorded species (95 and 80% in 2000 and 2007, respectively, and it was changed for most hydrophytes. The most significant changes were detected for Myriophyllum spicatum (decrease, filamentous algae (decrease, and Potamogeton crispus (increase. In 2007, the mean mass total (MMT sum of hydrophytes decreased from 16.46 to 14.5. On the other hand, the MMTsum of amphiphytes and helophytes doubled in value (7.4 and 14.1 in 2000 and 2007, respectively. Within hydrophytes, Batrachium species (including B. aquatile and B. trichophyllum, Myriophyllum spicatum, and Potamogeton crispus were ubiquitous (distribution ratio d > 0.5 in 2000, whereas in 2007 only Batrachium species and Potamogeton crispus were ubiquitous. At all times, Batrachium species were the most frequent species in the study area, and their abundance was relatively high (MMT> 2.5. A poor ecological status (MMP = 0.378 and MMP = 0.333 in 2000 and 2007, respectively of the surveyed river section was found in both years, but a slight decline of quality as determined on the basis of aquatic plants was observed after 7 years.

The Striated Parachute Spider Poecilotheria striata Pocock, 1895 (Araneae: Theraphosidae: a note on taxonomy, distribution and conservation status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Siliwal

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The known distribution range of Poecilotheria striata Pocock, 1895 in India is from Mysuru in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south. During the recent surveys in northern Karnataka, P. striata was recorded from six locations in Dandeli and nearby areas in the Uttara Kannada District. With the new records from Uttara Kannada, the distribution range of this species extends to the northern part of the Western Ghats by ca. 400km from Mysuru. Additional records on distribution of P. striata are also provided from various surveys carried out in the last 10 years. Based on these new records, the IUCN Red List status of P. striata is recommended to be reassessed as Near Threatened. Additional information on the morphology and natural history of P. striata is provided in the paper.

Effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and housing status of homeless people: a rapid systematic review.

OpenAIRE

Fitzpatrick-Lewis, D; Ganann, R; Krishnaratne, S; Ciliska, D; Kouyoumdjian, F; Hwang, SW

2011-01-01

Abstract Background Research on interventions to positively impact health and housing status of people who are homeless has received substantially increased attention over the past 5 years. This rapid review examines recent evidence regarding interventions that have been shown to improve the health of homeless people, with particular focus on the effect of these interventions on housing status. Methods A total of 1,546 articles were identified by a structured search of five electronic databas...

An Improved Harmony Search Algorithm for Power Distribution Network Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Sun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Distribution network planning because of involving many variables and constraints is a multiobjective, discrete, nonlinear, and large-scale optimization problem. Harmony search (HS algorithm is a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the improvisation process of music players. HS algorithm has several impressive advantages, such as easy implementation, less adjustable parameters, and quick convergence. But HS algorithm still has some defects such as premature convergence and slow convergence speed. According to the defects of the standard algorithm and characteristics of distribution network planning, an improved harmony search (IHS algorithm is proposed in this paper. We set up a mathematical model of distribution network structure planning, whose optimal objective function is to get the minimum annual cost and constraint conditions are overload and radial network. IHS algorithm is applied to solve the complex optimization mathematical model. The empirical results strongly indicate that IHS algorithm can effectively provide better results for solving the distribution network planning problem compared to other optimization algorithms.

The Current and Historical Distribution of Special Status Amphibians at the Livermore Site and Site 300

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hattem, M V; Paterson, L; Woollett, J

2008-08-20

65 surveys were completed in 2002 to assess the current distribution of special status amphibians at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Livermore Site and Site 300. Combined with historical information from previous years, the information presented herein illustrates the dynamic and probable risk that amphibian populations face at both sites. The Livermore Site is developed and in stark contrast to the mostly undeveloped Site 300. Yet both sites have significant issues threatening the long-term sustainability of their respective amphibian populations. Livermore Site amphibians are presented with a suite of challenges inherent of urban interfaces, most predictably the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), while Site 300's erosion issues and periodic feral pig (Sus scrofa) infestations reduce and threaten populations. The long-term sustainability of LLNL's special status amphibians will require active management and resource commitment to maintain and restore amphibian habitat at both sites.

Nursing intervention by telephone interviews of patients aged over 65 years after total hip replacement improves health status: a randomised clinical trial Nursing intervention by telephone interviews of patients aged over 65 years after total hip replacement improves health status: a randomised

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hørdam, Britta

2010-01-01

and over by using telephone support and counselling 2 and 10 weeks after surgery compared with a control group receiving conventional care and treatment. Design: A randomised clinical trial focusing on patients' health status by using short-form 36 at 4 weeks preoperatively and 3 and 9 months...... postoperatively was carried out. Sample: 180 patients aged 65 years and over were randomised 4 weeks preoperatively to either control or intervention groups. Measurements: both groups received conventional surgical treatment, but the intervention group was interviewed by telephone 2 and 10 weeks after surgery......Nursing intervention by telephone interviews of patients aged over 65 years after total hip replacement improves health status: a randomised clinical trial Objective: We hypothesised that all areas of health status after total hip replacement could be improved in patients aged over 65 years...

Distribution, population status, and threats of nationally threatened Cantor's leaf-nosed bat Hipposideros galeritus Cantor, 1846 in eastern India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subrat Debata

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This report provides information regarding the distribution range, population status, and threats of the nationally threatened Cantor's leaf-nosed bat from Odisha, eastern India. The study revealed six new roosting sites of the species with an estimated total population of 97 individuals. Roosting sites were mostly recorded within moist deciduous habitats, located in caves, old temples, and buildings. In most of the sites, bats are threatened from roost site disturbance and hunted for ethnozoological uses. We recommend long-term monitoring on population trends in relation to human activities. The information generated from the study will aid in reassessing the conservation status of the species in future.

Improving the accuracy of livestock distribution estimates through spatial interpolation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryssinckx, Ward; Ducheyne, Els; Muhwezi, Bernard; Godfrey, Sunday; Mintiens, Koen; Leirs, Herwig; Hendrickx, Guy

2012-11-01

Animal distribution maps serve many purposes such as estimating transmission risk of zoonotic pathogens to both animals and humans. The reliability and usability of such maps is highly dependent on the quality of the input data. However, decisions on how to perform livestock surveys are often based on previous work without considering possible consequences. A better understanding of the impact of using different sample designs and processing steps on the accuracy of livestock distribution estimates was acquired through iterative experiments using detailed survey. The importance of sample size, sample design and aggregation is demonstrated and spatial interpolation is presented as a potential way to improve cattle number estimates. As expected, results show that an increasing sample size increased the precision of cattle number estimates but these improvements were mainly seen when the initial sample size was relatively low (e.g. a median relative error decrease of 0.04% per sampled parish for sample sizes below 500 parishes). For higher sample sizes, the added value of further increasing the number of samples declined rapidly (e.g. a median relative error decrease of 0.01% per sampled parish for sample sizes above 500 parishes. When a two-stage stratified sample design was applied to yield more evenly distributed samples, accuracy levels were higher for low sample densities and stabilised at lower sample sizes compared to one-stage stratified sampling. Aggregating the resulting cattle number estimates yielded significantly more accurate results because of averaging under- and over-estimates (e.g. when aggregating cattle number estimates from subcounty to district level, P interpolation to fill in missing values in non-sampled areas, accuracy is improved remarkably. This counts especially for low sample sizes and spatially even distributed samples (e.g. P <0.001 for a sample of 170 parishes using one-stage stratified sampling and aggregation on district level

E2F5 status significantly improves malignancy diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer

KAUST Repository

Kothandaraman, Narasimhan

2010-02-24

Background: Ovarian epithelial cancer (OEC) usually presents in the later stages of the disease. Factors, especially those associated with cell-cycle genes, affecting the genesis and tumour progression for ovarian cancer are largely unknown. We hypothesized that over-expressed transcription factors (TFs), as well as those that are driving the expression of the OEC over-expressed genes, could be the key for OEC genesis and potentially useful tissue and serum markers for malignancy associated with OEC.Methods: Using a combination of computational (selection of candidate TF markers and malignancy prediction) and experimental approaches (tissue microarray and western blotting on patient samples) we identified and evaluated E2F5 transcription factor involved in cell proliferation, as a promising candidate regulatory target in early stage disease. Our hypothesis was supported by our tissue array experiments that showed E2F5 expression only in OEC samples but not in normal and benign tissues, and by significantly positively biased expression in serum samples done using western blotting studies.Results: Analysis of clinical cases shows that of the E2F5 status is characteristic for a different population group than one covered by CA125, a conventional OEC biomarker. E2F5 used in different combinations with CA125 for distinguishing malignant cyst from benign cyst shows that the presence of CA125 or E2F5 increases sensitivity of OEC detection to 97.9% (an increase from 87.5% if only CA125 is used) and, more importantly, the presence of both CA125 and E2F5 increases specificity of OEC to 72.5% (an increase from 55% if only CA125 is used). This significantly improved accuracy suggests possibility of an improved diagnostics of OEC. Furthermore, detection of malignancy status in 86 cases (38 benign, 48 early and late OEC) shows that the use of E2F5 status in combination with other clinical characteristics allows for an improved detection of malignant cases with sensitivity

Spatially explicit trends in the global conservation status of vertebrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Ana S L; Brooks, Thomas M; Butchart, Stuart H M; Chanson, Janice; Cox, Neil; Hoffmann, Michael; Stuart, Simon N

2014-01-01

The world's governments have committed to preventing the extinction of threatened species and improving their conservation status by 2020. However, biodiversity is not evenly distributed across space, and neither are the drivers of its decline, and so different regions face very different challenges. Here, we quantify the contribution of regions and countries towards recent global trends in vertebrate conservation status (as measured by the Red List Index), to guide action towards the 2020 target. We found that>50% of the global deterioration in the conservation status of birds, mammals and amphibians is concentrated in nations (e.g. Cook Islands, Fiji, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tonga), have achieved net improvements. Per capita wealth does not explain these patterns, with two of the richest countries - United States and Australia - fairing conspicuously poorly. Different countries were affected by different combinations of threats. Reducing global rates of biodiversity loss will require investment in the regions and countries with the highest responsibility for the world's biodiversity, focusing on conserving those species and areas most in peril and on reducing the drivers with the highest impacts.

Status of electron transport in MCNP trademark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, H.G.

1997-01-01

The latest version of MCNP, the Los Alamos Monte Carlo transport code, has now been officially released. MCNP4B has been sent to the Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC), in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is responsible for the further distribution of the code within the US. International distribution of MCNP is done by the Nuclear Energy Agency (ECD/NEA), in Paris, France. Readers with access to the World-Wide-Web should consult the MCNP distribution site http://www-xdiv.lanl.gov/XTM/mcnp/about.html for specific information about contacting RSICC and OECD/NEA. A variety of new features are available in MCNP4B. Among these are differential operator perturbations, cross-section plotting capabilities, enhanced diagnostics for transport in repeated structures and lattices, improved efficiency in distributed-memory multiprocessing, corrected particle lifetime and lifespan estimators, and expanded software quality assurance procedures and testing, including testing of the multigroup Boltzmann-Fokker-Planck capability. New and improved cross section sets in the form of ENDF/B-VI evaluations have also been recently released and can be used in MCNP4B. Perhaps most significant for the interests of this special session, the electron transport algorithm has been improved, especially in the collisional energy-loss straggling and the angular-deflection treatments. In this paper, the author concentrates on a fairly complete documentation of the current status of the electron transport methods in MCNP

Improvement in performance status after erythropoietin treatment in lung cancer patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casas, Francesc; Vinolas, Nuria; Ferrer, Ferran; Farrus, Blanca; Gimferrer, Josep Maria; Agusti, Carles; Belda, Josep; Luburich, Patricio

2003-01-01

Purpose: A prospective Phase II trial was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of erythropoietin in improving or maintaining performance status as determined by the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score and hemoglobin (Hb) levels in lung cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation (CH-RT). Methods and Materials: A total of 51 patients with lung cancer (11 with small-cell, limited stage and 40 with non-small-cell disease, 17 with Stage IIIA and 23 with Stage IIIB), who underwent three different concurrent CH-RT protocols were enrolled. Baseline Hb and KPS values were recorded, as were the nadir Hb and KPS values before concurrent CH-RT. The final Hb and KPS values were recorded the last week of concurrent CH-RT. An Hb level of ≤11 g/dL before concurrent CH-RT was required before receiving erythropoietin. Prognostic factors for KPS improvement and survival were assessed by univariate and multivariate studies. Results: Of the 51 patients, 47 (92.3%) were men (mean age 63.6 years, range 40-75). The median baseline KPS score was 80, and the mean baseline Hb was 12.2 ± 1.76 g/dL (range 9-16.9). The mean nadir and final Hb value was 9.98±0.67 g/dL (range 8.6-11) and 11.33±1.59 g/dL (range 6.9-14.4), respectively. A significant increase was seen in the Hb and KPS score (p<0.05) in the final measurements. Differences were found between the final and nadir Hb in the predictive value for differences in performance status (p=0.001). On univariate study, pathologic findings (p=0.0234), weight loss (p=0.0049), baseline Hb (p=0.0057), and final Hb improvement (p=0.0237) were prognostic factors for survival. Nadir Hb (p=0.027), final Hb improvement (p=0.0069), pathologic findings (p = 0.0006), and weight loss (p=0.0001) had significant prognostic value for survival in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: In this study, erythropoietin appears to have a significant, beneficial impact on the KPS and Hb of patients undergoing concurrent CH-RT

Higher agrobiodiversity is associated with improved dietary diversity, but not child anthropometric status, of Mayan Achí people of Guatemala.

Science.gov (United States)

Luna-González, Diana V; Sørensen, Marten

2018-04-03

Child undernutrition remains one of the greatest challenges for public health nutrition in rural areas in developing countries. Interventions aiming to increase and conserve agrobiodiversity seem to be promising alternatives to improve child nutrition. However, the existing literature on these interventions is not conclusive about their effectiveness in combating child undernutrition. We tested the hypothesis that 'higher agrobiodiversity is associated with greater dietary diversity and better anthropometric status' in rural Guatemala.Design/Setting/SubjectsIn the summer of 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional study with a sample of 154 children (6-60 months). We conducted dietary recalls and structured interviews, measured children's weight and height, and visited food production systems (Milpas, home gardens, coffee plantations). Crop species richness, nutritional functional diversity, dietary diversity scores and anthropometric status were calculated. Higher food self-sufficiency, nutritional functional diversity and dietary diversity scores were positively correlated with higher crop and animal species richness. Contrarily, remoteness to the local market was negatively correlated with dietary diversity scores. However, higher dietary diversity scores were not correlated with better child anthropometric status. Better child anthropometric status was positively correlated with improved sanitary conditions and maternal education; and negatively correlated with large household size and frequent child morbidity. Agricultural diversification could diversify diets, increase nutrient availability and improve child anthropometry. However, these interventions need to be accompanied by sanitation improvements, family planning, nutritional education and women's empowerment to strengthen their positive effect on diet and nutrition.

FRIB Cryogenic Distribution System and Status

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ganni, Venkatarao [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Dixon, Kelly D. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Laverdure, Nathaniel A. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Yang, Shuo [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Nellis, Timothy [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Jones, S. [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Casagrande, Fabio [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)

2015-12-01

The MSU-FRIB cryogenic distribution system supports the 2 K primary, 4 K primary, and 35 - 55 K shield operation of more than 70 loads in the accelerator and the experimental areas. It is based on JLab and SNS experience with bayonet-type disconnects between the loads and the distribution system for phased commissioning and maintenance. The linac transfer line, which features three separate transfer line segments for additional independence during phased commissioning at 4 K and 2 K, connects the folded arrangement of 49 cryomodules and 4 superconducting dipole magnets and a fourth transfer line supports the separator area cryo loads. The pressure reliefs for the transfer line process lines, located in the refrigeration room outside the tunnel/accelerator area, are piped to be vented outdoors. The transfer line designs integrate supply and return flow paths into a combined vacuum space. The main linac distribution segments are produced in a small number of standard configurations; a prototype of one such configuration has been fabricated at Jefferson Lab and has been installed at MSU to support testing of a prototype FRIB cryomodule.

Estimating the cost of improving quality in electricity distribution: A parametric distance function approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coelli, Tim J.; Gautier, Axel; Perelman, Sergio; Saplacan-Pop, Roxana

2013-01-01

The quality of electricity distribution is being more and more scrutinized by regulatory authorities, with explicit reward and penalty schemes based on quality targets having been introduced in many countries. It is then of prime importance to know the cost of improving the quality for a distribution system operator. In this paper, we focus on one dimension of quality, the continuity of supply, and we estimated the cost of preventing power outages. For that, we make use of the parametric distance function approach, assuming that outages enter in the firm production set as an input, an imperfect substitute for maintenance activities and capital investment. This allows us to identify the sources of technical inefficiency and the underlying trade-off faced by operators between quality and other inputs and costs. For this purpose, we use panel data on 92 electricity distribution units operated by ERDF (Electricité de France - Réseau Distribution) in the 2003–2005 financial years. Assuming a multi-output multi-input translog technology, we estimate that the cost of preventing one interruption is equal to 10.7€ for an average DSO. Furthermore, as one would expect, marginal quality improvements tend to be more expensive as quality itself improves. - Highlights: ► We estimate the implicit cost of outages for the main distribution company in France. ► For this purpose, we make use of a parametric distance function approach. ► Marginal quality improvements tend to be more expensive as quality itself improves. ► The cost of preventing one interruption varies from 1.8 € to 69.2 € (2005 prices). ► We estimate that, in average, it lays 33% above the regulated price of quality.

Unstandardized treatment of electroencephalographic status epilepticus does not improve outcome of comatose patients after cardiac arrest

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofmeijer, Jeannette; Cloostermans, M.C.; Beishuizen, A.; van Putten, Michel Johannes Antonius Maria

2014-01-01

Objective: Electroencephalographic status epilepticus occurs in 9–35% of comatose patients after cardiac arrest. Mortality is 90–100%. It is unclear whether (some) seizure patterns represent a condition in which anti-epileptic treatment may improve outcome, or severe ischemic damage, in which

Improving Clinical Trial Cohort Definition Criteria and Enrollment with Distributional Semantic Matching

OpenAIRE

Shao, Jianyin; Gouripeddi, Ramkiran; Facelli, Julio C.

2016-01-01

Shao, J., Gouripeddi, R., & Facelli, J.C. (2016). Improving Clinical Trial Cohort Definition Criteria and Enrollment with Distributional Semantic Matching (poster). Research Reproducibility 2016. Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Role of zinc in human body and approaches for improvement with reference to status in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yameen, A.; Bilal, R.

2001-01-01

Importance of micronutrients for human health has been recognized and efforts are being made to eradicate their deficiency. Micronutrient deficiency is also termed as hidden hunger. Zinc is an important micronutrient and its deficiency cause serious effects on human health. This paper intends to describe the importance of zinc and methods of its assessment, highlighting the consequences of its deficiency in human body in order to create awareness. Some information on deficiency data in Pakistan, status of current national nutrition survey for future policies and possible measures to improve the zinc status of population is also mentioned. (author)

The critically endangered Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus in Iran: a review of recent distribution, and conservation status

OpenAIRE

Farhadinia, MS; Hunter, LTB; Jourabchian, A; Hosseini-Zavarei, F; Akbari, H; Ziaie, H; Schaller, GB; Jowkar, H

2017-01-01

Considerable effort has been put into conservation of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus in Iran during the past few decades, and a thorough review of the species’ status, demography, range and conservation is provided here. We collated a large dataset of all verified occurrence data, photographic records and mortality cases since 1980 throughout the species’ range in Iran. Currently, the cheetah is distributed throughout the arid landscapes of the eastern ha...

Smart Grid Status and Metrics Report Appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balducci, Patrick J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Antonopoulos, Chrissi A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Clements, Samuel L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gorrissen, Willy J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kirkham, Harold [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Ruiz, Kathleen A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Smith, David L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Weimar, Mark R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gardner, Chris [APQC, Houston, TX (United States); Varney, Jeff [APQC, Houston, TX (United States)

2014-07-01

A smart grid uses digital power control and communication technology to improve the reliability, security, flexibility, and efficiency of the electric system, from large generation through the delivery systems to electricity consumers and a growing number of distributed generation and storage resources. To convey progress made in achieving the vision of a smart grid, this report uses a set of six characteristics derived from the National Energy Technology Laboratory Modern Grid Strategy. The Smart Grid Status and Metrics Report defines and examines 21 metrics that collectively provide insight into the grid’s capacity to embody these characteristics. This appendix presents papers covering each of the 21 metrics identified in Section 2.1 of the Smart Grid Status and Metrics Report. These metric papers were prepared in advance of the main body of the report and collectively form its informational backbone.

A new reconfiguration scheme for voltage stability enhancement of radial distribution systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arun, M.; Aravindhababu, P.

2009-01-01

Network reconfiguration is an operation problem, which entails altering the topological structure of the distribution feeders by rearranging the status of switches in order to obtain an optimal configuration in order to minimise the system losses. This paper presents a new reconfiguration algorithm that enhances voltage stability and improves the voltage profile besides minimising losses without incurring any additional cost for installation of capacitors, tap changing transformers and related switching equipment in the distribution system. Test results on a 69 node distribution system reveal the superiority of this algorithm.

Status of the ITER full-tungsten divertor shaping and heat load distribution analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpentier-Chouchana, S; Hirai, T; Escourbiac, F; Durocher, A; Fedosov, A; Ferrand, L; Kocan, M; Kukushkin, A S; Jokinen, T; Komarov, V; Lehnen, M; Merola, M; Mitteau, R; Pitts, R A; Sugihara, M; Firdaouss, M; Stangeby, P C

2014-01-01

In September 2011, the ITER Organization (IO) proposed to begin operation with a full-tungsten (W) armoured divertor, with the objective of taking a decision on the final target material (carbon fibre composite or W) by the end of 2013. This period of 2 years would enable the development of a full-W divertor design compatible with nuclear operations, the investigation of further several physics R and D aspects associated with the use of W targets and the completion of technology qualification. Beginning with a brief overview of the reference heat load specifications which have been defined for the full-W engineering activity, this paper will report on the current status of the ITER divertor shaping and will summarize the results of related three-dimensional heat load distribution analysis performed as part of the design validation. (paper)

Morocco: Country Status Report.

Science.gov (United States)

McFerren, Margaret

A survey of the status of language usage in Morocco begins with an overview of the distribution and usage of Arabic, the official language, the Berber dialects, and French, an unofficial second language. The continuing high status and widespread use of French despite arabization efforts is discussed. A matrix follows that rates these languages and…

Predictors of Functional Improvement and Future Work Status After the Disability Benefit Claim: A Prospective Cohort Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cornelius, L.R.; van der Klink, J.J.L.; de Boer, M.R.; Groothoff, J.W.; Brouwer, S.

2014-01-01

Objective In most industrialized countries, disability benefit rates have increased substantially in the past decade. Few beneficiaries return into employment once disability benefit is awarded. The present study aims to investigate which factors predict functional improvement and future work status

Improvement of industrially important microbial strains by genome shuffling: Current status and future prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Magocha, Tinashe Archbold; Zabed, H; Yang, Miaomiao; Yun, Junhua; Zhang, Huanhuan; Qi, Xianghui

2018-06-01

The growing demand for biotechnological products against limited metabolic capacity of industrially used microorganisms has led to an increased interest on strain-improvement over the last several decades, which aimed to enhance metabolite yield, substrate uptake and tolerance of the strains. Among a few techniques of strain-improvement, genome shuffling is the most recent and promising approach used for rapid strain-improvement that can yield a new strain by combining whole genomes of multi-parental microorganisms using the principles of protoplast fusion. Genome shuffling has brought a major breakthrough in the strain-improvement concept as it is found to be effective and reliable for expressing complex phenotypes. This review will discuss the technical aspects and applications of genome shuffling for various industrial strains to present its current status and recent progress. In the concluding remarks, a summary will be presented focusing on the major challenges and future outlooks of this technology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving nutritional status of children with cystic fibrosis at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Spuy, Dorothy A; Cader, Shihaam; van der Spuy, Gian D; Westwood, Anthony T

2011-05-01

To determine the nutritional status of children attending a cystic fibrosis clinic in a tertiary hospital in South Africa and compare it to previously reported 10-year rates. Weights and heights were measured of 69 (37 male and 32 female) children aged between 1 year and 18 years. Expected weight-for-age, expected height-for-age, expected weight-for-height and body mass index (BMI) were compared with international standards for underweight, stunting, wasting and BMI goal. The nutritional status of the patients has improved over the last 10 years, most significantly for wasting, which decreased from 58.3% in 1996 to 15.9% in 2006 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.315-14.09, P nutritional status, although deficits remain. The normalisation of mean weight-for-age and weight-for-height with far fewer wasted patients is encouraging. Interventions are needed in some areas to ensure that all children show progress. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2011 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

A Review of Distributed Control Techniques for Power Quality Improvement in Micro-grids

Science.gov (United States)

Zeeshan, Hafiz Muhammad Ali; Nisar, Fatima; Hassan, Ahmad

2017-05-01

Micro-grid is typically visualized as a small scale local power supply network dependent on distributed energy resources (DERs) that can operate simultaneously with grid as well as in standalone manner. The distributed generator of a micro-grid system is usually a converter-inverter type topology acting as a non-linear load, and injecting harmonics into the distribution feeder. Hence, the negative effects on power quality by the usage of distributed generation sources and components are clearly witnessed. In this paper, a review of distributed control approaches for power quality improvement is presented which encompasses harmonic compensation, loss mitigation and optimum power sharing in multi-source-load distributed power network. The decentralized subsystems for harmonic compensation and active-reactive power sharing accuracy have been analysed in detail. Results have been validated to be consistent with IEEE standards.

Parenteral nutrition improves nutritional status, autonomic symptoms and quality of life in transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Massimo; Vita, Gian Luca; Stancanelli, Claudia; Mazzeo, Anna; Vita, Giuseppe; Messina, Sonia

2016-06-01

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) is an inherited amyloidosis, leading to death in about ten years in most cases due to cardiac failure or wasting syndrome. Previous studies showed that modified body mass index was related to time before death, duration of gastrointestinal disturbances, malabsorption and functional capacity. We report two patients in whom nutritional status worsened despite diet modification, hypercaloric supplement and two relevant therapeutic approaches such as liver transplant and tafamidis meglumine, respectively. The first patient, a 52-year-old lady carrying Thr49Ala mutation, had a disease duration of twelve years and had lost weight up to 35 kg because of daily diarrhea. The second patient, a 63-year-old man with Glu89Gln mutation and a disease duration of fifteen years, was in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification class III and his weight was 39 kg. In both cases, a peripherally inserted central catheter was placed for parenteral nutrition. It allowed to improve their nutritional status and clinical conditions, with body weight gains of 11 and 8 kg in a one year follow-up, respectively. Moreover, reduction of autonomic symptoms including postural hypotension, nausea and diarrhoea was recorded with ameliorated quality of life. Our experience suggests that parenteral nutrition may be useful in reducing complications and disabilities in TTR-FAP patients, even when all dietary adjustments have been ineffective. Reasonably, the improvement in nutritional status may prolong survival in TTR-FAP patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fish species of greatest conservation need in wadeable Iowa streams: current status and effectiveness of Aquatic Gap Program distribution models

Science.gov (United States)

Sindt, Anthony R.; Pierce, Clay; Quist, Michael C.

2012-01-01

Effective conservation of fish species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) requires an understanding of species–habitat relationships and distributional trends. Thus, modeling the distribution of fish species across large spatial scales may be a valuable tool for conservation planning. Our goals were to evaluate the status of 10 fish SGCN in wadeable Iowa streams and to test the effectiveness of Iowa Aquatic Gap Analysis Project (IAGAP) species distribution models. We sampled fish assemblages from 86 wadeable stream segments in the Mississippi River drainage of Iowa during 2009 and 2010 to provide contemporary, independent fish species presence–absence data. The frequencies of occurrence in stream segments where species were historically documented varied from 0.0% for redfin shiner Lythrurus umbratilis to 100.0% for American brook lampreyLampetra appendix, with a mean of 53.0%, suggesting that the status of Iowa fish SGCN is highly variable. Cohen's kappa values and other model performance measures were calculated by comparing field-collected presence–absence data with IAGAP model–predicted presences and absences for 12 fish SGCN. Kappa values varied from 0.00 to 0.50, with a mean of 0.15. The models only predicted the occurrences of banded darterEtheostoma zonale, southern redbelly dace Phoxinus erythrogaster, and longnose daceRhinichthys cataractae more accurately than would be expected by chance. Overall, the accuracy of the twelve models was low, with a mean correct classification rate of 58.3%. Poor model performance probably reflects the difficulties associated with modeling the distribution of rare species and the inability of the large-scale habitat variables used in IAGAP models to explain the variation in fish species occurrences. Our results highlight the importance of quantifying the confidence in species distribution model predictions with an independent data set and the need for long-term monitoring to better understand the

Cost/worth assessment of reliability improvement in distribution networks by means of artificial intelligence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bouhouras, Aggelos S.; Labridis, Dimitris P.; Bakirtzis, Anastasios G. [Power Systems Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 54124 Thessaloniki (Greece)

2010-06-15

A major challenge for the power utilities today is to ensure a high level of reliability of supply to customers. Two main factors determine the feasibility of a project that improves the reliability of supply: the project cost (investment and operational) and the benefits that result from the implementation of the project. This paper examines the implementation of an Artificial Intelligence System in an urban distribution network, capable to locate and isolate short circuit faults in the feeder, thus accomplishing immediate restoration of electric supply to the customers. The paper describes the benefits of the project, which are supply reliability improvement and distribution network loss reduction through network reconfigurations. By comparison of the project benefits and costs the economic feasibility of such a project for an underground distribution feeder in Greece is demonstrated. (author)

Analysis of the Mediterranean fruit fly [Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)] spatio-temporal distribution in relation to sex and female mating status for precision IPM.

Science.gov (United States)

Sciarretta, Andrea; Tabilio, Maria Rosaria; Lampazzi, Elena; Ceccaroli, Claudio; Colacci, Marco; Trematerra, Pasquale

2018-01-01

The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is a key pest of fruit crops in many tropical, subtropical and mild temperate areas worldwide. The economic importance of this fruit fly is increasing due to its invasion of new geographical areas. Efficient control and eradication efforts require adequate information regarding C. capitata adults in relation to environmental and physiological cues. This would allow effective characterisation of the population spatio-temporal dynamic of the C. capitata population at both the orchard level and the area-wide landscape. The aim of this study was to analyse population patterns of adult medflies caught using two trapping systems in a peach orchard located in central Italy. They were differentiated by adult sex (males or females) and mating status of females (unmated or mated females) to determine the spatio-temporal dynamic and evaluate the effect of cultivar and chemical treatments on trap catches. Female mating status was assessed by spermathecal dissection and a blind test was carried out to evaluate the reliability of the technique. Geostatistical methods, variogram and kriging, were used to produce distributional maps. Results showed a strong correlation between the distribution of males and unmated females, whereas males versus mated females and unmated females versus mated females showed a lower correlation. Both cultivar and chemical treatments had significant effects on trap catches, showing associations with sex and female mating status. Medfly adults showed aggregated distributions in the experimental field, but hot spots locations varied. The spatial pattern of unmated females reflected that of males, whereas mated females were largely distributed around ripening or ripe fruit. The results give relevant insights into pest management. Mated females may be distributed differently to unmated females and the identification of male hot spots through monitoring would allow localisation of virgin

Status of POPs accumulation in the Yellow River Delta: From distribution to risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jing; Chen, Chunli; Li, Fadong

2016-01-01

The Yellow River Delta (YRD) is a large region of China with complex pollution sources and a long history of environmental deterioration. Despite this, relatively little data exists on the status of important contaminants of concern in this region. Here, we review the literature on the status of key persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of concern including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the YRD. Sources, source identification methods, and spatial distribution patterns are presented. Additionally, POPs contamination levels reported in the literature were evaluated against popular regulatory limits worldwide to form a basis for overall environmental health. Our review determined that OCPs in the YRD originated mainly from current pesticide use and past agricultural pesticide application. Sources of PAHs included petrochemical inputs, coal fired plants, and wood combustion. PCB levels were impacted by the petrochemical industry as well as waste disposal of PCB containing equipment. OCPs exhibited a spatial distribution pattern that increased along the urban–rural gradient, while the opposite was seen for PAHs and PCBs. Comparisons of POPs contamination levels in the YRD with popular regulatory limits suggest that the extent of PCB contamination all mediums (sediment, soil, water, and biota) exceeded that of PAHs and OCPs. Overall pollution levels in the YRD seem to be in control; however, levels from heavily polluted point sources raise numerous concerns about the ecological health of the region and require more attention from regulatory authorities. - Highlights: •Previous usage of POPs, regulatory limits and source identification methods used in China and abroad were summarized. •Environment occurrence, source and risk of OCPs, PCBs and PAHs are reviewed. •Both OCPs and PAHs residue are relatively low, but PCBs residue is at a higher degree. •Spatial pattern of OCPs showed

Improvement of nutritional status as assessed by multifrequency BIA during 15 weeks of refeeding in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Mika, Claudia; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Heer, Martina; Holtkamp, Kristian

2004-11-01

In patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), an assessment of changes in body composition and nutritional status is crucial for adequate nutritional management during refeeding therapies. Phase-sensitive multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is an inexpensive and noninvasive technique with which to determine nutritional status and body composition. We investigated 21 female adolescents with AN (initial BMI 15.5 +/- 1.1 kg/m(2)) 4 times between wk 3 and 15 of inpatient refeeding and 19 normal-weight, age-matched female controls. From wk 3 to 15, BMI, fat mass, body cell mass (BCM), total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW) but not extracellular mass (ECM), and extracellular water (ECW) increased significantly. Reactance (Xc), phase angle (PhA), and the ECM/BCM index as parameters of nutritional status improved significantly in patients and no longer differed from controls in wk 15, although the BMI of patients was significantly lower than those of controls. Changes in the ECM/BCM index were due to accretion of BCM, which was associated with an increase of ICW. Multifrequency phase-sensitive BIA seems to be a promising tool for the assessment of changes in nutritional status and body composition in patients with AN. An individually determined and controlled hyperenergetic diet as part of a multidimensional, interdisciplinary treatment program for eating disorders seems to quickly improve the nutritional status of AN patients.

Advanced air distribution: Improving health and comfort while reducing energy use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melikov, Arsen Krikor

2015-01-01

-quality indoor environments at the same time as low-energy consumption. Advanced air distribution, designed to supply clean air where, when, and as much as needed, makes it possible to efficiently achieve thermal comfort, control exposure to contaminants, provide high-quality air for breathing and minimizing......Indoor environment affects the health, comfort, and performance of building occupants. The energy used for heating, cooling, ventilating, and air conditioning of buildings is substantial. Ventilation based on total volume air distribution in spaces is not always an efficient way to provide high...... the risk of airborne cross-infection while reducing energy use. This study justifies the need for improving the present air distribution design in occupied spaces, and in general the need for a paradigm shift from the design of collective environments to the design of individually controlled environments...

Current status and improvement of the nuclear physics experiment course for speciality of nuclear physics and nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu Guopu; Guo Lanying

1999-01-01

The author reviews the current status of the nuclear physics experiment course for speciality of nuclear physics and nuclear technology in higher education and expresses author's views on the future improvement of the nuclear physics experiment course

Evaluation of the impact of the voucher and accreditation approach on improving reproductive behaviors and RH status: Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Rob, Ubaidur; Rahman, Moshiur; Bellows, Benjamin

2011-04-22

Cost of delivering reproductive health services to low-income populations will always require total or partial subsidization by the government and/or development partners. Broadly termed "Demand-Side Financing" or "Output-Based Aid", includes a range of interventions that channel government or donor subsidies to the service user rather than the service provider. Initial findings from the few assessments of reproductive health voucher-and-accreditation programs suggest that, if implemented well, these programs have great potential for achieving the policy objectives of increasing access and use, reducing inequities and enhancing program efficiency and service quality. At this point in time, however, there is a paucity of evidence describing how the various voucher programs function in different settings, for various reproductive health services. Population Council-Nairobi, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, intends to address the lack of evidence around the pros and cons of 'voucher and accreditation' approaches to improving the reproductive health of low income women in five developing countries. In Bangladesh, the activities will be conducted in 11 accredited health facilities where Demand Side Financing program is being implemented and compared with populations drawn from areas served by similar non-accredited facilities. Facility inventories, client exit interviews and service provider interviews will be used to collect comparable data across each facility for assessing readiness and quality of care. In-depth interviews with key stakeholders will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding about the program. A population-based survey will also be carried out in two types of locations: areas where vouchers are distributed and similar locations where vouchers are not distributed. This is a quasi-experimental study which will investigate the impact of the voucher approach on improving maternal health behaviors and status and reducing inequities at the

Evaluation of the impact of the voucher and accreditation approach on improving reproductive behaviors and RH status: Bangladesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahman Moshiur

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cost of delivering reproductive health services to low-income populations will always require total or partial subsidization by the government and/or development partners. Broadly termed "Demand-Side Financing" or "Output-Based Aid", includes a range of interventions that channel government or donor subsidies to the service user rather than the service provider. Initial findings from the few assessments of reproductive health voucher-and-accreditation programs suggest that, if implemented well, these programs have great potential for achieving the policy objectives of increasing access and use, reducing inequities and enhancing program efficiency and service quality. At this point in time, however, there is a paucity of evidence describing how the various voucher programs function in different settings, for various reproductive health services. Methods/Design Population Council-Nairobi, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, intends to address the lack of evidence around the pros and cons of 'voucher and accreditation' approaches to improving the reproductive health of low income women in five developing countries. In Bangladesh, the activities will be conducted in 11 accredited health facilities where Demand Side Financing program is being implemented and compared with populations drawn from areas served by similar non-accredited facilities. Facility inventories, client exit interviews and service provider interviews will be used to collect comparable data across each facility for assessing readiness and quality of care. In-depth interviews with key stakeholders will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding about the program. A population-based survey will also be carried out in two types of locations: areas where vouchers are distributed and similar locations where vouchers are not distributed. Discussion This is a quasi-experimental study which will investigate the impact of the voucher approach on improving

Effect of improved vitamin A status on response to iron supplementation in Pakistani infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Northrop-Clewes, C A; Paracha, P I; McLoone, U J; Thurnham, D I

1996-11-01

We report an apparently protective effect of vitamin A in infants who received iron supplements (15 mg/d) for 3 mo. Those receiving iron showed increases in hemoglobin (8 g/L), ferritin (3.7 micrograms/L), and the acute-phase protein alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT; 0.06 g/L). In both the placebo and iron-supplemented groups there were increases in plasma retinol, lutein, alpha-tocopherol, immunoglobulin A, and immunoglobulin G. The improvement in vitamin A status could only have been from a seasonal increase in dietary sources of vitamin A, eg, breast milk and early weaning foods, and there were no obvious effects on iron utilization (hemoglobin concentrations). However, in the infants receiving iron, those whose retinol concentrations increased also showed reductions in ACT, ferritin, immunoglobulin A, and immunoglobulin M. Vitamin A is well known for its antiinfective properties and we suggest that these observations illustrate the importance of even small increases in dietary vitamin A or differences in vitamin A status in reducing the potentially toxic effects of iron supplements in persons in developing countries. These conclusions should now be confirmed with an intervention study to show that the benefits of vitamin A on iron status are due to reduced levels of infection.

Ethnicity-specific birthweight distributions improve identification of term newborns at risk for short-term morbidity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanley, Gillian E; Janssen, Patricia A

2013-11-01

We aimed to determine whether ethnicity-specific birthweight distributions more accurately identify newborns at risk for short-term neonatal morbidity associated with small for gestational age (SGA) birth than population-based distributions not stratified on ethnicity. We examined 100,463 singleton term infants born to parents in Washington State between Jan. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2008. Using multivariable logistic regression models, we compared the ability of an ethnicity-specific growth distribution and a population-based growth distribution to predict which infants were at increased risk for Apgar score distributions had the highest rates of each of the adverse outcomes assessed-more than double those of infants only considered SGA by the population-based standards. When controlling for mother's age, parity, body mass index, education, gestational age, mode of delivery, and marital status, newborns considered SGA by ethnicity-specific birthweight distributions were between 2 and 7 times more likely to suffer from the adverse outcomes listed above than infants who were not SGA. In contrast, newborns considered SGA by population-based birthweight distributions alone were at no higher risk of any adverse outcome except hypothermia (adjusted odds ratio, 2.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.68-4.55) and neonatal intensive care unit admission (adjusted odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.67). Ethnicity-specific birthweight distributions were significantly better at identifying the infants at higher risk of short-term neonatal morbidity, suggesting that their use could save resources and unnecessary parental anxiety. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Application Research of Modern Intelligent Cold Chain Distribution System Based on Internet of Things Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Dehui; Gao, Shan

This paper implemented an intelligent cold chain distribution system based on the technology of Internet of things, and took the protoplasmic beer logistics transport system as example. It realized the remote real-time monitoring material status, recorded the distribution information, dynamically adjusted the distribution tasks and other functions. At the same time, the system combined the Internet of things technology with weighted filtering algorithm, realized the real-time query of condition curve, emergency alarming, distribution data retrieval, intelligent distribution task arrangement, etc. According to the actual test, it can realize the optimization of inventory structure, and improve the efficiency of cold chain distribution.

Phytoextraction of Cd-Contaminated Soils: Current Status and Future Challenges

OpenAIRE

Li, Jin-Tian; Baker, Alan J. M.; Ye, Zhi-Hong; Wang, Hong-Bin; Shu, Wen-Sheng

2012-01-01

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic and widely distributed pollutants in the environment. Cadmium contamination of soils has posed a serious threat to safe food production in many parts of the world. The authors present a comprehensive review of present status of phytoextraction technology for cleaning up Cd-contaminated soils, based primarily on the data resulting from both laboratory and field-scale studies that have been conducted to assess or improve the Cd phytoextraction potential of ...

Current distribution, habitat, and status of Category 2 candidate plant species on and near the U.S. Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blomquist, Kevin W. [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Lindemann, Tim A. [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Lyon, Glen E. [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Steen, Dan C. [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Wills, Cathy A. [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Flick, Sarah A. [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Ostler, W. Kent [EG& G Energy Measurements, Gaithersburg, MD (United States)

1995-12-31

Results of surveys conducted between 1991 and 1995 were used to document the distribution and habitat of 11 Category 2 candidate plant species known to occur on or near the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Approximately 200 areas encompassing about 13,000 ha were surveyed. Distributions of all species except Frasera-pahutensis and Phaceliaparishii were increased, and the ranges of Camissonia megalantha, Galium hilendiae ssp. kingstonense, Penstemon albomarginatus, and Penstemon pahutensis were expanded. The status of each species was assessed based on current distribution population trends, and potential threats. Recommendations were made to reclassi& the following five species to Category 3C: Arctomecon merriamii, F. pahutensis, P. pahutensis, Phacelia beatleyae, and Phaceliaparishii. Two species, C. megalantha and Cymopterus ripIeyi var. saniculoides, were recommended for reclassification to Category 3B status. No recommendation was made to reclassify Astragalus funereus, G. hilendiae ssp. kingstonense, P. albomarginatus, or Penstemon fruticiformis var. amargosae from their current Category 2 status. Populations of these four species are not threatened on NTS, but the NTS populations represent only a.small portion of each species’ range and the potential threats of mining or grazing activities off NTS on these species was notassessed. Conservation measures recommended included the development of an NTS ecosystem conservation plan, continued conduct of preactivity and plant surveys on NTS, and protection of plant type localities on NTS.

Lightning Performance on Overhead Distribution Lines : After Improvement Field Observation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reynaldo Zoro

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Two feeders of 20 kV overhead distribution lines which are located in a high lightning density area are chosen to be observed as a field study due to their good lightning performance after improvement of lightning protection system. These two feeders used the new overhead ground wire and new line arrester equipped with lightning counter on the main lines. The significant reduced of lines outages are reported. Study was carried out to observe these improvements by comparing to the other two feeders line which are not improved and not equipped yet with the ground wire and line arrester. These two feeders located in the nearby area. Two cameras were installed to record the trajectory of the lightning strikes on the improved lines. Lightning peak currents are measured using magnetic tape measurement system installed on the grounding lead of lightning arrester. Lightning overvoltage calculations are carried out by using several scenarios based on observation results and historical lightning data derived from lightning detection network. Lightning overvoltages caused by indirect or direct strikes are analyzed to get the lightning performance of the lines. The best scenario was chosen and performance of the lines were improved significantly by installing overhead ground wire and improvement of lightning arrester installation.

Quantitative Review and Distribution Status of Mangrove Forest ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

FIRST LADY

This paper statistically evaluated the distribution of mangrove forest distributions in Nineteen ... interlinked with highly productive coastal lagoons, tidal estuaries and deltas. Similarly .... (Atlantic–East Pacific red mangroves), ver. 2.1. In: Elevitch ...

A cluster randomised trial testing an intervention to improve parents' recognition of their child's weight status: study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkinson, Kathryn N; Jones, Angela R; Tovee, Martin J; Ells, Louisa J; Pearce, Mark S; Araujo-Soares, Vera; Adamson, Ashley J

2015-06-12

Parents typically do not recognise their child's weight status accurately according to clinical criteria, and thus may not take appropriate action if their child is overweight. We developed a novel visual intervention designed to improve parental perceptions of child weight status according to clinical criteria for children aged 4-5 and 10-11 years. The Map Me intervention comprises age- and sex-specific body image scales of known body mass index and supporting information about the health risks of childhood overweight. This cluster randomised trial will test the effectiveness of the Map Me intervention. Primary schools will be randomised to: paper-based Map Me; web-based Map Me; no information (control). Parents of reception (4-5 years) and year 6 (10-11 years) children attending the schools will be recruited. The study will work with the National Child Measurement Programme which measures the height and weight of these year groups and provides feedback to parents about their child's weight status. Before receiving the feedback, parents will complete a questionnaire which includes assessment of their perception of their child's weight status and knowledge of the health consequences of childhood overweight. The control group will provide pre-intervention data with assessment soon after recruitment; the intervention groups will provide post-intervention data after access to Map Me for one month. The study will subsequently obtain the child height and weight measurements from the National Child Measurement Programme. Families will be followed-up by the study team at 12 months. The primary outcome is any difference in accuracy in parental perception of child weight status between pre-intervention and post-intervention at one month. The secondary outcomes include differences in parent knowledge, intention to change lifestyle behaviours and/or seek advice or support, perceived control, action planning, coping planning, and child weight status at 12 month follow-up. The

Improving permafrost distribution modelling using feature selection algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Deluigi, Nicola; Lambiel, Christophe; Kanevski, Mikhail

2016-04-01

The availability of an increasing number of spatial data on the occurrence of mountain permafrost allows the employment of machine learning (ML) classification algorithms for modelling the distribution of the phenomenon. One of the major problems when dealing with high-dimensional dataset is the number of input features (variables) involved. Application of ML classification algorithms to this large number of variables leads to the risk of overfitting, with the consequence of a poor generalization/prediction. For this reason, applying feature selection (FS) techniques helps simplifying the amount of factors required and improves the knowledge on adopted features and their relation with the studied phenomenon. Moreover, taking away irrelevant or redundant variables from the dataset effectively improves the quality of the ML prediction. This research deals with a comparative analysis of permafrost distribution models supported by FS variable importance assessment. The input dataset (dimension = 20-25, 10 m spatial resolution) was constructed using landcover maps, climate data and DEM derived variables (altitude, aspect, slope, terrain curvature, solar radiation, etc.). It was completed with permafrost evidences (geophysical and thermal data and rock glacier inventories) that serve as training permafrost data. Used FS algorithms informed about variables that appeared less statistically important for permafrost presence/absence. Three different algorithms were compared: Information Gain (IG), Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS) and Random Forest (RF). IG is a filter technique that evaluates the worth of a predictor by measuring the information gain with respect to the permafrost presence/absence. Conversely, CFS is a wrapper technique that evaluates the worth of a subset of predictors by considering the individual predictive ability of each variable along with the degree of redundancy between them. Finally, RF is a ML algorithm that performs FS as part of its

An Improved Method for Reconfiguring and Optimizing Electrical Active Distribution Network Using Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Faziera Napis

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The presence of optimized distributed generation (DG with suitable distribution network reconfiguration (DNR in the electrical distribution network has an advantage for voltage support, power losses reduction, deferment of new transmission line and distribution structure and system stability improvement. However, installation of a DG unit at non-optimal size with non-optimal DNR may lead to higher power losses, power quality problem, voltage instability and incremental of operational cost. Thus, an appropriate DG and DNR planning are essential and are considered as an objective of this research. An effective heuristic optimization technique named as improved evolutionary particle swarm optimization (IEPSO is proposed in this research. The objective function is formulated to minimize the total power losses (TPL and to improve the voltage stability index (VSI. The voltage stability index is determined for three load demand levels namely light load, nominal load, and heavy load with proper optimal DNR and DG sizing. The performance of the proposed technique is compared with other optimization techniques, namely particle swarm optimization (PSO and iteration particle swarm optimization (IPSO. Four case studies on IEEE 33-bus and IEEE 69-bus distribution systems have been conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed IEPSO. The optimization results show that, the best achievement is done by IEPSO technique with power losses reduction up to 79.26%, and 58.41% improvement in the voltage stability index. Moreover, IEPSO has the fastest computational time for all load conditions as compared to other algorithms.

The low cost of quality improvements in the electricity distribution sector of Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corton, Maria Luisa; Zimmermann, Aneliese; Phillips, Michelle Andrea

2016-01-01

We analyze the impact of introducing output-based incentives in the price-cap regulatory regime of the Brazilian electricity distribution sector. We focus on the trade-off between operating costs and quality improvement, hypothesizing a positive relationship. Operating costs include maintenance and repair expenses. The regulator sets limits for service continuity and non-technical energy losses in each regulatory period. Service continuity refers to the average length of interruptions in electricity distribution. Non-technical losses refer to losses due to factors specific to the distribution segment. Quality incentives include peer-pressure and penalties/rewards for compliance with minimum quality standards. We model operating costs using a GMM framework to acknowledge endogeneity of variables. The model is dynamic given the inclusion of regulatory lags to recognize past cost behavior. Findings reveal a small trade-off between costs and quality. We conclude that quality improvements are not costly relative to the potential savings from complying with quality standards. We also find that the impact on operating costs is larger when energy losses increase compared to the cost effect due to increases in duration of outages. These findings suggest areas of attention in managerial decision making, and serve as valuable information to the regulator in tailoring quality incentives for this sector. - Highlights: • The article focuses on the impact of quality improvements on operating costs. • We find a very small tradeoff between quality improvements and operating costs. • We find the impact of a large share of electricity losses on costs larger compared to the impact of longer outages. • The results serve the regulator to adjust incentives for quality improvement. • The results serve the regulator in tailoring regulatory values for electricity losses and outages.

Evolution of a Family Nurse Practitioner Program to Improve Primary Care Distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Andrus, Len Hughes; Fenley, Mary D.

1976-01-01

Describes a Family Nurse Practitioner Program that has effectively improved the distribution of primary health care manpower in rural areas. Program characteristics include selection of personnel from areas of need, decentralization of clinical and didactic training sites, competency-based portable curriculum, and circuit-riding institutionally…

ATLAS Distributed Computing Operations: Experience and improvements after 2 full years of data-taking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jézéquel, S; Stewart, G

2012-01-01

This paper summarizes operational experience and improvements in ATLAS computing infrastructure in 2010 and 2011. ATLAS has had 2 periods of data taking, with many more events recorded in 2011 than in 2010. It ran 3 major reprocessing campaigns. The activity in 2011 was similar to 2010, but scalability issues had to be addressed due to the increase in luminosity and trigger rate. Based on improved monitoring of ATLAS Grid computing, the evolution of computing activities (data/group production, their distribution and grid analysis) over time is presented. The main changes in the implementation of the computing model that will be shown are: the optimization of data distribution over the Grid, according to effective transfer rate and site readiness for analysis; the progressive dismantling of the cloud model, for data distribution and data processing; software installation migration to cvmfs; changing database access to a Frontier/squid infrastructure.

Variations in health status within and between socioeconomic strata

OpenAIRE

Ferrer, R; Palmer, R

2004-01-01

Objectives: To analyse the variability in health status within as well as between socioeconomic groups. What is the range of individual variability in the health effects of socioeconomic status? Is the adverse effect of lower socioeconomic status uniform across the entire distribution of health status?

CDC's Prevention Status Reports: Monitoring the Status of Public Health Policies and Practices for Improved Performance and Accountability.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Andrea C; Lowry, Garry; Mumford, Karen; Graaf, Christine

Increasing the adoption and implementation of evidence-based policies and practices is a key strategy for improving public health. Although there is widespread agreement about the importance of implementing evidence-based public health policies and practices, there are gaps between what has been shown to be effective and what is implemented at the state level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the Prevention Status Reports (PSRs), a performance measurement system, to highlight evidence-based public health policies and practices and catalyze state performance and quality improvement efforts across the nation. CDC selected a set of 10 topics representing some of the most important public health challenges in the nation. Stakeholders, including state health departments and other partners, helped conceptualize the PSRs and informed the development of the PSR framework, which provides an organizational structure for the system. CDC subject matter experts developed criteria for selecting policies and practices, indicators for each policy and practice, and a criteria-based rating system for each indicator. The PSRs were developed for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The PSRs were developed and serve as a performance measurement system for monitoring the adoption, reach, and implementation fidelity of evidence-based public health policies and practices nationwide. The PSRs include 33 policy and practice indicators across the 10 health topics. They use a simple 3-level rating system-green, yellow, and red-to report the extent to which each state (and the District of Columbia) has implemented the policy or practice in accordance with supporting evidence or expert recommendations. Results from aggregate analyses show positive change or improvement. The PSRs are a unique part of CDC's work to improve the performance and accountability of the public health system, serving as both a monitoring tool and a call to action to improve health

Can decision biases improve insurance outcomes? An experiment on status quo bias in health insurance choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Krieger, Miriam; Felder, Stefan

2013-06-19

Rather than conforming to the assumption of perfect rationality in neoclassical economic theory, decision behavior has been shown to display a host of systematic biases. Properly understood, these patterns can be instrumentalized to improve outcomes in the public realm. We conducted a laboratory experiment to study whether decisions over health insurance policies are subject to status quo bias and, if so, whether experience mitigates this framing effect. Choices in two treatment groups with status quo defaults are compared to choices in a neutrally framed control group. A two-step design features sorting of subjects into the groups, allowing us to control for selection effects due to risk preferences. The results confirm the presence of a status quo bias in consumer choices over health insurance policies. However, this effect of the default framing does not persist as subjects repeat this decision in later periods of the experiment. Our results have implications for health care policy, for example suggesting that the use of non-binding defaults in health insurance can facilitate the spread of co-insurance policies and thereby help contain health care expenditure.

Improved margin utilization through the use of beacon power distribution surveillance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R. Wade; Boyd, William A.

2002-01-01

Core Operations, including fuel cycle costs, can be significantly improved when state of the art surveillance techniques are employed for core power distribution monitoring. Core power distribution monitoring and Technical Specification surveillance are major operational issues at PWR's, particularly in plants with movable in core detectors. Even plants with fixed in core detectors do not always make use of the continuous data that is available. The BEACON TM system (Best Estimate Analysis of Core Operations - Nuclear) is a core monitoring and operational support package developed by Westinghouse for use in PWR plants with fixed or movable in core detectors. BEACON is a real time core monitoring system, which uses existing core instrumentation data and an on-line neutronics model to provide continuous monitored of the core power distribution information. With this information available the BEACON system can be used to continuously monitor core power margin for the plant Tech Spec surveillance requirements and for plant operational guidance

How can model comparison help improving species distribution models?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Stephan Gritti

Full Text Available Today, more than ever, robust projections of potential species range shifts are needed to anticipate and mitigate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Such projections are so far provided almost exclusively by correlative species distribution models (correlative SDMs. However, concerns regarding the reliability of their predictive power are growing and several authors call for the development of process-based SDMs. Still, each of these methods presents strengths and weakness which have to be estimated if they are to be reliably used by decision makers. In this study we compare projections of three different SDMs (STASH, LPJ and PHENOFIT that lie in the continuum between correlative models and process-based models for the current distribution of three major European tree species, Fagussylvatica L., Quercusrobur L. and Pinussylvestris L. We compare the consistency of the model simulations using an innovative comparison map profile method, integrating local and multi-scale comparisons. The three models simulate relatively accurately the current distribution of the three species. The process-based model performs almost as well as the correlative model, although parameters of the former are not fitted to the observed species distributions. According to our simulations, species range limits are triggered, at the European scale, by establishment and survival through processes primarily related to phenology and resistance to abiotic stress rather than to growth efficiency. The accuracy of projections of the hybrid and process-based model could however be improved by integrating a more realistic representation of the species resistance to water stress for instance, advocating for pursuing efforts to understand and formulate explicitly the impact of climatic conditions and variations on these processes.

Distribution and status of five non-native fish species in the Tampa Bay drainage (USA), a hot spot for fish introductions

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Katelyn M.; Tuckett, Quenton M.; Ritch, Jared L.; Nico, Leo; Fuller, Pam; Matheson, Richard E.; Hill, Jeffrey E.

2017-01-01

The Tampa Bay region of Florida (USA) is a hot spot for non-native freshwater fishes. However, published information on most non-native fishes in the basin is not current. Systematic sampling efforts targeting non-native fishes in the region were conducted from 2013–2015 by the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory. Data from these recent surveys were analyzed, along with historic and new data from published and unpublished sources, to assess current fish distributions and determine status. We focus on five of the non-native species sampled: pike killifish Belonesox belizanus Kner, 1860, green swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel, 1848, southern platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866), Mayan cichlid Mayaheros urophthalmus (Günther, 1862), and Jack Dempsey Rocio octofasciata (Regan, 1903). All five were found to have reproducing populations in the basin, each showing broader distributions than previously indicated. Non-native populations of four of the species have persisted in the Tampa Bay region since at least the 1990s. In contrast, the presence of Mayan cichlid in the basin was not confirmed until 2004. Based on numbers, distributions, and years of persistence, these five species all maintain established populations. Pike killifish and Mayan cichlid are established and spreading throughout multiple habitat types, while green swordtail, southern platyfish, and Jack Dempsey are localized and found primarily in more marginal habitats (e.g., small ditches and first order tributary streams). Factors affecting continued existence and distributions likely include aquaculture, biotic resistance, and thermal and salinity tolerances. We also clarify non-native species status determination using a multi-agency collaborative approach, and reconcile differences in terminology usage and interpretation.

Improving the spectral measurement accuracy based on temperature distribution and spectra-temperature relationship

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhe; Feng, Jinchao; Liu, Pengyu; Sun, Zhonghua; Li, Gang; Jia, Kebin

2018-05-01

Temperature is usually considered as a fluctuation in near-infrared spectral measurement. Chemometric methods were extensively studied to correct the effect of temperature variations. However, temperature can be considered as a constructive parameter that provides detailed chemical information when systematically changed during the measurement. Our group has researched the relationship between temperature-induced spectral variation (TSVC) and normalized squared temperature. In this study, we focused on the influence of temperature distribution in calibration set. Multi-temperature calibration set selection (MTCS) method was proposed to improve the prediction accuracy by considering the temperature distribution of calibration samples. Furthermore, double-temperature calibration set selection (DTCS) method was proposed based on MTCS method and the relationship between TSVC and normalized squared temperature. We compare the prediction performance of PLS models based on random sampling method and proposed methods. The results from experimental studies showed that the prediction performance was improved by using proposed methods. Therefore, MTCS method and DTCS method will be the alternative methods to improve prediction accuracy in near-infrared spectral measurement.

An improved method for calculating force distributions in moment-stiff timber connections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormarsson, Sigurdur; Blond, Mette

2012-01-01

An improved method for calculating force distributions in moment-stiff metal dowel-type timber connections is presented, a method based on use of three-dimensional finite element simulations of timber connections subjected to moment action. The study that was carried out aimed at determining how...... the slip modulus varies with the angle between the direction of the dowel forces and the fibres in question, as well as how the orthotropic stiffness behaviour of the wood material affects the direction and the size of the forces. It was assumed that the force distribution generated by the moment action...

Combining kernel matrix optimization and regularization to improve particle size distribution retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qian; Xia, Houping; Xu, Qiang; Zhao, Lei

2018-05-01

A new method combining Tikhonov regularization and kernel matrix optimization by multi-wavelength incidence is proposed for retrieving particle size distribution (PSD) in an independent model with improved accuracy and stability. In comparison to individual regularization or multi-wavelength least squares, the proposed method exhibited better anti-noise capability, higher accuracy and stability. While standard regularization typically makes use of the unit matrix, it is not universal for different PSDs, particularly for Junge distributions. Thus, a suitable regularization matrix was chosen by numerical simulation, with the second-order differential matrix found to be appropriate for most PSD types.

Status of magnetically-insulated power transmission theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendel, Jr, C W [Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1997-12-31

The theory of magnetically-insulated power flow has improved dramatically over the last two decades. Theoretical improvements included a complete general kinetic theory that involved distributions of electrons based on quasi-conserved canonical variables and was used to study flow stability and to analyze simulations and pulsers with voltage adders. The status of theory at this time allowed us to understand many features of these flows, but did not allow detailed analysis for design and data interpretation. Recent theoretical advances have drastically changed this situation. Two recent static models based on layered flows have allowed us to understand and to improve power coupling in voltage adders, current adders, plasma opening switches and in systems where the vacuum impedance varies along the flow. A dynamic model based upon electrons flowing in one or more thin layers has permitted detailed self-consistent time-dependent calculations which include electron flow. This model accurately predicts experimental and simulation data. (author). 3 figs.

Distribution and determinants of health and work status in a comprehensive population of injury patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meerding, Willem Jan; Looman, Caspar W. N.; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Toet, Hidde; Mulder, Saakje; van Beeck, Ed F.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: Insight into the distribution and determinants of both short- and long-term disability can be used to prioritize the development of prevention policies and to improve trauma care. We report on a large follow-up study in a comprehensive population of injury patients. METHODS: We fielded a

Improved Shape Parameter Estimation in Pareto Distributed Clutter with Neural Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Raúl Machado-Fernández

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The main problem faced by naval radars is the elimination of the clutter input which is a distortion signal appearing mixed with target reflections. Recently, the Pareto distribution has been related to sea clutter measurements suggesting that it may provide a better fit than other traditional distributions. The authors propose a new method for estimating the Pareto shape parameter based on artificial neural networks. The solution achieves a precise estimation of the parameter, having a low computational cost, and outperforming the classic method which uses Maximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE. The presented scheme contributes to the development of the NATE detector for Pareto clutter, which uses the knowledge of clutter statistics for improving the stability of the detection, among other applications.

EDDA: An Efficient Distributed Data Replication Algorithm in VANETs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Junyu; Huang, Chuanhe; Fan, Xiying; Guo, Sipei; Fu, Bin

2018-02-10

Efficient data dissemination in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) is a challenging issue due to the dynamic nature of the network. To improve the performance of data dissemination, we study distributed data replication algorithms in VANETs for exchanging information and computing in an arbitrarily-connected network of vehicle nodes. To achieve low dissemination delay and improve the network performance, we control the number of message copies that can be disseminated in the network and then propose an efficient distributed data replication algorithm (EDDA). The key idea is to let the data carrier distribute the data dissemination tasks to multiple nodes to speed up the dissemination process. We calculate the number of communication stages for the network to enter into a balanced status and show that the proposed distributed algorithm can converge to a consensus in a small number of communication stages. Most of the theoretical results described in this paper are to study the complexity of network convergence. The lower bound and upper bound are also provided in the analysis of the algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed EDDA can efficiently disseminate messages to vehicles in a specific area with low dissemination delay and system overhead.

EDDA: An Efficient Distributed Data Replication Algorithm in VANETs

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Junyu; Huang, Chuanhe; Fan, Xiying; Guo, Sipei; Fu, Bin

2018-01-01

Efficient data dissemination in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) is a challenging issue due to the dynamic nature of the network. To improve the performance of data dissemination, we study distributed data replication algorithms in VANETs for exchanging information and computing in an arbitrarily-connected network of vehicle nodes. To achieve low dissemination delay and improve the network performance, we control the number of message copies that can be disseminated in the network and then propose an efficient distributed data replication algorithm (EDDA). The key idea is to let the data carrier distribute the data dissemination tasks to multiple nodes to speed up the dissemination process. We calculate the number of communication stages for the network to enter into a balanced status and show that the proposed distributed algorithm can converge to a consensus in a small number of communication stages. Most of the theoretical results described in this paper are to study the complexity of network convergence. The lower bound and upper bound are also provided in the analysis of the algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed EDDA can efficiently disseminate messages to vehicles in a specific area with low dissemination delay and system overhead. PMID:29439443

Is the relationship between increased knee muscle strength and improved physical function following exercise dependent on baseline physical function status?

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Michelle; Hinman, Rana S; van der Esch, Martin; van der Leeden, Marike; Kasza, Jessica; Wrigley, Tim V; Metcalf, Ben R; Dobson, Fiona; Bennell, Kim L

2017-12-08

Clinical guidelines recommend knee muscle strengthening exercises to improve physical function. However, the amount of knee muscle strength increase needed for clinically relevant improvements in physical function is unclear. Understanding how much increase in knee muscle strength is associated with improved physical function could assist clinicians in providing appropriate strength gain targets for their patients in order to optimise outcomes from exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an increase in knee muscle strength is associated with improved self-reported physical function following exercise; and whether the relationship differs according to physical function status at baseline. Data from 100 participants with medial knee osteoarthritis enrolled in a 12-week randomised controlled trial comparing neuromuscular exercise to quadriceps strengthening exercise were pooled. Participants were categorised as having mild, moderate or severe physical dysfunction at baseline using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Associations between 12-week changes in physical function (dependent variable) and peak isometric knee extensor and flexor strength (independent variables) were evaluated with and without accounting for baseline physical function status and covariates using linear regression models. In covariate-adjusted models without accounting for baseline physical function, every 1-unit (Nm/kg) increase in knee extensor strength was associated with physical function improvement of 17 WOMAC units (95% confidence interval (CI) -29 to -5). When accounting for baseline severity of physical function, every 1-unit increase in knee extensor strength was associated with physical function improvement of 24 WOMAC units (95% CI -42 to -7) in participants with severe physical dysfunction. There were no associations between change in strength and change in physical function in participants with mild or moderate physical

World-wide distribution automation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devaney, T.M.

1994-01-01

A worldwide power distribution automation system is outlined. Distribution automation is defined and the status of utility automation is discussed. Other topics discussed include a distribution management system, substation feeder, and customer functions, potential benefits, automation costs, planning and engineering considerations, automation trends, databases, system operation, computer modeling of system, and distribution management systems

LBT Distributed Archive: Status and Features

Science.gov (United States)

Knapic, C.; Smareglia, R.; Thompson, D.; Grede, G.

2011-07-01

After the first release of the LBT Distributed Archive, this successful collaboration is continuing within the LBT corporation. The IA2 (Italian Center for Astronomical Archive) team had updated the LBT DA with new features in order to facilitate user data retrieval while abiding by VO standards. To facilitate the integration of data from any new instruments, we have migrated to a new database, developed new data distribution software, and enhanced features in the LBT User Interface. The DBMS engine has been changed to MySQL. Consequently, the data handling software now uses java thread technology to update and synchronize the main storage archives on Mt. Graham and in Tucson, as well as archives in Trieste and Heidelberg, with all metadata and proprietary data. The LBT UI has been updated with additional features allowing users to search by instrument and some of the more important characteristics of the images. Finally, instead of a simple cone search service over all LBT image data, new instrument specific SIAP and cone search services have been developed. They will be published in the IVOA framework later this fall.

Evaluation of the impact of the voucher and accreditation approach on improving reproductive health behaviors and status in Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, Charlotte; Abuya, Timothy; Obare, Francis; Sunday, Joseph; Njue, Rebecca; Askew, Ian; Bellows, Ben

2011-03-23

Alternatives to the traditional 'supply-side' approach to financing service delivery are being explored. These strategies are termed results-based finance, demand-side health financing or output-based aid which includes a range of interventions that channel government or donor subsidies to the user rather than the provider. Initial pilot assessments of reproductive health voucher programs suggest that, they can increase access and use, reducing inequities and enhancing program efficiency and service quality. However, there is a paucity of evidence describing how the programs function in different settings, for various reproductive health services. Population Council, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, intends to generate evidence around the 'voucher and accreditation' approaches to improving the reproductive health of low income women in Kenya. A quasi-experimental study will investigate the impact of the voucher approach on improving reproductive health behaviors, reproductive health status and reducing inequities at the population level; and assessing the effect of vouchers on increasing access to, and quality of, and reducing inequities in the use of selected reproductive health services. The study comprises of four populations: facilities, providers, women of reproductive health age using facilities and women and men who have been pregnant and/or used family planning within the previous 12 months. The study will be carried out in samples of health facilities - public, private and faith-based in: three districts; Kisumu, Kiambu, Kitui and two informal settlements in Nairobi which are accredited to provide maternal and newborn health and family planning services to women holding vouchers for the services; and compared with a matched sample of non-accredited facilities. Health facility assessments (HFA) will be conducted at two stages to track temporal changes in quality of care and utilization. Facility inventories, structured observations, and

Improvement for Amelioration Inventory Model with Weibull Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han-Wen Tuan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Most inventory models dealt with deteriorated items. On the contrary, just a few papers considered inventory systems under amelioration environment. We study an amelioration inventory model with Weibull distribution. However, there are some questionable results in the amelioration paper. We will first point out those questionable results in the previous paper that did not derive the optimal solution and then provide some improvements. We will provide a rigorous analytical work for different cases dependent on the size of the shape parameter. We present a detailed numerical example for different ranges of the sharp parameter to illustrate that our solution method attains the optimal solution. We developed a new amelioration model and then provided a detailed analyzed procedure to find the optimal solution. Our findings will help researchers develop their new inventory models.

Improved Extreme-Scenario Extraction Method For The Economic Dispatch Of Active Distribution Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Yipu; Ai, Xiaomeng; Fang, Jiakun

2017-01-01

) of active distribution network with renewables. The extreme scenarios are selected from the historical data using the improved minimum volume enclosing ellipsoid (MVEE) algorithm to guarantee the security of system operation while avoid frequently switching the transformer tap. It is theoretically proved...

Can Decision Biases Improve Insurance Outcomes? An Experiment on Status Quo Bias in Health Insurance Choice

Science.gov (United States)

Krieger, Miriam; Felder, Stefan

2013-01-01

Rather than conforming to the assumption of perfect rationality in neoclassical economic theory, decision behavior has been shown to display a host of systematic biases. Properly understood, these patterns can be instrumentalized to improve outcomes in the public realm. We conducted a laboratory experiment to study whether decisions over health insurance policies are subject to status quo bias and, if so, whether experience mitigates this framing effect. Choices in two treatment groups with status quo defaults are compared to choices in a neutrally framed control group. A two-step design features sorting of subjects into the groups, allowing us to control for selection effects due to risk preferences. The results confirm the presence of a status quo bias in consumer choices over health insurance policies. However, this effect of the default framing does not persist as subjects repeat this decision in later periods of the experiment. Our results have implications for health care policy, for example suggesting that the use of non-binding defaults in health insurance can facilitate the spread of co-insurance policies and thereby help contain health care expenditure. PMID:23783222

Can Decision Biases Improve Insurance Outcomes? An Experiment on Status Quo Bias in Health Insurance Choice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Felder

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Rather than conforming to the assumption of perfect rationality in neoclassical economic theory, decision behavior has been shown to display a host of systematic biases. Properly understood, these patterns can be instrumentalized to improve outcomes in the public realm. We conducted a laboratory experiment to study whether decisions over health insurance policies are subject to status quo bias and, if so, whether experience mitigates this framing effect. Choices in two treatment groups with status quo defaults are compared to choices in a neutrally framed control group. A two-step design features sorting of subjects into the groups, allowing us to control for selection effects due to risk preferences. The results confirm the presence of a status quo bias in consumer choices over health insurance policies. However, this effect of the default framing does not persist as subjects repeat this decision in later periods of the experiment. Our results have implications for health care policy, for example suggesting that the use of non-binding defaults in health insurance can facilitate the spread of co-insurance policies and thereby help contain health care expenditure.

Efficacy of Corrected Rapid Turnover Protein Increment Index (CRII) for Early Detection of Improvement of Nutrition Status in Patients with Malnutrition

OpenAIRE

Suyama, Yohji; Adachi, Kyoichi; Notsu, Yoshitomo; Satoh, Emi; Nariai, Yukiko; Hashimoto, Yohko; Sumi, Asako; Kawaguchi, Mikiko; Ishimura, Norihisa

2009-01-01

Serum prealbumin level is useful for assessment of changes in nutritional status but it is markedly affected by the inflammation. In this study, we examined the efficacy of the corrected rapid turnover protein increment index (CRII) for prealbumin, which is calculated as [prealbumin level/C-reactive protein (CRP) level on the assessment day]/[prealbumin level/CRP level on the day of starting nutritional care], for prediction of improvement of nutritional status in patients with malnutrition. ...

Concentrating carbohydrates before sleep improves feeding regulation and metabolic and inflammatory parameters in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Sofer, Sigal; Eliraz, Abraham; Madar, Zecharia; Froy, Oren

2015-10-15

New evidance highlights the importance of food timing. Recently, we showed that a low-calorie diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner changed diurnal hormone secretion and led to greater weight loss and improved metabolic status in obese people. Herein, we set out to test whether concentrated-carbohydrates diet (CCD), in which carbohydrates are fed only before sleep, leads to an improved metabolic status in mouse hypothalamus and peripheral tissues. Diet-induced obese mice were given concentrated or distributed carbohydrate diet for 6 weeks. Obese mice fed CCD ate 8.3% less, were 9.3% leaner and had 39.7% less fat mass. Leptin, ghrelin and adiponectin displayed altered secretion. In addition, these mice exhibited an improved biochemical and inflammatory status. In the hypothalamus, anorexigenic signals were up-regulated and orexigenic signals were down-regulated. In peripheral tissues, CCD promoted adiponectin signaling, repressed gluconeogenesis, enhanced lipid oxidation and lowered inflammation, thus ameliorating the major risk factors of obesity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving CMS data transfers among its distributed computing facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flix, J; Magini, N; Sartirana, A

2011-01-01

CMS computing needs reliable, stable and fast connections among multi-tiered computing infrastructures. For data distribution, the CMS experiment relies on a data placement and transfer system, PhEDEx, managing replication operations at each site in the distribution network. PhEDEx uses the File Transfer Service (FTS), a low level data movement service responsible for moving sets of files from one site to another, while allowing participating sites to control the network resource usage. FTS servers are provided by Tier-0 and Tier-1 centres and are used by all computing sites in CMS, according to the established policy. FTS needs to be set up according to the Grid site's policies, and properly configured to satisfy the requirements of all Virtual Organizations making use of the Grid resources at the site. Managing the service efficiently requires good knowledge of the CMS needs for all kinds of transfer workflows. This contribution deals with a revision of FTS servers used by CMS, collecting statistics on their usage, customizing the topologies and improving their setup in order to keep CMS transferring data at the desired levels in a reliable and robust way.

Improved nutritional status in elderly patients 6 months after stroke

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brynningsen, P K; Damsgaard, Else Marie; Husted, Steen

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Nutritional status among stroke patients has received limited attention despite the fact, that it may have an influence on clinical outcome. Previous studies have estimated that 15-20 % of patients suffer from malnutrition in the acute phase of stroke, but so far no studies have...... focused on the late rehabilitation phase after stroke in the patients own home, where the attention on nutrition may be reduced. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition during 6 months of stroke rehabilitation, and to investigate the association between nutritional status, functional recovery...... and 6 months. Nutritional status was evaluated by body weight, body mass index (BMI), mid upper arm circumference (MAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) and serum concentrations of albumin and transferrin. Malnutrition was defined if the patients had 2 or more abnormal nutritional variables. RESULTS...

Why Do Electricity Policy and Competitive Markets Fail to Use Advanced PV Systems to Improve Distribution Power Quality?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark P. McHenry

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The increasing pressure for network operators to meet distribution network power quality standards with increasing peak loads, renewable energy targets, and advances in automated distributed power electronics and communications is forcing policy-makers to understand new means to distribute costs and benefits within electricity markets. Discussions surrounding how distributed generation (DG exhibits active voltage regulation and power factor/reactive power control and other power quality capabilities are complicated by uncertainties of baseline local distribution network power quality and to whom and how costs and benefits of improved electricity infrastructure will be allocated. DG providing ancillary services that dynamically respond to the network characteristics could lead to major network improvements. With proper market structures renewable energy systems could greatly improve power quality on distribution systems with nearly no additional cost to the grid operators. Renewable DG does have variability challenges, though this issue can be overcome with energy storage, forecasting, and advanced inverter functionality. This paper presents real data from a large-scale grid-connected PV array with large-scale storage and explores effective mitigation measures for PV system variability. We discuss useful inverter technical knowledge for policy-makers to mitigate ongoing inflation of electricity network tariff components by new DG interconnection requirements or electricity markets which value power quality and control.

Status of the PSR improvement program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macek, R.J.; Fitzgerald, D.H.; Hoehn, M.V.; Ryder, R.D.; York, R.L.

1993-01-01

A program of improvements to increase intensity and improve reliability of the Los Alamos Proton Storage Ring (PSR) has been under way for several years. Reduction of stored beam loss rates by a factor of 4.6 since 1987 through exploitation of H 0 injection has allowed the average intensity to increase by a factor of two to 75μA. Reliability of the PSR and associated beam delivery systems has been improved by extensive rework of numerous subsystems. Radiation protection has been improved by additional shielding of Line D and extensive use of relatively fail-safe radiation detectors incorporated into an improved radiation security system

Status of Oregon's Bull Trout.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buchanan, David V.; Hanson, Mary L.; Hooton, Robert M.

1997-10-01

Limited historical references indicate that bull trout Salvelinus confluentus in Oregon were once widely spread throughout at least 12 basins in the Klamath River and Columbia River systems. No bull trout have been observed in Oregon's coastal systems. A total of 69 bull trout populations in 12 basins are currently identified in Oregon. A comparison of the 1991 bull trout status (Ratliff and Howell 1992) to the revised 1996 status found that 7 populations were newly discovered and 1 population showed a positive or upgraded status while 22 populations showed a negative or downgraded status. The general downgrading of 32% of Oregon's bull trout populations appears largely due to increased survey efforts and increased survey accuracy rather than reduced numbers or distribution. However, three populations in the upper Klamath Basin, two in the Walla Walla Basin, and one in the Willamette Basin showed decreases in estimated population abundance or distribution.

Improved nutritional status in elderly patients 6 months after stroke

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brynningsen, Peter Krogh; Husted, Steen; Damsgaard, Else Marie Skjøde

2007-01-01

focused on the late rehabilitation phase after stroke in the patients own home, where the attention on nutrition may be reduced. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition during 6 months of stroke rehabilitation, and to investigate the association between nutritional status, functional recovery......INTRODUCTION: Nutritional status among stroke patients has received limited attention despite the fact, that it may have an influence on clinical outcome. Previous studies have estimated that 15-20 % of patients suffer from malnutrition in the acute phase of stroke, but so far no studies have......, length of stay in hospital and infectious complications. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 89 patients with ischemic stroke consecutively admitted to a geriatric stroke rehabilitation unit had their nutritional status evaluated in the hospital at 1 week and 5 weeks after stroke, and in their own home at 3 months...

A social marketing theory-based diet-education program for women ages 54 to 83 years improved dietary status.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Sarah L; Taylor, Martha L

2009-12-01

Social Marketing Theory is a comprehensive approach of program development encompassing the needs and preferences of the intended audience. It was hypothesized a Social Marketing Theory-based, registered dietitian-led, in-home, cardiovascular disease-targeted diet-education program would improve the dietary status of community-residing older women. Using a randomized control group design, this 90-day program in two North Carolina counties included 58 women (30 control; 28 intervention) ages 54 to 83 years. Data were collected using the Mini Nutritional Assessment, three 3-day food records, and program evaluations. The intervention group received two individual registered dietitian-led in-home education sessions and the control group received education material mailings (Visits 2 and 3). Pretested education materials were used. Visits/mailings were scheduled 28 to 30 days apart. Variables measured included cardiovascular disease-related dietary practices and dietary status (Mini Nutritional Assessment). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t tests, multivariant analyses, and independent t tests. Intervention and control Mini Nutritional Assessment scores improved (P=0.0001). Intervention subjects consumed more fiber than control (P=0.013) and reduced sodium intake (P=0.02). Controls reduced energy (P=0.01) and cholesterol intakes (P=0.029), likely because of the decreased food intake. The majority (n=51, 87.9%) rated the program as good to excellent and almost all (n=55, 94.8%) would recommend the program to a friend. The most popular features of the program were the individualized sessions (n=20, 34.5%) and diet analyses (n=11, 19%). These results suggest that cardiovascular disease diet-education materials utilizing Social Marketing Theory principles can lead to improved dietary status among community-residing older women.

Smart Demand for Improving Short-term Voltage Control on Distribution Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia-Valle, Rodrigo; P. Da Silva, Luiz C.; Xu, Zhao

2009-01-01

customer integration to aid power system performance is almost inevitable. This study introduces a new type of smart demand side technology, denoted demand as voltage controlled reserve (DVR), to improve short-term voltage control, where customers are expected to play a more dynamic role to improve voltage...... control. The technology can be provided by thermostatically controlled loads as well as other types of load. This technology is proven to be effective in case of distribution systems with a large composition of induction motors, where the voltage presents a slow recovery characteristic due to deceleration...... of the motors during faults. This study presents detailed models, discussion and simulation tests to demonstrate the technical viability and effectiveness of the DVR technology for short-term voltage control....

Quasi-Monopoly Status of a Non-for-Profit Reference Terminology Provider - An Exemplary Approach on Transparency Improvement Regarding Licensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Dewenter, Heike; Thun, Sylvia

2018-01-01

As the reference terminology SNOMED CT is gaining in significance and seems without alternative in interoperable Electronic Health Records, the holder of its intellectual property, the non-for-profit organization SNOMED International has achieved a quasi-monopoly status as a provider. We examine the current dealing with corporate transparency regarding SNOMED CT licensing together with policy recommendations derived from the research project ASSESS CT, in the context of collaboration with Standardization Organizations. In addition, transparency improvement is proposed based on the economic Principal-Agent-Theory, assuming SNOMED CT Licensees as principals. In this paper we introduce improvement measures with regard to increase transparency in the licensing process addressing to the reference terminology users and especially the terminology provider. The aim is to present strategies towards transparency, with the intent to remove barriers concerning indecisive organization stakeholders and users of a license and fee-based terminology solutions, as well as to overcome resentments connected to the quasi-monopoly status of the provider.

An Improved Distribution Policy with a Maintenance Aspect for an Urban Logistic Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Ndhaief

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present an improved distribution plan supporting an urban distribution center (UDC to solve the last mile problem of urban freight. This is motivated by the need of UDCs to satisfy daily demand in time under a high service level in allocated urban areas. Moreover, these demands could not be satisfied in individual cases because the delivery rate can be less than daily demand and/or affected by random failure or maintenance actions of vehicles. The scope of our work is to focus on a UDC, which needs to satisfy demands in a finite horizon. To that end, we consider a distribution policy on two sequential plans, a distribution plan correlated to a maintenance plan using a subcontracting strategy with several potential urban distribution centers (UDCs and performing preventive maintenance to ensure deliveries for their allocated urban area. The choice of subcontractor will depend on distance, environmental and availability criteria. In doing so, we define a mathematical model for searching the best distribution and maintenance plans using a subcontracting strategy. Moreover, we consider delay for the next periods with an expensive penalty. Finally, we present a numerical example illustrating the benefits of our approach.

Improving tobacco dependence treatment outcomes for smokers of lower socioeconomic status: A randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheffer, Christine E; Bickel, Warren K; Franck, Christopher T; Panissidi, Luana; Pittman, Jami C; Stayna, Helen; Evans, Shenell

2017-12-01

Evidence-based treatments for tobacco dependence are significantly less effective for smokers of lower socioeconomic status which contributes to socioeconomic disparities in smoking prevalence rates and health. We aimed to reduce the socioeconomic gradient in treatment outcomes by systematically adapting evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral treatment for tobacco dependence for diverse lower socioeconomic smokers. Participants were randomized to adapted or standard treatment, received six 1-h group treatment sessions, and were followed for six months. We examined the effectiveness of the adapted treatment to improve treatment outcomes for lower socioeconomic groups. Participants (n=227) were ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically diverse. The adapted treatment significantly reduced the days to relapse for the two lowest socioeconomic groups: SES1: M=76.6 (SD 72.9) vs. 38.3 (SD 60.1) days to relapse (RR=0.63 95% CI, 0.45, 0.88, p=0.0013); SES2: M=88.2 (SD 67.3) vs. 40.1 (SD 62.6 days to relapse (RR=0.57 95% CI, 0.18, 0.70, p=0.0024). Interactions between socioeconomic status and condition were significant for initial abstinence (OR=1.26, 95% CI 1.09, 1.46, p=0.002), approached significance for 3-month abstinence (OR=0.90, 95% CI 0.80, 1.01, psocioeconomic smokers and reduce inequities in days to relapse. Novel methods of providing targeted extended support are needed to improve long-term outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on two-dimensional distribution of X-ray image based on improved Elman algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fang; Wang, Ming-Yuan; Tian, Feng-Shuo; Liu, Yu-Fang; Li, Lei; Zhao, Jing

2015-01-01

The principle of the X-ray detector which can simultaneously perform the measurement of the exposure rate and 2D (two-dimensional) distribution is described. A commercially available CMOS image sensor has been adopted as the key part to receive X-ray without any scintillators. The correlation between the pixel value (PV) and the absorbed exposure rate of X-ray is studied using the improved Elman neural network. Comparing the optimal adjustment process of the BP (Back Propagation) neural network and the improved Elman neural network, the neural network parameters are selected based on the fitting curve and the error curve. The experiments using the practical production data show that the proposed method achieves high accurate predictions to 10 −15 , which is consistent with the anticipated value. It is proven that it is possible to detect the exposure rate using the X-ray detector with the improved Elman algorithm for its advantages of fast converges and smooth error curve. - Highlights: • A method to measure the X-ray radiation with low cost and miniaturization. • A general CMOS image sensor is used to detect X-ray. • The system can measure exposure rate and 2D distribution simultaneously. • The Elman algorithm is adopted to improve the precision of the radiation detector

ESUSA: US endangered species distribution file

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagy, J.; Calef, C.E.

1979-10-01

This report describes a file containing distribution data on endangered species of the United States of Federal concern pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Included for each species are (a) the common name, (b) the scientific name, (c) the family, (d) the group (mammal, bird, etc.), (e) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) listing and recovery priorities, (f) the Federal legal status, (g) the geographic distribution by counties or islands, (h) Federal Register citations and (i) the sources of the information on distribution of the species. Status types are endangered, threatened, proposed, formally under review, candidate, deleted, and rejected. Distribution is by Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) county code and is of four types: designated critical habitat, present range, potential range, and historic range.

EDDA: An Efficient Distributed Data Replication Algorithm in VANETs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junyu Zhu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Efficient data dissemination in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs is a challenging issue due to the dynamic nature of the network. To improve the performance of data dissemination, we study distributed data replication algorithms in VANETs for exchanging information and computing in an arbitrarily-connected network of vehicle nodes. To achieve low dissemination delay and improve the network performance, we control the number of message copies that can be disseminated in the network and then propose an efficient distributed data replication algorithm (EDDA. The key idea is to let the data carrier distribute the data dissemination tasks to multiple nodes to speed up the dissemination process. We calculate the number of communication stages for the network to enter into a balanced status and show that the proposed distributed algorithm can converge to a consensus in a small number of communication stages. Most of the theoretical results described in this paper are to study the complexity of network convergence. The lower bound and upper bound are also provided in the analysis of the algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed EDDA can efficiently disseminate messages to vehicles in a specific area with low dissemination delay and system overhead.

The effect of a rehabilitation nursing intervention model on improving the comprehensive health status of patients with hand burns.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lin; Dai, Jia-Xi; Xu, Le; Huang, Zhen-Xia; Pan, Qiong; Zhang, Xi; Jiang, Mei-Yun; Chen, Zhao-Hong

2017-06-01

To observe the effect of a rehabilitation intervention on the comprehensive health status of patients with hand burns. Most studies of hand-burn patients have focused on functional recovery. There have been no studies involving a biological-psychological-social rehabilitation model of hand-burn patients. A randomized controlled design was used. Patients with hand burns were recruited to the study, and sixty patients participated. Participants were separated into two groups: (1) The rehabilitation intervention model group (n=30) completed the rehabilitation intervention model, which included the following measures: enhanced social support, intensive health education, comprehensive psychological intervention, and graded exercise. (2) The control group (n=30) completed routine treatment. Intervention lasted 5 weeks. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student's t test were conducted. The rehabilitation intervention group had significantly better scores than the control group for comprehensive health, physical function, psychological function, social function, and general health. The differences between the index scores of the two groups were statistically significant. The rehabilitation intervention improved the comprehensive health status of patients with hand burns and has favorable clinical application. The comprehensive rehabilitation intervention model used here provides scientific guidance for medical staff aiming to improve the integrated health status of hand-burn patients and accelerate their recovery. What does this paper contribute to the wider global clinical community? Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Where to next with animal health in Latin America? The transition from endemic to disease-free status.

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas, H; Romero, J R

2017-04-01

The Latin American and Caribbean region (LAC) is a leading global producer and exporter of animal products. Its livestock production systems are diverse, ranging from large-scale commercial enterprises to family farms. Countries in this region have sought to improve their animal health status through both public and private efforts. Despite significant advances in eradicating such diseases as foot and mouth disease and classical swine fever, other animal health challenges remain; constraining exports, causing negative economic impacts and threatening food security. Obtaining certification of disease-free status is only the first step towards gaining benefits from improvements in animal health. Increasing international trade means that countries must manage the sustainability of their disease-free status in conjunction with trade partners and must comply with additional food safety and animal welfare standards. This paper comments on the challenges created by this new scenario in relation to the epidemiology and economics of animal health, when seeking to improve decisionmaking for animal health management. The authors characterise the current LAC livestock landscape and animal health situation, describing transitions in disease control and the use of economics in improving animal health. They conclude with remarks on the challenges presented by decision-making, economic rationality, sources of benefits, distribution and incentives.

Performance Improvement of Raman Distributed Temperature System by Using Noise Suppression

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian; Li, Yunting; Zhang, Mingjiang; Liu, Yi; Zhang, Jianzhong; Yan, Baoqiang; Wang, Dong; Jin, Baoquan

2018-06-01

In Raman distributed temperature system, the key factor for performance improvement is noise suppression, which seriously affects the sensing distance and temperature accuracy. Therefore, we propose and experimentally demonstrate dynamic noise difference algorithm and wavelet transform modulus maximum (WTMM) to de-noising Raman anti-Stokes signal. Experimental results show that the sensing distance can increase from 3 km to 11.5 km and the temperature accuracy increases to 1.58 °C at the sensing distance of 10.4 km.

Distributed mode filtering rod fiber amplifier delivering 292W with improved mode stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laurila, Marko; Jørgensen, Mette Marie; Hansen, Kristian Rymann

2012-01-01

We demonstrate a high power fiber (85μm core) amplifier delivering up to 292Watts of average output power using a mode-locked 30ps source at 1032nm. Utilizing a single mode distributed mode filter bandgap rod fiber, we demonstrate 44% power improvement before the threshold-like onset of mode inst...

Improved size distribution control of silicon nanocrystals in a spatially confined remote plasma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dogan, I.; Westerman, R. H. J.; M. C. M. van de Sanden,

2015-01-01

This work demonstrates how to improve the size distribution of silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) synthesized in a remote plasma, in which the flow dynamics and the particular chemistry initially resulted in the formation of small (2-10 nm) and large (50-120 nm) Si-NCs. Plasma consists of two regions: an

Improving the cooling performance of electrical distribution transformer using transformer oil – Based MEPCM suspension

OpenAIRE

Mushtaq Ismael Hasan

2017-01-01

In this paper the electrical distribution transformer has been studied numerically and the effect of outside temperature on its cooling performance has been investigated. The temperature range studied covers the hot climate regions. 250 KVA distribution transformer is chosen as a study model. A novel cooling fluid is proposed to improve the cooling performance of this transformer, transformer oil-based microencapsulated phase change materials suspension is used with volume concentration (5–25...

Population status, distribution and potential threats of the Blue Bull Boselaphus tragocamelus (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla: Bovidae along the Tinau River of Rupandehi District, Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohan Aryal

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The status and conservation of the Blue Bull Boselaphus tragocamelus is becoming one of the prominent discourses of wildlife research.  The study was carried out along the Tinau River at Rupandehi District in western Nepal to ascertain the population status, distribution and potential threats to the Blue Bull.  The study was conducted along six transect lines in the forest.  A total of 40 Blue Bulls were recorded in different transects.  The average group size was five.  The average population density was 0.228 Blue Bulls per ha and the sex ratio was 1 male: 3 females.  The potential threats of the Blue Bull along the Tinau River were habitat destruction, overgrazing, conflict, flooding and accident.  

Does Child Labor Decline with Improving Economic Status?

Science.gov (United States)

Edmonds, Eric V.

2005-01-01

The rapid economic growth of Vietnam provides an interesting insight into the sharp decline in child labor. A study of the rising economic status of the population across Vietnam shows that children returned to school or stopped working as their family incomes grew. The decline in child labor is steep in poor households as they emerged from…

A GIS Tool for evaluating and improving NEXRAD and its application in distributed hydrologic modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X.; Srinivasan, R.

2008-12-01

In this study, a user friendly GIS tool was developed for evaluating and improving NEXRAD using raingauge data. This GIS tool can automatically read in raingauge and NEXRAD data, evaluate the accuracy of NEXRAD for each time unit, implement several geostatistical methods to improve the accuracy of NEXRAD through raingauge data, and output spatial precipitation map for distributed hydrologic model. The geostatistical methods incorporated in this tool include Simple Kriging with varying local means, Kriging with External Drift, Regression Kriging, Co-Kriging, and a new geostatistical method that was newly developed by Li et al. (2008). This tool was applied in two test watersheds at hourly and daily temporal scale. The preliminary cross-validation results show that incorporating raingauge data to calibrate NEXRAD can pronouncedly change the spatial pattern of NEXRAD and improve its accuracy. Using different geostatistical methods, the GIS tool was applied to produce long term precipitation input for a distributed hydrologic model - Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Animated video was generated to vividly illustrate the effect of using different precipitation input data on distributed hydrologic modeling. Currently, this GIS tool is developed as an extension of SWAT, which is used as water quantity and quality modeling tool by USDA and EPA. The flexible module based design of this tool also makes it easy to be adapted for other hydrologic models for hydrological modeling and water resources management.

[Distribution Characteristics and Pollution Status Evaluation of Sediments Nutrients in a Drinking Water Reservoir].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ting-lin; Liu, Fei; Shi, Jian-chao

2016-01-15

The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate the influence of nutrients distribution in sediments on the eutrophication of drinking water reservoir. The sediments of three representative locations were field-sampled and analyzed in laboratory in March 2015. The distribution characteristics of TOC, TN and TP were measured, and the pollution status of sediments was evaluated by the comprehensive pollution index and the manual for sediment quality assessment. The content of TOC in sediments decreased with depth, and there was an increasing trend of the nitrogen content. The TP was enriched in surface sediment, implying the nutrients load in Zhoucun Reservoir was aggravating as the result of human activities. Regression analysis indicated that the content of TOC in sediments was positively correlated with contents of TN and TP in sediments. The TOC/TN values reflected that the vascular land plants, which contain cellulose, were the main source of organic matter in sediments. The comprehensive pollution index analysis result showed that the surface sediments in all three sampling sites were heavily polluted. The contents of TN and TP of surface sediments in three sampling sites were 3273-4870 mg x kg(-1) and 653-2969 mg x kg(-1), and the content of TOC was 45.65-83.00 mg x g(-1). According to the manual for sediment quality assessment, the TN, TP and TOC contents in sediments exceed the standard values for the lowest level of ecotoxicity, so there is a risk of eutrophication in Zhoucun Reservoir.

Z-Source-Inverter-Based Flexible Distributed Generation System Solution for Grid Power Quality Improvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blaabjerg, Frede; Vilathgamuwa, D. M.; Loh, Poh Chiang

2009-01-01

Distributed generation (DG) systems are usually connected to the grid using power electronic converters. Power delivered from such DG sources depends on factors like energy availability and load demand. The converters used in power conversion do not operate with their full capacity all the time......-stage buck-boost inverter, recently proposed Z-source inverter (ZSI) is a good candidate for future DG systems. This paper presents a controller design for a ZSI-based DG system to improve power quality of distribution systems. The proposed control method is tested with simulation results obtained using...

Educational status: improvement and problems. Population programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, T

1997-08-01

This report describes the levels of literacy and educational status in Tibet Autonomous Region. Data were obtained from the 1990 and earlier China Censuses. Traditional education among Tibetans was accessible only to lamas and a privileged few. The reasons were religious influence and an underdeveloped socioeconomic status. In 1990, illiteracy was 90.6% for the urban population (80.0% for males and 81.6% for females). Illiteracy was 91.4% in rural areas (81.6% for males and 98.1% for females). There were 2556 modern schools in 1990, with a total enrollment of 175,600 students. The percentage of well-educated Tibetan population was lower than that for any other ethnic groups living in Tibet. Illiteracy among persons aged 15 years and older declined from 74% in 1982, to 69% in 1990. Tibet Autonomous Region has the highest illiteracy rate in China. The absolute number of illiterates increased by 12.4% during 1982-90. Urban illiteracy also rose by 12%. In rural areas, the absolute number of illiterates increased by only 1.3%. Illiteracy in rural areas declined by 0.52%, to 88%, during 1982-90. In 1990, illiteracy among adolescents aged 10-14 years was 74.25% in rural areas, 36.26% in towns, and 28.60% in Lhasa city. More women are illiterate than men. Enrollment of school age children is low due to religious reasons and a need among herdsmen for help tending livestock.

Improvement of two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution using optical amplifiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yi-Chen; Yu, Song; Gu, Wanyi; Li, Zhengyu; Sun, Maozhu; Peng, Xiang; Guo, Hong; Weedbrook, Christian

2014-01-01

The imperfections of a receiver's detector affect the performance of two-way continuous-variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols and are difficult to adjust in practical situations. We propose a method to improve the performance of two-way CV-QKD by adding a parameter-adjustable optical amplifier at the receiver. A security analysis is derived against a two-mode collective entangling cloner attack. Our simulations show that the proposed method can improve the performance of protocols as long as the inherent noise of the amplifier is lower than a critical value, defined as the tolerable amplifier noise. Furthermore, the optimal performance can approach the scenario where a perfect detector is used. (paper)

Asparagus Root Regulates Cholesterol Metabolism and Improves Antioxidant Status in Hypercholesteremic Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nishant P. Visavadiya

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Hyperlipidemia/hypercholesteremia are major risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Root of Asparagus racemosus (AR is widely used in Ayurvedic system of medicine in India and is known for its steroidal saponin content. This study was designed to investigate the hypocholesteremic and antioxidant potential of AR root in both normo- and hypercholesteremic animals. Normal and hypercholesteremic male albino rats were administered with root powder of AR (5 and 10 g% dose levels along with normal and hypercholesteremic diets, respectively, for a duration of 4 weeks. Plasma and hepatic lipid profiles, fecal sterol, bile acid excretion and hepatic antioxidant activity were assessed. Inclusion of AR root powder in diet, resulted in a dose-dependant reduction in plasma and hepatic lipid profiles, increased fecal excretion of cholesterol, neutral sterol and bile acid along with increases in hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity and bile acid content in hypercholesteremic rats. Further, AR root also improved the hepatic antioxidant status (catalase, SOD and ascorbic acid levels. No significant changes in lipid and antioxidant profiles occurred in the normocholesteremic rats administered with AR root powder. AR root appeared to be useful as a dietary supplement that offers a protection against hyperlipidemia/hypercholesteremia in hypercholesteremic animals. The results of the present study indicate that the potent therapeutic phyto-components present in AR root i.e. phytosterols, saponins, polyphenols, flavonoids and ascorbic acid, could be responsible for increased bile acid production, elimination of excess cholesterol and elevation of hepatic antioxidant status in hypercholesteremic conditions.

Can an Educational Intervention Improve Iodine Nutrition Status in Pregnant Women? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Amiri, Parisa; Hamzavi Zarghani, Najmeh; Nazeri, Pantea; Ghofranipour, Fazlollah; Karimi, Mehrdad; Amouzegar, Atieh; Mirmiran, Parvin; Azizi, Fereidoun

2017-03-01

Because of their increased need for iodine, pregnant women are among the high-risk groups for iodine deficiency. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program on the iodine nutrition status of pregnant women. In this randomized controlled trial, 100 pregnant women were randomly selected from five healthcare centers in the southern region of Tehran, the capital of Iran. In the intervention group, pregnant women received a four-month educational program, which included two face-to-face educational sessions, using a researcher-designed educational pamphlet in the second and third trimesters, and two follow-up telephone calls. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) scores, urinary iodine concentration (UIC), and salt iodine content were assessed at baseline and four months after the intervention. At baseline, there were significant associations between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.38, p = 0.03) between practice and UIC (r = 0.28, p = 0.01) and between UIC and iodine content of salt (r = 0.24, p = 0.009). Although a significant difference was found in mean KAP scores between the two groups after the educational intervention, scores were significantly higher in the intervention group compared with controls (p educational intervention increasing KAP among women regarding the importance of iodine and iodized salt consumption during pregnancy, their iodine status did not improve. Considering the main socio-environmental determinants of iodine deficiency, in particular, the monitoring of salt fortification, prescribing iodine containing supplements as well as improving health literacy in pregnant women seem essential strategies.

Pain physiology education improves health status and endogenous pain inhibition in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Oosterwijck, Jessica; Meeus, Mira; Paul, Lorna; De Schryver, Mieke; Pascal, Aurelie; Lambrecht, Luc; Nijs, Jo

2013-10-01

There is evidence that education on pain physiology can have positive effects on pain, disability, and catastrophization in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. A double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed to examine whether intensive pain physiology education is also effective in fibromyalgia (FM) patients, and whether it is able to influence the impaired endogenous pain inhibition of these patients. Thirty FM patients were randomly allocated to either the experimental (receiving pain physiology education) or the control group (receiving pacing self-management education). The primary outcome was the efficacy of the pain inhibitory mechanisms, which was evaluated by spatially accumulating thermal nociceptive stimuli. Secondary outcome measures included pressure pain threshold measurements and questionnaires assessing pain cognitions, behavior, and health status. Assessments were performed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 3 months follow-up. Repeated measures ANOVAS were used to reveal possible therapy effects and effect sizes were calculated. After the intervention the experimental group had improved knowledge of pain neurophysiology (Pphysiology. Pain physiology education seems to be a useful component in the treatment of FM patients as it improves health status and endogenous pain inhibition in the long term.

Plan for assessment of the occurrence, status, and distribution of volatile organic compounds in aquifers of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Lapham, W.W.; Tadayon, Saeid

1996-01-01

The occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water is of national concern because of their relatively high aqueous solubility, mobility, and persistence, because many are known or suspected carcinogens, because of their widespread use, and because they have been found in drinking-water supplies. Because of this national concern, VOCs were selected for National investigation (hereafter termed "National Synthesis") by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1994. The broad goals of this National Synthesis are to: (1) describe current water- quality conditions with respect to VOCs; (2) define trends, or lack of trends, in VOCs in surface and ground water; and (3) identify, describe, and explain causal relations among the occurrence and distribution of VOCs in surface water and ground water, and natural and human factors. The National Synthesis of VOCs in ground water has three objectives: (1) to describe their occurrence, status, and distribution; (2) to determine relations among VOCs in shallow ground water and natural and human factors; and (3) to determine, compare, and contrast the occurrence, transformation, transport, and fate of selected VOCs in the hydrologic cycle for several regionally or nationally important aquifer systems. The description of VOC occurrence, status, and distribution in ground water focuses on major aquifers of the United States. Occurrence describes the presence or absence of VOCs, their frequency of occurrence, and their ranges of concentrations. Status compares the concentrations of VOCs detected in relation to water-quality regulations or advisories, such as Maximum Contaminant Levels, Proposed Maximum Contaminant Levels, Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, and Health Advisories. Distribution describes the variability of VOCs in ground water, areally and by depth. This report describes the study design for conducting such an assessment. The assessment focuses on aquifers, or parts of

Extracting kinetic freeze-out temperature and radial flow velocity from an improved Tsallis distribution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lao, Hai-Ling; Liu, Fu-Hu [Shanxi University, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Shanxi (China); Lacey, Roy A. [Stony Brook University, Departments of Chemistry and Physics, Stony Brook, NY (United States)

2017-03-15

We analyze the transverse-momentum (p{sub T}) spectra of identified particles (π{sup ±}, K{sup ±}, p, and anti p) produced in gold-gold (Au-Au) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions over a √(s{sub NN}) (center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair) range from 14.5 GeV (one of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) energies) to 2.76 TeV (one of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) energies). For the spectra with a narrow p{sub T} range, an improved Tsallis distribution which is in fact the Tsallis distribution with radial flow is used. For the spectra with a wide p{sub T} range, a superposition of the improved Tsallis distribution and an inverse power law is used. Both the extracted kinetic freeze-out temperature (T{sub 0}) and radial flow velocity (β{sub T}) increase with the increase of √(s{sub NN}), which indicates a higher excitation and larger expansion of the interesting system at the LHC. Both the values of T{sub 0} and β{sub T} in central collisions are slightly larger than those in peripheral collisions, and they are independent of isospin and slightly dependent on mass. (orig.)

Molluscan indicator species and their potential use in ecological status assessment using species distribution modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Moraitis, Manos L; Tsikopoulou, Irini; Geropoulos, Antonios; Dimitriou, Panagiotis D; Papageorgiou, Nafsika; Giannoulaki, Marianna; Valavanis, Vasilis D; Karakassis, Ioannis

2018-05-24

Marine habitat assessment using indicator species through Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) was investigated. The bivalves: Corbula gibba and Flexopecten hyalinus were the indicator species characterizing disturbed and undisturbed areas respectively in terms of chlorophyll a concentration in Greece. The habitat suitability maps of these species reflected the overall ecological status of the area. The C. gibba model successfully predicted the occurrence of this species in areas with increased physical disturbance driven by chlorophyll a concentration, whereas the habitat map for F. hyalinus showed an increased probability of occurrence in chlorophyll-poor areas, affected mainly by salinity. We advocate the use of C. gibba as a proxy for eutrophication and the incorporation of this species in monitoring studies through SDM methods. For the Mediterranean Sea we suggest the use of F. hyalinus in SDM as an indicator of environmental stability and a possible forecasting tool for salinity fluctuations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved flooding tolerance and carbohydrate status of flood-tolerant plant Arundinella anomala at lower water temperature.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Qi Ye

Full Text Available Operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR, China imposes a new water fluctuation regime, including a prolonged winter submergence in contrast to the natural short summer flooding of the rivers. The contrasting water temperature regimes may remarkably affect the survival of submerged plants in the TGR. Plant survival in such prolonged flooding might depend on the carbohydrate status of the plants. Therefore, we investigated the effects of water temperature on survival and carbohydrate status in a flood-tolerant plant species and predicted that both survival and carbohydrate status would be improved by lower water temperatures.A growth chamber experiment with controlled water temperature were performed with the flood-tolerant species Arundinella anomala from the TGR region. The plants were submerged (80 cm deep water above soil surface with a constant water temperature at 30°C, 20°C or 10°C. The water temperature effects on survival, plant biomass and carbohydrate content (glucose, fructose and sucrose and starch in the viable and dead tissues were investigated.The results showed that the survival percentage of A.anomala plants was greatly dependent on water temperature. The two-month submergence survival percentage was 100% at 10°C, 40% at 20°C and 0% at 30°C. Decreasing the water temperature led to both later leaf death and slower biomass loss. Temperature decrease also induced less reduction in glucose, fructose and sucrose in the roots and leaves (before decay, p 0.05. Different water temperatures did not alter the carbon pool size in the stems, leaves and whole plants (p > 0.05, but a clear difference was found in the roots (p < 0.05, with a larger pool size at a lower temperature.We concluded that (1 A. anomala is characterized by high flooding tolerance and sustained capability to mobilize carbohydrate pool. (2 The survival percentage and carbohydrate status of submerged A. anomala plants were remarkably improved by lower water

Front-end electronics and trigger systems-Status and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spieler, Helmuth

2007-01-01

The past quarter century has brought about a revolution in front-end electronics for large-scale detector systems. Custom integrated circuits specifically tailored to the requirements of large detector systems have provided unprecedented performance and enabled systems that once were deemed impossible. The evolution of integrated circuit readouts in strip detectors is summarized, the present status described, and challenges posed by the sLHC and ILC are discussed. Performance requirements increase, but key considerations remain as in the past: power dissipation, material, and services. Smaller CMOS feature sizes will not reduce the power required for the desired noise levels, but will improve digital power efficiency. Significant improvements appear to be practical in more efficient power distribution. Enhanced digital electronics have provided powerful trigger processors that greatly improve the trigger efficiency. In data readout systems, they also improve data throughput, while reducing power requirements. Concurrently with new developments in high energy physics, detector systems for cosmology and astrophysics have made great strides. As an example, a large-scale readout for superconducting bolometer arrays is described

Front-end electronics and trigger systems - status and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spieler, Helmuth G; Spieler, Helmuth G

2007-01-01

The past quarter century has brought about a revolution in front-end electronics for large-scale detector systems. Custom integrated circuits specifically tailored to the requirements of large detector systems have provided unprecedented performance and enabled systems that once were deemed impossible. The evolution of integrated circuit readouts in strip detectors is summarized, the present status described, and challenges posed by the sLHC and ILC are discussed. Performance requirements increase, but key considerations remain as in the past: power dissipation, material, and services. Smaller CMOS feature sizes will not provide the required electronic noise at lower power, but will improve digital power efficiency. Significant improvements appear to be practical in more efficient power distribution. Enhanced digital electronics have provided powerful trigger processors that greatly improve the trigger efficiency. In data readout systems they also improve data throughput, while reducing power requirements. Concurrently with new developments in high energy physics, detector systems for cosmology and astrophysics have made great strides. As an example, a large-scale readout for superconducting bolometer arrays is described

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Alleviates Salt Stress in Black Locust through Improved Photosynthesis, Water Status, and K+/Na+ Homeostasis

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jie; Zhang, Haoqiang; Zhang, Xinlu; Tang, Ming

2017-01-01

Soil salinization and the associated land degradation are major and growing ecological problems. Excess salt in soil impedes plant photosynthetic processes and root uptake of water and nutrients such as K+. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can mitigate salt stress in host plants. Although, numerous studies demonstrate that photosynthesis and water status are improved by mycorrhizae, the molecular mechanisms involved have received little research attention. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of AM symbiosis and salt stress on photosynthesis, water status, concentrations of Na+ and K+, and the expression of several genes associated with photosynthesis (RppsbA, RppsbD, RprbcL, and RprbcS) and genes coding for aquaporins or membrane transport proteins involved in K+ and/or Na+ uptake, translocation, or compartmentalization homeostasis (RpSOS1, RpHKT1, RpNHX1, and RpSKOR) in black locust. The results showed that salinity reduced the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and relative water content in both non-mycorrhizal (NM) and AM plants; the reductions of these three parameters were less in AM plants compared with NM plants. Under saline conditions, AM fungi significantly improved the net photosynthetic rate, quantum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry, and K+ content in plants, but evidently reduced the Na+ content. AM plants also displayed a significant increase in the relative water content and an evident decrease in the shoot/root ratio of Na+ in the presence of 200 mM NaCl compared with NM plants. Additionally, mycorrhizal colonization upregulated the expression of three chloroplast genes (RppsbA, RppsbD, and RprbcL) in leaves, and three genes (RpSOS1, RpHKT1, and RpSKOR) encoding membrane transport proteins involved in K+/Na+ homeostasis in roots. Expression of several aquaporin genes was regulated by AM symbiosis in both leaves and roots depending on soil salinity. This study suggests that the beneficial effects of AM symbiosis on

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Alleviates Salt Stress in Black Locust through Improved Photosynthesis, Water Status, and K+/Na+ Homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jie; Zhang, Haoqiang; Zhang, Xinlu; Tang, Ming

2017-01-01

Soil salinization and the associated land degradation are major and growing ecological problems. Excess salt in soil impedes plant photosynthetic processes and root uptake of water and nutrients such as K + . Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can mitigate salt stress in host plants. Although, numerous studies demonstrate that photosynthesis and water status are improved by mycorrhizae, the molecular mechanisms involved have received little research attention. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of AM symbiosis and salt stress on photosynthesis, water status, concentrations of Na + and K + , and the expression of several genes associated with photosynthesis ( RppsbA, RppsbD, RprbcL , and RprbcS ) and genes coding for aquaporins or membrane transport proteins involved in K + and/or Na + uptake, translocation, or compartmentalization homeostasis ( RpSOS1, RpHKT1, RpNHX1 , and RpSKOR ) in black locust. The results showed that salinity reduced the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and relative water content in both non-mycorrhizal (NM) and AM plants; the reductions of these three parameters were less in AM plants compared with NM plants. Under saline conditions, AM fungi significantly improved the net photosynthetic rate, quantum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry, and K + content in plants, but evidently reduced the Na + content. AM plants also displayed a significant increase in the relative water content and an evident decrease in the shoot/root ratio of Na + in the presence of 200 mM NaCl compared with NM plants. Additionally, mycorrhizal colonization upregulated the expression of three chloroplast genes ( RppsbA, RppsbD , and RprbcL ) in leaves, and three genes ( RpSOS1, RpHKT1 , and RpSKOR ) encoding membrane transport proteins involved in K + /Na + homeostasis in roots. Expression of several aquaporin genes was regulated by AM symbiosis in both leaves and roots depending on soil salinity. This study suggests that the beneficial

Asymmetric fan beams (AFB) for improvement of the craniocaudal dose distribution in helical tomotherapy delivery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladwish, Adam; Kron, Tomas; McNiven, Andrea; Bauman, Glenn; Van Dyk, Jake

2004-01-01

Helical tomotherapy (HT) is a novel radiotherapy technique that utilizes intensity modulated fan beams that deliver highly conformal dose distributions in a helical beam trajectory. The most significant limitation in dose delivery with a constant fan beam thickness (FBT) is the penumbra width of the dose distribution in the craniocaudal direction, which is equivalent to the FBT. We propose to employ a half-blocked fan beam at start and stop location to reduce the penumbra width by half. By opening the jaw slowly during the helical delivery until the desired FBT is achieved it is possible to create a sharper edge in the superior and inferior direction from the target. The technique was studied using a tomotherapy beam model implemented on a commercial treatment planning system (Theraplan Plus V3.0). It was demonstrated that the dose distribution delivered using a 25 mm fan beam can be improved significantly, to reduce the dose to normal structures located superiorly and inferiorly of the target. Dosimetry for this technique is straightforward down to a FBT of 15 mm and implementation should be simple as no changes in couch movement are required compared to a standard HT delivery. We conclude that the use of asymmetric collimated fan beams for the start and stop of the helical tomotherapeutic dose delivery has the potential of significantly improving the dose distribution in helical tomotherapy

State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources: Distributed Resource Distribution Credit Pilot Programs--Revealing the Value to Consumers and Vendors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moskovitz, D.; Harrington, C.; Shirley, W.; Cowart, R.; Sedano, R.; Weston, F.

2002-10-01

Designing and implementing credit-based pilot programs for distributed resources distribution is a low-cost, low-risk opportunity to find out how these resources can help defer or avoid costly electric power system (utility grid) distribution upgrades. This report describes implementation options for deaveraged distribution credits and distributed resource development zones. Developing workable programs implementing these policies can dramatically increase the deployment of distributed resources in ways that benefit distributed resource vendors, users, and distribution utilities. This report is one in the State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources series developed under contract to NREL (see Annual Technical Status Report of the Regulatory Assistance Project: September 2000-September 2001, NREL/SR-560-32733). Other titles in this series are: (1) Accommodating Distributed Resources in Wholesale Markets, NREL/SR-560-32497; (2) Distributed Resources and Electric System Re liability, NREL/SR-560-32498; (3) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation, NREL/SR-560-32500; (4) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation Appendices, NREL/SR-560-32501.

Investigation on water status and distribution in broccoli and the effects of drying on water status using NMR and MRI methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xu, Fangfang; Jin, Xin; Zhang, Lu; Chen, Xiao Dong

2017-01-01

Many quality attributes of food products are influenced by the water status and the microstructure. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods are applied to non-destructively monitor the water status and structure of food. The aim of this study is to

Improvement of dose distribution of esophageal irradiation using the field-within-a-field technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwai, Tsugunori; Okabe, Keigo; Yamato, Hidetada; Murakami, Jyunji; Nakazawa, Yasuo; Kato, Mitsuyoshi

2002-01-01

The wide radiation field for mediastinal dose distribution should be inhomogeneous with the usual simple opposed beam irradiation. The purpose of this study was to improve the dose distribution of the mediastinum using a conventional planning system with a dose-volume histogram (DVH) and the field-in-field technique. Three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution is obtained in bilateral opposed-field irradiation. An overdose area obtained from the 3D dose distribution is defined and reprojected into the irradiation field. A new reduced field is created by removing the reprojected overdose area. A 3D dose distribution is again obtained and compared with the results from first one. Procedures were repeated until each of the target volumes was within ±5% of the prescribed dose and the irradiation volume within 107% or less of the prescribed dose. From the DVH analysis, our field-within-a-field technique resulted in a more uniform dose distribution within the conventional planning. The field-within-a-field technique involves many parameters, and an inverse planning algorithm is suitable for computation. However, with our method, the forward planning system is adequate for planning, at least in a relatively straightforward planning system such as bilateral opposed fields therapy. (author)

Distributed generation system with PEM fuel cell for electrical power quality improvement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez, D.; Beites, L.F.; Blazquez, F. [Department of Electrical Engineering, ETSII, Escuela de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, C/ Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Ballesteros, J.C. [Endesa Generacion, S.A. c/ Ribera de Loira 60, 28042 Madrid (Spain)

2008-08-15

In this paper, a physical model for a distributed generation (DG) system with power quality improvement capability is presented. The generating system consists of a 5 kW PEM fuel cell, a natural gas reformer, hydrogen storage bottles and a bank of ultra-capacitors. Additional power quality functions are implemented with a vector-controlled electronic converter for regulating the injected power. The capabilities of the system were experimentally tested on a scaled electrical network. It is composed of different lines, built with linear inductances and resistances, and taking into account both linear and non-linear loads. The ability to improve power quality was tested by means of different voltage and frequency perturbations produced on the physical model electrical network. (author)

Developing health status index using factor analysis | Mohamad ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper intends to develop health status index among drug abuse prison inmates in Malaysia. A self-admistered questionnaire distributed to 1753 respondents. In this study, to calculate the health status index number of drug abuse inmates, descriptive and factor analyses applied. The data based on 10 indicators of ...

A Pilot Physical Activity Initiative to Improve Mental Health Status amongst Iranian Institutionalized Older People

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Matlabi

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Sufficient level of physical activity may promote overall and mental health of old people. This study was carried out to investigate the practicability of a physical activity promotion initiative amongst institutionalized older people in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: Purposive sampling method was used in this semi-experimental study to recruit 31 older people living in a selected residential care in Tabriz. Moderate-intensity aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity was planned for those who had not severe baseline cognitive impairment or were not too frail to undertake the survey. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28 was used to measure mental health status before and after intervention through a face-to-face interview. Descriptive statistics, Wilkcoxon rank-sum, Mann–Whitney U and Chi-Square tests were employed to analyses the data. Results: The applied intervention was significantly improved status of physical health, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. Conclusion: Incorporation of physical activity promotion programs into routines of older people residential care homes in Iran is feasible but may need training of physical activity specialists to work with older people based on their physical endurance and limitations.

Recent status and improvement of reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steels for high-temperature service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, L., E-mail: tanl@ornl.gov [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831 (United States); Katoh, Y. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831 (United States); Tavassoli, A.-A.F.; Henry, J. [DMN/Dir, DEN, CEA Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Rieth, M. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Sakasegawa, H. [National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Rokkasho, Aomori, 039-3212 (Japan); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831 (United States); Tanigawa, H. [National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Rokkasho, Aomori, 039-3212 (Japan); Huang, Q. [Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

2016-10-15

Reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels, candidate structural materials for fusion reactors, have achieved technological maturity after about three decades of research and development. The recent status of a few developmental aspects of current RAFM steels, such as aging resistance, plate thickness effects, fracture toughness, and fatigue, is updated in this paper, together with ongoing efforts to develop next-generation RAFM steels for superior high-temperature performance. In addition to thermomechanical treatments, including nonstandard heat treatment, alloy chemistry refinements and modifications have demonstrated some improvements in high-temperature performance. Castable nanostructured alloys (CNAs) were developed by significantly increasing the amount of nanoscale MX (M = V/Ta/Ti, X = C/N) precipitates and reducing coarse M{sub 23}C{sub 6} (M = Cr). Preliminary results showed promising improvement in creep resistance and Charpy impact toughness. Limited low-dose neutron irradiation results for one of the CNAs and China low activation martensitic are presented and compared with data for F82H and Eurofer97 irradiated up to ∼70 displacements per atom at ∼300–325 °C.

Equality in the distribution of health material and human resources in Guangxi: evidence from Southern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jian

2017-08-29

The aim of this study was to assess the equality in the distribution of health material and human resources in Guangxi, and put forward proposal to improve the equality status of the health material and human resources. We used concentration index to evaluate the degree of income-related equality of health material and human resources. The concentration index values of the five resources ranged from -0.0847 to 0.1416 from 2011 to 2015. Health institution was concentrated among the poorer populations, while other four resources were concentrated among the richer populations. Overall, the equality status of health institutions, health care beds, health technical personnel, and certified nurses got better from 2011 to 2015. However, the equality status of practicing physicians has got worse since 2014.

Independent tasks scheduling in cloud computing via improved estimation of distribution algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Haisheng; Xu, Rui; Chen, Huaping

2018-04-01

To minimize makespan for scheduling independent tasks in cloud computing, an improved estimation of distribution algorithm (IEDA) is proposed to tackle the investigated problem in this paper. Considering that the problem is concerned with multi-dimensional discrete problems, an improved population-based incremental learning (PBIL) algorithm is applied, which the parameter for each component is independent with other components in PBIL. In order to improve the performance of PBIL, on the one hand, the integer encoding scheme is used and the method of probability calculation of PBIL is improved by using the task average processing time; on the other hand, an effective adaptive learning rate function that related to the number of iterations is constructed to trade off the exploration and exploitation of IEDA. In addition, both enhanced Max-Min and Min-Min algorithms are properly introduced to form two initial individuals. In the proposed IEDA, an improved genetic algorithm (IGA) is applied to generate partial initial population by evolving two initial individuals and the rest of initial individuals are generated at random. Finally, the sampling process is divided into two parts including sampling by probabilistic model and IGA respectively. The experiment results show that the proposed IEDA not only gets better solution, but also has faster convergence speed.

Improving control and estimation for distributed parameter systems utilizing mobile actuator-sensor network.

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Wenying; Cui, Baotong; Li, Wen; Jiang, Zhengxian

2014-07-01

This paper proposes a scheme for non-collocated moving actuating and sensing devices which is unitized for improving performance in distributed parameter systems. By Lyapunov stability theorem, each moving actuator/sensor agent velocity is obtained. To enhance state estimation of a spatially distributes process, two kinds of filters with consensus terms which penalize the disagreement of the estimates are considered. Both filters can result in the well-posedness of the collective dynamics of state errors and can converge to the plant state. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the effectiveness of such a moving actuator-sensor network in enhancing system performance and the consensus filters converge faster to the plant state when consensus terms are included. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of main control room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chae, Sung Ki; Ham, Chang Sik; Kwon, Ki Chun

1991-07-01

Information display system, advanced alarm system and fiber optical communication system were developed to improve the main control room in nuclear power plant. Establishing the new hierachical information structure of plant operation data, plant overview status board(POSB) and digital indicator(DI) were designed and manufactured. The prototype advanced alarm system which employed the new alarm logics and algorithm compared with the conventional alarm system were developed and its effectiveness was proved. Optical communication system which has multi-drop feature and capability of upgrading to large-scale system by using BITBUS communication protocol which is proven technology, were developed. Reliability of that system was enhanced by using distributed control. (Author)

A New Distribution-Random Limit Normal Distribution

OpenAIRE

Gong, Xiaolin; Yang, Shuzhen

2013-01-01

This paper introduces a new distribution to improve tail risk modeling. Based on the classical normal distribution, we define a new distribution by a series of heat equations. Then, we use market data to verify our model.

Performance studies and improvements of CMS distributed data transfers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonacorsi, D; Flix, J; Kaselis, R; Magini, N; Letts, J; Sartirana, A

2012-01-01

CMS computing needs reliable, stable and fast connections among multi-tiered distributed infrastructures. CMS experiment relies on File Transfer Services (FTS) for data distribution, a low level data movement service responsible for moving sets of files from one site to another, while allowing participating sites to control the network resource usage. FTS servers are provided by Tier-0 and Tier-1 centers and used by all the computing sites in CMS, subject to established CMS and sites setup policies, including all the virtual organizations making use of the Grid resources at the site, and properly dimensioned to satisfy all the requirements for them. Managing the service efficiently needs good knowledge of the CMS needs for all kind of transfer routes, and the sharing and interference with other VOs using the same FTS transfer managers. This contribution deals with a complete revision of all FTS servers used by CMS, customizing the topologies and improving their setup in order to keep CMS transferring data to the desired levels, as well as performance studies for all kind of transfer routes, including overheads measurements introduced by SRM servers and storage systems, FTS server misconfigurations and identification of congested channels, historical transfer throughputs per stream, file-latency studies,… This information is retrieved directly from the FTS servers through the FTS Monitor webpages and conveniently archived for further analysis. The project provides an interface for all these values, to ease the analysis of the data.

Improved Cat Swarm Optimization for Simultaneous Allocation of DSTATCOM and DGs in Distribution Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neeraj Kanwar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses a new methodology for the simultaneous optimal allocation of DSTATCOM and DG in radial distribution systems to maximize power loss reduction while maintaining better node voltage profiles under multilevel load profile. Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO is one of the recently developed powerful swarm intelligence-based optimization techniques that mimics the natural behavior of cats but usually suffers from poor convergence and accuracy while subjected to large dimension problem. Therefore, an Improved CSO (ICSO technique is proposed to efficiently solve the problem where the seeking mode of CSO is modified to enhance its exploitation potential. In addition, the problem search space is virtually squeezed by suggesting an intelligent search approach which smartly scans the problem search space. Further, the effect of network reconfiguration has also been investigated after optimally placing DSTATCOMs and DGs in the distribution network. The suggested measures enhance the convergence and accuracy of the algorithm without loss of diversity. The proposed method is investigated on 69-bus test distribution system and the application results are very promising for the operation of smart distribution systems.

Automating ATLAS Computing Operations using the Site Status Board

CERN Document Server

Andreeva, J; The ATLAS collaboration; Campana, S; Di Girolamo, A; Espinal Curull, X; Gayazov, S; Magradze, E; Nowotka, MM; Rinaldi, L; Saiz, P; Schovancova, J; Stewart, GA; Wright, M

2012-01-01

The automation of operations is essential to reduce manpower costs and improve the reliability of the system. The Site Status Board (SSB) is a framework which allows Virtual Organizations to monitor their computing activities at distributed sites and to evaluate site performance. The ATLAS experiment intensively uses SSB for the distributed computing shifts, for estimating data processing and data transfer efficiencies at a particular site, and for implementing automatic exclusion of sites from computing activities, in case of potential problems. ATLAS SSB provides a real-time aggregated monitoring view and keeps the history of the monitoring metrics. Based on this history, usability of a site from the perspective of ATLAS is calculated. The presentation will describe how SSB is integrated in the ATLAS operations and computing infrastructure and will cover implementation details of the ATLAS SSB sensors and alarm system, based on the information in SSB. It will demonstrate the positive impact of the use of SS...

Status, Numbers and Influence

Science.gov (United States)

Melamed, David; Savage, Scott V.

2013-01-01

We develop a theoretical model of social influence in n-person groups. We argue that disagreement between group members introduces uncertainty into the social situation, and this uncertainty motivates people to use status characteristics to evaluate the merits of a particular opinion. Our model takes the numerical distribution of opinions and the…

Angola: Country Status Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruhn, Thea C.

A survey of the status of language usage in Angola begins with an overview of the usage and distribution of Portuguese as the official language, and the four most significant native languages and dialects spoken there: Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo, and Lunda-Chokwe. The introduction of Spanish through Cuban trainers, teachers, and military advisors…

Improved Multiobjective Harmony Search Algorithm with Application to Placement and Sizing of Distributed Generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wanxing Sheng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To solve the comprehensive multiobjective optimization problem, this study proposes an improved metaheuristic searching algorithm with combination of harmony search and the fast nondominated sorting approach. This is a kind of the novel intelligent optimization algorithm for multiobjective harmony search (MOHS. The detailed description and the algorithm formulating are discussed. Taking the optimal placement and sizing issue of distributed generation (DG in distributed power system as one example, the solving procedure of the proposed method is given. Simulation result on modified IEEE 33-bus test system and comparison with NSGA-II algorithm has proved that the proposed MOHS can get promising results for engineering application.

Projecting future expansion of invasive species: comparing and improving methodologies for species distribution modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mainali, Kumar P; Warren, Dan L; Dhileepan, Kunjithapatham; McConnachie, Andrew; Strathie, Lorraine; Hassan, Gul; Karki, Debendra; Shrestha, Bharat B; Parmesan, Camille

2015-12-01

Modeling the distributions of species, especially of invasive species in non-native ranges, involves multiple challenges. Here, we developed some novel approaches to species distribution modeling aimed at reducing the influences of such challenges and improving the realism of projections. We estimated species-environment relationships for Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) with four modeling methods run with multiple scenarios of (i) sources of occurrences and geographically isolated background ranges for absences, (ii) approaches to drawing background (absence) points, and (iii) alternate sets of predictor variables. We further tested various quantitative metrics of model evaluation against biological insight. Model projections were very sensitive to the choice of training dataset. Model accuracy was much improved using a global dataset for model training, rather than restricting data input to the species' native range. AUC score was a poor metric for model evaluation and, if used alone, was not a useful criterion for assessing model performance. Projections away from the sampled space (i.e., into areas of potential future invasion) were very different depending on the modeling methods used, raising questions about the reliability of ensemble projections. Generalized linear models gave very unrealistic projections far away from the training region. Models that efficiently fit the dominant pattern, but exclude highly local patterns in the dataset and capture interactions as they appear in data (e.g., boosted regression trees), improved generalization of the models. Biological knowledge of the species and its distribution was important in refining choices about the best set of projections. A post hoc test conducted on a new Parthenium dataset from Nepal validated excellent predictive performance of our 'best' model. We showed that vast stretches of currently uninvaded geographic areas on multiple continents harbor highly suitable habitats for parthenium

Leopard (Panthera pardus status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew P. Jacobson

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The leopard’s (Panthera pardus broad geographic range, remarkable adaptability, and secretive nature have contributed to a misconception that this species might not be severely threatened across its range. We find that not only are several subspecies and regional populations critically endangered but also the overall range loss is greater than the average for terrestrial large carnivores. To assess the leopard’s status, we compile 6,000 records at 2,500 locations from over 1,300 sources on its historic (post 1750 and current distribution. We map the species across Africa and Asia, delineating areas where the species is confirmed present, is possibly present, is possibly extinct or is almost certainly extinct. The leopard now occupies 25–37% of its historic range, but this obscures important differences between subspecies. Of the nine recognized subspecies, three (P. p. pardus, fusca, and saxicolor account for 97% of the leopard’s extant range while another three (P. p. orientalis, nimr, and japonensis have each lost as much as 98% of their historic range. Isolation, small patch sizes, and few remaining patches further threaten the six subspecies that each have less than 100,000 km2 of extant range. Approximately 17% of extant leopard range is protected, although some endangered subspecies have far less. We found that while leopard research was increasing, research effort was primarily on the subspecies with the most remaining range whereas subspecies that are most in need of urgent attention were neglected.

State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources: Distributed Resources and Electric System Reliability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cowart, R.; Harrington, C.; Moskovitz, D.; Shirley, W.; Weston, F.; Sedano, R.

2002-10-01

Designing and implementing credit-based pilot programs for distributed resources distribution is a low-cost, low-risk opportunity to find out how these resources can help defer or avoid costly electric power system (utility grid) distribution upgrades. This report describes implementation options for deaveraged distribution credits and distributed resource development zones. Developing workable programs implementing these policies can dramatically increase the deployment of distributed resources in ways that benefit distributed resource vendors, users, and distribution utilities. This report is one in the State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources series developed under contract to NREL (see Annual Technical Status Report of the Regulatory Assistance Project: September 2000-September 2001, NREL/SR-560-32733). Other titles in this series are: (1) Accommodating Distributed Resources in Wholesale Markets, NREL/SR-560-32497; (2) Distributed Resources and Electric System Re liability, NREL/SR-560-32498; (3) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation, NREL/SR-560-32500; (4) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation Appendices, NREL/SR-560-32501.

Application of improved Vogel’s approximation method in minimization of rice distribution costs of Perum BULOG

Science.gov (United States)

Nahar, J.; Rusyaman, E.; Putri, S. D. V. E.

2018-03-01

This research was conducted at Perum BULOG Sub-Divre Medan which is the implementing institution of Raskin program for several regencies and cities in North Sumatera. Raskin is a program of distributing rice to the poor. In order to minimize rice distribution costs then rice should be allocated optimally. The method used in this study consists of the Improved Vogel Approximation Method (IVAM) to analyse the initial feasible solution, and Modified Distribution (MODI) to test the optimum solution. This study aims to determine whether the IVAM method can provide savings or cost efficiency of rice distribution. From the calculation with IVAM obtained the optimum cost is lower than the company's calculation of Rp945.241.715,5 while the cost of the company's calculation of Rp958.073.750,40. Thus, the use of IVAM can save rice distribution costs of Rp12.832.034,9.

The Changing Distribution of Teacher Qualifications Across Schools: A Statewide Perspective Post-NCLB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen J. DeAngelis

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A number of recent policy initiatives, including NCLB's highly qualified teacher provisions, have sought to improve the qualifications of teachers and their distribution across schools. Little is known, however, about the impact of these policies. In this study, we use population data on teachers and schools in Illinois to examine changes in the level and distribution of teacher qualifications from 2001 to 2006. We find that schools in Chicago, especially those serving the highest percentages of low-income and minority students, experienced the greatest improvements in teacher qualifications during the period. In addition, high-poverty schools in most other locales in the state registered small to moderate improvements, which narrowed the gap in teacher qualifications between high- and low-poverty schools across Illinois. Improvements in the certification status of experienced teachers and the recruitment of new teachers with stronger academic qualifications both contributed to these gains. The results reveal a tradeoff for disadvantaged schools seeking to improve both teacher qualifications and teacher experience levels, thereby calling into question the near-term feasibility of NCLB provisions that aim to simultaneously eliminate inequities across schools in both.       

GRAPE EXTRACT IMPROVES ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN ELITE MALE ATHLETES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophie Lafay

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Excessive physical exercise overproduces reactive oxygen species. Even if elite sportsmen increase their antioxidant status by regular physical training, during the competition period, this improvement is not sufficient to limit free radical production which could be detrimental to the body. The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, and crossover study on 20 elite sportsmen (handball = 10, basketball = 5, sprint = 4, and volleyball = 1 during the competition period was to determine if the consumption of a grape extract (GE; Vitis vinifera L. was able to improve the parameters related to (i anti-oxidative status and oxidative stress and (ii physical performance. Specific biomarkers of antioxidant capacity, oxidative stress, skeletal cell muscle damage, and other general biomarkers were determined in plasma and urine before (D0 and after one month (D30 of placebo or GE supplementation (400mg·d-1. Effort tests were conducted using the Optojump® system, which allows determining the total physical performance (EnRJ45, explosive power (RJ110, and fatigue (RJL5. The plasma ORAC value was not modified in the placebo group; however, GE increased the ORAC value compared to the placebo at D30 (14 966+/-335 vs 14 242+/-339 µmol Teq·L-1; p < 0.05. The plasma FRAP value was significantly reduced in the placebo group, but not in the GE group. Therefore, GE limited the reduction of FRAP compared to the placebo at D30 (1 053.7+/-31.5 vs 993.7+/-26.7 µmol Teq·L-1; p < 0.05. Urinary isoprostane values were increased in the placebo group, but were not modified in the GE group. Consequently, GE limited the production of isoprostanes compared to the placebo at D30 (1.24+/-0.12 vs 1.26+/-0.13 ng·mg-1 creatinine; p < 0.05. GE administration, compared to the placebo at D30, reduced the plasmatic creatine phosphokinase concentration (CPK, 695.7+/-177.0 vs 480.0+/-81.1 IU·L-1, p = 0.1 and increased hemoglobin levels (Hb, 14.5+/-0.2 vs 14

Assessing the status and trend of bat populations across broad geographic regions with dynamic distribution models

Science.gov (United States)

Rodhouse, Thomas J.; Ormsbee, Patricia C.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Vierling, Lee A.; Szewczak, Joseph M.; Vierling, Kerri T.

2012-01-01

Bats face unprecedented threats from habitat loss, climate change, disease, and wind power development, and populations of many species are in decline. A better ability to quantify bat population status and trend is urgently needed in order to develop effective conservation strategies. We used a Bayesian autoregressive approach to develop dynamic distribution models for Myotis lucifugus, the little brown bat, across a large portion of northwestern USA, using a four-year detection history matrix obtained from a regional monitoring program. This widespread and abundant species has experienced precipitous local population declines in northeastern USA resulting from the novel disease white-nose syndrome, and is facing likely range-wide declines. Our models were temporally dynamic and accounted for imperfect detection. Drawing on species–energy theory, we included measures of net primary productivity (NPP) and forest cover in models, predicting that M. lucifugus occurrence probabilities would covary positively along those gradients.

A novel single-phase phase space-based voltage mode controller for distributed static compensator to improve voltage profile of distribution systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shokri, Abdollah; Shareef, Hussain; Mohamed, Azah; Farhoodnea, Masoud; Zayandehroodi, Hadi

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A new phase space based voltage mode controller for D-STATCOM was proposed. • The proposed compensator was tested to mitigate voltage disturbances in distribution systems. • Voltage fluctuation, voltage sag and voltage swell are considered to evaluate the performance of the proposed compensator. - Abstract: Distribution static synchronous compensator (D-STATCOM) has been developed and attained a great interest to compensate the power quality disturbances of distribution systems. In this paper, a novel single-phase control scheme for D-STATCOM is proposed to improve voltage profile at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). The proposed voltage mode (VM) controller is based on the phase space algorithm, which is able to rapidly detect and mitigate any voltage deviations from reference voltage including voltage sags and voltage swells. To investigate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed compensator, a system is modeled using Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results approve the capability of the proposed VM controller to provide a regulated and disturbance-free voltage for the connected loads at the PCC

Improving electrical power systems reliability through locally controlled distributed curtailable load

Science.gov (United States)

Dehbozorgi, Mohammad Reza

2000-10-01

Improvements in power system reliability have always been of interest to both power companies and customers. Since there are no sizable electrical energy storage elements in electrical power systems, the generated power should match the load demand at any given time. Failure to meet this balance may cause severe system problems, including loss of generation and system blackouts. This thesis proposes a methodology which can respond to either loss of generation or loss of load. It is based on switching of electric water heaters using power system frequency as the controlling signal. The proposed methodology encounters, and the thesis has addressed, the following associated problems. The controller must be interfaced with the existing thermostat control. When necessary to switch on loads, the water in the tank should not be overheated. Rapid switching of blocks of load, or chattering, has been considered. The contributions of the thesis are: (A) A system has been proposed which makes a significant portion of the distributed loads connected to a power system to behave in a predetermined manner to improve the power system response during disturbances. (B) The action of the proposed system is transparent to the customers. (C) The thesis proposes a simple analysis for determining the amount of such loads which might be switched and relates this amount to the size of the disturbances which can occur in the utility. (D) The proposed system acts without any formal communication links, solely using the embedded information present system-wide. (E) The methodology of the thesis proposes switching of water heater loads based on a simple, localized frequency set-point controller. The thesis has identified the consequent problem of rapid switching of distributed loads, which is referred to as chattering. (F) Two approaches have been proposed to reduce chattering to tolerable levels. (G) A frequency controller has been designed and built according to the specifications required to

Nutritional status of adolescents attending the Iranian secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarei, Maryam; Msl, Huang; Mohd Taib, Mohd Nasir; Zarei, Fatemeh

2014-07-29

The aim or this study was to determine factors associated with body weight status among Iranian adolescents in the two Secondary Schools run by the Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. A self administered questionnaire was used to assess socio demographic characteristics, physical activity, and body image. Dietary intake was recorded through individual interviews with the researcher. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for children (PAQ-C) was used to evaluate levels of physical activity of the adolescents. One-third (32.2%) of respondents were of normal weight, 14.5% and 11.1% were overweight and obese respectively, while 18.6% and 23.6% were severe thinness and thinness respectively. While the distribution of obese respondents by gender was almost the same, overweight females (16.4%) exceeded overweight males (12.7%) and although more females were in the thinness category (24.7% compared to 22.7%), more males were severely thin (20.0%) compared to 17.1% of the females. Body weight status was significantly associated with age (p school to design intervention programs to improve the body weight status of their students.

Reducing status quo bias in choice experiments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonnichsen, Ole; Ladenburg, Jacob

In stated preference literature, the tendency to choose the alternative representing the status quo situation seems to exceed real life status quo effects. Accordingly, status quo bias can be a problem. In Choice Experiments, status quo bias is found to be strongly correlated with protest attitudes...... toward the cost attribute. If economic values are to be elicited, this problem is difficult to remedy. In a split sample framework we test a novel ex-ante entreaty aimed specifically at the cost attribute and find that it effectively reduces status quo bias and improves the internal validity...

Gold kiwifruit consumed with an iron-fortified breakfast cereal meal improves iron status in women with low iron stores: a 16-week randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Kathryn; Conlon, Cathryn A; Kruger, Rozanne; Coad, Jane; Stonehouse, Welma

2011-01-01

Ascorbic acid, and more recently, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown to enhance Fe absorption. However, it is not clear whether Fe status improves when foods high in ascorbic acid and carotenoids are consumed with Fe-fortified meals. The present study aimed to investigate whether consuming high v. low ascorbic acid-, lutein- and zeaxanthin-rich fruit (gold kiwifruit v. banana) with Fe-fortified breakfast cereal and milk improved Fe status in women with low Fe stores. Healthy women aged 18-44 years (n 89) with low Fe stores (serum ferritin ≤ 25 μg/l and Hb ≥ 115 g/l) were randomly stratified to receive Fe-fortified breakfast cereal (16 mg Fe as ferrous sulfate), milk and either two gold kiwifruit or one banana (164 mg v. not detectable ascorbic acid; 526 v. 22·90 μg lutein and zeaxanthin, respectively) at breakfast every day for 16 weeks. Biomarkers of Fe status and dietary intake were assessed at baseline and end in the final sample (n 69). Median serum ferritin increased significantly in the kiwifruit group (n 33) compared with the banana group (n 36), with 10·0 (25th, 75th percentiles 3·0, 17·5) v. 1·0 (25th, 75th percentiles - 2·8, 6·5) μg/l (P lutein- and zeaxanthin-rich fruit to a breakfast cereal fortified with ferrous sulfate is a feasible approach to improve Fe status in women with low Fe stores.

Population status, distribution and habitat association of waterbuck ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

As part of ecological studies of larger mammals in Chebera Churchura National Park, southwestern Ethiopia, population, distribution and habitat association of the waterbuck, Kobus ellipsiprymnus ellipsiprymnus were studied during wet and dry seasons of 2013–2014. Representative transects across the main habitat types ...

A strategy for improved computational efficiency of the method of anchored distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Over, Matthew William; Yang, Yarong; Chen, Xingyuan; Rubin, Yoram

2013-06-01

This paper proposes a strategy for improving the computational efficiency of model inversion using the method of anchored distributions (MAD) by "bundling" similar model parametrizations in the likelihood function. Inferring the likelihood function typically requires a large number of forward model (FM) simulations for each possible model parametrization; as a result, the process is quite expensive. To ease this prohibitive cost, we present an approximation for the likelihood function called bundling that relaxes the requirement for high quantities of FM simulations. This approximation redefines the conditional statement of the likelihood function as the probability of a set of similar model parametrizations "bundle" replicating field measurements, which we show is neither a model reduction nor a sampling approach to improving the computational efficiency of model inversion. To evaluate the effectiveness of these modifications, we compare the quality of predictions and computational cost of bundling relative to a baseline MAD inversion of 3-D flow and transport model parameters. Additionally, to aid understanding of the implementation we provide a tutorial for bundling in the form of a sample data set and script for the R statistical computing language. For our synthetic experiment, bundling achieved a 35% reduction in overall computational cost and had a limited negative impact on predicted probability distributions of the model parameters. Strategies for minimizing error in the bundling approximation, for enforcing similarity among the sets of model parametrizations, and for identifying convergence of the likelihood function are also presented.

Improved technique for measuring the size distribution of black carbon particles in rainwater and snow samples

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, T.; Moteki, N.; Ohata, S.; Koike, M.; Azuma, K. G.; Miyazaki, Y.; Kondo, Y.

2015-12-01

Black carbon (BC) is the strongest contributor to sunlight absorption among atmospheric aerosols. Quantitative understanding of wet deposition of BC, which strongly affects the spatial distribution of BC, is important to improve our understandings on climate change. We have devised a technique for measuring the masses of individual BC particles in rainwater and snow samples, as a combination of a nebulizer and a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) (Ohata et al. 2011, 2013; Schwarz et al. 2012; Mori et al. 2014). We show two important improvements in this technique: 1)We have extended the upper limit of detectable BC particle diameter from 0.9 μm to about 4.0 μm by modifying the photodetector for measuring the laser-induced incandescence signal. 2)We introduced a pneumatic nebulizer Marin-5 (Cetac Technologies Inc., Omaha, NE, USA) and experimentally confirmed its high extraction efficiency (~50%) independent of particle diameter up to 2.0 μm. Using our improved system, we simultaneously measured the size distribution of BC particles in air and rainwater in Tokyo. We observed that the size distribution of BC in rainwater was larger than that in air, indicating that large BC particles were effectively removed by precipitation. We also observed BC particles with diameters larger than 1.0 μm, indicating that further studies of wet deposition of BC will require the use of the modified SP2.

An improved in situ method for determining depth distributions of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benke, R.R.; Kearfott, K.J.

2001-01-01

In situ gamma-ray spectrometry determines the quantities of radionuclides in some medium with a portable detector. The main limitation of in situ gamma-ray spectrometry lies in determining the depth distribution of radionuclides. This limitation is addressed by developing an improved in situ method for determining the depth distributions of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in large area sources. This paper implements a unique collimator design with conventional radiation detection equipment. Cylindrically symmetric collimators were fabricated to allow only those gamma-rays emitted from a selected range of polar angles (measured off the detector axis) to be detected. Positioned with its axis normal to surface of the media, each collimator enables the detection of gamma-rays emitted from a different range of polar angles and preferential depths. Previous in situ methods require a priori knowledge of the depth distribution shape. However, the absolute method presented in this paper determines the depth distribution as a histogram and does not rely on such assumptions. Other advantages over previous in situ methods are that this method only requires a single gamma-ray emission, provides more detailed depth information, and offers a superior ability for characterizing complex depth distributions. Collimated spectrometer measurements of buried area sources demonstrated the ability of the method to yield accurate depth information. Based on the results of actual measurements, this method increases the potential of in situ gamma-ray spectrometry as an independent characterization tool in situations with unknown radionuclide depth distributions

Income-rich and wealth-poor? The impact of measures of socio-economic status in the analysis of the distribution of long-term care use among older people.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Ricardo; Ilinca, Stefania; Schmidt, Andrea E

2018-03-01

This article aims to investigate the impact of using 2 measures of socio-economic status on the analysis of how informal care and home care use are distributed among older people living in the community. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe for 14 European countries, we estimate differences in corrected concentration indices for use of informal care and home care, using equivalised household net income and equivalised net worth (as a proxy for wealth). We also calculate horizontal inequity indices using both measures of socio-economic status and accounting for differences in need. The findings show that using wealth as a ranking variable results, as a rule, in a less pro-poor inequality of use for both informal and home care. Once differences in need are controlled for (horizontal inequity), wealth still results in a less pro-poor distribution for informal care, in comparison with income, whereas the opposite is observed for home care. Possible explanations for these differences and research and policy implications are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Dietary approach to improving the nutritional status in institutionalized elderly hemodialysis patients with a poor dietary intake: a single-arm pilot study].

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Makiko; Komatsu, Rieko; Maruyama, Yuko; Takaki, Tomoyuki; Ichinose, Hiroshi; Sasaki, Osamu; Sawase, Kenji; Harada, Takashi; Funakoshi, Satoshi

2018-01-01

The hemodialysis (HD) diet, which is a high-calorie and high-fat regimen, may inadvertently lead to an inadequate dietary intake, resulting in undernutrition among elderly HD patients. Therefore, an attempt was made to improve the dietary intake by implementing a modified diet regimen in eligible elderly HD patients. Elderly HD patients who had ingested nutritional index [GNRI], 83.5±8.3; normalized protein catabolic ratio [nPCR], 0.78±0.14). The modified diet regimen, which involved reducing food portion sizes and incorporating a liquid diet, led to a significant increase in their dietary intake from 48.1% at baseline to 97.1% of the meals provided 3 months after the start of the modified HD diet regimen. Their GNRI also significantly increased from 83.5±8.3 to 86.1±10.2, and their serum albumin levels significantly increased from 3.2±0.2 g/dL to 3.4±0.4 g/dL, suggesting improvements in their nutritional status. The attempted dietary approach for elderly HD patients was shown to potentially increase their dietary intake and improve their nutritional status without affecting the efficiency of HD being implemented.

Automated Energy Distribution and Reliability System Status Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buche, D. L.; Perry, S.

2007-10-01

This report describes Northern Indiana Public Service Co. project efforts to develop an automated energy distribution and reliability system. The purpose of this project was to implement a database-driven GIS solution that would manage all of the company's gas, electric, and landbase objects.

Method of estimating thermal power distribution of core of BWR type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekimizu, Koichi

1982-01-01

Purpose: To accurately and rapidly predict the thermal power of the core of a BWR they reactor at load follow-up operating time. Method: A parameter value corrected from a correction coefficient deciding unit and a xenon density distribution value predicted and calculated from a xenon density distributor are inputted to a thermal power distribution predicting devise, the status amount such as coolant flow rate or the like predetermined at this and next high power operating times is substituted for physical model to predict and calculate the thermal power distribution. The status amount of a nuclear reactor at the time of operating in previous high power corresponding to the next high power operation to be predicted is read from the status amount of the reactor stored in time series manner is a reactor core status memory, and the physical model used in the prediction and calculation of the thermal power distribution at the time of next high power operation is corrected. (Sikiya, K.)

Amifostine reduces the seminiferous epithelium damage in doxorubicin-treated prepubertal rats without improving the fertility status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miraglia Sandra M

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Amifostine is an efficient cytoprotector against toxicity caused by some chemotherapeutic drugs. Doxorubicin, a potent anticancer anthracycline, is known to produce spermatogenic damage even in low doses. Although some studies have suggested that amifostine does not confer protection to doxorubicin-induced testicular damage, schedules and age of treatment have different approach depending on the protocol. Thus, we proposed to investigate the potential cytoprotective action of amifostine against the damage provoked by doxorubicin to prepubertal rat testes (30-day-old by assessing some macro and microscopic morphometric parameters 15, 30 and 60 days after the treatment; for fertility evaluation, quantitative analyses of sperm parameters and reproductive competence in the adult phase were also carried out. Methods Thirty-day-old male rats were distributed into four groups: Doxorubicin (5 mg/kg, Amifostine (400 mg/kg, Amifostine/Doxorubicin (amifostine 15 minutes before doxorubicin and Sham Control (0.9% saline solution. "Standard One Way Anova" parametric and "Anova on Ranks" non-parametric tests were applied according to the behavior of the obtained data; significant differences were considered when p Results The rats killed 30 and 60 days after doxorubicin treatment showed diminution of seminiferous epithelium height and reduction on the frequency of tubular sections containing at least one type of differentiated spermatogonia; reduction of sperm concentration and motility and an increase of sperm anomalous forms where observed in doxorubicin-treated animals. All these parameters were improved in the Amifostine/Doxorubicin group only when compared to Doxorubicin group. Such reduction, however, still remained below the values obtained from the Sham Control group. Nevertheless, the reproductive competence of doxorubicin-treated rats was not improved by amifostine pre-administration. Conclusions These results suggest that

African stakeholders' views of research options to improve nutritional status in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Holdsworth, Michelle; Kruger, Annamarie; Nago, Eunice; Lachat, Carl; Mamiro, Peter; Smit, Karlien; Garimoi-Orach, Chris; Kameli, Yves; Roberfroid, Dominique; Kolsteren, Patrick

2015-09-01

Setting research priorities for improving nutrition in Africa is currently ad hoc and there is a need to shift the status quo in the light of slow progress in reducing malnutrition. This study explored African stakeholders' views on research priorities in the context of environmental and socio-demographic changes that will impact on nutritional status in Africa in the coming years. Using Multi-Criteria Mapping, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 91 stakeholders representing 6 stakeholder groups (health professionals, food Industry, government, civil society, academics and research funders) in Benin, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Stakeholders appraised six research options (ecological nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, community nutrition interventions, behavioural nutrition, clinical nutrition and molecular nutrition) for how well they could address malnutrition in Africa. Impact (28.3%), research efficacy (23.6%) and social acceptability (22.4%) were the criteria chosen the most to evaluate the performance of research options. Research on the effectiveness of community interventions was seen as a priority by stakeholders because they were perceived as likely to have an impact relatively quickly, were inexpensive and cost-effective, involved communities and provided direct evidence of what works. Behavioural nutrition research was also highly appraised. Many stakeholders, particularly academics and government were optimistic about the value of ecological nutrition research (the impact of environmental change on nutritional status). Research funders did not share this enthusiasm. Molecular nutrition was least preferred, considered expensive, slow to have an impact and requiring infrastructure. South Africa ranked clinical and molecular nutrition the highest of all countries. Research funders should redirect research funds in Africa towards the priorities identified by giving precedence to develop the evidence for effective

SPATIAL VARIETY AND DISTRIBUTION OF TRADITIONAL MARKETS IN SURAKARTA AS POTENTIAL FACTORS IN IMPROVING SPATIAL-BASED MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Istijabatul Aliyah

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Traditional markets function as trading place, socio-culture interaction, and recreation facility either in regional or urban scope. Distribution and variety of spatial condition influence traditional markets’ planning both physically and non-physically. Therefore, this research aimed to conduct a mapping of traditional markets’ spatial distribution and variety as potential factors to improve spatial-based management. Analysis methods including: (1 Mapping by employing Geographic Information System, (2 Category Based Analysis (CBA, and (3 Interactive Analysis were applied in Surakarta City as the research location. The result of this research signifies that spatial variety and distribution of traditional markets in Surakarta had similar pattern between one market to others; overlapping service function; specific commodity types in accordance with the market’s characteristics; diverse operating hours. Spatial variety and distribution could be potential factors to improve traditional market management as shopping service. This result was contrasted with Central Place Theory by Christaller and NÆss & Jensen’s research finding stating that distance became a key factor influencing accessibility to a number of activity facilities. Therefore, distance toward the service center is not considered as the main factor in traditional market management. The main factor in managing and controlling traditional markets’ development includes service function, commodity specification, and operating hour’s flexibility.

Low-FODMAP formula improves diarrhea and nutritional status in hospitalized patients receiving enteral nutrition: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, So Ra; Lee, Jong Hwa; Lee, Jae Hyang; Na, Ga Yoon; Lee, Kyun-Hee; Lee, Yoon-Bok; Jung, Gu-Hun; Kim, Oh Yoen

2015-11-03

Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) are poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates that play an important role in inducing functional gut symptoms. A low-FODMAP diet improves abdominal symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. However, there were no study for the effect of FODMAP content on gastrointestinal intolerance and nutritional status in patients receiving enteral nutrition (EN). In this randomized, multicenter, double-blind, 14-day clinical trial, eligible hospitalized patients receiving EN (n = 100) were randomly assigned to three groups; 84 patients completed the trial (low-FODMAP EN, n = 30; moderate-FODMAP EN, n = 28; high-FODMAP EN, n = 26). Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured; stool assessment was performed using the King's Stool Chart and clinical definition. Baseline values were not significantly different among the three groups. After the 14-day intervention, diarrhea significantly improved in the low-FODMAP group than in the moderate- and high-FODMAP groups (P nutritional status and facilitating prompt recovery from illness.

Can expanding access to basic healthcare improve children's health status? Lessons from Indonesia's 'midwife in the village' programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Frankenberg, Elizabeth; Suriastini, Wayan; Thomas, Duncan

2005-03-01

In the 1990s, the Indonesian government placed over 50,000 midwives in communities throughout the country. We examine how this expansion in health services affected children's height-for-age. To address the problem that midwives were not randomly allocated to communities, the estimation exploits the biology of childhood growth, the timing of the introduction of midwives to communities, and rich longitudinal data. The evidence indicates that the nutritional status of children fully exposed to a midwife during early childhood is significantly better than that of their peers of the same age and cohort in communities without a midwife. The former are also better off than children assessed at the same age from the same communities but who were born before the midwife arrived. Within communities, the improvement in nutritional status across cohorts is greater where midwives were introduced than where they were not. This result is robust to the inclusion of community fixed effects.

Army Hearing Program Status Report Quarter 2 Fiscal Year 2017

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-01

U.S. Army Publ ic Heal th Center Army Hearing Program Status Report Q2 FY17 Clinical Public Health and Epidemiology Directorate Army... Hearing Division General Medical: 500A July 2017 Approved for public release; distribution unlimited Army Hearing Program Status Report, Q2FY17...56               INTRODUCTION The Army Hearing Program Status Report (AHPSR) is a component of the Public Health

Integrated traction control strategy for distributed drive electric vehicles with improvement of economy and longitudinal driving stability

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Xudong; Göhlich, Dietmar

2017-01-01

This paper presents an integrated traction control strategy (ITCS) for distributed drive electric vehicles. The purpose of the proposed strategy is to improve vehicle economy and longitudinal driving stability. On high adhesion roads, economy optimization algorithm is applied to maximize motors efficiency by means of the optimized torque distribution. On low adhesion roads, a sliding mode control (SMC) algorithm is implemented to guarantee the wheel slip ratio around the optimal slip ratio po...

Approach to improve the axial power distribution for the application of a core protection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Bon Seung; Cho, Jin Young; Song, Jae Seung; Lee, Chung Chan

2008-01-01

A Core Protection Calculator System (CPCS) is a digital computer based on a safety system for generating trip signals based on a calculation of the Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) and the Local Power Density (LPD) by using several on-line measured system parameters including 3-level ex-core detector signals. A few approaches to improve the axial power distribution for the application of a core protection system were performed. For the Yonggwang unit 3 (cycle 1), axial power distributions were synthesized by applying the cubic spline method and compared with the neutronics code results. Several new cubic spline function sets were generated for the drastically distorted axial shapes for a 3-level ex-core detector system. In addition, synthesized axial shapes with a 5-level ex-core detector signals were compared with the conventional 3-level detector results. It demonstrates that the newly generated function sets appear to be better than that of the conventional CPC from the aspect of an axial power synthesis, particularly for the heavily distorted shapes. Moreover, synthesis of an axial power distribution using 5-level ex-core detector signals appears to be better than that of the 3-level ex-core detector signals. From the above results, improvement of the thermal margin is expected because of an uncertainty decreasing a core protection system. (authors)

Using Environmental DNA to Improve Species Distribution Models for Freshwater Invaders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teja P. Muha

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Species Distribution Models (SDMs have been reported as a useful tool for the risk assessment and modeling of the pathways of dispersal of freshwater invasive alien species (IAS. Environmental DNA (eDNA is a novel tool that can help detect IAS at their early stage of introduction and additionally improve the data available for a more efficient management. SDMs rely on presence and absence of the species in the study area to infer the predictors affecting species distributions. Presence is verified once a species is detected, but confirmation of absence can be problematic because this depends both on the detectability of the species and the sampling strategy. eDNA is a technique that presents higher detectability and accuracy in comparison to conventional sampling techniques, and can effectively differentiate between presence or absence of specific species or entire communities by using a barcoding or metabarcoding approach. However, a number of potential bias can be introduced during (i sampling, (ii amplification, (iii sequencing, or (iv through the usage of bioinformatics pipelines. Therefore, it is important to report and conduct the field and laboratory procedures in a consistent way, by (i introducing eDNA independent observations, (ii amplifying and sequencing control samples, (iii achieving quality sequence reads by appropriate clean-up steps, (iv controlling primer amplification preferences, (v introducing PCR-free sequence capturing, (vi estimating primer detection capabilities through controlled experiments and/or (vii post-hoc introduction of “site occupancy-detection models.” With eDNA methodology becoming increasingly routine, its use is strongly recommended to retrieve species distributional data for SDMs.

Advancements in the critical care management of status epilepticus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauerschmidt, Andrew; Martin, Andrew; Claassen, Jan

2017-04-01

Status epilepticus has a high morbidity and mortality. There are little definitive data to guide management; however, new recent data continue to improve understanding of management options of status epilepticus. This review examines recent advancements regarding the critical care management of status epilepticus. Recent studies support the initial treatment of status epilepticus with early and aggressive benzodiazepine dosing. There remains a lack of prospective randomized controlled trials comparing different treatment regimens. Recent data support further study of intravenous lacosamide as an urgent-control therapy, and ketamine and clobazam for refractory status epilepticus. Recent data support the use of continuous EEG to help guide treatment for all patients with refractory status epilepticus and to better understand epileptic activity that falls on the ictal-interictal continuum. Recent data also improve our understanding of the relationship between periodic epileptic activity and brain injury. Many treatments are available for status epilepticus and there are much new data guiding the use of specific agents. However, there continues to be a lack of prospective data supporting specific regimens, particularly in cases of refractory status epilepticus.

Removal of soft deposits from the distribution system improves the drinking water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehtola, Markku J; Nissinen, Tarja K; Miettinen, Ilkka T; Martikainen, Pertti J; Vartiainen, Terttu

2004-02-01

Deterioration in drinking water quality in distribution networks represents a problem in drinking water distribution. These can be an increase in microbial numbers, an elevated concentration of iron or increased turbidity, all of which affect taste, odor and color in the drinking water. We studied if pipe cleaning would improve the drinking water quality in pipelines. Cleaning was arranged by flushing the pipes with compressed air and water. The numbers of bacteria and the concentrations of iron and turbidity in drinking water were highest at 9 p.m., when the water consumption was highest. Soft deposits inside the pipeline were occasionally released to bulk water, increasing the concentrations of iron, bacteria, microbially available organic carbon and phosphorus in drinking water. The cleaning of the pipeline decreased the diurnal variation in drinking water quality. With respect to iron, only short-term positive effects were obtained. However, removing of the nutrient-rich soft deposits did decrease the microbial growth in the distribution system during summer when there were favorable warm temperatures for microbial growth. No Norwalk-like viruses or coliform bacteria were detected in the soft deposits, in contrast to the high numbers of heterotrophic bacteria.

Distribution, status, and traditional significance of the West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus in Venezuela

Science.gov (United States)

O'Shea, Thomas J.; Correa-Viana, Martín; Ludlow, Mark E.; Robinson, John G.

1988-01-01

Aerial and interview surveys were conducted in 1986 to determine the current distribution, status, and traditional significance of the West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus in Venezuela. Aerial surveys provided just eight tentative sightings in 73 hours of searching. These discouraging results may have been due to poor visibility, small populations, and perhaps reduced dry season manatee activity. Results of interview surveys, however, permitted a number of important generalizations. A remnant manatee population exists in Lake Maracaibo, but none occur along the more than 1500 km of Caribbean coastline. Abundance is greatest in eastern Venezuela bordering the Golfo de Paria, in the Orinoco Delta, and in the middle Orinoco and tributaries. Local market hunting in the middle of this century probably greatly reduced manatee populations in these areas. Recent protection laws, education efforts, and manatee scarcity have resulted in a declining interest in manatee hunting. Much excellent manatee habitat persists in these regions, and a continued decline in hunting could result in an optimistic outlook for future manatee populations if the incidental take in net fisheries is controlled. Traditional beliefs and legends concerning manatees in Venezuela, including hunting taboos, show that these animals remain a colorful part of the folk culture. However, manatee protection does not pose economic hardships or infringe upon traditional spiritual beliefs.

Status Configurations, Military Service and Higher Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lin; Elder, Glen H; Spence, Naomi J

2012-12-01

The U.S. Armed Forces offer educational and training benefits as incentives for service. This study investigates the influence of status configurations on military enlistment and their link to greater educational opportunity. Three statuses (socioeconomic status of origin, cognitive ability and academic performance) have particular relevance for life course options. We hypothesize that young men with inconsistent statuses are more likely to enlist than men with consistent status profiles, and that military service improves access to college for certain configurations. Analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) show (1. that several status configurations markedly increased the likelihood of military enlistment and (2. within status configurations, recruits were generally more likely to enroll in higher education than nonveterans, with associate degrees being more likely.

Football as a Status System in U.S. Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Lifschitz, Arik; Sauder, Michael; Stevens, Mitchell L.

2014-01-01

Sociologists have focused almost exclusively on academic aspects of status in higher education, despite the prominence of nonacademic activities, specifically athletics, in U.S. colleges and universities. We use the case of football to investigate whether intercollegiate sports influence the distribution of status in U.S. higher education.…

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) reduces oxidative stress and improves functional and psychological status in ischemic stroke patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Cichoń, Natalia; Bijak, Michał; Miller, Elżbieta; Saluk, Joanna

2017-07-01

As a result of ischaemia/reperfusion, massive generation of reactive oxygen species occurs, followed by decreased activity of antioxidant enzymes. Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) can modulate oxidative stress, but there are no clinical antioxidant studies in brain stroke patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of ELF-EMF on clinical and antioxidant status in post-stroke patients. Fifty-seven patients were divided into two groups: ELF-EMF and non-ELF-EMF. Both groups underwent the same 4-week rehabilitation program. Additionally, the ELF-EMF group was exposed to an ELF-EMF field of 40 Hz, 7 mT for 15 min/day for 4 weeks (5 days a week). The activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase was measured in hemolysates, and total antioxidant status (TAS) determined in plasma. Functional status was assessed before and after the series of treatments using Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Applied ELF-EMF significantly increased enzymatic antioxidant activity; however, TAS levels did not change in either group. Results show that ELF-EMF induced a significant improvement in functional (ADL) and mental (MMSE, GDS) status. Clinical parameters had positive correlation with the level of enzymatic antioxidant protection. Bioelectromagnetics. 38:386-396, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Interactions between shoots and roots of two soy bean varieties at different phosphate nutritional level: Distribution of 14C-assimilates and carbohydrate status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burauel, P.

1987-11-01

The influence of the phosphate nutritional status on assimilate distribution between shoot and root was studied for two soya bean varieties (Century and Woodworth). Plants at a full nutritional level (+P variants) and those in a condition of moderate P stress (-P variants) were considered. Particular attention was paid to the following aspect: Is a modification of the assimilate distribution, conditioned by phosphate withdrawal, only associated with the reduction in the shoot/root ratio or do changes in distribution already occur before morphological parameters are influenced? Further it is known from literature that after a contemporary interruption of the phoshate supply plants display an increased phosphate uptake rate when the supply is restored in comparison to plants nourished normally. In this respect the following aspects were of interest: Does an increased uptake rate, for which sufficient energy must be made available, have a direct effect on the transport of assimilates to the root? Is the carbohydrate content of the roots possibly a parameter with which the difference in efficiency of the two varieties may be described? (orig./MG) [de

Improved control of distributed parameter systems using wireless sensor and actuator networks: An observer-based method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Zheng-Xian; Cui Bao-Tong; Lou Xu-Yang; Zhuang Bo

2017-01-01

In this paper, the control problem of distributed parameter systems is investigated by using wireless sensor and actuator networks with the observer-based method. Firstly, a centralized observer which makes use of the measurement information provided by the fixed sensors is designed to estimate the distributed parameter systems. The mobile agents, each of which is affixed with a controller and an actuator, can provide the observer-based control for the target systems. By using Lyapunov stability arguments, the stability for the estimation error system and distributed parameter control system is proved, meanwhile a guidance scheme for each mobile actuator is provided to improve the control performance. A numerical example is finally used to demonstrate the effectiveness and the advantages of the proposed approaches. (paper)

Social Inequalities on Selected Determinants of Active Aging and Health Status Indicators in a Large Brazilian City (2003-2010).

Science.gov (United States)

Braga, Luciana de Souza; Lima-Costa, Maria Fernanda; César, Cibele Comini; Macinko, James

2016-02-01

To assess trends in social inequalities among 2,624 elderly living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in three domains of the World Health Organization's Active Aging model (physical environment, social determinants, use of health services) and health status indicators. Data came from two representative household surveys conducted in 2003 and 2010. Social inequality was measured by the slope and the relative index of inequality. Educational level was used to define socioeconomic status. Significant improvements were observed in the prevalence rates of 7 out of 12 indicators. However, the social inequalities persisted through 10 out of 12 selected active aging and health status indicators, except for fear of falling on the sidewalks/crossing the streets and fear of being robbed. Social inequalities persistence might be assigned to the continuity of unequal distribution of resources among groups with different educational levels. © The Author(s) 2015.

Does inclusion of education and marital status improve SCORE performance in central and eastern europe and former soviet union? findings from MONICA and HAPIEE cohorts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Vikhireva

Full Text Available The SCORE scale predicts the 10-year risk of fatal atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD, based on conventional risk factors. The high-risk version of SCORE is recommended for Central and Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (CEE/FSU, due to high CVD mortality rates in these countries. Given the pronounced social gradient in cardiovascular mortality in the region, it is important to consider social factors in the CVD risk prediction. We investigated whether adding education and marital status to SCORE benefits its prognostic performance in two sets of population-based CEE/FSU cohorts.The WHO MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease cohorts from the Czech Republic, Poland (Warsaw and Tarnobrzeg, Lithuania (Kaunas, and Russia (Novosibirsk were followed from the mid-1980s (577 atherosclerotic CVD deaths among 14,969 participants with non-missing data. The HAPIEE (Health, Alcohol, and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe study follows Czech, Polish (Krakow, and Russian (Novosibirsk cohorts from 2002-05 (395 atherosclerotic CVD deaths in 19,900 individuals with non-missing data.In MONICA and HAPIEE, the high-risk SCORE ≥5% at baseline strongly and significantly predicted fatal CVD both before and after adjustment for education and marital status. After controlling for SCORE, lower education and non-married status were significantly associated with CVD mortality in some samples. SCORE extension by these additional risk factors only slightly improved indices of calibration and discrimination (integrated discrimination improvement <5% in men and ≤1% in women.Extending SCORE by education and marital status failed to substantially improve its prognostic performance in population-based CEE/FSU cohorts.

The status and distribution of major aquatic fauna in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in Rajasthan with special reference to the Gangetic Dolphin Platanista gangetica gangetica (Cetartiodactyla: Platanistidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.K. Nair

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper records observation on the status and distribution of Gangetic Dolphin, Gharial, Mugger and other aquatic animals, and birds in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in Rajasthan during the Chambal river expedition conducted with the Indian Army in May 1998. A total of five Gangetic Dolphins, nine Gharials, 14 Indian Mugger crocodiles and 118 species of birds were sighted during the survey of 350km-long stretch of the river Chambal from Keshoraipatan-Bundi to Dhaulpur. The current status of the riverine habitat in view of disturbance and other anthropogenic factors is discussed and suggestions made to safeguard the sanctuary from various threats.

Power quality improvement of unbalanced power system with distributed generation units

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Y.; Chen, Zhe; Excell, P.

2011-01-01

This paper presents a power electronic system for improving the power quality of the unbalanced distributed generation units in three-phase four-wire system. In the system, small renewable power generation units, such as small PV generator, small wind turbines may be configured as single phase...... and control of the converter are described. Simulation results have demonstrated that the system can effectively correct the unbalance and enhance the system power quality....... generation units. The random nature of renewable power sources may result in significant unbalance in the power network and affect the power quality. An electronic converter system is proposed to correct the system unbalance and harmonics so as to deal with the power quality problems. The operation...

Species-level persistence probabilities for recovery and conservation status assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Che-Castaldo, Judy P; Neel, Maile C

2016-12-01

Recovery planning for species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act has been hampered by a lack of consistency and transparency, which can be improved by implementing a standardized approach for evaluating species status and developing measurable recovery criteria. However, managers lack an assessment method that integrates threat abatement and can be used when demographic data are limited. To help meet these needs, we demonstrated an approach for evaluating species status based on habitat configuration data. We applied 3 established persistence measures (patch occupancy, metapopulation capacity, and proportion of population lost) to compare 2 conservation strategies (critical habitat designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service's Carbonate Habitat Management Strategy) and 2 threat scenarios (maximum limestone mining, removal of all habitat in areas with mining claims; minimum mining, removal of habitat only in areas with existing operations and high-quality ore) against a baseline of existing habitat for 3 federally listed plant species. Protecting all area within the designated critical habitat maintained a similar level (83.9-99.9%) of species persistence as the baseline, whereas maximum mining greatly reduced persistence (0.51-38.4% maintained). The 3 persistence measures provided complementary insights reflecting different aspects of habitat availability (total area, number of patches, patch size, and connectivity). These measures can be used to link recovery criteria developed following the 3 R principles (representation, redundancy, and resilience) to the resulting improvements in species viability. By focusing on amount and distribution of habitat, our method provides a means of assessing the status of data-poor species to inform decision making under the Endangered Species Act. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Distributed intelligence improves availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Einholf, C.W.; Ciaramitaro, W.

1982-01-01

The new generation of instrumentation which is being developed to monitor critical variables in nuclear power plants is described. Powerful, compact microprocessors have been built into monitors to simplify data display. Some of the benefits of digital systems are improved plant availability, reduction in maintenance costs, reduction in manpower, lessening of test times and less frequent inspection and overhaul. (U.K.)

Rethinking status dystonicus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Lopez, Marta; Fasano, Alfonso

2017-12-01

Status dystonicus is a movement disorder emergency that has been a source of controversy in terms of terminology, phenomenology, and management since it was first described in 1982. Here we argue that the current use of the term status dystonicus falls well short of the precision needed for either clinical or academic use. We performed a critical review on this topic, describing possible pathophysiological mechanisms and areas of uncertainties. This review also addresses the problems derived by the extreme clinical heterogeneity of this condition, as the lack of an objective criterion useful for the definition, or the fact that status dystonicus may present not only in the context of a known dystonic syndrome. We propose a new possible definition that includes not only dystonia but also other hyperkinetic movements in the wide range of movement disorders that can be seen during an episode. The new definition keeps the term status dystonicus and highlights the fact that this is a medical emergency based on the impairment of bulbar and/or respiratory function requiring hospital admission as the principal feature. Furthermore, the new definition should not consider as necessary unspecific features as patient's condition at baseline, the distribution of dystonia, occurrence of systemic symptoms such as fever or laboratory findings. We hope that this proposal will stimulate the debate on this subject among our peers, further developing a clinical and pathophysiological understanding of status dystonicus. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

IMPROVING THE DISTRIBUTION OF BULGARIAN SEASIDE HOLIDAY HOTELS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stoyan Marinov

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This report aims at viewing and analysing the trends and changes in the channels for distribution of tourist products. The specific features of modern hotel management together with the tasks in the process of distribution of hotel products have been presented. Applying.

Research: Detailed and Selective Follow-up of Students for Improvement of Programs/Program Components in Business & Office Education and Marketing & Distributive Education. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Gary D.; Chapman, Alberta

The Kentucky student follow-up system was studied to identify the current status of follow-up activities in business and office education and marketing and distributive education; to identify the impact of follow-up data on these programs; to identify program components for which detailed follow-up can provide information to assist in program…

Improved two-way six-state protocol for quantum key distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaari, J.S.; Bahari, Asma' Ahmad

2012-01-01

A generalized version for a qubit based two-way quantum key distribution scheme was first proposed in the paper [Phys. Lett. A 358 (2006) 85] capitalizing on the six quantum states derived from three mutually unbiased bases. While boasting of a higher level of security, the protocol was not designed for ease of practical implementation. In this work, we propose modifications to the protocol, resulting not only in improved security but also in a more efficient and practical setup. We provide comparisons for calculated secure key rates for the protocols in noisy and lossy channels. -- Highlights: ► Modification for efficient generalized two-way QKD is proposed. ► Calculations include secure key rates in noisy and lossy channels for selected attack scenario. ► Resulting proposal provides for higher secure key rate in selected attack scheme.

Improved two-way six-state protocol for quantum key distribution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaari, J.S., E-mail: jesni_shamsul@yahoo.com [Faculty of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang (Malaysia); Bahari, Asma' Ahmad [Faculty of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang (Malaysia)

2012-10-01

A generalized version for a qubit based two-way quantum key distribution scheme was first proposed in the paper [Phys. Lett. A 358 (2006) 85] capitalizing on the six quantum states derived from three mutually unbiased bases. While boasting of a higher level of security, the protocol was not designed for ease of practical implementation. In this work, we propose modifications to the protocol, resulting not only in improved security but also in a more efficient and practical setup. We provide comparisons for calculated secure key rates for the protocols in noisy and lossy channels. -- Highlights: ► Modification for efficient generalized two-way QKD is proposed. ► Calculations include secure key rates in noisy and lossy channels for selected attack scenario. ► Resulting proposal provides for higher secure key rate in selected attack scheme.

Towards acute pediatric status epilepticus intervention teams: Do we need "Seizure Codes"?

Science.gov (United States)

Stredny, Coral M; Abend, Nicholas S; Loddenkemper, Tobias

2018-05-01

To identify areas of treatment delay and barriers to care in pediatric status epilepticus, review ongoing quality improvement initiatives, and provide suggestions for further innovations to improve and standardize these patient care processes. Narrative review of current status epilepticus management algorithms, anti-seizure medication administration and outcomes associated with delays, and initiatives to improve time to treatment. Articles reviewing or reporting quality improvement initiatives were identified through a PubMed search with keywords "status epilepticus," "quality improvement," "guideline adherence," and/or "protocol;" references of included articles were also reviewed. Rapid initiation and escalation of status epilepticus treatment has been associated with shortened seizure duration and more favorable outcomes. Current evidence-based guidelines for management of status epilepticus propose medication algorithms with suggested times for each management step. However, time to antiseizure medication administration for pediatric status epilepticus remains delayed in both the pre- and in-hospital settings. Barriers to timely treatment include suboptimal preventive care, inaccurate seizure detection, infrequent or restricted use of home rescue medications by caregivers and pre-hospital emergency personnel, delayed summoning and arrival of emergency personnel, and use of inappropriately dosed medications. Ongoing quality improvement initiatives in the pre- and in-hospital settings targeting these barriers are reviewed. Improved preventive care, seizure detection, and rescue medication education may advance pre-hospital management, and we propose the use of acute status epilepticus intervention teams to initiate and incorporate in-hospital interventions as time-sensitive "Seizure Code" emergencies. Copyright © 2018 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health effect of vegetable-based diet: lettuce consumption improves cholesterol metabolism and antioxidant status in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolle, Catherine; Cardinault, Nicolas; Gueux, Elyett; Jaffrelo, Lydia; Rock, Edmond; Mazur, Andrzej; Amouroux, Pierre; Rémésy, Christian

2004-08-01

It is often assumed that fruits and vegetables contribute to protect against degenerative pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases. Besides epidemiological observations, scientific evidences for their mechanism of action are scarce. In the present study, we investigated the mean term and post-prandial effects of lettuce ingestion on lipid metabolism and antioxidant protection in the rat. Feeding rats a 20% lettuce diet for 3 weeks resulted in a decrease cholesterol LDL/HDL ratio and a marked decrease of liver cholesterol levels (-41%). Concurrently, fecal total steroid excretion increased (+44%) and apparent absorption of dietary cholesterol was significantly depressed (-37%) by the lettuce diet. Lettuce diet also displayed an improvement of vitamin E/TG ratio in plasma and limited lipid peroxidation in heart as evidenced by TBARS. In post-prandial experiment, lettuce intake significantly increased both ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol plasma levels which contribute to improve plasma antioxidant capacity within 2 h of consumption. Other lipid-soluble antioxidants (lutein and vitamin E) may also improve the plasma antioxidant capacity. Lettuce consumption increases the total cholesterol end-products excretion and improves antioxidant status due to the richness in antioxidants (vitamins C, E and carotenoids). In our model, lettuce clearly shows a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism and on tissue oxidation. Therefore regular consumption of lettuce should contribute to improve protection against cardiovascular diseases. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Ltd.

STATUS GIZI DAN STATUS KESEHATAN SUKU BADUY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faisal Anwar

2012-03-01

Full Text Available 800x600 Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} The objectives of the study were: (1 To analyze the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of Baduy people; (2 To analyze the health status and nutritional status of Baduy people and its influential factors. This research is an explorative and descriptive study on the socio-cultural aspects of food system. The data were collected through a direct interview and discussion with respondents as well as a direct observation at the location of respondents. A sample size of 338 households was drawn from the population. To obtain the data on the cultural aspects, history and  socio aspect of food, in-depth interviews was conducted with 19 key persons. The study was last for 12 months. In Outer Baduy, the factors significantly related to nutritional status are age, number of household size, income, nutritional knowledge, and wife’s ability to read. In Moslem Baduy, only age and income are related to the nutritional status of children. In Moslem Baduy and the Outer Baduy, the correlation between age and W/A or W/H is similar: namely, the higher the age, the lower would the Z-score for the W/A or W/H. The income is significantly correlated to the child nutritional status according to Z-score for W/A with a high correlation coefficient, that is, 0.61. This means that the higher the income, the higher would be the Z-score value for the W/A.  The distribution of adults according to BMI classification in Outer Baduy it shows that 12.7% husbands and 17.6% wives are thin (wasted, while the

Network integration of distributed power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Dondi, Peter; Bayoumi, Deia; Haederli, Christoph; Julian, Danny; Suter, Marco

The world-wide move to deregulation of the electricity and other energy markets, concerns about the environment, and advances in renewable and high efficiency technologies has led to major emphasis being placed on the use of small power generation units in a variety of forms. The paper reviews the position of distributed generation (DG, as these small units are called in comparison with central power plants) with respect to the installation and interconnection of such units with the classical grid infrastructure. In particular, the status of technical standards both in Europe and USA, possible ways to improve the interconnection situation, and also the need for decisions that provide a satisfactory position for the network operator (who remains responsible for the grid, its operation, maintenance and investment plans) are addressed.

Ocean Color Products Supporting the Assessment of Good Environmental Status: Development of a Spatial Distribution Model for the Seagrass Posidonia Oceanica (L.) Delille, 1813

Science.gov (United States)

Zucchetta, M.; Taji, M. A.; Mangin, A.; Pastres, R.

2015-12-01

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, 1813 is a seagrass species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, which is considered as one of the key habitats of the coastal areas. This species forms large meadows sensitive to several anthropogenic pressures, that can be regarded as indicators of environment quality in coastal environments and its distributional patterns should be take into account when evaluating the Environmental Status following the Ecosystem approach promoted by the Mediterranean Action Plan of UNEP and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC). The aim of this study was to develop a Species Distribution Model for P. oceanica, to be applied to the whole Mediterranean North African coast, in order to obtain an estimation of the potential distribution of this species in the region to be considered as an indicator for the assessment of good Environmental Status. As the study area is a data-poor zone with regard to seagrass distribution (i.e. only for some areas detailed distribution maps are available), the Species Distribution Model (SDM) was calibrated using high resolution data from 5 Mediterranean sites, located in Italy and Spain and validated using available data from the North African coast. Usually, when developing SDMs species occupancy data is available at coarser resolution than the information of environmental variables, and thus has to be downscaled at the appropriate grain to be coupled to the environmental conditions. Tackling the case of P. oceanica we had to face the opposite problem: the quality (in terms of resolution) of the information on seagrass distribution is generally very high compared to the environmental data available over large scale in marine domains (e.g. global bathymetry data). The high resolution application and the model transfer (from calibration areas to North African coast) was possible taking advantage of Ocean Color products: the probability of presence of the species in a given area was modelled using a

The cognitive status of stød

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Sara Juul; Kristensen, Line Burholt

2015-01-01

marked. Keeping in mind the cross-distribution between phonetic/phonological markedness and distributional patterns, we investigate here whether stød is also related to accent 1 when it comes to cognitive markedness. We present the results of a psycholinguistic study in which participants attended...... for words with non-stød stems, indicating that the cognitive markedness status of stød corresponds to that of accent 2....

Status Configurations, Military Service and Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lin; Elder, Glen H.; Spence, Naomi J.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Armed Forces offer educational and training benefits as incentives for service. This study investigates the influence of status configurations on military enlistment and their link to greater educational opportunity. Three statuses (socioeconomic status of origin, cognitive ability and academic performance) have particular relevance for life course options. We hypothesize that young men with inconsistent statuses are more likely to enlist than men with consistent status profiles, and that military service improves access to college for certain configurations. Analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) show (1. that several status configurations markedly increased the likelihood of military enlistment and (2. within status configurations, recruits were generally more likely to enroll in higher education than nonveterans, with associate degrees being more likely. PMID:24511161

The effect of adding ready-to-use supplementary food to a general food distribution on child nutritional status and morbidity: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lieven Huybregts

were present at follow-up sessions.Providing RUSF as part of a general food distribution resulted in improvements in hemoglobin status and small improvements in linear growth, accompanied by an apparent reduction in morbidity.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01154595 Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

SU-F-T-397: Evaluating the Impact of Bladder Filling Status for the Organs at Risk Dose Distribution in Cervical Cancer Patients with Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, JY; Hong, DL

2016-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the impact of bladder filling status of the organs at risk (OARs) on dose distribution during intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for cervical cancer patients. Methods: Twelve cervical cancer patients treated with IMRT were selected for this study. The prescription dose was 45Gy/25 fractions with the 6 MV photon beam. All patients performed two CT scans, one with an empty bladder, the other one with bladder filled. For the registration of two CT scans, the fusion was automatically carried out upon the bony anatomy. The OARs (bladder, rectum, pelvic bone and small intestine) were delineated to planning CT to evaluate the dose distributions. These dose distributions were compared between empty bladder and bladder filling. Results: The bladder volume with empty bladder and bladder filling was 403.2±124.13cc and 101.4±87.5cc, respectively. There were no statistical differences between empty bladder and bladder filling in the mean value of pelvic bone V10Gy, V20Gy, V40Gy; rectum V40Gy and V45Gy. The bladder V40Gy and V45Gy were lower in the bladder filling group than in the empty bladder group (63.7%±5.8% vs 87.5%±7.8%, 45.1%±9.5% vs 62.4%±11.8%, respectively). The V45Gy for small intestine in the bladder filling group was significantly less than the empty bladder group (146.7cc±95.3cc vs 245.7cc±101.8cc). Conclusion: Our study finds that the bladder filling status did not have a significant impact on dose distribution in the rectum and pelvic bone. However, the changes of bladder filling have a large impact on bladder and small intestine doses. A full bladder is strongly recommended during treatment for cervical cancer patients.

SU-F-T-397: Evaluating the Impact of Bladder Filling Status for the Organs at Risk Dose Distribution in Cervical Cancer Patients with Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, JY [Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong (China); Hong, DL [The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong (China)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the impact of bladder filling status of the organs at risk (OARs) on dose distribution during intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for cervical cancer patients. Methods: Twelve cervical cancer patients treated with IMRT were selected for this study. The prescription dose was 45Gy/25 fractions with the 6 MV photon beam. All patients performed two CT scans, one with an empty bladder, the other one with bladder filled. For the registration of two CT scans, the fusion was automatically carried out upon the bony anatomy. The OARs (bladder, rectum, pelvic bone and small intestine) were delineated to planning CT to evaluate the dose distributions. These dose distributions were compared between empty bladder and bladder filling. Results: The bladder volume with empty bladder and bladder filling was 403.2±124.13cc and 101.4±87.5cc, respectively. There were no statistical differences between empty bladder and bladder filling in the mean value of pelvic bone V10Gy, V20Gy, V40Gy; rectum V40Gy and V45Gy. The bladder V40Gy and V45Gy were lower in the bladder filling group than in the empty bladder group (63.7%±5.8% vs 87.5%±7.8%, 45.1%±9.5% vs 62.4%±11.8%, respectively). The V45Gy for small intestine in the bladder filling group was significantly less than the empty bladder group (146.7cc±95.3cc vs 245.7cc±101.8cc). Conclusion: Our study finds that the bladder filling status did not have a significant impact on dose distribution in the rectum and pelvic bone. However, the changes of bladder filling have a large impact on bladder and small intestine doses. A full bladder is strongly recommended during treatment for cervical cancer patients.

A Novel Wide-Area Backup Protection Based on Fault Component Current Distribution and Improved Evidence Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhe Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In order to solve the problems of the existing wide-area backup protection (WABP algorithms, the paper proposes a novel WABP algorithm based on the distribution characteristics of fault component current and improved Dempster/Shafer (D-S evidence theory. When a fault occurs, slave substations transmit to master station the amplitudes of fault component currents of transmission lines which are the closest to fault element. Then master substation identifies suspicious faulty lines according to the distribution characteristics of fault component current. After that, the master substation will identify the actual faulty line with improved D-S evidence theory based on the action states of traditional protections and direction components of these suspicious faulty lines. The simulation examples based on IEEE 10-generator-39-bus system show that the proposed WABP algorithm has an excellent performance. The algorithm has low requirement of sampling synchronization, small wide-area communication flow, and high fault tolerance.

A Novel Wide-Area Backup Protection Based on Fault Component Current Distribution and Improved Evidence Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhe; Kong, Xiangping; Yin, Xianggen; Yang, Zengli; Wang, Lijun

2014-01-01

In order to solve the problems of the existing wide-area backup protection (WABP) algorithms, the paper proposes a novel WABP algorithm based on the distribution characteristics of fault component current and improved Dempster/Shafer (D-S) evidence theory. When a fault occurs, slave substations transmit to master station the amplitudes of fault component currents of transmission lines which are the closest to fault element. Then master substation identifies suspicious faulty lines according to the distribution characteristics of fault component current. After that, the master substation will identify the actual faulty line with improved D-S evidence theory based on the action states of traditional protections and direction components of these suspicious faulty lines. The simulation examples based on IEEE 10-generator-39-bus system show that the proposed WABP algorithm has an excellent performance. The algorithm has low requirement of sampling synchronization, small wide-area communication flow, and high fault tolerance. PMID:25050399

A Heuristic Approach to Distributed Generation Source Allocation for Electrical Power Distribution Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sharma

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The recent trends in electrical power distribution system operation and management are aimed at improving system conditions in order to render good service to the customer. The reforms in distribution sector have given major scope for employment of distributed generation (DG resources which will boost the system performance. This paper proposes a heuristic technique for allocation of distribution generation source in a distribution system. The allocation is determined based on overall improvement in network performance parameters like reduction in system losses, improvement in voltage stability, improvement in voltage profile. The proposed Network Performance Enhancement Index (NPEI along with the heuristic rules facilitate determination of feasible location and corresponding capacity of DG source. The developed approach is tested with different test systems to ascertain its effectiveness.

The application and design of distributed control system in reactor shutdown system of Qinshan phase III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Guoquan; Liu Wangtian; Yu Yijun; Xiong Weihua

2006-03-01

The design, commissioning and running of the reactor trip parameter monitoring system used in Qinshan Phase III are introduced. The applying technology of Distributed Control System realized trip parameter monitoring and realized the function of trip parameters quick data acquisitioning, transferring, saving, alarm, query. The applying of trip parameters monitoring system improved the abilities of plant status monitoring and event analyzing, and increased the security and economy of nuclear power plant. (authors)

Development, applications and distribution of DNA markers for genetic information for sorghum and maize improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, M.

2001-01-01

This final report summarizes the progress made towards the enhancement and distribution of genetic resources (e.g. genetic stocks, seed and DNA clones) used for basic and applied aspects of the genetic improvement of maize and sorghum. The genetic maps of maize and sorghum were improved through comparative mapping of RFLP loci detected by 124 maize cDNA clones and through the development of a new mapping population of maize. Comparative mapping between maize and sorghum and maize and rice, using the set of 124 maize cDNA clones (and other clones) in each study, substantiated previous observations of extensive conservation of locus order but it also provided strong evidence of numerous large-scale chromosomal rearrangements. The new mapping population for maize (intermated B73xMo17, 'IBM') was created by random intermating during the first segregating generation. Intermating for four generations prior to the derivation of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) increased the frequency of recombinants at many regions of the maize genome and provided better genetic resolution of locus order. Expansion of the maize genetic map was not uniform along the length of a linkage group and was less than the theoretical expectation. The 350 IBM RILs were genotyped at 512 loci detected by DNA clones, including 76 of the 124 supported by this contract. The production of the sorghum mapping population of RILs from the cross CK60xPI229828 has been delayed by weather conditions that were not conducive to plant growth and seed development. Seed of the IBM RILs have been distributed (approximately 5000 RILs in total) to 16 research organizations in the public and private sector. The DNA clones have been distributed (1,206 in total) to nine research labs. Further distribution of the seed and clones will be managed by curators at stock centers in the public domain. (author)

Optimal sizing and location of SVC devices for improvement of voltage profile in distribution network with dispersed photovoltaic and wind power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savić, Aleksandar; Đurišić, Željko

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Significant voltage variations in a distribution network with dispersed generation. • The use of SVC devices to improve the voltage profiles are an effective solution. • Number, size and location of SVC devices are optimized using genetic algorithm. • The methodology is presented on an example of a real distribution system in Serbia. - Abstract: Intermittent power generation of wind turbines and photovoltaic plants creates voltage disturbances in power distribution networks which may not be acceptable to the consumers. To control the deviations of the nodal voltages, it is necessary to use fast dynamic control of the reactive power in the distribution network. Implementation of the power electronic devices, such as Static Var Compensator (SVC), enables effective dynamic state as well as a static state of the nodal voltage control in the distribution network. This paper analyzed optimal sizing and location of SVC devices by using genetic algorithm, to improve nodal voltages profile in a distribution network with dispersed photovoltaic and wind power plants. Practical application of the developed methodology was tested on an example of a real distribution network

Improved CFD Model to Predict Flow and Temperature Distributions in a Blast Furnace Hearth

Science.gov (United States)

Komiyama, Keisuke M.; Guo, Bao-Yu; Zughbi, Habib; Zulli, Paul; Yu, Ai-Bing

2014-10-01

The campaign life of a blast furnace is limited by the erosion of hearth refractories. Flow and temperature distributions of the liquid iron have a significant influence on the erosion mechanism. In this work, an improved three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model is developed to simulate the flow and heat transfer phenomena in the hearth of BlueScope's Port Kembla No. 5 Blast Furnace. Model improvements feature more justified input parameters in turbulence modeling, buoyancy modeling, wall boundary conditions, material properties, and modeling of the solidification of iron. The model is validated by comparing the calculated temperatures with the thermocouple data available, where agreements are established within ±3 pct. The flow distribution in the hearth is discussed for intact and eroded hearth profiles, for sitting and floating coke bed states. It is shown that natural convection affects the flow in several ways: for example, the formation of (a) stagnant zones preventing hearth bottom from eroding or (b) the downward jetting of molten liquid promoting side wall erosion, or (c) at times, a vortex-like peripheral flow, promoting the "elephant foot" type erosion. A significant influence of coke bed permeability on the macroscopic flow pattern and the refractory temperature is observed.

Improvement of the thickness distribution of a quartz crystal wafer by numerically controlled plasma chemical vaporization machining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibahara, Masafumi; Yamamura, Kazuya; Sano, Yasuhisa; Sugiyama, Tsuyoshi; Endo, Katsuyoshi; Mori, Yuzo

2005-01-01

To improve the thickness uniformity of thin quartz crystal wafer, a new machining process that utilizes an atmospheric pressure plasma was developed. In an atmospheric pressure plasma process, since the kinetic energy of ions that impinge to the wafer surface is small and the density of the reactive species is large, high-efficiency machining without damage is realized, and the thickness distribution is corrected by numerically controlled scanning of the quartz wafer to the localized high-density plasma. By using our developed machining process, the thickness distribution of an AT cut wafer was improved from 174 nm [peak to valley (p-v)] to 67 nm (p-v) within 94 s. Since there are no unwanted spurious modes in the machined quartz wafer, it was proved that the developed machining method has a high machining efficiency without any damage

Avocado oil induces long-term alleviation of oxidative damage in kidney mitochondria from type 2 diabetic rats by improving glutathione status.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz-Avila, Omar; Figueroa-García, María Del Consuelo; García-Berumen, Claudia Isabel; Calderón-Cortés, Elizabeth; Mejía-Barajas, Jorge A; Rodriguez-Orozco, Alain R; Mejía-Zepeda, Ricardo; Saavedra-Molina, Alfredo; Cortés-Rojo, Christian

2017-04-01

Hyperglycemia and mitochondrial ROS overproduction have been identified as key factors involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy. This has encouraged the search for strategies decreasing glucose levels and long-term improvement of redox status of glutathione, the main antioxidant counteracting mitochondrial damage. Previously, we have shown that avocado oil improves redox status of glutathione in liver and brain mitochondria from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats; however, the long-term effects of avocado oil and its hypoglycemic effect cannot be evaluated because this model displays low survival and insulin depletion. Therefore, we tested during 1 year the effects of avocado oil on glycemia, ROS levels, lipid peroxidation and glutathione status in kidney mitochondria from type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats. Diabetic rats exhibited glycemia of 120-186 mg/dL the first 9 months with a further increase to 250-300 mg/dL. Avocado oil decreased hyperglycemia at intermediate levels between diabetic and control rats. Diabetic rats displayed augmented lipid peroxidation and depletion of reduced glutathione throughout the study, while increased ROS generation was observed at the 3rd and 12th months along with diminished content of total glutathione at the 6th and 12th months. Avocado oil ameliorated all these defects and augmented the mitochondrial content of oleic acid. The beneficial effects of avocado oil are discussed in terms of the hypoglycemic effect of oleic acid and the probable dependence of glutathione transport on lipid peroxidation and thiol oxidation of mitochondrial carriers.

Monju: Current status and proposed improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagata, Takashi

2001-01-01

Activities since the Monju reactor accident are described. They include investigation of sodium leak, namely cause of thermocouple well failure and damage caused by sodium combustion. This accident did not affect the safety of the reactor or the integrity of the buildings and structures. Improvements have been proposed to overcome the problems highlighted by the comprehensive safety review of Monju. Improvements of communication are discussed, including incident reporting, public information, corporate culture. The proposed countermeasures against sodium leakage are described in detail. They are as follows: prevention of sodium leakage, early detection of sodium leakage, reduction of sodium spilling and prevention of re-ignition, suppression of moisture release from concrete structures. Replacement of thermocouple wells is proposed, as well as methods of preventing flow induced vibration

Radioactive waste management status and trends. An overview of international status and trends in radioactive waste management. No. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-09-01

The IAEA attaches a high importance to the dissemination of information that can assist Member States with the development, implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of systems, programmes and activities that support the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear applications. This status and trends report has been issued in support of the Agency's strategy. It also represents the start of a process to improve the reporting of status and trends in radioactive waste management. The objectives of the report were: to identify subject areas deemed to be of interest to Member States and the Agency; to report the status of and trends in radioactive waste management according to these subject areas; and to base this reporting, to the greatest extent practicable, on quantitative data. This issue of the status and trends report is intended for persons directly involved in radioactive waste management and regulation as well as members of the general public who are relatively familiar with the nuclear industry

Evaluation of an improved air distribution system for aircraft cabin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pang, Liping; Xu, Jie; Fang, Lei

2013-01-01

An improved air distribution system for aircraft cabin was proposed in this paper. Personalized outlets were introduced and placed at the bottom of the baggage hold. Its ratio of fresh air to recirculation air and the conditioned temperature of different types of inlets were also designed carefully...... to meet the goals of high air quality, thermal comfort and energy saving. Some experiments were conducted to evaluate and compare its performances with two other systems. First the Flow Visualization with Green Laser (FVGL) technology was used to analyze the air flow. The top-in-side bottom-out pattern...... may have the disadvantages of an indirect path to deliver fresh air to passengers, a low fresh air utilization ratio and the potential to widely spreading airborne infectious diseases. The bottom-in-top-out pattern can overcome these disadvantages very well, but it also faces the stratification...

Improvement of Characteristics of Clayey Soil Mixed with Randomly Distributed Natural Fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Maity, J.; Chattopadhyay, B. C.; Mukherjee, S. P.

2017-11-01

In subgrade construction for flexible road pavement, properties of clayey soils available locally can be improved by providing randomly distributed fibers in the soil. The fibers added in subgrade constructions are expected to provide better compact interlocking system between the fiber and the soil grain, greater resistance to deformation and quicker dissipation of pore water pressure, thus helping consolidation and strengthening. Many natural fibers like jute, coir, sabai grass etc. which are economical and eco-friendly, are grown in abundance in India. If suitable they can be used as additive material in the subgrade soil to result in increase in strength and decrease in deformability. Such application will also reduce the cost of construction of roads, by providing lesser thickness of pavement layer. In this paper, the efficacy of using natural jute, coir or sabai grass fibers with locally available clayey soil has been studied. A series of Standard Proctor test, Soaked and Unsoaked California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test, and Unconfined Compressive Strength test were done on locally available clayey soil mixed with different types of natural fiber for various length and proportion to study the improvement of strength properties of fiber-soil composites placed at optimum moisture content. From the test results, it was observed that there was a substantial increase in CBR value for the clayey soil when mixed with increasing percentage of all three types of randomly distributed natural fibers up to 2% of the dry weight of soil. The CBR attains maximum value when the length for all types of fibers mixed with the clay taken in this study, attains a value of 10 mm.

Characteristics in nutritional status of patients on dialysis in south korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonghyo Lee

2012-06-01

In conclusion, specialized nutrition education depending on dialytic modality should be necessary to efficiently improve nutritional status, and it can be postulated that essential amino acid and other supplement are helpful for improving nutritional status in dialysis patients, especially in peritoneal dialysis patients

Evaluation of Head and Neck Cancer Awareness and Screening Status in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Alhazzazi, Turki Y

2016-01-01

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. Early detection is a key determinant of HNC prognosis. Hence, raising awareness of this disease may improve survival rates. The present study evaluated the level of awareness and screening status for HNC in the general population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An e-questionnaire was distributed during our HNC awareness campaign at the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah. The questions assessed HNC knowledge and screening status among participants. Of the 112 respondents, 68% indicated that they had no knowledge of HNC. Social media was the major source of information (39%) for respondents. The majority (40%) believed that it was the joint responsibility of dentists, dental hygienists, and general physicians to screen for HNC; 82% had never been screened. Knowledge and awareness of HNC must be increased in the general population and among dental health professionals.

Social disparities in dentition status among American adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ying; Li, Zhiwu; Walker, Mary P

2014-02-01

To assess the overall dentition status of American adults, to investigate disparities and changes in dentition using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 and to study the effects of family poverty status, education, citizenship and language on dentition after adjusting for other demographics. Descriptive statistics were used to explore and summarise dentition status. The prevalence of dentition markers over two surveys were compared using tests of proportions and a series of regressions were used to estimate the strength of association of family poverty status, education, citizenship and language with the four markers of dentition status. Overall, dentition status has improved in adults. However, gaps exist in that non-Hispanic Black and Mexican-Americans have a higher prevalence of dental decay and lower restoration rates than other races. After adjusting for selected demographics, adults with less education (still exist among adults in the USA. The results also indicate that to improve overall oral health and close the existing gaps in oral health, increased access to dental care would be needed for people who have low incomes and low levels of education. © 2013 FDI World Dental Federation.

HTGR accident initiation and progression analysis status report. Volume VIII. Responses to comments on AIPA status report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raabe, P.H.

1977-01-01

The first seven volumes of the report series provide formal documentation of the status of the ERDA-sponsored Accident Initiation and Progression Analysis (AIPA) study as of the end of FY75. That portion of the report was given broad distribution to government agencies, industrial organizations, and academic institutions. Comments on the Status Report have been actively solicited from these and other organizations. The volume presented (the eighth in the AIPA Status Report) documents all of the formal written comments that have been received as of September 30, 1976, together with the responses to those comments. The comments as presented are direct quotations from the manuscripts as submitted by the reviewers; none have been paraphrased. The comments are presented in the same order as submitted by the reviewers and are generally addressed individually.

HTGR accident initiation and progression analysis status report. Volume VIII. Responses to comments on AIPA status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raabe, P.H.

1977-01-01

The first seven volumes of the report series provide formal documentation of the status of the ERDA-sponsored Accident Initiation and Progression Analysis (AIPA) study as of the end of FY75. That portion of the report was given broad distribution to government agencies, industrial organizations, and academic institutions. Comments on the Status Report have been actively solicited from these and other organizations. The volume presented (the eighth in the AIPA Status Report) documents all of the formal written comments that have been received as of September 30, 1976, together with the responses to those comments. The comments as presented are direct quotations from the manuscripts as submitted by the reviewers; none have been paraphrased. The comments are presented in the same order as submitted by the reviewers and are generally addressed individually

Improving Photovoltaic and Electric Vehicle Penetration in Distribution Grids with Smart Transformer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Shaojun; Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna; Liserre, Marco

2013-01-01

High penetration of electrical vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaics (PVs) can cause significant voltage issues in low voltage distribution grids. To certain extent, the transformer with on-load tap changers can regulate its output voltage, thus relieving the voltage issues and improve the hosting...... capacity of the grid. Smart transformer (ST) is a more powerful component providing faster and superior voltage regulation, as it can regulate the voltage, the frequency and the harmonic behavior of each feeder. This paper will discuss the benefit of this new feature offered by ST through simulation......, analysis and comparison with traditional transformer, where load flow analysis, optimization and multiple line drop compensation (MLDC) methods are involved....

The Impact of Connecting Distributed Generation to the Distribution System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. V. Mgaya

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the general problem of utilizing of renewable energy sources to generate electric energy. Recent advances in renewable energy power generation technologies, e.g., wind and photovoltaic (PV technologies, have led to increased interest in the application of these generation devices as distributed generation (DG units. This paper presents the results of an investigation into possible improvements in the system voltage profile and reduction of system losses when adding wind power DG (wind-DG to a distribution system. Simulation results are given for a case study, and these show that properly sized wind DGs, placed at carefully selected sites near key distribution substations, could be very effective in improving the distribution system voltage profile and reducing power losses, and hence could  improve the effective capacity of the system. 

Improvement of corrosion resistance in austenitic stainless steel by grain boundary character distribution control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yun; Kaneda, Junya; Kasahara, Shigeki; Shigenaka, Naoto

2012-01-01

Strauss test, Coriou test and Huey test were conducted on a Type 316L austenitic stainless steel. Improvement in grain boundary corrosion resistance was verified after raising low Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) grain boundary (GB) frequency by controlling grain boundary character distribution (GBCD). During crevice corrosion test under gamma-ray irradiation, initiation frequency of GB corrosion after GBCD controlled specimens decreased to 1/10 of GBCD uncontrolled counterpart along with lower depth of corrosion. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) propagation rate of GBCD controlled specimen decreased to less than 1/2 of GBCD uncontrolled specimen in high temperature and high pressure water. Based on these results, we expect that GBCD control will improve corrosion resistance of austenitic material in a wide range of application and environment. (author)

Pervasive Electricity Distribution System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Usman Tahir

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Now a days a country cannot become economically strong until and unless it has enough electrical power to fulfil industrial and domestic needs. Electrical power being the pillar of any country’s economy, needs to be used in an efficient way. The same step is taken here by proposing a new system for energy distribution from substation to consumer houses, also it monitors the consumer consumption and record data. Unlike traditional manual Electrical systems, pervasive electricity distribution system (PEDS introduces a fresh perspective to monitor the feeder line status at distribution and consumer level. In this system an effort is taken to address the issues of electricity theft, manual billing, online monitoring of electrical distribution system and automatic control of electrical distribution points. The project is designed using microcontroller and different sensors, its GUI is designed in Labview software.

Oral hygiene status of the orphan children in Ar-Rohman Foster Home Bandung after dental health education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurayni Tri Hapsari

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Oral hygiene status is a condition of a person’s oral cavity. Oral hygiene status can be assessed using the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S by Greene & Vermillion. The education given regarding oral health is one of health promotion with the purpose to increase the ability of children in terms of maintaining and improving their oral hygiene. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference of the orphans in Ar-Rohman Foster Home Bandung oral health status before and after three times of oral health education. Methods: The type of this research was a pre-experimental study with one group of pretest-posttest design with total sampling technique. Subjects of this research were orphans aged 13-15 years old. The respondents got the clinical examination of OHI-S before and after the oral health education was given for three times. The data obtained then tested using normality test, if the data were normally distributed, then analysed with a paired t-test, and if the data was not normally distributed, then will be analysed with a Wilcoxon test. Results: The results showed a significant decrease of plaque index after oral health education was given to the orphans. The examination of the calculus index (CI-S did not show any change before and after oral health education. OHI-S of children, however, showed a significant decrease. Conclusion: There was a significant increase in the orphans in Ar-Rohman Foster Home Bandung oral health status after given three times of oral health education.

ATLAS Distributed Computing

CERN Document Server

Schovancova, J; The ATLAS collaboration

2011-01-01

The poster details the different aspects of the ATLAS Distributed Computing experience after the first year of LHC data taking. We describe the performance of the ATLAS distributed computing system and the lessons learned during the 2010 run, pointing out parts of the system which were in a good shape, and also spotting areas which required improvements. Improvements ranged from hardware upgrade on the ATLAS Tier-0 computing pools to improve data distribution rates, tuning of FTS channels between CERN and Tier-1s, and studying data access patterns for Grid analysis to improve the global processing rate. We show recent software development driven by operational needs with emphasis on data management and job execution in the ATLAS production system.

A Distributed Approach towards Improved Dissemination Protocol for Smooth Handover in MediaSense IoT Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shabir Ahmad

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Recently, the Internet has been utilized by many applications to convey time-sensitive messages. The persistently expanding Internet coverage and its easy accessibility have offered to ascend to a problem which was once regarded as not essential to contemplate. Nowadays, the Internet has been utilized by many applications to convey time-sensitive messages. Wireless access points have widely been used but these access points have limitations regarding area coverage. So for covering a wider space, various access points need to be introduced. Therefore, when the user moves to some other place, the devices expected to switch between access points. Packet loss amid the handovers is a trivial issue. MediaSense is an Internet of Things distributed architecture enabling the development of the IoT application faster. It deals with this trivial handover issue by utilizing a protocol called Distributed Context eXchange Protocol. However, this protocol is centralized in nature and also suffers in a scenario when both sender and receiver address change simultaneously. This paper presents a mechanism to deal with this scenario and presents a distributed solution to deal with this issue within the MediaSense platform. The proposed protocol improves dissemination using retransmission mechanism to diminish packet loss. The proposed protocol has been delineated with a proof of concept chat application and the outcomes have indicated a significant improvement in terms of packet loss.

Improving the cooling performance of electrical distribution transformer using transformer oil – Based MEPCM suspension

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Mushtaq Ismael Hasan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper the electrical distribution transformer has been studied numerically and the effect of outside temperature on its cooling performance has been investigated. The temperature range studied covers the hot climate regions. 250 KVA distribution transformer is chosen as a study model. A novel cooling fluid is proposed to improve the cooling performance of this transformer, transformer oil-based microencapsulated phase change materials suspension is used with volume concentration (5–25% as a cooling fluid instead of pure transformer oil. Paraffin wax is used as a phase change material to make the suspension, in addition to the ability of heat absorption due to melting, the paraffin wax considered as a good electrical insulator. Results obtained show that, using of MEPCM suspension instead of pure transformer oil lead to improve the cooling performance of transformer by reducing its temperature and as a consequence increasing its protection against the breakdown. The melting fraction increased with increasing outside temperature up to certain temperature after which the melting fraction reach maximum constant value (MF = 1 which indicate that, the choosing of PCM depend on the environment in which the transformer is used.

A Comprehensive Strategy for Accurate Reactive Power Distribution, Stability Improvement, and Harmonic Suppression of Multi-Inverter-Based Micro-Grid

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Henan Dong

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Among the issues of accurate power distribution, stability improvement, and harmonic suppression in micro-grid, each has been well studied as an individual, and most of the strategies about these issues aim at one inverter-based micro-grid, hence there is a need to establish a model to achieve these functions as a whole, aiming at a multi-inverter-based micro-grid. This paper proposes a comprehensive strategy which achieves this goal successfully; since the output voltage and frequency of micro-grid all consist of fundamental and harmonic components, the strategy contains two parts accordingly. On one hand, a fundamental control strategy is proposed upon the conventional droop control. The virtual impedance is introduced to solve the problem of accurate allocation of reactive power between inverters. Meanwhile, a secondary power balance controller is added to improve the stability of voltage and frequency while considering the aggravating problem of stability because of introducing virtual impedance. On the other hand, the fractional frequency harmonic control strategy is proposed. It can solve the influence of nonlinear loads, micro-grid inverters, and the distribution network on output voltage of inverters, which is focused on eliminating specific harmonics caused by the nonlinear loads, micro-grid converters, and the distribution network so that the power quality of micro-grid can be improved effectively. Finally, small signal analysis is used to analyze the stability of the multi-converter parallel system after introducing the whole control strategy. The simulation results show that the strategy proposed in this paper has a great performance on distributing reactive power, regulating and stabilizing output voltage of inverters and frequency, eliminating harmonic components, and improving the power quality of multi-inverter-based micro-grid.

Distributed Leadership an Instrument for School Improvement: The Study of Public Senior High Schools in Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Dampson, Dandy George; Havor, Felicia Mensah; Laryea, Prince

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of distributed leadership in Public Senior High Schools (SHS) with regard to school improvement. Using the Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Method design, 92 teachers and 4 head masters and 4 assistant head masters were randomly and census sampled. Three research questions were formulated and…

Pilot study to reduce emissions, improve health, and offset BC emissions through the distribution of improved cook stoves in Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Banmali Pradhan, B.; Panday, A. K.; Surapipith, V.

2013-12-01

In most developing countries, wood and other biomass fuels are still the primary source of energy for the majority of the people, particularly the poor. It is estimated that cook stoves account for approximately 20% of global black carbon emissions. In Nepal 87% of energy is supplied from traditional biomass and 75% of households still depend on biomass as a cooking fuel. The substitution of traditional cook stoves with improved cook stoves provides an important way to reduce black carbon emissions. In 2013 the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has commenced a pilot study that both examines ways to effectively disseminate improved cookstoves across remote rural mountain regions, and also quantifies the resulting changes in emissions, air quality and health. The selected study area is in Bajrabarahi Village in Makawanpur district, to the southwest of Kathmandu. The study area consists of around 1600 households, which are divided into control groups and groups where the cook stove intervention is taking place. The study complements the ';Clean Cooking energy solution for all by 2017' announced by the Government of Nepal recently, and will provide insights to the government on ways to effectively reduce black carbon emissions from cook stoves. To make the study robust and sustainable, local women's group and a local medical institution are involved in the project right from the conceptualization stage. The study region has been chosen in part because the medical school Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) has already started a long term health assessment in the region, and has built up considerable local contacts. The local women's group is working on the modality of cook stove distribution through micro credit programmes in the village. We will distribute the best available manufactured, fan-assisted cook stoves that are expected to reduce BC emissions the most. Health assessments, emissions estimates, as well as measurements of

Improvement of myocardial perfusion status in response to indian vedic breathing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anand, Y.N.I.; Muthu, G.S.

2004-01-01

Introduction: Yoga is the buzz word all over the world today. Amidst their busy schedule, people tend to ignore their personal health. Management of various disorders, especially those involving interventions, surgical or radiological, is very expensive. The Indian Vedic Exercises, of which Pranaayaama is one, emphasize on prevention of the diseases in order to keep the individual in good health. It is equally applicable to those who have already suffered from various disorders and in whom both improvement and/or avoidance of further deterioration are required. However, no Objective assessment of the disease status in response to these exercises has been reported so far. Objectives: This pilot study has been undertaken on patients with reversible myocardial perfusion defects to Objectively monitor the improvements in the myocardial perfusion in response to a breathing exercise, Pranayama, a breathing technique prescribed in the Indian Vedic Sciences. Methods: Two patients who were found to have reversible myocardial perfusion defects were taken up in this study. These defects were diagnosed from the myocardial perfusion SPECT done in stressed (on Tread Mill) and resting states with 99m Technetium labeled MIBI.These patients were taught the pranayama technique which is done for about 30 minutes every day. At the end of four months from the commencement of this technique, the myocardial perfusion SPECT studies were repeated. Details of the exercise in the form of a CD are available on request. Results: Overall good improvements were observed in all the quantitative parameters in the TMT and SPECT studies in the studies done after the pranayama procedures in both the patients. Perfusion defects seen in the stress images of the initial studies have almost completely reversed in the stress images of the later study. Patients are asymptomatic and are leading a comfortable life. Conclusion: This is only a study of two cases to Objectively evaluate the effects of pranayama

Status, Vision, and Challenges of an Intelligent Distributed Engine Control Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Behbahani, Alireza; Culley, Dennis; Garg, Sanjay; Millar, Richard; Smith, Bert; Wood, Jim; Mahoney, Tim; Quinn, Ronald; Carpenter, Sheldon; Mailander, Bill;

Determinants of nutritional status of pre-school children in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Bharati, Susmita; Pal, Manoranjan; Bharati, Premananda

2008-11-01

The aim of this paper is to assess the spatial distribution of nutritional status of children of less than three years through Z-scores of weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height using data collected by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2, 1998-99), India. The nutritional status of pre-school children was regressed on different socio-demographic factors after eliminating the effect of age. The data show that there are gender differences and spatial variations in the nutritional status of children in India. Gender difference is not very pronounced and almost disappears when the effects of age and socio-demographic variables are removed. The spatial difference, especially the rural-urban difference, was found to be very large and decreased substantially when the effects of age and socioeconomic variables were removed. However, the differences were not close to zero. All the variables were found to affect significantly the nutritional status of children. However, the literacy of mothers did not affect height-for-age significantly. The weight-for-age and height-for-age scores showed a dismal picture of the health condition of children in almost all states in India. The worst affected states are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. Assam and Rajasthans are also lagging behind. Weight-for-height scores do not give a clear picture of state-wise variation. Goa, Kerala and Punjab are the three most developed states in India and also have the lowest percentages of underweight children according to the Z-scores. Along with these three states come the north-eastern states where women are well educated. Thus overall development, enhancement of level of education and low gender inequality are the key factors for improvement in the health status of Indian children.

Improved Side Information Generation for Distributed Video Coding by Exploiting Spatial and Temporal Correlations

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Ye Shuiming

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Distributed video coding (DVC is a video coding paradigm allowing low complexity encoding for emerging applications such as wireless video surveillance. Side information (SI generation is a key function in the DVC decoder, and plays a key-role in determining the performance of the codec. This paper proposes an improved SI generation for DVC, which exploits both spatial and temporal correlations in the sequences. Partially decoded Wyner-Ziv (WZ frames, based on initial SI by motion compensated temporal interpolation, are exploited to improve the performance of the whole SI generation. More specifically, an enhanced temporal frame interpolation is proposed, including motion vector refinement and smoothing, optimal compensation mode selection, and a new matching criterion for motion estimation. The improved SI technique is also applied to a new hybrid spatial and temporal error concealment scheme to conceal errors in WZ frames. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve up to 1.0 dB improvement in rate distortion performance in WZ frames for video with high motion, when compared to state-of-the-art DVC. In addition, both the objective and perceptual qualities of the corrupted sequences are significantly improved by the proposed hybrid error concealment scheme, outperforming both spatial and temporal concealments alone.

Modernizing Distribution System Restoration to Achieve Grid Resiliency Against Extreme Weather Events: An Integrated Solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Chen; Wang, Jianhui; Ton, Dan

2017-07-07

Recent severe power outages caused by extreme weather hazards have highlighted the importance and urgency of improving the resilience of the electric power grid. As the distribution grids still remain vulnerable to natural disasters, the power industry has focused on methods of restoring distribution systems after disasters in an effective and quick manner. The current distribution system restoration practice for utilities is mainly based on predetermined priorities and tends to be inefficient and suboptimal, and the lack of situational awareness after the hazard significantly delays the restoration process. As a result, customers may experience an extended blackout, which causes large economic loss. On the other hand, the emerging advanced devices and technologies enabled through grid modernization efforts have the potential to improve the distribution system restoration strategy. However, utilizing these resources to aid the utilities in better distribution system restoration decision-making in response to extreme weather events is a challenging task. Therefore, this paper proposes an integrated solution: a distribution system restoration decision support tool designed by leveraging resources developed for grid modernization. We first review the current distribution restoration practice and discuss why it is inadequate in response to extreme weather events. Then we describe how the grid modernization efforts could benefit distribution system restoration, and we propose an integrated solution in the form of a decision support tool to achieve the goal. The advantages of the solution include improving situational awareness of the system damage status and facilitating survivability for customers. The paper provides a comprehensive review of how the existing methodologies in the literature could be leveraged to achieve the key advantages. The benefits of the developed system restoration decision support tool include the optimal and efficient allocation of repair crews

Using a distribution and conservation status weighted hotspot approach to identify areas in need of conservation action to benefit Idaho bird species

Science.gov (United States)

Haines, Aaron M.; Leu, Matthias; Svancara, Leona K.; Wilson, Gina; Scott, J. Michael

2010-01-01

Identification of biodiversity hotspots (hereafter, hotspots) has become a common strategy to delineate important areas for wildlife conservation. However, the use of hotspots has not often incorporated important habitat types, ecosystem services, anthropogenic activity, or consistency in identifying important conservation areas. The purpose of this study was to identify hotspots to improve avian conservation efforts for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the state of Idaho, United States. We evaluated multiple approaches to define hotspots and used a unique approach based on weighting species by their distribution size and conservation status to identify hotspot areas. All hotspot approaches identified bodies of water (Bear Lake, Grays Lake, and American Falls Reservoir) as important hotspots for Idaho avian SGCN, but we found that the weighted approach produced more congruent hotspot areas when compared to other hotspot approaches. To incorporate anthropogenic activity into hotspot analysis, we grouped species based on their sensitivity to specific human threats (i.e., urban development, agriculture, fire suppression, grazing, roads, and logging) and identified ecological sections within Idaho that may require specific conservation actions to address these human threats using the weighted approach. The Snake River Basalts and Overthrust Mountains ecological sections were important areas for potential implementation of conservation actions to conserve biodiversity. Our approach to identifying hotspots may be useful as part of a larger conservation strategy to aid land managers or local governments in applying conservation actions on the ground.

Women's status and child survival in West Java, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Widayatun

1991-03-01

This study is introduced by a literature review of the concept of women's status, and related factors that determine infant and child mortality. Women's status is primarily defined by education, occupation and economic activity, which affect women's decision-making in the home and their independence in larger society. Cluster analysis was used to identify geographical patterns of standardized women's status variables among 20 regencies and 4 municipalities in West Java. Euclidian distances were computed between pairs of regencies across the 13 indicators. Pearson's correlations and multiple regression were used to compare associations between women's status variables and infant and child mortality, after controlling for economic development. Using data from the 1980 census, the study demonstrated large regional variations in women's status in West Java, with higher status in both the household and in society in the south and central highlands than in the north and west. Women's status is closely related to infant and child mortality, independent of the level of development. There was 1 notable exception, the municipality of Bogor, where infant and child mortality were higher than average rates for the cluster of areas with higher women's status. The results suggest that improved education, and increase in age at 1st marriage are key elements for improving the status of women in West Java.

Improved clinical status, quality of life, and walking capacity in Parkinson's disease after body weight-supported high-intensity locomotor training

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Martin Høyer; Løkkegaard, Annemette; Sonne-Holm, Stig

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of body weight-supported progressive high-intensity locomotor training in Parkinson's disease (PD) on (1) clinical status; (2) quality of life; and (3) gait capacity. DESIGN: Open-label, fixed sequence crossover study. SETTING: University motor control laboratory......±93 to 637±90m. CONCLUSIONS: Body weight-supported progressive high-intensity locomotor training is feasible and well tolerated by patients with PD. The training improved clinical status, quality of life, and gait capacity significantly....... were found in all outcome measures compared with the control period. Total MDS-UPDRS score changed from (mean ± 1SD) 58±18 to 47±18, MDS-UPDRS motor part score changed from 35±10 to 29±12, PDQ-39 summary index score changed from 22±13 to 13±12, and the six-minute walking distance changed from 576...

Trends of distributed generation development in Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miskinis, Vaclovas; Norvaisa, Egidijus; Galinis, Arvydas; Konstantinaviciute, Inga

2011-01-01

The closure of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, impact of recent global recession of the economy, as well as changes and problems posed by the global climate change require significant alterations in the Lithuanian energy sector development. This paper describes the current status and specific features of the Lithuanian power system, and in particular discusses the role of the distributed generators. Country's energy policy during last two decades was focused on substantial modernisation of the energy systems, their reorganisation and creation of appropriate institutional structure and necessary legal basis. The most important factors stimulating development of distributed generation in Lithuania are the following: international obligations to increase contribution of power plants using renewable energy sources into electricity production balance; development of small (with capacity less than 50 MW) cogeneration power plants; implementation of energy policy directed to promotion of renewable energy sources and cogeneration. Analysis of the legal and economic environment, as well as principles of regulation of distributed generation and barriers to its development is presented. - Highlights: → Paper describes current status and specific features of the Lithuanian power system. → Analysis of the legal and economic environment regarding distributed generation. → Current situation is not favourable for distributed generation development. → Problems, barriers, principles of regulation of distributed generation is presented. → New energy policy regarding distributed generation and renewables.

Current distribution and conservation status of Bhutan Takin Budorcas whitei Lydekker, 1907 (Artiodactyla: Bovidae

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Tiger Sangay

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Bhutan Takin Budorcas whitei Lydekker, 1907 is endemic to Bhutan and it is categorized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. While the other Takin species have been studied in China (Golden Takin B. bedfordi; Sichuan Takin B. tibetana and India (Mishmi Takin B. taxicolor, only one study has focused on the Bhutan Takin.  In this paper, we report the current distribution and conservation status of the Bhutan Takin using the information gathered through field surveys, interviews and unpublished reports.  Bhutan Takin are seasonal migrants, occurring between 1500–5550 m, preferring areas in close proximity to river valleys and geothermal outlets (hot springs.  Takin avoid areas that are disturbed by road construction and power transmission lines, and where they have to compete for forage with domestic livestock.  Takin conservation in Bhutan requires: (1 a commitment to reduce disturbances from domestic livestock through better herding and animal husbandry practices, (2 environmentally friendly road construction, inclusive of wildlife corridors, (3 establishment of satellite offices and regularizing anti-poaching patrol systems, (4 development of education programs to enlist support for Takin conservation, and (5 encouragement of more research on the ecology and management needs of the species.

Aloe vera gel improves behavioral deficits and oxidative status in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabatabaei, Seyed Reza Fatemi; Ghaderi, Shahab; Bahrami-Tapehebur, Mohammad; Farbood, Yaghoob; Rashno, Masome

2017-12-01

Oxidative stress has a major role in progression of diabetes-related behavioral deficits. It has been suggested that Aloe vera has anti-diabetic, antioxidative, and neuroprotective effects. The present study was designed to determine the effects of Aloe vera gel on behavioral functions, oxidative status, and neuronal viability in the hippocampus of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Fifty five adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, including: control (normal saline 8ml/kg/day; P.O.), diabetic (normal saline 8ml/kg/day; P.O.), Aloe vera gel (100mg/kg/day; P.O.), diabetic+Aloe vera gel (100mg/kg/day; P.O.) and diabetic+NPH insulin (10 IU/kg/day; S.C.). All treatments were started immediately following confirmation of diabetes in diabetic groups and were continued for eight weeks. Behavioral functions were evaluated by employing standard behavioral paradigms. Additionally, oxidative status and neuronal viability were assessed in the hippocampus. The results of behavioral tests showed that diabetes enhanced anxiety/depression-like behaviors, reduced exploratory and locomotor activities, decreased memory performance, and increased stress related behaviors. These changes in diabetic rats were accompanied by increasing oxidative stress and neuronal loss in the hippocampus. Interestingly, eight weeks of treatment with Aloe vera gel not only alleviated all the mentioned deficits related to diabetes, but in some aspects, it was even more effective than insulin. In conclusion, the results suggest that both interrelated hypoglycemic and antioxidative properties of Aloe vera gel are possible mechanisms that improve behavioral deficits and protect hippocampal neurons in diabetic animals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE ESTIMATION OF THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN SERVICE OF CONSERVING HEALTH STATUS IMPROVEMENT

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Dragan Krivokapić

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Results of ever increasing number of research indicating to number of benefits of regular physical activity has influenced formation of many directions on recommended volume and intensity of exercise which is in the service of keeping and improving of a modern man`s health. From the aspect of risk estimation on health endangering, the major attention should be paid on identification of people who do not fulfill even necessary minimums regarding doing the physical activity. Participation in some kind of physical activity represents the most variable component of the overall daily calorie consumption of sedentary population because it mostly depends on the level of knowledge on influence of the physical activity, degree of self control and persistence of each individual to persist in attempting to keep and improve their health. Methods: This paper was conceived on methods of the American College for Sports Medicine ACSM (2009 which is one of the most referent sources in promotion of positive effects of physical activity on a modern man`s health. According to directions in the above mentioned source, there will be five elements of physical form to be analyzed that are related to health: cardio respiratory form, defined as a competence of cardiovascular and respiratory system to `deliver` oxygen to active musculature during continued physical activity; body structure referring to relative or percent share of different tissues within the body and which are related to health status; muscular strength, representing the ability of the human body to do the activity for which a high level of muscular strength is necessary; muscular endurance, defined as an ability of muscles or muscular group to do repeated contractions within a long time period; flexibility, representing the ability to make big amplitude moves in a particular joint. Results: Results of so far research have established a clear connection between physical activity and health

The Status of the Traditional Musican in Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Khe, Tran Van

1982-01-01

Over the past ten years, the inferior social status of musicians in several Asian countries has improved. The social history and contemporary status of musicians and the impact of the mass media on the social role of music in Asian countries are described. (AM)

Questioning the Status Quo: Can Stakeholder Participation Improve Implementation of Small-Scale Mining Laws in Ghana?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Osei-Kojo

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Ghana’s small-scale mining sector faces complex challenges, including environmental degradation and pollution, loss of life and increased health risks, despite several years of implementation of small-scale mining laws. These challenges, generally, are known to have escalated because of illegal small-scale mining, locally known as “galamsey”. Despite the illegal status of this category of miners, this paper examines the extent to which stakeholder participation can improve implementation of mining regulations and also address the marginalization of these miners. This paper about stakeholder participation is timely because news reports in mid-2016 mentioned that the Government of Ghana, despite many years of disengagement, is now planning to engage with galamsey operators, in terms of registration, as part of measures to effectively regulate the activities of small-scale miners. Findings from fieldwork indicate that (1 chiefs are seldom consulted in the granting of mining licenses; (2 illegal miners do not participate in the implementation of small-scale mining laws; and (3 stakeholders, such as officers in district mining offices, feel distant from the implementation process. Against the backdrop of these findings, it remains useful to explore the extent to which effective stakeholder participation could help overcome the status quo—particularly its ramifications for both the implementation of ASM laws and the eradication of other underlying challenges the sector faces.

Distributed Language and Dialogism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steffensen, Sune Vork

2015-01-01

addresses Linell’s critique of Distributed Language as rooted in biosemiotics and in theories of organism-environment systems. It is argued that Linell’s sense-based approach entails an individualist view of how conspecific Others acquire their status as prominent parts of the sense-maker’s environment......This article takes a starting point in Per Linell’s (2013) review article on the book Distributed Language (Cowley, 2011a) and other contributions to the field of ‘Distributed Language’, including Cowley et al. (2010) and Hodges et al. (2012). The Distributed Language approach is a naturalistic...... and anti-representational approach to language that builds on recent developments in the cognitive sciences. With a starting point in Linell’s discussion of the approach, the article aims to clarify four aspects of a distributed view of language vis-à-vis the tradition of Dialogism, as presented by Linell...

Working Group I: Parton distributions: Summary report for the HERA LHC Workshop Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dittmar, M.; /Zurich, ETH; Forte, S.; /Milan U. /INFN, Milan; Glazov, A.; /DESY; Moch, S.; /DESY, Zeuthen; Alekhin, S.; Altarelli, G.; Andersen, Jeppe R.; Ball, R.D.; Blumlein, J.; Bottcher, H.; Carli, T.; Ciafaloni, M.; Colferai, D.; Cooper-Sarkar, A.; Corcella, G.; Del Debbio, L.; Dissertori, G.; Feltesse, J.; Guffanti, A.; Gwenlan, C.; Huston, J.; /Zurich, ETH /DESY, Zeuthen /Serpukhov, IHEP /CERN /Rome III U. /INFN, Rome3 /Cambridge U. /Edinburgh U. /Florence U. /INFN, Florence /Oxford U. /DSM, DAPNIA, Saclay

2005-11-01

We provide an assessment of the impact of parton distributions on the determination of LHC processes, and of the accuracy with which parton distributions (PDFs) can be extracted from data, in particular from current and forthcoming HERA experiments. We give an overview of reference LHC processes and their associated PDF uncertainties, and study in detail W and Z production at the LHC.We discuss the precision which may be obtained from the analysis of existing HERA data, tests of consistency of HERA data from different experiments, and the combination of these data. We determine further improvements on PDFs which may be obtained from future HERA data (including measurements of F{sub L}), and from combining present and future HERA data with present and future hadron collider data. We review the current status of knowledge of higher (NNLO) QCD corrections to perturbative evolution and deep-inelastic scattering, and provide reference results for their impact on parton evolution, and we briefly examine non-perturbative models for parton distributions. We discuss the state-of-the art in global parton fits, we assess the impact on them of various kinds of data and of theoretical corrections, by providing benchmarks of Alekhin and MRST parton distributions and a CTEQ analysis of parton fit stability, and we briefly presents proposals for alternative approaches to parton fitting. We summarize the status of large and small x resummation, by providing estimates of the impact of large x resummation on parton fits, and a comparison of different approaches to small x resummation, for which we also discuss numerical techniques.

Hexicon 2: automated processing of hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry data with improved deuteration distribution estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindner, Robert; Lou, Xinghua; Reinstein, Jochen; Shoeman, Robert L; Hamprecht, Fred A; Winkler, Andreas

2014-06-01

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) provide information about the dynamics and the solvent accessibility of protein backbone amide hydrogen atoms. Continuous improvement of MS instrumentation has contributed to the increasing popularity of this method; however, comprehensive automated data analysis is only beginning to mature. We present Hexicon 2, an automated pipeline for data analysis and visualization based on the previously published program Hexicon (Lou et al. 2010). Hexicon 2 employs the sensitive NITPICK peak detection algorithm of its predecessor in a divide-and-conquer strategy and adds new features, such as chromatogram alignment and improved peptide sequence assignment. The unique feature of deuteration distribution estimation was retained in Hexicon 2 and improved using an iterative deconvolution algorithm that is robust even to noisy data. In addition, Hexicon 2 provides a data browser that facilitates quality control and provides convenient access to common data visualization tasks. Analysis of a benchmark dataset demonstrates superior performance of Hexicon 2 compared with its predecessor in terms of deuteration centroid recovery and deuteration distribution estimation. Hexicon 2 greatly reduces data analysis time compared with manual analysis, whereas the increased number of peptides provides redundant coverage of the entire protein sequence. Hexicon 2 is a standalone application available free of charge under http://hx2.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de.

Hexicon 2: Automated Processing of Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Data with Improved Deuteration Distribution Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Lindner, Robert; Lou, Xinghua; Reinstein, Jochen; Shoeman, Robert L.; Hamprecht, Fred A.; Winkler, Andreas

2014-06-01

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS) provide information about the dynamics and the solvent accessibility of protein backbone amide hydrogen atoms. Continuous improvement of MS instrumentation has contributed to the increasing popularity of this method; however, comprehensive automated data analysis is only beginning to mature. We present Hexicon 2, an automated pipeline for data analysis and visualization based on the previously published program Hexicon (Lou et al. 2010). Hexicon 2 employs the sensitive NITPICK peak detection algorithm of its predecessor in a divide-and-conquer strategy and adds new features, such as chromatogram alignment and improved peptide sequence assignment. The unique feature of deuteration distribution estimation was retained in Hexicon 2 and improved using an iterative deconvolution algorithm that is robust even to noisy data. In addition, Hexicon 2 provides a data browser that facilitates quality control and provides convenient access to common data visualization tasks. Analysis of a benchmark dataset demonstrates superior performance of Hexicon 2 compared with its predecessor in terms of deuteration centroid recovery and deuteration distribution estimation. Hexicon 2 greatly reduces data analysis time compared with manual analysis, whereas the increased number of peptides provides redundant coverage of the entire protein sequence. Hexicon 2 is a standalone application available free of charge under http://hx2.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de.

Australian shellfish ecosystems: Past distribution, current status and future direction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris L Gillies

Full Text Available We review the status of marine shellfish ecosystems formed primarily by bivalves in Australia, including: identifying ecosystem-forming species, assessing their historical and current extent, causes for decline and past and present management. Fourteen species of bivalves were identified as developing complex, three-dimensional reef or bed ecosystems in intertidal and subtidal areas across tropical, subtropical and temperate Australia. A dramatic decline in the extent and condition of Australia's two most common shellfish ecosystems, developed by Saccostrea glomerata and Ostrea angasi oysters, occurred during the mid-1800s to early 1900s in concurrence with extensive harvesting for food and lime production, ecosystem modification, disease outbreaks and a decline in water quality. Out of 118 historical locations containing O. angasi-developed ecosystems, only one location still contains the ecosystem whilst only six locations are known to still contain S. glomerata-developed ecosystems out of 60 historical locations. Ecosystems developed by the introduced oyster Crasostrea gigas are likely to be increasing in extent, whilst data on the remaining 11 ecosystem-forming species are limited, preventing a detailed assessment of their current ecosystem-forming status. Our analysis identifies that current knowledge on extent, physical characteristics, biodiversity and ecosystem services of Australian shellfish ecosystems is extremely limited. Despite the limited information on shellfish ecosystems, a number of restoration projects have recently been initiated across Australia and we propose a number of existing government policies and conservation mechanisms, if enacted, would readily serve to support the future conservation and recovery of Australia's shellfish ecosystems.

Australian shellfish ecosystems: Past distribution, current status and future direction

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Chris L.; McLeod, Ian M.; Alleway, Heidi K.; Cook, Peter; Crawford, Christine; Creighton, Colin; Diggles, Ben; Ford, John; Hamer, Paul; Heller-Wagner, Gideon; Lebrault, Emma; Le Port, Agnès; Russell, Kylie; Sheaves, Marcus; Warnock, Bryn

2018-01-01

We review the status of marine shellfish ecosystems formed primarily by bivalves in Australia, including: identifying ecosystem-forming species, assessing their historical and current extent, causes for decline and past and present management. Fourteen species of bivalves were identified as developing complex, three-dimensional reef or bed ecosystems in intertidal and subtidal areas across tropical, subtropical and temperate Australia. A dramatic decline in the extent and condition of Australia’s two most common shellfish ecosystems, developed by Saccostrea glomerata and Ostrea angasi oysters, occurred during the mid-1800s to early 1900s in concurrence with extensive harvesting for food and lime production, ecosystem modification, disease outbreaks and a decline in water quality. Out of 118 historical locations containing O. angasi-developed ecosystems, only one location still contains the ecosystem whilst only six locations are known to still contain S. glomerata-developed ecosystems out of 60 historical locations. Ecosystems developed by the introduced oyster Crasostrea gigas are likely to be increasing in extent, whilst data on the remaining 11 ecosystem-forming species are limited, preventing a detailed assessment of their current ecosystem-forming status. Our analysis identifies that current knowledge on extent, physical characteristics, biodiversity and ecosystem services of Australian shellfish ecosystems is extremely limited. Despite the limited information on shellfish ecosystems, a number of restoration projects have recently been initiated across Australia and we propose a number of existing government policies and conservation mechanisms, if enacted, would readily serve to support the future conservation and recovery of Australia’s shellfish ecosystems. PMID:29444143

A 21 day Daniel Fast improves selected biomarkers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress in men and women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Canale Robert E

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Dietary modification via both caloric and nutrient restriction is associated with multiple health benefits, some of which are related to an improvement in antioxidant status and a decrease in the production of reactive oxygen species. The Daniel Fast is based on the Biblical book of Daniel, is commonly partaken for 21 days, and involves food intake in accordance with a stringent vegan diet. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of a 21 day Daniel Fast on biomarkers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress. Methods 43 subjects (13 men; 30 women; 35 ± 1 yrs; range: 20-62 yrs completed a 21 day Daniel Fast following the guidelines provided by investigators. Subjects reported to the lab in a 12 hour post-absorptive state both pre fast (day 1 and post fast (day 22. At each visit, blood was collected for determination of malondialdehyde (MDA, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, nitrate/nitrite (NOx, Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC, and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC. Subjects recorded dietary intake during the 7 day period immediately prior to the fast and during the final 7 days of the fast. Results A decrease was noted in MDA (0.66 ± 0.0.03 vs. 0.56 ± 0.02 μmol L-1; p = 0.004, while H2O2 demonstrated a trend for lowering (4.42 ± 0.32 vs. 3.78 ± 0.21 μmol L-1; p = 0.074. Both NOx (18.79 ± 1.92 vs. 26.97 ± 2.40 μmol L-1; p = 0.003 and TEAC (0.47 ± 0.01 vs. 0.51 ± 0.01 mmol L-1; p = 0.001 increased from pre to post fast, while ORAC was unchanged (5243 ± 103 vs. 5249 ± 183 μmol L-1 TE; p = 0.974. As expected, multiple differences in dietary intake were noted (p Conclusion Modification of dietary intake in accordance with the Daniel Fast is associated with an improvement in selected biomarkers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress, including metabolites of nitric oxide (i.e., NOx.

Power distribution forecasting device for reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsukii, Makoto

1981-01-01

Purpose: To save expensive calculations on the forecasting of reactor power distribution. Constitution: Core status (CSD) such as entire coolant flow rate, pressures in the reactor, temperatures at the outlet and inlet and positions for control rods are inputted into a power distribution calculation device to calculate the power distribution based on physical models intermittently. Further, present power distribution is calculated based on in-core neutron flux measured values and CSD in a process control computer. Further, the ratio of the calculation results of the latter to those of the former is calculated, stored and inputted into a correction device to correct the forecast power distribution obtained by the power distribution calculation device. This enables to forecast the power distribution with excellent responsivity in the reactor site. (Furukawa, Y.)

Pengaruh taburia terhadap status anemia dan status gizi balita gizi kurang

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Wahyuni Kunayarti

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Micronutrient deficiency seriously contributes to child morbidity and mortality. The need for micronutrient can be fulfilled from food, fortified food, and direct supplementation. Taburia is multivitamin multimineral that is aimed to meet the need for micronutrient of undernourished under-fives and to prevent the increased prevalence of undernourishment. It is necessary efficacy and effectiveness study of Taburia to anemia and nutritional status of undernourished under fives of 24-55 months. Objective: To identify the effect of Taburia supplementation to anemia and nutrition status of under fives at District of Lombok Timur. Method: The study was experimental with prospective cohort study design carried out at District of Lombok Timur, Province of Nusa Tenggara Barat. The subject of the study was undernourished under fives at the area of Nutrition Improvement Community through Empowerment (NICE project. The independent variables were Taburia and biscuits; the dependent variables were anemia and nutrition status; and the external variables were the intake of energy, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, Fe, and zinc. Data analysis used ANOVA and paired t-test. Results: There was a significant difference in the average level of hemoglobin of the subject after the intervention, either in taburia group, biscuit group, or taburia+biscuit group (p<0.05. There was the difference in average weight after intervention in the three groups (p<0.05. There was no significant difference in the average level of hemoglobin and the average level of weight between biscuit group and Taburia+biscuit group. There was a change in anemia status from anemia to nonanemia; the highest was in Taburia group, i.e. 96%; and better nutrition status at the end of the experiment occurred at Taburia+biscuit group from emaciated to normal (100%. Conclusion: Taburia supplementation could increase anemia status. Micronutrient supplementation was needed to increase nutrition

An improved power flow method based on extended chain-table storage structure for distribution network with PV nodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Shuheng; Wang, Xiongfei; Su, Chi

2014-01-01

with a reduced memory size. The voltage error of each PV node is adjusted by a reactive power adjusting strategy. The adjusting strategy is based on a multi-variable linear function with an accelerating factor. Finally, this new improved power flow method is realized by the software system developed in VC......Based on an extended chain-table storage structure, an improved power flow method is presented, which can be applied to a distribution network with multi PV nodes. The extended chain-table storage structure is designed on the basis of address-pointer technology describing the radial topology...... and the corresponding case study has been done. The experimental data and the further analysis have proved that this method can calculate the power flow of a distribution network with multi PV nodes precisely and fast. © 2014 IEEE....

Population development and status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina in the Wadden Sea

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Peter JH Reijnders

2010-09-01

Full Text Available An index for the condition of a population should include a measure of the recuperative power or resilience of the population in question. This measure needs to cover both the demographic and physiological condition of the population. Applied to the harbour seal population in the Wadden Sea we therefore address respectively the population development and distribution, and its health condition, and relate these to environmental conditions. The harbour seal population has been severely depleted by hunting in the first half of the 20th century. After hunting was stopped in the mid-1970s the population recovered gradually. This recovery was twice interrupted by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV outbreaks in 1988 and 2002. These PDV-epizootics reduced the population by 57% and 50% respectively. They also lead to changes in age and sex structure of the population, which gradually returned to a stable age-structure. Despite the reduction in population size by respectively 57% and 50%, the population showed a strong recovery with a growth rate close to the considered maximum possible for this species. The observed changes in the distribution of the population over the 4 sub-regions indicate that distribution is not a static phenomenon. Long term field and pathological investigations point out that the general health status of the population has improved, particularly that of newborn seals (0-6months old. The increasing prevalence of parasites in lungs and intestine warrants continued monitoring of the health status of seals. This is especially relevant in view of the exponential increase of the population, which may finally approach the carrying capacity of the area. Concluding, we canstate that the condition of the population in terms of demographic and health parameters is satisfactory. The best guarantee for maintaining such a favourable conservation status is to abstain from human interferences (e.g. rescue, rehabilitation and release with natural

Integrating a Trust Framework with a Distributed Certificate Validation Scheme for MANETs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marias Giannis F

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Many trust establishment solutions in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs rely on public key certificates. Therefore, they should be accompanied by an efficient mechanism for certificate revocation and validation. Ad hoc distributed OCSP for trust (ADOPT is a lightweight, distributed, on-demand scheme based on cached OCSP responses, which provides certificate status information to the nodes of a MANET. In this paper we discuss the ADOPT scheme and issues on its deployment over MANETs. We present some possible threats to ADOPT and suggest the use of a trust assessment and establishment framework, named ad hoc trust framework (ATF, to support ADOPT's robustness and efficiency. ADOPT is deployed as a trust-aware application that provides feedback to ATF, which calculates the trustworthiness of the peer nodes' functions and helps ADOPT to improve its performance by rapidly locating valid certificate status information. Moreover, we introduce the TrustSpan algorithm to reduce the overhead that ATF produces, and the TrustPath algorithm to identify and use trusted routes for propagating sensitive information, such as third parties' accusations. Simulation results show that ATF adds limited overhead compared to its efficiency in detecting and isolating malicious and selfish nodes. ADOPT's reliability is increased, since it can rapidly locate a legitimate response by using information provided by ATF.

Distribution and status of the desert-dwelling giraffe ( Giraffa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The population density and distribution of desert dwelling giraffes was estimated in three study areas in the Hoanib River catchment, northwestern Namibia. Giraffe population densities (0.01 giraffe/km2) were equal to the lowest recorded in Africa with population numbers fluctuating over past decades. Sex ratios, herd sizes ...

CCR6+ Th cell distribution differentiates systemic lupus erythematosus patients based on anti-dsDNA antibody status.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Wei; Jiang, Zhenyu; Wu, Jiang; Jiang, Yanfang; Zhao, Ling

2018-01-01

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease has been shown to be associated with the generation of multiple auto-antibodies. Among these, anti-dsDNA antibodies (anti-DNAs) are specific and play a pathogenic role in SLE. Indeed, anti-DNA + SLE patients display a worse disease course. The generation of these pathogenic anti-DNAs has been attributed to the interaction between aberrant T helper (Th) cells and autoimmune B cells. Thus, in this study we have investigated whether CCR6 + Th cells have the ability to differentiate SLE patients based on anti-DNA status, and if their distribution has any correlation with disease activity. We recruited 25 anti-DNA + and 25 anti-DNA - treatment-naive onset SLE patients, matched for various clinical characteristics in our nested matched case-control study. CCR6 + Th cells and their additional subsets were analyzed in each patient by flow cytometry. Anti-DNA + SLE patients specifically had a higher percentage of Th cells expressing CCR6 and CXCR3. Further analysis of CCR6 + Th cell subsets showed that anti-DNA + SLE patients had elevated proportions of Th9, Th17, Th17.1 and CCR4/CXCR3 double-negative (DN) cells. However, the proportions of CCR6 - Th subsets, including Th1 and Th2 cells, did not show any association with anti-DNA status. Finally, we identified a correlation between CCR6 + Th subsets and clinical indicators, specifically in anti-DNA + SLE patients. Our data indicated that CCR6 + Th cells and their subsets were elevated and correlated with disease activity in anti-DNA + SLE patients. We speculated that CCR6 + Th cells may contribute to distinct disease severity in anti-DNA + SLE patients.

Overview of the status of research reactors worldwide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelfang, Pablo; Ritchie, Iain G.

2003-01-01

The IAEA continuously updates the information available on the status of research reactors (RRs) and their spent fuel around the world. This information is gathered in many different ways, including questionnaires, fact-finding missions, expert mission reports, and technical and consultancy meetings. It is then fed into the IAEA's databases. Statistical analyses of these databases provide a useful perspective on the status of the world's RRs and their spent fuel. In this paper an updated review of the information contained in the IAEA's databases is presented. It includes data on the number of RRs operational, shut down, decommissioned, under construction, and planned. Information on the geographical distribution and utilization patterns of the RRs will also be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the distribution of types of fuel, enrichment and origin of the enriched fuel material. (author)

State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources: Accommodating Distributed Resources in Wholesale Markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weston, F.; Harrington, C.; Moskovitz, D.; Shirley, W.; Cowart, R.; Sedano, R.

2002-10-01

Distributed resources can provide cost-effective reliability and energy services - in many cases, obviating the need for more expensive investments in wires and central station electricity generating facilities. Given the unique features of distributed resources, the challenge facing policymakers today is how to restructure wholesale markets for electricity and related services so as to reveal the full value that distributed resources can provide to the electric power system (utility grid). This report looks at the functions that distributed resources can perform and examines the barriers to them. It then identifies a series of policy and operational approaches to promoting DR in wholesale markets. This report is one in the State Electricity Regulatory Policy and Distributed Resources series developed under contract to NREL (see Annual Technical Status Report of the Regulatory Assistance Project: September 2000-September 2001, NREL/SR-560-32733). Other titles in this series are: (1) Distributed Resource Distribution Credit Pilot Programs - Revealing the Value to Consumers and Vendors, NREL/SR-560-32499; (2) Distributed Resources and Electric System Reliability, NREL/SR-560-32498; (3) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation, NREL/SR-560-32500; (4) Distribution System Cost Methodologies for Distributed Generation Appendices, NREL/SR-560-32501

Decision Aggregation in Distributed Classification by a Transductive Extension of Maximum Entropy/Improved Iterative Scaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Kesidis

2008-06-01

Full Text Available In many ensemble classification paradigms, the function which combines local/base classifier decisions is learned in a supervised fashion. Such methods require common labeled training examples across the classifier ensemble. However, in some scenarios, where an ensemble solution is necessitated, common labeled data may not exist: (i legacy/proprietary classifiers, and (ii spatially distributed and/or multiple modality sensors. In such cases, it is standard to apply fixed (untrained decision aggregation such as voting, averaging, or naive Bayes rules. In recent work, an alternative transductive learning strategy was proposed. There, decisions on test samples were chosen aiming to satisfy constraints measured by each local classifier. This approach was shown to reliably correct for class prior mismatch and to robustly account for classifier dependencies. Significant gains in accuracy over fixed aggregation rules were demonstrated. There are two main limitations of that work. First, feasibility of the constraints was not guaranteed. Second, heuristic learning was applied. Here, we overcome these problems via a transductive extension of maximum entropy/improved iterative scaling for aggregation in distributed classification. This method is shown to achieve improved decision accuracy over the earlier transductive approach and fixed rules on a number of UC Irvine datasets.

Distribution of Cervical Lymph Node Metastases From Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx in the Era of Risk Stratification Using Human Papillomavirus and Smoking Status.

Science.gov (United States)

Amsbaugh, Mark J; Yusuf, Mehran; Cash, Elizabeth; Silverman, Craig; Wilson, Elizabeth; Bumpous, Jeffrey; Potts, Kevin; Perez, Cesar; Bert, Robert; Redman, Rebecca; Dunlap, Neal

2016-10-01

To investigate the factors contributing to the clinical presentation of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) in the era of risk stratification using human papilloma virus (HPV) and smoking status. All patients with OPSCC presenting to our institutional multidisciplinary clinic from January 2009 to June 2015 were reviewed from a prospective database. The patients were grouped as being at low risk, intermediate risk, and high risk in the manner described by Ang et al. Variance in clinical presentation was examined using χ(2), Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and logistic regression analyses. The rates of HPV/p16 positivity (Phigh-risk patients presented with tumor stage T4 at a much higher than expected frequency (P=.003). Patients with BOT primary tumors who were never-smokers were less likely to have clinically involved ipsilateral neck disease than were former smokers (odds ratio 1.8; P=.038). The distribution of cervical lymph node metastases was not associated with HPV/p16 positivity, risk group, or subsite. When these data were compared with those in historical series, no significant differences were seen in the patterns of cervical lymph node metastases for patients with OPSCC. For patients with OPSCC differences in HPV status, smoking history and anatomic subsite were associated with differences in clinical presentation but not with distribution of cervical lymph node metastases. Historical series describing the patterns of cervical lymph node metastases in patients with OPSCC remain clinically relevant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Islanding Operation of Distribution System with Distributed Generations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahat, Pukar; Chen, Zhe; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte

2010-01-01

The growing interest in distributed generations (DGs) due to environmental concern and various other reasons have resulted in significant penetration of DGs in many distribution system worldwide. DGs come with many benefits. One of the benefits is improved reliability by supplying load during power...

Improved Load Shedding Scheme considering Distributed Generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Das, Kaushik; Nitsas, Antonios; Altin, Müfit

2017-01-01

With high penetration of distributed generation (DG), the conventional under-frequency load shedding (UFLS) face many challenges and may not perform as expected. This article proposes new UFLS schemes, which are designed to overcome the shortcomings of traditional load shedding scheme...

A disease-specific enteral nutrition formula improves nutritional status and functional performance in patients with head and neck and esophageal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy: results of a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Fietkau, Rainer; Lewitzki, Victor; Kuhnt, Thomas; Hölscher, Tobias; Hess, Clemens-F; Berger, Bernhard; Wiegel, Thomas; Rödel, Claus; Niewald, Marcus; Hermann, Robert M; Lubgan, Dorota

2013-09-15

In patients with head and neck and esophageal tumors, nutritional status may deteriorate during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of enteral nutrition enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on body composition and nutritional and functional status. In a controlled, randomized, prospective, double-blind, multicenter study, 111 patients with head and neck and esophageal cancer undergoing concurrent CRT received either an enteral standard nutrition (control group) or disease-specific enteral nutrition Supportan®-containing EPA+DHA (experimental group) via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The primary endpoint was the change of body cell mass (BCM) following CRT at weeks 7 and 14 compared with the baseline value. Secondary endpoints were additional parameters of body composition, anthropometric parameters, and nutritional and functional status. The primary endpoint of the study, improvement in BCM, reached borderline statistical significance. Following CRT, patients with experimental nutrition lost only 0.82 ± 0.64 kg of BCM compared with 2.82 ± 0.77 kg in the control group (P = .055). The objectively measured nutritional parameters, such as body weight and fat-free mass, showed a tendency toward improvement, but the differences were not significant. The subjective parameters, in particular the Kondrup score (P = .0165) and the subjective global assessment score (P = .0065) after follow-up improved significantly in the experimental group, compared with the control group. Both enteral regimens were safe and well tolerated. Enteral nutrition with EPA and DHA may be advantageous in patients with head and neck or esophageal cancer by improving parameters of nutritional and functional status during CRT. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Marketing & Distributive Education. Committed to the Improvement of Marketing.

Science.gov (United States)

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Office of Vocational Education.

This package consists of 34 transparency masters outlining the nature and scope of marketing and distributive education. Included in the set are transparency masters addressing the following themes: the interconnectedness of education, labor, and work; objectives of marketing and distributive education at both the secondary and postsecondary…

Improved Predictions of the Geographic Distribution of Invasive Plants Using Climatic Niche Models

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez-Albores, Jorge E.; Bustamante, Ramiro O.

2016-01-01

naturally established individuals because this improves the accuracy of predictions about their distribution ranges. PMID:27195983

Income Status and Homeownership: Micro-econometric Evidence ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF. O. E. OSUAGWU

2013-09-01

Sep 1, 2013 ... One of the core ambition of Federal Government staff of Nigeria is to own a home in urban areas. Generally ... Key words:Home ownership, income status, Simplistic Linear Probability Model, fiscal. Policies .... statistical area adjusted by socioeconomic and housing ... affects the country distribution of U.S..

Loveridge’s Angolan geckos, Afroedura karroica bogerti and Pachydactylus scutatus angolensis (Sauria, Gekkonidae: new distribution records, comments on type localities and taxonomic status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William R. Branch

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In 1944 Loveridge described two new geckos from Angola Afroedura karroica bogerti and Pachydactylus scutatus angolensis. The descriptions of both species have vague and confusing type localities and refinements are suggested based on early expedition reports historical accounts from the region and a review of cartographic material. Numerous new distribution records are reported for both species from expeditions undertaken from 1956–2016 by the authors or their colleagues. The taxonomic status of both species has changed but new material from diverse habitats altitudes and geological substrates indicates that further taxonomic adjustments are likely in order to reflect additional cryptic diversity.

Improving feeding powder distribution to the compaction zone in the roller compaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mingzhe; Omar, Chalak; Schmidt, Alexander; Litster, James D; Salman, Agba D

2018-07-01

In the roller compaction process, powder flow properties have a significant influence on the uniformity of the ribbon properties. The objective of this work was to improve the powder flow in the feeding zone by developing novel feeding guiders which are located in the feeding zone close to the rollers in the roller compactor (side sealing system). Three novel feeding guiders were designed by 3D printing and used in the roller compactor, aiming to control the amount of powder passing across the roller width. The new feeding guiders were used to guide more powder to the sides between the rollers and less powder to the centre comparing to the original feeding elements. Temperature profile and porosity across the ribbon width indicated the uniformity of the ribbon properties. Using the novel feeding guiders resulted in producing ribbons with uniform temperature profile and porosity distribution across the ribbon width. The design of the feeding guiders contributed to improving the tensile strength of the ribbons produced from the compaction stage as well as reducing the fines produced from the crushing stage. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distributed Video Coding: Iterative Improvements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luong, Huynh Van

Nowadays, emerging applications such as wireless visual sensor networks and wireless video surveillance are requiring lightweight video encoding with high coding efficiency and error-resilience. Distributed Video Coding (DVC) is a new coding paradigm which exploits the source statistics...... and noise modeling and also learn from the previous decoded Wyner-Ziv (WZ) frames, side information and noise learning (SING) is proposed. The SING scheme introduces an optical flow technique to compensate the weaknesses of the block based SI generation and also utilizes clustering of DCT blocks to capture...... cross band correlation and increase local adaptivity in noise modeling. During decoding, the updated information is used to iteratively reestimate the motion and reconstruction in the proposed motion and reconstruction reestimation (MORE) scheme. The MORE scheme not only reestimates the motion vectors...

Robust Improvement in Estimation of a Covariance Matrix in an Elliptically Contoured Distribution Respect to Quadratic Loss Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Khodadadi

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Let S be matrix of residual sum of square in linear model Y = Aβ + e where matrix e is distributed as elliptically contoured with unknown scale matrix Σ. In present work, we consider the problem of estimating Σ with respect to squared loss function, L(Σˆ , Σ = tr(ΣΣˆ −1 −I 2 . It is shown that improvement of the estimators were obtained by James, Stein [7], Dey and Srivasan [1] under the normality assumption remains robust under an elliptically contoured distribution respect to squared loss function

Siting and sizing of distributed generators based on improved simulated annealing particle swarm optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Hongsheng

2017-12-18

Distributed power grids generally contain multiple diverse types of distributed generators (DGs). Traditional particle swarm optimization (PSO) and simulated annealing PSO (SA-PSO) algorithms have some deficiencies in site selection and capacity determination of DGs, such as slow convergence speed and easily falling into local trap. In this paper, an improved SA-PSO (ISA-PSO) algorithm is proposed by introducing crossover and mutation operators of genetic algorithm (GA) into SA-PSO, so that the capabilities of the algorithm are well embodied in global searching and local exploration. In addition, diverse types of DGs are made equivalent to four types of nodes in flow calculation by the backward or forward sweep method, and reactive power sharing principles and allocation theory are applied to determine initial reactive power value and execute subsequent correction, thus providing the algorithm a better start to speed up the convergence. Finally, a mathematical model of the minimum economic cost is established for the siting and sizing of DGs under the location and capacity uncertainties of each single DG. Its objective function considers investment and operation cost of DGs, grid loss cost, annual purchase electricity cost, and environmental pollution cost, and the constraints include power flow, bus voltage, conductor current, and DG capacity. Through applications in an IEEE33-node distributed system, it is found that the proposed method can achieve desirable economic efficiency and safer voltage level relative to traditional PSO and SA-PSO algorithms, and is a more effective planning method for the siting and sizing of DGs in distributed power grids.

Effects of Vitrectomy and Lensectomy on Older Rhesus Macaques: Oxygen Distribution, Antioxidant Status, and Aqueous Humor Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegfried, Carla J; Shui, Ying-Bo; Tian, Baohe; Nork, T Michael; Heatley, Gregg A; Kaufman, Paul L

2017-08-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate effects of vitrectomy (PPV) and lens extraction with intraocular lens implantation (PE/IOL) on molecular oxygen (pO2) distribution, aqueous humor antioxidant-oxidant balance, aqueous humor dynamics, and histopathologic changes in the trabecular meshwork (TM) in the older macaque monkey. Six rhesus monkeys underwent PPV followed by PE/IOL. pO2, outflow facility, and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured. Aqueous and vitreous humor specimens were analyzed for antioxidant status and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative damage. TM specimens were obtained for immunohistochemical and quantitative PCR analysis. pO2 at baseline revealed steep gradients in the anterior chamber and low levels in the posterior chamber (PC) and around the lens. Following PPV and PE/IOL, pO2 significantly increased in the PC, around the IOL, and angle. IOP increased following both surgical interventions, with no change in outflow facility. Histopathologic analysis did not show changes in TM cell quantification, but there was an increase in 8-OHdG. Quantitative PCR did not reveal significant differences in glaucoma-related gene expression. Aqueous and vitreous humor analysis revealed decreased ascorbate and total reactive antioxidant potential and increased 8-OHdG in the aqueous humor only in the surgical eyes. Oxygen distribution in the older rhesus monkey is similar to humans at baseline and following surgical interventions. Our findings of histopathologic changes of TM oxidative damage and alterations in the oxidant-antioxidant balance suggest a potential correlation of increased oxygen exposure with oxidative stress/damage and the development of open angle glaucoma.

The Impact of Distributed Generation on Distribution Networks ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Their advantages are the ability to reduce or postpone the need for investment in the transmission and distribution infrastructure when optimally located; the ability to reduce technical losses within the transmission and distribution networks as well as general improvement in power quality and system reliability. This paper ...

Status of TRISTAN operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, Kotaro

1990-01-01

The present status of the TRISTAN operation is summarized mainly after the installation of superconducting cavities in the 1988 summer shutdown. The paper describes the initial experience of the superconducting cavity operation, the colliding operation at 30.4 GeV and the beam injection. Future improvement is also reported. (author)

Trends in mortality differentials and life expectancy for male social security-covered workers, by socioeconomic status.

Science.gov (United States)

Waldron, Hilary

2007-01-01

This article presents an analysis of trends in mortality differentials and life expectancy by average relative earnings for male Social Security-covered workers aged 60 or older. Because average relative earnings are measured at the peak of the earnings distribution (ages 45-55), it is assumed that they act as a rough proxy for socioeconomic status. The historical literature reviewed in this analysis generally indicates that mortality differentials by socioeconomic status have not been constant over time. For this study, time trends are examined by observing how mortality differentials by average relative earnings have been changing over 29 years of successive birth cohorts that encompass roughly the first third of the 20th century. Deaths for these birth cohorts are observed at ages 60-89 from 1972 through 2001, encompassing roughly the last third of the 20th century. The large size and long span of death observations allow for disaggregation by age and year-of-birth groups in the estimation of mortality differentials by socioeconomic status. This study finds a difference in both the level and the rate of change in mortality improvement over time by socioeconomic status for male Social Security-covered workers. Average relative earnings (measured as the relative average positive earnings of an individual between ages 45 and 55) are used as a proxy for adult socioeconomic status. In general, for birth cohorts spanning the years 1912-1941 (or deaths spanning the years 1972-2001 at ages 60-89), the top half of the average relative earnings distribution has experienced faster mortality improvement than has the bottom half. Specifically, male Social Security-covered workers born in 1941 who had average relative earnings in the top half of the earnings distribution and who lived to age 60 would be expected to live 5.8 more years than their counterparts in the bottom half. In contrast, among male Social Security-covered workers born in 1912 who survived to age 60, those

It is time to improve the quality of medical information distributed to students across social media.

Science.gov (United States)

Zucker, Benjamin E; Kontovounisios, Christos

2018-01-01

The ubiquitous nature of social media has meant that its effects on fields outside of social communication have begun to be felt. The generation undergoing medical education are of the generation referred to as "digital natives", and as such routinely incorporate social media into their education. Social media's incorporation into medical education includes its use as a platform to distribute information to the public ("distributive education") and as a platform to provide information to a specific audience ("push education"). These functions have proved beneficial in many regards, such as enabling constant access to the subject matter, other learners, and educators. However, the usefulness of using social media as part of medical education is limited by the vast quantities of poor quality information and the time required to find information of sufficient quality and relevance, a problem confounded by many student's preoccupation with "efficient" learning. In this Perspective, the authors discuss whether social media has proved useful as a tool for medical education. The current growth in the use of social media as a tool for medical education seems to be principally supported by students' desire for efficient learning rather than by the efficacy of social media as a resource for medical education. Therefore, improvements in the quality of information required to maximize the impact of social media as a tool for medical education are required. Suggested improvements include an increase in the amount of educational content distributed on social media produced by academic institutions, such as universities and journals.

Well-being, health, and productivity improvement after an employee well-being intervention in large retail distribution centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajaratnam, Augustine S; Sears, Lindsay E; Shi, Yuyan; Coberley, Carter R; Pope, James E

2014-12-01

To evaluate changes in well-being, biometric, and productivity indicators after a well-being intervention. Biometric and self-reported outcomes were assessed among 677 retail distribution center employees before and after a 6-month well-being intervention. Despite lower well-being at baseline compared to an independent random sample of workers, program participants' well-being, productivity, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol improved significantly after the intervention, whereas the decline in diastolic blood pressure was not significant. Moreover, participants' specific transition across well-being segments over the intervention period demonstrated more improvement than decline. There is evidence that programs designed to improve well-being within a workforce can be used to significantly and positively impact employee health and productivity, which should result in reduced health care costs, improved employee productivity, and increased overall profitability.

An improved algorithm for connectivity analysis of distribution networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kansal, M.L.; Devi, Sunita

2007-01-01

In the present paper, an efficient algorithm for connectivity analysis of moderately sized distribution networks has been suggested. Algorithm is based on generation of all possible minimal system cutsets. The algorithm is efficient as it identifies only the necessary and sufficient conditions of system failure conditions in n-out-of-n type of distribution networks. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated with the help of saturated and unsaturated distribution networks. The computational efficiency of the algorithm is justified by comparing the computational efforts with the previously suggested appended spanning tree (AST) algorithm. The proposed technique has the added advantage as it can be utilized for generation of system inequalities which is useful in reliability estimation of capacitated networks

Plants status monitor: Modelling techniques and inherent benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breeding, R.J.; Lainoff, S.M.; Rees, D.C.; Prather, W.A.; Fickiessen, K.O.E.

1987-01-01

The Plant Status Monitor (PSM) is designed to provide plant personnel with information on the operational status of the plant and compliance with the plant technical specifications. The PSM software evaluates system models using a 'distributed processing' technique in which detailed models of individual systems are processed rather than by evaluating a single, plant-level model. In addition, development of the system models for PSM provides inherent benefits to the plant by forcing detailed reviews of the technical specifications, system design and operating procedures, and plant documentation. (orig.)

Education and training in radiation protection in Korea: Current status and improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Mi Yeon; Kim; Hyun Kee; Nam, Young Mi; Nam, Jong Soo; Lee, Ki Bog

2012-01-01

Radiation and its various industrial applications have been growing at approximately 10 percent per year for the past decade in Korea. As a result, the importance of the Education and Training (E and T) in radiation protection is of upmost importance. This paper is intended to investigate the present status of the E and T on radiation protection and safety in Korea and to draw up the improvements of the E and T courses required for building the national radiation safety infrastructure. For these purposes, the E and T data from the six major domestic organizations providing radiation protection training courses were investigated and analyzed. Each of the organizations is offering several kinds of E and T courses based on their own specific functions. These organizations have administrative facilities equipped with the latest technology for E and T in radiation protection. The E and T courses mainly cover the training courses for radiation workers, radiological emergency staff, license applicants, license holders, and regulatory staff. In 2010, a total of 58 E and T courses were carried out across six organizations. The conclusions make a number of observations highlighting challenges such as: establishing a formal feedback mechanism, introducing more practical training sessions, developing training courses tailored to the job categories and target audiences, and designing education and training courses in radiation protection that comply with current obligations as well as future requirements.

