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Sample records for techniques provide detailed

  1. The Turn the Tables Technique (T[cube]): A Program Activity to Provide Group Facilitators Insight into Teen Sexual Behaviors and Beliefs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sclafane, Jamie Heather; Merves, Marni Loiacono; Rivera, Angelic; Long, Laura; Wilson, Ken; Bauman, Laurie J.

    2012-01-01

    The Turn the Tables Technique (T[cube]) is an activity designed to provide group facilitators who lead HIV/STI prevention and sexual health promotion programs with detailed and current information on teenagers' sexual behaviors and beliefs. This information can be used throughout a program to tailor content. Included is a detailed lesson plan of…

  2. Current status on detail design and fabrication techniques development of ITER blanket shield block in Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Duck Hoi; Cho, Seungyon; