Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Literature (REAL(©)): streamlining the systematic review process and creating utility for evidence-based health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Cindy; Boyd, Courtney; Jain, Shamini; Khorsan, Raheleh; Jonas, Wayne

2015-11-02

Systematic reviews (SRs) are widely recognized as the best means of synthesizing clinical research. However, traditional approaches can be costly and time-consuming and can be subject to selection and judgment bias. It can also be difficult to interpret the results of a SR in a meaningful way in order to make research recommendations, clinical or policy decisions, or practice guidelines. Samueli Institute has developed the Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Literature (REAL) SR process to address these issues. REAL provides up-to-date, rigorous, high quality SR information on health care practices, products, or programs in a streamlined, efficient and reliable manner. This process is a component of the Scientific Evaluation and Review of Claims in Health Care (SEaRCH™) program developed by Samueli Institute, which aims at answering the question of "What works?" in health care. The REAL process (1) tailors a standardized search strategy to a specific and relevant research question developed with various stakeholders to survey the available literature; (2) evaluates the quantity and quality of the literature using structured tools and rulebooks to ensure objectivity, reliability and reproducibility of reviewer ratings in an independent fashion and; (3) obtains formalized, balanced input from trained subject matter experts on the implications of the evidence for future research and current practice. Online tools and quality assurance processes are utilized for each step of the review to ensure a rapid, rigorous, reliable, transparent and reproducible SR process. The REAL is a rapid SR process developed to streamline and aid in the rigorous and reliable evaluation and review of claims in health care in order to make evidence-based, informed decisions, and has been used by a variety of organizations aiming to gain insight into "what works" in health care. Using the REAL system allows for the facilitation of recommendations on appropriate next steps in policy, funding

Large-scale renewable energy project barriers: Environmental impact assessment streamlining efforts in Japan and the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumacher, Kim

2017-01-01

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures have been identified as a major barrier to renewable energy (RE) development with regards to large-scale projects (LS-RE). However EIA laws have also been neglected by many decision-makers who have been underestimating its impact on RE development and the stifling potential they possess. As a consequence, apart from acknowledging the shortcomings of the systems currently in place, few governments momentarily have concrete plans to reform their EIA laws. By looking at recent EIA streamlining efforts in two industrialized regions that underwent major transformations in their energy sectors, this paper attempts to assess how such reform efforts can act as a means to support the balancing of environmental protection and climate change mitigation with socio-economic challenges. Thereby this paper fills this intellectual void by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese EIA law by contrasting it with the recently revised EIA Directive of the European Union (EU). This enables the identification of the regulatory provisions that impact RE development the most and the determination of how structured EIA law reforms would affect domestic RE project development. The main focus lies on the evaluation of regulatory streamlining efforts in the Japanese and EU contexts through the application of a mixed-methods approach, consisting of in-depth literary and legal reviews, followed by a comparative analysis and a series of semi-structured interviews. Highlighting several legal inconsistencies in combination with the views of EIA professionals, academics and law- and policymakers, allowed for a more comprehensive assessment of what streamlining elements of the reformed EU EIA Directive and the proposed Japanese EIA framework modifications could either promote or stifle further RE deployment. - Highlights: •Performs an in-depth review of EIA reforms in OECD territories •First paper to compare Japan and the European

The design of the Comet streamliner: An electric land speed record motorcycle

Science.gov (United States)

McMillan, Ethan Alexander

The development of the land speed record electric motorcycle streamliner, the Comet, is discussed herein. Its design process includes a detailed literary review of past and current motorcycle streamliners in an effort to highlight the main components of such a vehicle's design, while providing baseline data for performance comparisons. A new approach to balancing a streamliner at low speeds is also addressed, a system henceforth referred to as landing gear, which has proven an effective means for allowing the driver to control the low speed instabilities of the vehicle with relative ease compared to tradition designs. This is accompanied by a dynamic stability analysis conducted on a test chassis that was developed for the primary purpose of understanding the handling dynamics of streamliners, while also providing a test bed for the implementation of the landing gear system and a means to familiarize the driver to the operation and handling of such a vehicle. Data gathered through the use of GPS based velocity tracking, accelerometers, and a linear potentiometer provided a means to validate a dynamic stability analysis of the weave and wobble modes of the vehicle through linearization of a streamliner model developed in the BikeSIM software suite. Results indicate agreement between the experimental data and the simulation, indicating that the conventional recumbent design of a streamliner chassis is in fact highly stable throughout the performance envelope beyond extremely low speeds. A computational fluid dynamics study was also performed, utilized in the development of the body of the Comet to which a series of tests were conducted in order to develop a shape that was both practical to transport and highly efficient. By creating a hybrid airfoil from a NACA 0018 and NACA 66-018, a drag coefficient of 0.1 and frontal area of 0.44 m2 has been found for the final design. Utilizing a performance model based on the proposed vehicle's motor, its rolling resistance, and

The streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin stabilising method for the numerical solution of highly advective problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Humberto Galeano Urueña

2009-05-01

Full Text Available This article describes the streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG method as being a stabilisation technique for resolving the diffusion-advection-reaction equation by finite elements. The first part of this article has a short analysis of the importance of this type of differential equation in modelling physical phenomena in multiple fields. A one-dimensional description of the SUPG me- thod is then given to extend this basis to two and three dimensions. The outcome of a strongly advective and a high numerical complexity experiment is presented. The results show how the version of the implemented SUPG technique allowed stabilised approaches in space, even for high Peclet numbers. Additional graphs of the numerical experiments presented here can be downloaded from www.gnum.unal.edu.co.

Creating customer value by streamlining business processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vantrappen, H

1992-02-01

Much of the strategic preoccupation of senior managers in the 1990s is focusing on the creation of customer value. Companies are seeking competitive advantage by streamlining the three processes through which they interact with their customers: product creation, order handling and service assurance. 'Micro-strategy' is a term which has been coined for the trade-offs and decisions on where and how to streamline these three processes. The article discusses micro-strategies applied by successful companies.

Hydrodynamic Drag on Streamlined Projectiles and Cavities

KAUST Repository

Jetly, Aditya

2016-04-19

The air cavity formation resulting from the water-entry of solid objects has been the subject of extensive research due to its application in various fields such as biology, marine vehicles, sports and oil and gas industries. Recently we demonstrated that at certain conditions following the closing of the air cavity formed by the initial impact of a superhydrophobic sphere on a free water surface a stable streamlined shape air cavity can remain attached to the sphere. The formation of superhydrophobic sphere and attached air cavity reaches a steady state during the free fall. In this thesis we further explore this novel phenomenon to quantify the drag on streamlined shape cavities. The drag on the sphere-cavity formation is then compared with the drag on solid projectile which were designed to have self-similar shape to that of the cavity. The solid projectiles of adjustable weight were produced using 3D printing technique. In a set of experiments on the free fall of projectile we determined the variation of projectiles drag coefficient as a function of the projectiles length to diameter ratio and the projectiles specific weight, covering a range of intermediate Reynolds number, Re ~ 104 – 105 which are characteristic for our streamlined cavity experiments. Parallel free fall experiment with sphere attached streamlined air cavity and projectile of the same shape and effective weight clearly demonstrated the drag reduction effect due to the stress-free boundary condition at cavity liquid interface. The streamlined cavity experiments can be used as the upper bound estimate of the drag reduction by air layers naturally sustained on superhydrophobic surfaces in contact with water. In the final part of the thesis we design an experiment to test the drag reduction capacity of robust superhydrophobic coatings deposited on the surface of various model vessels.

Streamline segment statistics of premixed flames with nonunity Lewis numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Nilanjan; Wang, Lipo; Klein, Markus

2014-03-01

The interaction of flame and surrounding fluid motion is of central importance in the fundamental understanding of turbulent combustion. It is demonstrated here that this interaction can be represented using streamline segment analysis, which was previously applied in nonreactive turbulence. The present work focuses on the effects of the global Lewis number (Le) on streamline segment statistics in premixed flames in the thin-reaction-zones regime. A direct numerical simulation database of freely propagating thin-reaction-zones regime flames with Le ranging from 0.34 to 1.2 is used to demonstrate that Le has significant influences on the characteristic features of the streamline segment, such as the curve length, the difference in the velocity magnitude at two extremal points, and their correlations with the local flame curvature. The strengthenings of the dilatation rate, flame normal acceleration, and flame-generated turbulence with decreasing Le are principally responsible for these observed effects. An expression for the probability density function (pdf) of the streamline segment length, originally developed for nonreacting turbulent flows, captures the qualitative behavior for turbulent premixed flames in the thin-reaction-zones regime for a wide range of Le values. The joint pdfs between the streamline length and the difference in the velocity magnitude at two extremal points for both unweighted and density-weighted velocity vectors are analyzed and compared. Detailed explanations are provided for the observed differences in the topological behaviors of the streamline segment in response to the global Le.

Report: Follow-Up Report: EPA Proposes to Streamline the Review, Management and Disposal of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

Science.gov (United States)

Report #15-P-0260, August 19, 2015. EPA states that it intends to issue a proposed rule, Management Standards for Hazardous Waste, which will attempt to streamline the approach to managing and disposing of hazardous and nonhazardous pharmaceutical waste.

Review of Statistical Learning Methods in Integrated Omics Studies (An Integrated Information Science).

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Irene Sui Lan; Lumley, Thomas

2018-01-01

Integrated omics is becoming a new channel for investigating the complex molecular system in modern biological science and sets a foundation for systematic learning for precision medicine. The statistical/machine learning methods that have emerged in the past decade for integrated omics are not only innovative but also multidisciplinary with integrated knowledge in biology, medicine, statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Here, we review the nontrivial classes of learning methods from the statistical aspects and streamline these learning methods within the statistical learning framework. The intriguing findings from the review are that the methods used are generalizable to other disciplines with complex systematic structure, and the integrated omics is part of an integrated information science which has collated and integrated different types of information for inferences and decision making. We review the statistical learning methods of exploratory and supervised learning from 42 publications. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of the extended principal component analysis, cluster analysis, network analysis, and regression methods. Statistical techniques such as penalization for sparsity induction when there are fewer observations than the number of features and using Bayesian approach when there are prior knowledge to be integrated are also included in the commentary. For the completeness of the review, a table of currently available software and packages from 23 publications for omics are summarized in the appendix.

Dividing Streamline Formation Channel Confluences by Physical Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minarni Nur Trilita

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Confluence channels are often found in open channel network system and is the most important element. The incoming flow from the branch channel to the main cause various forms and cause vortex flow. Phenomenon can cause erosion of the side wall of the channel, the bed channel scour and sedimentation in the downstream confluence channel. To control these problems needed research into the current width of the branch channel. The incoming flow from the branch channel to the main channel flow bounded by a line distributors (dividing streamline. In this paper, the wide dividing streamline observed in the laboratory using a physical model of two open channels, a square that formed an angle of 30º. Observations were made with a variety of flow coming from each channel. The results obtained in the laboratory observation that the width of dividing streamline flow is influenced by the discharge ratio between the channel branch with the main channel. While the results of a comparison with previous studies showing that the observation in the laboratory is smaller than the results of previous research.

Rapid review programs to support health care and policy decision making: a descriptive analysis of processes and methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Polisena, Julie; Garritty, Chantelle; Kamel, Chris; Stevens, Adrienne; Abou-Setta, Ahmed M

2015-03-14

Health care decision makers often need to make decisions in limited timeframes and cannot await the completion of a full evidence review. Rapid reviews (RRs), utilizing streamlined systematic review methods, are increasingly being used to synthesize the evidence with a shorter turnaround time. Our primary objective was to describe the processes and methods used internationally to produce RRs. In addition, we sought to understand the underlying themes associated with these programs. We contacted representatives of international RR programs from a broad realm in health care to gather information about the methods and processes used to produce RRs. The responses were summarized narratively to understand the characteristics associated with their processes and methods. The summaries were compared and contrasted to highlight potential themes and trends related to the different RR programs. Twenty-nine international RR programs were included in our sample with a broad organizational representation from academia, government, research institutions, and non-for-profit organizations. Responses revealed that the main objectives for RRs were to inform decision making with regards to funding health care technologies, services and policy, and program development. Central themes that influenced the methods used by RR programs, and report type and dissemination were the imposed turnaround time to complete a report, resources available, the complexity and sensitivity of the research topics, and permission from the requestor. Our study confirmed that there is no standard approach to conduct RRs. Differences in processes and methods across programs may be the result of the novelty of RR methods versus other types of evidence syntheses, customization of RRs for various decision makers, and definition of 'rapid' by organizations, since it impacts both the timelines and the evidence synthesis methods. Future research should investigate the impact of current RR methods and reporting to

Stream-lined Gating Systems with Improved Yield - Dimensioning and Experimental Validation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tiedje, Niels Skat; Skov-Hansen, Søren Peter

the two types of lay-outs are cast in production. It is shown that flow in the stream-lined lay-out is well controlled and that the quality of the castings is as at least equal to that of castings produced with a traditional lay-out. Further, the yield is improved by 4 % relative to a traditional lay-out.......The paper describes how a stream-lined gating system where the melt is confined and controlled during filling can be designed. Commercial numerical modelling software has been used to compare the stream-lined design with a traditional gating system. These results are confirmed by experiments where...

Joint statistics and conditional mean strain rates of streamline segments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, P; Gampert, M; Peters, N

2013-01-01

Based on four different direct numerical simulations of turbulent flows with Taylor-based Reynolds numbers ranging from Re λ = 50 to 300 among which are two homogeneous isotropic decaying, one forced and one homogeneous shear flow, streamlines are identified and the obtained space curves are parameterized with the pseudo-time as well as the arclength. Based on local extrema of the absolute value of the velocity along the streamlines, the latter are partitioned into segments following Wang (2010 J. Fluid Mech. 648 183–203). Streamline segments are then statistically analyzed based on both parameterizations using the joint probability density function of the pseudo-time lag τ (arclength l, respectively) between and the velocity difference Δu at the extrema: P(τ,Δu), (P(l,Δu)). We distinguish positive and negative streamline segments depending on the sign of the velocity difference Δu. Differences as well as similarities in the statistical description for both parameterizations are discussed. In particular, it turns out that the normalized probability distribution functions (pdfs) (of both parameterizations) of the length of positive, negative and all segments assume a universal shape for all Reynolds numbers and flow types and are well described by a model derived in Schaefer P et al (2012 Phys. Fluids 24 045104). Particular attention is given to the conditional mean velocity difference at the ending points of the segments, which can be understood as a first-order structure function in the context of streamline segment analysis. It determines to a large extent the stretching (compression) of positive (negative) streamline segments and corresponds to the convective velocity in phase space in the transport model equation for the pdf. While based on the random sweeping hypothesis a scaling ∝ (u rms ετ) 1/3 is found for the parameterization based on the pseudo-time, the parameterization with the arclength l yields a much larger than expected l 1/3 scaling. A

Application-Tailored I/O with Streamline

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Bruijn, W.J.; Bos, H.J.; Bal, H.E.

2011-01-01

Streamline is a stream-based OS communication subsystem that spans from peripheral hardware to userspace processes. It improves performance of I/O-bound applications (such as webservers and streaming media applications) by constructing tailor-made I/O paths through the operating system for each

Southern Ocean overturning across streamlines in an eddying simulation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Treguier

2007-12-01

Full Text Available An eddying global model is used to study the characteristics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC in a streamline-following framework. Previous model-based estimates of the meridional circulation were calculated using zonal averages: this method leads to a counter-intuitive poleward circulation of the less dense waters, and underestimates the eddy effects. We show that on the contrary, the upper ocean circulation across streamlines agrees with the theoretical view: an equatorward mean flow partially cancelled by a poleward eddy mass flux. Two model simulations, in which the buoyancy forcing above the ACC changes from positive to negative, suggest that the relationship between the residual meridional circulation and the surface buoyancy flux is not as straightforward as assumed by the simplest theoretical models: the sign of the residual circulation cannot be inferred from the surface buoyancy forcing only. Among the other processes that likely play a part in setting the meridional circulation, our model results emphasize the complex three-dimensional structure of the ACC (probably not well accounted for in streamline-averaged, two-dimensional models and the distinct role of temperature and salinity in the definition of the density field. Heat and salt transports by the time-mean flow are important even across time-mean streamlines. Heat and salt are balanced in the ACC, the model drift being small, but the nonlinearity of the equation of state cannot be ignored in the density balance.

Accelerated Logistics: Streamlining the Army's Supply Chain

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wang, Mark

2000-01-01

...) initiative, the Army has dramatically streamlined its supply chain, cutting order and ship times for repair parts by nearly two-thirds nationwide and over 75 percent at several of the major Forces Command (FORSCOM) installations...

A streamlined risk screening method for managing reutilization of abandoned factories in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I-Chun Chen

2017-05-01

Full Text Available An integrated management strategy that considers the competing relationships between land values and associated risks in the process of land-use conversion is needed to assess and manage the reutilization of brownfields. However, the often large number of individual brownfields renders it difficult to conduct a completed risk assessment for all sites, and a streamlined risk screening method would facilitate prioritization of the redevelopment of those factories. This methodology takes into account the spatial heterogeneity of contaminated lands and produces risk mapping that compiles complex risk-related information. Using abandoned factories in Taiwan as a case study, the method considers 40 points (50% accumulated probability as the threshold of acceptable risk. Emergency risk should be over 90% of accumulated probability. For the sustainability of brownfield reutilization in Taiwan, this research uses a risk matrix to identify the low, middle, and high risk for brownfield reutilization. It can indicate zones with a high risk level or low economic incentive as areas of concern for future decision making. In Taiwan, high-risk sites with high incentive account for only 21.3% of the sites. In contrast, the sites with the lowest incentive and low risk account for 57.6% of the sites. To avoid failure in the brownfield market, three strategies are suggested: (1 flexible land management with urban planning is a feasible option for protecting the receptor's health; (2 the government could provide the tool or brownfield funds to reduce the uncertainty of investment risk; and (3 risk monitoring and management can reduce the possible pitfalls associated with brownfield reutilization.

Inter-laboratory validation of an inexpensive streamlined method to measure inorganic arsenic in rice grain.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaney, Rufus L; Green, Carrie E; Lehotay, Steven J

2018-05-04

With the establishment by CODEX of a 200 ng/g limit of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in polished rice grain, more analyses of iAs will be necessary to ensure compliance in regulatory and trade applications, to assess quality control in commercial rice production, and to conduct research involving iAs in rice crops. Although analytical methods using high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) have been demonstrated for full speciation of As, this expensive and time-consuming approach is excessive when regulations are based only on iAs. We report a streamlined sample preparation and analysis of iAs in powdered rice based on heated extraction with 0.28 M HNO 3 followed by hydride generation (HG) under control of acidity and other simple conditions. Analysis of iAs is then conducted using flow-injection HG and inexpensive ICP-atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) or other detection means. A key innovation compared with previous methods was to increase the acidity of the reagent solution with 4 M HCl (prior to reduction of As 5+ to As 3+ ), which minimized interferences from dimethylarsinic acid. An inter-laboratory method validation was conducted among 12 laboratories worldwide in the analysis of six shared blind duplicates and a NIST Standard Reference Material involving different types of rice and iAs levels. Also, four laboratories used the standard HPLC-ICP-MS method to analyze the samples. The results between the methods were not significantly different, and the Horwitz ratio averaged 0.52 for the new method, which meets official method validation criteria. Thus, the simpler, more versatile, and less expensive method may be used by laboratories for several purposes to accurately determine iAs in rice grain. Graphical abstract Comparison of iAs results from new and FDA methods.

Streamlined bioreactor-based production of human cartilage tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Tonnarelli, B; Santoro, R; Adelaide Asnaghi, M; Wendt, D

2016-05-27

Engineered tissue grafts have been manufactured using methods based predominantly on traditional labour-intensive manual benchtop techniques. These methods impart significant regulatory and economic challenges, hindering the successful translation of engineered tissue products to the clinic. Alternatively, bioreactor-based production systems have the potential to overcome such limitations. In this work, we present an innovative manufacturing approach to engineer cartilage tissue within a single bioreactor system, starting from freshly isolated human primary chondrocytes, through the generation of cartilaginous tissue grafts. The limited number of primary chondrocytes that can be isolated from a small clinically-sized cartilage biopsy could be seeded and extensively expanded directly within a 3D scaffold in our perfusion bioreactor (5.4 ± 0.9 doublings in 2 weeks), bypassing conventional 2D expansion in flasks. Chondrocytes expanded in 3D scaffolds better maintained a chondrogenic phenotype than chondrocytes expanded on plastic flasks (collagen type II mRNA, 18-fold; Sox-9, 11-fold). After this "3D expansion" phase, bioreactor culture conditions were changed to subsequently support chondrogenic differentiation for two weeks. Engineered tissues based on 3D-expanded chondrocytes were more cartilaginous than tissues generated from chondrocytes previously expanded in flasks. We then demonstrated that this streamlined bioreactor-based process could be adapted to effectively generate up-scaled cartilage grafts in a size with clinical relevance (50 mm diameter). Streamlined and robust tissue engineering processes, as the one described here, may be key for the future manufacturing of grafts for clinical applications, as they facilitate the establishment of compact and closed bioreactor-based production systems, with minimal automation requirements, lower operating costs, and increased compliance to regulatory guidelines.

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, Eric C.; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg

2014-01-01

Purpose: Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. Methods: FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Results: Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes hadRPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Conclusions: Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ford, Eric C., E-mail: eford@uw.edu; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287 (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. Methods: FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Results: Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes hadRPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Conclusions: Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed.

Effectiveness of and obstacles to antibiotic streamlining to amoxicillin monotherapy in bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Blot, Mathieu; Pivot, Diane; Bourredjem, Abderrahmane; Salmon-Rousseau, Arnaud; de Curraize, Claire; Croisier, Delphine; Chavanet, Pascal; Binquet, Christine; Piroth, Lionel

2017-09-01

Antibiotic streamlining is pivotal to reduce the emergence of resistant bacteria. However, whether streamlining is frequently performed and safe in difficult situations, such as bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (BPP), has still to be assessed. All adult patients admitted to Dijon Hospital (France) from 2005 to 2013 who had BPP without complications, and were alive on the third day were enrolled. Clinical, biological, radiological, microbiological and therapeutic data were recorded. A first analysis was conducted to assess factors associated with being on amoxicillin on the third day. A second analysis, adjusting for a propensity score, was performed to determine whether 30-day mortality was associated with streamlining to amoxicillin monotherapy. Of the 196 patients hospitalized for BPP, 161 were still alive on the third day and were included in the study. Treatment was streamlined to amoxicillin in 60 patients (37%). Factors associated with not streamlining were severe pneumonia (OR 3.11, 95%CI [1.23-7.87]) and a first-line antibiotic combination (OR 3.08, 95%CI [1.34-7.09]). By contrast, starting with amoxicillin monotherapy correlated inversely with the risk of subsequent treatment with antibiotics other than amoxicillin (OR 0.06, 95%CI [0.01-0.30]). The Cox model adjusted for the propensity-score analysis showed that streamlining to amoxicillin during BPP was not significantly associated with a higher risk of 30-day mortality (HR 0.38, 95%CI [0.08-1.87]). Streamlining to amoxicillin is insufficiently implemented during BPP. This strategy is safe and potentially associated with ecological and economic benefits; therefore, it should be further encouraged, particularly when antibiotic combinations are started for severe pneumonia. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Streamlining cardiovascular clinical trials to improve efficiency and generalisability.

Science.gov (United States)

Zannad, Faiez; Pfeffer, Marc A; Bhatt, Deepak L; Bonds, Denise E; Borer, Jeffrey S; Calvo-Rojas, Gonzalo; Fiore, Louis; Lund, Lars H; Madigan, David; Maggioni, Aldo Pietro; Meyers, Catherine M; Rosenberg, Yves; Simon, Tabassome; Stough, Wendy Gattis; Zalewski, Andrew; Zariffa, Nevine; Temple, Robert

2017-08-01

Controlled trials provide the most valid determination of the efficacy and safety of an intervention, but large cardiovascular clinical trials have become extremely costly and complex, making it difficult to study many important clinical questions. A critical question, and the main objective of this review, is how trials might be simplified while maintaining randomisation to preserve scientific integrity and unbiased efficacy assessments. Experience with alternative approaches is accumulating, specifically with registry-based randomised controlled trials that make use of data already collected. This approach addresses bias concerns while still capitalising on the benefits and efficiencies of a registry. Several completed or ongoing trials illustrate the feasibility of using registry-based controlled trials to answer important questions relevant to daily clinical practice. Randomised trials within healthcare organisation databases may also represent streamlined solutions for some types of investigations, although data quality (endpoint assessment) is likely to be a greater concern in those settings. These approaches are not without challenges, and issues pertaining to informed consent, blinding, data quality and regulatory standards remain to be fully explored. Collaboration among stakeholders is necessary to achieve standards for data management and analysis, to validate large data sources for use in randomised trials, and to re-evaluate ethical standards to encourage research while also ensuring that patients are protected. The rapidly evolving efforts to streamline cardiovascular clinical trials have the potential to lead to major advances in promoting better care and outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Streamlined approach to waste management at CRL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, L.; Campbell, B.

2011-01-01

Radioactive, mixed, hazardous and non-hazardous wastes have been and continue to be generated at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) as a result of research and development activities and operations since the 1940s. Over the years, the wastes produced as a byproduct of activities delivering the core missions of the CRL site have been of many types, and today, over thirty distinct waste streams have been identified, all requiring efficient management. With the commencement of decommissioning of the legacy created as part of the development of the Canadian nuclear industry, the volumes and range of wastes to be managed have been increasing in the near term, and this trend will continue into the future. The development of a streamlined approach to waste management is a key to successful waste management at CRL. Waste management guidelines that address all of the requirements have become complex, and so have the various waste management groups receiving waste, with their many different processes and capabilities. This has led to difficulties for waste generators in understanding all of the requirements to be satisfied for the various CRL waste receivers, whose primary concerns are to be safe and in compliance with their acceptance criteria and license conditions. As a result, waste movement on site can often be very slow, especially for non-routine waste types. Recognizing an opportunity for improvement, the Waste Management organization at CRL has implemented a more streamlined approach with emphasis on early identification of waste type and possible disposition path. This paper presents a streamlined approach to waste identification and waste management at CRL, the implementation methodology applied and the early results achieved from this process improvement. (author)

Streamlining the Bankability Process using International Standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurtz, Sarah [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Repins, Ingrid L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kelly, George [Sunset Technology, Mount Airy, MD; Ramu, Govind [SunPower, San Jose, California; Heinz, Matthias [TUV Rheinland, Cologne, Germany; Chen, Yingnan [CGC (China General Certification Center), Beijing; Wohlgemuth, John [PowerMark, Union Hall, VA; Lokanath, Sumanth [First Solar, Tempe, Arizona; Daniels, Eric [Suncycle USA, Frederick MD; Hsi, Edward [Swiss RE, Zurich, Switzerland; Yamamichi, Masaaki [RTS, Trumbull, CT

2017-09-27

NREL has supported the international efforts to create a streamlined process for documenting bankability and/or completion of each step of a PV project plan. IECRE was created for this purpose in 2014. This poster describes the goals, current status of this effort, and how individuals and companies can become involved.

Streamline-concentration balance model for in-situ uranium leaching and site restoration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bommer, P.M.; Schechter, R.S.; Humenick, M.J.

1981-03-01

This work presents two computer models. One describes in-situ uranium leaching and the other describes post leaching site restoration. Both models use a streamline generator to set up the flow field over the reservoir. The leaching model then uses the flow data in a concentration balance along each streamline coupled with the appropriate reaction kinetics to calculate uranium production. The restoration model uses the same procedure except that binary cation exchange is used as the restoring mechanism along each streamline and leaching cation clean up is simulated. The mathematical basis for each model is shown in detail along with the computational schemes used. Finally, the two models have been used with several data sets to point out their capabilities and to illustrate important leaching and restoration parameters and schemes

Streamline-concentration balance model for in situ uranium leaching and site restoration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bommer, P.M.

1979-01-01

This work presents two computer models. One describes in situ uranium leaching and the other describes post leaching site restoration. Both models use a streamline generator to set up the flow field over the reservoir. The leaching model then uses the flow data in a concentration balance along each streamline coupled with the appropriate reaction kinetics to calculate uranium production. The restoration model uses the same procedure ecept that binary cation exchange is used as the restoring mechanism along each streamline and leaching cation clean up is stimulated. The mathematical basis for each model is shown in detail along with the computational schemes used. Finally, the two models have been used with several data sets to point out their capabilities and to illustrate important leaching and restoration parameters and schemes

Streamlining Research by Using Existing Tools

OpenAIRE

Greene, Sarah M.; Baldwin, Laura-Mae; Dolor, Rowena J.; Thompson, Ella; Neale, Anne Victoria

2011-01-01

Over the past two decades, the health research enterprise has matured rapidly, and many recognize an urgent need to translate pertinent research results into practice, to help improve the quality, accessibility, and affordability of U.S. health care. Streamlining research operations would speed translation, particularly for multi-site collaborations. However, the culture of research discourages reusing or adapting existing resources or study materials. Too often, researchers start studies and...

State Models to Incentivize and Streamline Small Hydropower Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curtis, Taylor [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Levine, Aaron [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Johnson, Kurt [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-10-31

In 2016, the hydropower fleet in the United States produced more than 6 percent (approximately 265,829 gigawatt-hours [GWh]) of the total net electricity generation. The median-size hydroelectric facility in the United States is 1.6 MW and 75 percent of total facilities have a nameplate capacity of 10 MW or less. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydropower Vision study identified approximately 79 GW hydroelectric potential beyond what is already developed. Much of the potential identified is at low-impact new stream-reaches, existing conduits, and non-powered dams with a median project size of 10 MW or less. To optimize the potential and value of small hydropower development, state governments are crafting policies that provide financial assistance and expedite state and federal review processes for small hydroelectric projects. This report analyzes state-led initiatives and programs that incentivize and streamline small hydroelectric development.

48 CFR 12.602 - Streamlined evaluation of offers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... offers. 12.602 Section 12.602 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION... for Commercial Items 12.602 Streamlined evaluation of offers. (a) When evaluation factors are used... evaluation factors. (b) Offers shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria contained in the...

Calculation of heat transfer in transversely stream-lined tube bundles with chess arrangement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migaj, V.K.

1978-01-01

A semiempirical theory of heat transfer in transversely stream-lined chess-board tube bundles has been developed. The theory is based on a single cylinder model and involves external flow parameter evaluation on the basis of the solidification principle of a vortex zone. The effect of turbulence is estimated according to experimental results. The method is extended to both average and local heat transfer coefficients. Comparison with experiment shows satisfactory agreement

The role of streamline curvature in sand dune dynamics: evidence from field and wind tunnel measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggs, Giles F. S.; Livingstone, Ian; Warren, Andrew

1996-09-01

Field measurements on an unvegetated, 10 m high barchan dune in Oman are compared with measurements over a 1:200 scale fixed model in a wind tunnel. Both the field and wind tunnel data demonstrate similar patterns of wind and shear velocity over the dune, confirming significant flow deceleration upwind of and at the toe of the dune, acceleration of flow up the windward slope, and deceleration between the crest and brink. This pattern, including the widely reported upwind reduction in shear velocity, reflects observations of previous studies. Such a reduction in shear velocity upwind of the dune should result in a reduction in sand transport and subsequent sand deposition. This is not observed in the field. Wind tunnel modelling using a near-surface pulse-wire probe suggests that the field method of shear velocity derivation is inadequate. The wind tunnel results exhibit no reduction in shear velocity upwind of or at the toe of the dune. Evidence provided by Reynolds stress profiles and turbulence intensities measured in the wind tunnel suggest that this maintenance of upwind shear stress may be a result of concave (unstable) streamline curvature. These additional surface stresses are not recorded by the techniques used in the field measurements. Using the occurrence of streamline curvature as a starting point, a new 2-D model of dune dynamics is deduced. This model relies on the establishment of an equilibrium between windward slope morphology, surface stresses induced by streamline curvature, and streamwise acceleration. Adopting the criteria that concave streamline curvature and streamwise acceleration both increase surface shear stress, whereas convex streamline curvature and deceleration have the opposite effect, the relationships between form and process are investigated in each of three morphologically distinct zones: the upwind interdune and concave toe region of the dune, the convex portion of the windward slope, and the crest-brink region. The

Case studies in geographic information systems for environmental streamlining

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-31

This 2012 summary report addresses the current use of geographic information systems (GIS) and related technologies by State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for environmental streamlining and stewardship, particularly in relation to the National...

Robust Preconditioning Estimates for Convection-Dominated Elliptic Problems via a Streamline Poincaré--Friedrichs Inequality

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Axelsson, Owe; Karátson, J.; Kovács, B.

2014-01-01

Roč. 52, č. 6 (2014), s. 2957-2976 ISSN 0036-1429 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED1.1.00/02.0070 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : streamline diffusion finite element method * solving convection-dominated elliptic problems * convergence is robust Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.788, year: 2014 http://epubs.siam.org/doi/abs/10.1137/130940268

Patient and physician attitudes regarding risk and benefit in streamlined development programmes for antibacterial drugs: a qualitative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, Thomas L; Mikita, Stephen; Bloom, Diane; Roberts, Jamie; McCall, Jonathan; Collyar, Deborah; Santiago, Jonas; Tiernan, Rosemary; Toerner, Joseph

2016-11-10

To explore patient, caregiver and physician perceptions and attitudes regarding the balance of benefit and risk in using antibacterial drugs developed through streamlined development processes. Semistructured focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted to elicit perceptions and attitudes about the use of antibacterial drugs to treat multidrug-resistant infections. Participants were given background information about antibiotic resistance, streamlined drug development programmes and FDA drug approval processes. Audio recordings of focus groups/interviews were reviewed and quotes excerpted and categorised to identify key themes. Two primary stakeholder groups were engaged: one comprising caregivers, healthy persons and patients who had recovered from or were at risk of resistant infection (N=67; 11 focus groups); and one comprising physicians who treat resistant infections (N=23). Responses from focus groups/interviews indicated widespread awareness among patients/caregivers and physicians of the seriousness of the problem of antibacterial resistance. Both groups were willing to accept a degree of uncertainty regarding the balance of risk and benefit in a new therapy where a serious unmet need exists, but also expressed a desire for rigorous monitoring and rapid, transparent reporting of safety/effectiveness data. Both groups wanted to ensure that >1 physician had input on whether to treat patients with antibiotics developed through a streamlined process. Some patients/caregivers unfamiliar with exigencies of critical care suggested a relatively large multidisciplinary team, while physicians believed individual expert consultations would be preferable. Both groups agreed that careful oversight and stewardship of antibacterial drugs are needed to ensure patient safety, preserve efficacy and prevent abuse. Groups comprising patients/caregivers and physicians were aware of serious issues posed by resistant infections and the lack of effective antibacterial drug

The Effects of Propulsive Jetting on Drag of a Streamlined body

Science.gov (United States)

Krieg, Michael; Mohseni, Kamran

2017-11-01

Recently an abundance of bioinspired underwater vehicles have emerged to leverage eons of evolution. Our group has developed a propulsion technique inspired by jellyfish and squid. Propulsive jets are generated by ingesting and expelling water from a flexible internal cavity. We have demonstrated thruster capabilities for maneuvering on AUV platforms, where the internal thruster geometry minimized forward drag; however, such a setup cannot characterize propulsive efficiency. Therefore, we created a new streamlined vehicle platform that produces unsteady jets for forward propulsion rather than maneuvering. The streamlined jetting body is placed in a water tunnel and held stationary while jetting frequency and background flow velocity are varied. For each frequency/velocity pair the flow field is measured around the surface and in the wake using PIV. Using the zero jetting frequency as a baseline for each background velocity, the passive body drag is related to the velocity distribution. For cases with active jetting the drag and jetting forces are estimated from the velocity field and compared to the passive case. For this streamlined body, the entrainment of surrounding flow into the propulsive jet can reduce drag forces in addition to the momentum transfer of the jet itself. Office of Naval Research.

Streamline Patterns and their Bifurcations near a wall with Navier slip Boundary Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tophøj, Laust; Møller, Søren; Brøns, Morten

2006-01-01

We consider the two-dimensional topology of streamlines near a surface where the Navier slip boundary condition applies. Using transformations to bring the streamfunction in a simple normal form, we obtain bifurcation diagrams of streamline patterns under variation of one or two external parameters....... Topologically, these are identical with the ones previously found for no-slip surfaces. We use the theory to analyze the Stokes flow inside a circle, and show how it can be used to predict new bifurcation phenomena. ©2006 American Institute of Physics...

Streamlining of the Decontamination and Demolition Document Preparation Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durand, Nick; Meincke, Carol; Peek, Georgianne

1999-01-01

During the past five years, the Sandia National Labo- ratories Decontamination, Decommissioning, Demolition, and Reuse (D3R) Program has evolved and become more focused and efficient. Historical approaches to project documentation, requirements, and drivers are discussed detailing key assumptions, oversight authority, and proj- ect approvals. Discussion of efforts to streamline the D3R project planning and preparation process include the in- corporation of the principles of graded approach, Total Quality Management, and the Observational Method (CH2MHILL April 1989).1 Process improvements were realized by clearly defining regulatory requirements for each phase of a project, establishing general guidance for the program and combining project-specific documents to eliminate redundant and unneeded information. Proc- ess improvements to cost, schedule, and quality are dis- cussed in detail for several projects

Study of streamline flow in the portal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkins, H.L.; Deitch, J.S.; Oster, Z.H.; Perkes, E.A.

1985-01-01

The study was undertaken to determine if streamline flow occurs in the portal vein, thus separating inflow from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and the inferior mesenteric artery. Previously published data on this subject is inconsistent. Patients undergoing abdominal angiography received two administrations of Tc-99m sulfur colloid, first via the SMA during angiography and, after completion of the angiographic procedure, via a peripheral vein (IV). Anterior images of the liver were recorded over a three minute acquisition before and after the IV injection without moving the patient. The image from the SMA injection was subtracted from the SMA and IV image to provide a pure IV image. Analysis of R to L ratios for selected regions of interest as well as whole lobes was carried out and the shift of R to L (SMA to IV) determined. Six patients had liver metastases from the colon, four had cirrhosis and four had no known liver disease. The shift in the ratio was highly variable without a consistent pattern. Large changes in some patients could be attributed to hepatic artery flow directed to metastases. No consistent evidence for streamlining of portal flow was discerned

Demystifying the peer-review process - workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Scientific writing and peer-review are integral parts of the publishing process. This workshop aims to demystify the peer-review process for early career scientists and provide insightful tips for streamlining the submission and peer review process for all researchers. Providing ...

Streamlining environmental product declarations: a stage model

Science.gov (United States)

Lefebvre, Elisabeth; Lefebvre, Louis A.; Talbot, Stephane; Le Hen, Gael

2001-02-01

General public environmental awareness and education is increasing, therefore stimulating the demand for reliable, objective and comparable information about products' environmental performances. The recently published standard series ISO 14040 and ISO 14025 are normalizing the preparation of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) containing comprehensive information relevant to a product's environmental impact during its life cycle. So far, only a few environmentally leading manufacturing organizations have experimented the preparation of EPDs (mostly from Europe), demonstrating its great potential as a marketing weapon. However the preparation of EPDs is a complex process, requiring collection and analysis of massive amounts of information coming from disparate sources (suppliers, sub-contractors, etc.). In a foreseeable future, the streamlining of the EPD preparation process will require product manufacturers to adapt their information systems (ERP, MES, SCADA) in order to make them capable of gathering, and transmitting the appropriate environmental information. It also requires strong functional integration all along the product supply chain in order to ensure that all the information is made available in a standardized and timely manner. The goal of the present paper is two fold: first to propose a transitional model towards green supply chain management and EPD preparation; second to identify key technologies and methodologies allowing to streamline the EPD process and subsequently the transition toward sustainable product development

The Healthcare Improvement Scotland evidence note rapid review process: providing timely, reliable evidence to inform imperative decisions on healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Heather M; Calvert, Julie; Macpherson, Karen J; Thompson, Lorna

2016-06-01

Rapid review has become widely adopted by health technology assessment agencies in response to demand for evidence-based information to support imperative decisions. Concern about the credibility of rapid reviews and the reliability of their findings has prompted a call for wider publication of their methods. In publishing this overview of the accredited rapid review process developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, we aim to raise awareness of our methods and advance the discourse on best practice. Healthcare Improvement Scotland produces rapid reviews called evidence notes using a process that has achieved external accreditation through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Key components include a structured approach to topic selection, initial scoping, considered stakeholder involvement, streamlined systematic review, internal quality assurance, external peer review and updating. The process was introduced in 2010 and continues to be refined over time in response to user feedback and operational experience. Decision-makers value the responsiveness of the process and perceive it as being a credible source of unbiased evidence-based information supporting advice for NHSScotland. Many agencies undertaking rapid reviews are striving to balance efficiency with methodological rigour. We agree that there is a need for methodological guidance and that it should be informed by better understanding of current approaches and the consequences of different approaches to streamlining systematic review methods. Greater transparency in the reporting of rapid review methods is essential to enable that to happen.

Streamlining genomes: toward the generation of simplified and stabilized microbial systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leprince, A.; Passel, van M.W.J.; Martins Dos Santos, V.A.P.

2012-01-01

At the junction between systems and synthetic biology, genome streamlining provides a solid foundation both for increased understanding of cellular circuitry, and for the tailoring of microbial chassis towards innovative biotechnological applications. Iterative genomic deletions (targeted and

Unique encoding for streamline topologies of incompressible and inviscid flows in multiply connected domains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakajo, T [Department of Mathematics, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Sawamura, Y; Yokoyama, T, E-mail: sakajo@math.kyoto-u.ac.jp [JST CREST, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)

2014-06-01

This study considers the flow of incompressible and inviscid fluid in two-dimensional multiply connected domains. For such flows, encoding algorithms to assign a unique sequence of words to any structurally stable streamline topology based on the theory presented by Yokoyama and Sakajo (2013 Proc. R. Soc. A 469 20120558) are proposed. As an application, we utilize the algorithms to characterize the evolution of an incompressible and viscid flow around a flat plate inclined to the uniform flow in terms of the change of the word representations for their instantaneous streamline topologies. (papers)

West Virginia peer exchange : streamlining highway safety improvement program project delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WV DOH) hosted a Peer Exchange to share information and experiences : for streamlining Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) project delivery. The event was held September : 22 to 23, 2014 in Charleston, We...

Lightroom 5 streamlining your digital photography process

CERN Document Server

Sylvan, Rob

2014-01-01

Manage your images with Lightroom and this beautifully illustrated guide Image management can soak up huge amounts of a photographer's time, but help is on hand. This complete guides teaches you how to use Adobe Lightroom 5 to import, manage, edit, and showcase large quantities of images with impressive results. The authors, both professional photographers and Lightroom experts, walk you through step by step, demonstrating real-world techniques as well as a variety of practical tips, tricks, and shortcuts that save you time. Streamline image management tasks like a pro, and get back to doing

Novel diffusion tensor imaging technique reveals developmental streamline volume changes in the corticospinal tract associated with leg motor control.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamson, David O; Juhász, Csaba; Chugani, Harry T; Jeong, Jeong-Won

2015-04-01

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has expanded our knowledge of corticospinal tract (CST) anatomy and development. However, previous developmental DTI studies assessed the CST as a whole, overlooking potential differences in development of its components related to control of the upper and lower extremities. The present cross-sectional study investigated age-related changes, side and gender differences in streamline volume of the leg- and hand-related segments of the CST in children. DTI data of 31 children (1-14 years; mean age: 6±4 years; 17 girls) with normal conventional MRI were analyzed. Leg- and hand-related CST streamline volumes were quantified separately, using a recently validated novel tractography approach. CST streamline volumes on both sides were compared between genders and correlated with age. Higher absolute streamline volumes were found in the left leg-related CST compared to the right (p=0.001) without a gender effect (p=0.4), whereas no differences were found in the absolute hand-related CST volumes (p>0.4). CST leg-related streamline volumes, normalized to hemispheric white matter volumes, declined with age in the right hemisphere only (R=-.51; p=0.004). Absolute leg-related CST streamline volumes showed similar, but slightly weaker correlations. Hand-related absolute or normalized CST streamline volumes showed no age-related variations on either side. These results suggest differential development of CST segments controlling hand vs. leg movements. Asymmetric volume changes in the lower limb motor pathway may be secondary to gradually strengthening left hemispheric dominance and is consistent with previous data suggesting that footedness is a better predictor of hemispheric lateralization than handedness. Copyright © 2014 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Damage Detection with Streamlined Structural Health Monitoring Data

OpenAIRE

Li, Jian; Deng, Jun; Xie, Weizhi

2015-01-01

The huge amounts of sensor data generated by large scale sensor networks in on-line structural health monitoring (SHM) systems often overwhelms the systems’ capacity for data transmission and analysis. This paper presents a new concept for an integrated SHM system in which a streamlined data flow is used as a unifying thread to integrate the individual components of on-line SHM systems. Such an integrated SHM system has a few desirable functionalities including embedded sensor data compressio...

Zephyr: A secure Internet process to streamline engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jordan, C.W.; Niven, W.A.; Cavitt, R.E. [and others

1998-05-12

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is implementing an Internet-based process pilot called `Zephyr` to streamline engineering and commerce using the Internet. Major benefits have accrued by using Zephyr in facilitating industrial collaboration, speeding the engineering development cycle, reducing procurement time, and lowering overall costs. Programs at LLNL are potentializing the efficiencies introduced since implementing Zephyr. Zephyr`s pilot functionality is undergoing full integration with Business Systems, Finance, and Vendors to support major programs at the Laboratory.

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Eric C; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg

2014-06-01

Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes had RPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed.

Streamlining Smart Meter Data Analytics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiufeng; Nielsen, Per Sieverts

2015-01-01

of the so-called big data possible. This can improve energy management, e.g., help utilities improve the management of energy and services, and help customers save money. As this regard, the paper focuses on building an innovative software solution to streamline smart meter data analytic, aiming at dealing......Today smart meters are increasingly used in worldwide. Smart meters are the advanced meters capable of measuring customer energy consumption at a fine-grained time interval, e.g., every 15 minutes. The data are very sizable, and might be from different sources, along with the other social......-economic metrics such as the geographic information of meters, the information about users and their property, geographic location and others, which make the data management very complex. On the other hand, data-mining and the emerging cloud computing technologies make the collection, management, and analysis...

Self streamlining wind tunnel: Further low speed testing and final design studies for the transonic facility

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, S. W. D.

1978-01-01

Work was continued with the low speed self streamlining wind tunnel (SSWT) using the NACA 0012-64 airfoil in an effort to explain the discrepancies between the NASA Langley low turbulence pressure tunnel (LTPT) and SSWT results obtained with the airfoil stalled. Conventional wind tunnel corrections were applied to straight wall SSWT airfoil data, to illustrate the inadequacy of standard correction techniques in circumstances of high blockage. Also one SSWT test was re-run at different air speeds to investigate the effects of such changes (perhaps through changes in Reynold's number and freestream turbulence levels) on airfoil data and wall contours. Mechanical design analyses for the transonic self-streamlining wind tunnel (TSWT) were completed by the application of theoretical airfoil flow field data to the elastic beam and streamline analysis. The control system for the transonic facility, which will eventually allow on-line computer operation of the wind tunnel, was outlined.

Streamline topology: Patterns in fluid flows and their bifurcations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brøns, Morten

2007-01-01

Using dynamical systems theory, we consider structures such as vortices and separation in the streamline patterns of fluid flows. Bifurcation of patterns under variation of external parameters is studied using simplifying normal form transformations. Flows away from boundaries, flows close to fix...... walls, and axisymmetric flows are analyzed in detail. We show how to apply the ideas from the theory to analyze numerical simulations of the vortex breakdown in a closed cylindrical container....

Streamlining the Online Course Development Process by Using Project Management Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Abdous, M'hammed; He, Wu

2008-01-01

Managing the design and production of online courses is challenging. Insufficient instructional design and inefficient management often lead to issues such as poor course quality and course delivery delays. In an effort to facilitate, streamline, and improve the overall design and production of online courses, this article discusses how we…

Stable–streamlined and helical cavities following the impact of Leidenfrost spheres

KAUST Repository

Mansoor, Mohammad M.

2017-06-23

We report results from an experimental study on the formation of stable–streamlined and helical cavity wakes following the free-surface impact of Leidenfrost spheres. Similar to the observations of Mansoor et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 743, 2014, pp. 295–326), we show that acoustic ripples form along the interface of elongated cavities entrained in the presence of wall effects as soon as the primary cavity pinch-off takes place. The crests of these ripples can act as favourable points for closure, producing multiple acoustic pinch-offs, which are found to occur in an acoustic pinch-off cascade. We show that these ripples pacify with time in the absence of physical contact between the sphere and the liquid, leading to extremely smooth cavity wake profiles. More importantly, the downward-facing jet at the apex of the cavity is continually suppressed due to a skin-friction drag effect at the colliding cavity-wall junction, which ultimately produces a stable–streamlined cavity wake. This streamlined configuration is found to experience drag coefficients an order of a magnitude lower than those acting on room-temperature spheres. A striking observation is the formation of helical cavities which occur for impact Reynolds numbers and are characterized by multiple interfacial ridges, stemming from and rotating synchronously about an evident contact line around the sphere equator. The contact line is shown to result from the degeneration of Kelvin–Helmholtz billows into turbulence which are observed forming along the liquid–vapour interface around the bottom hemisphere of the sphere. Using sphere trajectory measurements, we show that this helical cavity wake configuration has 40 %–55 % smaller force coefficients than those obtained in the formation of stable cavity wakes.

Stable–streamlined and helical cavities following the impact of Leidenfrost spheres

KAUST Repository

Mansoor, Mohammad M.; Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev; Marston, J. O.; Truscott, T. T.; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T

2017-01-01

We report results from an experimental study on the formation of stable–streamlined and helical cavity wakes following the free-surface impact of Leidenfrost spheres. Similar to the observations of Mansoor et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 743, 2014, pp. 295–326), we show that acoustic ripples form along the interface of elongated cavities entrained in the presence of wall effects as soon as the primary cavity pinch-off takes place. The crests of these ripples can act as favourable points for closure, producing multiple acoustic pinch-offs, which are found to occur in an acoustic pinch-off cascade. We show that these ripples pacify with time in the absence of physical contact between the sphere and the liquid, leading to extremely smooth cavity wake profiles. More importantly, the downward-facing jet at the apex of the cavity is continually suppressed due to a skin-friction drag effect at the colliding cavity-wall junction, which ultimately produces a stable–streamlined cavity wake. This streamlined configuration is found to experience drag coefficients an order of a magnitude lower than those acting on room-temperature spheres. A striking observation is the formation of helical cavities which occur for impact Reynolds numbers and are characterized by multiple interfacial ridges, stemming from and rotating synchronously about an evident contact line around the sphere equator. The contact line is shown to result from the degeneration of Kelvin–Helmholtz billows into turbulence which are observed forming along the liquid–vapour interface around the bottom hemisphere of the sphere. Using sphere trajectory measurements, we show that this helical cavity wake configuration has 40 %–55 % smaller force coefficients than those obtained in the formation of stable cavity wakes.

Streamlining of the RELAP5-3D Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mesina, George L; Hykes, Joshua; Guillen, Donna Post

2007-01-01

RELAP5-3D is widely used by the nuclear community to simulate general thermal hydraulic systems and has proven to be so versatile that the spectrum of transient two-phase problems that can be analyzed has increased substantially over time. To accommodate the many new types of problems that are analyzed by RELAP5-3D, both the physics and numerical methods of the code have been continuously improved. In the area of computational methods and mathematical techniques, many upgrades and improvements have been made decrease code run time and increase solution accuracy. These include vectorization, parallelization, use of improved equation solvers for thermal hydraulics and neutron kinetics, and incorporation of improved library utilities. In the area of applied nuclear engineering, expanded capabilities include boron and level tracking models, radiation/conduction enclosure model, feedwater heater and compressor components, fluids and corresponding correlations for modeling Generation IV reactor designs, and coupling to computational fluid dynamics solvers. Ongoing and proposed future developments include improvements to the two-phase pump model, conversion to FORTRAN 90, and coupling to more computer programs. This paper summarizes the general improvements made to RELAP5-3D, with an emphasis on streamlining the code infrastructure for improved maintenance and development. With all these past, present and planned developments, it is necessary to modify the code infrastructure to incorporate modifications in a consistent and maintainable manner. Modifying a complex code such as RELAP5-3D to incorporate new models, upgrade numerics, and optimize existing code becomes more difficult as the code grows larger. The difficulty of this as well as the chance of introducing errors is significantly reduced when the code is structured. To streamline the code into a structured program, a commercial restructuring tool, FOR( ) STRUCT, was applied to the RELAP5-3D source files. The

Streamlining Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Procedures to Promote Early-Career Faculty Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Shannon B; Hollerbach, Ann; Donato, Annemarie Sipkes; Edlund, Barbara J; Atz, Teresa; Kelechi, Teresa J

2016-01-01

A critical component of the progression of a successful academic career is being promoted in rank. Early-career faculty are required to have an understanding of appointment, promotion, and tenure (APT) guidelines, but many factors often impede this understanding, thwarting a smooth and planned promotion pathway for professional advancement. This article outlines the steps taken by an APT committee to improve the promotion process from instructor to assistant professor. Six sigma's DMAIC improvement model was selected as the guiding operational framework to remove variation in the promotion process. After faculty handbook revisions were made, several checklists developed, and a process review rubric was implemented; recently promoted faculty were surveyed on satisfaction with the process. Faculty opinions captured in the survey suggest increased transparency in the process and perceived support offered by the APT committee. Positive outcomes include a strengthened faculty support framework, streamlined promotion processes, and improved faculty satisfaction. Changes to the APT processes resulted in an unambiguous and standardized pathway for successful promotion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geologic storage of carbon dioxide and enhanced oil recovery. I. Uncertainty quantification employing a streamline based proxy for reservoir flow simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovscek, A.R.; Wang, Y.

2005-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is already injected into a limited class of reservoirs for oil recovery purposes; however, the engineering design question for simultaneous oil recovery and storage of anthropogenic CO 2 is significantly different from that of oil recovery alone. Currently, the volumes of CO 2 injected solely for oil recovery are minimized due to the purchase cost of CO 2 . If and when CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere are managed, it will be necessary to maximize simultaneously both economic oil recovery and the volumes of CO 2 emplaced in oil reservoirs. This process is coined 'cooptimization'. This paper proposes a work flow for cooptimization of oil recovery and geologic CO 2 storage. An important component of the work flow is the assessment of uncertainty in predictions of performance. Typical methods for quantifying uncertainty employ exhaustive flow simulation of multiple stochastic realizations of the geologic architecture of a reservoir. Such approaches are computationally intensive and thereby time consuming. An analytic streamline based proxy for full reservoir simulation is proposed and tested. Streamline trajectories represent the three-dimensional velocity field during multiphase flow in porous media and so are useful for quantifying the similarity and differences among various reservoir models. The proxy allows rational selection of a representative subset of equi-probable reservoir models that encompass uncertainty with respect to true reservoir geology. The streamline approach is demonstrated to be thorough and rapid

Guessing right for the next war: streamlining, pooling, and right-timing force design decisions for an environment of uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-25

key ingredients for not only how the Army fought World War II, but also how it continues to organize today. In essence , streamlining pares down every...Germans.1 The Battle of Mortain reflected the US Army in World War II at its best.2 It defined US Army success in the European theater of operations...continues to organize today.5 In essence , streamlining pared down every unit to its essentials based around a critical capability it provided to

Streamlining Workflow for Endovascular Mechanical Thrombectomy: Lessons Learned from a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongjin; Thevathasan, Arthur; Dowling, Richard; Bush, Steven; Mitchell, Peter; Yan, Bernard

2017-08-01

Recently, 5 randomized controlled trials confirmed the superiority of endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EMT) to intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke with large-vessel occlusion. The implication is that our health systems would witness an increasing number of patients treated with EMT. However, in-hospital delays, leading to increased time to reperfusion, are associated with poor clinical outcomes. This review outlines the in-hospital workflow of the treatment of acute ischemic stroke at a comprehensive stroke center and the lessons learned in reduction of in-hospital delays. The in-hospital workflow for acute ischemic stroke was described from prehospital notification to femoral arterial puncture in preparation for EMT. Systematic review of literature was also performed with PubMed. The implementation of workflow streamlining could result in reduction of in-hospital time delays for patients who were eligible for EMT. In particular, time-critical measures, including prehospital notification, the transfer of patients from door to computed tomography (CT) room, initiation of intravenous thrombolysis in the CT room, and the mobilization of neurointervention team in parallel with thrombolysis, all contributed to reduction in time delays. We have identified issues resulting in in-hospital time delays and have reported possible solutions to improve workflow efficiencies. We believe that these measures may help stroke centers initiate an EMT service for eligible patients. Copyright © 2017 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Zig-zag Instability of Streamlined Bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Guillet, Thibault; Coux, Martin; Quere, David; Clanet, Christophe

2017-11-01

When a floating bluff body, like a sphere, impacts water with a vertical velocity, its trajectory is straight and the depth of its dive increases with its initial velocity. Even though we observe the same phenomenon at low impact speed for axisymmetric streamlined bodies, the trajectory is found to deviate from the vertical when the velocity overcomes a critical value. This instability results from a competition between the destabilizing torque of the lift and the stabilizing torque of the Archimede's force. Balancing these torques yields a prediction on the critical velocity above which the instability appears. This theoretical value is found to depend on the position of the gravity center of the projectile and predicts with a full agreement the behaviour observed in our different experiments. Project funded by DGA.

A streamlined ribosome profiling protocol for the characterization of microorganisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Latif, Haythem; Szubin, Richard; Tan, Justin

2015-01-01

Ribosome profiling is a powerful tool for characterizing in vivo protein translation at the genome scale, with multiple applications ranging from detailed molecular mechanisms to systems-level predictive modeling. Though highly effective, this intricate technique has yet to become widely used...... in the microbial research community. Here we present a streamlined ribosome profiling protocol with reduced barriers to entry for microbial characterization studies. Our approach provides simplified alternatives during harvest, lysis, and recovery of monosomes and also eliminates several time-consuming steps...

Streamlining digital signal processing a tricks of the trade guidebook

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

Streamlining Digital Signal Processing, Second Edition, presents recent advances in DSP that simplify or increase the computational speed of common signal processing operations and provides practical, real-world tips and tricks not covered in conventional DSP textbooks. It offers new implementations of digital filter design, spectrum analysis, signal generation, high-speed function approximation, and various other DSP functions. It provides:Great tips, tricks of the trade, secrets, practical shortcuts, and clever engineering solutions from seasoned signal processing professionalsAn assortment.

InterviewStreamliner, a minimalist, free, open source, relational approach to computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.D. Pruijt (Hans)

2010-01-01

textabstractInterviewStreamliner is a free, open source, minimalist alternative to complex computer-assisted qualitative data analysis packages. It builds on the flexibility of relational database management technology.

Quantum mechanical streamlines. I - Square potential barrier

Science.gov (United States)

Hirschfelder, J. O.; Christoph, A. C.; Palke, W. E.

1974-01-01

Exact numerical calculations are made for scattering of quantum mechanical particles hitting a square two-dimensional potential barrier (an exact analog of the Goos-Haenchen optical experiments). Quantum mechanical streamlines are plotted and found to be smooth and continuous, to have continuous first derivatives even through the classical forbidden region, and to form quantized vortices around each of the nodal points. A comparison is made between the present numerical calculations and the stationary wave approximation, and good agreement is found between both the Goos-Haenchen shifts and the reflection coefficients. The time-independent Schroedinger equation for real wavefunctions is reduced to solving a nonlinear first-order partial differential equation, leading to a generalization of the Prager-Hirschfelder perturbation scheme. Implications of the hydrodynamical formulation of quantum mechanics are discussed, and cases are cited where quantum and classical mechanical motions are identical.

Streamline topologies near simple degenerate critical points in two-dimensional flow away from boundaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brøns, Morten; Hartnack, Johan Nicolai

1998-01-01

Streamline patterns and their bifurcations in two-dimensional incompressible flow are investigated from a topological point of view. The velocity field is expanded at a point in the fluid, and the expansion coefficients are considered as bifurcation parameters. A series of non-linear coordinate c...

Streamline topologies near simple degenerate critical points in two-dimensional flow away from boundaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brøns, Morten; Hartnack, Johan Nicolai

1999-01-01

Streamline patterns and their bifurcations in two-dimensional incompressible flow are investigated from a topological point of view. The velocity field is expanded at a point in the fluid, and the expansion coefficients are considered as bifurcation parameters. A series of nonlinear coordinate ch...

An engineering inviscid-boundary layer method for calculation of aerodynamic heating in the leeward region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirin, M.M.; Karimian, S.M.H.; Maerefat, M.

2003-01-01

An engineering method has been modified for the prediction of aerodynamic heating of the hypersonic bodies in the leeward region. This is achieved using our proposed new method for determining streamlines in the leeward region. The modified form of Maslen's second order relation, which calculates pressure in the shock layer explicitly, is employed. The inviscid outer flow within the shock layer is first solved. The calculated solution, then, is used to determine the flow properties at the boundary layer edge and the orientation of the surface streamlines. Boundary layer equations, written in the streamline coordinates, are integrated along the surface to obtain the rate of heat transferred to the body surface. The present method is an inverse method in which the body shape is obtained according to the shape of the shock. In general, inviscid-boundary layer engineering methods calculate accurately the orientation of streamlines in the windward side only, and therefore they are not usually applicable in the leeward region. In the present study, a new method is proposed to determine the orientation of the surface streamlines in the leeward region. Using the present method, three-dimensional hypersonic flow is solved fast and easy all around a cone. The obtained results show that the corrections presented in this study extend excellently the application of the method to the leeward region. (author)

77 FR 50691 - Request for Information (RFI): Guidance on Data Streamlining and Reducing Undue Reporting Burden...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-22

.... Attention: HIV Data Streamlining. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew D. Forsyth Ph.D. or Vera... of HIV/AIDS programs that vary in their specifications (e.g., numerators, denominators, time frames...

Streamlining the process: A strategy for making NEPA work better and cost less

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, R.P.; Hansen, J.D. [Hansen Environmental Consultants, Englewood, CO (United States); Wolff, T.A. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1998-05-01

When the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was enacted in 1969, neither Congress nor the Federal Agencies affected anticipated that implementation of the NEPA process would result in the intolerable delays, inefficiencies, duplication of effort, commitments of excessive financial and personnel resources, and bureaucratic gridlock that have become institutionalized. The 1975 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, which were intended to make the NEPA process more efficient and more useful to decision makers and the public, have either been largely ignored or unintentionally subverted. Agency policy mandates, like those of former Secretary of Energy Hazel R. O`Leary, to ``make NEPA work better and cost less`` have, so far, been disappointingly ineffectual. Federal Agencies have reached the point where almost every constituent of the NEPA process must be subjected to crisis management. This paper focuses on a ten-point strategy for streamlining the NEPA process in order to achieve the Act`s objectives while easing the considerable burden on agencies, the public, and the judicial system. How the ten points are timed and implemented is critical to any successful streamlining.

Streamlined library programming how to improve services and cut costs

CERN Document Server

Porter-Reynolds, Daisy

2014-01-01

In their roles as community centers, public libraries offer many innovative and appealing programs; but under current budget cuts, library resources are stretched thin. With slashed budgets and limited staff hours, what can libraries do to best serve their publics? This how-to guide provides strategies for streamlining library programming in public libraries while simultaneously maintaining-or even improving-quality delivery. The wide variety of principles and techniques described can be applied on a selective basis to libraries of all sizes. Based upon the author's own extensive experience as

West Virginia Peer Exchange : Streamlining Highway Safety Improvement Program Project Delivery - An RSPCB Peer Exchange

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WV DOH) hosted a Peer Exchange to share information and experiences for streamlining Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) project delivery. The event was held September 23 to 24, 2014 in Charleston, West V...

Use of Vortex Generators to Reduce Distortion for Mach 1.6 Streamline-Traced Supersonic Inlets

Science.gov (United States)

Baydar, Ezgihan; Lu, Frank; Slater, John W.; Trefny, Chuck

2016-01-01

Reduce the total pressure distortion at the engine-fan face due to low-momentum flow caused by the interaction of an external terminal shock at the turbulent boundary layer along a streamline-traced external-compression (STEX) inlet for Mach 1.6.

Analytical Work in Support of the Design and Operation of Two Dimensional Self Streamlining Test Sections

Science.gov (United States)

Judd, M.; Wolf, S. W. D.; Goodyer, M. J.

1976-01-01

A method has been developed for accurately computing the imaginary flow fields outside a flexible walled test section, applicable to lifting and non-lifting models. The tolerances in the setting of the flexible walls introduce only small levels of aerodynamic interference at the model. While it is not possible to apply corrections for the interference effects, they may be reduced by improving the setting accuracy of the portions of wall immediately above and below the model. Interference effects of the truncation of the length of the streamlined portion of a test section are brought to an acceptably small level by the use of a suitably long test section with the model placed centrally.

Topology of streamlines and vorticity contours for two - dimensional flows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Morten

on the vortex filament by the localised induction approximation the stream function is slightly modified and an extra parameter is introduced. In this setting two new flow topologies arise, but not more than two critical points occur for any combination of the parameters. The analysis of the closed form show...... by a point vortex above a wall in inviscid fluid. There is no reason to a priori expect equivalent results of the three vortex definitions. However, the study is mainly motivated by the findings of Kudela & Malecha (Fluid Dyn. Res. 41, 2009) who find good agreement between the vorticity and streamlines...

Less is More : Better Compliance and Increased Revenues by Streamlining Business Registration in Uganda

OpenAIRE

Sander, Cerstin

2003-01-01

A pilot of a streamlined business registration system in Entebbe, Uganda, reduced compliance costs for enterprises by 75 percent, raised registration numbers and fee revenue by 40 percent and reduced the cost of administering the system. It also reduced opportunities for corruption, improved relations between businesses and the local authorities and resulted in better compliance.

Cardiogenic induction of pluripotent stem cells streamlined through a conserved SDF-1/VEGF/BMP2 integrated network.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Chiriac

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pluripotent stem cells produce tissue-specific lineages through programmed acquisition of sequential gene expression patterns that function as a blueprint for organ formation. As embryonic stem cells respond concomitantly to diverse signaling pathways during differentiation, extraction of a pro-cardiogenic network would offer a roadmap to streamline cardiac progenitor output. METHODS AND RESULTS: To resolve gene ontology priorities within precursor transcriptomes, cardiogenic subpopulations were here generated according to either growth factor guidance or stage-specific biomarker sorting. Innate expression profiles were independently delineated through unbiased systems biology mapping, and cross-referenced to filter transcriptional noise unmasking a conserved progenitor motif (55 up- and 233 down-regulated genes. The streamlined pool of 288 genes organized into a core biological network that prioritized the "Cardiovascular Development" function. Recursive in silico deconvolution of the cardiogenic neighborhood and associated canonical signaling pathways identified a combination of integrated axes, CXCR4/SDF-1, Flk-1/VEGF and BMP2r/BMP2, predicted to synchronize cardiac specification. In vitro targeting of the resolved triad in embryoid bodies accelerated expression of Nkx2.5, Mef2C and cardiac-MHC, enhanced beating activity, and augmented cardiogenic yield. CONCLUSIONS: Transcriptome-wide dissection of a conserved progenitor profile thus revealed functional highways that coordinate cardiogenic maturation from a pluripotent ground state. Validating the bioinformatics algorithm established a strategy to rationally modulate cell fate, and optimize stem cell-derived cardiogenesis.

Streamlining air import operations by trade facilitation measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuri da Cunha Ferreira

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Global operations are subject to considerable uncertainties. Due to the Trade Facilitation Agreement that became effective in February 2017, the study of measures to streamline customs controls is urgent. This study aims to assess the impact of trade facilitation measures on import flows. An experimental study was performed in the largest cargo airport in South America through discrete-event simulation and design of experiments. Operation impacts of three trade facilitation measures are assessed on import flow by air. We shed light in the following trade facilitation measures: the use of X-ray equipment for physical inspection; increase of the number of qualified companies in the trade facilitation program; performance targets for customs officials. All trade facilitation measures used indicated potential to provide more predictability, cost savings, time reduction, and increase in security in international supply chain.

Streamlined islands and the English Channel megaflood hypothesis

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, J. S.; Oggioni, F.; Gupta, S.; García-Moreno, D.; Trentesaux, A.; De Batist, M.

2015-12-01

Recognising ice-age catastrophic megafloods is important because they had significant impact on large-scale drainage evolution and patterns of water and sediment movement to the oceans, and likely induced very rapid, short-term effects on climate. It has been previously proposed that a drainage system on the floor of the English Channel was initiated by catastrophic flooding in the Pleistocene but this suggestion has remained controversial. Here we examine this hypothesis through an analysis of key landform features. We use a new compilation of multi- and single-beam bathymetry together with sub-bottom profiler data to establish the internal structure, planform geometry and hence origin of a set of 36 mid-channel islands. Whilst there is evidence of modern-day surficial sediment processes, the majority of the islands can be clearly demonstrated to be formed of bedrock, and are hence erosional remnants rather than depositional features. The islands display classic lemniscate or tear-drop outlines, with elongated tips pointing downstream, typical of streamlined islands formed during high-magnitude water flow. The length-to-width ratio for the entire island population is 3.4 ± 1.3 and the degree-of-elongation or k-value is 3.7 ± 1.4. These values are comparable to streamlined islands in other proven Pleistocene catastrophic flood terrains and are distinctly different to values found in modern-day rivers. The island geometries show a correlation with bedrock type: with those carved from Upper Cretaceous chalk having larger length-to-width ratios (3.2 ± 1.3) than those carved into more mixed Paleogene terrigenous sandstones, siltstones and mudstones (3.0 ± 1.5). We attribute these differences to the former rock unit having a lower skin friction which allowed longer island growth to achieve minimum drag. The Paleogene islands, although less numerous than the Chalk islands, also assume more perfect lemniscate shapes. These lithologies therefore reached island

Microfluidic DNA microarrays in PMMA chips: streamlined fabrication via simultaneous DNA immobilization and bonding activation by brief UV exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sabourin, David; Petersen, J; Snakenborg, Detlef

2010-01-01

This report presents and describes a simple and scalable method for producing functional DNA microarrays within enclosed polymeric, PMMA, microfluidic devices. Brief (30 s) exposure to UV simultaneously immobilized poly(T)poly(C)-tagged DNA probes to the surface of unmodified PMMA and activated...... the surface for bonding below the glass transition temperature of the bulk PMMA. Functionality and validation of the enclosed PMMA microarrays was demonstrated as 18 patients were correctly genotyped for all eight mutation sites in the HBB gene interrogated. The fabrication process therefore produced probes...... with desired hybridization properties and sufficient bonding between PMMA layers to allow construction of microfluidic devices. The streamlined fabrication method is suited to the production of low-cost microfluidic microarray-based diagnostic devices and, as such, is equally applicable to the development...

Easy XMM-Newton Data Analysis with the Streamlined ABC Guide!

Science.gov (United States)

Valencic, Lynne A.; Snowden, Steven L.; Pence, William D.

2016-01-01

The US XMM-Newton GOF has streamlined the time-honored XMM-Newton ABC Guide, making it easier to find and use what users may need to analyze their data. It takes into account what type of data a user might have, if they want to reduce the data on their own machine or over the internet with Web Hera, and if they prefer to use the command window or a GUI. The GOF has also included an introduction to analyzing EPIC and RGS spectra, and PN Timing mode data. The guide is provided for free to students, educators, and researchers for educational and research purposes. Try it out at: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xmm/sl/intro.html

An integrated billing application to streamline clinician workflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Vawdrey, David K; Walsh, Colin; Stetson, Peter D

2014-01-01

Between 2008 and 2010, our academic medical center transitioned to electronic provider documentation using a commercial electronic health record system. For attending physicians, one of the most frustrating aspects of this experience was the system's failure to support their existing electronic billing workflow. Because of poor system integration, it was difficult to verify the supporting documentation for each bill and impractical to track whether billable notes had corresponding charges. We developed and deployed in 2011 an integrated billing application called "iCharge" that streamlines clinicians' documentation and billing workflow, and simultaneously populates the inpatient problem list using billing diagnosis codes. Each month, over 550 physicians use iCharge to submit approximately 23,000 professional service charges for over 4,200 patients. On average, about 2.5 new problems are added to each patient's problem list. This paper describes the challenges and benefits of workflow integration across disparate applications and presents an example of innovative software development within a commercial EHR framework.

A mixed-methods approach to systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Alan; White, Heath; Bath-Hextall, Fiona; Salmond, Susan; Apostolo, Joao; Kirkpatrick, Pamela

2015-09-01

There are an increasing number of published single-method systematic reviews that focus on different types of evidence related to a particular topic. As policy makers and practitioners seek clear directions for decision-making from systematic reviews, it is likely that it will be increasingly difficult for them to identify 'what to do' if they are required to find and understand a plethora of syntheses related to a particular topic.Mixed-methods systematic reviews are designed to address this issue and have the potential to produce systematic reviews of direct relevance to policy makers and practitioners.On the basis of the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute International Mixed Methods Reviews Methodology Group in 2012, the Institute adopted a segregated approach to mixed-methods synthesis as described by Sandelowski et al., which consists of separate syntheses of each component method of the review. Joanna Briggs Institute's mixed-methods synthesis of the findings of the separate syntheses uses a Bayesian approach to translate the findings of the initial quantitative synthesis into qualitative themes and pooling these with the findings of the initial qualitative synthesis.

CFD Prediction on the Pressure Distribution and Streamlines around an Isolated Single-Storey House Considering the Effect of Topographic Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, J.; Zaini, S. S.; Aziz, M. S. A.; Majid, T. A.; Deraman, S. N. C.; Yahya, W. N. W.

2018-04-01

Single-storey houses are classified as low rise building and vulnerable to damages under windstorm event. This study was carried out with the aim to investigate the pressure distribution and streamlines around an isolated house by considering the effect of terrain characteristics. The topographic features such as flat, depression, ridge, and valley, are considered in this study. This simulation were analysed with Ansys FLUENT 14.0 software package. The result showed the topography characteristics influence the value of pressure coefficient and streamlines especially when the house was located at ridge terrain. The findings strongly suggested that wind analysis should include all topographic features in the analysis in order to establish the true wind force exerted on any structure.

Zephyr: A secure Internet-based process to streamline engineering procurements using the World Wide Web

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jordan, C.W.; Cavitt, R.E.; Niven, W.A.; Warren, F.E.; Taylor, S.S.; Sharick, T.M.; Vickers, D.L.; Mitschkowetz, N.; Weaver, R.L.

1996-08-13

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is piloting an Internet- based paperless process called `Zephyr` to streamline engineering procurements. Major benefits have accrued by using Zephyr in reducing procurement time, speeding the engineering development cycle, facilitating industrial collaboration, and reducing overall costs. Programs at LLNL are benefiting by the efficiencies introduced since implementing Zephyr`s engineering and commerce on the Internet.

Streamlining the Design-to-Build Transition with Build-Optimization Software Tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Oberortner, Ernst; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Hillson, Nathan J; Deutsch, Samuel

2017-03-17

Scaling-up capabilities for the design, build, and test of synthetic biology constructs holds great promise for the development of new applications in fuels, chemical production, or cellular-behavior engineering. Construct design is an essential component in this process; however, not every designed DNA sequence can be readily manufactured, even using state-of-the-art DNA synthesis methods. Current biological computer-aided design and manufacture tools (bioCAD/CAM) do not adequately consider the limitations of DNA synthesis technologies when generating their outputs. Designed sequences that violate DNA synthesis constraints may require substantial sequence redesign or lead to price-premiums and temporal delays, which adversely impact the efficiency of the DNA manufacturing process. We have developed a suite of build-optimization software tools (BOOST) to streamline the design-build transition in synthetic biology engineering workflows. BOOST incorporates knowledge of DNA synthesis success determinants into the design process to output ready-to-build sequences, preempting the need for sequence redesign. The BOOST web application is available at https://boost.jgi.doe.gov and its Application Program Interfaces (API) enable integration into automated, customized DNA design processes. The herein presented results highlight the effectiveness of BOOST in reducing DNA synthesis costs and timelines.

Brownfields Assessing Contractor Capabilities for Streamlined Site Investigation: Additional Information Regarding All Appropriate Inquiries and Hiring an Environmental Professional

Science.gov (United States)

This document assists Brownfields grantees and other decision makers as they assess the capabilities of contractors and consultants to determine their qualifications to provide streamlined and innovative strategies for the assessment and and cleanup.

28 CFR 34.105 - Peer review methods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Peer review methods. 34.105 Section 34... Review § 34.105 Peer review methods. (a) For both competitive and noncompetitive applications, peer... announcement or otherwise established by the Administrator, together with the assignment of numerical values...

Industrial Practice in Formal Methods : A Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bicarregui, Juan C.; Fitzgerald, John; Larsen, Peter Gorm

2009-01-01

We examine the the industrial application of formal methods using data gathered in a review of 62 projects taking place over the last 25 years. The review suggests that formal methods are being applied in a wide range of application domains, with increasingly strong tool support. Significant chal...... challenges remain in providing usable tools that can be integrated into established development processes; in education and training; in taking formal methods from first use to second use, and in gathering and evidence to support informed selection of methods and tools.......We examine the the industrial application of formal methods using data gathered in a review of 62 projects taking place over the last 25 years. The review suggests that formal methods are being applied in a wide range of application domains, with increasingly strong tool support. Significant...

Psychological distress and streamlined BreastScreen follow-up assessment versus standard assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherman, Kerry A; Winch, Caleb J; Borecky, Natacha; Boyages, John

2013-11-04

To establish whether altered protocol characteristics of streamlined StepDown breast assessment clinics heightened or reduced the psychological distress of women in attendance compared with standard assessment. Willingness to attend future screening was also compared between the assessment groups. Observational, prospective study of women attending either a mammogram-only StepDown or a standard breast assessment clinic. Women completed questionnaires on the day of assessment and 1 month later. Women attending StepDown (136 women) or standard assessment clinics (148 women) at a BreastScreen centre between 10 November 2009 and 7 August 2010. Breast cancer worries; positive and negative psychological consequences of assessment (Psychological Consequences Questionnaire); breast cancer-related intrusion and avoidance (Impact of Event Scale); and willingness to attend, and uneasiness about, future screening. At 1-month follow-up, no group differences were evident between those attending standard and StepDown clinics on breast cancer worries (P= 0.44), positive (P= 0.88) and negative (P = 0.65) consequences, intrusion (P = 0.64), and avoidance (P = 0.87). Willingness to return for future mammograms was high, and did not differ between groups (P = 0.16), although higher levels of unease were associated with lessened willingness to rescreen (P = 0.04). There was no evidence that attending streamlined StepDown assessments had different outcomes in terms of distress than attending standard assessment clinics for women with a BreastScreen-detected abnormality. However, unease about attending future screening was generally associated with less willingness to do so in both groups; thus, there is a role for psycho-educational intervention to address these concerns.

Streamline processing of discrete nuclear spectra by means of authoregularized iteration process (the KOLOBOK code)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadzhokov, V.; Penev, I.; Aleksandrov, L.

1979-01-01

A brief description of the KOLOBOK computer code designed for streamline processing of discrete nuclear spectra with symmetric Gaussian shape of the single line on computers of the ES series, models 1020 and above, is given. The program solves the stream of discrete-spectrometry generated nonlinear problems by means of authoregularized iteration process. The Fortran-4 text of the code is reported in an Appendix

Bioprofiling of unknown antibiotics in herbal extracts: Development of a streamlined direct bioautography using Bacillus subtilis linked to mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Jamshidi-Aidji, Maryam; Morlock, Gertrud E

2015-11-13

Working in the field of profiling and identification of bioactive compounds in herbal extracts is faced with the challenge that common chromatographic methods do not directly link to bioactive compounds. Direct bioautography, the combination of TLC/HPTLC with bioassays, linked to structure elucidating techniques is demonstrated to overcome this challenge. The combination of TLC and Bacillus subtilis bioassay was already demonstrated to detect the antibiotics in samples. However, previous studies in this field were faced with some challenges, like being time-consuming, leading not to a homogenous plate background or being restricted to a non-acidic mobile phase. In this study, these aspects were investigated and a streamlined HPTLC-B. subtilis bioassay was developed that generated a homogenous plate background, which was crucial to yield a good baseline for biodensitometry. Two commonly used broths for B. subtilis and a self-designed medium were compared with regard to their capability of detection and baseline noise. The workflow developed allowed the use of acidic mobile phases for the first time. To prove this, 20 herbal extracts were screened for antimicrobial substances developed in parallel with an acidic mobile phase. The main antimicrobial substance in Salvia officinalis tincture detected was further characterized by microchemical reactions, Aliivibrio fischeri, β-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase (bio)assays as well as mass spectrometry. Scientists looking for new herbal-based medicine may benefit from this time-saving and streamlined bioactivity profiling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

VISMASHUP: streamlining the creation of custom visualization applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahrens, James P [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Santos, Emanuele [UNIV OF UTAH; Lins, Lauro [UNIV OF UTAH; Freire, Juliana [UNIV OF UTAH; Silva, Cl' audio T [UNIV OF UTAH

2010-01-01

Visualization is essential for understanding the increasing volumes of digital data. However, the process required to create insightful visualizations is involved and time consuming. Although several visualization tools are available, including tools with sophisticated visual interfaces, they are out of reach for users who have little or no knowledge of visualization techniques and/or who do not have programming expertise. In this paper, we propose VISMASHUP, a new framework for streamlining the creation of customized visualization applications. Because these applications can be customized for very specific tasks, they can hide much of the complexity in a visualization specification and make it easier for users to explore visualizations by manipulating a small set of parameters. We describe the framework and how it supports the various tasks a designer needs to carry out to develop an application, from mining and exploring a set of visualization specifications (pipelines), to the creation of simplified views of the pipelines, and the automatic generation of the application and its interface. We also describe the implementation of the system and demonstrate its use in two real application scenarios.

Proposed Model for a Streamlined, Cohesive, and Optimized K-12 STEM Curriculum with a Focus on Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Locke, Edward

2009-01-01

This article presents a proposed model for a clear description of K-12 age-possible engineering knowledge content, in terms of the selection of analytic principles and predictive skills for various grades, based on the mastery of mathematics and science pre-requisites, as mandated by national or state performance standards; and a streamlined,…

Microdiversification in genome-streamlined ubiquitous freshwater Actinobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Neuenschwander, Stefan M; Ghai, Rohit; Pernthaler, Jakob; Salcher, Michaela M

2018-01-01

Actinobacteria of the acI lineage are the most abundant microbes in freshwater systems, but there are so far no pure living cultures of these organisms, possibly because of metabolic dependencies on other microbes. This, in turn, has hampered an in-depth assessment of the genomic basis for their success in the environment. Here we present genomes from 16 axenic cultures of acI Actinobacteria. The isolates were not only of minute cell size, but also among the most streamlined free-living microbes, with extremely small genome sizes (1.2-1.4 Mbp) and low genomic GC content. Genome reduction in these bacteria might have led to auxotrophy for various vitamins, amino acids and reduced sulphur sources, thus creating dependencies to co-occurring organisms (the 'Black Queen' hypothesis). Genome analyses, moreover, revealed a surprising degree of inter- and intraspecific diversity in metabolic pathways, especially of carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and mainly encoded in genomic islands. The striking genotype microdiversification of acI Actinobacteria might explain their global success in highly dynamic freshwater environments with complex seasonal patterns of allochthonous and autochthonous carbon sources. We propose a new order within Actinobacteria ('Candidatus Nanopelagicales') with two new genera ('Candidatus Nanopelagicus' and 'Candidatus Planktophila') and nine new species.

Managing Written Directives: A Software Solution to Streamline Workflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Robert H; Savir-Baruch, Bital; Gabriel, Medhat S; Halama, James R; Bova, Davide

2017-06-01

A written directive is required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for any use of 131 I above 1.11 MBq (30 μCi) and for patients receiving radiopharmaceutical therapy. This requirement has also been adopted and must be enforced by the agreement states. As the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals increases therapeutic options in nuclear medicine, time spent on regulatory paperwork also increases. The pressure of managing these time-consuming regulatory requirements may heighten the potential for inaccurate or incomplete directive data and subsequent regulatory violations. To improve on the paper-trail method of directive management, we created a software tool using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant database. This software allows for secure data-sharing among physicians, technologists, and managers while saving time, reducing errors, and eliminating the possibility of loss and duplication. Methods: The software tool was developed using Visual Basic, which is part of the Visual Studio development environment for the Windows platform. Patient data are deposited in an Access database on a local HIPAA-compliant secure server or hard disk. Once a working version had been developed, it was installed at our institution and used to manage directives. Updates and modifications of the software were released regularly until no more significant problems were found with its operation. Results: The software has been used at our institution for over 2 y and has reliably kept track of all directives. All physicians and technologists use the software daily and find it superior to paper directives. They can retrieve active directives at any stage of completion, as well as completed directives. Conclusion: We have developed a software solution for the management of written directives that streamlines and structures the departmental workflow. This solution saves time, centralizes the information for all staff to share, and decreases

Review of Test Theory and Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

literature, although some books , technical reports, and unpub- lished literature have been included where relevant. The focus of the review is on practical...1977) and Abu-Sayf (1977) developed new versions of formula scores, and Molenaar (1977) took a Bayesian approach to correcting for random guessing. The...Snow’s (1977) book on aptitude and instructional methods is a landmark review of the research on the interaction between instructional methods and

Methods to increase the rate of mass transfer during osmotic dehydration of foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Chwastek, Anna

2014-01-01

Traditional methods of food preservation such as freezing, freeze drying (lyophilization), vacuum drying, convection drying are often supplemented by new technologies that enable obtaining of high quality products. Osmotic dehydration is more and more often used during processing of fruits and vegetables. This method allows maintaining good organoleptic and functional properties in the finished product. Obtaining the desired degree of dehydration or saturation of the material with an osmoactive substance often requires  elongation of time or use of high temperatures. In recent years much attention was devoted to techniques aimed at increasing the mass transfer between the dehydrated material and the hypertonic solution. The work reviews the literature focused on methods of streamlining the process of osmotic dehydration which include the use of: ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, vacuum osmotic dehydration and pulsed electric field.

Brownfields Assessing Contractor Capabilities for Streamlined Site Investigations -- Additional Information Regarding All Appropriate Inquiries and Hiring an Environmental Professional (November 2006)

Science.gov (United States)

Guidance for Brownfields grantees and other decision makers to assess the capabilities of contractors and consultants to determine their qualifications to provide streamlined and innovative strategies for the assessment and cleanup of brownfields.

Theoretical Calculations on Sediment Transport on Titan, and the Possible Production of Streamlined Forms

Science.gov (United States)

Burr, D. M.; Emery, J. P.; Lorenz, R. D.

2005-01-01

The Cassini Imaging Science System (ISS) has been returning images of Titan, along with other Saturnian satellites. Images taken through the 938 nm methane window see down to Titan's surface. One of the purposes of the Cassini mission is to investigate possible fluid cycling on Titan. Lemniscate features shown recently and radar evidence of surface flow prompted us to consider theoretically the creation by methane fluid flow of streamlined forms on Titan. This follows work by other groups in theoretical consideration of fluid motion on Titan's surface.

Exploring selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses: a sequential-explanatory mixed-method study.

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Paul; Chandler, Val; Morris-Thomson, Trish; Sayer, Jane; Burke, Linda

2015-01-01

To map current selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses and to explore the advantages and limitations of current selection and recruitment processes. The need to improve current selection and recruitment practices for newly qualified nurses is highlighted in health policy internationally. A cross-sectional, sequential-explanatory mixed-method design with 4 components: (1) Literature review of selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses; and (2) Literature review of a public sector professions' selection and recruitment processes; (3) Survey mapping existing selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses; and (4) Qualitative study about recruiters' selection and recruitment processes. Literature searches on the selection and recruitment of newly qualified candidates in teaching and nursing (2005-2013) were conducted. Cross-sectional, mixed-method data were collected from thirty-one (n = 31) individuals in health providers in London who had responsibility for the selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses using a survey instrument. Of these providers who took part, six (n = 6) purposively selected to be interviewed qualitatively. Issues of supply and demand in the workforce, rather than selection and recruitment tools, predominated in the literature reviews. Examples of tools to measure values, attitudes and skills were found in the nursing literature. The mapping exercise found that providers used many selection and recruitment tools, some providers combined tools to streamline process and assure quality of candidates. Most providers had processes which addressed the issue of quality in the selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses. The 'assessment centre model', which providers were adopting, allowed for multiple levels of assessment and streamlined recruitment. There is a need to validate the efficacy of the selection tools. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Challenges and Obstacles of e-Government Streamlining: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anupam K. Nath

2014-05-01

Full Text Available e-Government streamlining has been a challenge since its inception in the domain of e-business. Business organizations face challenges while trying to collaborate with partners through the use of information technology in order to ensure efficient delivery of services. One of the major reasons for these inefficient services has been political bureaucracies among government organizations. To meet this challenge, a transparent and networked environment is required where government organizations can effectively partner with other relevant organizations. Using a case study analysis, we intend to identify not just the challenges in government organizations while providing services which require collaborative effort, but also the obstacles in adopting new technology for collaboration. We believe that the outcome of our research could provide a generalized guideline for government agencies where there is need for digital collaboration. Our findings will thus help government organizations to address the challenges in digital collaboration, and also help them implement new technology successfully to ensure efficient delivery of services.

Damage Detection with Streamlined Structural Health Monitoring Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Li

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The huge amounts of sensor data generated by large scale sensor networks in on-line structural health monitoring (SHM systems often overwhelms the systems’ capacity for data transmission and analysis. This paper presents a new concept for an integrated SHM system in which a streamlined data flow is used as a unifying thread to integrate the individual components of on-line SHM systems. Such an integrated SHM system has a few desirable functionalities including embedded sensor data compression, interactive sensor data retrieval, and structural knowledge discovery, which aim to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and robustness of on-line SHM systems. Adoption of this new concept will enable the design of an on-line SHM system with more uniform data generation and data handling capacity for its subsystems. To examine this concept in the context of vibration-based SHM systems, real sensor data from an on-line SHM system comprising a scaled steel bridge structure and an on-line data acquisition system with remote data access was used in this study. Vibration test results clearly demonstrated the prominent performance characteristics of the proposed integrated SHM system including rapid data access, interactive data retrieval and knowledge discovery of structural conditions on a global level.

Damage detection with streamlined structural health monitoring data.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian; Deng, Jun; Xie, Weizhi

2015-04-15

The huge amounts of sensor data generated by large scale sensor networks in on-line structural health monitoring (SHM) systems often overwhelms the systems' capacity for data transmission and analysis. This paper presents a new concept for an integrated SHM system in which a streamlined data flow is used as a unifying thread to integrate the individual components of on-line SHM systems. Such an integrated SHM system has a few desirable functionalities including embedded sensor data compression, interactive sensor data retrieval, and structural knowledge discovery, which aim to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and robustness of on-line SHM systems. Adoption of this new concept will enable the design of an on-line SHM system with more uniform data generation and data handling capacity for its subsystems. To examine this concept in the context of vibration-based SHM systems, real sensor data from an on-line SHM system comprising a scaled steel bridge structure and an on-line data acquisition system with remote data access was used in this study. Vibration test results clearly demonstrated the prominent performance characteristics of the proposed integrated SHM system including rapid data access, interactive data retrieval and knowledge discovery of structural conditions on a global level.

Quantitative Methods for Teaching Review

OpenAIRE

Irina Milnikova; Tamara Shioshvili

2011-01-01

A new method of quantitative evaluation of teaching processes is elaborated. On the base of scores data, the method permits to evaluate efficiency of teaching within one group of students and comparative teaching efficiency in two or more groups. As basic characteristics of teaching efficiency heterogeneity, stability and total variability indices both for only one group and for comparing different groups are used. The method is easy to use and permits to rank results of teaching review which...

Vortex Generators in a Streamline-Traced, External-Compression Supersonic Inlet

Science.gov (United States)

Baydar, Ezgihan; Lu, Frank K.; Slater, John W.; Trefny, Charles J.

2017-01-01

Vortex generators within a streamline-traced, external-compression supersonic inlet for Mach 1.66 were investigated to determine their ability to increase total pressure recovery and reduce total pressure distortion. The vortex generators studied were rectangular vanes arranged in counter-rotating and co-rotating arrays. The vane geometric factors of interest included height, length, spacing, angle-of-incidence, and positions upstream and downstream of the inlet terminal shock. The flow through the inlet was simulated numerically through the solution of the steady-state, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations on multi-block, structured grids using the Wind-US flow solver. The vanes were simulated using a vortex generator model. The inlet performance was characterized by the inlet total pressure recovery and the radial and circumferential total pressure distortion indices at the engine face. Design of experiments and statistical analysis methods were applied to quantify the effect of the geometric factors of the vanes and search for optimal vane arrays. Co-rotating vane arrays with negative angles-of-incidence positioned on the supersonic diffuser were effective in sweeping low-momentum flow from the top toward the sides of the subsonic diffuser. This distributed the low-momentum flow more evenly about the circumference of the subsonic diffuser and reduced distortion. Co-rotating vane arrays with negative angles-of-incidence or counter-rotating vane arrays positioned downstream of the terminal shock were effective in mixing higher-momentum flow with lower-momentum flow to increase recovery and decrease distortion. A strategy of combining a co-rotating vane array on the supersonic diffuser with a counter-rotating vane array on the subsonic diffuser was effective in increasing recovery and reducing distortion.

A review on automated pavement distress detection methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coenen, Tom B.J.; Golroo, Amir

2017-01-01

In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on pavement distress detection. A large part of these studies applied automated methods to capture different distresses. In this paper, a literature review on the distresses and related detection methods are presented. This review also includes

Critical review of the building downwash algorithms in AERMOD.

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Ron L; Guerra, Sergio A; Bova, Anthony S

2017-08-01

The only documentation on the building downwash algorithm in AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model), referred to as PRIME (Plume Rise Model Enhancements), is found in the 2000 A&WMA journal article by Schulman, Strimaitis and Scire. Recent field and wind tunnel studies have shown that AERMOD can overpredict concentrations by factors of 2 to 8 for certain building configurations. While a wind tunnel equivalent building dimension study (EBD) can be conducted to approximately correct the overprediction bias, past field and wind tunnel studies indicate that there are notable flaws in the PRIME building downwash theory. A detailed review of the theory supported by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and wind tunnel simulations of flow over simple rectangular buildings revealed the following serious theoretical flaws: enhanced turbulence in the building wake starting at the wrong longitudinal location; constant enhanced turbulence extending up to the wake height; constant initial enhanced turbulence in the building wake (does not vary with roughness or stability); discontinuities in the streamline calculations; and no method to account for streamlined or porous structures. This paper documents theoretical and other problems in PRIME along with CFD simulations and wind tunnel observations that support these findings. Although AERMOD/PRIME may provide accurate and unbiased estimates (within a factor of 2) for some building configurations, a major review and update is needed so that accurate estimates can be obtained for other building configurations where significant overpredictions or underpredictions are common due to downwash effects. This will ensure that regulatory evaluations subject to dispersion modeling requirements can be based on an accurate model. Thus, it is imperative that the downwash theory in PRIME is corrected to improve model performance and ensure that the model better represents reality.

BrAD-seq: Breath Adapter Directional sequencing: a streamlined, ultra-simple and fast library preparation protocol for strand specific mRNA library construction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brad Thomas Townsley

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Next Generation Sequencing (NGS is driving rapid advancement in biological understanding and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq has become an indispensable tool for biology and medicine. There is a growing need for access to these technologies although preparation of NGS libraries remains a bottleneck to wider adoption. Here we report a novel method for the production of strand specific RNA-seq libraries utilizing inherent properties of double-stranded cDNA to capture and incorporate a sequencing adapter. Breath Adapter Directional sequencing (BrAD-seq reduces sample handling and requires far fewer enzymatic steps than most available methods to produce high quality strand-specific RNA-seq libraries. The method we present is optimized for 3-prime Digital Gene Expression (DGE libraries and can easily extend to full transcript coverage shotgun (SHO type strand-specific libraries and is modularized to accommodate a diversity of RNA and DNA input materials. BrAD-seq offers a highly streamlined and inexpensive option for RNA-seq libraries.

Methods for systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a systematic review, comparison, and synthesis of method literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathes, Tim; Walgenbach, Maren; Antoine, Sunya-Lee; Pieper, Dawid; Eikermann, Michaela

2014-10-01

The quality of systematic reviews of health economic evaluations (SR-HE) is often limited because of methodological shortcomings. One reason for this poor quality is that there are no established standards for the preparation of SR-HE. The objective of this study is to compare existing methods and suggest best practices for the preparation of SR-HE. To identify the relevant methodological literature on SR-HE, a systematic literature search was performed in Embase, Medline, the National Health System Economic Evaluation Database, the Health Technology Assessment Database, and the Cochrane methodology register, and webpages of international health technology assessment agencies were searched. The study selection was performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and verified by a second reviewer. On the basis of the overlaps in the recommendations for the methods of SR-HE in the included papers, suggestions for best practices for the preparation of SR-HE were developed. Nineteen relevant publications were identified. The recommendations within them often differed. However, for most process steps there was some overlap between recommendations for the methods of preparation. The overlaps were taken as basis on which to develop suggestions for the following process steps of preparation: defining the research question, developing eligibility criteria, conducting a literature search, selecting studies, assessing the methodological study quality, assessing transferability, and synthesizing data. The differences in the proposed recommendations are not always explainable by the focus on certain evaluation types, target audiences, or integration in the decision process. Currently, there seem to be no standard methods for the preparation of SR-HE. The suggestions presented here can contribute to the harmonization of methods for the preparation of SR-HE. © The Author(s) 2014.

Roof Box Shape Streamline Adaptation and the Impact towards Fuel Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Latif M.F.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The fuel price hike is currently a sensational national issue in Malaysia. Since the rationalization of fuel subsidies many were affected especially the middle income family. Vehicle aerodynamic were directly related to the fuel consumption, were extra frontal area result a higher drag force hence higher fuel consumption. Roof box were among the largest contributor to the extra drag, thus the roof box shape rationalization were prominent to reduce the extra drag. The idea of adopting water drop shape to the roof box design shows prominent result. The roof box has been simulated using MIRA virtual wind tunnel modelling via commercial computational fluid dynamic (CFD package. This streamline shape drastically reduce the drag force by 34% resulting to a 1.7% fuel saving compare to the conventional boxy roof box. This is an effort to reduce the carbon foot print for a sustainable green world.

STREAMLINED APPROACH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PLAN FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION UNIT 116: AREA 25 TEST CELL C FACILITY NEVADA TEST SITE, NEVADA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan identifies the activities required for the closure of Corrective Action Unit 116, Area 25 Test Cell C Facility. The Test Cell C Facility is located in Area 25 of the Nevada Test Site approximately 25 miles northwest of Mercury, Nevada

Critical review on biofilm methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Azeredo, Joana; F. Azevedo, Nuno; Briandet, Romain

2017-01-01

Biofilms are widespread in nature and constitute an important strategy implemented by microorganisms to survive in sometimes harsh environmental conditions. They can be beneficial or have a negative impact particularly when formed in industrial settings or on medical devices. As such, research in...... and limitations of several methods. Accordingly, this review aims at helping scientists in finding the most appropriate and up-to-date methods to study their biofilms....

Mixed methods in psychotherapy research: A review of method(ology) integration in psychotherapy science.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartholomew, Theodore T; Lockard, Allison J

2018-06-13

Mixed methods can foster depth and breadth in psychological research. However, its use remains in development in psychotherapy research. Our purpose was to review the use of mixed methods in psychotherapy research. Thirty-one studies were identified via the PRISMA systematic review method. Using Creswell & Plano Clark's typologies to identify design characteristics, we assessed each study for rigor and how each used mixed methods. Key features of mixed methods designs and these common patterns were identified: (a) integration of clients' perceptions via mixing; (b) understanding group psychotherapy; (c) integrating methods with cases and small samples; (d) analyzing clinical data as qualitative data; and (e) exploring cultural identities in psychotherapy through mixed methods. The review is discussed with respect to the value of integrating multiple data in single studies to enhance psychotherapy research. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Review of strain buckling: analysis methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moulin, D.

1987-01-01

This report represents an attempt to review the mechanical analysis methods reported in the literature to account for the specific behaviour that we call buckling under strain. In this report, this expression covers all buckling mechanisms in which the strains imposed play a role, whether they act alone (as in simple buckling under controlled strain), or whether they act with other loadings (primary loading, such as pressure, for example). Attention is focused on the practical problems relevant to LMFBR reactors. The components concerned are distinguished by their high slenderness ratios and by rather high thermal levels, both constant and variable with time. Conventional static buckling analysis methods are not always appropriate for the consideration of buckling under strain. New methods must therefore be developed in certain cases. It is also hoped that this review will facilitate the coding of these analytical methods to aid the constructor in his design task and to identify the areas which merit further investigation

A Review of Methods for Missing Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Pigott, Therese D.

2001-01-01

Reviews methods for handling missing data in a research study. Model-based methods, such as maximum likelihood using the EM algorithm and multiple imputation, hold more promise than ad hoc methods. Although model-based methods require more specialized computer programs and assumptions about the nature of missing data, these methods are appropriate…

Critique of one-stop siting in Washington: streamlining review without compromising effectiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Granger, J.A.; Wise, K.R.

1980-01-01

The state of Washington adopted a one-stop power plant siting law in 1970 so that the regulatory elements could be coordinated into a single siting decision. Efficiency improves as duplications and inconsistencies disappear, but increasing lead times and higher costs persist in the state. An analysis of the legislation examines why certain statutory and regulatory provisions allow this to happen, pointing particularly at the review and approval process. Appropriate reforms include adequate funds and staff for the permit agency, early identification of issues, prehearing conferences, and explicit guidelines and standards. 114 references and footnotes

The benefits of life cycle inventory parametric models in streamlining data collection. A case study in the wooden pallet sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niero, Monia; Di Felice, F.; Ren, J.

2014-01-01

LCA methodology is time and resource consuming particularly when it comes to data collection and handling, therefore companies, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), are inclined to use streamlined approaches to shorten the resource-consuming life cycle inventory (LCI) phase. An effec......LCA methodology is time and resource consuming particularly when it comes to data collection and handling, therefore companies, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), are inclined to use streamlined approaches to shorten the resource-consuming life cycle inventory (LCI) phase...... study of a SME in the wooden pallet sector, investigating to what extent the use of parametric LCI models can be beneficial both in evaluating the environmental impacts of similar products and in providing a preliminary assessment of the potential environmental impacts of new products. We developed...... an LCI parametric model describing the LCI of a range of wooden pallets and tested its effectiveness with a reference product, namely a non-reversible pallet with four-way blocks. The identified parameters refer to the technical characteristics of the product system, e.g. the number and dimension...

Streamlining Collaboration for the Gravitational-wave Astronomy Community

Science.gov (United States)

Koranda, S.

2016-12-01

In the morning hours of September 14, 2015 the LaserInterferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) directlydetected gravitational waves from inspiraling and coalescingblack holes, confirming a major prediction of AlbertEinstein's general theory of relativity and beginning the eraof gravitational-wave astronomy. With the LIGO detectors in the United States, the Virgo andGEO detectors in Europe, and the KAGRA detector in Japan thegravitational-wave astrononmy community is opening a newwindow on our Universe. Realizing the full science potentialof LIGO and the other interferometers requires globalcollaboration not only within the gravitational-wave astronomycommunity but also with the astronomers and astrophysicists acrossmultipe disciplines working to realize and leverage the powerof multi-messenger astronomy. Enabling thousands of researchers from around the world andacross multiple projects to efficiently collaborate, share,and analyze data and provide streamlined access to services,computing, and tools requires new and scalable approaches toidentity and access management (IAM). We will discuss LIGO'sIAM journey that began in 2007 and how today LIGO leveragesinternal identity federations like InCommon and eduGAIN toprovide scalable and managed access for the gravitational-waveastronomy community. We will discuss the steps both largeand small research organizations and projects take as theirIAM infrastructure matures from ad-hoc silos of independent services to fully integrated and federated services thatstreamline collaboration so that scientists can focus onresearch and not managing passwords.

Stakeholder involvement in systematic reviews: a protocol for a systematic review of methods, outcomes and effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollock, Alex; Campbell, Pauline; Struthers, Caroline; Synnot, Anneliese; Nunn, Jack; Hill, Sophie; Goodare, Heather; Watts, Chris; Morley, Richard

2017-01-01

Researchers are expected to actively involve stakeholders (including patients, the public, health professionals, and others) in their research. Although researchers increasingly recognise that this is good practice, there is limited practical guidance about how to involve stakeholders. Systematic reviews are a research method in which international literature is brought together, using carefully designed and rigorous methods to answer a specified question about healthcare. We want to investigate how researchers have involved stakeholders in systematic reviews, and how involvement has potentially affected the quality and impact of reviews. We plan to bring this information together by searching and reviewing the literature for reports of stakeholder involvement in systematic reviews. This paper describes in detail the methods that we plan to use to do this. After carrying out comprehensive searches for literature, we will: 1. Provide an overview of identified reports, describing key information such as types of stakeholders involved, and how. 2. Pick out reports of involvement which include detailed descriptions of how researchers involved people in a systematic review and summarise the methods they used. We will consider who was involved, how people were recruited, and how the involvement was organised and managed. 3. Bring together any reports which have explored the effect, or impact, of involving stakeholders in a systematic review. We will assess the quality of these reports, and summarise their findings. Once completed, our review will be used to produce training resources aimed at helping researchers to improve ways of involving stakeholders in systematic reviews. Background There is an expectation for stakeholders (including patients, the public, health professionals, and others) to be involved in research. Researchers are increasingly recognising that it is good practice to involve stakeholders in systematic reviews. There is currently a lack of evidence

Streamlined, Inexpensive 3D Printing of the Brain and Skull.

Science.gov (United States)

Naftulin, Jason S; Kimchi, Eyal Y; Cash, Sydney S

2015-01-01

Neuroimaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) collect three-dimensional data (3D) that is typically viewed on two-dimensional (2D) screens. Actual 3D models, however, allow interaction with real objects such as implantable electrode grids, potentially improving patient specific neurosurgical planning and personalized clinical education. Desktop 3D printers can now produce relatively inexpensive, good quality prints. We describe our process for reliably generating life-sized 3D brain prints from MRIs and 3D skull prints from CTs. We have integrated a standardized, primarily open-source process for 3D printing brains and skulls. We describe how to convert clinical neuroimaging Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images to stereolithography (STL) files, a common 3D object file format that can be sent to 3D printing services. We additionally share how to convert these STL files to machine instruction gcode files, for reliable in-house printing on desktop, open-source 3D printers. We have successfully printed over 19 patient brain hemispheres from 7 patients on two different open-source desktop 3D printers. Each brain hemisphere costs approximately $3-4 in consumable plastic filament as described, and the total process takes 14-17 hours, almost all of which is unsupervised (preprocessing = 4-6 hr; printing = 9-11 hr, post-processing = Printing a matching portion of a skull costs $1-5 in consumable plastic filament and takes less than 14 hr, in total. We have developed a streamlined, cost-effective process for 3D printing brain and skull models. We surveyed healthcare providers and patients who confirmed that rapid-prototype patient specific 3D models may help interdisciplinary surgical planning and patient education. The methods we describe can be applied for other clinical, research, and educational purposes.

Streamlined, Inexpensive 3D Printing of the Brain and Skull.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason S Naftulin

Full Text Available Neuroimaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI and Computed Tomography (CT collect three-dimensional data (3D that is typically viewed on two-dimensional (2D screens. Actual 3D models, however, allow interaction with real objects such as implantable electrode grids, potentially improving patient specific neurosurgical planning and personalized clinical education. Desktop 3D printers can now produce relatively inexpensive, good quality prints. We describe our process for reliably generating life-sized 3D brain prints from MRIs and 3D skull prints from CTs. We have integrated a standardized, primarily open-source process for 3D printing brains and skulls. We describe how to convert clinical neuroimaging Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM images to stereolithography (STL files, a common 3D object file format that can be sent to 3D printing services. We additionally share how to convert these STL files to machine instruction gcode files, for reliable in-house printing on desktop, open-source 3D printers. We have successfully printed over 19 patient brain hemispheres from 7 patients on two different open-source desktop 3D printers. Each brain hemisphere costs approximately $3-4 in consumable plastic filament as described, and the total process takes 14-17 hours, almost all of which is unsupervised (preprocessing = 4-6 hr; printing = 9-11 hr, post-processing = <30 min. Printing a matching portion of a skull costs $1-5 in consumable plastic filament and takes less than 14 hr, in total. We have developed a streamlined, cost-effective process for 3D printing brain and skull models. We surveyed healthcare providers and patients who confirmed that rapid-prototype patient specific 3D models may help interdisciplinary surgical planning and patient education. The methods we describe can be applied for other clinical, research, and educational purposes.

Streamlined, Inexpensive 3D Printing of the Brain and Skull

Science.gov (United States)

Cash, Sydney S.

2015-01-01

Neuroimaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) collect three-dimensional data (3D) that is typically viewed on two-dimensional (2D) screens. Actual 3D models, however, allow interaction with real objects such as implantable electrode grids, potentially improving patient specific neurosurgical planning and personalized clinical education. Desktop 3D printers can now produce relatively inexpensive, good quality prints. We describe our process for reliably generating life-sized 3D brain prints from MRIs and 3D skull prints from CTs. We have integrated a standardized, primarily open-source process for 3D printing brains and skulls. We describe how to convert clinical neuroimaging Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images to stereolithography (STL) files, a common 3D object file format that can be sent to 3D printing services. We additionally share how to convert these STL files to machine instruction gcode files, for reliable in-house printing on desktop, open-source 3D printers. We have successfully printed over 19 patient brain hemispheres from 7 patients on two different open-source desktop 3D printers. Each brain hemisphere costs approximately $3–4 in consumable plastic filament as described, and the total process takes 14–17 hours, almost all of which is unsupervised (preprocessing = 4–6 hr; printing = 9–11 hr, post-processing = Printing a matching portion of a skull costs $1–5 in consumable plastic filament and takes less than 14 hr, in total. We have developed a streamlined, cost-effective process for 3D printing brain and skull models. We surveyed healthcare providers and patients who confirmed that rapid-prototype patient specific 3D models may help interdisciplinary surgical planning and patient education. The methods we describe can be applied for other clinical, research, and educational purposes. PMID:26295459

Lessons learned in streamlining the preparation of SNM standard solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, J.P.; Johnson, S.R.

1986-01-01

Improved safeguard measurements have produced a demand for greater quantities of reliable SNM solution standards. At the Savannah River Plant (SRP), the demand for these standards has been met by several innovations to improve the productivity and reliability of standards preparations. With the use of computer controlled balance, large batches of SNM stock solutions are prepared on a gravimetric basis. Accurately dispensed quantities of the stock solution are weighed and stored in bottles. When needed, they are quantitatively transferred to tared containers, matrix adjusted to target concentrations, weighed, and measured for density at 25 0 C. Concentrations of SNM are calculated both gravimetrically and volumetrically. Calculated values are confirmed analytically before the standards are used in measurement control program (MCP) activities. The lessons learned include: MCP goals include error identification and management. Strategy modifications are required to improve error management. Administrative controls can minimize certain types of errors. Automation can eliminate redundancy and streamline preparations. Prudence and simplicity enhance automation success. The effort expended to increase productivity has increased the reliability of standards and provided better documentation for quality assurance

[Montessori method applied to dementia - literature review].

Science.gov (United States)

Brandão, Daniela Filipa Soares; Martín, José Ignacio

2012-06-01

The Montessori method was initially applied to children, but now it has also been applied to people with dementia. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the research on the effectiveness of this method using Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline) with the keywords dementia and Montessori method. We selected lo studies, in which there were significant improvements in participation and constructive engagement, and reduction of negative affects and passive engagement. Nevertheless, systematic reviews about this non-pharmacological intervention in dementia rate this method as weak in terms of effectiveness. This apparent discrepancy can be explained because the Montessori method may have, in fact, a small influence on dimensions such as behavioral problems, or because there is no research about this method with high levels of control, such as the presence of several control groups or a double-blind study.

Strategy on review method for JENDL High Energy File

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamano, Naoki [Sumitomo Atomic Energy Industries Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-11-01

Status on review method and problems for a High Energy File of Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (JENDL-HE File) has been described. Measurements on differential and integral data relevant to the review work for the JENDL-HE File have been examined from a viewpoint of data quality and applicability. In order to achieve the work effectively, strategy on development of standard review method has been discussed as well as necessity of tools to be used in the review scheme. (author)

Review of geophysical characterization methods used at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GV Last; DG Horton

2000-01-01

This paper presents a review of geophysical methods used at Hanford in two parts: (1) shallow surface-based geophysical methods and (2) borehole geophysical methods. This review was not intended to be ''all encompassing'' but should represent the vast majority (>90% complete) of geophysical work conducted onsite and aimed at hazardous waste investigations in the vadose zone and/or uppermost groundwater aquifers. This review did not cover geophysical methods aimed at large-scale geologic structures or seismicity and, in particular, did not include those efforts conducted in support of the Basalt Waste Isolation Program. This review focused primarily on the more recent efforts

An outline review of numerical transport methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budd, C.

1981-01-01

A brief review is presented of numerical methods for solving the neutron transport equation in the context of reactor physics. First the various forms of transport equation are given. Second, the various ways of classifying numerical transport methods are discussed. Finally each method (or class of methods) is outlined in turn. (U.K.)

A review of methods supporting supplier selection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, L.; Labro, Eva; Morlacchi, Pierangela

2001-01-01

this paper we present a review of decision methods reported in the literature for supporting the supplier selection process. The review is based on an extensive search in the academic literature. We position the contributions in a framework that takes the diversity of procurement situations in terms

Challenges in the Selection, Design and Implementation of an Online Submission and Peer Review System for STM Journals

OpenAIRE

J. Best; R. Akerman

2007-01-01

Two international scientific publishers collaborated to develop an Online Submission and Peer Review System (OSPREY) for their journals. Our goals were to meet market demand, increase editorial efficiency and streamline the transition from peer review to publishing. One of the publishers (National Research Council (NRC) Research Press, Canada) had previously purchased a third-party system that was subsequently discontinued by the vendor. Because of this experience and its complex requirements...

The potential of high resolution melting analysis (hrma) to streamline, facilitate and enrich routine diagnostics in medical microbiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruskova, Lenka; Raclavsky, Vladislav

2011-09-01

Routine medical microbiology diagnostics relies on conventional cultivation followed by phenotypic techniques for identification of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. This is not only due to tradition and economy but also because it provides pure culture needed for antibiotic susceptibility testing. This review focuses on the potential of High Resolution Melting Analysis (HRMA) of double-stranded DNA for future routine medical microbiology. Search of MEDLINE database for publications showing the advantages of HRMA in routine medical microbiology for identification, strain typing and further characterization of pathogenic bacteria and fungi in particular. The results show increasing numbers of newly-developed and more tailor-made assays in this field. For microbiologists unfamiliar with technical aspects of HRMA, we also provide insight into the technique from the perspective of microbial characterization. We can anticipate that the routine availability of HRMA in medical microbiology laboratories will provide a strong stimulus to this field. This is already envisioned by the growing number of medical microbiology applications published recently. The speed, power, convenience and cost effectiveness of this technology virtually predestine that it will advance genetic characterization of microbes and streamline, facilitate and enrich diagnostics in routine medical microbiology without interfering with the proven advantages of conventional cultivation.

Review of geophysical characterization methods used at the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GV Last; DG Horton

2000-03-23

This paper presents a review of geophysical methods used at Hanford in two parts: (1) shallow surface-based geophysical methods and (2) borehole geophysical methods. This review was not intended to be ``all encompassing'' but should represent the vast majority (>90% complete) of geophysical work conducted onsite and aimed at hazardous waste investigations in the vadose zone and/or uppermost groundwater aquifers. This review did not cover geophysical methods aimed at large-scale geologic structures or seismicity and, in particular, did not include those efforts conducted in support of the Basalt Waste Isolation Program. This review focused primarily on the more recent efforts.

A Method for Improving the Integrity of Peer Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Dadkhah, Mehdi; Kahani, Mohsen; Borchardt, Glenn

2017-08-15

Peer review is the most important aspect of reputable journals. Without it, we would be unsure about whether the material published was as valid and reliable as is possible. However, with the advent of the Internet, scientific literature has now become subject to a relatively new phenomenon: fake peer reviews. Some dishonest researchers have been manipulating the peer review process to publish what are often inferior papers. There are even papers that explain how to do it. This paper discusses one of those methods and how editors can defeat it by using a special review ID. This method is easy to understand and can be added to current peer review systems easily.

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan for Corrective Action Unit 408: Bomblet Target Area, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

NSTec Environmental Management

2006-01-01

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan provides the details for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 408, Bomblet Target Area. CAU 408 is located at the Tonopah Test Range and is currently listed in Appendix III of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996. One Corrective Action Site (CAS) is included in CAU 408: (lg b ullet) CAS TA-55-002-TAB2, Bomblet Target Areas Based on historical documentation, personnel interviews, process knowledge, site visits, aerial photography, multispectral data, preliminary geophysical surveys, and the results of data quality objectives process (Section 3.0), clean closure will be implemented for CAU 408. CAU 408 closure activities will consist of identification and clearance of bomblet target areas, identification and removal of depleted uranium (DU) fragments on South Antelope Lake, and collection of verification samples. Any soil containing contaminants at concentrations above the action levels will be excavated and transported to an appropriate disposal facility. Based on existing information, contaminants of potential concern at CAU 408 include explosives. In addition, at South Antelope Lake, bomblets containing DU were tested. None of these contaminants is expected to be present in the soil at concentrations above the action levels; however, this will be determined by radiological surveys and verification sample results. The corrective action investigation and closure activities have been planned to include data collection and hold points throughout the process. Hold points are designed to allow decision makers to review the existing data and decide which of the available options are most suitable. Hold points include the review of radiological, geophysical, and analytical data and field observations

78 FR 38337 - Submission for OMB Review; Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-428A, 428B, and 428C)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-26

... practices and seek to streamline and simplify them. The process involved interagency work groups under the... substantive areas in which the interagency work groups had begun their review. Those areas are part of the... property, or equipment and supplies (tangible personal property) acquired with assistance award funds. The...

Interior-Point Methods for Linear Programming: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, J. N.; Singh, D.

2002-01-01

The paper reviews some recent advances in interior-point methods for linear programming and indicates directions in which future progress can be made. Most of the interior-point methods belong to any of three categories: affine-scaling methods, potential reduction methods and central path methods. These methods are discussed together with…

Streamlining and Standardizing Due Diligence to Ensure Quality of PV Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurtz, Sarah [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-11-28

Those investing in PV power plants would like to have confidence that the plants will provide the anticipated return on investment. While due diligence is capably performed by independent engineers today, as PV systems mature, there will be benefit in standardization and streamlining of this process. The IECRE has defined technical information that is needed as a basis for each transaction step such as approving a design to begin construction, documenting readiness to operate, quantifying performance after a year of operation, and assessing the health of the plant in preparation for sale of the plant. The technical requirements have been defined by IEC Technical Committee 82 and have been designed to be both effective and efficient in completing the assessments. This workshop will describe these new tools that are now available to the community and will include a panel/audience discussion about how and when they can be most effectively used.

Transport of synthetic colloids through single saturated fractures: A literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimus, P.W.

1995-07-01

Colloids having the same surface charge sign as the bulk of the geologic media in a groundwater system may be able to travel through the system faster than soluble species because they will follow fluid streamlines more closely and they should have less tendency to diffuse into pores or dead spaces in the media than soluble species. Synthetic colloids with uniform, controlled properties may be ideal for serving as open-quotes worst-caseclose quotes tracers that provide lower-bound estimates of contaminant travel times in hydrologic systems. This report discusses a review of the literature pertaining to colloid transport in single saturated natural fractures. After a brief background discussion to put the literature review in perspective, the phenomenon of colloid transport in saturated fractures is divided into three major topics, each of which is reviewed in detail: (1) saturated fluid flow through fractures; (2) colloid transport by convection, diffusion, and force fields; and (3) colloid interactions with surfaces. It is suggested that these phenomena be accounted for in colloid transport models by using (1) lubrication theory to describe water flow through fractures, (2) particle tracking methods to describe colloid transport in fractures, and (3) a kinetic boundary layer approximation to describe colloid interactions with fracture walls. These methods offer better computational efficiency and better experimental accessibility to model parameters than rigorously solving the complete governing equations

Streamline integration as a method for two-dimensional elliptic grid generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiesenberger, M., E-mail: Matthias.Wiesenberger@uibk.ac.at [Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria); Held, M. [Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria); Einkemmer, L. [Numerical Analysis group, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria)

2017-07-01

We propose a new numerical algorithm to construct a structured numerical elliptic grid of a doubly connected domain. Our method is applicable to domains with boundaries defined by two contour lines of a two-dimensional function. Furthermore, we can adapt any analytically given boundary aligned structured grid, which specifically includes polar and Cartesian grids. The resulting coordinate lines are orthogonal to the boundary. Grid points as well as the elements of the Jacobian matrix can be computed efficiently and up to machine precision. In the simplest case we construct conformal grids, yet with the help of weight functions and monitor metrics we can control the distribution of cells across the domain. Our algorithm is parallelizable and easy to implement with elementary numerical methods. We assess the quality of grids by considering both the distribution of cell sizes and the accuracy of the solution to elliptic problems. Among the tested grids these key properties are best fulfilled by the grid constructed with the monitor metric approach. - Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Construct structured, elliptic numerical grids with elementary numerical methods. • Align coordinate lines with or make them orthogonal to the domain boundary. • Compute grid points and metric elements up to machine precision. • Control cell distribution by adaption functions or monitor metrics.

Supply chain cost improvement opportunities through streamlining cross-border operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Hendrik Havenga

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA in South Africa aims to encourage and facilitate trade between South Africa and its neighbouring countries. The CBRTA sponsored a study by Stellenbosch University (SU to determine the logistics cost impact of cross-border delays between South Africa and its major neighbouring trading partners, and prioritise opportunities for improvement. SU is the proprietor of both a comprehensive freight demand model and a logistics cost model for South Africa, which enable extractions and extensions of freight flows and related costs for specific purposes. Through the application of these models, the following information is identified and presented in this paper: South Africa’s most important border posts (based on traffic flows; a product profile for imports and exports through these border posts; the modal split (road and rail; the annual logistics costs incurred on the corridors feeding the border posts, as well as the additional costs incurred due to border delays. The research has proved that the streamlining of border-post operations that take a total supply chain view (i.e. of both border operations and those that could be moved from the border is beneficial.

Approaches to facilitate institutional review board approval of multicenter research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsolo, Keith

2012-07-01

Gaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a multicenter research study can be a lengthy and time-consuming process. It can increase the complexity of consent forms, decreasing patient understanding and lowering recruitment numbers. It also leads to increased costs through the duplication of effort. This paper examines some of the strategies used to streamline the IRB review process for multicenter studies and provides examples used by 2 existing multicenter comparative effectiveness research networks. A literature search was conducted to identify sources that described the challenges and potential strategies to facilitate multicenter IRB approval. The most promising avenues were identified and included in this review. Phone interviews were conducted with the Principal Investigators and Project Managers of 2 successful multicenter research networks to learn their "keys to success" and their lessons learned. Three strategies were identified that held the most promise: working with IRBs before submission, the use of central and/or federated IRBs, and the establishment of an umbrella protocol. Each of these strategies was used to some degree by the case study projects. Although the approaches documented here can help streamline the IRB approval process, they are not a "silver bullet." Because some of these approaches are still relatively new, empirical data are sparse. However, it is believed that they will significantly reduce the administrative burden of the project as a whole and lead to a decrease in the overall time to protocol approval.

Updated method guidelines for cochrane musculoskeletal group systematic reviews and metaanalyses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ghogomu, Elizabeth A T; Maxwell, Lara J; Buchbinder, Rachelle

2014-01-01

The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group (CMSG), one of 53 groups of the not-for-profit, international Cochrane Collaboration, prepares, maintains, and disseminates systematic reviews of treatments for musculoskeletal diseases. It is important that authors conducting CMSG reviews and the readers of our...... reviews be aware of and use updated, state-of-the-art systematic review methodology. One hundred sixty reviews have been published. Previous method guidelines for systematic reviews of interventions in the musculoskeletal field published in 2006 have been substantially updated to incorporate...... using network metaanalysis. Method guidelines specific to musculoskeletal disorders are provided by CMSG editors for various aspects of undertaking a systematic review. These method guidelines will help improve the quality of reporting and ensure high standards of conduct as well as consistency across...

Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Third Edition

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, Matthew B.; Huberman, A. Michael; Saldana, Johnny

2014-01-01

The Third Edition of Miles & Huberman's classic research methods text is updated and streamlined by Johnny Saldaña, author of "The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers." Several of the data display strategies from previous editions are now presented in re-envisioned and reorganized formats to enhance reader accessibility and…

The Scrum agile method: A systematic literature review

OpenAIRE

Krajnik, Matevž

2016-01-01

Scrum is an agile method for software engineering, used by companies to develop products faster and more efficiently. Because the customer is more engaged in the process and the development is incremental and iterative projects progress better, it is also easier to implement any changes in functionality the customer might want. In this thesis a review of existing scientific literature regarding the method Scrum in software engineering has been made. The review brought forth answers to three p...

The contingent valuation method: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatachalam, L.

2004-01-01

The contingent valuation method (CVM) is a simple, flexible nonmarket valuation method that is widely used in cost-benefit analysis and environmental impact assessment. However, this method is subject to severe criticism. The criticism revolves mainly around two aspects, namely, the validity and the reliability of the results, and the effects of various biases and errors. The major objective of this paper is to review the recent developments on measures to address the validity and reliability issues arising out of different kinds of biases/errors and other related empirical and methodological issues concerning contingent valuation method

Streamlining interventional radiology admissions: The role of the interventional radiology clinic and physician's assistant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, R.I. Jr.; Rizer, D.M.; Shuman, K.; White, E.J.; Adams, P.; Doyle, K.; Kinnison, M.

1987-01-01

During a 5-year period (1982-1987), 376 patients were admitted to an interventional radiology service where they were managed by the senior physician and interventional radiology fellows. Sixty-eight percent of patients were admitted for angioplasty and 32% for elective embolotherapy/diagnostic angiography. A one-half-day, twice weekly interventional radiology clinic and employment of a physician's assistant who performed preadmission history and physicals and wrote orders accounted, in part, for a decrease in hospital stay length from 3.74 days (1982-1983) to 2.41 days (1986-1987). The authors conclude that use of the clinic and the physician's assistant streamlines patient flow and the admitting process and is partially responsible for a decreased length of stay for patients admitted to an interventional radiology service

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 575: Area 15 Miscellaneous Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick [Navarro-Intera, LLC (N-I), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2014-12-01

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan addresses the actions needed to achieve closure for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 575, Area 15 Miscellaneous Sites, identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). CAU 575 comprises the following four corrective action sites (CASs) located in Area 15 of the Nevada National Security Site: 15-19-02, Waste Burial Pit, 15-30-01, Surface Features at Borehole Sites, 15-64-01, Decontamination Area, 15-99-03, Aggregate Plant This plan provides the methodology for field activities needed to gather the necessary information for closing each CAS. There is sufficient information and process knowledge from historical documentation and investigations of similar sites regarding the expected nature and extent of potential contaminants to recommend closure of CAU 575 using the SAFER process. Additional information will be obtained by conducting a field investigation to document and verify the adequacy of existing information, to affirm the predicted corrective action decisions, and to provide sufficient data to implement the corrective actions. This will be presented in a closure report that will be prepared and submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) for review and approval.

AN ENZYME LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY (ELISA) METHOD FOR MONITORING 2,4 DICHLOROPHENOXYACETIC ACID (2,4-D) EXPOSURES

Science.gov (United States)

Abstract describes a streamlined ELISA method developed to quantitatively measure 2,4-D in human urine samples. Method development steps and comparison with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry are presented. Results indicated that the ELISA method could be used as a high throu...

Systematic review automation technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Systematic reviews, a cornerstone of evidence-based medicine, are not produced quickly enough to support clinical practice. The cost of production, availability of the requisite expertise and timeliness are often quoted as major contributors for the delay. This detailed survey of the state of the art of information systems designed to support or automate individual tasks in the systematic review, and in particular systematic reviews of randomized controlled clinical trials, reveals trends that see the convergence of several parallel research projects. We surveyed literature describing informatics systems that support or automate the processes of systematic review or each of the tasks of the systematic review. Several projects focus on automating, simplifying and/or streamlining specific tasks of the systematic review. Some tasks are already fully automated while others are still largely manual. In this review, we describe each task and the effect that its automation would have on the entire systematic review process, summarize the existing information system support for each task, and highlight where further research is needed for realizing automation for the task. Integration of the systems that automate systematic review tasks may lead to a revised systematic review workflow. We envisage the optimized workflow will lead to system in which each systematic review is described as a computer program that automatically retrieves relevant trials, appraises them, extracts and synthesizes data, evaluates the risk of bias, performs meta-analysis calculations, and produces a report in real time. PMID:25005128

[Teaching methods for clinical settings: a literature review].

Science.gov (United States)

Brugnolli, Anna; Benaglio, Carla

2017-01-01

. Teaching Methods for clinical settings: a review. The teaching process during internship requires several methods to promote the acquisition of more complex technical skills such as relational, decisional and planning abilities. To describe effective teaching methods to promote the learning of relational, decisional and planning skills. A literature review of the teaching methods that have proven most effective, most appreciated by students, and most frequently used in Italian nursing schools. Clinical teaching is a central element to transform clinical experiences during internship in professional competences. The students are gradually brought to become more independent, because they are offered opportunities to practice in real contexts, to receive feedback, to have positive role models, to become more autonomous: all elements that facilitate and potentiate learning. Clinical teaching should be based on a variety of methods. The students value a gradual progression both in clinical experiences and teaching strategies from more supervised methods to methods more oriented towards reflecting on clinical practice and self-directed learning.

Methods to improve rehabilitation of patients following breast cancer surgery: a review of systematic reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loh SY

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Siew Yim Loh, Aisya Nadia Musa Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Context: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer amongst women but it has the highest survival rates amongst all cancer. Rehabilitation therapy of post-treatment effects from cancer and its treatment is needed to improve functioning and quality of life. This review investigated the range of methods for improving physical, psychosocial, occupational, and social wellbeing in women with breast cancer after receiving breast cancer surgery. Method: A search for articles published in English between the years 2009 and 2014 was carried out using The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Search terms included: ‘breast cancer’, ‘breast carcinoma’, ‘surgery’, ‘mastectomy’, ‘lumpectomy’, ‘breast conservation’, ‘axillary lymph node dissection’, ‘rehabilitation’, 'therapy’, ‘physiotherapy’, ‘occupational therapy’, ‘psychological’, ‘psychosocial’, ‘psychotherapy’, ‘exercise’, ‘physical activity’, ‘cognitive’, ‘occupational’, ‘alternative’, ‘complementary’, and ‘systematic review’. Study selection: Systematic reviews on the effectiveness of rehabilitation methods in improving post-operative physical, and psychological outcomes for breast cancer were selected. Sixteen articles met all the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Data extraction: Included review year, study aim, total number of participants included, and results. Data synthesis: Evidence for exercise rehabilitation is predominantly in the improvement of shoulder mobility and limb strength. Inconclusive results exist for a range of rehabilitation methods (physical, psycho-education, nutritional, alternative-complementary methods for addressing the domains of psychosocial, cognitive, and

Analytical methods for measuring 10Be in marine sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, I.J.; Ditchburn, R.G.; Sparks, R.J.; Whitehead, N.E.

1995-01-01

A suite of marine sediments from the Wanganui Basin (Graham et al. 1995) has provided excellent material to further develop methods for 10 Be analysis at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences AMS facility. Chemical methods for Be extraction have been streamlined and there has been some reduction of backgrounds and contamination peaks for 1 0Be isotopic analysis. (authors) 12 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Diagonally Implicit Runge-Kutta Methods for Ordinary Differential Equations. A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Christopher A.; Carpenter, Mark H.

2016-01-01

A review of diagonally implicit Runge-Kutta (DIRK) methods applied to rst-order ordinary di erential equations (ODEs) is undertaken. The goal of this review is to summarize the characteristics, assess the potential, and then design several nearly optimal, general purpose, DIRK-type methods. Over 20 important aspects of DIRKtype methods are reviewed. A design study is then conducted on DIRK-type methods having from two to seven implicit stages. From this, 15 schemes are selected for general purpose application. Testing of the 15 chosen methods is done on three singular perturbation problems. Based on the review of method characteristics, these methods focus on having a stage order of two, sti accuracy, L-stability, high quality embedded and dense-output methods, small magnitudes of the algebraic stability matrix eigenvalues, small values of aii, and small or vanishing values of the internal stability function for large eigenvalues of the Jacobian. Among the 15 new methods, ESDIRK4(3)6L[2]SA is recommended as a good default method for solving sti problems at moderate error tolerances.

Conducting organizational safety reviews - requirements, methods and experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.; Wahlstroem, B.; Rollenhagen, C.; Kahlbom, U.

2008-03-01

Organizational safety reviews are part of the safety management process of power plants. They are typically performed after major reorganizations, significant incidents or according to specified review programs. Organizational reviews can also be a part of a benchmarking between organizations that aims to improve work practices. Thus, they are important instruments in proactive safety management and safety culture. Most methods that have been used for organizational reviews are based more on practical considerations than a sound scientific theory of how various organizational or technical issues influence safety. Review practices and methods also vary considerably. The objective of this research is to promote understanding on approaches used in organizational safety reviews as well as to initiate discussion on criteria and methods of organizational assessment. The research identified a set of issues that need to be taken into account when planning and conducting organizational safety reviews. Examples of the issues are definition of appropriate criteria for evaluation, the expertise needed in the assessment and the organizational motivation for conducting the assessment. The study indicates that organizational safety assessments involve plenty of issues and situations where choices have to be made regarding what is considered valid information and a balance has to be struck between focus on various organizational phenomena. It is very important that these choices are based on a sound theoretical framework and that these choices can later be evaluated together with the assessment findings. The research concludes that at its best, the organizational safety reviews can be utilised as a source of information concerning the changing vulnerabilities and the actual safety performance of the organization. In order to do this, certain basic organizational phenomena and assessment issues have to be acknowledged and considered. The research concludes with recommendations on

Conducting organizational safety reviews - requirements, methods and experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.; Wahlstroem, B. [Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT (Finland); Rollenhagen, C. [Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, (Sweden); Kahlbom, U. [RiskPilot (Sweden)

2008-03-15

Organizational safety reviews are part of the safety management process of power plants. They are typically performed after major reorganizations, significant incidents or according to specified review programs. Organizational reviews can also be a part of a benchmarking between organizations that aims to improve work practices. Thus, they are important instruments in proactive safety management and safety culture. Most methods that have been used for organizational reviews are based more on practical considerations than a sound scientific theory of how various organizational or technical issues influence safety. Review practices and methods also vary considerably. The objective of this research is to promote understanding on approaches used in organizational safety reviews as well as to initiate discussion on criteria and methods of organizational assessment. The research identified a set of issues that need to be taken into account when planning and conducting organizational safety reviews. Examples of the issues are definition of appropriate criteria for evaluation, the expertise needed in the assessment and the organizational motivation for conducting the assessment. The study indicates that organizational safety assessments involve plenty of issues and situations where choices have to be made regarding what is considered valid information and a balance has to be struck between focus on various organizational phenomena. It is very important that these choices are based on a sound theoretical framework and that these choices can later be evaluated together with the assessment findings. The research concludes that at its best, the organizational safety reviews can be utilised as a source of information concerning the changing vulnerabilities and the actual safety performance of the organization. In order to do this, certain basic organizational phenomena and assessment issues have to be acknowledged and considered. The research concludes with recommendations on

Review of design optimization methods for turbomachinery aerodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhihui; Zheng, Xinqian

2017-08-01

In today's competitive environment, new turbomachinery designs need to be not only more efficient, quieter, and ;greener; but also need to be developed at on much shorter time scales and at lower costs. A number of advanced optimization strategies have been developed to achieve these requirements. This paper reviews recent progress in turbomachinery design optimization to solve real-world aerodynamic problems, especially for compressors and turbines. This review covers the following topics that are important for optimizing turbomachinery designs. (1) optimization methods, (2) stochastic optimization combined with blade parameterization methods and the design of experiment methods, (3) gradient-based optimization methods for compressors and turbines and (4) data mining techniques for Pareto Fronts. We also present our own insights regarding the current research trends and the future optimization of turbomachinery designs.

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan for Corrective Action Unit 574: Neptune, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NSTec Environmental Restoration

2011-08-31

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan identifies the activities required for closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 574, Neptune. CAU 574 is included in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) (1996 [as amended March 2010]) and consists of the following two Corrective Action Sites (CASs) located in Area 12 of the Nevada National Security Site: (1) CAS 12-23-10, U12c.03 Crater (Neptune); (2) CAS 12-45-01, U12e.05 Crater (Blanca). This plan provides the methodology for the field activities that will be performed to gather the necessary information for closure of the two CASs. There is sufficient information and process knowledge regarding the expected nature and extent of potential contaminants to recommend closure of CAU 574 using the SAFER process. Based on historical documentation, personnel interviews, site process knowledge, site visits, photographs, field screening, analytical results, the results of the data quality objective (DQO) process (Section 3.0), and an evaluation of corrective action alternatives (Appendix B), closure in place with administrative controls is the expected closure strategy for CAU 574. Additional information will be obtained by conducting a field investigation to verify and support the expected closure strategy and provide a defensible recommendation that no further corrective action is necessary. This will be presented in a Closure Report that will be prepared and submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) for review and approval.

The Harvard Catalyst Common Reciprocal IRB Reliance Agreement: an innovative approach to multisite IRB review and oversight.

Science.gov (United States)

Winkler, Sabune J; Witte, Elizabeth; Bierer, Barbara E

2015-02-01

Reduction of duplicative Institutional Review Board (IRB) review for multiinstitutional studies is a desirable goal to improve IRB efficiency while enhancing human subject protections. Here we describe the Harvard Catalyst Master Reciprocal Common IRB Reliance Agreement (MRA), a system that provides a legal framework for IRB reliance, with the potential to streamline IRB review processes and reduce administrative burden and barriers to collaborative, multiinstitutional research. The MRA respects the legal autonomy of the signatory institutions while offering a pathway to eliminate duplicative IRB review when appropriate. The Harvard Catalyst MRA provides a robust and flexible model for reciprocal reliance that is both adaptable and scalable. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Review of Upscaling Methods for Describing Unsaturated Flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Brian D.

2000-09-26

Representing samll-scale features can be a challenge when one wants to model unsaturated flow in large domains. In this report, the various upscaling techniques are reviewed. The following upscaling methods have been identified from the literature: stochastic methods, renormalization methods, volume averaging and homogenization methods. In addition, a final technique, full resolution numerical modeling, is also discussed.

Cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening and treatment methods: a systematic review of systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Azar, Farbod Ebadifard; Azami-Aghdash, Saber; Pournaghi-Azar, Fatemeh; Mazdaki, Alireza; Rezapour, Aziz; Ebrahimi, Parvin; Yousefzadeh, Negar

2017-06-19

Due to extensive literature in the field of lung cancer and their heterogeneous results, the aim of this study was to systematically review of systematic reviews studies which reviewed the cost-effectiveness of various lung cancer screening and treatment methods. In this systematic review of systematic reviews study, required data were collected searching the following key words which selected from Mesh: "lung cancer", "lung oncology", "lung Carcinoma", "lung neoplasm", "lung tumors", "cost- effectiveness", "systematic review" and "Meta-analysis". The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library electronic databases, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Two reviewers (RA and A-AS) evaluated the articles according to the checklist of "assessment of multiple systematic reviews" (AMSTAR) tool. Overall, information of 110 papers was discussed in eight systematic reviews. Authors focused on cost-effectiveness of lung cancer treatments in five systematic reviews. Targeted therapy options (bevacizumab, Erlotinib and Crizotinib) show an acceptable cost-effectiveness. Results of three studies failed to show cost-effectiveness of screening methods. None of the studies had used the meta-analysis method. The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) tool and Drummond checklist were mostly used in assessing the quality of articles. Most perspective was related to the Payer (64 times) and the lowest was related to Social (11times). Most cases referred to Incremental analysis (82%) and also the lowest point of referral was related to Discounting (in 49% of the cases). The average quality score of included studies was calculated 9.2% from 11. Targeted therapy can be an option for the treatment of lung cancer. Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of computerized tomographic colonography (CTC) in lung cancer screening is recommended. The perspective of the community should be more taken into consideration in studies of cost-effectiveness. Paying more attention to the topic of

What methods do reviews of normative ethics literature use for search, selection, analysis, and synthesis? In-depth results from a systematic review of reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Mertz, Marcel; Strech, Daniel; Kahrass, Hannes

2017-12-19

(Semi-)systematic approaches to finding, analysing, and synthesising ethics literature on medical topics are still in their infancy. However, our recent systematic review showed that the rate of publication of such (semi-)systematic reviews has increased in the last two decades. This is not only true for reviews of empirical ethics literature, but also for reviews of normative ethics literature. In the latter case, there is currently little in the way of standards and guidance available. Therefore, the methods and reporting strategies of such reviews vary greatly. The purpose of the follow-up study we present was to obtain deeper methodological insight into the ways reviews of normative literature are actually conducted and to analyse the methods used. Our search in the PubMed, PhilPapers, and Google Scholar databases led to the identification of 183 reviews of ethics literature published between 1997 and 2015, of which 84 were identified as reviews of normative and mixed literature. Qualitative content analysis was used to extract and synthesise descriptions of search, selection, quality appraisal, analysis, and synthesis methods. We further assessed quantitatively how often certain methods (e.g. search strategies, data analysis procedures) were used by the reviews. The overall reporting quality varies among the analysed reviews and was generally poor even for major criteria regarding the search and selection of literature. For example, only 24 (29%) used a PRISMA flowchart. Also, only 55 (66%) reviews mentioned the information unit they sought to extract, and 12 (14%) stated an ethical approach as the theoretical basis for the analysis. Interpretable information on the synthesis method was given by 47 (60%); the most common methods applied were qualitative methods commonly used in social science research (83%). Reviews which fail to provide sufficient relevant information to readers have reduced methodological transparency regardless of actual methodological

Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kevin Kim, Minyoung; Drescher, Knut; Shun Pak, On; Stone, Howard A; Bassler, Bonnie L

2014-01-01

Biofilms are surface-associated conglomerates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. These bacterial communities can cause chronic infections in humans by colonizing, for example, medical implants, heart valves, or lungs. Staphylococcus aureus, a notorious human pathogen, causes some of the most common biofilm-related infections. Despite the clinical importance of S. aureus biofilms, it remains mostly unknown how physical effects, in particular flow, and surface structure influence biofilm dynamics. Here we use model microfluidic systems to investigate how environmental factors, such as surface geometry, surface chemistry, and fluid flow affect biofilm development of S. aureus. We discovered that S. aureus rapidly forms flow-induced, filamentous biofilm streamers, and furthermore if surfaces are coated with human blood plasma, streamers appear within minutes and clog the channels more rapidly than if the channels are uncoated. To understand how biofilm streamer filaments reorient in flows with curved streamlines to bridge the distances between corners, we developed a mathematical model based on resistive force theory of slender filaments. Understanding physical aspects of biofilm formation of S. aureus may lead to new approaches for interrupting biofilm formation of this pathogen. (paper)

A systematic review of methods for studying consumer health YouTube videos, with implications for systematic reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret Sampson

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background. YouTube is an increasingly important medium for consumer health information – with content provided by healthcare professionals, government and non-government organizations, industry, and consumers themselves. It is a rapidly developing area of study for healthcare researchers. We examine the methods used in reviews of YouTube consumer health videos to identify trends and best practices.Methods and Materials. Published reviews of consumer-oriented health-related YouTube videos were identified through PubMed. Data extracted from these studies included type of journal, topic, characteristics of the search, methods of review including number of reviewers and method to achieve consensus between reviewers, inclusion and exclusion criteria, characteristics of the videos reported, ethical oversight, and follow-up.Results. Thirty-three studies were identified. Most were recent and published in specialty journals. Typically, these included more than 100 videos, and were examined by multiple reviewers. Most studies described characteristics of the videos, number of views, and sometime characteristics of the viewers. Accuracy of portrayal of the health issue under consideration was a common focus.Conclusion. Optimal transparency and reproducibility of studies of YouTube health-related videos can be achieved by following guidance designed for systematic review reporting, with attention to several elements specific to the video medium. Particularly when seeking to replicate consumer viewing behavior, investigators should consider the method used to select search terms, and use a snowballing rather than a sequential screening approach. Discontinuation protocols for online screening of relevance ranked search results is an area identified for further development.

A systematic review of methods for studying consumer health YouTube videos, with implications for systematic reviews

Science.gov (United States)

Cumber, Jordi; Li, Claudia; Pound, Catherine M.; Fuller, Ann; Harrison, Denise

2013-01-01

Background. YouTube is an increasingly important medium for consumer health information – with content provided by healthcare professionals, government and non-government organizations, industry, and consumers themselves. It is a rapidly developing area of study for healthcare researchers. We examine the methods used in reviews of YouTube consumer health videos to identify trends and best practices. Methods and Materials. Published reviews of consumer-oriented health-related YouTube videos were identified through PubMed. Data extracted from these studies included type of journal, topic, characteristics of the search, methods of review including number of reviewers and method to achieve consensus between reviewers, inclusion and exclusion criteria, characteristics of the videos reported, ethical oversight, and follow-up. Results. Thirty-three studies were identified. Most were recent and published in specialty journals. Typically, these included more than 100 videos, and were examined by multiple reviewers. Most studies described characteristics of the videos, number of views, and sometime characteristics of the viewers. Accuracy of portrayal of the health issue under consideration was a common focus. Conclusion. Optimal transparency and reproducibility of studies of YouTube health-related videos can be achieved by following guidance designed for systematic review reporting, with attention to several elements specific to the video medium. Particularly when seeking to replicate consumer viewing behavior, investigators should consider the method used to select search terms, and use a snowballing rather than a sequential screening approach. Discontinuation protocols for online screening of relevance ranked search results is an area identified for further development. PMID:24058879

A systematic review of methods for studying consumer health YouTube videos, with implications for systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Margaret; Cumber, Jordi; Li, Claudia; Pound, Catherine M; Fuller, Ann; Harrison, Denise

2013-01-01

Background. YouTube is an increasingly important medium for consumer health information - with content provided by healthcare professionals, government and non-government organizations, industry, and consumers themselves. It is a rapidly developing area of study for healthcare researchers. We examine the methods used in reviews of YouTube consumer health videos to identify trends and best practices. Methods and Materials. Published reviews of consumer-oriented health-related YouTube videos were identified through PubMed. Data extracted from these studies included type of journal, topic, characteristics of the search, methods of review including number of reviewers and method to achieve consensus between reviewers, inclusion and exclusion criteria, characteristics of the videos reported, ethical oversight, and follow-up. Results. Thirty-three studies were identified. Most were recent and published in specialty journals. Typically, these included more than 100 videos, and were examined by multiple reviewers. Most studies described characteristics of the videos, number of views, and sometime characteristics of the viewers. Accuracy of portrayal of the health issue under consideration was a common focus. Conclusion. Optimal transparency and reproducibility of studies of YouTube health-related videos can be achieved by following guidance designed for systematic review reporting, with attention to several elements specific to the video medium. Particularly when seeking to replicate consumer viewing behavior, investigators should consider the method used to select search terms, and use a snowballing rather than a sequential screening approach. Discontinuation protocols for online screening of relevance ranked search results is an area identified for further development.

Hydroxyapatite Fibers: A Review of Synthesis Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Mei-Li; He, Kun; Huang, Zhen-Nan; Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza; Xiao, Gui-Yong; Lu, Yu-Peng; Shokuhfar, Tolou

2017-08-01

Hydroxyapatite (HA) exhibits excellent biocompatibility, bioactivity, osteoconductivity, non-toxicity and so on, making it a perfect candidate for biomedical applications. However, HA is not qualified to be used in load-bearing sites due to its poor flexural strength and fracture toughness. Design, synthesis and application of fibrous HA is a promising strategy to overcome the inherent brittleness. This review provides a brief description of HA and hydroxyapatite fiber (HAF), then introduces different synthesis methods of HAF and highlights the inherent merits and drawbacks involved in each method. Finally, the future perspectives in this active research area are given. The purpose of this review is to acquaint the reader with this promising new field of biomaterials research and with emphasis on recent techniques to obtain continuous, uniform and long HAF.

Surgical management of adolescent varicocele: Systematic review of the world literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omer A Raheem

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Historically, idiopathic varicocele is the most commonly diagnosed pre-pubertal andrological condition. The clinical presentation of varicocele may vary from dull and dragging unilateral or bilateral testicular pain to visible varicose veins lying over the hemiscrotum. Over the last decade, significant strides were made in managing symptomatic varicoceles, particularly minimal invasive procedures and surgeries. We sought to review the published literature in a systematic manner to gain an overview and streamline the presentations and main treatment modalities.

Landslide Susceptibility Statistical Methods: A Critical and Systematic Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Mihir, Monika; Malamud, Bruce; Rossi, Mauro; Reichenbach, Paola; Ardizzone, Francesca

2014-05-01

Landslide susceptibility assessment, the subject of this systematic review, is aimed at understanding the spatial probability of slope failures under a set of geomorphological and environmental conditions. It is estimated that about 375 landslides that occur globally each year are fatal, with around 4600 people killed per year. Past studies have brought out the increasing cost of landslide damages which primarily can be attributed to human occupation and increased human activities in the vulnerable environments. Many scientists, to evaluate and reduce landslide risk, have made an effort to efficiently map landslide susceptibility using different statistical methods. In this paper, we do a critical and systematic landslide susceptibility literature review, in terms of the different statistical methods used. For each of a broad set of studies reviewed we note: (i) study geography region and areal extent, (ii) landslide types, (iii) inventory type and temporal period covered, (iv) mapping technique (v) thematic variables used (vi) statistical models, (vii) assessment of model skill, (viii) uncertainty assessment methods, (ix) validation methods. We then pulled out broad trends within our review of landslide susceptibility, particularly regarding the statistical methods. We found that the most common statistical methods used in the study of landslide susceptibility include logistic regression, artificial neural network, discriminant analysis and weight of evidence. Although most of the studies we reviewed assessed the model skill, very few assessed model uncertainty. In terms of geographic extent, the largest number of landslide susceptibility zonations were in Turkey, Korea, Spain, Italy and Malaysia. However, there are also many landslides and fatalities in other localities, particularly India, China, Philippines, Nepal and Indonesia, Guatemala, and Pakistan, where there are much fewer landslide susceptibility studies available in the peer-review literature. This

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension: A Review and Introduction of an Algorithm For Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Benjamin; Nassiri, Farshad; Mansouri, Alireza; Badhiwala, Jetan H; Witiw, Christopher D; Shamji, Mohammed F; Peng, Philip W; Farb, Richard I; Bernstein, Mark

2017-05-01

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a condition of low cerebrospinal fluid volume and pressure caused by a leak of cerebrospinal fluid through a dural defect. Diagnosis and management can be difficult, often requiring coordination between multiple disciplines for myelography, blood patching, and possible surgical repair. Patients should be monitored closely, because they can deteriorate into a coma or even death. There are no widely accepted guidelines for the management of SIH. We review the existing SIH literature, illustrate management challenges via a case review, and propose an algorithm developed by neurosurgeons, radiologists, and anesthesiologists intended to simplify and streamline the management of SIH. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review on measuring methods of gas-liquid flow rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minemura, Kiyoshi; Yamashita, Masato

2000-01-01

This paper presents a review on the state of current measuring techniques for gas-liquid multiphase flow rates. After briefly discussing the basic idea on measuring methods for single-phase and two-phase flows, existing methods for the two-phase flow rates are classified into several types, that is, with or without a homogenizing device, single or combined method of several techniques, with intrusive or non-intrusive sensors, and physical or software method. Each methods are comparatively reviewed in view of measuring accuracy and manageability. Its scope also contains the techniques developed for petroleum-gas-water flow rates. (author)

An Accurate and Impartial Expert Assignment Method for Scientific Project Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingliang Yue

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper proposes an expert assignment method for scientific project review that considers both accuracy and impartiality. As impartial and accurate peer review is extremely important to ensure the quality and feasibility of scientific projects, enhanced methods for managing the process are needed. Design/methodology/approach: To ensure both accuracy and impartiality, we design four criteria, the reviewers’ fitness degree, research intensity, academic association, and potential conflict of interest, to express the characteristics of an appropriate peer review expert. We first formalize the expert assignment problem as an optimization problem based on the designed criteria, and then propose a randomized algorithm to solve the expert assignment problem of identifying reviewer adequacy. Findings: Simulation results show that the proposed method is quite accurate and impartial during expert assignment. Research limitations: Although the criteria used in this paper can properly show the characteristics of a good and appropriate peer review expert, more criteria/conditions can be included in the proposed scheme to further enhance accuracy and impartiality of the expert assignment. Practical implications: The proposed method can help project funding agencies (e.g. the National Natural Science Foundation of China find better experts for project peer review. Originality/value: To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first publication that proposes an algorithm that applies an impartial approach to the project review expert assignment process. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Improving and streamlining the workflow in the graphic arts and printing industry

Science.gov (United States)

Tuijn, Chris

2003-01-01

In order to survive in the economy of today, an ever-increasing productivity is required from all the partners participating in a specific business process. This is not different for the printing industry. One of the ways to remain profitable is, on one hand, to reduce costs by automation and aiming for large-scale projects and, on the other hand, to specialize and become an expert in the area in which one is active. One of the ways to realize these goals is by streamlining the communication of the different partners and focus on the core business. If we look at the graphic arts and printing industry, we can identify different important players that eventually help in the realization of printed material. For the printing company (as is the case for any other company), the most important player is the customer. This role can be adopted by many different players including publishers, companies, non-commercial institutions, private persons etc. Sometimes, the customer will be the content provider as well but this is not always the case. Often, the content is provided by other organizations such as design and prepress agencies, advertising companies etc. In most printing organizations, the customer has one contact person often referred to as the CSR (Customers Service Representative). Other people involved at the printing organization include the sales representatives, prepress operators, printing operators, postpress operators, planners, the logistics department, the financial department etc. In the first part of this article, we propose a solution that will improve the communication between all the different actors in the graphic arts and printing industry considerably and will optimize and streamline the overall workflow as well. This solution consists of an environment in which the customer can communicate with the CSR to ask for a quote based on a specific product intent; the CSR will then (after the approval from the customer's side) organize the work and brief

A REVIEW OF ORDER PICKING IMPROVEMENT METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Oscar Ong

2014-09-01

Full Text Available As a crucial and one of the most important parts of warehousing, order picking often raises discussion between warehousing professionals, resulting in various studies aiming to analyze how order picking activity can be improved from various perspective. This paper reviews various past researches on order picking improvement, and the various methods those studies analyzed or developed. This literature review is based on twenty research articles on order picking improvement viewed from four different perspectives: Automation (specifically, stock-to-picker system, storage assignment policy, order batching, and order picking sequencing. By reviewing these studies, we try to identify the most prevalent order picking improvement approach to order picking improvement. Keywords: warehousing; stock-to-picker; storage assignment; order batching; order picking sequencing; improvement

Review of PCMS and heat transfer enhancement methods applied ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Most available PCMs have low thermal conductivity making heat transfer enhancement necessary for power applications. The various methods of heat transfer enhancement in latent heat storage systems were also reviewed systematically. The review showed that three commercially - available PCMs are suitable in the ...

Convergence of a residual based artificial viscosity finite element method

KAUST Repository

Nazarov, Murtazo

2013-02-01

We present a residual based artificial viscosity finite element method to solve conservation laws. The Galerkin approximation is stabilized by only residual based artificial viscosity, without any least-squares, SUPG, or streamline diffusion terms. We prove convergence of the method, applied to a scalar conservation law in two space dimensions, toward an unique entropy solution for implicit time stepping schemes. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-throughput, 384-well, LC-MS/MS CYP inhibition assay using automation, cassette-analysis technique, and streamlined data analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Halladay, Jason S; Delarosa, Erlie Marie; Tran, Daniel; Wang, Leslie; Wong, Susan; Khojasteh, S Cyrus

2011-08-01

Here we describe a high capacity and high-throughput, automated, 384-well CYP inhibition assay using well-known HLM-based MS probes. We provide consistently robust IC(50) values at the lead optimization stage of the drug discovery process. Our method uses the Agilent Technologies/Velocity11 BioCel 1200 system, timesaving techniques for sample analysis, and streamlined data processing steps. For each experiment, we generate IC(50) values for up to 344 compounds and positive controls for five major CYP isoforms (probe substrate): CYP1A2 (phenacetin), CYP2C9 ((S)-warfarin), CYP2C19 ((S)-mephenytoin), CYP2D6 (dextromethorphan), and CYP3A4/5 (testosterone and midazolam). Each compound is incubated separately at four concentrations with each CYP probe substrate under the optimized incubation condition. Each incubation is quenched with acetonitrile containing the deuterated internal standard of the respective metabolite for each probe substrate. To minimize the number of samples to be analyzed by LC-MS/MS and reduce the amount of valuable MS runtime, we utilize timesaving techniques of cassette analysis (pooling the incubation samples at the end of each CYP probe incubation into one) and column switching (reducing the amount of MS runtime). Here we also report on the comparison of IC(50) results for five major CYP isoforms using our method compared to values reported in the literature.

Investigating the effects of streamline-based fiber tractography on matrix scaling in brain connective network.

Science.gov (United States)

Jan, Hengtai; Chao, Yi-Ping; Cho, Kuan-Hung; Kuo, Li-Wei

2013-01-01

Investigating the brain connective network using the modern graph theory has been widely applied in cognitive and clinical neuroscience research. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of streamline-based fiber tractography on the change of network properties and established a systematic framework to understand how an adequate network matrix scaling can be determined. The network properties, including degree, efficiency and betweenness centrality, show similar tendency in both left and right hemispheres. By employing the curve-fitting process with exponential law and measuring the residuals, the association between changes of network properties and threshold of track numbers is found and an adequate range of investigating the lateralization of brain network is suggested. The proposed approach can be further applied in clinical applications to improve the diagnostic sensitivity using network analysis with graph theory.

SHORT LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE KINEMATICS AND DYNAMICS OF THE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

OpenAIRE

RATIU Mariana

2016-01-01

This paper is the result of a short literature review on the kinematics and dynamics of the industrial robots, a first study conducted in a wider research that will be further developed in the field of the trajectory generating mechanisms of the industrial robots. After an introduction about the importance of the robots in the industrial processes and about the necessity to streamline and optimize the robot`s motion, are presented some recent approaches related to the kinematic and dynamic an...

Review of unfolding methods for neutron flux dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stallmann, F.W.; Kam, F.B.K.

1975-01-01

The primary method in reactor dosimetry is the foil activation technique. To translate the activation measurements into neutron fluxes, a special data processing technique called unfolding is needed. Some general observations about the problems and the reliability of this approach to reactor dosimetry are presented. Current unfolding methods are reviewed. 12 references. (auth)

Methods for the evaluation of hospital cooperation activities (Systematic review protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rotter Thomas

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hospital partnerships, mergers and cooperatives are arrangements frequently seen as a means of improving health service delivery. Many of the assumptions used in planning hospital cooperatives are not stated clearly and are often based on limited or poor scientific evidence. Methods This is a protocol for a systematic review, following the Cochrane EPOC methodology. The review aims to document, catalogue and synthesize the existing literature on the reported methods for the evaluation of hospital cooperation activities as well as methods of hospital cooperation. We will search the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and bibliographic databases including PubMed (via NLM, Web of Science, NHS EED, Business Source Premier (via EBSCO and Global Health for publications that report on methods for evaluating hospital cooperatives, strategic partnerships, mergers, alliances, networks and related activities and methods used for such partnerships. The method proposed by the Cochrane EPOC group regarding randomized study designs, controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time series will be followed. In addition, we will also include cohort, case-control studies, and relevant non-comparative publications such as case reports. We will categorize and analyze the review findings according to the study design employed, the study quality (low versus high quality studies and the method reported in the primary studies. We will present the results of studies in tabular form. Discussion Overall, the systematic review aims to identify, assess and synthesize the evidence to underpin hospital cooperation activities as defined in this protocol. As a result, the review will provide an evidence base for partnerships, alliances or other fields of cooperation in a hospital setting. PROSPERO

Approximation and inference methods for stochastic biochemical kinetics—a tutorial review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnoerr, David; Grima, Ramon; Sanguinetti, Guido

2017-01-01

Stochastic fluctuations of molecule numbers are ubiquitous in biological systems. Important examples include gene expression and enzymatic processes in living cells. Such systems are typically modelled as chemical reaction networks whose dynamics are governed by the chemical master equation. Despite its simple structure, no analytic solutions to the chemical master equation are known for most systems. Moreover, stochastic simulations are computationally expensive, making systematic analysis and statistical inference a challenging task. Consequently, significant effort has been spent in recent decades on the development of efficient approximation and inference methods. This article gives an introduction to basic modelling concepts as well as an overview of state of the art methods. First, we motivate and introduce deterministic and stochastic methods for modelling chemical networks, and give an overview of simulation and exact solution methods. Next, we discuss several approximation methods, including the chemical Langevin equation, the system size expansion, moment closure approximations, time-scale separation approximations and hybrid methods. We discuss their various properties and review recent advances and remaining challenges for these methods. We present a comparison of several of these methods by means of a numerical case study and highlight some of their respective advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we discuss the problem of inference from experimental data in the Bayesian framework and review recent methods developed the literature. In summary, this review gives a self-contained introduction to modelling, approximations and inference methods for stochastic chemical kinetics. (topical review)

What is the most appropriate knowledge synthesis method to conduct a review? Protocol for a scoping review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kastner Monika

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A knowledge synthesis attempts to summarize all pertinent studies on a specific question, can improve the understanding of inconsistencies in diverse evidence, and can identify gaps in research evidence to define future research agendas. Knowledge synthesis activities in healthcare have largely focused on systematic reviews of interventions. However, a wider range of synthesis methods has emerged in the last decade addressing different types of questions (e.g., realist synthesis to explore mediating mechanisms and moderators of interventions. Many different knowledge synthesis methods exist in the literature across multiple disciplines, but locating these, particularly for qualitative research, present challenges. There is a need for a comprehensive manual for synthesis methods (quantitative/qualitative or mixed, outlining how these methods are related, and how to match the most appropriate knowledge synthesis method to answer a research question. The objectives of this scoping review are to: 1 conduct a systematic search of the literature for knowledge synthesis methods across multi-disciplinary fields; 2 compare and contrast the different knowledge synthesis methods; and, 3 map out the specific steps to conducting the knowledge syntheses to inform the development of a knowledge synthesis methods manual/tool. Methods We will search relevant electronic databases (e.g., MEDLINE, CINAHL, grey literature, and discipline-based listservs. The scoping review will consider all study designs including qualitative and quantitative methodologies (excluding economic analysis or clinical practice guideline development, and identify knowledge synthesis methods across the disciplines of health, education, sociology, and philosophy. Two reviewers will pilot-test the screening criteria and data abstraction forms, and will independently screen the literature and abstract the data. A three-step synthesis process will be used to map the

A Review of Classical Methods of Item Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

French, Christine L.

Item analysis is a very important consideration in the test development process. It is a statistical procedure to analyze test items that combines methods used to evaluate the important characteristics of test items, such as difficulty, discrimination, and distractibility of the items in a test. This paper reviews some of the classical methods for…

Mixed methods systematic review exploring mentorship outcomes in nursing academia.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowell, Lorelli; Norris, Jill M; Mrklas, Kelly; White, Deborah E

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to report on a mixed methods systematic review that critically examines the evidence for mentorship in nursing academia. Nursing education institutions globally have issued calls for mentorship. There is emerging evidence to support the value of mentorship in other disciplines, but the extant state of the evidence in nursing academia is not known. A comprehensive review of the evidence is required. A mixed methods systematic review. Five databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, PsycINFO) were searched using an a priori search strategy from inception to 2 November 2015 to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. Grey literature searches were also conducted in electronic databases (ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Index to Theses) and mentorship conference proceedings and by hand searching the reference lists of eligible studies. Study quality was assessed prior to inclusion using standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute. A convergent qualitative synthesis design was used where results from qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies were transformed into qualitative findings. Mentorship outcomes were mapped to a theory-informed framework. Thirty-four studies were included in this review, from the 3001 records initially retrieved. In general, mentorship had a positive impact on behavioural, career, attitudinal, relational and motivational outcomes; however, the methodological quality of studies was weak. This review can inform the objectives of mentorship interventions and contribute to a more rigorous approach to studies that assess mentorship outcomes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Review of methods for the integration of reliability and design engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reilly, J.T.

1978-03-01

A review of methods for the integration of reliability and design engineering was carried out to establish a reliability program philosophy, an initial set of methods, and procedures to be used by both the designer and reliability analyst. The report outlines a set of procedures which implements a philosophy that requires increased involvement by the designer in reliability analysis. Discussions of each method reviewed include examples of its application

CASL Validation Data: An Initial Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nam Dinh

2011-01-01

The study aims to establish a comprehensive view of “data” needed for supporting implementation of the Consortium of Advanced Simulation of LWRs (CASL). Insights from this review (and its continual refinement), together with other elements developed in CASL, should provide the foundation for developing the CASL Validation Data Plan (VDP). VDP is instrumental to the development and assessment of CASL simulation tools as predictive capability. Most importantly, to be useful for CASL, the VDP must be devised (and agreed upon by all participating stakeholders) with appropriate account for nature of nuclear engineering applications, the availability, types and quality of CASL-related data, and novelty of CASL goals and its approach to the selected challenge problems. The initial review (summarized on the January 2011 report version) discusses a broad range of methodological issues in data review and Validation Data Plan. Such a top-down emphasis in data review is both needed to see a big picture on CASL data and appropriate when the actual data are not available for detailed scrutiny. As the data become available later in 2011, a revision of data review (and regular update) should be performed. It is expected that the basic framework for review laid out in this report will help streamline the CASL data review in a way that most pertinent to CASL VDP.

A comparison of statistical methods for identifying out-of-date systematic reviews.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Porjai Pattanittum

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews (SRs can provide accurate and reliable evidence, typically about the effectiveness of health interventions. Evidence is dynamic, and if SRs are out-of-date this information may not be useful; it may even be harmful. This study aimed to compare five statistical methods to identify out-of-date SRs. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of SRs registered in the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group (CPCG, published between 2008 and 2010, were considered for inclusion. For each eligible CPCG review, data were extracted and "3-years previous" meta-analyses were assessed for the need to update, given the data from the most recent 3 years. Each of the five statistical methods was used, with random effects analyses throughout the study. RESULTS: Eighty reviews were included in this study; most were in the area of induction of labour. The numbers of reviews identified as being out-of-date using the Ottawa, recursive cumulative meta-analysis (CMA, and Barrowman methods were 34, 7, and 7 respectively. No reviews were identified as being out-of-date using the simulation-based power method, or the CMA for sufficiency and stability method. The overall agreement among the three discriminating statistical methods was slight (Kappa = 0.14; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.23. The recursive cumulative meta-analysis, Ottawa, and Barrowman methods were practical according to the study criteria. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that three practical statistical methods could be applied to examine the need to update SRs.

Review of teaching methods and critical thinking skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalczyk, Nina

2011-01-01

Critical information is needed to inform radiation science educators regarding successful critical thinking educational strategies. From an evidence-based research perspective, systematic reviews are identified as the most current and highest level of evidence. Analysis at this high level is crucial in analyzing those teaching methods most appropriate to the development of critical thinking skills. To conduct a systematic literature review to identify teaching methods that demonstrate a positive effect on the development of students' critical thinking skills and to identify how these teaching strategies can best translate to radiologic science educational programs. A comprehensive literature search was conducted resulting in an assessment of 59 full reports. Nineteen of the 59 reports met inclusion criteria and were reviewed based on the level of evidence presented. Inclusion criteria included studies conducted in the past 10 years on sample sizes of 20 or more individuals demonstrating use of specific teaching interventions for 5 to 36 months in postsecondary health-related educational programs. The majority of the research focused on problem-based learning (PBL) requiring standardized small-group activities. Six of the 19 studies focused on PBL and demonstrated significant differences in student critical thinking scores. PBL, as described in the nursing literature, is an effective teaching method that should be used in radiation science education. ©2011 by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.

Economics methods in Cochrane systematic reviews of health promotion and public health related interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McDaid David

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Provision of evidence on costs alongside evidence on the effects of interventions can enhance the relevance of systematic reviews to decision-making. However, patterns of use of economics methods alongside systematic review remain unclear. Reviews of evidence on the effects of interventions are published by both the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations. Although it is not a requirement that Cochrane or Campbell Reviews should consider economic aspects of interventions, many do. This study aims to explore and describe approaches to incorporating economics methods in a selection of Cochrane systematic reviews in the area of health promotion and public health, to help inform development of methodological guidance on economics for reviewers. Methods The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was searched using a search strategy for potential economic evaluation studies. We included current Cochrane reviews and review protocols retrieved using the search that are also identified as relevant to health promotion or public health topics. A reviewer extracted data which describe the economics components of included reviews. Extracted data were summarised in tables and analysed qualitatively. Results Twenty-one completed Cochrane reviews and seven review protocols met inclusion criteria. None incorporate formal economic evaluation methods. Ten completed reviews explicitly aim to incorporate economics studies and data. There is a lack of transparent reporting of methods underpinning the incorporation of economics studies and data. Some reviews are likely to exclude useful economics studies and data due to a failure to incorporate search strategies tailored to the retrieval of such data or use of key specialist databases, and application of inclusion criteria designed for effectiveness studies. Conclusion There is a need for consistency and transparency in the reporting and conduct of the economics components of Cochrane reviews, as

Symbiotic adaptation drives genome streamlining of the cyanobacterial sponge symbiont "Candidatus Synechococcus pongiarum"

KAUST Repository

Gao, Zhao-Ming

2014-04-01

"Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum" is a cyanobacterial symbiont widely distributed in sponges, but its functions at the genome level remain unknown. Here, we obtained the draft genome (1.66 Mbp, 90% estimated genome recovery) of "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" strain SH4 inhabiting the Red Sea sponge Carteriospongia foliascens. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a high dissimilarity between SH4 and free-living cyanobacterial strains. Essential functions, such as photosynthesis, the citric acid cycle, and DNA replication, were detected in SH4. Eukaryoticlike domains that play important roles in sponge-symbiont interactions were identified exclusively in the symbiont. However, SH4 could not biosynthesize methionine and polyamines and had lost partial genes encoding low-molecular-weight peptides of the photosynthesis complex, antioxidant enzymes, DNA repair enzymes, and proteins involved in resistance to environmental toxins and in biosynthesis of capsular and extracellular polysaccharides. These genetic modifications imply that "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" SH4 represents a low-light-adapted cyanobacterial symbiont and has undergone genome streamlining to adapt to the sponge\\'s mild intercellular environment. 2014 Gao et al.

Surrogate Based Optimization of Aerodynamic Noise for Streamlined Shape of High Speed Trains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenxu Sun

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Aerodynamic noise increases with the sixth power of the running speed. As the speed increases, aerodynamic noise becomes predominant and begins to be the main noise source at a certain high speed. As a result, aerodynamic noise has to be focused on when designing new high-speed trains. In order to perform the aerodynamic noise optimization, the equivalent continuous sound pressure level (SPL has been used in the present paper, which could take all of the far field observation probes into consideration. The Non-Linear Acoustics Solver (NLAS approach has been utilized for acoustic calculation. With the use of Kriging surrogate model, a multi-objective optimization of the streamlined shape of high-speed trains has been performed, which takes the noise level in the far field and the drag of the whole train as the objectives. To efficiently construct the Kriging model, the cross validation approach has been adopted. Optimization results reveal that both the equivalent continuous sound pressure level and the drag of the whole train are reduced in a certain extent.

Symbiotic adaptation drives genome streamlining of the cyanobacterial sponge symbiont "Candidatus Synechococcus pongiarum"

KAUST Repository

Gao, Zhao-Ming; Wang, Yong; Tian, Ren-Mao; Wong, Yue Him; Batang, Zenon B.; Al-Suwailem, Abdulaziz M.; Bajic, Vladimir B.; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2014-01-01

"Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum" is a cyanobacterial symbiont widely distributed in sponges, but its functions at the genome level remain unknown. Here, we obtained the draft genome (1.66 Mbp, 90% estimated genome recovery) of "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" strain SH4 inhabiting the Red Sea sponge Carteriospongia foliascens. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a high dissimilarity between SH4 and free-living cyanobacterial strains. Essential functions, such as photosynthesis, the citric acid cycle, and DNA replication, were detected in SH4. Eukaryoticlike domains that play important roles in sponge-symbiont interactions were identified exclusively in the symbiont. However, SH4 could not biosynthesize methionine and polyamines and had lost partial genes encoding low-molecular-weight peptides of the photosynthesis complex, antioxidant enzymes, DNA repair enzymes, and proteins involved in resistance to environmental toxins and in biosynthesis of capsular and extracellular polysaccharides. These genetic modifications imply that "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" SH4 represents a low-light-adapted cyanobacterial symbiont and has undergone genome streamlining to adapt to the sponge's mild intercellular environment. 2014 Gao et al.

Streamlined Darwin methods for particle beam injectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, J.K.

1987-01-01

Physics issues that involve inductive effects, such as beam fluctuations, electromagnetic (EM) instability, or interactions with a cavity require a time-dependent simulation. The most elaborate time-dependent codes self-consistently solve Maxwell's equations and the force equation for a large number of macroparticles. Although these full EM particle-in-cell (PIC) codes have been used to study a broad range of phenomena, including beam injectors, they have several drawbacks. In an explicit solution of Maxwell's equations, the time step is restricted by a Courant condition. A second disadvantage is the production of anomalously large numerical fluctuations, caused by representing many real particles by a single computational macroparticle. Last, approximate models of internal boundaries can create nonphysical radiation in a full EM simulation. In this work, many of the problems of a fully electromagnetic simulation are avoided by using the Darwin field model. The Darwin field model is the magnetoinductive limit of Maxwell's equations, and it retains the first-order relativistic correction to the particle Lagrangian. It includes the part of the displacement current necessary to satisfy the charge-continuity equation. This feature is important for simulation of nonneutral beams. Because the Darwin model does not include the solenoidal vector component of the displacement current, it cannot be used to study high-frequency phenomena or effects caused by rapid current changes. However, because wave motion is not followed, the Courant condition of a fully electromagnetic code can be exceeded. In addition, inductive effects are modeled without creating nonphysical radiation

DECA -- The design change assistant: An application of expert systems concepts to procedure automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brtis, J.S.

1993-01-01

Proceduralized engineering reviews required for nuclear power stations result in significant O ampersand M cost's. A method of streamlining procedural reviews (while improving their quality) is to computerize the procedures and associated checklists. DECA, the Design Change Assistant, is an expert system based program that is specifically designed for computerizing procedures. This program improves the effectiveness of engineers in performing engineering design reviews. DECA is a development shell, which allows the computerization of most types of engineering reviews. In addition to computerizing the decision making process, DECA makes it possible to call on electronic information, such as databases or text files, and makes them available to the user to assist in a review. DECA clearly demonstrates the benefits that can accrue by applying expert system technologies to engineering reviews. It results in the following: a well defined process, reduced user training in the use of procedures, improved quality of reviews, a streamlining of the review process through elimination of questions that are not applicable, and high quality documentation of reviews. DECA has been successfully applied to Commonwealth Edison's engineering design review checklists, and is currently in use by Commonwealth Edison

Methods to assess intended effects of drug treatment in observational studies are reviewed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klungel, Olaf H|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/181447649; Martens, Edwin P|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/088859010; Psaty, Bruce M; Grobbee, Diederik E; Sullivan, Sean D; Stricker, Bruno H Ch; Leufkens, Hubert G M|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/075255049; de Boer, A|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/075097346

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To review methods that seek to adjust for confounding in observational studies when assessing intended drug effects. METHODS: We reviewed the statistical, economical and medical literature on the development, comparison and use of methods adjusting for confounding. RESULTS:

75 FR 28517 - 2004 and 2006 Biennial Regulatory Reviews-Streamlining and Other Revisions of the Commission's...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-21

... Commission for the transmission of radio energy, the owner of the tower shall maintain the prescribed.... FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Borkowski, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, (202) 418-0626, e... its 2004 Biennial Review Comments, PCIA--the Wireless Infrastructure Association (PCIA) states that...

Caseload management methods for use within district nursing teams: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberson, Carole

2016-05-01

Effective and efficient caseload management requires extensive skills to ensure that patients receive the right care by the right person at the right time. District nursing caseloads are continually increasing in size and complexity, which requires specialist district nursing knowledge and skills. This article reviews the literature related to caseload management with the aim of identifying the most effective method for district nursing teams. The findings from this review are that there are different styles and methods of caseload management. The literature review was unable to identify a single validated tool or method, but identified themes for implementing effective caseload management, specifically caseload analysis; workload measurement; work allocation; service and practice development and workforce planning. This review also identified some areas for further research.

A Review on the Modified Finite Point Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan-Jing Wu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to make a review on recent advancements of the modified finite point method, named MFPM hereafter. This MFPM method is developed for solving general partial differential equations. Benchmark examples of employing this method to solve Laplace, Poisson, convection-diffusion, Helmholtz, mild-slope, and extended mild-slope equations are verified and then illustrated in fluid flow problems. Application of MFPM to numerical generation of orthogonal grids, which is governed by Laplace equation, is also demonstrated.

Flow Curvature Effects for VAWT: a Review of Virtual Airfoil Transformations and Implementation in XFOIL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Horst, Sander; van de Wiel, Jelmer E.; Ferreira, Carlos Simao

2016-01-01

Blades on a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) experience curved streamlines, caused by the rotation of the turbine. This phenomenon is known as flow curvature and has effects on the aerodynamic loading of the blades. Several authors have proposed methods to account for flow curvature, resulting...

A Review on Human Activity Recognition Using Vision-Based Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shugang; Wei, Zhiqiang; Nie, Jie; Huang, Lei; Wang, Shuang; Li, Zhen

2017-01-01

Human activity recognition (HAR) aims to recognize activities from a series of observations on the actions of subjects and the environmental conditions. The vision-based HAR research is the basis of many applications including video surveillance, health care, and human-computer interaction (HCI). This review highlights the advances of state-of-the-art activity recognition approaches, especially for the activity representation and classification methods. For the representation methods, we sort out a chronological research trajectory from global representations to local representations, and recent depth-based representations. For the classification methods, we conform to the categorization of template-based methods, discriminative models, and generative models and review several prevalent methods. Next, representative and available datasets are introduced. Aiming to provide an overview of those methods and a convenient way of comparing them, we classify existing literatures with a detailed taxonomy including representation and classification methods, as well as the datasets they used. Finally, we investigate the directions for future research.

Review of Electrical and Gravity Methods of Near-Surface ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

ABSTRACT: The theory and practice of electrical and gravity methods of geophysics for groundwater exploration was reviewed with illustrations and data examples. With the goal of reducing cases of borehole/water-well failure attributed to the lack of the knowledge of the methods of geophysics for groundwater exploration ...

Review of human factors guidelines and methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, W.; Szlapetis, I.; Hay, T.; Weihrer, S.

1995-04-01

The review examines the use of human factors guidelines and methods in high technology applications, with emphasis on application to the nuclear industry. An extensive literature review was carried out identifying over 250 applicable documents, with 30 more documents identified during interviews with experts in human factors. Surveys were sent to 15 experts, of which 11 responded. The survey results indicated guidelines used and why these were favoured. Thirty-three of the most applicable guideline documents were described in detailed annotated bibliographies. A bibliographic list containing over 280 references was prepared. Thirty guideline documents were rated for their completeness, validity, applicability and practicality. The experts survey indicated the use of specific techniques. Ten human factors methods of analysis were described in general summaries, including procedures, applications, and specific techniques. Detailed descriptions of the techniques were prepared and each technique rated for applicability and practicality. Recommendations for further study of areas of importance to human factors in the nuclear field in Canada are given. (author). 8 tabs., 2 figs

Review of human factors guidelines and methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rhodes, W; Szlapetis, I; Hay, T; Weihrer, S [Rhodes and Associates Inc., Toronto, ON (Canada)

1995-04-01

The review examines the use of human factors guidelines and methods in high technology applications, with emphasis on application to the nuclear industry. An extensive literature review was carried out identifying over 250 applicable documents, with 30 more documents identified during interviews with experts in human factors. Surveys were sent to 15 experts, of which 11 responded. The survey results indicated guidelines used and why these were favoured. Thirty-three of the most applicable guideline documents were described in detailed annotated bibliographies. A bibliographic list containing over 280 references was prepared. Thirty guideline documents were rated for their completeness, validity, applicability and practicality. The experts survey indicated the use of specific techniques. Ten human factors methods of analysis were described in general summaries, including procedures, applications, and specific techniques. Detailed descriptions of the techniques were prepared and each technique rated for applicability and practicality. Recommendations for further study of areas of importance to human factors in the nuclear field in Canada are given. (author). 8 tabs., 2 figs.

Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group guidance series-paper 5: methods for integrating qualitative and implementation evidence within intervention effectiveness reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Harden, Angela; Thomas, James; Cargo, Margaret; Harris, Janet; Pantoja, Tomas; Flemming, Kate; Booth, Andrew; Garside, Ruth; Hannes, Karin; Noyes, Jane

2018-05-01

The Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group develops and publishes guidance on the synthesis of qualitative and mixed-method evidence from process evaluations. Despite a proliferation of methods for the synthesis of qualitative research, less attention has focused on how to integrate these syntheses within intervention effectiveness reviews. In this article, we report updated guidance from the group on approaches, methods, and tools, which can be used to integrate the findings from quantitative studies evaluating intervention effectiveness with those from qualitative studies and process evaluations. We draw on conceptual analyses of mixed methods systematic review designs and the range of methods and tools that have been used in published reviews that have successfully integrated different types of evidence. We outline five key methods and tools as devices for integration which vary in terms of the levels at which integration takes place; the specialist skills and expertise required within the review team; and their appropriateness in the context of limited evidence. In situations where the requirement is the integration of qualitative and process evidence within intervention effectiveness reviews, we recommend the use of a sequential approach. Here, evidence from each tradition is synthesized separately using methods consistent with each tradition before integration takes place using a common framework. Reviews which integrate qualitative and process evaluation evidence alongside quantitative evidence on intervention effectiveness in a systematic way are rare. This guidance aims to support review teams to achieve integration and we encourage further development through reflection and formal testing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economics methods in Cochrane systematic reviews of health promotion and public health related interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shemilt, Ian; Mugford, Miranda; Drummond, Michael; Eisenstein, Eric; Mallender, Jacqueline; McDaid, David; Vale, Luke; Walker, Damian

2006-11-15

Provision of evidence on costs alongside evidence on the effects of interventions can enhance the relevance of systematic reviews to decision-making. However, patterns of use of economics methods alongside systematic review remain unclear. Reviews of evidence on the effects of interventions are published by both the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations. Although it is not a requirement that Cochrane or Campbell Reviews should consider economic aspects of interventions, many do. This study aims to explore and describe approaches to incorporating economics methods in a selection of Cochrane systematic reviews in the area of health promotion and public health, to help inform development of methodological guidance on economics for reviewers. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was searched using a search strategy for potential economic evaluation studies. We included current Cochrane reviews and review protocols retrieved using the search that are also identified as relevant to health promotion or public health topics. A reviewer extracted data which describe the economics components of included reviews. Extracted data were summarised in tables and analysed qualitatively. Twenty-one completed Cochrane reviews and seven review protocols met inclusion criteria. None incorporate formal economic evaluation methods. Ten completed reviews explicitly aim to incorporate economics studies and data. There is a lack of transparent reporting of methods underpinning the incorporation of economics studies and data. Some reviews are likely to exclude useful economics studies and data due to a failure to incorporate search strategies tailored to the retrieval of such data or use of key specialist databases, and application of inclusion criteria designed for effectiveness studies. There is a need for consistency and transparency in the reporting and conduct of the economics components of Cochrane reviews, as well as regular dialogue between Cochrane reviewers and economists to

Issues in benchmarking human reliability analysis methods: A literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boring, Ronald L.; Hendrickson, Stacey M.L.; Forester, John A.; Tran, Tuan Q.; Lois, Erasmia

2010-01-01

There is a diversity of human reliability analysis (HRA) methods available for use in assessing human performance within probabilistic risk assessments (PRA). Due to the significant differences in the methods, including the scope, approach, and underlying models, there is a need for an empirical comparison investigating the validity and reliability of the methods. To accomplish this empirical comparison, a benchmarking study comparing and evaluating HRA methods in assessing operator performance in simulator experiments is currently underway. In order to account for as many effects as possible in the construction of this benchmarking study, a literature review was conducted, reviewing past benchmarking studies in the areas of psychology and risk assessment. A number of lessons learned through these studies is presented in order to aid in the design of future HRA benchmarking endeavors.

Issues in benchmarking human reliability analysis methods : a literature review.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lois, Erasmia (US Nuclear Regulatory Commission); Forester, John Alan; Tran, Tuan Q. (Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID); Hendrickson, Stacey M. Langfitt; Boring, Ronald L. (Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID)

2008-04-01

There is a diversity of human reliability analysis (HRA) methods available for use in assessing human performance within probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Due to the significant differences in the methods, including the scope, approach, and underlying models, there is a need for an empirical comparison investigating the validity and reliability of the methods. To accomplish this empirical comparison, a benchmarking study is currently underway that compares HRA methods with each other and against operator performance in simulator studies. In order to account for as many effects as possible in the construction of this benchmarking study, a literature review was conducted, reviewing past benchmarking studies in the areas of psychology and risk assessment. A number of lessons learned through these studies are presented in order to aid in the design of future HRA benchmarking endeavors.

Book Review: Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noel Mcginn

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Book Review Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods (2nd edition By Mark Bray, Bob Adamson and Mark Mason (Eds. (2014, 453p ISBN: 978-988-17852-8-2, Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre and Springer

State-of-the-Art Methods for Brain Tissue Segmentation: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Dora, Lingraj; Agrawal, Sanjay; Panda, Rutuparna; Abraham, Ajith

2017-01-01

Brain tissue segmentation is one of the most sought after research areas in medical image processing. It provides detailed quantitative brain analysis for accurate disease diagnosis, detection, and classification of abnormalities. It plays an essential role in discriminating healthy tissues from lesion tissues. Therefore, accurate disease diagnosis and treatment planning depend merely on the performance of the segmentation method used. In this review, we have studied the recent advances in brain tissue segmentation methods and their state-of-the-art in neuroscience research. The review also highlights the major challenges faced during tissue segmentation of the brain. An effective comparison is made among state-of-the-art brain tissue segmentation methods. Moreover, a study of some of the validation measures to evaluate different segmentation methods is also discussed. The brain tissue segmentation, content in terms of methodologies, and experiments presented in this review are encouraging enough to attract researchers working in this field.

Materials and Methods for Streamlined Laboratory Analysis of Environmental Samples, FY 2016 Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Addleman, Raymond S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Naes, Benjamin E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); McNamara, Bruce K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Olsen, Khris B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Chouyyok, Wilaiwan [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Willingham, David G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Spigner, Angel C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-11-30

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) relies upon laboratory analysis of environmental samples (typically referred to as “swipes”) collected during on-site inspections of safeguarded facilities to support the detection and deterrence of undeclared activities. Unfortunately, chemical processing and assay of the samples is slow and expensive. A rapid, effective, and simple extraction process and analysis method is needed to provide certified results with improved timeliness at reduced costs (principally in the form of reduced labor), while maintaining or improving sensitivity and efficacy. To address these safeguard needs the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) explored and demonstrated improved methods for environmental sample (ES) analysis. Improvements for both bulk and particle analysis were explored. To facilitate continuity and adoption, the new sampling materials and processing methods will be compatible with existing IAEA protocols for ES analysis. PNNL collaborated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which performed independent validation of the new bulk analysis methods and compared performance to traditional IAEA’s Network of Analytical Laboratories (NWAL) protocol. ORNL efforts are reported separately. This report describes PNNL’s FY 2016 progress, which was focused on analytical application supporting environmental monitoring of uranium enrichment plants and nuclear fuel processing. In the future the technology could be applied to other safeguard applications and analytes related to fuel manufacturing, reprocessing, etc. PNNL’s FY 2016 efforts were broken into two tasks and a summary of progress, accomplishments and highlights are provided below. Principal progress and accomplishments on Task 1, Optimize Materials and Methods for ICP-MS Environmental Sample Analysis, are listed below. • Completed initial procedure for rapid uranium extraction from ES swipes based upon carbonate-peroxide chemistry (delivered to ORNL for

Review of the ISOL Method

CERN Document Server

Lindroos, M

2004-01-01

The ISOL technique was invented in Copenhagen over 50 years ago and eventually migrated to CERN where a suitable proton drive beam was available at the Syncho-Cyclotron. The quick spread of the technique from CERN to many other laboratories has resulted in a large user community, which has assured the continued development of the method, physics in the front-line of fundamental research and the application of the method to many applied sciences. The technique is today established as one of the main techniques for on-line isotope production of high intensity and high quality beams. The thick targets used allows the production of unmatched high intensity radioactive beams. The fact that the ions are produced at rest makes it ideally suitable for low energy experiments and for post acceleration using well established accelerator techniques. The many different versions of the technique will be discussed and the many facilities spread all over the world will be reviewed. The major developments at the existing faci...

Effects of the Pilates method on neck pain: a systematic review

OpenAIRE

Cemin, Natália Fernanda; Schmit, Emanuelle Francine Detogni; Candotti, Cláudia Tarragô

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction: The Pilates method has been used for neck pain reduction. Objective: To systematically review randomized and non-randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of Pilates on neck pain when compared to other groups (CRD42015025987). Methods: This study involved a systematic review directed by the PRISMA Statement based on the recommendations of the Cochrane Colaboration, registered in PROSPERO under the code CRD42015025987. The following databases were searche...

47 CFR Appendix C to Part 1 - Nationwide Programmatic Agreement Regarding the Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 106 compliance and to develop methods of streamlining the Section 106 review process; and Whereas... properties of traditional religious and cultural importance that may be determined to be eligible for... refer to a Tower and its associated Antenna(s). 8. Field Survey. A research strategy that utilizes one...

A review of the facile (FN) method in particle transport theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, R.D.M.

1986-02-01

The facile F N method for solving particle transport problems is reviewed. The fundamentals of the method are summarized, recent developments are discussed and several applications of the method are described in detail. (author) [pt

[Molecular typing methods for Pasteurella multocida-A review].

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Zhong; Liang, Wan; Wu, Bin

2016-10-04

Pasteurella multocida is an important gram-negative pathogenic bacterium that could infect wide ranges of animals. Humans could also be infected by P. multocida via animal bite or scratching. Current typing methods for P. multocida include serological typing methods and molecular typing methods. Of them, serological typing methods are based on immunological assays, which are too complicated for clinical bacteriological studies. However, the molecular methods including multiple PCRs and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) methods are more suitable for bacteriological studies of P. multocida in clinic, with their simple operation, high efficiency and accurate detection compared to the traditional serological typing methods, they are therefore widely used. In the current review, we briefly describe the molecular typing methods for P. multocida. Our aim is to provide a knowledge-foundation for clinical bacteriological investigation especially the molecular investigation for P. multocida.

Review of Congestion Management Methods for Distribution Networks with High Penetration of Distributed Energy Resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Shaojun; Wu, Qiuwei; Liu, Zhaoxi

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the existing congestion management methods for distribution networks with high penetration of DERs documented in the recent research literatures. The congestion management methods for distribution networks reviewed can be grouped into two categories – market methods and direct...... control methods. The market methods consist of dynamic tariff, distribution capacity market, shadow price and flexible service market. The direct control methods are comprised of network reconfiguration, reactive power control and active power control. Based on the review of the existing methods...

New mobile methods for dietary assessment: review of image-assisted and image-based dietary assessment methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Boushey, C J; Spoden, M; Zhu, F M; Delp, E J; Kerr, D A

2017-08-01

For nutrition practitioners and researchers, assessing dietary intake of children and adults with a high level of accuracy continues to be a challenge. Developments in mobile technologies have created a role for images in the assessment of dietary intake. The objective of this review was to examine peer-reviewed published papers covering development, evaluation and/or validation of image-assisted or image-based dietary assessment methods from December 2013 to January 2016. Images taken with handheld devices or wearable cameras have been used to assist traditional dietary assessment methods for portion size estimations made by dietitians (image-assisted methods). Image-assisted approaches can supplement either dietary records or 24-h dietary recalls. In recent years, image-based approaches integrating application technology for mobile devices have been developed (image-based methods). Image-based approaches aim at capturing all eating occasions by images as the primary record of dietary intake, and therefore follow the methodology of food records. The present paper reviews several image-assisted and image-based methods, their benefits and challenges; followed by details on an image-based mobile food record. Mobile technology offers a wide range of feasible options for dietary assessment, which are easier to incorporate into daily routines. The presented studies illustrate that image-assisted methods can improve the accuracy of conventional dietary assessment methods by adding eating occasion detail via pictures captured by an individual (dynamic images). All of the studies reduced underreporting with the help of images compared with results with traditional assessment methods. Studies with larger sample sizes are needed to better delineate attributes with regards to age of user, degree of error and cost.

Review of analysis methods for prestressed concrete reactor vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dodge, W.G.; Bazant, Z.P.; Gallagher, R.H.

1977-02-01

Theoretical and practical aspects of analytical models and numerical procedures for detailed analysis of prestressed concrete reactor vessels are reviewed. Constitutive models and numerical algorithms for time-dependent and nonlinear response of concrete and various methods for modeling crack propagation are discussed. Published comparisons between experimental and theoretical results are used to assess the accuracy of these analytical methods

Bayesian flood forecasting methods: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shasha; Coulibaly, Paulin

2017-08-01

Over the past few decades, floods have been seen as one of the most common and largely distributed natural disasters in the world. If floods could be accurately forecasted in advance, then their negative impacts could be greatly minimized. It is widely recognized that quantification and reduction of uncertainty associated with the hydrologic forecast is of great importance for flood estimation and rational decision making. Bayesian forecasting system (BFS) offers an ideal theoretic framework for uncertainty quantification that can be developed for probabilistic flood forecasting via any deterministic hydrologic model. It provides suitable theoretical structure, empirically validated models and reasonable analytic-numerical computation method, and can be developed into various Bayesian forecasting approaches. This paper presents a comprehensive review on Bayesian forecasting approaches applied in flood forecasting from 1999 till now. The review starts with an overview of fundamentals of BFS and recent advances in BFS, followed with BFS application in river stage forecasting and real-time flood forecasting, then move to a critical analysis by evaluating advantages and limitations of Bayesian forecasting methods and other predictive uncertainty assessment approaches in flood forecasting, and finally discusses the future research direction in Bayesian flood forecasting. Results show that the Bayesian flood forecasting approach is an effective and advanced way for flood estimation, it considers all sources of uncertainties and produces a predictive distribution of the river stage, river discharge or runoff, thus gives more accurate and reliable flood forecasts. Some emerging Bayesian forecasting methods (e.g. ensemble Bayesian forecasting system, Bayesian multi-model combination) were shown to overcome limitations of single model or fixed model weight and effectively reduce predictive uncertainty. In recent years, various Bayesian flood forecasting approaches have been

Content validity of methods to assess malnutrition in cancer patients: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sealy, Martine; Nijholt, Willemke; Stuiver, M.M.; van der Berg, M.M.; Ottery, Faith D.; van der Schans, Cees; Roodenburg, Jan L N; Jager-Wittenaar, Harriët

Content validity of methods to assess malnutrition in cancer patients: A systematic review Rationale: Inadequate operationalisation of the multidimensial concept of malnutrition may result in inadequate evaluation of nutritional status. In this review we aimed to assess content validity of methods

Connecting streamlined subglacial bedforms with the geological/geographical environment in which they are located.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowling, Tom; Möller, Per; Greenwood, Sarah; Spagnolo, Matteo; Åkesson, Maria; Fraser, Stephen; Hughs, Anna; Clark, Chris

2016-04-01

Much work has qualitatively shown that there appears to be a relationship between the morphology of streamlined subglacial bedforms (drumlinoids) and the geological/geographical environment in which said bedforms are located upon, particularly in terms of bedrock influence. However, the one quantitative study that has been carried out on this connectivity (Greenwood and Clark, 2010) found that there appears to be a connection between bedrock type and morphology only at a local scale. At a regional scale the most important geological factor seemed to be the properties of the substrate, usually till. In order to investigate these connections further, self-organising maps (SOM) are used to investigate the role of contextual geology/geography in drumlinoid morphology. The SOM method allows the statistical exploration of data that cannot normally be evaluated by traditional means; categorical data (e.g. bedrock type) can be used in the same analysis as continuous/vector data (e.g. drift depth). Here, three large morphological data sets from Sweden (20 041), Britain (36 104) and Ireland (13 454) are combined with bedrock type, drift depth, basal elevation and distance to esker to see if there are any relationships to be found between them. The results indicate that there are pervasive, statistically significant, and weak to very weak correlations between contextual geological/geographical factors and drumlinoid morphology. The most important contextual factor appears to be 'drift depth', followed by 'distance to esker'. Therefore, models of drumlinoid formation and any efforts to use such features for palaeo-ice reconstruction must take into account the geological and geographical environment in which they are situated. The logical extension of this is that models of ice-sheet growth and retreat must also take into account and be sensitive to the type of substratum present beneath the ice. Further research into the effect of drift properties on the flow of ice is needed.

A Review of Methods for Analysis of the Expected Value of Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Heath, Anna; Manolopoulou, Ioanna; Baio, Gianluca

2017-10-01

In recent years, value-of-information analysis has become more widespread in health economic evaluations, specifically as a tool to guide further research and perform probabilistic sensitivity analysis. This is partly due to methodological advancements allowing for the fast computation of a typical summary known as the expected value of partial perfect information (EVPPI). A recent review discussed some approximation methods for calculating the EVPPI, but as the research has been active over the intervening years, that review does not discuss some key estimation methods. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive review of these new methods. We begin by providing the technical details of these computation methods. We then present two case studies in order to compare the estimation performance of these new methods. We conclude that a method based on nonparametric regression offers the best method for calculating the EVPPI in terms of accuracy, computational time, and ease of implementation. This means that the EVPPI can now be used practically in health economic evaluations, especially as all the methods are developed in parallel with R functions and a web app to aid practitioners.