Education and training in radiation protection in Korea: Current status and improvements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, Mi Yeon; Kim; Hyun Kee; Nam, Young Mi; Nam, Jong Soo; Lee, Ki Bog [Nuclear Training and Education Center, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon(Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

Radiation and its various industrial applications have been growing at approximately 10 percent per year for the past decade in Korea. As a result, the importance of the Education and Training (E and T) in radiation protection is of upmost importance. This paper is intended to investigate the present status of the E and T on radiation protection and safety in Korea and to draw up the improvements of the E and T courses required for building the national radiation safety infrastructure. For these purposes, the E and T data from the six major domestic organizations providing radiation protection training courses were investigated and analyzed. Each of the organizations is offering several kinds of E and T courses based on their own specific functions. These organizations have administrative facilities equipped with the latest technology for E and T in radiation protection. The E and T courses mainly cover the training courses for radiation workers, radiological emergency staff, license applicants, license holders, and regulatory staff. In 2010, a total of 58 E and T courses were carried out across six organizations. The conclusions make a number of observations highlighting challenges such as: establishing a formal feedback mechanism, introducing more practical training sessions, developing training courses tailored to the job categories and target audiences, and designing education and training courses in radiation protection that comply with current obligations as well as future requirements.

Health status of people of slums in Nairobi, Kenya

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulis, Gabriel; Mulumba, J.A.A.; Juma, Olivia; Kakosova, Beatrica

2004-01-01

The objective of this study was to describe the health status of people living in the slums of Nairobi. It was designed as a cross-sectional study based on data from visitors at a clinic at Trnava University located in Mukuru slum in Nairobi. There were about 16,000 visits registered at Mary Immaculate Clinic of Trnava University in Nairobi during 2 years of operation. A random 5% sample was drawn from the paper-card database of this clinic to assess basic characteristics and health complaints of visitors. Both self-reported health complaints and diagnoses written by physicians were used to assess health status of participants. More females with average age (by slum) ranging from 20.46 to 21.30 years than males with average age ranging from (by slum) 15.86 to 19.49 years are the visitors of the clinic. The major self-reported health complaints of visitors were cough, abdominal pain, and headache for both sexes. The most frequent diagnoses were consequently virosis, acute respiratory infections, and bronchitis. Differences in health complaints by slums were observed and are described herein. The major health complaints and diagnoses in addition to the differences in health complaints and diagnoses by slum show that environmental conditions can have major influences on health status. Therefore, environmental improvements are important in the improvement of health status. A very high prevalence of respiratory complaints and gastrointestinal problems signify that improvements in air pollution reduction, drinking water provision, and waste management in slums can lead to more significant and sustainable improvements in health status than just simple treatment. This fact should be taken into account when planning future relief programs

Changes in performance status of elderly patients after radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Hideya; Inoue, Takehiro; Yoshida, Ken

2001-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of external radiation therapy for patients 80 years old and older. We analyzed changes in the performance status (PS) of 1353 patients by external radiotherapy at Osaka Teishin Hospital. In addition, factors influencing PS change and interruption of treatment were assessed in patients undergoing radical and palliative radiotherapy. Among elderly patients aged 80 years or more (n=67), two patients showed deterioration in PS (3%), whereas 128 (10%) did so among those 79 years old or younger. The rate of treatment completion was 90% (60/67) for patients aged 80 years and over compared with 89% (1146/1286) for younger patients. Changes in PS were more frequent for palliative treatment (improvement 83/683, 12%; deterioration 77/683, 11%) than for radical treatment (improvement 12/305, 4%:, deterioration 21/305, 7%) because patients with better performance status and early disease stages underwent radical treatment. For radical radiotherapy, patients with advanced disease (stages III and IV) showed more changes (improvement 4/108, 4%; deterioration 17/108, 16%) than those with early ones (stages I and II) (improvement 7/132, 5%; deterioration 3/132, 2%) (p<0.01). Better treatment results showed a higher treatment completion rate (CR 99%, PR 86%) than poor treatment results (NC 75%, PD 50%) (p<0.01). For palliative therapy, better performance status (PS 0-2) showed a better correlation with completion of treatment (403/451 or 89%) than did poor performance status (PS 3-4) (174/232, 75%) (p<0.01). Age is not a limiting factor for external radiation therapy. Poor performance status is a significant predisposing factor for interruption of palliative radiotherapy. (author)

Wavelet analysis to decompose a vibration simulation signal to improve pre-distribution testing of packaging

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, K. R.; Hicks, B. J.; Keogh, P. S.; Shires, D.

2016-08-01

In general, vehicle vibration is non-stationary and has a non-Gaussian probability distribution; yet existing testing methods for packaging design employ Gaussian distributions to represent vibration induced by road profiles. This frequently results in over-testing and/or over-design of the packaging to meet a specification and correspondingly leads to wasteful packaging and product waste, which represent 15bn per year in the USA and €3bn per year in the EU. The purpose of the paper is to enable a measured non-stationary acceleration signal to be replaced by a constructed signal that includes as far as possible any non-stationary characteristics from the original signal. The constructed signal consists of a concatenation of decomposed shorter duration signals, each having its own kurtosis level. Wavelet analysis is used for the decomposition process into inner and outlier signal components. The constructed signal has a similar PSD to the original signal, without incurring excessive acceleration levels. This allows an improved and more representative simulated input signal to be generated that can be used on the current generation of shaker tables. The wavelet decomposition method is also demonstrated experimentally through two correlation studies. It is shown that significant improvements over current international standards for packaging testing are achievable; hence the potential for more efficient packaging system design is possible.

The nonparametric bootstrap for the current status model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groeneboom, P.; Hendrickx, K.

2017-01-01

It has been proved that direct bootstrapping of the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the distribution function in the current status model leads to inconsistent confidence intervals. We show that bootstrapping of functionals of the MLE can however be used to produce valid

Hospital treatment, mortality and healthcare costs in relation to socioeconomic status among people with bipolar affective disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Ling-Ling; Chen, Yu-Chun; Kuo, Kuei-Hong; Chang, Chin-Kuo

2016-01-01

Background Evidence regarding the relationships between the socioeconomic status and long-term outcomes of individuals with bipolar affective disorder (BPD) is lacking. Aims We aimed to estimate the effects of baseline socioeconomic status on longitudinal outcomes. Method A national cohort of adult participants with newly diagnosed BPD was identified in 2008. The effects of personal and household socioeconomic status were explored on outcomes of hospital treatment, mortality and healthcare costs, over a 3-year follow-up period (2008–2011). Results A total of 7987 participants were recruited. The relative risks of hospital treatment and mortality were found elevated for the ones from low-income households who also had higher healthcare costs. Low premium levels did not correlate with future healthcare costs. Conclusions Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with poorer outcome and higher healthcare costs in BPD patients. Special care should be given to those with lower socioeconomic status to improve outcomes with potential benefits of cost savings in the following years. Declaration of interest None. Copyright and usage © 2016 The Royal College of Psychiatrists. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. PMID:27703748

White Mango Scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis , Distribution and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

White Mango Scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis , Distribution and Severity Status in East and West Wollega Zones, ... Among the insect pests attacking mango plant, white mango scale is the most devastating insect pest. ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

Customer system efficiency improvement assessment: Supply curves for transmission and distribution conservation options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tepel, R.C.; Callaway, J.W.; De Steese, J.G.

1987-11-01

This report documents the results of Task 6 in the Customer System Efficiency Improvement (CSEI) Assessment Project. A principal objective of this project is to assess the potential for energy conservation in the transmission and distribution (TandD) systems of electric utilities in the BPA service area. The scope of this assessment covers BPA customers in the Pacific Northwest region and all non-federal TandD systems, including those that currently place no load on the BPA system. Supply curves were developed to describe the conservation resource potentially available from TandD-system efficiency improvements. These supply curves relate the levelized cost of upgrading existing equipment to the estimated amount of energy saved. Stated in this form, the resource represented by TandD loss reductions can be compared with other conservation options and regional electrical generation resources to determine the most cost-effective method of supplying power to the Pacific Northwest. The development of the supply curves required data acquisition and methodology development that are also described in this report. 11 refs., 11 figs., 16 tabs.

Analysis the Response Function of the HTR Ex-core Neutron Detectors in Different Core Status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Kai; Li Fu; Zhou Xuhua

2014-01-01

Modular high temperature gas cooled reactor HTR-PM demonstration plant, designed by INET, Tsinghua University, is being built in Shidao Bay, Shandong province, China. HTR-PM adopts pebble bed concept. The harmonic synthesis method has been developed to reconstruct the power distributions on HTR-PM. The method based on the assumption that the neutron detector readings are mainly determined by the status of the core through the power distribution, and the response functions changed little when the status of the core changed. To verify the assumption, the influence factors to the ex-core neutron detectors are calculated in this paper, including the control rod position and the temperature of the core. The results shows that when the status of the core changed, the power distribution changed more remarkable than the response function, but the detector readings could change about 5% because of the response function changing. (author)

Improvement of maternal vitamin D status with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol positively impacts porcine fetal skeletal muscle development and myoblast activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hines, E A; Coffey, J D; Starkey, C W; Chung, T K; Starkey, J D

2013-09-01

There is little information available regarding the influence of maternal vitamin D status on fetal skeletal muscle development. Therefore, we investigated the effect of improved vitamin D status resulting from 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25OHD3) supplementation of dams on fetal skeletal muscle developmental characteristics and myoblast activity using Camborough 22 gilts (n = 40) randomly assigned to 1 of 2 corn-soybean meal-based diets. The control diet (CTL) contained 2,500 IU cholecalciferol (D3)/kg diet, whereas the experimental diet contained 500 IU D3/kg diet plus 50 µg 25OHD3/kg diet. Gilts were fed 2.7 kg of their assigned diet once daily beginning 43 d before breeding through d 90 of gestation. On gestational d 90 (± 1), fetal LM and semitendinosus muscle samples were collected for analysis of developmental characteristics and myoblast activity, respectively. No treatment difference was observed in fetal LM cross-sectional area (P = 0.25). Fetuses from 25OHD3-supplemented gilts had more LM fibers (P = 0.04) that tended to be smaller in cross-sectional area compared with CTL fetuses (P = 0.11). A numerical increase in the total number of Pax7+ myoblasts was also observed in fetuses from 25OHD3-supplemented gilts (P = 0.12). Myoblasts derived from the muscles of fetuses from 25OHD3-fed dams displayed an extended proliferative phase in culture compared with those from fetuses of dams fed only D3 (P importance of maternal vitamin D status on the development of fetal skeletal muscle.

Health status of refugees settled in Alberta: changes since arrival.

Science.gov (United States)

Maximova, Katerina; Krahn, Harvey

2010-01-01

This paper sought to examine which pre- and post-migration factors might be associated with changes in refugees' health status. Using linear regression, the associations between pre- and post-migration factors and changes in self-rated mental and physical health status were examined in 525 refugees from the 1998 Settlement Experiences of Refugees in Alberta study. Having spent time in a refugee camp and having held professional/managerial jobs in one's home country were associated with a greater decline in mental health status since arrival in Canada. Having completed a university degree in one's home country was associated with a greater decline in physical health status. Being employed was associated with greater improvements in mental health status. Perceived economic hardship was associated with greater declines in physical health status. A higher number of settlement services received during the first year in Canada was associated with greater improvements in both mental and physical health status. Longer residence in Canada was associated with greater declines in physical health status but not in mental health status. While little can be done to alter refugees' pre-migration experiences, public policies can affect many post-migration experiences in order to mitigate the negative health consequences associated with resettlement. Results of this study point to the need for continued provision of settlement services to assist refugees with job training, labour market access, and credential recognition, as well as counseling for refugees who experienced the trauma of living in a refugee camp.

Transverse momentum dependent (TMD) parton distribution functions : status and prospects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Angeles-Martinez, R.; Bacchetta, A.; Balitsky, I.I.; Boer, D.; Boglione, M.; Boussarie, R.; Ceccopieri, F.A.; Cherednikov, I.O.; Connor, P.; Echevarria, M. G.; Ferrera, G.; Luyando, J. Grados; Hautmann, F.; Jung, H.; Kasemets, T.; Kutak, K.; Lansberg, J.P.; Lelek, A.; Lykasov, G.; Martinez, J. D. Madrigal; Mulders, P. J.; Nocera, Emanuele R.; Petreska, E.; Pisano, C.; Placakyte, R.; Radescu, V.; Radici, M.; Schnell, G.; Scimemi, I.; Signori, A.; Szymanowski, L.; Monfared, S. Taheri; van der Veken, F.F.; van Haevermaet, H.J.; van Mechelen, P.; Vladimirov, A.; Wallon, S.

2015-01-01

We review transverse momentum dependent (TMD) parton distribution functions, their application to topical issues in high-energy physics phenomenology, and their theoretical connections with QCD resummation, evolution and factorization theorems. We illustrate the use of TMDs via examples of

Weighted radial dimension: an improved fractal measurement for highway transportation networks distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yongjiu; Liu, Miaolong; Tong, Xiaohua

2007-06-01

An improved fractal measurement, the weighted radial dimension, is put forward for highway transportation networks distribution. The radial dimension (DL), originated from subway investigation in Stuttgart, is a fractal measurement for transportation systems under ideal assumption considering all the network lines to be homogeneous curves, ignoring the difference on spatial structure, quality and level, especially the highway networks. Considering these defects of radial dimension, an improved fractal measurement called weighted radial dimension (D WL) is introduced and the transportation system in Guangdong province is studied in detail using this novel method. Weighted radial dimensions are measured and calculated, and the spatial structure, intensity and connectivity of transportation networks are discussed in Guangdong province and the four sub-areas: the Pearl River Delta area, the East Costal area, the West Costal area and the Northern Guangdong area. In Guangdong province, the fractal spatial pattern characteristics of transportation system vary remarkably: it is the highest in the Pearl River Delta area, moderate in Costal area and lowest in the Northern Guangdong area. With the Pearl River Delta area as the centre, the weighted radial dimensions decrease with the distance increasing, while the decline level is smaller in the costal area and greater in the Northern Guangdong province. By analysis of the conic of highway density, it is recognized that the density decrease with the distance increasing from the calculation centre (Guangzhou), demonstrating the same trend as weighted radial dimensions shown. Evidently, the improved fractal measurement, weighted radial dimension, is an indictor describing the characteristics of highway transportation system more effectively and accurately.

An improved two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol with added noise in homodyne detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Maozhu; Peng Xiang; Guo Hong

2013-01-01

We propose an improved two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV QKD) protocol by adding proper random noise on the receiver’s homodyne detection, the security of which is analysed against general collective attacks. The simulation result under the collective entangling cloner attack indicates that despite the correlation between two-way channels decreasing the secret key rate relative to the uncorrelated channels slightly, the performance of the two-way protocol is still far beyond that of the one-way protocols. Importantly, the added noise in detection is beneficial for the secret key rate and the tolerable excess noise of this two-way protocol. With the reasonable reconciliation efficiency of 90%, the two-way CV QKD with added noise allows the distribution of secret keys over 60 km fibre distance. (paper)

Scaling precipitation input to spatially distributed hydrological models by measured snow distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Vögeli

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Accurate knowledge on snow distribution in alpine terrain is crucial for various applicationssuch as flood risk assessment, avalanche warning or managing water supply and hydro-power.To simulate the seasonal snow cover development in alpine terrain, the spatially distributed,physics-based model Alpine3D is suitable. The model is typically driven by spatial interpolationsof observations from automatic weather stations (AWS, leading to errors in the spatial distributionof atmospheric forcing. With recent advances in remote sensing techniques, maps of snowdepth can be acquired with high spatial resolution and accuracy. In this work, maps of the snowdepth distribution, calculated from summer and winter digital surface models based on AirborneDigital Sensors (ADS, are used to scale precipitation input data, with the aim to improve theaccuracy of simulation of the spatial distribution of snow with Alpine3D. A simple method toscale and redistribute precipitation is presented and the performance is analysed. The scalingmethod is only applied if it is snowing. For rainfall the precipitation is distributed by interpolation,with a simple air temperature threshold used for the determination of the precipitation phase.It was found that the accuracy of spatial snow distribution could be improved significantly forthe simulated domain. The standard deviation of absolute snow depth error is reduced up toa factor 3.4 to less than 20 cm. The mean absolute error in snow distribution was reducedwhen using representative input sources for the simulation domain. For inter-annual scaling, themodel performance could also be improved, even when using a remote sensing dataset from adifferent winter. In conclusion, using remote sensing data to process precipitation input, complexprocesses such as preferential snow deposition and snow relocation due to wind or avalanches,can be substituted and modelling performance of spatial snow distribution is improved.

Review of mercury pollution in South Africa: current status

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Walters, Chavon R

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The present paper is a review on the status of mercury (Hg) as a pollutant in South African aquatic ecosystems. Spatial patterns of Hg distribution and bioaccumulation in water resources were investigated by collecting and analyzing multimedia...

Improving transparency and reproducibility through registration: The status of intervention trials published in clinical psychology journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Cybulski, Lukasz; Mayo-Wilson, Evan; Grant, Sean

2016-09-01

Prospective registration increases the validity of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In the United States, registration is a legal requirement for drugs and devices regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and many biomedical journals refuse to publish trials that are not registered. Trials in clinical psychology have not been subject to these requirements; it is unknown to what extent they are registered. We searched the 25 highest-impact clinical psychology journals that published at least 1 RCT of a health-related psychological intervention in 2013. For included trials, we evaluated their registration status (prospective, retrospective, not registered) and the completeness of their outcome definitions. We identified 163 articles that reported 165 RCTs; 73 (44%) RCTs were registered, of which only 25 (15%) were registered prospectively. Of registered RCTs, only 42 (58%) indicated their registration status in the publication. Only 2 (1% of all trials) were registered prospectively and defined their primary outcomes completely. For the primary outcome(s), 72 (99%) of all registrations defined the domain, 67 (92%) the time frame, and 48 (66%) the specific measurements. Only 19 (26%) and 5 (7%) defined the specific metric and method of aggregation, respectively, for all primary outcomes. Very few reports of RCTs published in clinical psychology journals were registered prospectively and completely. Clinical psychology journals could improve transparency and reproducibility, as well as reduce bias, by requiring complete prospective trial registration for publication and by including trial registration numbers in all reports of RCTs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Endothelial activation microparticles and inflammation status improve with exercise training in african americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Babbitt, Dianne M; Diaz, Keith M; Feairheller, Deborah L; Sturgeon, Kathleen M; Perkins, Amanda M; Veerabhadrappa, Praveen; Williamson, Sheara T; Kretzschmar, Jan; Ling, Chenyi; Lee, Hojun; Grimm, Heather; Thakkar, Sunny R; Crabbe, Deborah L; Kashem, Mohammed A; Brown, Michael D

2013-01-01

African Americans have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world which may emanate from their predisposition to heightened endothelial inflammation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 6-month aerobic exercise training (AEXT) intervention on the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and endothelial microparticle (EMP) CD62E+ and endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in African Americans. A secondary purpose was to evaluate whether changes in IL-10, IL-6, or CD62E+ EMPs predicted the change in FMD following the 6-month AEXT intervention. A pre-post design was employed with baseline evaluation including office blood pressure, FMD, fasting blood sampling, and graded exercise testing. Participants engaged in 6 months of AEXT. Following the AEXT intervention, all baseline tests were repeated. FMD significantly increased, CD62E+ EMPs and IL-6 significantly decreased, and IL-10 increased but not significantly following AEXT. Changes in inflammatory biomarkers did not significantly predict the change in FMD. The change in VO2 max significantly predicted the change in IL-10. Based on these results, AEXT may be a viable, nonpharmacological method to improve inflammation status and endothelial function and thereby contribute to risk reduction for cardiovascular disease in African Americans.

Conservation status of the freshwater mussels of the United States and Canada

Science.gov (United States)

James D. Williams; Melvin L. Warren; Kevin S. Cummings; John L. Harris; Richard J. Neves

1992-01-01

The American Fisheries Society (AFS) herein provides a list of all native freshwater mussels (families Margaritiferidae and Unionidae) in the United States and Canada. This report also provides state and provincial distributions; a comprehensive review of the conservation status of all taxa; and references on biology, conservation, and distribution of freshwater...

Linking hydrogen-mediated boron toxicity tolerance with improvement of root elongation, water status and reactive oxygen species balance: a case study for rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Duan, Xingliang; Xu, Sheng; Wang, Ren; Ouyang, Zhaozeng; Shen, Wenbiao

2016-12-01

Boron is essential for plant growth but hazardous when present in excess. As the antioxidant properties of hydrogen gas (H 2 ) were recently described in plants, oxidative stress induced by excess boron was investigated along with other biological responses during rice (Oryza sativa) seed germination to study the beneficial role of H 2 METHODS: Rice seeds were pretreated with exogenous H 2 Using physiological, pharmacological and molecular approaches, the production of endogenous H 2 , growth status, reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance and relative gene expression in rice were measured under boron stress to investigate mechanisms of H 2 -mediated boron toxicity tolerance. In our test, boron-inhibited seed germination and seedling growth, and endogenous H 2 production, were obviously blocked by exogenously applying H 2 The re-establishment of ROS balance was confirmed by reduced lipid peroxidation and ROS accumulation. Meanwhile, activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) were increased. Suppression of pectin methylesterase (PME) activity and downregulation of PME transcripts by H 2 were consistent with the alleviation of root growth inhibition caused by boron. Water status was improved as well. This result was confirmed by the upregulation of genes encoding specific aquaporins (AQPs), the maintenance of low osmotic potential and high content of soluble sugar. Increased transcription of representative AQP genes (PIP2;7 in particular) and BOR2 along with decreased BOR1 mRNA may contribute to lowering boron accumulation. Hydrogen provides boron toxicity tolerance mainly by improving root elongation, water status and ROS balance. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

FAKTOR PEMBANGUNAN WILAYAH TERHADAP STATUS GIZI BALITA DI INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.A. Ma’ruf

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Economic development in Indonesia has improved a lot, but in community there are still many problems related to poverty which in turn have an impact on heath. One of the health problems that associated with poverty are malnutrition. The research aimed to determine roles of the various fi elds of development to nutritional status. The analysis used Riskesdas 2013 (Balitbangkes, PSE and IPM (BPS data. They were analyzed using linear regression to examine the relationship of variables and the nutritional status. It showed that number of poor people, income per capita, literacy rates, adequacy of doctor and posyandu, ownership of health insurance, and knowledge of the availability of health facilities were correlated with malnutrition status of children under five. Whereas, number of midwives did not influence malnutrition status of children under five. The higher percentage of poor people infl uenced higher malnutrition status of children under fi ve. Meanwhile higher percentage of income per capita, literacy rates, adequacy of doctors and Posyandu, ownership of health insurance and knowledge of the availability of health facilities infl uenced lower malnutrition status of children under five. The development on the field of socio-economic was through additional employment, education through compulsory education, as well as the health sector by improving health services. It needs a sustained effort and long-term strategy in each area for the improvement of nutritional status of under five.ABSTRAK Pembangunan ekonomi di Indonesia sudah banyak mengalami peningkatan, akan tetapi di masyarakat masih banyak ditemukan masalah terkait kemiskinan yang pada akhirnya berdampak pada kesehatan. Salah satu masalah kesehatan yang terkait dengan kemiskinan yaitu gizi buruk. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran berbagai bidang pembangunan terhadap perubahan status kesehatan gizi balita. Analisis menggunakan data Riskesdas 2013 (Balitbangkes, PSE dan IPM

The Contribution of the Pharmaceutical Industry to the Health Status of the developing World

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Muniz Pereira Urias, E.; Fu, Xiaolan; Ghauri, Pervez N; Väätänen, Juha

2017-01-01

There is sufficient evidence to prove that the improved health status of a nation’s citizens results in economic growth and development via improved functionality and productivity of labor. It is also commonly accepted that healthcare expenditure significantly influences health status through, for

Improving the reliability of Class 1E power distribution to instrumentation and control cabinets on nuclear power plants in the USA. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brennen, M.B.

1995-09-01

This study was conducted to explore nontraditional electric power distribution concepts to improve the reliability of uninterruptible power to vital Instrumentation and Control (I and C) cabinets in future US nuclear power plants. The study incorporated comparative technical and economic evaluations of existing and nontraditional uninterruptible power supply (UPS) concepts. All nontraditional distribution concepts were based on available or already emerging components or semiconductor devices. Another purpose of the study was to reduce the cost and complexity of present power distribution and to lower maintenance, replacement, degradation and fault location requirements. The possible reduction of distribution losses, especially during operation under battery power, was also evaluated. The study indicates that direct current distribution at 48 or 125 Vdc levels would have more than an order of magnitude improvement over the reliability of present alternating current supplies at comparable cost. Furthermore, losses under battery power could be reduced significantly with respect to present distribution losses. An inherent advantage of DC distribution is that power transfer from the failed power bus to an operational bus occurs naturally and instantaneously via two simple and reliable semiconductor diodes. AC distribution, on the other hand, requires complex synchronization, decision making and gated semiconductor switching devices for power bus transfer all of which could be eliminated. Some of the concepts presented may also be applied to make existing vital (Class 1E) uninterruptible power supplies in US nuclear plants more reliable

International conference on the strengthening of nuclear safety in Eastern Europe. Keynote papers. Regulatory aspects of NPP safety, status of safety improvements, status of safety analysis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-06-01

The Objective of the Conference was to assess the past decade of nuclear safety efforts in countries operating WWER and RBMK nuclear reactors and to address remaining safety issues which require further work. A particular focus of the Conference was on international co-operation and assistance and where such efforts should be focused in the future. All Eastern European countries that operate RBMK or WWER reactors participated in the Conference, and presented papers on three key areas of nuclear safety: Regulatory Aspects of Nuclear Power Plant Safety; Status of Safety Improvements; and Status of Safety Analysis Reports. In addition, representatives from 18 additional countries that provide financial and/or technical assistance and co-operation in the area of WWER and RBMK safety offered the most extensive commentary. Key international (IAEA, World Association of Nuclear Operators, the Nuclear Energy Agency, the G-24 NUSAC, the European Commission, and the EBRD) organizations that provide nuclear safety assistance for WWER and RBMK reactors also made presentations. There is no question that considerable progress on nuclear safety has been made in Eastern Europe. Special mention should be made of successful efforts to strengthen the independence and technical competence of the nuclear regulatory authorities. Efforts should now concentrate on improving the depth and scope of the technical abilities of the regulatory authorities. More attention by governments is needed to ensure that the regulatory authorities have the financial resources and enforcement authority to fully execute their missions. In respect to the operators of the nuclear power plants, they have demonstrated clear progress in operational safety improvements. Significant additional efforts are required to maintain and enhance an effective safety culture. Design safety improvement programmes are in place in all countries. Implementation of these programmes has varied and is particularly affected by

Status and distribution patterns of selected medicinal and food tree ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tree species of ethno-botany and food relevance were identified and enumerated in the course of field survey in the study communities. The spatial distributions of six most-frequently utilized tree species were mapped using Geographical Information System (GIS). Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics ...

The status of perturbative QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, R.K.

1988-10-01

The advances in perturbative QCD are reviewed. The status of determinations of the coupling constant α/sub S/ and the parton distribution functions is presented. New theoretical results on the spin dependent structure functions of the proton are also reviewed. The theoretical description of the production of vector bosons, jets and heavy quarks is outlined with special emphasis on new results. Expected rates for top quark production at hadronic colliders are presented. 111 refs., 8 figs

Status of ECR ion sources at JAERI

CERN Document Server

Yokota, W; Nara, T; Ishi, Y; Arakawa, K; Ohkoshi, K

1999-01-01

At the Takasaki site of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, four ECR ion sources were purchased or developed so far. This paper will report their performance, modification and status. The outlines for each source are as follows; 1. OCTOPUS purchased from IBA s.a. has been in use with a cyclotron since 1990. The gas feed system was modified to change gas species within 10 minutes to avoid impurity ions in the cocktail beam acceleration technique of the cyclotron. 2. ECR-18 with 18-GHz microwave has a solenoid coil between a pair of mirror coils to change mirror ratio in a wide range. A bump between mirror peaks in the original axial field distribution was removed by halving the solenoid length. The performance in generating high charge state ions was significantly improved as a result. 3. HYPERNANOGAN was purchased from PANTECHNIK s.a. and installed in the cyclotron system this year. Test operation was successfully made with generation of Ar, Pb and Ta ions. 4. MINI ECR is a full permanent magnet source wi...

Effect of Human Placental Extract on Health Status in Elderly Koreans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihee Kong

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Human placental extract (HPE has begun to be used in Korea in various ways to improve health, even though evidence-based data is insufficient. This study investigated the effects of HPE on health status in elderly Koreans. Design. Randomized, single-blind, and case-control study design. Setting and Participants. Thirty-nine community-dwelling healthy Koreans ≥65 years of age. Intervention. The participants were randomly categorized into a placebo group (=17 and HPE group (=22. The HPE group received abdominal subcutaneous injections of HPE for 8 weeks. The placebo group was injected with normal saline. Measurements. The degree of health status was surveyed by the Korean health status measure for the elderly (KoHSME V1.0 at baseline and the end of the study. Results. In the HPE group, the scores of physical function, sexual life, and general heath perception at the end of the study period were significantly improved from baseline (=.007, .020, and .005, resp., while the health status of the placebo group remained unchanged during the study period. There was a significant difference over the study period between the two groups in the mean change of the physical function score (=.036. Conclusion. A HPE injection regimen can improve the health status in elderly Koreans.

Vitamin D3 distribution and status in the body.

Science.gov (United States)

Heaney, Robert P; Horst, Ronald L; Cullen, Diane M; Armas, Laura A G

2009-06-01

To estimate the amount, type, and tissue distribution of vitamin D in the adult body under typical inputs. Review and reanalysis of published measurements and analysis of tissue samples from growing pigs raised in confinement on diets providing about 2000 IU vitamin D/day. Cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration measured by HPLC. Mean serum 25(OH)D in all studies combined was 45 nmol/L. At the level of vitamin D repletion represented by this concentration, total body vitamin D would be 14,665 IU for a 70 kg adult woman. 65% of this total was present as native cholecalciferol and 35% as 25(OH)D. Nearly three-quarters of the cholecalciferol was in fat, while 25(OH)D was more evenly distributed throughout the body (20% in muscle, 30% in serum, 35% in fat, and 15% in all other tissues). At the daily vitamin D consumption rates in these animals total body stores provided only a approximately 7-day reserve. At total intakes on the order of 2000 IU/day, an adult has very little vitamin D reserve, despite intakes 10x the current recommendations. Those recommended inputs need to be increased by at least an order of magnitude. Food tables that fail to take into account 25(OH)D content of various meat products lead to underestimation of dietary vitamin D intake.

Supply and distribution of primary healthcare registered nurses in british columbia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Sabrina T; Watson, Diane E; Young, Ella; Mooney, Dawn

2009-11-01

WHAT DID WE DO?: This study uses an existing data source to (a) describe the population and geographic distribution of registered nurses (RNs) working in primary healthcare (PHC) in British Columbia, (b) compare this workforce to PHC physicians and (c) assess the distribution of PHC-RNs relative to population health status. WHAT DID WE LEARN?: Of the 27,570 practising RNs in British Columbia in 2000, there were 3,179 (12%) in the PHC workforce. This translates into 147 people per practising RN and 1,277 people per PHC-RN. In 2000, there were 990 people per PHC physician. PHC-RNs represented 43% of the combined PHC workforce of physicians and RNs. A large proportion (47%) of PHC-RNs worked in community health centres, whereas less than 2% worked in physicians' offices. Geographic distribution of PHC-RNs is similar to the distribution of PHC physicians and is not associated with population health status. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?: There seem to be sufficient PHC-RNs to implement policy objectives in support of interdisciplinary PHC teams, but physicians and nurses will increasingly need to practice in the same location or have access to electronic information systems to support coordination, continuity and comprehensiveness of PHC. The PHC workforce could be better deployed to align with population health status.

Flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach augment nitric oxide status and improve endothelial function in healthy men and women: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bondonno, Catherine P; Yang, Xingbin; Croft, Kevin D; Considine, Michael J; Ward, Natalie C; Rich, Lisa; Puddey, Ian B; Swinny, Ewald; Mubarak, Aidilla; Hodgson, Jonathan M

2012-01-01

Flavonoids and nitrates in fruits and vegetables may protect against cardiovascular disease. Dietary flavonoids and nitrates can augment nitric oxide status via distinct pathways, which may improve endothelial function and lower blood pressure. Recent studies suggest that the combination of flavonoids and nitrates can enhance nitric oxide production in the stomach. Their combined effect in the circulation is unclear. Here, our objective was to investigate the independent and additive effects of flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach on nitric oxide status, endothelial function, and blood pressure. A randomized, controlled, crossover trial with healthy men and women (n=30) was conducted. The acute effects of four energy-matched treatments (control, apple, spinach, and apple+spinach), administered in random order, were compared. Measurements included plasma nitric oxide status, assessed by measuring S-nitrosothiols+other nitrosylated species (RXNO) and nitrite, blood pressure, and endothelial function, measured as flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery. Results are means and 95% CI. Relative to control, all treatments resulted in higher RXNO (control, 33 nmol/L, 26, 42; apple, 51 nmol/L, 40, 65; spinach, 86 nmol/L, 68, 110; apple+spinach, 69 nmol/L, 54, 88; Pflow-mediated dilatation (Peffect was observed on diastolic blood pressure. The combination of apple and spinach did not result in additive effects on nitric oxide status, endothelial function, or blood pressure. In conclusion, flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach can independently augment nitric oxide status, enhance endothelial function, and lower blood pressure acutely, outcomes that may benefit cardiovascular health. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Health status has improved more in women than in men with rheumatoid arthritis from 1994 to 2009: results from the Oslo rheumatoid arthritis register.

Science.gov (United States)

Austad, C; Kvien, T K; Olsen, I C; Uhlig, T

2015-01-01

To examine changes in patient reported outcome measures (PROs) over 15 years in a representative population of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with a particular focus on gender differences. Patients in the Oslo RA register filled in questionnaires including the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ), the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) with physical (PCS) and mental component summaries and derived utility (SF-6D), visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain, patient global assessment of disease (PtGA) and fatigue, and checklists of medication commonly used in the treatment of RA. Data were collected at five time points during a 15-year period from 1994. Mixed model analyses were used to analyse longitudinal changes in PROs from 1994 to 1996, 2001, 2004 and 2009. Data were available from 829-1025 RA patients at each time point. PROs were statistically significantly improved from 1994 to 2009 (MHAQ, SF-36 PCS, SF-6D, pain VAS, PtGA VAS and fatigue VAS; all p<0.001), and also with clinically important improvement. Men reported significantly better health status than women in 1994, but women improved significantly more than men over 15 years with a reduction of the gender gap in 2009. Antirheumatic medication was increasingly used over 15 years with no gender differences. RA patients reported statistically significantly improved health status for most PROs from 1994 to 2009. Women improved most, and although they still reported higher disease impact than men, the gender differences were small at the final data collection in 2009. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Effect of a school feeding programme on nutritional status and anaemia in an urban slum: a preliminary evaluation in Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Neervoort, Femke; von Rosenstiel, Ines; Bongers, Karlien; Demetriades, Matthew; Shacola, Marina; Wolffers, Ivan

2013-06-01

To reduce malnutrition and improve child survival, school feeding programmes have been established in many parts of Africa, although prevalence of child malnutrition and anaemia remains high, especially in urban slums. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a school feeding programme in the slums of Nairobi (Kenya) on anaemia and nutritional status, together with an investigation for socioeconomic determinants that may overrule this effect. Sixty-seven children at the St. George primary school in Kibera participated in the school feeding programme for 1 year and data concerning anaemia rate, nutritional status and socioeconomic status were collected during a medical health check. Data were compared with a control group of children attending the same school, of the same age and with the same gender distribution without participation in a feeding programme. Data were analyzed with statistical software (SPSS 17.0). Children participating in the school feeding programme were less stunted (p = 0.02) and wasted (p = 0.02) than children in the control group, and levels of anaemia were lower (p = 0.01). Having no father (p = 0.01) and living in small families (p = 0.003) overruled the effect of the feeding programme. Also, the higher the mother's education, the more wasting was seen (p = 0.04) despite participation in the programme. The programme reduced anaemia and malnutrition and has improved child growth in our study group greatly, but we found that education level of the mother, family size and absence of a father overruled the effect of the school feeding programme. Because sample size of our study is small, we encourage further large-scaled research on reviewing programmatic interventions to develop optimal feeding strategies and improve nutritional status of children.

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor administered immediately after radical prostatectomy temporarily increases the need for incontinence pads, but improves final continence status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuhiro Kaiho

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To evaluate the effects of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i on urinary continence recovery after bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (BNSRP. Materials and Methods: Between 2002 and 2012, 137 of 154 consecutive patients who underwent BNSRP in our institution retrospectively divided into 3 groups that included patients taking PDE5i immediately after surgery (immediate PDE5i group, n=41, patients starting PDE5i at an outpatient clinic after discharge (PDE5i group, n=56, and patients taking no medication (non-PDE5i group, n=40. Using self-administered questionnaires, the proportion of patients who did not require incontinence pads (pad-free patients was calculated preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after BNSRP. Severity of incontinence was determined based on the pad numbers and then compared among the 3 groups. Results: Proportions of pad-free patients and severity of incontinence initially deteriorated in all of the groups to the lowest values soon after undergoing BNSRP, with gradual improvement noted thereafter. The deterioration was most prominent in the immediate PDE5i group. As compared to the non-PDE5i group, both the PDE5i and immediate PDE5i groups exhibited a better final continence status. Conclusions: PDE5i improves final continence status. However, administration of PDE5i immediately after surgery causes a distinct temporary deterioration in urinary incontinence.

What change in body mass index is needed to improve metabolic health status in childhood obesity: protocol for a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Birch, Laura; Perry, Rachel; Penfold, Chris; Beynon, Rhona; Hamilton-Shield, Julian

2016-07-26

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious, global, public health challenges and has adverse health consequences in both the short-and long-term. The purpose of this study is to establish the change in body mass index (BMI) needed to achieve improvements in metabolic health status in obese children and adolescents attending lifestyle treatment interventions. The following electronic databases will be searched from their inception: AMED, Embase, MEDLINE via OVID, Web of Science and CENTRAL via Cochrane library. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies of lifestyle interventions (i.e. dietary, physical activity and/or behavioural therapy) for treating obesity in children and adolescents (4-18 years) will be included. Interventions that last less than 2 weeks and trials that include overweight participants or those with a secondary or syndromic cause of obesity will not be included. No language restrictions will be applied. Titles and abstracts will be assessed for eligibility by two reviewers, and data from full-text articles will be extracted using a standardised data extraction template. Reference lists of all included articles will be hand-searched for additional publications. A narrative synthesis of the findings will be presented, and meta-analysis will be conducted if considered appropriate. This will be the first systematic review of studies to establish the change in BMI required to improve metabolic health status in obese children and adolescents. PROSPERO CRD42016025317.

Understanding and Improving the Performance Consistency of Distributed Computing Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yigitbasi, M.N.

2012-01-01

With the increasing adoption of distributed systems in both academia and industry, and with the increasing computational and storage requirements of distributed applications, users inevitably demand more from these systems. Moreover, users also depend on these systems for latency and throughput

Nutrition education and introduction of broad bean-based complementary food improves knowledge and dietary practices of caregivers and nutritional status of their young children in Hula, Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Negash, Canaan; Belachew, Tefera; Henry, Carol J; Kebebu, Afework; Abegaz, Kebede; Whiting, Susan J

2014-12-01

Nutritious complementary foods are needed in countries where undernutrition and stunting are major problems, but mothers may be reluctant to change from traditional gruels. To test whether a recipe-based complementary feeding education intervention would improve knowledge and practice of mothers with young children in Hula, Ethiopia. A baseline survey of 200 eligible, randomly selected mother-child pairs gathered data on sociodemographic characteristics, food security status, knowledge and practices concerning complementary feeding, food group intakes of children aged 6 to 23 months by 24-hour recalls, and children's anthropometric measurements. Twice a month for 6 months, women in the intervention group received an education session consisting of eight specific messages using Alive and Thrive posters and a demonstration and tasting of a local barley and maize porridge recipe containing 30% broad beans. The control group lived in a different area and had no intervention. At 6 months, knowledge and practice scores regarding complementary feeding were significantly improved (p nutrition education over 6 months that included demonstration of a local porridge recipe with broad beans added improved the complementary feeding practices of caregivers and the nutritional status of their young children.

Fortified Iodine Milk Improves Iodine Status and Cognitive Abilities in Schoolchildren Aged 7-9 Years Living in a Rural Mountainous Area of Morocco.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahrou, Fatima Ezzahra; Azlaf, Mehdi; El Menchawy, Imane; El Mzibri, Mohamed; El Kari, Khalid; El Hamdouchi, Asmaa; Mouzouni, Fatima-Zahra; Barkat, Amina; Aguenaou, Hassan

2016-01-01

Iodine is required for the production of the thyroid hormones essential for the growth and development of the brain. All forms of iodine deficiency (ID) affect the mental development of the child. Our study aims to assess the impact of ID on the intellectual development of Moroccan schoolchildren and to evaluate the effect of consumption of fortified milk on reducing ID. In a double-blind controlled trial conducted on schoolchildren, children were divided into two groups to receive fortified milk (30% of cover of RDI iodine) or nonfortified milk for 9 months. Urinary iodine was analyzed using the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction, a dynamic cognitive test using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices to assess learning potential was performed at baseline and end line, and anthropometric assessment was done only at baseline. The study included schoolchildren who were severely iodine deficient. The prevalence of malnutrition was high in both groups; in this study, we found improvements in iodine status and in cognitive abilities among Moroccan schoolchildren. Our study showed that the consumption of fortified milk led to a clear improvement in iodine status and also appeared to have a favorable effect on the cognitive ability of Moroccan schoolchildren in a rural mountainous region.

Distributed optimal coordination for distributed energy resources in power systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Di; Yang, Tao; Stoorvogel, A.

2017-01-01

Driven by smart grid technologies, distributed energy resources (DERs) have been rapidly developing in recent years for improving reliability and efficiency of distribution systems. Emerging DERs require effective and efficient coordination in order to reap their potential benefits. In this paper......, we consider an optimal DER coordination problem over multiple time periods subject to constraints at both system and device levels. Fully distributed algorithms are proposed to dynamically and automatically coordinate distributed generators with multiple/single storages. With the proposed algorithms...

Status of nuclear energy in Slovakia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomek, J.

2008-01-01

In this work author presents the status of nuclear energy in Slovakia. There are the electricity production; NPP operating results in 2007; ENEL-SE vision, mission and strategy, Continuous improvement programs as well as public acceptance of nuclear presented.

When Do Low Status Groups Help High Status Groups? The Moderating Effects of Ingroup Identification, Audience Group Membership, and Perceived Reputational Benefit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chuma Kevin Owuamalam

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Previous research has demonstrated that, when negative metastereotypes are made salient, members of low status groups help members of high status groups in order to improve the reputation of their low status group and its associated social identity. The present research investigated three potential moderators of low status groups’ outgroup helping: ingroup identification, audience group membership, and perceived reputational benefit. In Study 1 (N = 112 we found that members of a low status group (Keele University students were most likely to offer to help raise funds for a high status group (University of Birmingham students when they were high identifiers who had considered a negative metastereotype and believed that their responses would be viewed by an outgroup member. In Study 2 (N = 100 we found a similar effect in an intergroup context that referred to psychology students (low status ingroup and junior doctors (high status outgroup, showing that the effect was limited to people who perceived reputational benefit in helping the outgroup. The practical and social implications of these findings are discussed in relation to intergroup contact and international relations.

Improving Podcast Distribution on Gwanda using PrivHab: a Multiagent Secure Georouting Protocol.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrián SÁNCHEZ-CARMONA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available We present PrivHab, a multiagent secure georouting protocol that improves podcast distribution on Gwanda, Zimbabwe. PrivHab learns the whereabouts of the nodes of the network to select an itinerary for each agent carrying a piece of data. PrivHab makes use of cryptographic techniques to make the decisions while preserving nodes' privacy. PrivHab uses a waypoint-based georouting that achieves a high performance and low overhead in rugged terrain areas that are plenty of physical obstacles. The store-carry-and-forward approach used is based on mobile agents and is designed to operate in areas that lack network infrastructure. The PrivHab protocol is compared with a set of well-known delay-tolerant routing algorithms and shown to outperform them.

[Perceived discrimination at work for being an immigrant: a study on self-perceived mental health status among immigrants in Italy].