Review of experimental methods for evaluating effective delayed neutron fraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamane, Yoshihiro [Nagoya Univ. (Japan). School of Engineering

1997-03-01

The International Effective Delayed Neutron Fraction ({beta}{sub eff}) Benchmark Experiments have been carried out at the Fast Critical Assembly of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute since 1995. Researchers from six countries, namely France, Italy, Russia, U.S.A., Korea, and Japan, participate in this FCA project. Each team makes use of each experimental method, such as Frequency Method, Rossi-{alpha} Method, Nelson Number Method, Cf Neutron Source Method, and Covariance Method. In this report these experimental methods are reviewed. (author)

Analytical Method and Semianalytical Method for Analysis of Scattering by Anisotropic Sphere: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao Wan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The history of methods for the electromagnetic scattering by an anisotropic sphere has been reviewed. Two main methods, angular expansion method and T-matrix method, which are widely used for the anisotropic sphere, are expressed in Cartesian coordinate firstly. The comparison of those and the further exploration on the scattering field are illustrated afterwards. Based on the most general form concluded by variable separation method, the coupled electric field and magnetic field of radial anisotropic sphere can be derived. By simplifying the condition, simpler case of uniaxial anisotropic media is expressed with confirmed coefficients for the internal and external field. Details of significant phenomenon are presented.

Review of present groundwater monitoring programs at the Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hershey, R.L.; Gillespie, D.

1993-09-01

Groundwater monitoring at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) is conducted to detect the presence of radionuclides produced by underground nuclear testing and to verify the quality and safety of groundwater supplies as required by the State of Nevada and federal regulations, and by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Orders. Groundwater is monitored at water-supply wells and at other boreholes and wells not specifically designed or located for traditional groundwater monitoring objectives. Different groundwater monitoring programs at the NTS are conducted by several DOE Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) contractors. Presently, these individual groundwater monitoring programs have not been assessed or administered under a comprehensive planning approach. Redundancy exists among the programs in both the sampling locations and the constituents analyzed. Also, sampling for certain radionuclides is conducted more frequently than required. The purpose of this report is to review the existing NTS groundwater monitoring programs and make recommendations for modifying the programs so a coordinated, streamlined, and comprehensive monitoring effort may be achieved by DOE/NV. This review will be accomplished in several steps. These include: summarizing the present knowledge of the hydrogeology of the NTS and the potential radionuclide source areas for groundwater contamination; reviewing the existing groundwater monitoring programs at the NTS; examining the rationale for monitoring and the constituents analyzed; reviewing the analytical methods used to quantify tritium activity; discussing monitoring network design criteria; and synthesizing the information presented and making recommendations based on the synthesis. This scope of work was requested by the DOE/NV Hydrologic Resources Management Program (HRMP) and satisfies the 1993 (fiscal year) HRMP Groundwater Monitoring Program Review task

Methods for investigating biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Satpute, Surekha K; Banpurkar, Arun G; Dhakephalkar, Prashant K; Banat, Ibrahim M; Chopade, Balu A

2010-06-01

Microorganisms produce biosurfactant (BS)/bioemulsifier (BE) with wide structural and functional diversity which consequently results in the adoption of different techniques to investigate these diverse amphiphilic molecules. This review aims to compile information on different microbial screening methods, surface active products extraction procedures, and analytical terminologies used in this field. Different methods for screening microbial culture broth or cell biomass for surface active compounds production are also presented and their possible advantages and disadvantages highlighted. In addition, the most common methods for purification, detection, and structure determination for a wide range of BS and BE are introduced. Simple techniques such as precipitation using acetone, ammonium sulphate, solvent extraction, ultrafiltration, ion exchange, dialysis, ultrafiltration, lyophilization, isoelectric focusing (IEF), and thin layer chromatography (TLC) are described. Other more elaborate techniques including high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), infra red (IR), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy (FAB-MS), protein digestion and amino acid sequencing are also elucidated. Various experimental strategies including static light scattering and hydrodynamic characterization for micelles have been discussed. A combination of various analytical methods are often essential in this area of research and a numbers of trials and errors to isolate, purify and characterize various surface active agents are required. This review introduces the various methodologies that are indispensable for studying biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers.

Trafficking and Health: A Systematic Review of Research Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, Abby C; Arcara, Jennet; Graham, Laurie M; Macy, Rebecca J

2018-04-01

Trafficking in persons (TIP) is a human rights violation with serious public health consequences. Unfortunately, assessing TIP and its health sequelae rigorously and reliably is challenging due to TIP's clandestine nature, variation in definitions of TIP, and the need to use research methods that ensure studies are ethical and feasible. To help guide practice, policy, and research to assess TIP and health, we undertook a systematic literature review of 70 peer-reviewed, published articles to (a) identify TIP and health research methods being used, (b) determine what we can learn about TIP and health from these varied methodologies, and (c) determine the gaps that exist in health-focused TIP research. Results revealed that there are various quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods being used to investigate TIP and health. Furthermore, findings show that the limitations of current methodologies affect what is known about TIP and health. In particular, varying definitions, participant recruitment strategies, ethical standards, and outcome measures all affect what is known about TIP and health. Moreover, findings demonstrate an urgent need for representative and nonpurposive recruitment strategies in future investigations of TIP and health as well as research on risk and protective factors related to TIP and health, intervention effectiveness, long-term health outcomes, and research on trafficked people beyond women trafficked for sex. We offer recommendations for research, policy, and practice based on review results.

Gingival Retraction Methods: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabassum, Sadia; Adnan, Samira; Khan, Farhan Raza

2017-12-01

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the gingival retraction methods in terms of the amount of gingival retraction achieved and changes observed in various clinical parameters: gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), and attachment loss (AL). Data sources included three major databases, PubMed, CINAHL plus (Ebsco), and Cochrane, along with hand search. Search was made using the key terms in different permutations of gingival retraction* AND displacement method* OR technique* OR agents OR material* OR medicament*. The initial search results yielded 145 articles which were narrowed down to 10 articles using a strict eligibility criteria of including clinical trials or experimental studies on gingival retraction methods with the amount of tooth structure gained and assessment of clinical parameters as the outcomes conducted on human permanent teeth only. Gingival retraction was measured in 6/10 studies whereas the clinical parameters were assessed in 5/10 studies. The total number of teeth assessed in the 10 included studies was 400. The most common method used for gingival retraction was chemomechanical. The results were heterogeneous with regards to the outcome variables. No method seemed to be significantly superior to the other in terms of gingival retraction achieved. Clinical parameters were not significantly affected by the gingival retraction method. © 2016 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Localized Plasticity in the Streamlined Genomes of Vinyl Chloride Respiring Dehalococcoides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMurdie, Paul J.; Behrens, Sebastien F.; Muller, Jochen A.; Goke, Jonathan; Ritalahti, Kirsti M.; Wagner, Ryan; Goltsman, Eugene; Lapidus, Alla; Holmes, Susan; Loffler, Frank E.; Spormann, Alfred M.

2009-06-30

Vinyl chloride (VC) is a human carcinogen and widespread priority pollutant. Here we report the first, to our knowledge, complete genome sequences of microorganisms able to respire VC, Dehalococcoides sp. strains VS and BAV1. Notably, the respective VC reductase encoding genes, vcrAB and bvcAB, were found embedded in distinct genomic islands (GEIs) with different predicted integration sites, suggesting that these genes were acquired horizontally and independently by distinct mechanisms. A comparative analysis that included two previously sequenced Dehalococcoides genomes revealed a contextually conserved core that is interrupted by two high plasticity regions (HPRs) near the Ori. These HPRs contain the majority of GEIs and strain-specific genes identified in the four Dehalococcoides genomes, an elevated number of repeated elements including insertion sequences (IS), as well as 91 of 96 rdhAB, genes that putatively encode terminal reductases in organohalide respiration. Only three core rdhA orthologous groups were identified, and only one of these groups is supported by synteny. The low number of core rdhAB, contrasted with the high rdhAB numbers per genome (up to 36 in strain VS), as well as their colocalization with GEIs and other signatures for horizontal transfer, suggests that niche adaptation via organohalide respiration is a fundamental ecological strategy in Dehalococccoides. This adaptation has been exacted through multiple mechanisms of recombination that are mainly confined within HPRs of an otherwise remarkably stable, syntenic, streamlined genome among the smallest of any free-living microorganism.

Can streamlined multi-criteria decision analysis be used to implement shared decision making for colorectal cancer screening?

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, James G.; Boohaker, Emily; Allison, Jeroan; Imperiale, Thomas F.

2013-01-01

Background Current US colorectal cancer screening guidelines that call for shared decision making regarding the choice among several recommended screening options are difficult to implement. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is an established methodology well suited for supporting shared decision making. Our study goal was to determine if a streamlined form of MCDA using rank order based judgments can accurately assess patients’ colorectal cancer screening priorities. Methods We converted priorities for four decision criteria and three sub-criteria regarding colorectal cancer screening obtained from 484 average risk patients using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a prior study into rank order-based priorities using rank order centroids. We compared the two sets of priorities using Spearman rank correlation and non-parametric Bland-Altman limits of agreement analysis. We assessed the differential impact of using the rank order-based versus the AHP-based priorities on the results of a full MCDA comparing three currently recommended colorectal cancer screening strategies. Generalizability of the results was assessed using Monte Carlo simulation. Results Correlations between the two sets of priorities for the seven criteria ranged from 0.55 to 0.92. The proportions of absolute differences between rank order-based and AHP-based priorities that were more than ± 0.15 ranged from 1% to 16%. Differences in the full MCDA results were minimal and the relative rankings of the three screening options were identical more than 88% of the time. The Monte Carlo simulation results were similar. Conclusion Rank order-based MCDA could be a simple, practical way to guide individual decisions and assess population decision priorities regarding colorectal cancer screening strategies. Additional research is warranted to further explore the use of these methods for promoting shared decision making. PMID:24300851

Scoping reviews: time for clarity in definition, methods, and reporting.

Science.gov (United States)

Colquhoun, Heather L; Levac, Danielle; O'Brien, Kelly K; Straus, Sharon; Tricco, Andrea C; Perrier, Laure; Kastner, Monika; Moher, David

2014-12-01

The scoping review has become increasingly popular as a form of knowledge synthesis. However, a lack of consensus on scoping review terminology, definition, methodology, and reporting limits the potential of this form of synthesis. In this article, we propose recommendations to further advance the field of scoping review methodology. We summarize current understanding of scoping review publication rates, terms, definitions, and methods. We propose three recommendations for clarity in term, definition and methodology. We recommend adopting the terms "scoping review" or "scoping study" and the use of a proposed definition. Until such time as further guidance is developed, we recommend the use of the methodological steps outlined in the Arksey and O'Malley framework and further enhanced by Levac et al. The development of reporting guidance for the conduct and reporting of scoping reviews is underway. Consistency in the proposed domains and methodologies of scoping reviews, along with the development of reporting guidance, will facilitate methodological advancement, reduce confusion, facilitate collaboration and improve knowledge translation of scoping review findings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review on brightness preserving contrast enhancement methods for digital image

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md Arifur; Liu, Shilong; Li, Ruowei; Wu, Hongkun; Liu, San Chi; Jahan, Mahmuda Rawnak; Kwok, Ngaiming

2018-04-01

Image enhancement is an imperative step for many vision based applications. For image contrast enhancement, popular methods adopt the principle of spreading the captured intensities throughout the allowed dynamic range according to predefined distributions. However, these algorithms take little or no consideration into account of maintaining the mean brightness of the original scene, which is of paramount importance to carry the true scene illumination characteristics to the viewer. Though there have been significant amount of reviews on contrast enhancement methods published, updated review on overall brightness preserving image enhancement methods is still scarce. In this paper, a detailed survey is performed on those particular methods that specifically aims to maintain the overall scene illumination characteristics while enhancing the digital image.

A review of methods for monitoring streamflow for sustainable water resource management

Science.gov (United States)

Dobriyal, Pariva; Badola, Ruchi; Tuboi, Chongpi; Hussain, Syed Ainul

2017-10-01

Monitoring of streamflow may help to determine the optimum levels of its use for sustainable water management in the face of climate change. We reviewed available methods for monitoring streamflow on the basis of six criteria viz. their applicability across different terrains and size of the streams, operational ease, time effectiveness, accuracy, environmental impact that they may cause and cost involve in it. On the basis of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the methods reviewed, we conclude that the timed volume method is apt for hilly terrain having smaller streams due to its operational ease and accuracy of results. Although comparatively expensive, the weir and flume methods are suitable for long term studies of small hill streams, since once the structure is put in place, it yields accurate results. In flat terrain, the float method is best suited for smaller streams for its operational ease and cost effectiveness, whereas, for larger streams, the particle image velocimetry may be used for its accuracy. Our review suggests that the selection of a method for monitoring streamflow may be based on volume of the stream, accuracy of the method, accessibility of the terrain and financial and physical resources available.

How to measure comorbidity. a critical review of available methods.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, V.; Beckerman, H.; Lankhorst, G.J.; Bouter, L.M.

2003-01-01

The object of this article was to systematically review available methods to measure comorbidity and to assess their validity and reliability. A search was made in Medline and Embase, with the keywords comorbidity and multi-morbidity, to identify articles in which a method to measure comorbidity was

How to measure comorbidity. A critical review of available methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, V; Beckerman, H; Lankhorst, G J; Bouter, L M

2003-01-01

The object of this article was to systematically review available methods to measure comorbidity and to assess their validity and reliability. A search was made in Medline and Embase, with the keywords comorbidity and multi-morbidity, to identify articles in which a method to measure comorbidity was

SHORT LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE KINEMATICS AND DYNAMICS OF THE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RATIU Mariana

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper is the result of a short literature review on the kinematics and dynamics of the industrial robots, a first study conducted in a wider research that will be further developed in the field of the trajectory generating mechanisms of the industrial robots. After an introduction about the importance of the robots in the industrial processes and about the necessity to streamline and optimize the robot`s motion, are presented some recent approaches related to the kinematic and dynamic analysis, the optimization of the robot`s motion, and modeling of the trajectory generating mechanism of the industrial robots.

Radon decay product in-door behaviour - parameter, measurement method, and model review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scofield, P.

1988-01-01

This report reviews parameters used to characterize indoor radon daughter behavior and concentrations. Certain parameters that affect indoor radon daughter concentrations are described and the values obtained experimentally or theoretically are summarized. Radon daughter measurement methods are reviewed, such as, PAEC, unattached daughters, particle size distributions, and plateout measurement methods. In addition, certain radon pressure driven/diffusion models and indoor radon daughter models are briefly described. (orig.)

Trends in HFE Methods and Tools and Their Applicability to Safety Reviews

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Hara, J.M.; Plott, C.; Milanski, J.; Ronan, A.; Scheff, S.; Laux, L.; and Bzostek, J.

2009-09-30

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) conducts human factors engineering (HFE) safety reviews of applicant submittals for new plants and for changes to existing plants. The reviews include the evaluation of the methods and tools (M&T) used by applicants as part of their HFE program. The technology used to perform HFE activities has been rapidly evolving, resulting in a whole new generation of HFE M&Ts. The objectives of this research were to identify the current trends in HFE methods and tools, determine their applicability to NRC safety reviews, and identify topics for which the NRC may need additional guidance to support the NRC's safety reviews. We conducted a survey that identified over 100 new HFE M&Ts. The M&Ts were assessed to identify general trends. Seven trends were identified: Computer Applications for Performing Traditional Analyses, Computer-Aided Design, Integration of HFE Methods and Tools, Rapid Development Engineering, Analysis of Cognitive Tasks, Use of Virtual Environments and Visualizations, and Application of Human Performance Models. We assessed each trend to determine its applicability to the NRC's review by considering (1) whether the nuclear industry is making use of M&Ts for each trend, and (2) whether M&Ts reflecting the trend can be reviewed using the current design review guidance. We concluded that M&T trends that are applicable to the commercial nuclear industry and are expected to impact safety reviews may be considered for review guidance development. Three trends fell into this category: Analysis of Cognitive Tasks, Use of Virtual Environments and Visualizations, and Application of Human Performance Models. The other trends do not need to be addressed at this time.

Trends in HFE Methods and Tools and Their Applicability to Safety Reviews

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Hara, J.M.; Plott, C.; Milanski, J.; Ronan, A.; Scheff, S.; Laux, L.; Bzostek, J.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) conducts human factors engineering (HFE) safety reviews of applicant submittals for new plants and for changes to existing plants. The reviews include the evaluation of the methods and tools (M and T) used by applicants as part of their HFE program. The technology used to perform HFE activities has been rapidly evolving, resulting in a whole new generation of HFE M and Ts. The objectives of this research were to identify the current trends in HFE methods and tools, determine their applicability to NRC safety reviews, and identify topics for which the NRC may need additional guidance to support the NRC's safety reviews. We conducted a survey that identified over 100 new HFE M and Ts. The M and Ts were assessed to identify general trends. Seven trends were identified: Computer Applications for Performing Traditional Analyses, Computer-Aided Design, Integration of HFE Methods and Tools, Rapid Development Engineering, Analysis of Cognitive Tasks, Use of Virtual Environments and Visualizations, and Application of Human Performance Models. We assessed each trend to determine its applicability to the NRC's review by considering (1) whether the nuclear industry is making use of M and Ts for each trend, and (2) whether M and Ts reflecting the trend can be reviewed using the current design review guidance. We concluded that M and T trends that are applicable to the commercial nuclear industry and are expected to impact safety reviews may be considered for review guidance development. Three trends fell into this category: Analysis of Cognitive Tasks, Use of Virtual Environments and Visualizations, and Application of Human Performance Models. The other trends do not need to be addressed at this time.

Comparison of critical methods developed for fatty acid analysis: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zhuona; Zhang, Qi; Li, Ning; Pu, Yiqiong; Wang, Bing; Zhang, Tong

2017-01-01

Fatty acids are important nutritional substances and metabolites in living organisms. These acids are abundant in Chinese herbs, such as Brucea javanica, Notopterygium forbesii, Isatis tinctoria, Astragalus membranaceus, and Aconitum szechenyianum. This review illustrates the types of fatty acids and their significant roles in the human body. Many analytical methods are used for the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of fatty acids. Some of the methods used to analyze fatty acids in more than 30 kinds of plants, drugs, and other samples are presented in this paper. These analytical methods include gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, near-infrared spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are described and compared. This review provides a valuable reference for establishing methods for fatty acid determination. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Review of Artificial Abrasion Test Methods for PV Module Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, David C. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Muller, Matt T. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Simpson, Lin J. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-08-01

This review is intended to identify the method or methods--and the basic details of those methods--that might be used to develop an artificial abrasion test. Methods used in the PV literature were compared with their closest implementation in existing standards. Also, meetings of the International PV Quality Assurance Task Force Task Group 12-3 (TG12-3, which is concerned with coated glass) were used to identify established test methods. Feedback from the group, which included many of the authors from the PV literature, included insights not explored within the literature itself. The combined experience and examples from the literature are intended to provide an assessment of the present industry practices and an informed path forward. Recommendations toward artificial abrasion test methods are then identified based on the experiences in the literature and feedback from the PV community. The review here is strictly focused on abrasion. Assessment methods, including optical performance (e.g., transmittance or reflectance), surface energy, and verification of chemical composition were not examined. Methods of artificially soiling PV modules or other specimens were not examined. The weathering of artificial or naturally soiled specimens (which may ultimately include combined temperature and humidity, thermal cycling and ultraviolet light) were also not examined. A sense of the purpose or application of an abrasion test method within the PV industry should, however, be evident from the literature.

A topological method for vortex identification in turbulent flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhong, Qiang; Chen, Huai; Li, Danxun [State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Chen, Qigang, E-mail: lidx@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China)

2017-02-15

We present a novel vortex identification method based on structured vorticity ( ω {sub s}) of the direction field of flow (velocity vectors set to unit magnitude). As a direct measure of streamline curvature is insensitive to vortex strength, ω {sub s} is effective in detecting vortices of various strengths. The effectiveness has been tested against both analytical flows (pure shear flow, Oseen vortex flow, strong outward spiraling motion, straining flow, Taylor–Green flow) and experimental flows (closed cavity flow, closed and open channel flow). Comparison of the new method with the swirling-strength method indicates that the new method shows promise as being a simple and effective criterion for vortex identification. (paper)

Quantitative methods for analysing cumulative effects on fish migration success: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, J E; Patterson, D A; Martins, E G; Cooke, S J; Hinch, S G

2012-07-01

It is often recognized, but seldom addressed, that a quantitative assessment of the cumulative effects, both additive and non-additive, of multiple stressors on fish survival would provide a more realistic representation of the factors that influence fish migration. This review presents a compilation of analytical methods applied to a well-studied fish migration, a more general review of quantitative multivariable methods, and a synthesis on how to apply new analytical techniques in fish migration studies. A compilation of adult migration papers from Fraser River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka revealed a limited number of multivariable methods being applied and the sub-optimal reliance on univariable methods for multivariable problems. The literature review of fisheries science, general biology and medicine identified a large number of alternative methods for dealing with cumulative effects, with a limited number of techniques being used in fish migration studies. An evaluation of the different methods revealed that certain classes of multivariable analyses will probably prove useful in future assessments of cumulative effects on fish migration. This overview and evaluation of quantitative methods gathered from the disparate fields should serve as a primer for anyone seeking to quantify cumulative effects on fish migration survival. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Acoustic doppler methods for remote measurements of ocean flows - a review

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Joseph, A.

The evolution of acoustic doppler methods for remote measurements of ocean flows has been briefly reviewed in historical perspective. Both Eulerian and profiling methods have been discussed. Although the first acoustic Doppler current meter has been...

Demystifying Mixed Methods Research Design: A Review of the Literature

OpenAIRE

Gail D. Caruth

2013-01-01

Mixed methods research evolved in response to the observed limitations of both quantitative and qualitative designs and is a more complex method. The purpose of this paper was to examine mixed methods research in an attempt to demystify the design thereby allowing those less familiar with its design an opportunity to utilize it in future research. A review of the literature revealed that it has been gaining acceptance among researchers, researchers have begun using mixed methods research, it ...

Streamlined Modeling for Characterizing Spacecraft Anomalous Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Klem, B.; Swann, D.

2011-09-01

Anomalous behavior of on-orbit spacecraft can often be detected using passive, remote sensors which measure electro-optical signatures that vary in time and spectral content. Analysts responsible for assessing spacecraft operational status and detecting detrimental anomalies using non-resolved imaging sensors are often presented with various sensing and identification issues. Modeling and measuring spacecraft self emission and reflected radiant intensity when the radiation patterns exhibit a time varying reflective glint superimposed on an underlying diffuse signal contribute to assessment of spacecraft behavior in two ways: (1) providing information on body component orientation and attitude; and, (2) detecting changes in surface material properties due to the space environment. Simple convex and cube-shaped spacecraft, designed to operate without protruding solar panel appendages, may require an enhanced level of preflight characterization to support interpretation of the various physical effects observed during on-orbit monitoring. This paper describes selected portions of the signature database generated using streamlined signature modeling and simulations of basic geometry shapes apparent to non-imaging sensors. With this database, summarization of key observable features for such shapes as spheres, cylinders, flat plates, cones, and cubes in specific spectral bands that include the visible, mid wave, and long wave infrared provide the analyst with input to the decision process algorithms contained in the overall sensing and identification architectures. The models typically utilize baseline materials such as Kapton, paints, aluminum surface end plates, and radiators, along with solar cell representations covering the cylindrical and side portions of the spacecraft. Multiple space and ground-based sensors are assumed to be located at key locations to describe the comprehensive multi-viewing aspect scenarios that can result in significant specular reflection

Development of a Streamlined Work Flow for Handling Patients' Genetic Testing Insurance Authorizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Uhlmann, Wendy R; Schwalm, Katie; Raymond, Victoria M

2017-08-01

Obtaining genetic testing insurance authorizations for patients is a complex, time-involved process often requiring genetic counselor (GC) and physician involvement. In an effort to mitigate this complexity and meet the increasing number of genetic testing insurance authorization requests, GCs formed a novel partnership with an industrial engineer (IE) and a patient services associate (PSA) to develop a streamlined work flow. Eight genetics clinics and five specialty clinics at the University of Michigan were surveyed to obtain benchmarking data. Tasks needed for genetic testing insurance authorization were outlined and time-saving work flow changes were introduced including 1) creation of an Excel password-protected shared database between GCs and PSAs, used for initiating insurance authorization requests, tracking and follow-up 2) instituting the PSAs sending GCs a pre-clinic email noting each patients' genetic testing insurance coverage 3) inclusion of test medical necessity documentation in the clinic visit summary note instead of writing a separate insurance letter and 4) PSAs development of a manual with insurance providers and genetic testing laboratories information. These work flow changes made it more efficient to request and track genetic testing insurance authorizations for patients, enhanced GCs and PSAs communication, and reduced tasks done by clinicians.

Review of analytical methods for the quantification of iodine in complex matrices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shelor, C. Phillip [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019-0065 (United States); Dasgupta, Purnendu K., E-mail: Dasgupta@uta.edu [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019-0065 (United States)

2011-09-19

Highlights: {yields} We focus on iodine in biological samples, notably urine and milk. {yields} Sample preparation and the Sandell-Kolthoff method are extensively discussed. - Abstract: Iodine is an essential element of human nutrition. Nearly a third of the global population has insufficient iodine intake and is at risk of developing Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD). Most countries have iodine supplementation and monitoring programs. Urinary iodide (UI) is the biomarker used for epidemiological studies; only a few methods are currently used routinely for analysis. These methods either require expensive instrumentation with qualified personnel (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, instrumental nuclear activation analysis) or oxidative sample digestion to remove potential interferences prior to analysis by a kinetic colorimetric method originally introduced by Sandell and Kolthoff {approx}75 years ago. The Sandell-Kolthoff (S-K) method is based on the catalytic effect of iodide on the reaction between Ce{sup 4+} and As{sup 3+}. No available technique fully fits the needs of developing countries; research into inexpensive reliable methods and instrumentation are needed. There have been multiple reviews of methods used for epidemiological studies and specific techniques. However, a general review of iodine determination on a wide-ranging set of complex matrices is not available. While this review is not comprehensive, we cover the principal developments since the original development of the S-K method.

A Review of the Ecological Footprint Indicator—Perceptions and Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Wiedmann

2010-06-01

Full Text Available We present a comprehensive review of perceptions and methods around the Ecological Footprint (EF, based on a survey of more than 50 international EF stakeholders and a review of more than 150 original papers on EF methods and applications over the last decade. The key points identified in the survey are that the EF (a is seen as a strong communication tool, (b has a limited role within a policy context, (c is limited in scope, (d should be closer aligned to the UN System of Environmental and Economic Accounting and (e is most useful as part of a basket of indicators. Key issues from the review of methods are: (a none of the major methods identified can address all relevant issues and questions at once, (b basing bioproductivity calculations on Net Primary Production (NPP is a promising approach, (c advances in linking bioproductivity with ecosystem services and biodiversity have been made by the Dynamic EF concept and the HANPP indicator, (d environmentally extended input-output analysis (IOA provides a number of advantages for improving EF calculations and (e further variations such as the emergy-based concept or the inclusion of further pollutants are not regarded as providing a fundamental shift to the usefulness of EF for policy making. We also discuss the implications of our findings for the use of the EF as a headline indicator for sustainability decision-making.

Advanced image based methods for structural integrity monitoring: Review and prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Farahani, Behzad V.; Sousa, Pedro José; Barros, Francisco; Tavares, Paulo J.; Moreira, Pedro M. G. P.

2018-02-01

There is a growing trend in engineering to develop methods for structural integrity monitoring and characterization of in-service mechanical behaviour of components. The fast growth in recent years of image processing techniques and image-based sensing for experimental mechanics, brought about a paradigm change in phenomena sensing. Hence, several widely applicable optical approaches are playing a significant role in support of experiment. The current review manuscript describes advanced image based methods for structural integrity monitoring, and focuses on methods such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA), Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) and Speckle Pattern Shearing Interferometry (Shearography). These non-contact full-field techniques rely on intensive image processing methods to measure mechanical behaviour, and evolve even as reviews such as this are being written, which justifies a special effort to keep abreast of this progress.

The Impact of Dynamic Lighting in Classrooms. A Review on Methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ellen Kathrine; Nielsen, Stine Maria Louring; Georgieva, Diana Zdravkova

2018-01-01

In order to understand how research can support lighting designs to improve nurturing environments for learning, a literature review was carried out. The review examined lighting research methods and parameters used for evaluating the effect of dynamic lighting in classrooms. The test parameter...... and designed holistically through a mixed method approach. It is suggested that the potentials of dynamic lighting in learning environments are explored through design driven innovation and the use of mixed methods, in order to be able to put more emphasis on the students’ and teachers’ needs for dynamic...... gaining most attention in the studies is academic performance; whereas qualitative test parameters, such as behaviour and mood, are addressed in less than a third of the selected studies. The analysis of these methods leads to a conclusion that learning environments to a broader extent should be studied...

Literature Review of Applying Visual Method to Understand Mathematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Xiaojuan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As a new method to understand mathematics, visualization offers a new way of understanding mathematical principles and phenomena via image thinking and geometric explanation. It aims to deepen the understanding of the nature of concepts or phenomena and enhance the cognitive ability of learners. This paper collates and summarizes the application of this visual method in the understanding of mathematics. It also makes a literature review of the existing research, especially with a visual demonstration of Euler’s formula, introduces the application of this method in solving relevant mathematical problems, and points out the differences and similarities between the visualization method and the numerical-graphic combination method, as well as matters needing attention for its application.

Methods for land use impact assessment: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perminova, Tataina; Sirina, Natalia; Laratte, Bertrand; Baranovskaya, Natalia; Rikhvanov, Leonid

2016-01-01

Many types of methods to assess land use impact have been developed. Nevertheless a systematic synthesis of all these approaches is necessary to highlight the most commonly used and most effective methods. Given the growing interest in this area of research, a review of the different methods of assessing land use impact (LUI) was performed using bibliometric analysis. One hundred eighty seven articles of agricultural and biological science, and environmental sciences were examined. According to our results, the most frequently used land use assessment methods are Life-Cycle Assessment, Material Flow Analysis/Input–Output Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecological Footprint. Comparison of the methods allowed their specific features to be identified and to arrive at the conclusion that a combination of several methods is the best basis for a comprehensive analysis of land use impact assessment. - Highlights: • We identified the most frequently used methods in land use impact assessment. • A comparison of the methods based on several criteria was carried out. • Agricultural land use is by far the most common area of study within the methods. • Incentive driven methods, like LCA, arouse the most interest in this field.

Methods for land use impact assessment: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perminova, Tataina, E-mail: tatiana.perminova@utt.fr [Research Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainability, University of Technology of Troyes, CNRS UMR 6281, 12 Rue Marie Curie CS 42060, F-10004 Troyes Cedex (France); Department of Geoecology and Geochemistry, Institute of Natural Resources, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenin Avenue, 634050 Tomsk (Russian Federation); Sirina, Natalia, E-mail: natalia.sirina@utt.fr [Research Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainability, University of Technology of Troyes, CNRS UMR 6281, 12 Rue Marie Curie CS 42060, F-10004 Troyes Cedex (France); Laratte, Bertrand, E-mail: bertrand.laratte@utt.fr [Research Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainability, University of Technology of Troyes, CNRS UMR 6281, 12 Rue Marie Curie CS 42060, F-10004 Troyes Cedex (France); Baranovskaya, Natalia, E-mail: natalya.baranovs@mail.ru [Department of Geoecology and Geochemistry, Institute of Natural Resources, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenin Avenue, 634050 Tomsk (Russian Federation); Rikhvanov, Leonid, E-mail: rikhvanov@tpu.ru [Department of Geoecology and Geochemistry, Institute of Natural Resources, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenin Avenue, 634050 Tomsk (Russian Federation)

2016-09-15

Many types of methods to assess land use impact have been developed. Nevertheless a systematic synthesis of all these approaches is necessary to highlight the most commonly used and most effective methods. Given the growing interest in this area of research, a review of the different methods of assessing land use impact (LUI) was performed using bibliometric analysis. One hundred eighty seven articles of agricultural and biological science, and environmental sciences were examined. According to our results, the most frequently used land use assessment methods are Life-Cycle Assessment, Material Flow Analysis/Input–Output Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecological Footprint. Comparison of the methods allowed their specific features to be identified and to arrive at the conclusion that a combination of several methods is the best basis for a comprehensive analysis of land use impact assessment. - Highlights: • We identified the most frequently used methods in land use impact assessment. • A comparison of the methods based on several criteria was carried out. • Agricultural land use is by far the most common area of study within the methods. • Incentive driven methods, like LCA, arouse the most interest in this field.

Evaluation methods for physical activity-promoting mobile technologies: an interdisciplinary scoping review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claire McCallum

2015-10-01

Full Text Available There are many thousands of mobile apps, wearables and other technologies available to support and promote physical activity. However, the rapidly evolving nature of these technologies means that the methodologies traditionally used to evaluate the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions (such as the randomised controlled trial may not be appropriate to evaluate their effectiveness. A scoping review was conducted to identify the methods currently being used to evaluate physical activity-promoting mobile technologies across health and computing science disciplines. In addition to the range of methods used, the review explored their strengths and weaknesses. The results improve understandings of when and why to use existing methods from health and computing science. Opportunities for combining and hybridising methods across the two disciplines are also identified. The review will be used to inform the development and piloting of novel, ‘fit-for-purpose’ research designs that will allow rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of rapidly-evolving physical activity-promoting mobile technologies and their ‘active ingredients’ to build an evidence base of what works, why and for whom.

Review of Electrical and Gravity Methods of Near-Surface ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

In every big city, dozen of new boreholes or hand-dug wells are .... This paper is a review of the electrical and gravity methods of ... audience/readership. II. ..... W. W. Northon and Company, New York. Butler ... McGraw Hill Books Co. New York ...

Organisational reviews - requirements, methods and experience. Progress report 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.; Wahlstroem, B. [VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland); Rollenhagen, C.; Kahlbom, U. [Maelardalen University (FI)

2007-04-15

Organisational reviews are important instruments in the continuous quest for improved performance. In the nuclear field there has been an increasing regulatory interest in organisational performance, because incidents and accidents often point to organisational deficiencies as one of the major precursors. Many methods for organisational reviews have been proposed, but they are mostly based on ad hoc approaches to specific problems. The absence of well-established techniques for organisational reviews has already shown to cause discussions and controversies on different levels. The aim of the OrRe project is to collect the experiences from organisational reviews carried out so far and to reflect them in a theoretical model of organisational performance. Furthermore, the project aims to reflect on the criteria for the definition of the scope and content of organisational reviews. Finally, recommendations will be made for guidance for people participating in organisational reviews. This progress report describes regulatory practices in Finland and Sweden together with some case examples of organizational reviews and assessment in both countries. Some issues of concern are raised and an outline for the next year's work is proposed. Issues of concern include the sufficient depth of the assessment, the required competence in assessments, data and criteria problems, definition of the boundaries of the system to be assessed, and the necessary internal support and organisational maturity required for successful assessments. Finally, plans for next year's work are outlined. (au)

Organisational reviews - requirements, methods and experience. Progress report 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.; Wahlstroem, B.; Rollenhagen, C.; Kahlbom, U.

2007-04-01

Organisational reviews are important instruments in the continuous quest for improved performance. In the nuclear field there has been an increasing regulatory interest in organisational performance, because incidents and accidents often point to organisational deficiencies as one of the major precursors. Many methods for organisational reviews have been proposed, but they are mostly based on ad hoc approaches to specific problems. The absence of well-established techniques for organisational reviews has already shown to cause discussions and controversies on different levels. The aim of the OrRe project is to collect the experiences from organisational reviews carried out so far and to reflect them in a theoretical model of organisational performance. Furthermore, the project aims to reflect on the criteria for the definition of the scope and content of organisational reviews. Finally, recommendations will be made for guidance for people participating in organisational reviews. This progress report describes regulatory practices in Finland and Sweden together with some case examples of organizational reviews and assessment in both countries. Some issues of concern are raised and an outline for the next year's work is proposed. Issues of concern include the sufficient depth of the assessment, the required competence in assessments, data and criteria problems, definition of the boundaries of the system to be assessed, and the necessary internal support and organisational maturity required for successful assessments. Finally, plans for next year's work are outlined. (au)

Efficacy of contraceptive methods: a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansour, Diana; Inki, Pirjo; Gemzell-Danielsson, Kristina

2010-12-01

To provide a comprehensive and objective summary of contraceptive failure rates for a variety of methods based on a systematic review of the literature. Medline and Embase were searched using the Ovid interface from January 1990 to February 2008, as well as the reference lists of published articles, to identify studies reporting contraceptive efficacy as a Pearl Index or life-table estimate. Reports that recruited less than 400 subjects per study group and those covering less than six cycles/six months were excluded. In addition, unlicensed products or those not internationally available, emergency contraception, and vasectomy studies were excluded. Information was identified and extracted from 139 studies. One-year Pearl Indices reported for short-acting user-dependent hormonal methods were generally less than 2.5. Gross life-table rates for long-acting hormonal methods (implants and the levonorgestrel releasing-intrauterine system [LNG-IUS]) generally ranged between 0-0.6 per 100 at one year, but wider ranges (0.1-1.5 per 100) were observed for the copper intrauterine devices (0.1-1.4 per 100 for Cu-UIDs with surface area ≥ 300 mm2 and 0.6-1.5 per 100 for those with surface area natural methods were the least effective. Our review broadly confirms the hierarchy of contraceptive effectiveness in descending order as: (1) female sterilisation, long-acting hormonal contraceptives (LNG-IUS and implants); (2) Cu-IUDs with ≥ 300 mm2 surface area; (3) Cu-IUDs with natural methods.

Intangibles and methods for their valuation in financial terms: Literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damián Pastor

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review literature devoted to intangibles and their valuation and give examples of the methods that can be used for valuation of individual intangibles in financial terms. Design/methodology/approach: Paper presents a systematic review of articles dedicated to intangibles and their valuation. Findings: This review shows that there is a need for consensus in definitions of intangibles, intangible assets, knowledge assets and other related terms. These terms are used interchangeably in spite of their different meanings. Many methods for valuation of intangibles can be found in the literature, but widely accepted list of basic intangibles with suggested methods for their valuation in financial terms is still missing. Research limitations/implications: Not all the papers related to this topic could be covered in this paper. Presented list of important intangible components may be enhanced and examples of some other methods for their valuation may be added in the future. Practical implications: Paper calls for development of framework comprising list of the most important intangibles, proposals of methods used for their valuation and examples of their use. This framework can be helpful for organization, which are confronted with a difficult task of intangibles valuation. Originality/value: Basic definitions and differences between intangibles, intangible assets, identifiable intangible assets, knowledge assets and intellectual capital have not been mentioned in one paper yet. List of intangibles and methods for their valuation gives a direction for future work that can be fruitful for valuation of intangibles.

A systematic review and appraisal of methods of developing and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

authors and deductive reasoning of authors. For validation, methods .... length of the existing questionnaire thereby making it ... decisions were made by one reviewer, with reference to ..... Inductive reasoning by authors; Inductive reasoning.

A study into the review and verification of breast images treated with isocentric technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, Fiona

2007-01-01

In radiation therapy practice, portal imaging is a common occurrence. Radiation Oncologists want to be able to view the actual treatment port and compare it to the simulated view for quality assurance. Historically, this has been the domain of oncologists only but with the changes in imaging technology, this area of practice is now more commonly shared with the radiation therapists. Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to compare the Radiation Therapists' result versus the Radiation Oncologists' practice of review and verification of electronic portal imaging in the treatment of breast cancer. A secondary result was enhancement of electronic portal imaging use. Methods: The study was divided into two parts. Part 1 reviewed imaging of tangential breast treatment and part 2 reviewed mono-isocentric four-field breast technique. The review and verification of the images were conducted by the Radiation Therapists and Radiation Oncologists and their subsequent results were compared. Results: Overall the Radiation Oncologist agreed with 96.9% of the images approved by the Radiation Therapists. This makes for a rejection rate of 3.1%. In general, Radiation Therapists adhered to the guidelines more closely than the Radiation Oncologist hence the rejection rate of Radiation Therapists was greater than the Radiation Oncologist by 7.0%. Conclusions: The practice of electronic portal imaging review and verification in the treatment of breast cancer can be streamlined and achieved more efficiently. The Radiation Therapists consistently demonstrated their ability to review and verify the portal images, as equivalent to the Radiation Oncologist. Given the high standard of accuracy demonstrated the process of portal image review should be transferred to the Radiation Therapist. This transfer leads to reduction in duplicity of task, an increase in the use of technology, an improvement in efficiencies, and an increase in the quality of care, which will potentially lead to more

Applications and Preparation Methods of Copper Chromite Catalysts: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ram Prasad

2011-11-01

Full Text Available In this review article various applications and preparation methods of copper chromite catalysts have been discussed. While discussing it is concluded that copper chromite is a versatile catalyst which not only catalyses numerous processes of commercial importance and national program related to defence and space research but also finds applications in the most concerned problem worldwide i.e. environmental pollution control. Several other very useful applications of copper chromite catalysts are in production of clean energy, drugs and agro chemicals, etc. Various preparation methods about 15 have been discussed which depicts clear idea about the dependence of catalytic activity and selectivity on way of preparation of catalyst. In view of the globally increasing interest towards copper chromite catalysis, reexamination on the important applications of such catalysts and their useful preparation methods is thus the need of the time. This review paper encloses 369 references including a well-conceivable tabulation of the newer state of the art. Copyright © 2011 by BCREC UNDIP. All rights reserved.(Received: 19th March 2011, Revised: 03rd May 2011, Accepted: 23rd May 2011[How to Cite: R. Prasad, and P. Singh. (2011. Applications and Preparation Methods of Copper Chromite Catalysts: A Review. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 6 (2: 63-113. doi:10.9767/bcrec.6.2.829.63-113][How to Link / DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.6.2.829.63-113 || or local:  http://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/bcrec/article/view/829 ] | View in 

Physical methods of resveratrol induction in grapes and grape products - a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triska, J.; Houska, M.

2012-01-01

Trans-resveratrol ((E)-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene) is a substance that is produced by a large number of plants as a phytoalexin. Resveratrol has been credited as being potentially responsible for the ''French paradox'' - the observation that the French have a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, even though their diet is high in saturated fats. This review deals with the methods serving for the increase of the resveratrol content in wine products - wine and grape juices. The methods reviewed are UV irradiation of grapes and ozonisation of grapes. The discussed methods describe the ways of increasing resveratrol contents in grapes and wine using ''natural'' methods. Resveratrol is increased endogenously and therefore, it need not be declared as the added substance on the product labels

Power Mobility Training Methods for Children: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenyon, Lisa K; Hostnik, Lisa; McElroy, Rachel; Peterson, Courtney; Farris, John P

2018-01-01

To summarize and critically appraise the existing evidence related to power mobility training methods used in research studies conducted with children 21 years or younger. A systematic review was conducted using 16 electronic databases to identify primary source quantitative studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Data extraction, determination of level of evidence, evaluation of methodological rigor, and assessment of the risk of bias were completed. The Evidence Alert Traffic Light Grading System (EATLS) was used. Twenty-seven studies were included in the review. Levels of evidence were II to V; scientific rigor scores were 2 to 7. An overall Yellow EATLS level of evidence was found indicating that therapists should use caution when providing power mobility training interventions and measure outcomes related to established goals in areas such as development, functional skills, or use of a power mobility device.

Analysis Streamlining in ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Heinrich, Lukas; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

We present recent work within the ATLAS collaboration centrally provide tools to facilitate analysis management and highly automated container-based analysis execution in order to both enable non-experts to benefit from these best practices as well as the collaboration to track and re-execute analyses indpendently, e.g. during their review phase. Through integration with the ATLAS GLANCE system, users can request a pre-configured, but customizable version control setup, including continuous integration for automated build and testing as well as continuous Linux Container image building for software preservation purposes. As analyses typically require many individual steps, analysis workflow pipelines can then be defined using such images and the yadage workflow description language. The integration into the workflow exection service REANA allows the interactive or automated reproduction of the main analysis results by orchestrating a large number of container jobs using the Kubernetes. For long-term archival,...

Academic and Institutional Review Board Collaboration to Ensure Ethical Conduct of Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Foote, Jan M; Conley, Virginia; Williams, Janet K; McCarthy, Ann Marie; Countryman, Michele

2015-07-01

Navigating the regulations to protect human subjects and private health information for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects can be a formidable task for students, faculty, and the institutional review board (IRB). Key stakeholders from the University of Iowa College of Nursing and the Human Subjects Office developed a standardized process for DNP students to follow, using a decision algorithm, a student orientation to the human subjects review process conducted by faculty and IRB chairs and staff, and a brief Human Subjects Research Determination form. Over 2 years, 109 students completed the process, and 96.3% of their projects were deemed not to be human subjects research. Every student submitted documentation of adherence to the standardized process. Less time was spent by students, faculty, and the IRB in preparing and processing review requests. The interprofessional collaboration resulted in a streamlined process for the timely review of DNP projects. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Review on Laryngeal Palpation Methods in Muscle Tension Dysphonia: Validity and Reliability Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Khoddami, Seyyedeh Maryam; Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin; Jalaie, Shohreh

2015-07-01

Laryngeal palpation is a common clinical method for the assessment of neck and laryngeal muscles in muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). To review the available laryngeal palpation methods used in patients with MTD for the assessment, diagnosis, or document of treatment outcomes. A systematic review of the literature concerning palpatory methods in MTD was conducted using the databases MEDLINE (PubMed), ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of science, Web of knowledge and Cochrane Library between July and October 2013. Relevant studies were identified by one reviewer based on screened titles/abstracts and full texts. Manual searching was also used to track the source literature. There were five main as well as miscellaneous palpation methods that were different according to target anatomical structures, judgment or grading system, and using tasks. There were only a few scales available, and the majority of the palpatory methods were qualitative. Most of the palpatory methods evaluate the tension at both static and dynamic tasks. There was little information about the validity and reliability of the available methods. The literature on the scientific evidence of muscle tension indicators perceived by laryngeal palpation in MTD is scarce. Future studies should be conducted to investigate the validity and reliability of palpation methods. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review of Upscaling Methods for Describing Unsaturated Flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BD Wood

2000-09-26

The representation of small-scale features can be a challenge when attempting to model unsaturated flow in large domains. Upscaling methods offer the possibility of reducing the amount of resolution required to adequately simulate such a problem. In this report, the various upscaling techniques that are discussed in the literature are reviewed. The following upscaling methods have been identified from the literature: (1) stochastic methods, (2) renormalization methods, and (3) volume averaging and homogenization methods; in addition, a final technique, full resolution numerical modeling, is also discussed. Each of these techniques has its advantages and disadvantages. The trade-off is a reduction in accuracy in favor of a method that is easier to employ. For practical applications, the most reasonable approach appears to be one in which any of the upscaling methods identified above maybe suitable for upscaling in regions where the variations in the parameter fields are small. For regions where the subsurface structure is more complex, only the homogenization and volume averaging methods are probably suitable. With the continual increases in computational capacity, fill-resolution numerical modeling may in many instances provide a tractable means of solving the flow problem in unsaturated systems.

A review of experimental methods for determining residual creep life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolton, C.J.

1977-11-01

Experimental methods available for determining how much creep life remains at a particular time in the high temperature service of a component are reviewed. After a brief consideration of the limitations of stress rupture extrapolation techniques, the application of post-exposure creep testing is considered. Ways of assessing the effect of microstructural degradation on residual life are then reviewed. It is pointed out that while this type of work will be useful for certain materials, there are other materials in which 'mechanical damage' such as cavitation will be more important. Cavitation measurement techniques are therefore reviewed. The report ends with a brief consideration of the use of crack growth measurements in assessing the residual life of cracked components. (author)

Tanks Focus Area midyear review report FY00

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roeder-Smith, R.D.

2000-01-01

In accordance with EM's office of Science and Technology (OST), the TFA is committed to assessing the maturity of technology development projects and ensuring their readiness for implementation and subsequent deployment. The TFA conducts an annual Midyear Review to document the status of ongoing projects, reaffirm and document user commitment to selected projects, and to improve the effective deployment of technology by determining and documenting the readiness of selected projects to move ahead. Since 1995, OST has used a linear technology maturation model that spans through seven defined stages of maturity, from basic research to implementation. Application of this Stage/Gate model to technology development resulted in prescriptive and somewhat cumbersome review procedures, resulting in limited and inconsistent use. Subsequently, in February 2000, OST issued revised guidance in an effort to streamline the technology tracking and review process. While the new OST guidance reinforces peer review requirements and the use of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for independent reviews, it also implements a simplified Gate model. The TFA is now responsible for providing auditable documentation for passing only three stages of technology maturity: ready for research (Gate 0); ready for development (Gate 2); ready for demonstration (Gate 5). The TFA Midyear Review is a key element in the overall review procedure, as the tracking evidence for all active projects is required to be available at this time. While the Midyear Report contains an overview of the status of all TFA reviews and projects, not all the reviews were conducted during the Midyear Review. The TFA used a phased approach to accomplish the Midyear Review requirements

The Advanced Aluminum Nitride Synthesis Methods and Its Applications: Patent Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shishkin, Roman A; Elagin, Andrey A; Mayorova, Ekaterina S; Beketov, Askold R

2016-01-01

High purity nanosized aluminum nitride synthesis is a current issue for both industry and science. However, there is no up-to-date review considering the major issues and the technical solutions for different methods. This review aims to investigate the advanced methods of aluminum nitride synthesis and its development tendencies. Also the aluminum nitride application patents and prospects for development of the branch have been considered. The patent search on "aluminum nitride synthesis" has been carried out. The research activity has been analyzed. Special attention has been paid to the patenting geography and the leading researchers in aluminum nitride synthesis. Aluminum nitride synthesis methods have been divided into 6 main groups, the most studied approaches are carbothermal reduction (88 patents) and direct nitridation (107 patents). The current issues for each group have been analyzed; the main trends are purification of the final product and nanopowder synthesis. The leading researchers in aluminum nitride synthesis have represented 5 countries, namely: Japan, China, Russia, South Korea and USA. The main aluminum nitride application spheres are electronics (59,1 percent of applications) and new materials manufacturing (30,9 percent). The review deals with the state of the art data in nanosized aluminum nitride synthesis, the major issues and the technical solutions for different synthesis methods. It gives a full understanding of the development tendencies and of the current leaders in the sphere.

A review of methods for the evaluation of the energy contribution of daylight in buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Attenborough, M; Goodwin, A

1996-07-01

A review has been undertaken of energy prediction methods and daylight calculation methods currently in use in the UK. This was based on a literature review and discussions with large engineering practices and academics involved in the areas of daylighting and energy simulation research. The aim of this review was to identify manual methods or computer programs that are capable of determining energy use in non-domestic buildings and of taking into account the energy savings resulting from daylighting. One potential application for these methods is in supporting anticipated energy targets for non-domestic buildings within Building Regulations and other energy labelling schemes. The review has identified a range of methods which are capable of predicting overall energy use while accounting for daylight. These vary in complexity from empirical methods such as ESICHECK and the CIBSE Energy Code through to dynamic energy simulation models such as DOE 2 and ESP. For each of the methods identified a brief assessment has been made of their technical capabilities ease of use and availability. These assessments have been based on discussions with users and program developers. Descriptions of the various methods are given. (Author)

Elastic and inelastic methods of piping systems analysis: a preliminary review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reich, M.; Esztergar, E.P.; Spence, J.; Boyle, J.; Chang, T.Y.

1975-02-01

A preliminary review of the methods used for elastic and inelastic piping system analysis is presented. The following principal conclusions are reached: techniques for the analysis of complex piping systems operating in the high temperature creep regime should be further developed; accurate analysis of a complete pipework system in creep using the ''complete shell finite element methods'' is not feasible at the present, and the ''reduced shell finite element method'' still requires excessive computer time and also requires further investigation regarding the compatibility problems associated with the pipe bend element, particularly when applied to cases involving general loading conditions; and with the current size of proposed high temperature systems requiring the evaluation of long-term operating life (30 to 40 years), it is important to adopt a simplified analysis method. A design procedure for a simplified analysis method based on currently available techniques applied in a three-stage approach is outlined. The work required for implementation of these procedures together with desirable future developments are also briefly discussed. Other proposed simplified approximations also are reviewed in the text. 101 references. (U.S.)

Methods for certification in colonoscopy - a systematic review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Preisler, Louise; Svendsen, Morten Bo Søndergaard; Svendsen, Lars Bo

2018-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Reliable, valid, and feasible assessment tools are essential to ensure competence in colonoscopy. This study aims to provide an overview of the existing assessment methods and the validity evidence that supports them. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in October 2016. Pubmed......, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched for studies evaluating assessment methods to ensure competency in colonoscopy. Outcome variables were described and evidence of validity was explored using a contemporary framework. RESULTS: Twenty-five observational studies were included in the systematic review. Most...... studies were based on small sample sizes. The studies were categorized after outcome measures into five groups: Clinical process related outcome metrics (n = 2), direct observational colonoscopy assessment (n = 8), simulator based metrics (n = 11), automatic computerized metrics (n = 2), and self...

Review of Tomographic Imaging using Finite Element Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Fua’ad RAHMAT

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Many types of techniques for process tomography were proposed and developed during the past 20 years. This paper review the techniques and the current state of knowledge and experience on the subject, aimed at highlighting the problems associated with the non finite element methods, such as the ill posed, ill conditioned which relates to the accuracy and sensitivity of measurements. In this paper, considerations for choice of sensors and its applications were outlined and descriptions of non finite element tomography systems were presented. The finite element method tomography system as obtained from recent works, suitable for process control and measurement were also presented.

Wellbeing Research in Developing Countries: Reviewing the Role of Qualitative Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Camfield, Laura; Crivello, Gina; Woodhead, Martin

2009-01-01

The authors review the contribution of qualitative methods to exploring concepts and experiences of wellbeing among children and adults living in developing countries. They provide examples illustrating the potential of these methods for gaining a holistic and contextual understanding of people's perceptions and experiences. Some of these come…

A systematic review and appraisal of methods of developing and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

) risk factors questionnaires is the key to obtaining accurate information to enable planning of CVD prevention program which is a necessity in developing countries. We conducted this review to assess methods and processes used for ...

A Review of Data Quality Assessment Methods for Public Health Information Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Chen

2014-05-01

Full Text Available High quality data and effective data quality assessment are required for accurately evaluating the impact of public health interventions and measuring public health outcomes. Data, data use, and data collection process, as the three dimensions of data quality, all need to be assessed for overall data quality assessment. We reviewed current data quality assessment methods. The relevant study was identified in major databases and well-known institutional websites. We found the dimension of data was most frequently assessed. Completeness, accuracy, and timeliness were the three most-used attributes among a total of 49 attributes of data quality. The major quantitative assessment methods were descriptive surveys and data audits, whereas the common qualitative assessment methods were interview and documentation review. The limitations of the reviewed studies included inattentiveness to data use and data collection process, inconsistency in the definition of attributes of data quality, failure to address data users’ concerns and a lack of systematic procedures in data quality assessment. This review study is limited by the coverage of the databases and the breadth of public health information systems. Further research could develop consistent data quality definitions and attributes. More research efforts should be given to assess the quality of data use and the quality of data collection process.

Workplace-related generational characteristics of nurses: A mixed-method systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevanin, Simone; Palese, Alvisa; Bressan, Valentina; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, Katri; Kvist, Tarja

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to describe and summarize workplace characteristics of three nursing generations: Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y. Generational differences affect occupational well-being, nurses' performance, patient outcomes and safety; therefore, nurse managers, administrators and educators are interested increasingly in making evidence-based decisions about the multigenerational nursing workforce. Mixed-method systematic review. Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus (January 1991-January 2017). (1) The Joanna Briggs Institute's method for conducting mixed-method systematic reviews; (2) the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and (3) the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research guidelines. The studies' methodological quality was assessed with the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool. Quantitative and mixed-method studies were transformed into qualitative methods using a convergent qualitative synthesis and qualitative findings were combined with a narrative synthesis. Thirty-three studies were included with three main themes and 11 subthemes: (1) Job attitudes (work engagement; turnover intentions, reasons for leaving; reasons, incentives/disincentives to continue nursing); (2) Emotion-related job aspects (stress/resilience; well-being/job satisfaction; affective commitment; unit climate; work ethic) and (3) Practice and leadership-related aspects (autonomy; perceived competence; leadership relationships and perceptions). Baby Boomers reported lower levels of stress and burnout than did Generations X and Y, different work engagement, factors affecting workplace well-being and retention and greater intention to leave compared with Generation Y, which was less resilient, but more cohesive. Although several studies reported methodological limitations and conflicting findings, generational differences in nurses' job attitudes, emotional, practice and leadership factors should be considered to enhance

Research on volume metrology method of large vertical energy storage tank based on internal electro-optical distance-ranging method

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Huadong; Shi, Haolei; Yi, Pengju; Liu, Ying; Li, Cunjun; Li, Shuguang

2018-01-01

A Volume Metrology method based on Internal Electro-optical Distance-ranging method is established for large vertical energy storage tank. After analyzing the vertical tank volume calculation mathematical model, the key processing algorithms, such as gross error elimination, filtering, streamline, and radius calculation are studied for the point cloud data. The corresponding volume values are automatically calculated in the different liquids by calculating the cross-sectional area along the horizontal direction and integrating from vertical direction. To design the comparison system, a vertical tank which the nominal capacity is 20,000 m3 is selected as the research object, and there are shown that the method has good repeatability and reproducibility. Through using the conventional capacity measurement method as reference, the relative deviation of calculated volume is less than 0.1%, meeting the measurement requirements. And the feasibility and effectiveness are demonstrated.

Review of various dynamic modeling methods and development of an intuitive modeling method for dynamic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Seung Ki; Seong, Poong Hyun

2008-01-01

Conventional static reliability analysis methods are inadequate for modeling dynamic interactions between components of a system. Various techniques such as dynamic fault tree, dynamic Bayesian networks, and dynamic reliability block diagrams have been proposed for modeling dynamic systems based on improvement of the conventional modeling methods. In this paper, we review these methods briefly and introduce dynamic nodes to the existing Reliability Graph with General Gates (RGGG) as an intuitive modeling method to model dynamic systems. For a quantitative analysis, we use a discrete-time method to convert an RGGG to an equivalent Bayesian network and develop a software tool for generation of probability tables

Scoping review of response shift methods: current reporting practices and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajobi, Tolulope T; Brahmbatt, Ronak; Lix, Lisa M; Zumbo, Bruno D; Sawatzky, Richard

2018-05-01

Response shift (RS) has been defined as a change in the meaning of an individual's self-evaluation of his/her health status and quality of life. Several statistical model- and design-based methods have been developed to test for RS in longitudinal data. We reviewed the uptake of these methods in patient-reported outcomes (PRO) literature. CINHAHL, EMBASE, Medline, ProQuest, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched to identify English-language articles about RS published until 2016. Data on year and country of publication, PRO measure adopted, RS detection method, type of RS detected, and testing of underlying model assumptions were extracted from the included articles. Of the 1032 articles identified, 101 (9.8%) articles were included in the study. While 54.5 of the articles reported on the Then-test, 30.7% of the articles reported on Oort's or Schmitt's structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure. Newer RS detection methods, such as relative importance analysis and random forest regression, have been used less frequently. Less than 25% reported on testing the assumptions underlying the adopted RS detection method(s). Despite rapid methodological advancements in RS research, this review highlights the need for further research about RS detection methods for complex longitudinal data and standardized reporting guidelines.

Including mixed methods research in systematic reviews: Examples from qualitative syntheses in TB and malaria control

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Health policy makers now have access to a greater number and variety of systematic reviews to inform different stages in the policy making process, including reviews of qualitative research. The inclusion of mixed methods studies in systematic reviews is increasing, but these studies pose particular challenges to methods of review. This article examines the quality of the reporting of mixed methods and qualitative-only studies. Methods We used two completed systematic reviews to generate a sample of qualitative studies and mixed method studies in order to make an assessment of how the quality of reporting and rigor of qualitative-only studies compares with that of mixed-methods studies. Results Overall, the reporting of qualitative studies in our sample was consistently better when compared with the reporting of mixed methods studies. We found that mixed methods studies are less likely to provide a description of the research conduct or qualitative data analysis procedures and less likely to be judged credible or provide rich data and thick description compared with standalone qualitative studies. Our time-related analysis shows that for both types of study, papers published since 2003 are more likely to report on the study context, describe analysis procedures, and be judged credible and provide rich data. However, the reporting of other aspects of research conduct (i.e. descriptions of the research question, the sampling strategy, and data collection methods) in mixed methods studies does not appear to have improved over time. Conclusions Mixed methods research makes an important contribution to health research in general, and could make a more substantial contribution to systematic reviews. Through our careful analysis of the quality of reporting of mixed methods and qualitative-only research, we have identified areas that deserve more attention in the conduct and reporting of mixed methods research. PMID:22545681

Systematic reviews of diagnostic tests in endocrinology: an audit of methods, reporting, and performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer-Bonilla, Gabriela; Singh Ospina, Naykky; Rodriguez-Gutierrez, Rene; Brito, Juan P; Iñiguez-Ariza, Nicole; Tamhane, Shrikant; Erwin, Patricia J; Murad, M Hassan; Montori, Victor M

2017-07-01

Systematic reviews provide clinicians and policymakers estimates of diagnostic test accuracy and their usefulness in clinical practice. We identified all available systematic reviews of diagnosis in endocrinology, summarized the diagnostic accuracy of the tests included, and assessed the credibility and clinical usefulness of the methods and reporting. We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to December 2015 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses reporting accuracy measures of diagnostic tests in endocrinology. Experienced reviewers independently screened for eligible studies and collected data. We summarized the results, methods, and reporting of the reviews. We performed subgroup analyses to categorize diagnostic tests as most useful based on their accuracy. We identified 84 systematic reviews; half of the tests included were classified as helpful when positive, one-fourth as helpful when negative. Most authors adequately reported how studies were identified and selected and how their trustworthiness (risk of bias) was judged. Only one in three reviews, however, reported an overall judgment about trustworthiness and one in five reported using adequate meta-analytic methods. One in four reported contacting authors for further information and about half included only patients with diagnostic uncertainty. Up to half of the diagnostic endocrine tests in which the likelihood ratio was calculated or provided are likely to be helpful in practice when positive as are one-quarter when negative. Most diagnostic systematic reviews in endocrine lack methodological rigor, protection against bias, and offer limited credibility. Substantial efforts, therefore, seem necessary to improve the quality of diagnostic systematic reviews in endocrinology.

76 FR 75825 - Streamlining Inherited Regulations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-05

... easier. DATES: Comments must be submitted by March 5, 2012. Commenters will have 30 additional days... 1700 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20006, on official business days between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p... deadline for most of these rules. At the same time, the Bureau wants to start reviewing the inherited...

A comparison of primary two- and three-dimensional methods to review CT colonography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gelder, Rogier E. van; Florie, Jasper; Nio, C. Yung; Jager, Steven W. de; Lameris, Johan S.; Stoker, Jaap; Jensch, Sebastiaan; Vos, Frans M.; Venema, Henk W.; Bartelsman, Joep F.; Reitsma, Johannes B.; Bossuyt, Patrick M.M.

2007-01-01

The aim of our study was to compare primary three-dimensional (3D) and primary two-dimensional (2D) review methods for CT colonography with regard to polyp detection and perceptive errors. CT colonography studies of 77 patients were read twice by three reviewers, first with a primary 3D method and then with a primary 2D method. Mean numbers of true and false positives, patient sensitivity and specificity and perceptive errors were calculated with colonoscopy as a reference standard. A perceptive error was made if a polyp was not detected by all reviewers. Mean sensitivity for large (≥10 mm) polyps for primary 3D and 2D review was 81% (14.7/18) and 70%(12.7/18), respectively (p-values ≥0.25). Mean numbers of large false positives for primary 3D and 2D were 8.3 and 5.3, respectively. With primary 3D and 2D review 1 and 6 perceptive errors, respectively, were made in 18 large polyps (p = 0.06). For medium-sized (6-9 mm) polyps these values were for primary 3D and 2D, respectively: mean sensitivity: 67%(11.3/17) and 61%(10.3/17; p-values≥ 0.45), number of false positives: 33.3 and 15.6, and perceptive errors: 4 and 6 (p = 0.53). No significant differences were found in the detection of large and medium-sized polyps between primary 3D and 2D review. (orig.)

Including mixed methods research in systematic reviews: examples from qualitative syntheses in TB and malaria control.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkins, Salla; Launiala, Annika; Kagaha, Alexander; Smith, Helen

2012-04-30

Health policy makers now have access to a greater number and variety of systematic reviews to inform different stages in the policy making process, including reviews of qualitative research. The inclusion of mixed methods studies in systematic reviews is increasing, but these studies pose particular challenges to methods of review. This article examines the quality of the reporting of mixed methods and qualitative-only studies. We used two completed systematic reviews to generate a sample of qualitative studies and mixed method studies in order to make an assessment of how the quality of reporting and rigor of qualitative-only studies compares with that of mixed-methods studies. Overall, the reporting of qualitative studies in our sample was consistently better when compared with the reporting of mixed methods studies. We found that mixed methods studies are less likely to provide a description of the research conduct or qualitative data analysis procedures and less likely to be judged credible or provide rich data and thick description compared with standalone qualitative studies. Our time-related analysis shows that for both types of study, papers published since 2003 are more likely to report on the study context, describe analysis procedures, and be judged credible and provide rich data. However, the reporting of other aspects of research conduct (i.e. descriptions of the research question, the sampling strategy, and data collection methods) in mixed methods studies does not appear to have improved over time. Mixed methods research makes an important contribution to health research in general, and could make a more substantial contribution to systematic reviews. Through our careful analysis of the quality of reporting of mixed methods and qualitative-only research, we have identified areas that deserve more attention in the conduct and reporting of mixed methods research.

Review. Supporting problem structuring with computer-based tools in participatory forest planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hujala, T.; Khadka, C.; Wolfslehner, B.; Vacik, H.

2013-09-01

Aim of study: This review presents the state-of-art of using computerized techniques for problem structuring (PS) in participatory forest planning. Frequency and modes of using different computerized tool types and their contribution for planning processes as well as critical observations are described, followed by recommendations on how to better integrate PS with the use of forest decision support systems. Area of study: The reviewed research cases are from Asia, Europe, North-America, Africa and Australia. Material and methods: Via Scopus search and screening of abstracts, 32 research articles from years 2002-2011 were selected for review. Explicit and implicit evidence of using computerized tools for PS was recorded and assessed with content-driven qualitative analysis. Main results: GIS and forest-specific simulation tools were the most prevalent software types whereas cognitive modelling software and spreadsheet and calculation tools were less frequently used, followed by multi-criteria and interactive tools. The typical use type was to provide outputs of simulation–optimization or spatial analysis to negotiation situations or to compile summaries or illustrations afterwards; using software during group negotiation to foster interaction was observed only in a few cases. Research highlights: Expertise in both decision support systems and group learning is needed to better integrate PS and computerized decision analysis. From the knowledge management perspective, it is recommended to consider how the results of PS —e.g. conceptual models— could be stored into a problem perception database, and how PS and decision making could be streamlined by retrievals from such systems. (Author)

Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harden Angela

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a growing recognition of the value of synthesising qualitative research in the evidence base in order to facilitate effective and appropriate health care. In response to this, methods for undertaking these syntheses are currently being developed. Thematic analysis is a method that is often used to analyse data in primary qualitative research. This paper reports on the use of this type of analysis in systematic reviews to bring together and integrate the findings of multiple qualitative studies. Methods We describe thematic synthesis, outline several steps for its conduct and illustrate the process and outcome of this approach using a completed review of health promotion research. Thematic synthesis has three stages: the coding of text 'line-by-line'; the development of 'descriptive themes'; and the generation of 'analytical themes'. While the development of descriptive themes remains 'close' to the primary studies, the analytical themes represent a stage of interpretation whereby the reviewers 'go beyond' the primary studies and generate new interpretive constructs, explanations or hypotheses. The use of computer software can facilitate this method of synthesis; detailed guidance is given on how this can be achieved. Results We used thematic synthesis to combine the studies of children's views and identified key themes to explore in the intervention studies. Most interventions were based in school and often combined learning about health benefits with 'hands-on' experience. The studies of children's views suggested that fruit and vegetables should be treated in different ways, and that messages should not focus on health warnings. Interventions that were in line with these suggestions tended to be more effective. Thematic synthesis enabled us to stay 'close' to the results of the primary studies, synthesising them in a transparent way, and facilitating the explicit production of new concepts and hypotheses

A Review of Recent Advances in Translational Bioinformatics: Bridges from Biology to Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Vamathevan, J; Birney, E

2017-08-01

Objectives: To highlight and provide insights into key developments in translational bioinformatics between 2014 and 2016. Methods: This review describes some of the most influential bioinformatics papers and resources that have been published between 2014 and 2016 as well as the national genome sequencing initiatives that utilize these resources to routinely embed genomic medicine into healthcare. Also discussed are some applications of the secondary use of patient data followed by a comprehensive view of the open challenges and emergent technologies. Results: Although data generation can be performed routinely, analyses and data integration methods still require active research and standardization to improve streamlining of clinical interpretation. The secondary use of patient data has resulted in the development of novel algorithms and has enabled a refined understanding of cellular and phenotypic mechanisms. New data storage and data sharing approaches are required to enable diverse biomedical communities to contribute to genomic discovery. Conclusion: The translation of genomics data into actionable knowledge for use in healthcare is transforming the clinical landscape in an unprecedented way. Exciting and innovative models that bridge the gap between clinical and academic research are set to open up the field of translational bioinformatics for rapid growth in a digital era. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.

A Review of Propensity-Score Methods and Their Use in Cardiovascular Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Deb, Saswata; Austin, Peter C; Tu, Jack V; Ko, Dennis T; Mazer, C David; Kiss, Alex; Fremes, Stephen E

2016-02-01

Observational studies using propensity-score methods have been increasing in the cardiovascular literature because randomized controlled trials are not always feasible or ethical. However, propensity-score methods can be confusing, and the general audience may not fully understand the importance of this technique. The objectives of this review are to describe (1) the fundamentals of propensity score methods, (2) the techniques to assess for propensity-score model adequacy, (3) the 4 major methods for using the propensity score (matching, stratification, covariate adjustment, and inverse probability of treatment weighting [IPTW]) using examples from previously published cardiovascular studies, and (4) the strengths and weaknesses of these 4 techniques. Our review suggests that matching or IPTW using the propensity score have shown to be most effective in reducing bias of the treatment effect. Copyright © 2016 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A streamlined DNA tool for global identification of heavily exploited coastal shark species (genus Rhizoprionodon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danillo Pinhal

Full Text Available Obtaining accurate species-specific landings data is an essential step toward achieving sustainable shark fisheries. Globally distributed sharpnose sharks (genus Rhizoprionodon exhibit life-history characteristics (rapid growth, early maturity, annual reproduction that suggests that they could be fished in a sustainable manner assuming an investment in monitoring, assessment and careful management. However, obtaining species-specific landings data for sharpnose sharks is problematic because they are morphologically very similar to one another. Moreover, sharpnose sharks may also be confused with other small sharks (either small species or juveniles of large species once they are processed (i.e., the head and fins are removed. Here we present a highly streamlined molecular genetics approach based on seven species-specific PCR primers in a multiplex format that can simultaneously discriminate body parts from the seven described sharpnose shark species commonly occurring in coastal fisheries worldwide. The species-specific primers are based on nucleotide sequence differences among species in the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 locus (ITS2. This approach also distinguishes sharpnose sharks from a wide range of other sharks (52 species and can therefore assist in the regulation of coastal shark fisheries around the world.

Review of track-fitting methods in counter experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regler, M.; Eichinger, H.

1981-01-01

We review track-fitting methods recently used in high-energy physics experiments. Assuming that the problem of pattern recognition, i.e. of grouping the often ambiguous coordinate information (as frequently measured by wire chambers) together to form track candidates, has already been solved, we try to point out the way to obtain the ultimate geometrical resolution with the smallest and fastest possible program; owing to the wide variety of detectors and experimental set-ups, no universal method has been found. Some applications will serve as examples, and based on the experience gained we will try to indicate when and under which conditions a known algorithm could be used, and this might even help in designing future experiments. (orig.)

TFA Tanks Focus Area midyear review report FY 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LR Roeder-Smith

2000-05-02

In accordance with EM's office of Science and Technology (OST), the TFA is committed to assessing the maturity of technology development projects and ensuring their readiness for implementation and subsequent deployment. The TFA conducts an annual Midyear Review to document the status of ongoing projects, reaffirm and document user commitment to selected projects, and to improve the effective deployment of technology by determining and documenting the readiness of selected projects to move ahead. Since 1995, OST has used a linear technology maturation model that spans through seven defined stages of maturity, from basic research to implementation. Application of this Stage/Gate model to technology development resulted in prescriptive and somewhat cumbersome review procedures, resulting in limited and inconsistent use. Subsequently, in February 2000, OST issued revised guidance in an effort to streamline the technology tracking and review process. While the new OST guidance reinforces peer review requirements and the use of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for independent reviews, it also implements a simplified Gate model. The TFA is now responsible for providing auditable documentation for passing only three stages of technology maturity: ready for research (Gate 0); ready for development (Gate 2); ready for demonstration (Gate 5). The TFA Midyear Review is a key element in the overall review procedure, as the tracking evidence for all active projects is required to be available at this time. While the Midyear Report contains an overview of the status of all TFA reviews and projects, not all the reviews were conducted during the Midyear Review. The TFA used a phased approach to accomplish the Midyear Review requirements.

Earthquake Hazard Analysis Methods: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, A. M.; Fakhrurrozi, A.

2018-02-01

One of natural disasters that have significantly impacted on risks and damage is an earthquake. World countries such as China, Japan, and Indonesia are countries located on the active movement of continental plates with more frequent earthquake occurrence compared to other countries. Several methods of earthquake hazard analysis have been done, for example by analyzing seismic zone and earthquake hazard micro-zonation, by using Neo-Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysis (N-DSHA) method, and by using Remote Sensing. In its application, it is necessary to review the effectiveness of each technique in advance. Considering the efficiency of time and the accuracy of data, remote sensing is used as a reference to the assess earthquake hazard accurately and quickly as it only takes a limited time required in the right decision-making shortly after the disaster. Exposed areas and possibly vulnerable areas due to earthquake hazards can be easily analyzed using remote sensing. Technological developments in remote sensing such as GeoEye-1 provide added value and excellence in the use of remote sensing as one of the methods in the assessment of earthquake risk and damage. Furthermore, the use of this technique is expected to be considered in designing policies for disaster management in particular and can reduce the risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes in Indonesia.

Review of dynamic optimization methods in renewable natural resource management

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, B.K.

1989-01-01

In recent years, the applications of dynamic optimization procedures in natural resource management have proliferated. A systematic review of these applications is given in terms of a number of optimization methodologies and natural resource systems. The applicability of the methods to renewable natural resource systems are compared in terms of system complexity, system size, and precision of the optimal solutions. Recommendations are made concerning the appropriate methods for certain kinds of biological resource problems.

Using simplified peer review processes to fund research: a prospective study

Science.gov (United States)

Herbert, Danielle L; Graves, Nicholas; Clarke, Philip; Barnett, Adrian G

2015-01-01

Objective To prospectively test two simplified peer review processes, estimate the agreement between the simplified and official processes, and compare the costs of peer review. Design, participants and setting A prospective parallel study of Project Grant proposals submitted in 2013 to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. The official funding outcomes were compared with two simplified processes using proposals in Public Health and Basic Science. The two simplified processes were: panels of 7 reviewers who met face-to-face and reviewed only the nine-page research proposal and track record (simplified panel); and 2 reviewers who independently reviewed only the nine-page research proposal (journal panel). The official process used panels of 12 reviewers who met face-to-face and reviewed longer proposals of around 100 pages. We compared the funding outcomes of 72 proposals that were peer reviewed by the simplified and official processes. Main outcome measures Agreement in funding outcomes; costs of peer review based on reviewers’ time and travel costs. Results The agreement between the simplified and official panels (72%, 95% CI 61% to 82%), and the journal and official panels (74%, 62% to 83%), was just below the acceptable threshold of 75%. Using the simplified processes would save $A2.1–$A4.9 million per year in peer review costs. Conclusions Using shorter applications and simpler peer review processes gave reasonable agreement with the more complex official process. Simplified processes save time and money that could be reallocated to actual research. Funding agencies should consider streamlining their application processes. PMID:26137884

A scoring system for appraising mixed methods research, and concomitantly appraising qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods primary studies in Mixed Studies Reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Pluye, Pierre; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Griffiths, Frances; Johnson-Lafleur, Janique

2009-04-01

A new form of literature review has emerged, Mixed Studies Review (MSR). These reviews include qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. In the present paper, we examine MSRs in health sciences, and provide guidance on processes that should be included and reported. However, there are no valid and usable criteria for concomitantly appraising the methodological quality of the qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. To propose criteria for concomitantly appraising the methodological quality of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies or study components. A three-step critical review was conducted. 2322 references were identified in MEDLINE, and their titles and abstracts were screened; 149 potentially relevant references were selected and the full-text papers were examined; 59 MSRs were retained and scrutinized using a deductive-inductive qualitative thematic data analysis. This revealed three types of MSR: convenience, reproducible, and systematic. Guided by a proposal, we conducted a qualitative thematic data analysis of the quality appraisal procedures used in the 17 systematic MSRs (SMSRs). Of 17 SMSRs, 12 showed clear quality appraisal procedures with explicit criteria but no SMSR used valid checklists to concomitantly appraise qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. In two SMSRs, criteria were developed following a specific procedure. Checklists usually contained more criteria than needed. In four SMSRs, a reliability assessment was described or mentioned. While criteria for quality appraisal were usually based on descriptors that require specific methodological expertise (e.g., appropriateness), no SMSR described the fit between reviewers' expertise and appraised studies. Quality appraisal usually resulted in studies being ranked by methodological quality. A scoring system is proposed for concomitantly appraising the methodological quality of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies for SMSRs. This

Methods for determination of biomethane potential of feedstocks: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raphael Muzondiwa Jingura

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Biogas produced during anaerobic digestion (AD of biodegradable organic materials. AD is a series of biochemical reactions in which microorganisms degrade organic matter under anaerobic conditions. There are many biomass resources that can be degraded by AD to produce biogas. Biogas consists of methane, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases. The gamut of feedstocks used in AD includes animal manure, municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, and various crops. Several factors affect the potential of feedstocks for biomethane production. The factors include nutrient content, total and volatile solids (VS content, chemical and biological oxygen demand, carbon/nitrogen ratio, and presence of inhibitory substances. The biochemical methane potential (BMP, often defined as the maximum volume of methane produced per g of VS substrate provides an indication of the biodegradability of a substrate and its potential to produce methane via AD. The BMP test is a method of establishing a baseline for performance of AD. BMP data are useful for designing AD parameters in order to optimise methane production. Several methods which include experimental and theoretical methods can be used to determine BMP. The objective of this paper is to review several methods with a special focus on their advantages and disadvantages. The review shows that experimental methods, mainly the BMP test are widely used. The BMP test is credited for its reliability and validity. There are variants of BMP assays as well. Theoretical models are alternative methods to estimate BMP. They are credited for being fast and easy to use. Spectroscopy has emerged as a new experimental tool to determine BMP. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages with reference to efficacy, time, and ease of use. Choosing a method to use depends on various exigencies. More work needs to be continuously done in order to improve the various methods used to determine BMP.

Methods for increasing upper airway muscle tonus in treating obstructive sleep apnea: systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Valbuza, Juliana Spelta; de Oliveira, Márcio Moysés; Conti, Cristiane Fiquene; Prado, Lucila Bizari F; de Carvalho, Luciane Bizari Coin; do Prado, Gilmar Fernandes

2010-12-01

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using methods for increasing upper airway muscle tonus has been controversial and poorly reported. Thus, a review of the evidence is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these methods. The design used was a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Data sources are from the Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase and Scielo, registries of ongoing trials, theses indexed at Biblioteca Regional de Medicina/Pan-American Health Organization of the World Health Organization and the reference lists of all the trials retrieved. This was a review of randomized or quasi-randomized double-blind trials on OSA. Two reviewers independently applied eligibility criteria. One reviewer assessed study quality and extracted data, and these processes were checked by a second reviewer. The primary outcome was a decrease in the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of below five episodes per hour. Other outcomes were subjective sleep quality, sleep quality measured by night polysomnography, quality of life measured subjectively and adverse events associated with the treatments. Three eligible trials were included. Two studies showed improvements through the objective and subjective analyses, and one study showed improvement of snoring, but not of AHI while the subjective analyses showed no improvement. The adverse events were reported and they were not significant. There is no accepted scientific evidence that methods aiming to increase muscle tonus of the stomatognathic system are effective in reducing AHI to below five events per hour. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy of such methods.

A review of damage detection methods for wind turbine blades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Dongsheng; Song, Gangbing; Ren, Liang; Li, Hongnan; Ho, Siu-Chun M

2015-01-01

Wind energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources and many countries are predicted to increase wind energy portion of their whole national energy supply to about twenty percent in the next decade. One potential obstacle in the use of wind turbines to harvest wind energy is the maintenance of the wind turbine blades. The blades are a crucial and costly part of a wind turbine and over their service life can suffer from factors such as material degradation and fatigue, which can limit their effectiveness and safety. Thus, the ability to detect damage in wind turbine blades is of great significance for planning maintenance and continued operation of the wind turbine. This paper presents a review of recent research and development in the field of damage detection for wind turbine blades. Specifically, this paper reviews frequently employed sensors including fiber optic and piezoelectric sensors, and four promising damage detection methods, namely, transmittance function, wave propagation, impedance and vibration based methods. As a note towards the future development trend for wind turbine sensing systems, the necessity for wireless sensing and energy harvesting is briefly presented. Finally, existing problems and promising research efforts for online damage detection of turbine blades are discussed. (topical review)

Dating methods and geochronology of fractures and movements in bedrock: a review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tullborg, E.L. [Terralogica AB, Graabo (Sweden); Larson, Sven Aake [Goeteborgs Univ. (Sweden); Morad, S. [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden)

2001-06-01

Constraining the absolute and relative ages of crustal movements is of fundamental importance in evaluating the potentials of a site as a repository for spent radioactive fuel. In this report a review summary of up to date absolute and relative dating methods is presented with specific attention to those methods most amenable for dating of fractures. A review of major fracture-and shear zones in the Swedish part of the Baltic Shield is also given. Since the shield has suffered a long and complicated history, geo-chronologists are faced with the problem of reactivated zones when attempting to date these. It is important to get structural control in order to make the choice of dating method since different methods may give answer to completely different questions. An integration of all geological background data is necessary in order to make the proper chose to fit the raised question.

Dating methods and geochronology of fractures and movements in bedrock: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tullborg, E.L.; Larson, Sven Aake; Morad, S.

2001-06-01

Constraining the absolute and relative ages of crustal movements is of fundamental importance in evaluating the potentials of a site as a repository for spent radioactive fuel. In this report a review summary of up to date absolute and relative dating methods is presented with specific attention to those methods most amenable for dating of fractures. A review of major fracture-and shear zones in the Swedish part of the Baltic Shield is also given. Since the shield has suffered a long and complicated history, geo-chronologists are faced with the problem of reactivated zones when attempting to date these. It is important to get structural control in order to make the choice of dating method since different methods may give answer to completely different questions. An integration of all geological background data is necessary in order to make the proper chose to fit the raised question

An Engineering Aerodynamic Heating Method for Hypersonic Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Christopher J.; DeJarnette, Fred R.

1992-01-01

A capability to calculate surface heating rates has been incorporated in an approximate three-dimensional inviscid technique. Surface streamlines are calculated from the inviscid solution, and the axisymmetric analog is then used along with a set of approximate convective-heating equations to compute the surface heat transfer. The method is applied to blunted axisymmetric and three-dimensional ellipsoidal cones at angle of attack for the laminar flow of a perfect gas. The method is also applicable to turbulent and equilibrium-air conditions. The present technique predicts surface heating rates that compare favorably with experimental (ground-test and flight) data and numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes (NS) and viscous shock-layer (VSL) equations. The new technique represents a significant improvement over current engineering aerothermal methods with only a modest increase in computational effort.

Dam safety review using non-destructive methods for reinforced concrete structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Philibert, Alain; Saint-Pierre, Francois; Turcotte, Bernard [Le Groupe S.M. International Inc., Sherbrooke, (Canada)

2010-07-01

Dams built at the beginning of the twentieth century include concrete structures that were put in under rehabilitation works. In some cases, the details of the structures are not well documented. In other cases, concrete damage can be hidden under new layers of undamaged material. This requires that the dam safety review in a real investigation gather the information necessary for carrying out the hydraulic and stability studies required by the Dam Safety Act. This paper presented the process of dam safety review using non-destructive methods for reinforced concrete structures. Two reinforced concrete dams built in the 1900's, the Eustic dam on the Coaticook River and the Frontenac dam on the Magog River near Sherbrooke, were evaluated by S.M. International using non-destructive methods such as sonic and ground penetrating radar methods. The studies allowed mapping of concrete damage and provided geometric information on some non visible structure elements that were part of previous reinforcement operations.

Economic evaluation in patient safety: a literature review of methods.

Science.gov (United States)

de Rezende, Bruna Alves; Or, Zeynep; Com-Ruelle, Laure; Michel, Philippe

2012-06-01

Patient safety practices, targeting organisational changes for improving patient safety, are implemented worldwide but their costs are rarely evaluated. This paper provides a review of the methods used in economic evaluation of such practices. International medical and economics databases were searched for peer-reviewed publications on economic evaluations of patient safety between 2000 and 2010 in English and French. This was complemented by a manual search of the reference lists of relevant papers. Grey literature was excluded. Studies were described using a standardised template and assessed independently by two researchers according to six quality criteria. 33 articles were reviewed that were representative of different patient safety domains, data types and evaluation methods. 18 estimated the economic burden of adverse events, 3 measured the costs of patient safety practices and 12 provided complete economic evaluations. Healthcare-associated infections were the most common subject of evaluation, followed by medication-related errors and all types of adverse events. Of these, 10 were selected that had adequately fulfilled one or several key quality criteria for illustration. This review shows that full cost-benefit/utility evaluations are rarely completed as they are resource intensive and often require unavailable data; some overcome these difficulties by performing stochastic modelling and by using secondary sources. Low methodological transparency can be a problem for building evidence from available economic evaluations. Investing in the economic design and reporting of studies with more emphasis on defining study perspectives, data collection and methodological choices could be helpful for strengthening our knowledge base on practices for improving patient safety.

Seakeeping with the semi-Lagrangian particle finite element method

Science.gov (United States)

Nadukandi, Prashanth; Servan-Camas, Borja; Becker, Pablo Agustín; Garcia-Espinosa, Julio

2017-07-01

The application of the semi-Lagrangian particle finite element method (SL-PFEM) for the seakeeping simulation of the wave adaptive modular vehicle under spray generating conditions is presented. The time integration of the Lagrangian advection is done using the explicit integration of the velocity and acceleration along the streamlines (X-IVAS). Despite the suitability of the SL-PFEM for the considered seakeeping application, small time steps were needed in the X-IVAS scheme to control the solution accuracy. A preliminary proposal to overcome this limitation of the X-IVAS scheme for seakeeping simulations is presented.

Determination of triazine herbicides and their metabolites in multiple medicinal parts of traditional Chinese medicines using streamlined pretreatment and UFLC-ESI-MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Congmin; Dou, Xiaowen; Zhang, Lei; Li, Qian; Qin, Jia'an; Duan, Yaping; Yang, Meihua

2018-01-01

A rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra-fast liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was established and applied to simultaneous determination of 31 triazine herbicides and their metabolites in multiple medicinal parts of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). A streamlined pretreatment approach using one-step extraction and dilution was proposed, which provided high-throughput processing, excellent recovery, and negligible interference. Afterwards, multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) and information-dependent acquisition (IDA) triggered enhanced product ion spectra (EPI) was adopted to identify and quantify the targets in a single analysis. The optimized method was then validated according to the guidelines of the European Commission for the following parameters: Matrix effects, specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, range, and stability. The LOD and LOQ for the 31 triazine herbicides were 0.1-10 μg kg -1 and 0.5-25 μg kg -1 , respectively. Recoveries at three concentration levels were within 67.9-120.3% with an associated precision RSD <20%. Using the proposed approach, trazines herbicides were determined from 44 commercially available TCMs. The detection rate of triazine herbicides residues was 15.9% of the total samples. Among them, atrazine, simeton, and simetryn were found in the radix, herba, and seed TCMs with values far below the referenced maximum residue limits (MRLs), but no residues were detected in either the flos or fructus. Taken together, this method has the potential to provide a means for triazines screening in extensive matrices, thereby laying the foundation for pesticide registration on TCMs. Moreover, it has the potential to guide further triazine residue control in TCMs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A review of the evolution of human reliability analysis methods at nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Lécio N. de; Santos, Isaac José A. Luquetti dos; Carvalho, Paulo V.R.

2017-01-01

This paper reviews the status of researches on the application of human reliability analysis methods at nuclear industry and its evolution along the years. Human reliability analysis (HRA) is one of the elements used in Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) and is performed as part of PSAs to quantify the likelihood that people will fail to take action, such as errors of omission and errors of commission. Although HRA may be used at lots of areas, the focus of this paper is to review the applicability of HRA methods along the years at nuclear industry, especially in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). An electronic search on CAPES Portal of Journals (A bibliographic database) was performed. This literature review covers original papers published since the first generation of HRA methods until the ones published on March 2017. A total of 94 papers were retrieved by the initial search and 13 were selected to be fully reviewed and for data extraction after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, quality and suitability evaluation according to applicability at nuclear industry. Results point out that the methods from first generation are more used in practice than methods from second generation. This occurs because it is more concentrated towards quantification, in terms of success or failure of human action what make them useful for quantitative risk assessment to PSA. Although the second generation considers context and error of commission in human error prediction, they are not wider used in practice at nuclear industry to PSA. (author)

A review of the evolution of human reliability analysis methods at nuclear industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Lécio N. de; Santos, Isaac José A. Luquetti dos; Carvalho, Paulo V.R., E-mail: lecionoliveira@gmail.com, E-mail: luquetti@ien.gov.br, E-mail: paulov@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2017-11-01

This paper reviews the status of researches on the application of human reliability analysis methods at nuclear industry and its evolution along the years. Human reliability analysis (HRA) is one of the elements used in Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) and is performed as part of PSAs to quantify the likelihood that people will fail to take action, such as errors of omission and errors of commission. Although HRA may be used at lots of areas, the focus of this paper is to review the applicability of HRA methods along the years at nuclear industry, especially in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). An electronic search on CAPES Portal of Journals (A bibliographic database) was performed. This literature review covers original papers published since the first generation of HRA methods until the ones published on March 2017. A total of 94 papers were retrieved by the initial search and 13 were selected to be fully reviewed and for data extraction after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, quality and suitability evaluation according to applicability at nuclear industry. Results point out that the methods from first generation are more used in practice than methods from second generation. This occurs because it is more concentrated towards quantification, in terms of success or failure of human action what make them useful for quantitative risk assessment to PSA. Although the second generation considers context and error of commission in human error prediction, they are not wider used in practice at nuclear industry to PSA. (author)

Methods for estimating the burden of antimicrobial resistance: a systematic literature review protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nichola R. Naylor

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Estimates of the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR are needed to ascertain AMR impact, to evaluate interventions, and to allocate resources efficiently. Recent studies have estimated health, cost, and economic burden relating to AMR, with outcomes of interest ranging from drug-bug resistance impact on mortality in a hospital setting to total economic impact of AMR on the global economy. However, recent collation of this information has been largely informal, with no formal quality assessment of the current evidence base (e.g. with predefined checklists. This review therefore aims to establish what perspectives and resulting methodologies have been used in establishing the burden of AMR, whilst also ascertaining the quality of these studies. Methods The literature review will identify relevant literature using a systematic review methodology. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and EconLit will be searched utilising a predefined search string. Grey literature will be identified by searching within a predefined list of organisational websites. Independent screening of retrievals will be performed in a two-stage process (abstracts and full texts, utilising a pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data will be extracted into a data extraction table and descriptive examination will be performed. Study quality will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scales and the Philips checklists where appropriate. A narrative synthesis of the results will be presented. Discussion This review will provide an overview of previous health, cost and economic definitions of burden and the resultant impact of these different definitions on the burden of AMR estimated. The review will also explore the methods that have been used to calculate this burden and discuss resulting study quality. This review can therefore act as a guide to methods for future research in this area. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42016037510

Review methods for image segmentation from computed tomography images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamat, Nurwahidah; Rahman, Wan Eny Zarina Wan Abdul; Soh, Shaharuddin Cik; Mahmud, Rozi

2014-01-01

Image segmentation is a challenging process in order to get the accuracy of segmentation, automation and robustness especially in medical images. There exist many segmentation methods that can be implemented to medical images but not all methods are suitable. For the medical purposes, the aims of image segmentation are to study the anatomical structure, identify the region of interest, measure tissue volume to measure growth of tumor and help in treatment planning prior to radiation therapy. In this paper, we present a review method for segmentation purposes using Computed Tomography (CT) images. CT images has their own characteristics that affect the ability to visualize anatomic structures and pathologic features such as blurring of the image and visual noise. The details about the methods, the goodness and the problem incurred in the methods will be defined and explained. It is necessary to know the suitable segmentation method in order to get accurate segmentation. This paper can be a guide to researcher to choose the suitable segmentation method especially in segmenting the images from CT scan

Participatory methods in pediatric participatory research: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Haijes, Hanneke A; van Thiel, Ghislaine J M W

2016-05-01

Meaningful child participation in medical research is seen as important. In order to facilitate further development of participatory research, we performed a systematic literature study to describe and assess the available knowledge on participatory methods in pediatric research. A search was executed in five databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane. After careful screening of relevant papers, finally 24 documents were included in our analysis. Literature on participatory methods in pediatric research appears generally to be descriptive, whereby high-quality evidence is lacking. Overall, five groups of participatory methods for children could be distinguished: observational, verbal, written, visual, and active methods. The choice for one of these methods should be based on the child's age, on social and demographic characteristics, and on the research objectives. To date, these methods are still solely used for obtaining data, yet they are suitable for conducting meaningful participation. This may result in a successful partnership between children and researchers. Researchers conducting participatory research with children can use this systematic review in order to weigh the current knowledge about the participatory methods presented.

Evaluation of a new method for librarian-mediated literature searches for systematic reviews

NARCIS (Netherlands)

W.M. Bramer (Wichor); Rethlefsen, M.L. (Melissa L.); F. Mast (Frans); J. Kleijnen (Jos)

2017-01-01

textabstractObjective: To evaluate and validate the time of completion and results of a new method of searching for systematic reviews, the exhaustive search method (ESM), using a pragmatic comparison. Methods: Single-line search strategies were prepared in a text document. Term completeness was

Review of methods of detection of oil pollution in the sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurgul, H; Pawlak, B

1981-01-01

In connection with the necessary of detection, recognition, and identification of oil spills in the sea, existing and prospective contactless methods of detecting oil on the water surface are reviewed, including such methods as optical (in IR, visible, and UV, including lasers, bands), radar with the use of fluorescence and interference phenomena; aerial and space photography and shooting. Parameters of instruments that use the optical and radar methods, including CO/sub 2/-, nitrogen and helium-cadmium lasers, are presented.

Physical activity among South Asian women: a systematic, mixed-methods review

OpenAIRE

Babakus, Whitney S; Thompson, Janice L

2012-01-01

Abstract Introduction The objective of this systematic mixed-methods review is to assess what is currently known about the levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) and to contextualize these behaviors among South Asian women with an immigrant background. Methods A systematic search of the literature was conducted using combinations of the key words PA, ST, South Asian, and immigrant. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze and synthesize all evidence, both quantitative an...

The glenoid track: a review of the clinical relevance, method of calculation and current evidence behind this method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Younan, Yara; Wong, Philip K.; Umpierrez, Monica; Gonzalez, Felix; Singer, Adam Daniel [Emory University Hospital, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Section of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Atlanta, GA (United States); Karas, Spero [Emory University Hospital, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Atlanta, GA (United States); Jose, Jean [University of Miami, Department of Radiology, Miami, FL (United States)

2017-12-15

In the setting of bipolar bone injury, orthopedic surgeons are currently making use of the glenoid track method to guide surgical management. Using preoperative CT or MR imaging, this method allows the identification of patients who are more likely to fail a primary capsuloligamentous Bankart repair. As the glenoid track method becomes increasingly used in preoperative planning, it is important for the radiologist to become familiar with its concept and method of calculation. This review article aims to concisely summarize the current literature and the clinical implications of the glenoid track method. (orig.)

A review of the physics methods for advanced gas-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckler, A.N.

1982-01-01

A review is given of steady-state reactor physics methods and associated codes used in AGR design and operation. These range from the basic lattice codes (ARGOSY, WIMS), through homogeneous-diffusion theory fuel management codes (ODYSSEUS, MOPSY) to a fully heterogeneous code (HET). The current state of development of the methods is discussed, together with illustrative examples of their application. (author)

Characteristics and application study of AP1000 NPPs equipment reliability classification method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guan Gao

2013-01-01

AP1000 nuclear power plant applies an integrated approach to establish equipment reliability classification, which includes probabilistic risk assessment technique, maintenance rule administrative, power production reliability classification and functional equipment group bounding method, and eventually classify equipment reliability into 4 levels. This classification process and result are very different from classical RCM and streamlined RCM. It studied the characteristic of AP1000 equipment reliability classification approach, considered that equipment reliability classification should effectively support maintenance strategy development and work process control, recommended to use a combined RCM method to establish the future equipment reliability program of AP1000 nuclear power plants. (authors)

Entropy in bimolecular simulations: A comprehensive review of atomic fluctuations-based methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassem, Summer; Ahmed, Marawan; El-Sheikh, Salah; Barakat, Khaled H

2015-11-01

Entropy of binding constitutes a major, and in many cases a detrimental, component of the binding affinity in biomolecular interactions. While the enthalpic part of the binding free energy is easier to calculate, estimating the entropy of binding is further more complicated. A precise evaluation of entropy requires a comprehensive exploration of the complete phase space of the interacting entities. As this task is extremely hard to accomplish in the context of conventional molecular simulations, calculating entropy has involved many approximations. Most of these golden standard methods focused on developing a reliable estimation of the conformational part of the entropy. Here, we review these methods with a particular emphasis on the different techniques that extract entropy from atomic fluctuations. The theoretical formalisms behind each method is explained highlighting its strengths as well as its limitations, followed by a description of a number of case studies for each method. We hope that this brief, yet comprehensive, review provides a useful tool to understand these methods and realize the practical issues that may arise in such calculations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Study on the Effect of Self-Review Method on Women's Happiness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Pourhosein

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: The present study was conducted with the aim to investigate the effectiveness of self-review technique on women’s happiness.Methods: This experimental study was conducted with a pre-test and post-test and a control group. The Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI was used to measure the dependent variable. In order to implement the research project, 22 individuals were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups in the pre-test phase based on acquisition of the lowest happiness scores. The 8-session self-review single intervention was presented to the experimental group. Repeated measures ANOVA was used in order to analyze the data.Results: The research findings indicated that the rate of happiness of individuals in the experimental group had significantly increased in the post-test and even follow-up stages (P < 0.01.Conclusion: In conclusion, the self-review method can be considered as a positive activity-based intervention.