Science.gov (United States)

Di Napoli, Anteo; Gatta, Rosaria; Rossi, Alessandra; Perez, Monica; Costanzo, Gianfranco; Mirisola, Concetta; Petrelli, Alessio

2017-01-01

exposure to discrimination is widely understood as a social determinant of psychophysical health and a contributing factor to health inequities among social groups. Few studies exist, particularly in Italy, about the effects of discrimination among immigrants at workplace. to analyse the association between perceived discrimination at work for being an immigrant and mental health status among immigrants in Italy. a sub-sample of 12,408 immigrants residing in Italy was analysed. data came from the survey "Social conditions and integration of foreign citizens in Italy", carried out in 2011-2012 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat). Self-perceived mental health status was measured through mental component summary (MCS) of SF-12 questionnaire, assuming as worse health status MCS score distribution ≤1st quartile. In order to evaluate the probability of poor health status, a multivariate log-binomial model was performed assuming: discrimination at work for being an immigrant as determinant variable; age, gender, educational level, employment status, area of origin, residence in Italy, length of stay in Italy, self-perceived loneliness and satisfaction about life as potential confounding variables. among immigrants, 15.8% referred discrimination at his/her workplace in Italy for being an immigrant. Higher probability of poor mental health status was observed for immigrants who referred discrimination at workplace (Prevalence Rate Ratio - PRR: 1.16) who arrived in Italy since at least 5 years (PRR: 1.14), for not employed subjects (PRR: 1.31), and for people from the Americas (PRR: 1.14). Lower probability of poor mental health status was found in immigrants from Western- Central Asia (PRR: 0.83) and Eastern-Pacific Asia (PRR: 0.79). Compared to immigrants residing in North-Eastern Italy, higher probability of worse mental health status was observed in people who resided in Northern-Western (PRR: 1.30), Central (PRR: 1.26), and Southern (PRR: 1

Mass distribution of free insecticide-treated nets do not interfere with continuous net distribution in Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Eze, Ikenna C; Kramer, Karen; Msengwa, Amina; Mandike, Renata; Lengeler, Christian

2014-05-27

To protect the most vulnerable groups from malaria (pregnant women and infants) the Tanzanian Government introduced a subsidy (voucher) scheme in 2004, on the basis of a public-private partnership. These vouchers are provided to pregnant women at their first antenatal care visit and mothers of infants at first vaccination. The vouchers are redeemed at registered retailers for a long-lasting insecticidal net against the payment of a modest top-up price. The present work analysed a large body of data from the Tanzanian National Voucher Scheme, focusing on interactions with concurrent mass distribution campaigns of free nets. In an ecologic study involving all regions of Tanzania, voucher redemption data for the period 2007-2011, as well as data on potential determinants of voucher redemption were analysed. The four outcome variables were: pregnant woman and infant voucher redemption rates, use of treated bed nets by all household members and by under- five children. Each of the outcomes was regressed with selected determinants, using a generalized estimating equation model and accounting for regional data clustering. There was a consistent improvement in voucher redemption rates over the selected time period, with rates >80% in 2011. The major determinants of redemption rates were the top-up price paid by the voucher beneficiary, the retailer- clinic ratio, and socio-economic status. Improved redemption rates after 2009 were most likely due to reduced top-up prices (following a change in policy). Redemption rates were not affected by two major free net distribution campaigns. During this period, there was a consistent improvement in net use across all the regions, with rates of up to 75% in 2011. The key components of the National Treated Nets Programme (NATNETS) seem to work harmoniously, leading to a high level of net use in the entire population. This calls for the continuation of this effort in Tanzania and for emulation by other countries with endemic malaria.

Kozloduy nuclear power plant. Units 1-4. Status of safety improvements. Rev. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

operation of the units. The plant current safety level analysis has been performed using IAEA analytical methodology according to 50-SG-O12 standard 'Periodic safety review of operational nuclear power plants'. The approach and criteria for acceptable safety level definition, developed by IAEA and presented in INSAG-8 ' was used for analysis performance. Based on this analysis a set of activities was developed, to ensures further plant operation with the necessary safety level. The measures were combined in a program called Complex program for modernization of units 1-4. The implementation of the program is foreseen for a period of four next fuel cycles and started at the beginning of 1998. In respond to the requirements for the content of this paper a detailed description of the current status of resolving of the safety issues, classified by IAEA in TECDOC 640 is presented. The whole process of safety evaluation, short and long term safety improvements presents in a systematical manner the efforts of the Government of Bulgaria, NEK Ltd and KNPP to operate these units with due respect of their nuclear safety responsibility according to Nuclear Safety Convention signed at Vienna in 1994 and ratified by Bulgarian Parliament in 1995

Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae): a review of conservation status.

Science.gov (United States)

Wibisono, Hariyo T; Pusparini, Wulan

2010-12-01

The majority of wild Sumatran tigers are believed to live in 12 Tiger Conservation Landscapes covering approximately 88,000 km(2) . However, the actual distribution of tigers across Sumatra has never been accurately mapped. Over the past 20 years, conservation efforts focused on the Sumatran tigers have increased, but the population continues to decline as a result of several key threats. To identify the status of the Sumatran tiger distribution across the island, an island-wide questionnaire survey comprised of 35 respondents from various backgrounds was conducted between May and June 2010. The survey found that Sumatran tigers are positively present in 27 habitat patches larger than 250 km(2) and possibly present in another 2. In addition, a review on major published studies on the Sumatran tiger was conducted to identify the current conservation status of the Sumatran tiger. Collectively, these studies have identified several key factors that have contributed to the decline of Sumatran tiger populations, including: forest habitat fragmentation and loss, direct killing of tigers and their prey, and the retaliatory killing of tigers due to conflict with villagers. The present paper provides management authorities and the international community with a recent assessment and a base map of the actual distribution of Sumatran tigers as well as a general overview on the current status and possible future conservation challenges of Sumatran tiger management. © 2010 ISZS, Blackwell Publishing and IOZ/CAS.

Improved road traffic emission inventories by adding mean speed distributions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, R.; Poelman, M.; Schrijver, J.

2008-01-01

Does consideration of average speed distributions on roads-as compared to single mean speed-lead to different results in emission modelling of large road networks? To address this question, a post-processing method is developed to predict mean speed distributions using available traffic data from a

75 FR 39664 - Grant of Authority For Subzone Status Materials Science Technology, Inc. (Specialty Elastomers...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-12

... Status Materials Science Technology, Inc. (Specialty Elastomers and Fire Retardant Chemicals) Conroe... specialty elastomer manufacturing and distribution facility of Materials Science Technology, Inc., located... and distribution of specialty elastomers and fire retardant chemicals at the facility of Materials...

Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome Improved by Enteral Nutritional Therapy according to the Controlling Nutritional Status Score.

Science.gov (United States)

Takehara, Kazuhiro; Sakamoto, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Rina; Kawai, Masaya; Kawano, Shingo; Munakata, Shinya; Sugimoto, Kiichi; Takahashi, Makoto; Kojima, Yutaka; Fukunaga, Tetsu; Kajiyama, Yoshiaki; Kawasaki, Seiji

2017-01-01

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) is a relatively rare disease that involves bowel obstruction symptoms, such as vomiting and gastric distension, owing to the compression of the third portion of the duodenum from the front by the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and from the rear by the abdominal aorta and the spine. SMAS is diagnosed on the basis of an upper gastrointestinal examination series indicating the obstruction of the third portion of the duodenum or a computed tomography scan indicating the narrowing of the branch angle between the aorta and the SMA (i.e., the aorta-SMA angle). Here, we report the case of a 78-year-old woman diagnosed with SMAS after a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for cecal cancer, whose condition was improved by enteral nutritional therapy. We used her controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score as a nutrition assessment and noted the changes in the aorta-SMA angle over the course of the disease. This patient appeared to develop SMAS, on the basis of a worsened CONUT score and a decreased aorta-SMA angle, owing to the inflammation resulting from the intraoperative dissection of the tissues around the SMA and prolonged postoperative fasting. After the initiation of enteral nutritional therapy, the patient exhibited body weight gain and an improved aorta-SMA angle and CONUT score. Hence, assessment of the aorta-SMA angle and CONUT score is an important preoperative consideration.

Distributed Leadership as Fashion or Fad

Science.gov (United States)

Lumby, Jacky

2016-01-01

Despite frequently expressed reservations concerning its fundamental theoretical weakness, distributed leadership (DL) has grown to become the preferred leadership concept and has acquired taken-for-granted status. This article suggests that the dominance of DL can best be understood as a fashion or fad rather than as a rational choice. It…

A supply chain model to improve the beef quality distribution using investment analysis: A case study

Science.gov (United States)

Lupita, Alessandra; Rangkuti, Sabrina Heriza; Sutopo, Wahyudi; Hisjam, Muh.

2017-11-01

There are significant differences related to the quality and price of the beef commodity in traditional market and modern market in Indonesia. Those are caused by very different treatments of the commodity. The different treatments are in the slaughter lines, the transportation from the abattoir to the outlet, the display system, and the control system. If the problem is not solved by the Government, the gap will result a great loss of the consumer regarding to the quality and sustainability of traditional traders business because of the declining interest in purchasing beef in the traditional markets. This article aims to improve the quality of beef in traditional markets. This study proposed A Supply Chain Model that involves the schemes of investment and government incentive for improving the distribution system. The supply chain model is can be formulated using the Mix Integer Linear Programming (MILP) and solved using the IBM®ILOG®CPLEX software. The results show that the proposed model can be used to determine the priority of programs for improving the quality and sustainability business of traditional beef merchants. By using the models, The Government can make a decision to consider incentives for improving the condition.

Status of exotic woody species in big cypress national preserve. Technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunderson, L.H.

1983-12-01

The current status of exotic woody plants in Big Cypress National Preserve is documented. A map of the distribution of principal pest species, Melaleuca quinquenervia, Schinus terebinthifolius, and Casuarina sp., is presented. Prognoses of population increases of these problem species are determined utilizing the current distributions and assessing environmental conditions. Some potential problem species are also identified.

Present distribution, population status, and conservation of Western Hoolock Gibbons Hoolock hillock (Primates: Hylobatidae in Namdapha National Park, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Kumar

2009-04-01

Full Text Available A survey on the present distribution, population status and conservation of Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock was conducted from September 2006 to April 2007 in Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. The data were recorded from 12 localities in the Park: Gibbon land, Baghnallah, Deban, 15th Mile, 16th Mile, Hawaghar, 19th Mile, Haldibari, Hornbill camp, Baranallah, Firmbase camp, and Embyong. A total of 50 individuals in 20 groups were recorded during the census by using direct and indirect methods. Out of 20 groups, nine groups were observed through direct visual observation. The remaining 11 groups were estimated by using indirect observation methods such as songs, calls, and branch shaking. The composition of the population was 19 adult males (38%, 19 adult females (38%, and 12 immatures (24%. The group size was estimated as 2.5 individuals per group. Anthropogenic disturbances observed in the gibbon habitat were habitat loss, hunting and poaching, canopy gaps, livelihood issues for local people, and livestock grazing.

Chance-constrained overland flow modeling for improving conceptual distributed hydrologic simulations based on scaling representation of sub-daily rainfall variability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jing-Cheng; Huang, Guohe; Huang, Yuefei; Zhang, Hua; Li, Zhong; Chen, Qiuwen

2015-01-01

Lack of hydrologic process representation at the short time-scale would lead to inadequate simulations in distributed hydrological modeling. Especially for complex mountainous watersheds, surface runoff simulations are significantly affected by the overland flow generation, which is closely related to the rainfall characteristics at a sub-time step. In this paper, the sub-daily variability of rainfall intensity was considered using a probability distribution, and a chance-constrained overland flow modeling approach was proposed to capture the generation of overland flow within conceptual distributed hydrologic simulations. The integrated modeling procedures were further demonstrated through a watershed of China Three Gorges Reservoir area, leading to an improved SLURP-TGR hydrologic model based on SLURP. Combined with rainfall thresholds determined to distinguish various magnitudes of daily rainfall totals, three levels of significance were simultaneously employed to examine the hydrologic-response simulation. Results showed that SLURP-TGR could enhance the model performance, and the deviation of runoff simulations was effectively controlled. However, rainfall thresholds were so crucial for reflecting the scaling effect of rainfall intensity that optimal levels of significance and rainfall threshold were 0.05 and 10 mm, respectively. As for the Xiangxi River watershed, the main runoff contribution came from interflow of the fast store. Although slight differences of overland flow simulations between SLURP and SLURP-TGR were derived, SLURP-TGR was found to help improve the simulation of peak flows, and would improve the overall modeling efficiency through adjusting runoff component simulations. Consequently, the developed modeling approach favors efficient representation of hydrological processes and would be expected to have a potential for wide applications. - Highlights: • We develop an improved hydrologic model considering the scaling effect of rainfall. • A

Chance-constrained overland flow modeling for improving conceptual distributed hydrologic simulations based on scaling representation of sub-daily rainfall variability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jing-Cheng [State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience & Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Huang, Guohe, E-mail: huang@iseis.org [Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Communities, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2 (Canada); Huang, Yuefei [State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience & Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Zhang, Hua [College of Science and Engineering, Texas A& M University — Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5797 (United States); Li, Zhong [Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Communities, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2 (Canada); Chen, Qiuwen [Center for Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Hydraulics Research Institute, Nanjing 210029 (China)

2015-08-15

Lack of hydrologic process representation at the short time-scale would lead to inadequate simulations in distributed hydrological modeling. Especially for complex mountainous watersheds, surface runoff simulations are significantly affected by the overland flow generation, which is closely related to the rainfall characteristics at a sub-time step. In this paper, the sub-daily variability of rainfall intensity was considered using a probability distribution, and a chance-constrained overland flow modeling approach was proposed to capture the generation of overland flow within conceptual distributed hydrologic simulations. The integrated modeling procedures were further demonstrated through a watershed of China Three Gorges Reservoir area, leading to an improved SLURP-TGR hydrologic model based on SLURP. Combined with rainfall thresholds determined to distinguish various magnitudes of daily rainfall totals, three levels of significance were simultaneously employed to examine the hydrologic-response simulation. Results showed that SLURP-TGR could enhance the model performance, and the deviation of runoff simulations was effectively controlled. However, rainfall thresholds were so crucial for reflecting the scaling effect of rainfall intensity that optimal levels of significance and rainfall threshold were 0.05 and 10 mm, respectively. As for the Xiangxi River watershed, the main runoff contribution came from interflow of the fast store. Although slight differences of overland flow simulations between SLURP and SLURP-TGR were derived, SLURP-TGR was found to help improve the simulation of peak flows, and would improve the overall modeling efficiency through adjusting runoff component simulations. Consequently, the developed modeling approach favors efficient representation of hydrological processes and would be expected to have a potential for wide applications. - Highlights: • We develop an improved hydrologic model considering the scaling effect of rainfall. • A

Cortico-thalamic activation in generalized status epilepticus, a PET study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, B. M.; van de Hoeven, J. H.; Pruim, J.; van der Naalt, J.; Meertens, John H. J. M.

In a patient with a refractory generalized convulsive status epilepticus, the ictal distribution of regional cerebral glucose was assessed with positron emission tomography (PET). Synchronized seizure activity in the EEG was associated with bilateral metabolic activation of medial sensorimotor

Phytoextraction of Cd-Contaminated Soils: Current Status and Future Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jin-Tian; Baker, Alan J M; Ye, Zhi-Hong; Wang, Hong-Bin; Shu, Wen-Sheng

2012-10-01

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic and widely distributed pollutants in the environment. Cadmium contamination of soils has posed a serious threat to safe food production in many parts of the world. The authors present a comprehensive review of present status of phytoextraction technology for cleaning up Cd-contaminated soils, based primarily on the data resulting from both laboratory and field-scale studies that have been conducted to assess or improve the Cd phytoextraction potential of various plant species in the past decade. The encouraging results of field-scale studies have provided a fundamental basis to usher phytoextraction technology into practical use to remediate slightly to moderately Cd-contaminated soils in Europe and Asia, although this technology is not yet ready for widespread application. Chelators and microorganisms tested so far seem not to contribute to the applicability of Cd phytoextraction. The major challenges for the large-scale application of Cd phytoextraction are (a) how to further improve the efficiency of Cd phytoextraction, (b) how to cut the overall costs of Cd phytoextraction, and (c) how to get greater stakeholders' acceptance of Cd phytoextraction as a reliable option.

Supply chain solutions to improve the distribution of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs to clinics in rural areas: A case study of the QwaQwa district

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamolise Mokheseng

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This article serves as a case study based on research that was performed in the QwaQwa district in the Free State Province where the distribution of ARVs to the regional Manapo hospital, as well as between the hospital and its peripheral clinics, was interrupted and inconsistent due to problems in the supply chain. An unreliable and interrupted ARV supply chain creates the risk of virus reactivation and eventual patient mortality. The objectives of the study were to explore the problems experienced with the ARV distribution practices at the Manapo hospital, and to recommend ways in which the distribution of ARVs can be improved so that patients can receive an uninterrupted supply. The nature of the topic researched dictated the use of mainly the quantitative research method. The main problems identified include: Wrong and no uniform practice of ordering stock by the hospital and the clinics; lack of reliable, structured transportation from the depot to the hospital; as well as poor inventory management and poor overall communication. Recommendations to address the problems include: Implementing a supply chain planning and design process; improving inventory management and warehousing practices; implementing more effective and reliable distribution and transportation processes; as well as improving supply chain coordination and overall communication.

Investigation of the interpolation method to improve the distributed strain measurement accuracy in optical frequency domain reflectometry systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Jiwen; Zhao, Shiyuan; Yang, Di; Ding, Zhenyang

2018-02-20

We use a spectrum interpolation technique to improve the distributed strain measurement accuracy in a Rayleigh-scatter-based optical frequency domain reflectometry sensing system. We demonstrate that strain accuracy is not limited by the "uncertainty principle" that exists in the time-frequency analysis. Different interpolation methods are investigated and used to improve the accuracy of peak position of the cross-correlation and, therefore, improve the accuracy of the strain. Interpolation implemented by padding zeros on one side of the windowed data in the spatial domain, before the inverse fast Fourier transform, is found to have the best accuracy. Using this method, the strain accuracy and resolution are both improved without decreasing the spatial resolution. The strain of 3 μϵ within the spatial resolution of 1 cm at the position of 21.4 m is distinguished, and the measurement uncertainty is 3.3 μϵ.

Endothelial Activation Microparticles and Inflammation Status Improve with Exercise Training in African Americans

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Dianne M. Babbitt

2013-01-01

Full Text Available African Americans have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world which may emanate from their predisposition to heightened endothelial inflammation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 6-month aerobic exercise training (AEXT intervention on the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-10 (IL-10, interleukin-6 (IL-6, and endothelial microparticle (EMP CD62E+ and endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD in African Americans. A secondary purpose was to evaluate whether changes in IL-10, IL-6, or CD62E+ EMPs predicted the change in FMD following the 6-month AEXT intervention. A pre-post design was employed with baseline evaluation including office blood pressure, FMD, fasting blood sampling, and graded exercise testing. Participants engaged in 6 months of AEXT. Following the AEXT intervention, all baseline tests were repeated. FMD significantly increased, CD62E+ EMPs and IL-6 significantly decreased, and IL-10 increased but not significantly following AEXT. Changes in inflammatory biomarkers did not significantly predict the change in FMD. The change in VO2 max significantly predicted the change in IL-10. Based on these results, AEXT may be a viable, nonpharmacological method to improve inflammation status and endothelial function and thereby contribute to risk reduction for cardiovascular disease in African Americans.

Health status convergence at the local level: empirical evidence from Austria

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Gächter Martin

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Health is an important dimension of welfare comparisons across individuals, regions and states. Particularly from a long-term perspective, within-country convergence of the health status has rarely been investigated by applying methods well established in other scientific fields. In the following paper we study the relation between initial levels of the health status and its improvement at the local community level in Austria in the time period 1969-2004. Methods We use age standardized mortality rates from 2381 Austrian communities as an indicator for the health status and analyze the convergence/divergence of overall mortality for (i the whole population, (ii females, (iii males and (iv the gender mortality gap. Convergence/Divergence is studied by applying different concepts of cross-regional inequality (weighted standard deviation, coefficient of variation, Theil-Coefficient of inequality. Various econometric techniques (weighted OLS, Quantile Regression, Kendall's Rank Concordance are used to test for absolute and conditional beta-convergence in mortality. Results Regarding sigma-convergence, we find rather mixed results. While the weighted standard deviation indicates an increase in equality for all four variables, the picture appears less clear when correcting for the decreasing mean in the distribution. However, we find highly significant coefficients for absolute and conditional beta-convergence between the periods. While these results are confirmed by several robustness tests, we also find evidence for the existence of convergence clubs. Conclusions The highly significant beta-convergence across communities might be caused by (i the efforts to harmonize and centralize the health policy at the federal level in Austria since the 1970s, (ii the diminishing returns of the input factors in the health production function, which might lead to convergence, as the general conditions (e.g. income, education etc. improve

Language Policy: Status Planning for the Quechua Language in Peru.

Science.gov (United States)

Coronel-Molina, Serafin

1997-01-01

The status of Quechua in Peruvian society is discussed, noting specific social and political factors contributing to the dying out of the Quechua language, functional domains the language serves, and possible measures to improve its status. The relationship of those functional domains to Peruvian language policies is also explored. An introductory…

Food security status among cocoa growing households in Ondo and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Food security status among cocoa growing households in Ondo and Kwara states of ... A simple purposive random sampling technique was used to select 100 cocoa ... from the information were analysed with Descriptive Statistics, Food Security ... taken per day (p<0.05) would improve the food security status of households ...

Status of mangroves along the countries bordering the Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Untawale, A.G.; Wafar, S.; Jagtap, T.G.

Distribution of mangroves in the countries bordering the Arabian Sea, including Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, is reviewed and their present status is discussed. The estimated area of mangrove vegetation is 1140 sq. km...

Effect of citric acid, avilamycin, and their combination on the performance, tibia ash, and immune status of broilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowdhury, R; Islam, K M S; Khan, M J; Karim, M R; Haque, M N; Khatun, M; Pesti, G M

2009-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the supplementation of an organic acid (citric acid), antibiotic growth promoter (avilamycin), and their combination for a period of 35 d on the growth, feed efficiency, carcass yield, tibia ash, and immune status of broilers. One hundred sixty 1-d-old broiler chicks (Hubbard Classic) were randomly distributed into 4 groups with 4 replicate cages having 10 birds in each. A corn-soybean-based diet was used as the basal diet (control). The basal diet was supplemented with an organic acid (citric acid, 0.5%), an antibiotic growth promoter (avilamycin, 0.001%), and their combination in other groups. The highest BW was attained in citric acid-fed chicks (1,318 g), which was significantly (P 0.05). Total feed intake was higher in citric acid-fed chicks compared with antibiotic-supplemented chicks. The addition of citric acid improved feed conversion efficiency (g of weight gain/ kg of feed intake) significantly (P ash percentage significantly (P ash, and immune status of broilers. Therefore, citric acid might be a useful additive instead of antibiotic growth promoters such as avilamycin, considering performance and health status of broilers.

Community structure informs species geographic distributions

KAUST Repository

Montesinos-Navarro, Alicia

2018-05-23

Understanding what determines species\\' geographic distributions is crucial for assessing global change threats to biodiversity. Measuring limits on distributions is usually, and necessarily, done with data at large geographic extents and coarse spatial resolution. However, survival of individuals is determined by processes that happen at small spatial scales. The relative abundance of coexisting species (i.e. \\'community structure\\') reflects assembly processes occurring at small scales, and are often available for relatively extensive areas, so could be useful for explaining species distributions. We demonstrate that Bayesian Network Inference (BNI) can overcome several challenges to including community structure into studies of species distributions, despite having been little used to date. We hypothesized that the relative abundance of coexisting species can improve predictions of species distributions. In 1570 assemblages of 68 Mediterranean woody plant species we used BNI to incorporate community structure into Species Distribution Models (SDMs), alongside environmental information. Information on species associations improved SDM predictions of community structure and species distributions moderately, though for some habitat specialists the deviance explained increased by up to 15%. We demonstrate that most species associations (95%) were positive and occurred between species with ecologically similar traits. This suggests that SDM improvement could be because species co-occurrences are a proxy for local ecological processes. Our study shows that Bayesian Networks, when interpreted carefully, can be used to include local conditions into measurements of species\\' large-scale distributions, and this information can improve the predictions of species distributions.

Nutritional status, functional capacity and exercise rehabilitation in end-stage renal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, T H; Koufaki, P; Naish, P F

2004-05-01

A significant percentage of patients with end-stage renal disease are malnourished and/or muscle wasted. Uremia is associated with decreased protein synthesis and increased protein degradation. Fortunately, nutritional status has been shown to be a modifiable risk factor in the dialysis population. It has long been proposed that exercise could positively alter the protein synthesis-degradation balance. Resistance training had been considered as the only form of exercise likely to induce anabolism in renal failure patients. However, a small, but growing, body of evidence indicates that for some dialysis patients, favourable improvements in muscle atrophy and fibre hypertrophy can be achieved via predominantly aerobic exercise training. Moreover, some studies tentatively suggest that nutritional status, as measured by SGA, can also be modestly improved by modes and patterns of exercise training that have been shown to also increase muscle fibre cross-sectional area and improve functional capacity. Functional capacity tests can augment the information content of basic nutritional status assessments of dialysis patients and as such are recommended for routine inclusion as a feature of all nutritional status assessments.

Study of temperature distribution of pipes heated by moving rectangular gauss distribution heat source. Development of pipe outer surface irradiated laser stress improvement process (L-SIP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohta, Takahiro; Kamo, Kazuhiko; Asada, Seiji; Terasaki, Toshio

2009-01-01

The new process called L-SIP (outer surface irradiated Laser Stress Improvement Process) is developed to improve the tensile residual stress of the inner surface near the butt welded joints of pipes in the compression stress. The temperature gradient occurs in the thickness of pipes in heating the outer surface rapidly by laser beam. By the thermal expansion difference between the inner surface and the outer surface, the compression stress occurs near the inner surface of pipes. In this paper, the theoretical equation for the temperature distributions of pipes heated by moving rectangular Gauss distribution heat source on the outer surface is derived. The temperature histories of pipes calculated by theoretical equation agree well with FEM analysis results. According to the theoretical equation, the controlling parameters of temperature distributions and histories are q/2a y , vh, a x /h and a y /h, where q is total heat input, a y is heat source length in the axial direction, a x is Gaussian radius of heat source in the hoop direction, ν is moving velocity, and h is thickness of the pipe. The essential variables for L-SIP, which are defined on the basis of the measured temperature histories on the outer surface of the pipe, are Tmax, F 0 =kτ 0 /h 2 , vh, W Q and L Q , where Tmax is maximum temperature on the monitor point of the outer surface, k is thermal diffusivity coefficient, τ 0 is the temperature rise time from 100degC to maximum temperature on the monitor point of the outer surface, W Q is τ 0 x ν, and L Q is the uniform temperature length in the axial direction. It is verified that the essential variables for L-SIP match the controlling parameters by the theoretical equation. (author)

FEEDING PATTERN TOWARD THE INCREASING OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN CHILDREN AGED 1–3 YEARS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toni Subarkah

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The prevalence of nutritional status problems with underweight in Indonesia at the moments is (19,6%. Data showed that children with less nutritional status aged 1-3 years in Kalijudan, Surabaya are existed. Provide feeding pattern properly is one effort to improve the nutritional status by fulfilling the needs of the child nutrition. The purpose of this study was to explain the relationship of feeding pattern and nutritional status in children aged 1-3 years in the Kalijudan district, Surabaya. Methods: The research design used was cross-sectional study with dietary habit as the independent variable and nutritional status as dependent variable. The sample was taken from 154 mothers and children. Consecutive sampling was deployed. Data collection by questionnaires, and then data analysis using the Spearman’s Rho in level  of significance α≤0.05. Result and Analysis: There was strong relationship between feeding pattern and nutritional status (r=0.640. The result showed that inappropriate feeding patterns with nutritional status is very thin (44.4% a proper feeding patterns with normal nutritional status (89.7%.  Discussion and Conclussion: The efforts to improve nutritional status of children aged 1-3 years related to feeding patterns should be improved in order to achieve a normal nutritional status. Further research may explore on the feeding patterns based on dietary allowances. Keywords: feeding pattern, nutritional status, 1-3 years old children

Can the introduction of a full-service supermarket in a food desert improve residents' economic status and health?

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Andrea S; Ghosh-Dastidar, Madhumita; Beckman, Robin; Flórez, Karen R; DeSantis, Amy; Collins, Rebecca L; Dubowitz, Tamara

2017-12-01

To estimate the impacts of a new supermarket in a low-income desert, on residents' economic status and health. We surveyed a randomly selected cohort in two low-income Pittsburgh neighborhoods before and about 1 year following the opening of a supermarket. We used difference-in-difference approach to test changes across the two neighborhoods in residents' food security, United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infant and Children participation, employment, income, and self-reported health/chronic disease diagnoses. We observed declines in food insecurity (-11.8%, P supermarket relative to residents of the comparison neighborhood. We also found suggestive evidence that residents' incomes increased more ($1550, P = .09) and prevalence of diabetes increased less in the neighborhood with the supermarket than in the comparison neighborhood (-3.6%, P = .10). Locating a new supermarket in a low-income neighborhood may improve residents' economic well-being and health. Policymakers should consider broad impacts of neighborhood investment that could translate into improved health for residents of underserved neighborhoods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Respondent driven sampling: determinants of recruitment and a method to improve point estimation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicky McCreesh

Full Text Available Respondent-driven sampling (RDS is a variant of a link-tracing design intended for generating unbiased estimates of the composition of hidden populations that typically involves giving participants several coupons to recruit their peers into the study. RDS may generate biased estimates if coupons are distributed non-randomly or if potential recruits present for interview non-randomly. We explore if biases detected in an RDS study were due to either of these mechanisms, and propose and apply weights to reduce bias due to non-random presentation for interview.Using data from the total population, and the population to whom recruiters offered their coupons, we explored how age and socioeconomic status were associated with being offered a coupon, and, if offered a coupon, with presenting for interview. Population proportions were estimated by weighting by the assumed inverse probabilities of being offered a coupon (as in existing RDS methods, and also of presentation for interview if offered a coupon by age and socioeconomic status group.Younger men were under-recruited primarily because they were less likely to be offered coupons. The under-recruitment of higher socioeconomic status men was due in part to them being less likely to present for interview. Consistent with these findings, weighting for non-random presentation for interview by age and socioeconomic status group greatly improved the estimate of the proportion of men in the lowest socioeconomic group, reducing the root-mean-squared error of RDS estimates of socioeconomic status by 38%, but had little effect on estimates for age. The weighting also improved estimates for tribe and religion (reducing root-mean-squared-errors by 19-29%, but had little effect for sexual activity or HIV status.Data collected from recruiters on the characteristics of men to whom they offered coupons may be used to reduce bias in RDS studies. Further evaluation of this new method is required.

International conference on the strengthening of nuclear safety in Eastern Europe. Keynote papers. Regulatory aspects of NPP safety, status of safety improvements, status of safety analysis report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-06-01

The Objective of the Conference was to assess the past decade of nuclear safety efforts in countries operating WWER and RBMK nuclear reactors and to address remaining safety issues which require further work. A particular focus of the Conference was on international co-operation and assistance and where such efforts should be focused in the future. All Eastern European countries that operate RBMK or WWER reactors participated in the Conference, and presented papers on three key areas of nuclear safety: Regulatory Aspects of Nuclear Power Plant Safety; Status of Safety Improvements; and Status of Safety Analysis Reports. In addition, representatives from 18 additional countries that provide financial and/or technical assistance and co-operation in the area of WWER and RBMK safety offered the most extensive commentary. Key international (IAEA, World Association of Nuclear Operators, the Nuclear Energy Agency, the G-24 NUSAC, the European Commission, and the EBRD) organizations that provide nuclear safety assistance for WWER and RBMK reactors also made presentations. There is no question that considerable progress on nuclear safety has been made in Eastern Europe. Special mention should be made of successful efforts to strengthen the independence and technical competence of the nuclear regulatory authorities. Efforts should now concentrate on improving the depth and scope of the technical abilities of the regulatory authorities. More attention by governments is needed to ensure that the regulatory authorities have the financial resources and enforcement authority to fully execute their missions. In respect to the operators of the nuclear power plants, they have demonstrated clear progress in operational safety improvements. Significant additional efforts are required to maintain and enhance an effective safety culture. Design safety improvement programmes are in place in all countries. Implementation of these programmes has varied and is particularly affected by

Multi-Objective Distribution Network Operation Based on Distributed Generation Optimal Placement Using New Antlion Optimizer Considering Reliability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KHANBABAZADEH Javad

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Distribution network designers and operators are trying to deliver electrical energy with high reliability and quality to their subscribers. Due to high losses in the distribution systems, using distributed generation can improves reliability, reduces losses and improves voltage profile of distribution network. Therefore, the choice of the location of these resources and also determining the amount of their generated power to maximize the benefits of this type of resource is an important issue which is discussed from different points of view today. In this paper, a new multi-objective optimal location and sizing of distributed generation resources is performed to maximize its benefits on the 33 bus distribution test network considering reliability and using a new Antlion Optimizer (ALO. The benefits for DG are considered as system losses reduction, system reliability improvement and benefits from the sale electricity and voltage profile improvement. For each of the mentioned benefits, the ALO algorithm is used to optimize the location and sizing of distributed generation resources. In order to verify the proposed approach, the obtained results have been analyzed and compared with the results of particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm. The results show that the ALO has shown better performance in optimization problem solution versus PSO.

Chilean complementary feeding program reduces anemia and improves iron status in children aged 11 to 18 months.

Science.gov (United States)

Brito, Alex; Olivares, Manuel; Pizarro, Tito; Rodríguez, Lorena; Hertrampf, Eva

2013-12-01

Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency in the world, primarily affecting infants, young children, and women of childbearing age. To evaluate the impact of the National Complementary Feeding Program (NCFP) on anemia and iron status in Chilean children aged 11 to 18 months. Two studies were performed. The first study was performed at one public outpatient health center in Santiago, using data collected in 1999 (n = 128) and 2000 (n = 125), before and after the national introduction of iron-fortified milk. Subsequently, a study of a representative sample (n = 320) from the two most populated areas of the country was performed in 2009. One year after fortification, the prevalence of anemia was 9%; significantly lower (p < .001) than the 27% prevalence observed 1 year before. Ten years after fortification, 14% of children were anemic and 77% of children with anemia (12% of all children) suffered from iron-deficiency anemia. In 2009, 11% of children consuming iron-fortified milk delivered by the NCFP (73%) were anemic, significantly lower (p = .028) than the 21% prevalence of anemia observed in children without consumption. Consumption of iron-fortified milk was positively associated with hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.28, p = .022) and was associated with a lower prevalence of anemia after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.96). In Chile, the NCFP has had an impact on the reduction of anemia and improved the iron status of children aged 11 to 18 months. Increasing the consumption of this iron-fortified milk could enhance the impact of the NCFP.

Steam distribution and energy delivery optimization using wireless sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Olama, Mohammed M.; Allgood, Glenn O.; Kuruganti, Teja P.; Sukumar, Sreenivas R.; Djouadi, Seddik M.; Lake, Joe E.

2011-05-01

The Extreme Measurement Communications Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) explores the deployment of a wireless sensor system with a real-time measurement-based energy efficiency optimization framework in the ORNL campus. With particular focus on the 12-mile long steam distribution network in our campus, we propose an integrated system-level approach to optimize the energy delivery within the steam distribution system. We address the goal of achieving significant energy-saving in steam lines by monitoring and acting on leaking steam valves/traps. Our approach leverages an integrated wireless sensor and real-time monitoring capabilities. We make assessments on the real-time status of the distribution system by mounting acoustic sensors on the steam pipes/traps/valves and observe the state measurements of these sensors. Our assessments are based on analysis of the wireless sensor measurements. We describe Fourier-spectrum based algorithms that interpret acoustic vibration sensor data to characterize flows and classify the steam system status. We are able to present the sensor readings, steam flow, steam trap status and the assessed alerts as an interactive overlay within a web-based Google Earth geographic platform that enables decision makers to take remedial action. We believe our demonstration serves as an instantiation of a platform that extends implementation to include newer modalities to manage water flow, sewage and energy consumption.

A Distributed Flocking Approach for Information Stream Clustering Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Xiaohui [ORNL; Potok, Thomas E [ORNL

2006-01-01

Intelligence analysts are currently overwhelmed with the amount of information streams generated everyday. There is a lack of comprehensive tool that can real-time analyze the information streams. Document clustering analysis plays an important role in improving the accuracy of information retrieval. However, most clustering technologies can only be applied for analyzing the static document collection because they normally require a large amount of computation resource and long time to get accurate result. It is very difficult to cluster a dynamic changed text information streams on an individual computer. Our early research has resulted in a dynamic reactive flock clustering algorithm which can continually refine the clustering result and quickly react to the change of document contents. This character makes the algorithm suitable for cluster analyzing dynamic changed document information, such as text information stream. Because of the decentralized character of this algorithm, a distributed approach is a very natural way to increase the clustering speed of the algorithm. In this paper, we present a distributed multi-agent flocking approach for the text information stream clustering and discuss the decentralized architectures and communication schemes for load balance and status information synchronization in this approach.

Association between Maternal and Child Nutritional Status in Hula, Rural Southern Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Negash, Canaan; Whiting, Susan J; Henry, Carol J; Belachew, Tefera; Hailemariam, Tewodros G

2015-01-01

Maternal and child under nutrition is highly prevalent in low-income and middle-income countries, resulting in substantial increases in mortality and overall disease burden. The aim of this baseline survey was to determine the association between selected maternal characteristics, maternal nutritional status and children's nutritional status. A survey with a cross sectional design was conducted between September and October 2012 in Hula, Ethiopia. The study subjects were 197 mothers of children between the ages of 6 and 23 months. Weight and height (mothers) or recumbent length (children) were measured using calibrated, standardized techniques. Seven percent of children were below -2 weight for height Z score (WHZ), 11.5% were below -2 height for age Z score (HAZ) and 9.9% were below -2 weight for age Z score (WAZ). Maternal anthropometrics were associated with child nutritional status in the bivariate analysis. Maternal BMI (r = 0.16 P = 0.02) and educational status (r = 0.25 P = 0.001) were correlated with WHZ of children while maternal height (r = 0.2 P = 0.007) was correlated with HAZ of children. After multivariate analysis, children whose mothers had salary from employment had a better WHZ score (P = 0.001) and WAZ score (Pchildren. Having a mother with better nutritional status and salaried employment is a benefit for the nutritional status of the child. The interrelationship between maternal and child nutritional status stresses the value of improving maternal nutritional status as this should improve both maternal and child health outcomes. Therefore strategies to improve nutritional status of children should also include improving the nutritional status of the mother and empowering her financially.

Fortified Iodine Milk Improves Iodine Status and Cognitive Abilities in Schoolchildren Aged 7–9 Years Living in a Rural Mountainous Area of Morocco

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatima Ezzahra Zahrou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Iodine is required for the production of the thyroid hormones essential for the growth and development of the brain. All forms of iodine deficiency (ID affect the mental development of the child. Our study aims to assess the impact of ID on the intellectual development of Moroccan schoolchildren and to evaluate the effect of consumption of fortified milk on reducing ID. In a double-blind controlled trial conducted on schoolchildren, children were divided into two groups to receive fortified milk (30% of cover of RDI iodine or nonfortified milk for 9 months. Urinary iodine was analyzed using the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction, a dynamic cognitive test using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices to assess learning potential was performed at baseline and end line, and anthropometric assessment was done only at baseline. The study included schoolchildren who were severely iodine deficient. The prevalence of malnutrition was high in both groups; in this study, we found improvements in iodine status and in cognitive abilities among Moroccan schoolchildren. Our study showed that the consumption of fortified milk led to a clear improvement in iodine status and also appeared to have a favorable effect on the cognitive ability of Moroccan schoolchildren in a rural mountainous region.

Improved Mathematical Models for Particle-Size Distribution Data

African Journals Online (AJOL)

BirukEdimon

School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology,. 3. Murray Rix ... two improved mathematical models to describe ... demand further improvement to handle the PSD ... statistics and the range of the optimized.

Pyridoxine deficiency in adult patients with status epilepticus.

Science.gov (United States)

Dave, Hina N; Eugene Ramsay, Richard; Khan, Fawad; Sabharwal, Vivek; Irland, Megan

2015-11-01

An 8-year-old girl treated at our facility for superrefractory status epilepticus was found to have a low pyridoxine level at 5 μg/L. After starting pyridoxine supplementation, improvement in the EEG for a 24-hour period was seen. We decided to look at the pyridoxine levels in adult patients admitted with status epilepticus. We reviewed the records on patients admitted to the neurological ICU for status epilepticus (SE). Eighty-one adult patients were identified with documented pyridoxine levels. For comparison purposes, we looked at pyridoxine levels in outpatients with epilepsy (n=132). Reported normal pyridoxine range is >10 ng/mL. All but six patients admitted for SE had low normal or undetectable pyridoxine levels. A selective pyridoxine deficiency was seen in 94% of patients with status epilepticus (compared to 39.4% in the outpatients) which leads us to believe that there is a relationship between status epilepticus and pyridoxine levels. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AGIS: Integration of new technologies used in ATLAS Distributed Computing

Science.gov (United States)

Anisenkov, Alexey; Di Girolamo, Alessandro; Alandes Pradillo, Maria

2017-10-01

The variety of the ATLAS Distributed Computing infrastructure requires a central information system to define the topology of computing resources and to store different parameters and configuration data which are needed by various ATLAS software components. The ATLAS Grid Information System (AGIS) is the system designed to integrate configuration and status information about resources, services and topology of the computing infrastructure used by ATLAS Distributed Computing applications and services. Being an intermediate middleware system between clients and external information sources (like central BDII, GOCDB, MyOSG), AGIS defines the relations between experiment specific used resources and physical distributed computing capabilities. Being in production during LHC Runl AGIS became the central information system for Distributed Computing in ATLAS and it is continuously evolving to fulfil new user requests, enable enhanced operations and follow the extension of the ATLAS Computing model. The ATLAS Computing model and data structures used by Distributed Computing applications and services are continuously evolving and trend to fit newer requirements from ADC community. In this note, we describe the evolution and the recent developments of AGIS functionalities, related to integration of new technologies recently become widely used in ATLAS Computing, like flexible computing utilization of opportunistic Cloud and HPC resources, ObjectStore services integration for Distributed Data Management (Rucio) and ATLAS workload management (PanDA) systems, unified storage protocols declaration required for PandDA Pilot site movers and others. The improvements of information model and general updates are also shown, in particular we explain how other collaborations outside ATLAS could benefit the system as a computing resources information catalogue. AGIS is evolving towards a common information system, not coupled to a specific experiment.

Assessment of nutritional status in the community and clinical settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The nutritional status of an individual is usually a result of multiple factors that interact with each other at different levels. Recognizing the role of diet at the onset of many diseases and assessing the nutritional status of an individual, family and community are important for public health. The nutritional assessment is done to obtain information about the prevalence and geographic distribution of nutritional disorders within a community or a specified population group. It can also be used to identify high-risk groups and to assess the role of different epidemiological factors in nutritional deficiency. Assessment of the nutritional status aids assessing the prevalence of nutritional disorders, planning corrective measures, and evaluating the effectiveness of the implemented strategies simultaneously.

Improving distribution efficiency of electrical network using geo-electrical options. A case study in a rural area of Assam (India)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hazarika, S.; Hiloidhari, M.; Baruah, D.C. [Energy Conservation Laboratory, Department of Energy, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam (India)

2012-11-15

Reduction of electricity distribution loss is a major area of focus in India. This paper aims to investigate geo-electrical options to improve distribution efficiency of electrical network. Distribution efficiencies corresponding to several possible electrical network options are assessed using Geographical Information System (GIS) integrated electrical theory. An existing electrical distribution network of a rural area in Assam (India) is considered for the present investigation. Information related to characteristics of loads, features of conductors, and transformers of the existing network are used for this investigation. The line losses of the three existing transformers are estimated at about 36, 20, and 3 % of their respective connected loads. Longer distribution lines associated with higher loads are the causes of higher line losses. Using basic electrical theory and GIS tools, it is found that line losses can be reduced in the existing distribution system through management of distribution transformer and reconductoring. Two alternative locations for each of the three transformers are identified for optimal management of distribution transformers. Similarly, five different types of commercially available conductors are identified for possible reconductoring to reduce line loss. The economic viability of reconductoring of distribution lines are also assessed through an economic analysis. Net present values of total expenditure comprising purchase prices of conductor and cost attributed to line losses are estimated considering 30 years of useful life. The existing conductor has the worst economic merit, though it is the cheapest amongst all. A net saving of about USD 24,084 is possible through the best choice of distribution conductor for the village.

Rationale and study design of a patient-centered intervention to improve health status in chronic heart failure: The Collaborative Care to Alleviate Symptoms and Adjust to Illness (CASA) randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekelman, David B; Allen, Larry A; Peterson, Jamie; Hattler, Brack; Havranek, Edward P; Fairclough, Diane L; McBryde, Connor F; Meek, Paula M

2016-11-01

While contemporary heart failure management has led to some improvements in morbidity and mortality, patients continue to report poor health status (i.e., burdensome symptoms, impaired function, and poor quality of life). The Collaborative Care to Alleviate Symptoms and Adjust to Illness (CASA) trial is a NIH-funded, three-site, randomized clinical trial that examines the effect of the CASA intervention compared to usual care on the primary outcome of patient-reported health status at 6months in patients with heart failure and poor health status. The CASA intervention involves a nurse who works with patients to treat symptoms (e.g., shortness of breath, fatigue, pain) using disease-specific and palliative approaches, and a social worker who provides psychosocial care targeting depression and adjustment to illness. The intervention uses a collaborative care team model of health care delivery and is structured and primarily phone-based to enhance reproducibility and scalability. This article describes the rationale and design of the CASA trial, including several decision points: (1) how to design a patient-centered intervention to improve health status; (2) how to structure the intervention so that it is reproducible and scalable; and (3) how to systematically identify outpatients with heart failure most likely to need and benefit from the intervention. The results should provide valuable information to providers and health systems about the use of team care to manage symptoms and provide psychosocial care in chronic illness. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Status of electrical energy storage systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This report presents an overview of the status of electrical storage systems in the light of the growing use of renewable energy sources and distributed generation (DG) in meeting emission targets and in the interest of the UK electricity supply industry. Examples of storage technologies, their applications and current status are examined along with technical issues and possible activities by UK industries. Details are given of development opportunities in the fields of flow cells, advanced batteries - lithium batteries, high temperature batteries, flywheels, and capacitors. Power conversion systems and system integration, the all-electric ship project, and compressed air energy storage are discussed. Opportunities for development and deployment, small scale systems, demonstration programmes, and research and development issues are considered. An outline of the US Department of Energy Storage programme is given in the Annex to the report.