Review of multi-physics temporal coupling methods for analysis of nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zerkak, Omar; Kozlowski, Tomasz; Gajev, Ivan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Review of the numerical methods used for the multi-physics temporal coupling. • Review of high-order improvements to the Operator Splitting coupling method. • Analysis of truncation error due to the temporal coupling. • Recommendations on best-practice approaches for multi-physics temporal coupling. - Abstract: The advanced numerical simulation of a realistic physical system typically involves multi-physics problem. For example, analysis of a LWR core involves the intricate simulation of neutron production and transport, heat transfer throughout the structures of the system and the flowing, possibly two-phase, coolant. Such analysis involves the dynamic coupling of multiple simulation codes, each one devoted to the solving of one of the coupled physics. Multiple temporal coupling methods exist, yet the accuracy of such coupling is generally driven by the least accurate numerical scheme. The goal of this paper is to review in detail the approaches and numerical methods that can be used for the multi-physics temporal coupling, including a comprehensive discussion of the issues associated with the temporal coupling, and define approaches that can be used to perform multi-physics analysis. The paper is not limited to any particular multi-physics process or situation, but is intended to provide a generic description of multi-physics temporal coupling schemes for any development stage of the individual (single-physics) tools and methods. This includes a wide spectrum of situation, where the individual (single-physics) solvers are based on pre-existing computation codes embedded as individual components, or a new development where the temporal coupling can be developed and implemented as a part of code development. The discussed coupling methods are demonstrated in the framework of LWR core analysis

Path Planning Methods in an Environment with Obstacles (A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Planning the path is the most important task in the mobile robot navigation. This task involves basically three aspects. First, the planned path must run from a given starting point to a given endpoint. Secondly, it should ensure robot’s collision-free movement. Thirdly, among all the possible paths that meet the first two requirements it must be, in a certain sense, optimal.Methods of path planning can be classified according to different characteristics. In the context of using intelligent technologies, they can be divided into traditional methods and heuristic ones. By the nature of the environment, it is possible to divide planning methods into planning methods in a static environment and in a dynamic one (it should be noted, however, that a static environment is rare. Methods can also be divided according to the completeness of information about the environment, namely methods with complete information (in this case the issue is a global path planning and methods with incomplete information (usually, this refers to the situational awareness in the immediate vicinity of the robot, in this case it is a local path planning. Note that incomplete information about the environment can be a consequence of the changing environment, i.e. in a dynamic environment, there is, usually, a local path planning.Literature offers a great deal of methods for path planning where various heuristic techniques are used, which, as a rule, result from the denotative meaning of the problem being solved. This review discusses the main approaches to the problem solution. Here we can distinguish five classes of basic methods: graph-based methods, methods based on cell decomposition, use of potential fields, optimization methods, фтв methods based on intelligent technologies.Many methods of path planning, as a result, give a chain of reference points (waypoints connecting the beginning and end of the path. This should be seen as an intermediate result. The problem

Comparative Analysis of Wolbachia Genomes Reveals Streamlining and Divergence of Minimalist Two-Component Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Steen; Serbus, Laura Renee

2015-01-01

Two-component regulatory systems are commonly used by bacteria to coordinate intracellular responses with environmental cues. These systems are composed of functional protein pairs consisting of a sensor histidine kinase and cognate response regulator. In contrast to the well-studied Caulobacter crescentus system, which carries dozens of these pairs, the streamlined bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis encodes only two pairs: CckA/CtrA and PleC/PleD. Here, we used bioinformatic tools to compare characterized two-component system relays from C. crescentus, the related Anaplasmataceae species Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and 12 sequenced Wolbachia strains. We found the core protein pairs and a subset of interacting partners to be highly conserved within Wolbachia and these other Anaplasmataceae. Genes involved in two-component signaling were positioned differently within the various Wolbachia genomes, whereas the local context of each gene was conserved. Unlike Anaplasma and Ehrlichia, Wolbachia two-component genes were more consistently found clustered with metabolic genes. The domain architecture and key functional residues standard for two-component system proteins were well-conserved in Wolbachia, although residues that specify cognate pairing diverged substantially from other Anaplasmataceae. These findings indicate that Wolbachia two-component signaling pairs share considerable functional overlap with other α-proteobacterial systems, whereas their divergence suggests the potential for regulatory differences and cross-talk. PMID:25809075

Review of methods for level density estimation from resonance parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Froehner, F.H.

1983-01-01

A number of methods are available for statistical analysis of resonance parameter sets, i.e. for estimation of level densities and average widths with account of missing levels. The main categories are (i) methods based on theories of level spacings (orthogonal-ensemble theory, Dyson-Mehta statistics), (ii) methods based on comparison with simulated cross section curves (Monte Carlo simulation, Garrison's autocorrelation method), (iii) methods exploiting the observed neutron width distribution by means of Bayesian or more approximate procedures such as maximum-likelihood, least-squares or moment methods, with various recipes for the treatment of detection thresholds and resolution effects. The present review will concentrate on (iii) with the aim of clarifying the basic mathematical concepts and the relationship between the various techniques. Recent theoretical progress in the treatment of resolution effects, detectability thresholds and p-wave admixture is described. (Auth.)

Combining the power of stories and the power of numbers: mixed methods research and mixed studies reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Pluye, Pierre; Hong, Quan Nha

2014-01-01

This article provides an overview of mixed methods research and mixed studies reviews. These two approaches are used to combine the strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods and to compensate for their respective limitations. This article is structured in three main parts. First, the epistemological background for mixed methods will be presented. Afterward, we present the main types of mixed methods research designs and techniques as well as guidance for planning, conducting, and appraising mixed methods research. In the last part, we describe the main types of mixed studies reviews and provide a tool kit and examples. Future research needs to offer guidance for assessing mixed methods research and reporting mixed studies reviews, among other challenges.

EEG-Informed fMRI: A Review of Data Analysis Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu, Rodolfo; Leal, Alberto; Figueiredo, Patrícia

2018-01-01

The simultaneous acquisition of electroencephalography (EEG) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a very promising non-invasive technique for the study of human brain function. Despite continuous improvements, it remains a challenging technique, and a standard methodology for data analysis is yet to be established. Here we review the methodologies that are currently available to address the challenges at each step of the data analysis pipeline. We start by surveying methods for pre-processing both EEG and fMRI data. On the EEG side, we focus on the correction for several MR-induced artifacts, particularly the gradient and pulse artifacts, as well as other sources of EEG artifacts. On the fMRI side, we consider image artifacts induced by the presence of EEG hardware inside the MR scanner, and the contamination of the fMRI signal by physiological noise of non-neuronal origin, including a review of several approaches to model and remove it. We then provide an overview of the approaches specifically employed for the integration of EEG and fMRI when using EEG to predict the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI signal, the so-called EEG-informed fMRI integration strategy, the most commonly used strategy in EEG-fMRI research. Finally, we systematically review methods used for the extraction of EEG features reflecting neuronal phenomena of interest. PMID:29467634

EEG-Informed fMRI: A Review of Data Analysis Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodolfo Abreu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The simultaneous acquisition of electroencephalography (EEG with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is a very promising non-invasive technique for the study of human brain function. Despite continuous improvements, it remains a challenging technique, and a standard methodology for data analysis is yet to be established. Here we review the methodologies that are currently available to address the challenges at each step of the data analysis pipeline. We start by surveying methods for pre-processing both EEG and fMRI data. On the EEG side, we focus on the correction for several MR-induced artifacts, particularly the gradient and pulse artifacts, as well as other sources of EEG artifacts. On the fMRI side, we consider image artifacts induced by the presence of EEG hardware inside the MR scanner, and the contamination of the fMRI signal by physiological noise of non-neuronal origin, including a review of several approaches to model and remove it. We then provide an overview of the approaches specifically employed for the integration of EEG and fMRI when using EEG to predict the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD fMRI signal, the so-called EEG-informed fMRI integration strategy, the most commonly used strategy in EEG-fMRI research. Finally, we systematically review methods used for the extraction of EEG features reflecting neuronal phenomena of interest.

Migraine and magnetic resonance spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Younis, Samaira; Hougaard, Anders; Vestergaard, Mark B.

2017-01-01

Purpose of review: To present an updated and streamlined overview of the metabolic and biochemical aspect of the migraine pathophysiology based on findings from phosphorous (31P) and hydrogen (1H) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies. Recent findings: Despite of the variation in the meth......Purpose of review: To present an updated and streamlined overview of the metabolic and biochemical aspect of the migraine pathophysiology based on findings from phosphorous (31P) and hydrogen (1H) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies. Recent findings: Despite of the variation...

Electron beam treatment planning: A review of dose computation methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohan, R.; Riley, R.; Laughlin, J.S.

1983-01-01

Various methods of dose computations are reviewed. The equivalent path length methods used to account for body curvature and internal structure are not adequate because they ignore the lateral diffusion of electrons. The Monte Carlo method for the broad field three-dimensional situation in treatment planning is impractical because of the enormous computer time required. The pencil beam technique may represent a suitable compromise. The behavior of a pencil beam may be described by the multiple scattering theory or, alternatively, generated using the Monte Carlo method. Although nearly two orders of magnitude slower than the equivalent path length technique, the pencil beam method improves accuracy sufficiently to justify its use. It applies very well when accounting for the effect of surface irregularities; the formulation for handling inhomogeneous internal structure is yet to be developed

Invited Review Article: Tip modification methods for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and colloidal probe technique: A 10 year update (2006-2016) review

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, C. C.; Zhang, D.; Gan, Y.

2017-03-01

Engineering atomic force microscopy tips for reliable tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and colloidal probe technique are becoming routine practices in many labs. In this 10 year update review, various new tip modification methods developed over the past decade are briefly reviewed to help researchers select the appropriate method. The perspective is put in a large context to discuss the opportunities and challenges in this area, including novel combinations of seemingly different methods, potential applications of some methods which were not originally intended for TERS tip fabrication, and the problems of high cost and poor reproducibility of tip fabrication.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instrument Modelling Approach to Streamline Science Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Munoz Fernandez, Michela; Frew, David; Ashman, Michael; Cardesin Moinelo, Alejandro; Garcia Beteta, Juan Jose; Geiger, Bernhard; Metcalfe, Leo; Nespoli, Federico; Muniz Solaz, Carlos

2018-05-01

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) science operations activities are centralised at ESAC's Science Operations Centre (SOC). The SOC receives the inputs from the principal investigators (PIs) in order to implement and deliver the spacecraft pointing requests and instrument timelines to the Mission Operations Centre (MOC). The high number of orbits per planning cycle has made it necessary to abstract the planning interactions between the SOC and the PI teams at the observation level. This paper describes the modelling approach we have conducted for TGOís instruments to streamline science operations. We have created dynamic observation types that scale to adapt to the conditions specified by the PI teams including observation timing, and pointing block parameters calculated from observation geometry. This approach is considered and improvement with respect to previous missions where the generation of the observation pointing and commanding requests was performed manually by the instrument teams. Automation software assists us to effectively handle the high density of planned orbits with increasing volume of scientific data and to successfully meet opportunistic scientific goals and objectives. Our planning tool combines the instrument observation definition files provided by the PIs together with the flight dynamics products to generate the Pointing Requests and the instrument timeline (ITL). The ITL contains all the validated commands at the TC sequence level and computes the resource envelopes (data rate, power, data volume) within the constraints. At the SOC, our main goal is to maximise the science output while minimising the number of iterations among the teams, ensuring that the timeline does not violate the state transitions allowed in the Mission Operations Rules and Constraints Document.

Novel keyword co-occurrence network-based methods to foster systematic reviews of scientific literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishnan, Srinivasan; Erbis, Serkan; Isaacs, Jacqueline A; Kamarthi, Sagar

2017-01-01

Systematic reviews of scientific literature are important for mapping the existing state of research and highlighting further growth channels in a field of study, but systematic reviews are inherently tedious, time consuming, and manual in nature. In recent years, keyword co-occurrence networks (KCNs) are exploited for knowledge mapping. In a KCN, each keyword is represented as a node and each co-occurrence of a pair of words is represented as a link. The number of times that a pair of words co-occurs in multiple articles constitutes the weight of the link connecting the pair. The network constructed in this manner represents cumulative knowledge of a domain and helps to uncover meaningful knowledge components and insights based on the patterns and strength of links between keywords that appear in the literature. In this work, we propose a KCN-based approach that can be implemented prior to undertaking a systematic review to guide and accelerate the review process. The novelty of this method lies in the new metrics used for statistical analysis of a KCN that differ from those typically used for KCN analysis. The approach is demonstrated through its application to nano-related Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) risk literature. The KCN approach identified the knowledge components, knowledge structure, and research trends that match with those discovered through a traditional systematic review of the nanoEHS field. Because KCN-based analyses can be conducted more quickly to explore a vast amount of literature, this method can provide a knowledge map and insights prior to undertaking a rigorous traditional systematic review. This two-step approach can significantly reduce the effort and time required for a traditional systematic literature review. The proposed KCN-based pre-systematic review method is universal. It can be applied to any scientific field of study to prepare a knowledge map.

A Review of Photocatalysts Prepared by Sol-Gel Method for VOCs Removal

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Ting Ke Tseng

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The sol-gel process is a wet-chemical technique (chemical solution deposition, which has been widely used in the fields of materials science, ceramic engineering, and especially in the preparation of photocatalysts. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs are prevalent components of indoor air pollution. Among the approaches to remove VOCs from indoor air, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO is regarded as a promising method. This paper is a review of the status of research on the sol-gel method for photocatalyst preparation and for the PCO purification of VOCs. The review and discussion will focus on the preparation and coating of various photocatalysts, operational parameters, and will provide an overview of general PCO models described in the literature.

A review of the use of a systematic observation method in coaching research between 1997 and 2016.

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Cope, Ed; Partington, Mark; Harvey, Stephen

2017-10-01

A systematic observation method has been one of the most popularly employed methods in coaching research. Kahan's review of this method conducted between 1975 and 1997 highlighted the key trends in this research, and offered methodological guidance for researchers wishing to use this method in their research. The purpose of this review was to provide an update of the use of a systematic observation method in coaching research and assess the extent to which the calls made by Kahan have been addressed. While in some respect this field of study has progressed (i.e., the introduction of qualitative methods), researchers adopting this method have failed to attend to many of the issues Kahan raised. For this method to continue to make a positive contribution towards the coaching research literature, researchers need to more critically reflect on how and why they are employing this method. At present, some of the decisions made by researchers who have conducted work in this area are not justified with a rationale. It is our intention that this review will serve as guidance for researchers and practitioners, and editors and reviewers of journals when attempting to assess the quality of this type of work.

Digital storytelling as a method in health research: a systematic review protocol.

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Rieger, Kendra L; West, Christina H; Kenny, Amanda; Chooniedass, Rishma; Demczuk, Lisa; Mitchell, Kim M; Chateau, Joanne; Scott, Shannon D

2018-03-05

Digital storytelling is an arts-based research method with potential to elucidate complex narratives in a compelling manner, increase participant engagement, and enhance the meaning of research findings. This method involves the creation of a 3- to 5-min video that integrates multimedia materials including photos, participant voices, drawings, and music. Given the significant potential of digital storytelling to meaningfully capture and share participants' lived experiences, a systematic review of its use in healthcare research is crucial to develop an in-depth understanding of how researchers have used this method, with an aim to refine and further inform future iterations of its use. We aim to identify and synthesize evidence on the use, impact, and ethical considerations of using digital storytelling in health research. The review questions are as follows: (1) What is known about the purpose, definition, use (processes), and contexts of digital storytelling as part of the research process in health research? (2) What impact does digital storytelling have upon the research process, knowledge development, and healthcare practice? (3) What are the key ethical considerations when using digital storytelling within qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research studies? Key databases and the grey literature will be searched from 1990 to the present for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies that utilized digital storytelling as part of the research process. Two independent reviewers will screen and critically appraise relevant articles with established quality appraisal tools. We will extract narrative data from all studies with a standardized data extraction form and conduct a thematic analysis of the data. To facilitate innovative dissemination through social media, we will develop a visual infographic and three digital stories to illustrate the review findings, as well as methodological and ethical implications. In collaboration with national

Using grounded theory as a method for rigorously reviewing literature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolfswinkel, J.; Furtmueller-Ettinger, Elfriede; Wilderom, Celeste P.M.

2013-01-01

This paper offers guidance to conducting a rigorous literature review. We present this in the form of a five-stage process in which we use Grounded Theory as a method. We first probe the guidelines explicated by Webster and Watson, and then we show the added value of Grounded Theory for rigorously

Critical review of methods for risk ranking of food-related hazards, based on risks for human health.

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Van der Fels-Klerx, H J; Van Asselt, E D; Raley, M; Poulsen, M; Korsgaard, H; Bredsdorff, L; Nauta, M; D'agostino, M; Coles, D; Marvin, H J P; Frewer, L J

2018-01-22

This study aimed to critically review methods for ranking risks related to food safety and dietary hazards on the basis of their anticipated human health impacts. A literature review was performed to identify and characterize methods for risk ranking from the fields of food, environmental science and socio-economic sciences. The review used a predefined search protocol, and covered the bibliographic databases Scopus, CAB Abstracts, Web of Sciences, and PubMed over the period 1993-2013. All references deemed relevant, on the basis of predefined evaluation criteria, were included in the review, and the risk ranking method characterized. The methods were then clustered-based on their characteristics-into eleven method categories. These categories included: risk assessment, comparative risk assessment, risk ratio method, scoring method, cost of illness, health adjusted life years (HALY), multi-criteria decision analysis, risk matrix, flow charts/decision trees, stated preference techniques and expert synthesis. Method categories were described by their characteristics, weaknesses and strengths, data resources, and fields of applications. It was concluded there is no single best method for risk ranking. The method to be used should be selected on the basis of risk manager/assessor requirements, data availability, and the characteristics of the method. Recommendations for future use and application are provided.

Pain Management in the Emergency Department: a Review Article on Options and Methods

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Ali Abdolrazaghnejad

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Context: The aim of this review is to recognizing different methods of analgesia for emergency medicine physicians (EMPs allows them to have various pain relief methods to reduce pain and to be able to use it according to the patient’s condition and to improve the quality of their services. Evidence acquisition: In this review article, the search engines and scientific databases of Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane for emergency pain management methods were reviewed. Among the findings, high quality articles were eventually selected from 2000 to 2018, and after reviewing them, we have conducted a comprehensive comparison of the usual methods of pain control in the emergency department (ED.  Results: For better understanding, the results are reported in to separate subheadings including “Parenteral agents” and “Regional blocks”. Non-opioids analgesics such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs and acetaminophen are commonly used in the treatment of acute pain. However, the relief of acute moderate to severe pain usually requires opioid agents. Considering the side effects of systemic drugs and the restrictions on the use of analgesics, especially opioids, regional blocks of pain as part of a multimodal analgesic strategy can be helpful. Conclusion: This study was designed to investigate and identify the disadvantages and advantages of using each drug to be able to make the right choices in different clinical situations for patients while paying attention to the limitations of the use of these analgesic drugs.

Mixed-methods research in nursing - a critical review.

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Bressan, Valentina; Bagnasco, Annamaria; Aleo, Giuseppe; Timmins, Fiona; Barisone, Michela; Bianchi, Monica; Pellegrini, Ramona; Sasso, Loredana

2017-10-01

To review the use of mixed-methods research in nursing with a particular focus on the extent to which current practice informs nurse researchers. It also aimed to highlight gaps in current knowledge, understanding and reporting of this type of research. Mixed-methods research is becoming increasingly popular among nurses and healthcare professionals. Emergent findings from this type of research are very useful for nurses in practice. The combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods provides a scientific base for practice but also richness from the qualitative enquiry. However, at the same time mixed-methods research is underdeveloped. This study identified mixed-methods research papers and critically evaluated their usefulness for research practice. To support the analysis, we performed a two-stage search using CINAHL to find papers with titles that included the key term 'mixed method'. An analysis of studies that used mixed-methods research revealed some inconsistencies in application and reporting. Attempts to use two distinct research methods in these studies often meant that one or both aspects had limitations. Overall methods were applied in a less rigorous way. This has implications for providing somewhat limited direction for novice researchers. There is also potential for application of evidence in healthcare practice that limited validity. This study highlights current gaps in knowledge, understanding and reporting of mixed-methods research. While these methods are useful to gain insight into clinical problems nurses lack guidance with this type of research. This study revealed that the guidance provided by current mixed-methods research is inconsistent and incomplete and this compounds the lack of available direction. There is an urgent need to develop robust guidelines for using mixed-methods research so that findings may be critically implemented in practice. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Review of the Strain Modulation Methods Used in Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

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Kuo Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Fiber Bragg grating (FBG is inherently sensitive to temperature and strain. By modulating FBG’s strain, various FBG sensors have been developed, such as sensors with enhanced or reduced temperature sensitivity, strain/displacement sensors, inclinometers, accelerometers, pressure meters, and magnetic field meters. This paper reviews the strain modulation methods used in these FBG sensors and categorizes them according to whether the strain of an FBG is changed evenly. Then, those even-strain-change methods are subcategorized into (1 attaching/embedding an FBG throughout to a base and (2 fixing the two ends of an FBG and (2.1 changing the distance between the two ends or (2.2 bending the FBG by applying a transverse force at the middle of the FBG. This review shows that the methods of “fixing the two ends” are prominent because of the advantages of large tunability and frequency modulation.

Review. Supporting problem structuring with computer-based tools in participatory forest planning

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T. Hujala

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Aim of study: This review presents the state-of-art of using computerized techniques for problem structuring (PS in participatory forest planning. Frequency and modes of using different computerized tool types and their contribution for planning processes as well as critical observations are described, followed by recommendations on how to better integrate PS with the use of forest decision support systems.Area of study: The reviewed research cases are from Asia, Europe, North-America, Africa and Australia.Materials and methods: Via Scopus search and screening of abstracts, 32 research articles from years 2002–2011 were selected for review. Explicit and implicit evidence of using computerized tools for PS was recorded and assessed with content-driven qualitative analysis.Main results: GIS and forest-specific simulation tools were the most prevalent software types whereas cognitive modelling software and spreadsheet and calculation tools were less frequently used, followed by multi-criteria and interactive tools. The typical use type was to provide outputs of simulation–optimization or spatial analysis to negotiation situations or to compile summaries or illustrations afterwards; using software during group negotiation to foster interaction was observed only in a few cases.Research highlights: Expertise in both decision support systems and group learning is needed to better integrate PS and computerized decision analysis. From the knowledge management perspective, it is recommended to consider how the results of PS – e.g. conceptual models – could be stored into a problem perception database, and how PS and decision making could be streamlined by retrievals from such systems.Keywords: facilitated modeling; group negotiation; knowledge management; natural resource management; PSM; soft OR; stakeholders.

Business Process Design Of An Efficient And Effective Literature Review

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Sayuthi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this articleis to design business processesan organization efficiently and effectively. Based on our literature review the design of business processes that is best suitable for an organization belongs to Harrington 1992 namely the concept of Business Process Improvement BPI which is a systematic framework that helps organizations in making significant progress in the implementation of business processes. BPI provides a system that will simplify or streamline business processes to provide an assurance that the internal and external customers of the organization will get a better output. One advantage of BPI concept suggested by Harrington is the continuous improvement whereas the other authorsor experts of BPI have not recognize the idea of continuous improvement. With thisidea the products services offered by organization becomes more innovative.

Searching for rigour in the reporting of mixed methods population health research: a methodological review.

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Brown, K M; Elliott, S J; Leatherdale, S T; Robertson-Wilson, J

2015-12-01

The environments in which population health interventions occur shape both their implementation and outcomes. Hence, when evaluating these interventions, we must explore both intervention content and context. Mixed methods (integrating quantitative and qualitative methods) provide this opportunity. However, although criteria exist for establishing rigour in quantitative and qualitative research, there is poor consensus regarding rigour in mixed methods. Using the empirical example of school-based obesity interventions, this methodological review examined how mixed methods have been used and reported, and how rigour has been addressed. Twenty-three peer-reviewed mixed methods studies were identified through a systematic search of five databases and appraised using the guidelines for Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study. In general, more detailed description of data collection and analysis, integration, inferences and justifying the use of mixed methods is needed. Additionally, improved reporting of methodological rigour is required. This review calls for increased discussion of practical techniques for establishing rigour in mixed methods research, beyond those for quantitative and qualitative criteria individually. A guide for reporting mixed methods research in population health should be developed to improve the reporting quality of mixed methods studies. Through improved reporting, mixed methods can provide strong evidence to inform policy and practice. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gallic Acid: Review of the Methods of Determination and Quantification.

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Fernandes, Felipe Hugo Alencar; Salgado, Hérida Regina Nunes

2016-05-03

Gallic acid (3,4,5 trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a secondary metabolite present in most plants. This metabolite is known to exhibit a range of bioactivities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. There are various methods to analyze gallic acid including spectrometry, chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis, among others. They have been developed to identify and quantify this active ingredient in most biological matrices. The aim of this article is to review the available information on analytical methods for gallic acid, as well as presenting the advantages and limitations of each technique.

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan for Corrective Action Unit 484: Surface Debris, Waste Sites, and Burn Area, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bechel Nevada

2004-01-01

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration plan details the activities necessary to close Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 484: Surface Debris, Waste Sites, and Burn Area (Tonopah Test Range). CAU 484 consists of sites located at the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, and is currently listed in Appendix III of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. CAU 484 consists of the following six Corrective Action Sites: (1) CAS RG-52-007-TAML, Davis Gun Penetrator Test; (2) CAS TA-52-001-TANL, NEDS Detonation Area; (3) CAS TA-52-004-TAAL, Metal Particle Dispersion Test; (4) CAS TA-52-005-TAAL, Joint Test Assembly DU Sites; (5) CAS TA-52-006-TAPL, Depleted Uranium Site; and (6) CAS TA-54-001-TANL, Containment Tank and Steel Structure

Review of Calibration Methods for Scheimpflug Camera

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Cong Sun

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Scheimpflug camera offers a wide range of applications in the field of typical close-range photogrammetry, particle image velocity, and digital image correlation due to the fact that the depth-of-view of Scheimpflug camera can be greatly extended according to the Scheimpflug condition. Yet, the conventional calibration methods are not applicable in this case because the assumptions used by classical calibration methodologies are not valid anymore for cameras undergoing Scheimpflug condition. Therefore, various methods have been investigated to solve the problem over the last few years. However, no comprehensive review exists that provides an insight into recent calibration methods of Scheimpflug cameras. This paper presents a survey of recent calibration methods of Scheimpflug cameras with perspective lens, including the general nonparametric imaging model, and analyzes in detail the advantages and drawbacks of the mainstream calibration models with respect to each other. Real data experiments including calibrations, reconstructions, and measurements are performed to assess the performance of the models. The results reveal that the accuracies of the RMM, PLVM, PCIM, and GNIM are basically equal, while the accuracy of GNIM is slightly lower compared with the other three parametric models. Moreover, the experimental results reveal that the parameters of the tangential distortion are likely coupled with the tilt angle of the sensor in Scheimpflug calibration models. The work of this paper lays the foundation of further research of Scheimpflug cameras.

Introducing PALETTE: an iterative method for conducting a literature search for a review in palliative care.

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Zwakman, Marieke; Verberne, Lisa M; Kars, Marijke C; Hooft, Lotty; van Delden, Johannes J M; Spijker, René

2018-06-02

In the rapidly developing specialty of palliative care, literature reviews have become increasingly important to inform and improve the field. When applying widely used methods for literature reviews developed for intervention studies onto palliative care, challenges are encountered such as the heterogeneity of palliative care in practice (wide range of domains in patient characteristics, stages of illness and stakeholders), the explorative character of review questions, and the poorly defined keywords and concepts. To overcome the challenges and to provide guidance for researchers to conduct a literature search for a review in palliative care, Palliative cAre Literature rEview iTeraTive mEthod (PALLETE), a pragmatic framework, was developed. We assessed PALETTE with a detailed description. PALETTE consists of four phases; developing the review question, building the search strategy, validating the search strategy and performing the search. The framework incorporates different information retrieval techniques: contacting experts, pearl growing, citation tracking and Boolean searching in a transparent way to maximize the retrieval of literature relevant to the topic of interest. The different components and techniques are repeated until no new articles are qualified for inclusion. The phases within PALETTE are interconnected by a recurrent process of validation on 'golden bullets' (articles that undoubtedly should be part of the review), citation tracking and concept terminology reflecting the review question. To give insight in the value of PALETTE, we compared PALETTE with the recommended search method for reviews of intervention studies. By using PALETTE on two palliative care literature reviews, we were able to improve our review questions and search strategies. Moreover, in comparison with the recommended search for intervention reviews, the number of articles needed to be screened was decreased whereas more relevant articles were retrieved. Overall, PALETTE

Applying systems ergonomics methods in sport: A systematic review.

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Hulme, Adam; Thompson, Jason; Plant, Katherine L; Read, Gemma J M; Mclean, Scott; Clacy, Amanda; Salmon, Paul M

2018-04-16

As sports systems become increasingly more complex, competitive, and technology-centric, there is a greater need for systems ergonomics methods to consider the performance, health, and safety of athletes in context with the wider settings in which they operate. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to identify and critically evaluate studies which have applied a systems ergonomics research approach in the context of sports performance and injury management. Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for the dates 01 January 1990 to 01 August 2017, inclusive, for original peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers. Reported analyses were underpinned by a recognised systems ergonomics method, and study aims were related to the optimisation of sports performance (e.g. communication, playing style, technique, tactics, or equipment), and/or the management of sports injury (i.e. identification, prevention, or treatment). A total of seven articles were identified. Two articles were focussed on understanding and optimising sports performance, whereas five examined sports injury management. The methods used were the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork, Cognitive Work Analysis (the Work Domain Analysis Abstraction Hierarchy), Rasmussen's Risk Management Framework, and the Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes method. The individual sport application was distance running, whereas the team sports contexts examined were cycling, football, Australian Football League, and rugby union. The included systems ergonomics applications were highly flexible, covering both amateur and elite sports contexts. The studies were rated as valuable, providing descriptions of injury controls and causation, the factors influencing injury management, the allocation of responsibilities for injury prevention, as well as the factors and their interactions underpinning sports performance. Implications and future

Availability and performance of image/video-based vital signs monitoring methods: a systematic review protocol

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Mirae Harford

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background For many vital signs, monitoring methods require contact with the patient and/or are invasive in nature. There is increasing interest in developing still and video image-guided monitoring methods that are non-contact and non-invasive. We will undertake a systematic review of still and video image-based monitoring methods. Methods We will perform searches in multiple databases which include MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane library, IEEE Xplore and ACM Digital Library. We will use OpenGrey and Google searches to access unpublished or commercial data. We will not use language or publication date restrictions. The primary goal is to summarise current image-based vital signs monitoring methods, limited to heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturations and blood pressure. Of particular interest will be the effectiveness of image-based methods compared to reference devices. Other outcomes of interest include the quality of the method comparison studies with respect to published reporting guidelines, any limitations of non-contact non-invasive technology and application in different populations. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of image-based non-contact methods of vital signs monitoring. Synthesis of currently available technology will facilitate future research in this highly topical area. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42016029167

Review of quantum Monte Carlo methods and results for Coulombic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceperley, D.

1983-01-01

The various Monte Carlo methods for calculating ground state energies are briefly reviewed. Then a summary of the charged systems that have been studied with Monte Carlo is given. These include the electron gas, small molecules, a metal slab and many-body hydrogen

Qualitative Evaluation Methods in Ethics Education: A Systematic Review and Analysis of Best Practices.

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Watts, Logan L; Todd, E Michelle; Mulhearn, Tyler J; Medeiros, Kelsey E; Mumford, Michael D; Connelly, Shane

2017-01-01

Although qualitative research offers some unique advantages over quantitative research, qualitative methods are rarely employed in the evaluation of ethics education programs and are often criticized for a lack of rigor. This systematic review investigated the use of qualitative methods in studies of ethics education. Following a review of the literature in which 24 studies were identified, each study was coded based on 16 best practices characteristics in qualitative research. General thematic analysis and grounded theory were found to be the dominant approaches used. Researchers are effectively executing a number of best practices, such as using direct data sources, structured data collection instruments, non-leading questioning, and expert raters. However, other best practices were rarely present in the courses reviewed, such as collecting data using multiple sources, methods, raters, and timepoints, evaluating reliability, and employing triangulation analyses to assess convergence. Recommendations are presented for improving future qualitative research studies in ethics education.

Reliability and validity of non-radiographic methods of thoracic kyphosis measurement: a systematic review.

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Barrett, Eva; McCreesh, Karen; Lewis, Jeremy

2014-02-01

A wide array of instruments are available for non-invasive thoracic kyphosis measurement. Guidelines for selecting outcome measures for use in clinical and research practice recommend that properties such as validity and reliability are considered. This systematic review reports on the reliability and validity of non-invasive methods for measuring thoracic kyphosis. A systematic search of 11 electronic databases located studies assessing reliability and/or validity of non-invasive thoracic kyphosis measurement techniques. Two independent reviewers used a critical appraisal tool to assess the quality of retrieved studies. Data was extracted by the primary reviewer. The results were synthesized qualitatively using a level of evidence approach. 27 studies satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The reliability, validity and both reliability and validity were investigated by sixteen, two and nine studies respectively. 17/27 studies were deemed to be of high quality. In total, 15 methods of thoracic kyphosis were evaluated in retrieved studies. All investigated methods showed high (ICC ≥ .7) to very high (ICC ≥ .9) levels of reliability. The validity of the methods ranged from low to very high. The strongest levels of evidence for reliability exists in support of the Debrunner kyphometer, Spinal Mouse and Flexicurve index, and for validity supports the arcometer and Flexicurve index. Further reliability and validity studies are required to strengthen the level of evidence for the remaining methods of measurement. This should be addressed by future research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A review of zinc oxide mineral beneficiation using flotation method.

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Ejtemaei, Majid; Gharabaghi, Mahdi; Irannajad, Mehdi

2014-04-01

In recent years, extraction of zinc from low-grade mining tailings of oxidized zinc has been a matter of discussion. This is a material which can be processed by flotation and acid-leaching methods. Owing to the similarities in the physicochemical and surface chemistry of the constituent minerals, separation of zinc oxide minerals from their gangues by flotation is an extremely complex process. It appears that selective leaching is a promising method for the beneficiation of this type of ore. However, with the high consumption of leaching acid, the treatment of low-grade oxidized zinc ores by hydrometallurgical methods is expensive and complex. Hence, it is best to pre-concentrate low-grade oxidized zinc by flotation and then to employ hydrometallurgical methods. This paper presents a critical review on the zinc oxide mineral flotation technique. In this paper, the various flotation methods of zinc oxide minerals which have been proposed in the literature have been detailed with the aim of identifying the important factors involved in the flotation process. The various aspects of recovery of zinc from these minerals are also dealt with here. The literature indicates that the collector type, sulfidizing agent, pH regulator, depressants and dispersants types, temperature, solid pulp concentration, and desliming are important parameters in the process. The range and optimum values of these parameters, as also the adsorption mechanism, together with the resultant flotation of the zinc oxide minerals reported in the literature are summarized and highlighted in the paper. This review presents a comprehensive scientific guide to the effectiveness of flotation strategy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Review on Microdialysis Calibration Methods: the Theory and Current Related Efforts.

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Kho, Chun Min; Enche Ab Rahim, Siti Kartini; Ahmad, Zainal Arifin; Abdullah, Norazharuddin Shah

2017-07-01

Microdialysis is a sampling technique first introduced in the late 1950s. Although this technique was originally designed to study endogenous compounds in animal brain, it is later modified to be used in other organs. Additionally, microdialysis is not only able to collect unbound concentration of compounds from tissue sites; this technique can also be used to deliver exogenous compounds to a designated area. Due to its versatility, microdialysis technique is widely employed in a number of areas, including biomedical research. However, for most in vivo studies, the concentration of substance obtained directly from the microdialysis technique does not accurately describe the concentration of the substance on-site. In order to relate the results collected from microdialysis to the actual in vivo condition, a calibration method is required. To date, various microdialysis calibration methods have been reported, with each method being capable to provide valuable insights of the technique itself and its applications. This paper aims to provide a critical review on various calibration methods used in microdialysis applications, inclusive of a detailed description of the microdialysis technique itself to start with. It is expected that this article shall review in detail, the various calibration methods employed, present examples of work related to each calibration method including clinical efforts, plus the advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods.

Inertial sensor-based methods in walking speed estimation: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shuozhi; Li, Qingguo

2012-01-01

Self-selected walking speed is an important measure of ambulation ability used in various clinical gait experiments. Inertial sensors, i.e., accelerometers and gyroscopes, have been gradually introduced to estimate walking speed. This research area has attracted a lot of attention for the past two decades, and the trend is continuing due to the improvement of performance and decrease in cost of the miniature inertial sensors. With the intention of understanding the state of the art of current development in this area, a systematic review on the exiting methods was done in the following electronic engines/databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, SportDiscus and IEEE Xplore. Sixteen journal articles and papers in proceedings focusing on inertial sensor based walking speed estimation were fully reviewed. The existing methods were categorized by sensor specification, sensor attachment location, experimental design, and walking speed estimation algorithm.

Inertial Sensor-Based Methods in Walking Speed Estimation: A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qingguo Li

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Self-selected walking speed is an important measure of ambulation ability used in various clinical gait experiments. Inertial sensors, i.e., accelerometers and gyroscopes, have been gradually introduced to estimate walking speed. This research area has attracted a lot of attention for the past two decades, and the trend is continuing due to the improvement of performance and decrease in cost of the miniature inertial sensors. With the intention of understanding the state of the art of current development in this area, a systematic review on the exiting methods was done in the following electronic engines/databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, SportDiscus and IEEE Xplore. Sixteen journal articles and papers in proceedings focusing on inertial sensor based walking speed estimation were fully reviewed. The existing methods were categorized by sensor specification, sensor attachment location, experimental design, and walking speed estimation algorithm.

A Review on Methods of Risk Adjustment and their Use in Integrated Healthcare Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Juhnke, Christin; Bethge, Susanne

2016-01-01

Introduction: Effective risk adjustment is an aspect that is more and more given weight on the background of competitive health insurance systems and vital healthcare systems. The objective of this review was to obtain an overview of existing models of risk adjustment as well as on crucial weights in risk adjustment. Moreover, the predictive performance of selected methods in international healthcare systems should be analysed. Theory and methods: A comprehensive, systematic literature review on methods of risk adjustment was conducted in terms of an encompassing, interdisciplinary examination of the related disciplines. Results: In general, several distinctions can be made: in terms of risk horizons, in terms of risk factors or in terms of the combination of indicators included. Within these, another differentiation by three levels seems reasonable: methods based on mortality risks, methods based on morbidity risks as well as those based on information on (self-reported) health status. Conclusions and discussion: After the final examination of different methods of risk adjustment it was shown that the methodology used to adjust risks varies. The models differ greatly in terms of their included morbidity indicators. The findings of this review can be used in the evaluation of integrated healthcare delivery systems and can be integrated into quality- and patient-oriented reimbursement of care providers in the design of healthcare contracts. PMID:28316544

Review on pen-and-paper-based observational methods for assessing ergonomic risk factors of computer work.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Mohd Nasrull Abdol; Mohamad, Siti Shafika

2017-01-01

Computer works are associated with Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). There are several methods have been developed to assess computer work risk factor related to MSDs. This review aims to give an overview of current techniques available for pen-and-paper-based observational methods in assessing ergonomic risk factors of computer work. We searched an electronic database for materials from 1992 until 2015. The selected methods were focused on computer work, pen-and-paper observational methods, office risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders. This review was developed to assess the risk factors, reliability and validity of pen-and-paper observational method associated with computer work. Two evaluators independently carried out this review. Seven observational methods used to assess exposure to office risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders were identified. The risk factors involved in current techniques of pen and paper based observational tools were postures, office components, force and repetition. From the seven methods, only five methods had been tested for reliability. They were proven to be reliable and were rated as moderate to good. For the validity testing, from seven methods only four methods were tested and the results are moderate. Many observational tools already exist, but no single tool appears to cover all of the risk factors including working posture, office component, force, repetition and office environment at office workstations and computer work. Although the most important factor in developing tool is proper validation of exposure assessment techniques, the existing observational method did not test reliability and validity. Futhermore, this review could provide the researchers with ways on how to improve the pen-and-paper-based observational method for assessing ergonomic risk factors of computer work.

A Review of Design Optimization Methods for Electrical Machines

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Gang Lei

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Electrical machines are the hearts of many appliances, industrial equipment and systems. In the context of global sustainability, they must fulfill various requirements, not only physically and technologically but also environmentally. Therefore, their design optimization process becomes more and more complex as more engineering disciplines/domains and constraints are involved, such as electromagnetics, structural mechanics and heat transfer. This paper aims to present a review of the design optimization methods for electrical machines, including design analysis methods and models, optimization models, algorithms and methods/strategies. Several efficient optimization methods/strategies are highlighted with comments, including surrogate-model based and multi-level optimization methods. In addition, two promising and challenging topics in both academic and industrial communities are discussed, and two novel optimization methods are introduced for advanced design optimization of electrical machines. First, a system-level design optimization method is introduced for the development of advanced electric drive systems. Second, a robust design optimization method based on the design for six-sigma technique is introduced for high-quality manufacturing of electrical machines in production. Meanwhile, a proposal is presented for the development of a robust design optimization service based on industrial big data and cloud computing services. Finally, five future directions are proposed, including smart design optimization method for future intelligent design and production of electrical machines.

Using logic model methods in systematic review synthesis: describing complex pathways in referral management interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Baxter, Susan K; Blank, Lindsay; Woods, Helen Buckley; Payne, Nick; Rimmer, Melanie; Goyder, Elizabeth

2014-05-10

There is increasing interest in innovative methods to carry out systematic reviews of complex interventions. Theory-based approaches, such as logic models, have been suggested as a means of providing additional insights beyond that obtained via conventional review methods. This paper reports the use of an innovative method which combines systematic review processes with logic model techniques to synthesise a broad range of literature. The potential value of the model produced was explored with stakeholders. The review identified 295 papers that met the inclusion criteria. The papers consisted of 141 intervention studies and 154 non-intervention quantitative and qualitative articles. A logic model was systematically built from these studies. The model outlines interventions, short term outcomes, moderating and mediating factors and long term demand management outcomes and impacts. Interventions were grouped into typologies of practitioner education, process change, system change, and patient intervention. Short-term outcomes identified that may result from these interventions were changed physician or patient knowledge, beliefs or attitudes and also interventions related to changed doctor-patient interaction. A range of factors which may influence whether these outcomes lead to long term change were detailed. Demand management outcomes and intended impacts included content of referral, rate of referral, and doctor or patient satisfaction. The logic model details evidence and assumptions underpinning the complex pathway from interventions to demand management impact. The method offers a useful addition to systematic review methodologies. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42013004037.

The effects of the Pilates method in the elderly: a systematic review

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Patrícia Becker Engers

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Several studies show the benefits of including muscle strength and aerobic physical activity in the routine of elderly people. Among the various possibilities of physical activity, the Pilates method has become a popular modality in recent years, through a system of exercises enabling to work the whole body and that corrects posture and realigns the muscles, developing the body stability needed for a healthier life. The aim of this study was to review the current evidence on the effects of the practice of the Pilates method in the elderly. A systematic literature review was conducted in the following electronic databases: Pubmed, Scielo, Lilacs/Bireme, Scopus, Pedro and Isi of Knowledge, from descriptors pilates, elderly, old adults, aging. In the selection of studies the following inclusion criteria were used: original articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish languages. All selection and evaluation processes of the articles were performed by peers and the quality was verified by the Downs and Black scale. Twenty-one studies were included. The year of publication ranged from 2003 to 2014 and the size of the sample varied from 8 to 311 elderly subjects, aged at least 60 years old. The intervention period was from 4 weeks to 12 months of Pilates exercise practice. It was concluded that despite the studies pointing to physical and motor benefits of the Pilates method in the elderly, we cannot state whether or not the method is effective, in view of the poor methodological quality of the studies included in this review.

Mass conservative fluid flow visualization for CFD velocity fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zhenquan; Mallinson, Gordon D.

2001-01-01

Mass conservation is a key issue for accurate streamline and stream surface visualization of flow fields. This paper complements an existing method (Feng et al., 1997) for CFD velocity fields defined at discrete locations in space that uses dual stream functions to generate streamlines and stream surfaces. Conditions for using the method have been examined and its limitations defined. A complete set of dual stream functions for all possible cases of the linear fields on which the method relies are presented. The results in this paper are important for developing new methods for mass conservative streamline visualization from CFD data and using the existing method

Methods for artifact detection and removal from scalp EEG: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Kafiul; Rastegarnia, Amir; Yang, Zhi

2016-11-01

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the most popular brain activity recording technique used in wide range of applications. One of the commonly faced problems in EEG recordings is the presence of artifacts that come from sources other than brain and contaminate the acquired signals significantly. Therefore, much research over the past 15 years has focused on identifying ways for handling such artifacts in the preprocessing stage. However, this is still an active area of research as no single existing artifact detection/removal method is complete or universal. This article presents an extensive review of the existing state-of-the-art artifact detection and removal methods from scalp EEG for all potential EEG-based applications and analyses the pros and cons of each method. First, a general overview of the different artifact types that are found in scalp EEG and their effect on particular applications are presented. In addition, the methods are compared based on their ability to remove certain types of artifacts and their suitability in relevant applications (only functional comparison is provided not performance evaluation of methods). Finally, the future direction and expected challenges of current research is discussed. Therefore, this review is expected to be helpful for interested researchers who will develop and/or apply artifact handling algorithm/technique in future for their applications as well as for those willing to improve the existing algorithms or propose a new solution in this particular area of research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Ascertaining year of birth/age at death in forensic cases: A review of conventional methods and methods allowing for absolute chronology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynnerup, Niels; Kjeldsen, H; Zweihoff, R

2010-01-01

Based on an actual case, where we were able to ascertain the year of birth of three dead babies found in a deep-freezer to within 1–2 years (1986, 1988 and 2004, respectively), we review the current state of forensic age determination/year of birth determination. The age of an individual (year...... of birth) is often a fundamental piece of data in connection with forensic identification of unidentified bodies. The methods most often used are based on determining various morphological, age-related, changes on the skeleton (or teeth, although odontological methods are not reviewed in this paper...

A review of cyber security risk assessment methods for SCADA systems

OpenAIRE

Cherdantseva, Yulia; Burnap, Peter; Blyth, Andrew; Eden, Peter; Jones, Kevin; Soulsby, Hugh; Stoddart, Kristan

2016-01-01

This paper reviews the state of the art in cyber security risk assessment of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. We select and in-detail examine twenty-four risk assessment methods developed for or applied in the context of a SCADA system. We describe the essence of the methods and then analyse them in terms of aim; application domain; the stages of risk management addressed; key risk management concepts covered; impact measurement; sources of probabilistic data; evaluat...

Analytical Review of Data Visualization Methods in Application to Big Data

OpenAIRE

Gorodov, Evgeniy Yur’evich; Gubarev, Vasiliy Vasil’evich

2013-01-01

This paper describes the term Big Data in aspects of data representation and visualization. There are some specific problems in Big Data visualization, so there are definitions for these problems and a set of approaches to avoid them. Also, we make a review of existing methods for data visualization in application to Big Data and taking into account the described problems. Summarizing the result, we have provided a classification of visualization methods in application to Big Data.

THE CURRENT METHODS FOR MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS OF FISH DISEASES (REVIEW

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O. Zaloilo

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The methods of molecular diagnostic (MMD gradually become widespread in modern fish farming. MMD contain a wide variety of specific approaches, each of which has distinct limits of their possible applications and is characterized by individual peculiarities in practical performance. In addition to high sensitivity and the possibility of rapid diagnostics, the main advantage of molecular methods is to determine the uncultivated infectious agents. DNA amplification allows identifying pathogenic microorganisms at very small quantities even in the minimum sample volume. Molecular methods of diagnostic enable the determination of infection in latent or acute phases. These methods allow showing the differences between pathogens with similar antigenic structures. The current literature data on this subject usually show a methodology in the narrow context of the tasks or practical results obtained through such approaches. Thus, a synthesis of existing information on the mechanisms of action and the limits of the typical problems of basic methods of molecular diagnostics are an urgent task of fish breeding. In particular, the following description will more effectively choose one or several approaches to identify pathogens in fish. Findings. This paper reviews the basic molecular methods that are used in the world's aquaculture for diagnosis of various diseases in commercial fish species. Originality. This work is a generalization of data on the principles and mechanisms for the implementation of diagnostics based on modern molecular techniques. For each of the mentioned approaches, the most promising areas of application were shown. The information is provided in the form of a comparative analysis of each methodology, indicating positive and negative practical aspects. Practical value. The current review of modern methods of molecular diagnostic in aquaculture is focused on practical application. Generalizing and analytical information can be

A Review of Auditing Methods Applied to the Content of Controlled Biomedical Terminologies

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xinxin; Fan, Jung-Wei; Baorto, David M.; Weng, Chunhua; Cimino, James J.

2012-01-01

Although controlled biomedical terminologies have been with us for centuries, it is only in the last couple of decades that close attention has been paid to the quality of these terminologies. The result of this attention has been the development of auditing methods that apply formal methods to assessing whether terminologies are complete and accurate. We have performed an extensive literature review to identify published descriptions of these methods and have created a framework for characterizing them. The framework considers manual, systematic and heuristic methods that use knowledge (within or external to the terminology) to measure quality factors of different aspects of the terminology content (terms, semantic classification, and semantic relationships). The quality factors examined included concept orientation, consistency, non-redundancy, soundness and comprehensive coverage. We reviewed 130 studies that were retrieved based on keyword search on publications in PubMed, and present our assessment of how they fit into our framework. We also identify which terminologies have been audited with the methods and provide examples to illustrate each part of the framework. PMID:19285571

Virtual reality in assessment and treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review

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Mônica Macedo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective To conduct a systematic review about the use of virtual reality (VR for evaluation, treatment and/or rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia, focused on: areas, fields and objectives; methodological issues; features of the VR used; viability and efficiency of this resource. Methods Searches were performed about schizophrenia and virtual reality in PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Web of Science and Business Source Premier databases, using the following keywords: [“schizophrenia”] AND [“virtual reality” OR “serious game”] AND [“treatment” OR “therapy” OR “rehabilitation”]. The search was carried out between November 2013 and June 2014 without using any search limiters. Results A total of 101 papers were identified, and after the application of exclusion criteria, 33 papers remained. The studies analysed focused on the use of VR for the evaluation of cognitive, social, perceptual and sensory skills, and the vast majority were experimental studies, with virtual reality specifically created for them. All the reviewed papers point towards a reliable and safe use of VR for evaluating and treating cognitive and social deficits in patients with schizophrenia, with different results in terms of generalisation, motivation, assertiveness and task participation rate. Some problems were highlighted, such as its high cost and a constant need for software maintenance. Conclusion The studies show that using the virtual reality may streamline traditional evaluation/rehabilitation programmes, allowing to enhance the results achieved, both in the cognitive and in the social field, helping for the legitimisation of this population’s psycho-social inclusion.

Methods for Force Analysis of Overconstrained Parallel Mechanisms: A Review

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Liu, Wen-Lan; Xu, Yun-Dou; Yao, Jian-Tao; Zhao, Yong-Sheng

2017-11-01

The force analysis of overconstrained PMs is relatively complex and difficult, for which the methods have always been a research hotspot. However, few literatures analyze the characteristics and application scopes of the various methods, which is not convenient for researchers and engineers to master and adopt them properly. A review of the methods for force analysis of both passive and active overconstrained PMs is presented. The existing force analysis methods for these two kinds of overconstrained PMs are classified according to their main ideas. Each category is briefly demonstrated and evaluated from such aspects as the calculation amount, the comprehensiveness of considering limbs' deformation, and the existence of explicit expressions of the solutions, which provides an important reference for researchers and engineers to quickly find a suitable method. The similarities and differences between the statically indeterminate problem of passive overconstrained PMs and that of active overconstrained PMs are discussed, and a universal method for these two kinds of overconstrained PMs is pointed out. The existing deficiencies and development directions of the force analysis methods for overconstrained systems are indicated based on the overview.

Qualitative data analysis a methods sourcebook

CERN Document Server

Miles, Matthew B; Saldana, Johnny

2014-01-01

The Third Edition of Miles & Huberman's classic research methods text is updated and streamlined by Johnny SaldaNa, author of The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Several of the data display strategies from previous editions are now presented in re-envisioned and reorganized formats to enhance reader accessibility and comprehension. The Third Edition's presentation of the fundamentals of research design and data management is followed by five distinct methods of analysis: exploring, describing, ordering, explaining, and predicting. Miles and Huberman's original research studies are profiled and accompanied with new examples from SaldaNa's recent qualitative work. The book's most celebrated chapter, "Drawing and Verifying Conclusions," is retained and revised, and the chapter on report writing has been greatly expanded, and is now called "Writing About Qualitative Research." Comprehensive and authoritative, Qualitative Data Analysis has been elegantly revised for a new generation of qualitative r...

Review: Barbara Merril & Linden West (2009. Using Biographical Methods in Social Research

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Vanessa Garcia Diaz

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The return of the subject in the social sciences reflects growing interest in the study of subjectivity. This refers to opportunities for individuals to make meaning of their lives within the institutions of society. MERRIL and WEST’s text serves as a reference for using biographical methods, as well as a reflection on the methodological and ethical issues inherent in doing this type of research.  This review examines the relationship between the book's content and its formal characteristics (didactic style, writing style and its interdisciplinary nature. This review also focuses on the advantages that this textbook may offer if used in  qualitative research courses in general and, specifically, in courses dealing with biographical research methods. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1201104

A Review on Eigenstructure Assignment Methods and Orthogonal Eigenstructure Control of Structural Vibrations

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Mohammad Rastgaar

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of eigenstructure assignment methods for vibration cancellation. Eigenstructure assignment techniques have been widely used during the past three decades for vibration suppression in structures, especially in large space structures. These methods work similar to mode localization in which global vibrations are managed such that they remain localized within the structure. Such localization would help reducing vibrations more effectively than other methods of vibration cancellation, by virtue of confining the vibrations close to the source of disturbance. The common objective of different methods of eigenstructure assignment is to provide controller design freedom beyond pole placement, and define appropriate shapes for the eigenvectors of the systems. These methods; however, offer a large and complex design space of options that can often overwhelm the control designer. Recent developments in orthogonal eigenstructure control offers a significant simplification of the design task while allowing some experience-based design freedom. The majority of the papers from the past three decades in structural vibration cancellation using eigenstructure assignment methods are reviewed, along with recent studies that introduce new developments in eigenstructure assignment techniques.

Review of Electrical and Gravity Methods of Near-Surface Exploration for Groundwater

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W. O. Raji

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The theory and practice of electrical and gravity methods of geophysics for groundwater exploration was reviewed with illustrations and data examples. With the goal of reducing cases of borehole/water-well failure attributed to the lack of the knowledge of the methods of geophysics for groundwater exploration and development, the paper reviews the basic concepts, field procedures for data acquisition, data processing, and interpretation as applied to the subject matter. Given a case study of groundwater exploration in University of Ilorin Campus, the three important techniques of electrical method of groundwater exploration are explained and illustrated using field data obtained in a previous study. Interpretation of resistivity data shows that an area measuring low resistivity (high conductivity, having thick pile of unconsolidated rock, and underlained by fracture crystalline is a ‘bright spot’ for citing borehole for groundwater abstraction in a basement complex area. Further to this, gravity method of groundwater exploration was discussed with field data from Wokbedilo community in Ethopia. Bouguer and reduced gravity anomaly results were presented as maps and contours to demonstrate how gravity data can be inverted to map groundwater aquifers and subsurface geological structures during groundwater exploration.

Is Video-Based Education an Effective Method in Surgical Education? A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmet, Akgul; Gamze, Kus; Rustem, Mustafaoglu; Sezen, Karaborklu Argut

2018-02-12

Visual signs draw more attention during the learning process. Video is one of the most effective tool including a lot of visual cues. This systematic review set out to explore the influence of video in surgical education. We reviewed the current evidence for the video-based surgical education methods, discuss the advantages and disadvantages on the teaching of technical and nontechnical surgical skills. This systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines defined in the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement. The electronic databases: the Cochrane Library, Medline (PubMED), and ProQuest were searched from their inception to the 30 January 2016. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and keywords used were "video," "education," and "surgery." We analyzed all full-texts, randomised and nonrandomised clinical trials and observational studies including video-based education methods about any surgery. "Education" means a medical resident's or student's training and teaching process; not patients' education. We did not impose restrictions about language or publication date. A total of nine articles which met inclusion criteria were included. These trials enrolled 507 participants and the total number of participants per trial ranged from 10 to 172. Nearly all of the studies reviewed report significant knowledge gain from video-based education techniques. The findings of this systematic review provide fair to good quality studies to demonstrate significant gains in knowledge compared with traditional teaching. Additional video to simulator exercise or 3D animations has beneficial effects on training time, learning duration, acquisition of surgical skills, and trainee's satisfaction. Video-based education has potential for use in surgical education as trainees face significant barriers in their practice. This method is effective according to the recent literature. Video should be used in addition to standard techniques

Sentiment analysis system for movie review in Bahasa Indonesia using naive bayes classifier method

Science.gov (United States)

Nurdiansyah, Yanuar; Bukhori, Saiful; Hidayat, Rahmad

2018-04-01

There are many ways of implementing the use of sentiments often found in documents; one of which is the sentiments found on the product or service reviews. It is so important to be able to process and extract textual data from the documents. Therefore, we propose a system that is able to classify sentiments from review documents into two classes: positive sentiment and negative sentiment. We use Naive Bayes Classifier method in this document classification system that we build. We choose Movienthusiast, a movie reviews in Bahasa Indonesia website as the source of our review documents. From there, we were able to collect 1201 movie reviews: 783 positive reviews and 418 negative reviews that we use as the dataset for this machine learning classifier. The classifying accuracy yields an average of 88.37% from five times of accuracy measuring attempts using aforementioned dataset.

A mixed methods thematic review: Health-related decision-making by the older person.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Lindy; Harrington, Ann; Linedale, Ecushla; Tanner, Elizabeth

2018-04-01

To undertake a mixed methods thematic literature review that explored how elderly adults approached decision-making in regard to their health care following discharge. A critical time for appropriate health decisions occurs during hospital discharge planning with nursing staff. However, little is known how the 89% of elderly living at home make decisions regarding their health care. Research into older adults' management of chronic conditions emerges as an important step to potentially encourage symptom monitoring, prevent missed care and detect deterioration. All should reduce the risk of hospital re-admission. A mixed methods thematic literature review was undertaken. The structure followed the PRISMA reporting guidelines for systematic reviews recommended by the EQUATOR network. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Scopus online databases were searched using keywords, inclusion and exclusion criteria. References drawn from relevant publications, identified by experts and published between 1995 and 2017 were also considered. Twenty-five qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies and reviews were critically appraised (CASP 2013) before inclusion in the review. Analysis of each study's findings was undertaken using Braun and Clarke's (2006) steps to identify major themes and sub-themes. Four main themes associated with health-related decision-making in the elderly were identified: "the importance of maintaining independence," "decision making style," "management of conditions at home" and "discharge planning." Health care decision preferences in the elderly emerged as highly complex and influenced by multiple factors. Development of a tool to assess these components has been recommended. Nurses play a vital role in exploring and understanding the influence that maintaining independence has with each patient. This understanding provides an initial step toward development of a tool to assist collaboration between

Human reliability analysis of errors of commission: a review of methods and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reer, B

2007-06-15

Illustrated by specific examples relevant to contemporary probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), this report presents a review of human reliability analysis (HRA) addressing post initiator errors of commission (EOCs), i.e. inappropriate actions under abnormal operating conditions. The review addressed both methods and applications. Emerging HRA methods providing advanced features and explicit guidance suitable for PSA are: A Technique for Human Event Analysis (ATHEANA, key publications in 1998/2000), Methode d'Evaluation de la Realisation des Missions Operateur pour la Surete (MERMOS, 1998/2000), the EOC HRA method developed by the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS, 2003), the Misdiagnosis Tree Analysis (MDTA) method (2005/2006), the Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method (CREAM, 1998), and the Commission Errors Search and Assessment (CESA) method (2002/2004). As a result of a thorough investigation of various PSA/HRA applications, this paper furthermore presents an overview of EOCs (termination of safety injection, shutdown of secondary cooling, etc.) referred to in predictive studies and a qualitative review of cases of EOC quantification. The main conclusions of the review of both the methods and the EOC HRA cases are: (1) The CESA search scheme, which proceeds from possible operator actions to the affected systems to scenarios, may be preferable because this scheme provides a formalized way for identifying relatively important scenarios with EOC opportunities; (2) an EOC identification guidance like CESA, which is strongly based on the procedural guidance and important measures of systems or components affected by inappropriate actions, however should pay some attention to EOCs associated with familiar but non-procedural actions and EOCs leading to failures of manually initiated safety functions. (3) Orientations of advanced EOC quantification comprise a) modeling of multiple contexts for a given scenario, b) accounting for

Human reliability analysis of errors of commission: a review of methods and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reer, B.

2007-06-01

Illustrated by specific examples relevant to contemporary probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), this report presents a review of human reliability analysis (HRA) addressing post initiator errors of commission (EOCs), i.e. inappropriate actions under abnormal operating conditions. The review addressed both methods and applications. Emerging HRA methods providing advanced features and explicit guidance suitable for PSA are: A Technique for Human Event Analysis (ATHEANA, key publications in 1998/2000), Methode d'Evaluation de la Realisation des Missions Operateur pour la Surete (MERMOS, 1998/2000), the EOC HRA method developed by the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS, 2003), the Misdiagnosis Tree Analysis (MDTA) method (2005/2006), the Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method (CREAM, 1998), and the Commission Errors Search and Assessment (CESA) method (2002/2004). As a result of a thorough investigation of various PSA/HRA applications, this paper furthermore presents an overview of EOCs (termination of safety injection, shutdown of secondary cooling, etc.) referred to in predictive studies and a qualitative review of cases of EOC quantification. The main conclusions of the review of both the methods and the EOC HRA cases are: (1) The CESA search scheme, which proceeds from possible operator actions to the affected systems to scenarios, may be preferable because this scheme provides a formalized way for identifying relatively important scenarios with EOC opportunities; (2) an EOC identification guidance like CESA, which is strongly based on the procedural guidance and important measures of systems or components affected by inappropriate actions, however should pay some attention to EOCs associated with familiar but non-procedural actions and EOCs leading to failures of manually initiated safety functions. (3) Orientations of advanced EOC quantification comprise a) modeling of multiple contexts for a given scenario, b) accounting for

A review of methods of clinical image quality evaluation in mammography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yanpeng; Poulos, Ann; McLean, Donald; Rickard, Mary

2010-01-01

Purpose: Consistency in evaluation of mammography images in research and clinical practice is dependent on a standardised clinical image quality evaluation system. Currently two such systems are available-one developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the other by the European Commission (EU guidelines). The purpose of this study was to review mammography clinical evaluation methods in research studies and their adherence to these systems. Method: A total of 23 research articles were reviewed from the period 2000-2006, 11 of these studies used digital images. The focus of the review was the criteria and rating scales used. Results: Only 5 studies used either the ACR (3) or EU guidelines (2). The remainder included aspects of these systems together with a range of other criteria and rating scales. Variation was found in the categories of criteria used, number of criteria, the descriptors of the criteria and the instructions used to evaluate the criteria. Instructions were frequently not specific and open to individual interpretation. Although breast density is an important criterion of image quality and contributes to perception of breast lesions, inclusion of this criterion was not universal, and even when used the area of breast density to be evaluated was not identified, thus enhancing inter-observer variability. Scales that were absolute or relative were used for evaluation, all of which incorporated inconsistent numbers of steps. Conclusion: Low adherence to ACR and EU Guidelines has resulted in considerable variation in the evaluation methods used in research studies. The implications of this variability are considerable both for evaluation of image quality in research outcomes and clinical practice.

Review. Assessing uncertainty and risk in forest planning and decision support systems: review of classical methods and introduction of innovative approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasalodos-Tato, M.; Makinen, A.; Garcia-Gonzalez, J.; Borges, J. G.; Lamas, T.; Eriksson, L. O.

2013-09-01

Aim: Since forest planning is characterized by long time horizon and it typically involves large areas of land and numerous stake holders, uncertainty and risk should play an important role when developing forest management plans. The aim of this study is to review different methods to deal with risk and uncertainty in forest planning, listing problems that forest managers may face during the preparation of management plans and trying to give recommendations in regard to the application of each method according to the problem case. The inclusion of risk and uncertainty in decision support systems is also analyzed. Area: It covers the temporal and spatial scale of forest planning, the spatial context, the participation process, the objectives dimensions and the good and services addressed. Material and methods: Several hundreds of articles dealing with uncertainty and risk were identified regarding different forestry-related topics and approaches. Form them, around 170 articles were further reviewed, categorized and evaluated. Main results: The study presents a thorough review and classification of methods and approaches to consider risk and uncertainty in forest planning. Moreover, new approaches are introduced, showing the opportunities that their application presents in forest planning. Research highlights: The study can aid forest managers in the decision making process when designing a forest management plan considering risk and uncertainty. (Author)

Review. Assessing uncertainty and risk in forest planning and decision support systems: review of classical methods and introduction of new approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Pasalodos-Tato

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Aim: Since forest planning is characterized by long time horizon and it typically involves large areas of land and numerous stakeholders, uncertainty and risk should play an important role when developing forest management plans. The aim of this study is to review different methods to deal with risk and uncertainty in forest planning, listing problems that forest managers may face during the preparation of management plans and trying to give recommendations in regard to the application of each method according to the problem case. The inclusion of risk and uncertainty in decision support systems is also analyzed.Area: It covers the temporal and spatial scale of forest planning, the spatial context, the participation process, the objectives dimensions and the good and services addressed.Material and methods: Several hundreds of articles dealing with uncertainty and risk were identified regarding different forestry-related topics and approaches. Form them, around 170 articles were further reviewed, categorized and evaluated.Main results: The study presents a thorough review and classification of methods and approaches to consider risk and uncertainty in forest planning. Moreover, new approaches are introduced, showing the opportunities that their application present in forest planning.Research highlights: The study can aid forest managers in the decision making process when designing a forest management plan considering risk and uncertainty.Keywords: operations research; optimal alternative; stochastic risk; endogenous risk; stand level; forest level.

Review: Janice M. Morse & Linda Niehaus (2009). Mixed Method Design: Principles and Procedures

OpenAIRE

Öhlen, Joakim

2010-01-01

Mixed method design related to the use of a combination of methods, usually quantitative and qualitative, is increasingly used for the investigation of complex phenomena. This review discusses the book, "Mixed Method Design: Principles and Procedures," by Janice M. MORSE and Linda NIEHAUS. A distinctive feature of their approach is the consideration of mixed methods design out of a core and a supplemental component. In order to define these components they emphasize the overall conceptual dir...

Review: Optimization methods for groundwater modeling and management

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, William W.-G.

2015-09-01

Optimization methods have been used in groundwater modeling as well as for the planning and management of groundwater systems. This paper reviews and evaluates the various optimization methods that have been used for solving the inverse problem of parameter identification (estimation), experimental design, and groundwater planning and management. Various model selection criteria are discussed, as well as criteria used for model discrimination. The inverse problem of parameter identification concerns the optimal determination of model parameters using water-level observations. In general, the optimal experimental design seeks to find sampling strategies for the purpose of estimating the unknown model parameters. A typical objective of optimal conjunctive-use planning of surface water and groundwater is to minimize the operational costs of meeting water demand. The optimization methods include mathematical programming techniques such as linear programming, quadratic programming, dynamic programming, stochastic programming, nonlinear programming, and the global search algorithms such as genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, and tabu search. Emphasis is placed on groundwater flow problems as opposed to contaminant transport problems. A typical two-dimensional groundwater flow problem is used to explain the basic formulations and algorithms that have been used to solve the formulated optimization problems.

Methods of plant root exudates analysis: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Dundek

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this review is to summarise current knowledge on methods being used to determine individual compounds and properties of water-soluble plant root exudates. These compounds include amino acids, organic acids and simple sugars, as well as polysaccharides, proteins and organic substances. Qualitative composition of water-soluble root exudates and exudation rate are commonly measured with the aim of consequent synthetic preparation of plant root exudates to be supplied to soil to create artificial rhizosphere for different experimental purposes. Root exudates collection usually requires consequent filtration or centrifugation to remove solids, root detritus and microbial cell debris, and consequent concentration using an evaporator, lyophilizator or ultrafiltration. Methods used for analysis of total groups of compounds (total proteins and total carbohydrates and total organic carbon are simple. On the other hand, HPLC or GS/MS are commonly used to analyse individual low molecular weight organic molecules (sugars, organic acids and amino acids with separation using different columns. Other properties such as pH, conductivity or activity of different enzymes as well as gel electrophoresis of proteins are sometimes assessed. All of these methods are discussed in this work.

Combining Review Text Content and Reviewer-Item Rating Matrix to Predict Review Rating

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bingkun; Huang, Yongfeng; Li, Xing

2016-01-01

E-commerce develops rapidly. Learning and taking good advantage of the myriad reviews from online customers has become crucial to the success in this game, which calls for increasingly more accuracy in sentiment classification of these reviews. Therefore the finer-grained review rating prediction is preferred over the rough binary sentiment classification. There are mainly two types of method in current review rating prediction. One includes methods based on review text content which focus almost exclusively on textual content and seldom relate to those reviewers and items remarked in other relevant reviews. The other one contains methods based on collaborative filtering which extract information from previous records in the reviewer-item rating matrix, however, ignoring review textual content. Here we proposed a framework for review rating prediction which shows the effective combination of the two. Then we further proposed three specific methods under this framework. Experiments on two movie review datasets demonstrate that our review rating prediction framework has better performance than those previous methods. PMID:26880879

Combining Review Text Content and Reviewer-Item Rating Matrix to Predict Review Rating.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bingkun; Huang, Yongfeng; Li, Xing

2016-01-01

E-commerce develops rapidly. Learning and taking good advantage of the myriad reviews from online customers has become crucial to the success in this game, which calls for increasingly more accuracy in sentiment classification of these reviews. Therefore the finer-grained review rating prediction is preferred over the rough binary sentiment classification. There are mainly two types of method in current review rating prediction. One includes methods based on review text content which focus almost exclusively on textual content and seldom relate to those reviewers and items remarked in other relevant reviews. The other one contains methods based on collaborative filtering which extract information from previous records in the reviewer-item rating matrix, however, ignoring review textual content. Here we proposed a framework for review rating prediction which shows the effective combination of the two. Then we further proposed three specific methods under this framework. Experiments on two movie review datasets demonstrate that our review rating prediction framework has better performance than those previous methods.

Lagrange–Galerkin methods for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bermejo Rodolfo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We review in this paper the development of Lagrange-Galerkin (LG methods to integrate the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations (NSEs for engineering applications. These methods were introduced in the computational fluid dynamics community in the early eighties of the past century, and at that time they were considered good methods for both their theoretical stability properties and the way of dealing with the nonlinear terms of the equations; however, the numerical experience gained with the application of LG methods to different problems has identified drawbacks of them, such as the calculation of specific integrals that arise in their formulation and the calculation of the ow trajectories, which somehow have hampered the applicability of LG methods. In this paper, we focus on these issues and summarize the convergence results of LG methods; furthermore, we shall briefly introduce a new stabilized LG method suitable for high Reynolds numbers.

Analytical methods for determination of mycotoxins: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Nicholas W; Subrahmanyam, Sreenath; Piletsky, Sergey A

2009-01-26

Mycotoxins are small (MW approximately 700), toxic chemical products formed as secondary metabolites by a few fungal species that readily colonise crops and contaminate them with toxins in the field or after harvest. Ochratoxins and Aflatoxins are mycotoxins of major significance and hence there has been significant research on broad range of analytical and detection techniques that could be useful and practical. Due to the variety of structures of these toxins, it is impossible to use one standard technique for analysis and/or detection. Practical requirements for high-sensitivity analysis and the need for a specialist laboratory setting create challenges for routine analysis. Several existing analytical techniques, which offer flexible and broad-based methods of analysis and in some cases detection, have been discussed in this manuscript. There are a number of methods used, of which many are lab-based, but to our knowledge there seems to be no single technique that stands out above the rest, although analytical liquid chromatography, commonly linked with mass spectroscopy is likely to be popular. This review manuscript discusses (a) sample pre-treatment methods such as liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), solid phase extraction (SPE), (b) separation methods such as (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE) and (c) others such as ELISA. Further currents trends, advantages and disadvantages and future prospects of these methods have been discussed.

The Effect of Peer Review on Student Learning Outcomes in a Research Methods Course

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Jessica A.; Silva, Tony; Ceresola, Ryan

2015-01-01

In this study, we test the effect of in-class student peer review on student learning outcomes using a quasiexperimental design. We provide an assessment of peer review in a quantitative research methods course, which is a traditionally difficult and technical course. Data were collected from 170 students enrolled in four sections of a…

Spatial epidemiology of cancer: a review of data sources, methods and risk factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita Roquette

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Cancer is a major concern among chronic diseases today. Spatial epidemiology plays a relevant role in this matter and we present here a review of this subject, including a discussion of the literature in terms of the level of geographic data aggregation, risk factors and methods used to analyse the spatial distribution of patterns and spatial clusters. For this purpose, we performed a websearch in the Pubmed and Web of Science databases including studies published between 1979 and 2015. We found 180 papers from 63 journals and noted that spatial epidemiology of cancer has been addressed with more emphasis during the last decade with research based on data mostly extracted from cancer registries and official mortality statistics. In general, the research questions present in the reviewed papers can be classified into three different sets: i analysis of spatial distribution of cancer and/or its temporal evolution; ii risk factors; iii development of data analysis methods and/or evaluation of results obtained from application of existing methods. This review is expected to help promote research in this area through the identification of relevant knowledge gaps. Cancer’s spatial epidemiology represents an important concern, mainly for public health policies design aimed to minimise the impact of chronic disease in specific populations.

A Review on Different Virtual Learning Methods in Pharmacy Education

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Amin Noori

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Virtual learning is a type of electronic learning system based on the web. It models traditional in- person learning by providing virtual access to classes, tests, homework, feedbacks and etc. Students and teachers can interact through chat rooms or other virtual environments. Web 2.0 services are usually used for this method. Internet audio-visual tools, multimedia systems, a disco CD-ROMs, videotapes, animation, video conferencing, and interactive phones can all be used to deliver data to the students. E-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. It is time saving with lower costs compared to traditional methods. It can be self-paced, it is suitable for distance learning and it is flexible. It is a great learning style for continuing education and students can independently solve their problems but it has its disadvantages too. Thereby, blended learning (combination of conventional and virtual education is being used worldwide and has improved knowledge, skills and confidence of pharmacy students.The aim of this study is to review, discuss and introduce different methods of virtual learning for pharmacy students.Google scholar, Pubmed and Scupus databases were searched for topics related to virtual, electronic and blended learning and different styles like computer simulators, virtual practice environment technology, virtual mentor, virtual patient, 3D simulators, etc. are discussed in this article.Our review on different studies on these areas shows that the students are highly satisfied withvirtual and blended types of learning.

Review of literature on bioassay methods for estimating radionuclides in urine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, M.V.R.; Surya Narayana, D.S.; Jeevanram, R.K.; Sundarajan, A.R.

1991-01-01

Bioassay methods of certain important radionuclides encountered in the nuclear fuel cycle operations, viz., thorium, uranium, sup(239)Pu, sup(241)Am, sup(90)Sr, sup(99)Tc, sup(106)Ru, sup(137)Cs are reviewed, with special emphasis on urinalysis. Since the preconcentration is an important prerequisite for bioassay, various preconcentration methods are also discussed. Brief account of various instruments both nuclear and analytical used in the bioassay programme is included. The sensitivities of the methods cited in the literature vis-a-vis the derived recording levels indicated in ICRP recommendations are compared. Literature surveyed up to 1990 is tabulated. (author). 96 refs., 1 fig ., 3 tabs

One stop or full stop? The continuing challenges for researchers despite the new streamlined NHS research governance process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

France Emma F

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Obtaining the necessary approvals and permission for clinical research requires successful negotiation of the ethical and R&D layers of the NHS. Differences in structure and governance frameworks feature between the constituent nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which adds complexity to cross-national studies. Difficulties in carrying out research in the NHS in the UK due to bureaucratic and time-consuming governance processes have led to the development of a new system of application and co-ordination from 2009. This paper illustrates how this new system fails to be consistent and streamlined and is unlikely to become so unless changes are made to the implementation and management of the governance processes. Methods We present a case study of the research governance process at the survey stage of an investigation into the use, preferences and need for information by people making choices or decisions about health care. The method involved home-based, face-to-face interviewing in a questionnaire survey in relation to decisions about lymphoma treatment, Down's syndrome screening in pregnancy, and caring for people with dementia. Results Our experience of the ethics stage was very positive, noting an efficient process of application and a speedy decision, both in relation to the initial application and to subsequent substantial amendments. By contrast, the R&D stages were very slow, most with unexplained delays, but some offering contradictory advice and exhibiting a lack of clear guidance and training for NHS staff. The R&D arrangements in Scotland were far quicker and more likely to be successful than in England. Overall, the delays were so severe that substantial parts of the research could not be delivered as planned within the funding timescale. Conclusions If high-quality research in the NHS, particularly in England, is to be delivered in a timely and cost-effective way, R&D processes for

[Predictive methods versus clinical titration for the initiation of lithium therapy. A systematic review].

Science.gov (United States)

Geeraerts, I; Sienaert, P

2013-01-01

When lithium is administered, the clinician needs to know when the lithium in the patient’s blood has reached a therapeutic level. At the initiation of treatment the level is usually achieved gradually through the application of the titration method. In order to increase the efficacy of this procedure several methods for dosing lithium and for predicting lithium levels have been developed. To conduct a systematic review of the publications relating to the various methods for dosing lithium or predicting lithium levels at the initiation of therapy. We searched Medline systematically for articles published in English, French or Dutch between 1966 and April 2012 which described or studied a method for dosing lithium or for predicting the lithium level reached following a specific dosage. We screened the reference lists of relevant articles in order to locate additional papers. We found 38 lithium prediction methods, in addition to the clinical titration method. These methods can be divided into two categories: the ‘a priori’ methods and the ‘test-dose’ methods, the latter requiring the administration of a test dose of lithium. The lithium prediction methods generally achieve a therapeutic blood level faster than the clinical titration method, but none of the methods achieves convincing results. On the basis of our review, we propose that the titration method should be used as the standard method in clinical practice.

Methods uncovering usability issues in medication-related alerting functions: results from a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcilly, Romaric; Vasseur, Francis; Ammenwerth, Elske; Beuscart-Zephir, Marie-Catherine

2014-01-01

This paper aims at listing the methods used to evaluate the usability of medication-related alerting functions and at knowing what type of usability issues those methods allow to detect. A sub-analysis of data from this systematic review has been performed. Methods applied in the included papers were collected. Then, included papers were sorted in four types of evaluation: "expert evaluation", "user- testing/simulation", "on site observation" and "impact studies". The types of usability issues (usability flaws, usage problems and negative outcomes) uncovered by those evaluations were analyzed. Results show that a large set of methods are used. The largest proportion of papers uses "on site observation" evaluation. This is the only evaluation type for which every kind of usability flaws, usage problems and outcomes are detected. It is somehow surprising that, in a usability systematic review, most of the papers included use a method that is not often presented as a usability method. Results are discussed about the opportunity to provide usability information collected after the implementation of the technology during their design process, i.e. before their implementation.

The use of electrical devices for the treatment of bladder dysfunction: a review of methods.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Balken, M.R. van; Vergunst, H.; Bemelmans, B.L.H.

2004-01-01

PURPOSE: We reviewed the literature on the application of various devices and techniques for the electrical stimulation treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction with respect to mechanism of action and clinical outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was done in PubMed of publications

Reviewing the research methods literature: principles and strategies illustrated by a systematic overview of sampling in qualitative research.

Science.gov (United States)

Gentles, Stephen J; Charles, Cathy; Nicholas, David B; Ploeg, Jenny; McKibbon, K Ann

2016-10-11

Overviews of methods are potentially useful means to increase clarity and enhance collective understanding of specific methods topics that may be characterized by ambiguity, inconsistency, or a lack of comprehensiveness. This type of review represents a distinct literature synthesis method, although to date, its methodology remains relatively undeveloped despite several aspects that demand unique review procedures. The purpose of this paper is to initiate discussion about what a rigorous systematic approach to reviews of methods, referred to here as systematic methods overviews, might look like by providing tentative suggestions for approaching specific challenges likely to be encountered. The guidance offered here was derived from experience conducting a systematic methods overview on the topic of sampling in qualitative research. The guidance is organized into several principles that highlight specific objectives for this type of review given the common challenges that must be overcome to achieve them. Optional strategies for achieving each principle are also proposed, along with discussion of how they were successfully implemented in the overview on sampling. We describe seven paired principles and strategies that address the following aspects: delimiting the initial set of publications to consider, searching beyond standard bibliographic databases, searching without the availability of relevant metadata, selecting publications on purposeful conceptual grounds, defining concepts and other information to abstract iteratively, accounting for inconsistent terminology used to describe specific methods topics, and generating rigorous verifiable analytic interpretations. Since a broad aim in systematic methods overviews is to describe and interpret the relevant literature in qualitative terms, we suggest that iterative decision making at various stages of the review process, and a rigorous qualitative approach to analysis are necessary features of this review type

A review of models and micrometeorological methods used to estimate wetland evapotranspiration

Science.gov (United States)

Drexler, J.Z.; Snyder, R.L.; Spano, D.; Paw, U.K.T.

2004-01-01

Within the past decade or so, the accuracy of evapotranspiration (ET) estimates has improved due to new and increasingly sophisticated methods. Yet despite a plethora of choices concerning methods, estimation of wetland ET remains insufficiently characterized due to the complexity of surface characteristics and the diversity of wetland types. In this review, we present models and micrometeorological methods that have been used to estimate wetland ET and discuss their suitability for particular wetland types. Hydrological, soil monitoring and lysimetric methods to determine ET are not discussed. Our review shows that, due to the variability and complexity of wetlands, there is no single approach that is the best for estimating wetland ET. Furthermore, there is no single foolproof method to obtain an accurate, independent measure of wetland ET. Because all of the methods reviewed, with the exception of eddy covariance and LIDAR, require measurements of net radiation (Rn) and soil heat flux (G), highly accurate measurements of these energy components are key to improving measurements of wetland ET. Many of the major methods used to determine ET can be applied successfully to wetlands of uniform vegetation and adequate fetch, however, certain caveats apply. For example, with accurate Rn and G data and small Bowen ratio (??) values, the Bowen ratio energy balance method can give accurate estimates of wetland ET. However, large errors in latent heat flux density can occur near sunrise and sunset when the Bowen ratio ?? ??? - 1??0. The eddy covariance method provides a direct measurement of latent heat flux density (??E) and sensible heat flux density (II), yet this method requires considerable expertise and expensive instrumentation to implement. A clear advantage of using the eddy covariance method is that ??E can be compared with Rn-G H, thereby allowing for an independent test of accuracy. The surface renewal method is inexpensive to replicate and, therefore, shows

Combining Review Text Content and Reviewer-Item Rating Matrix to Predict Review Rating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bingkun Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available E-commerce develops rapidly. Learning and taking good advantage of the myriad reviews from online customers has become crucial to the success in this game, which calls for increasingly more accuracy in sentiment classification of these reviews. Therefore the finer-grained review rating prediction is preferred over the rough binary sentiment classification. There are mainly two types of method in current review rating prediction. One includes methods based on review text content which focus almost exclusively on textual content and seldom relate to those reviewers and items remarked in other relevant reviews. The other one contains methods based on collaborative filtering which extract information from previous records in the reviewer-item rating matrix, however, ignoring review textual content. Here we proposed a framework for review rating prediction which shows the effective combination of the two. Then we further proposed three specific methods under this framework. Experiments on two movie review datasets demonstrate that our review rating prediction framework has better performance than those previous methods.

[Sampling methods for PM2.5 from stationary sources: a review].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jing-Kun; Deng, Jian-Guo; Li, Zhen; Li, Xing-Hua; Duan, Lei; Hao, Ji-Ming

2014-05-01

The new China national ambient air quality standard has been published in 2012 and will be implemented in 2016. To meet the requirements in this new standard, monitoring and controlling PM2,,5 emission from stationary sources are very important. However, so far there is no national standard method on sampling PM2.5 from stationary sources. Different sampling methods for PM2.5 from stationary sources and relevant international standards were reviewed in this study. It includes the methods for PM2.5 sampling in flue gas and the methods for PM2.5 sampling after dilution. Both advantages and disadvantages of these sampling methods were discussed. For environmental management, the method for PM2.5 sampling in flue gas such as impactor and virtual impactor was suggested as a standard to determine filterable PM2.5. To evaluate environmental and health effects of PM2.5 from stationary sources, standard dilution method for sampling of total PM2.5 should be established.

Available Prediction Methods for Corrosion under Insulation (CUI): A Review

OpenAIRE

Burhani Nurul Rawaida Ain; Muhammad Masdi; Ismail Mokhtar Che

2014-01-01

Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is an increasingly important issue for the piping in industries especially petrochemical and chemical plants due to its unexpected catastrophic disaster. Therefore, attention towards the maintenance and prediction of CUI occurrence, particularly in the corrosion rates, has grown in recent years. In this study, a literature review in determining the corrosion rates by using various prediction models and method of the corrosion occurrence between the external su...

Smart management of sample dilution using an artificial neural network to achieve streamlined processes and saving resources: the automated nephelometric testing of serum free light chain as case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ialongo, Cristiano; Pieri, Massimo; Bernardini, Sergio

2017-02-01

Saving resources is a paramount issue for the modern laboratory, and new trainable as well as smart technologies can be used to allow the automated instrumentation to manage samples more efficiently in order to achieve streamlined processes. In this regard the serum free light chain (sFLC) testing represents an interesting challenge, as it usually causes using a number of assays before achieving an acceptable result within the analytical range. An artificial neural network based on the multi-layer perceptron (MLP-ANN) was used to infer the starting dilution status of sFLC samples based on the information available through the laboratory information system (LIS). After the learning phase, the MLP-ANN simulation was applied to the nephelometric testing routinely performed in our laboratory on a BN ProSpec® System analyzer (Siemens Helathcare) using the N Latex FLC kit. The MLP-ANN reduced the serum kappa free light chain (κ-FLC) and serum lambda free light chain (λ-FLC) wasted tests by 69.4% and 70.8% with respect to the naïve stepwise dilution scheme used by the automated analyzer, and by 64.9% and 66.9% compared to a "rational" dilution scheme based on a 4-step dilution. Although it was restricted to follow-up samples, the MLP-ANN showed good predictive performance, which alongside the possibility to implement it in any automated system, made it a suitable solution for achieving streamlined laboratory processes and saving resources.

Theoretical Methods of Domain Structures in Ultrathin Ferroelectric Films: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianyi Liu

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This review covers methods and recent developments of the theoretical study of domain structures in ultrathin ferroelectric films. The review begins with an introduction to some basic concepts and theories (e.g., polarization and its modern theory, ferroelectric phase transition, domain formation, and finite size effects, etc. that are relevant to the study of domain structures in ultrathin ferroelectric films. Basic techniques and recent progress of a variety of important approaches for domain structure simulation, including first-principles calculation, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulation, effective Hamiltonian approach and phase field modeling, as well as multiscale simulation are then elaborated. For each approach, its important features and relative merits over other approaches for modeling domain structures in ultrathin ferroelectric films are discussed. Finally, we review recent theoretical studies on some important issues of domain structures in ultrathin ferroelectric films, with an emphasis on the effects of interfacial electrostatics, boundary conditions and external loads.

Reactive Granulomatous Dermatitis: A Review of Palisaded Neutrophilic and Granulomatous Dermatitis, Interstitial Granulomatous Dermatitis, Interstitial Granulomatous Drug Reaction, and a Proposed Reclassification.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbach, Misha; English, Joseph C

2015-07-01

The terms "palisaded neutrophilic and granulomatous dermatitis," "interstitial granulomatous dermatitis," and the subset "interstitial granulomatous drug reaction" are a source of confusion. There exists substantial overlap among the entities with few strict distinguishing features. We review the literature and highlight areas of distinction and overlap, and propose a streamlined diagnostic workup for patients presenting with this cutaneous reaction pattern. Because the systemic disease associations and requisite workup are similar, and the etiopathogenesis is poorly understood but likely similar among these entities, we propose the simplified unifying term "reactive granulomatous dermatitis" to encompass these entities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of Electrokinetic Stabilisation (EKS) Method for Soft Soil: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Azhar, ATS; Azim, MAM; Syakeera, NN; Jefferson, IF; Rogers, CDF

2017-08-01

Soil properties such as low shear strength, excessive compression, collapsing behavior, high swell potential are some of the undesirable properties of soils in geotechnical engineering and those properties would cause severe distress to the structures. To solve these, an innovative stabilization of Electrokinetic (EKS) has been introduced. Electrokinetic is an applicable technique to transport charged particles and fluid in an electric potential. The EKS demonstrates changes in soil pH due to electrolysis reactions, water flow between the electrodes and migration of ions towards the cathode. This treatment has proven its efficiency in consolidating organic, peat and clayey silt as well as less expensive than other methods. Otherwise, this method also gives advantage by not disturbing site. The primary objective of this review is to discuss the application of electrokinetic and to investigate the current knowledge of electrokinetic in geotechnical application through a literature search and review, including consideration of certain aspects related to the soft soil application that may be relevant to the future study and at the same time addressing some key issues and their implications on soil behaviors.

Quality of life among dermatology patients: a systematic review of investigations using qualitative methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Sanminder; Ehsani-Chimeh, Nazanin; Kornmehl, Heather; Armstrong, April W

2017-07-13

Quality of life may be assessed using quantitative or qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are commonly used in research settings; however, they may fail to capture the full range of patient experiences and impact on quality of life. Qualitative methods may be used to address this limitation. In this systematic review, we aim to synthesize data from articles utilizing qualitative methods to assess quality of life in dermatology patients. We performed a systematic review search using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases. The search was conducted using the following search criteria: ("Dermatology" [MeSH]) AND ("Quality of Life" [MeSH]), AND ("Qualitative Research" [MeSH]), searching literature spanning from January 1, 1946- October 5, 2016. The systematic review of 15 articles included 533 dermatology patients. Patients expressed frustration over the unpredictability of disease symptoms and having to compensate for the subsequent limitations by altering their daily routines. Patients also reported profound helplessness due to chronic skin disease and social isolation in an effort to hide their disease. Patients noted the patient-provider relationship as a source of support and information exchange, with the goal to form easy to use treatment plans that met both physician and patient expectations. Qualitative assessment of patient quality of life can provide new insights into the patient experience and the impact of their skin disease. Qualitative methodology may capture meaningful information that may be overlooked by quantitative methods, and it should be included in quality of life research.

Streamlined Total Synthesis of Trioxacarcins and Its Application to the Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Analogues Thereof. Discovery of Simpler Designed and Potent Trioxacarcin Analogues.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolaou, K C; Chen, Pengxi; Zhu, Shugao; Cai, Quan; Erande, Rohan D; Li, Ruofan; Sun, Hongbao; Pulukuri, Kiran Kumar; Rigol, Stephan; Aujay, Monette; Sandoval, Joseph; Gavrilyuk, Julia

2017-11-01

A streamlined total synthesis of the naturally occurring antitumor agents trioxacarcins is described, along with its application to the construction of a series of designed analogues of these complex natural products. Biological evaluation of the synthesized compounds revealed a number of highly potent, and yet structurally simpler, compounds that are effective against certain cancer cell lines, including a drug-resistant line. A novel one-step synthesis of anthraquinones and chloro anthraquinones from simple ketone precursors and phenylselenyl chloride is also described. The reported work, featuring novel chemistry and cascade reactions, has potential applications in cancer therapy, including targeted approaches as in antibody-drug conjugates.

Streamlined approach for environmental restoration plan for corrective action unit 430, buried depleted uranium artillery round No. 1, Tonopah test range

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-09-01

This plan addresses actions necessary for the restoration and closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) No. 430, Buried Depleted Uranium (DU) Artillery Round No. 1 (Corrective Action Site No. TA-55-003-0960), a buried and unexploded W-79 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) artillery test projectile with high explosives (HE), at the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) Tonopah Test Range (TTR) in south-central Nevada. It describes activities that will occur at the site as well as the steps that will be taken to gather adequate data to obtain a notice of completion from Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). This plan was prepared under the Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) concept, and it will be implemented in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Industrial Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan.

Streamlined approach for environmental restoration plan for corrective action unit 430, buried depleted uranium artillery round No. 1, Tonopah test range

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-09-01

This plan addresses actions necessary for the restoration and closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) No. 430, Buried Depleted Uranium (DU) Artillery Round No. 1 (Corrective Action Site No. TA-55-003-0960), a buried and unexploded W-79 Joint Test Assembly (JTA) artillery test projectile with high explosives (HE), at the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) Tonopah Test Range (TTR) in south-central Nevada. It describes activities that will occur at the site as well as the steps that will be taken to gather adequate data to obtain a notice of completion from Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). This plan was prepared under the Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) concept, and it will be implemented in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Industrial Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan

A Review of the Detection Methods for Climate Regime Shifts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qunqun Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available An abrupt climate change means that the climate system shifts from a steady state to another steady state. Study on the phenomenon and theory of the abrupt climate change is a new research field of modern climatology, and it is of great significance for the prediction of future climate change. The climate regime shift is one of the most common forms of abrupt climate change, which mainly refers to the statistical significant changes on the variable of climate system at one time scale. These detection methods can be roughly divided into five categories based on different types of abrupt changes, namely, abrupt mean value change, abrupt variance change, abrupt frequency change, abrupt probability density change, and the multivariable analysis. The main research progress of abrupt climate change detection methods is reviewed. What is more, some actual applications of those methods in observational data are provided. With the development of nonlinear science, many new methods have been presented for detecting an abrupt dynamic change in recent years, which is useful supplement for the abrupt change detection methods.

A REVIEW ON EFFICACIOUS METHODS TO DECOLORIZE REACTIVE AZO DYE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jagadeesan Vijayaraghavan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the intensive review of reactive azo dye, Reactive Black 5. Various physicochemical methods namely photo catalysis, electrochemical, adsorption, hydrolysis and biological methods like microbial degradation, biosorption and bioaccumulation have been analyzed thoroughly along with the merits and demerits of each method. Among these various methods, biological treatment methods are found to be the best for decolorization of Reactive Black 5. With respect to dye biosorption, microbial biomass (bacteria, fungi, microalgae, etc, and outperformed macroscopic materials (seaweeds, crab shell, etc. are used for decolorization process. The use of living organisms may not be an option for the continuous treatment of highly toxic organic/inorganic contaminants. Once the toxicant concentration becomes too high or the process operated for a long time, the amount of toxicant accumulated will reach saturation. Beyond this point, an organism's metabolism may be interrupted, resulting in death of the organism. This scenario is not existed in the case of dead biomass, which is flexible to environmental conditions and toxicant concentrations. Thus, owing to its favorable characteristics, biosorption has received much attention in recent years.

Review of test methods used to determine the corrosion rate of metals in contact with treated wood

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel L. Zelinka; Douglas R. Rammer

2005-01-01

The purpose of this literature review is to give an overview of test methods previously used to evaluate the corrosion of metals in contact with wood. This article reviews the test methods used to evaluate the corrosion of metals in contact with wood by breaking the experiments into three groups: exposure tests, accelerated exposure tests, and electrochemical tests....

Other notable protein blotting methods: a brief review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurien, Biji T; Scofield, R Hal

2015-01-01

Proteins have been transferred from the gel to the membrane by a variety of methods. These include vacuum blotting, centrifuge blotting, electroblotting of proteins to Teflon tape and membranes for N- and C-terminal sequence analysis, multiple tissue blotting, a two-step transfer of low- and high-molecular-weight proteins, acid electroblotting onto activated glass, membrane-array method for the detection of human intestinal bacteria in fecal samples, protein microarray using a new black cellulose nitrate support, electrotransfer using square wave alternating voltage for enhanced protein recovery, polyethylene glycol-mediated significant enhancement of the immunoblotting transfer, parallel protein chemical processing before and during western blot and the molecular scanner concept, electronic western blot of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric-identified polypeptides from parallel processed gel-separated proteins, semidry electroblotting of peptides and proteins from acid-urea polyacrylamide gels, transfer of silver-stained proteins from polyacrylamide gels to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes, and the display of K(+) channel proteins on a solid nitrocellulose support for assaying toxin binding. The quantification of proteins bound to PVDF membranes by elution of CBB, clarification of immunoblots on PVDF for transmission densitometry, gold coating of nonconductive membranes before matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometric analysis to prevent charging effect for analysis of peptides from PVDF membranes, and a simple method for coating native polysaccharides onto nitrocellulose are some of the methods involving either the manipulation of membranes with transferred proteins or just a passive transfer of antigens to membranes. All these methods are briefly reviewed in this chapter.

Testing the reliability and efficiency of the pilot Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) for systematic mixed studies review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pace, Romina; Pluye, Pierre; Bartlett, Gillian; Macaulay, Ann C; Salsberg, Jon; Jagosh, Justin; Seller, Robbyn

2012-01-01

Systematic literature reviews identify, select, appraise, and synthesize relevant literature on a particular topic. Typically, these reviews examine primary studies based on similar methods, e.g., experimental trials. In contrast, interest in a new form of review, known as mixed studies review (MSR), which includes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies, is growing. In MSRs, reviewers appraise studies that use different methods allowing them to obtain in-depth answers to complex research questions. However, appraising the quality of studies with different methods remains challenging. To facilitate systematic MSRs, a pilot Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) has been developed at McGill University (a checklist and a tutorial), which can be used to concurrently appraise the methodological quality of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies. The purpose of the present study is to test the reliability and efficiency of a pilot version of the MMAT. The Center for Participatory Research at McGill conducted a systematic MSR on the benefits of Participatory Research (PR). Thirty-two PR evaluation studies were appraised by two independent reviewers using the pilot MMAT. Among these, 11 (34%) involved nurses as researchers or research partners. Appraisal time was measured to assess efficiency. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by calculating a kappa statistic based on dichotomized responses for each criterion. An appraisal score was determined for each study, which allowed the calculation of an overall intra-class correlation. On average, it took 14 min to appraise a study (excluding the initial reading of articles). Agreement between reviewers was moderate to perfect with regards to MMAT criteria, and substantial with respect to the overall quality score of appraised studies. The MMAT is unique, thus the reliability of the pilot MMAT is promising, and encourages further development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing the performance of biomedical clustering methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiwie, Christian; Baumbach, Jan; Röttger, Richard

2015-01-01

expression to protein domains. Performance was judged on the basis of 13 common cluster validity indices. We developed a clustering analysis platform, ClustEval (http://clusteval.mpi-inf.mpg.de), to promote streamlined evaluation, comparison and reproducibility of clustering results in the future......Identifying groups of similar objects is a popular first step in biomedical data analysis, but it is error-prone and impossible to perform manually. Many computational methods have been developed to tackle this problem. Here we assessed 13 well-known methods using 24 data sets ranging from gene....... This allowed us to objectively evaluate the performance of all tools on all data sets with up to 1,000 different parameter sets each, resulting in a total of more than 4 million calculated cluster validity indices. We observed that there was no universal best performer, but on the basis of this wide...

A Review of Frequency Response Analysis Methods for Power Transformer Diagnostics

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Saleh Alsuhaibani

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Power transformers play a critical role in electric power networks. Such transformers can suffer failures due to multiple stresses and aging. Thus, assessment of condition and diagnostic techniques are of great importance for improving power network reliability and service continuity. Several techniques are available to diagnose the faults within the power transformer. Frequency response analysis (FRA method is a powerful technique for diagnosing transformer winding deformation and several other types of problems that are caused during manufacture, transportation, installation and/or service life. This paper provides a comprehensive review on FRA methods and their applications in diagnostics and fault identification for power transformers. The paper discusses theory and applications of FRA methods as well as various issues and challenges faced in the application of this method.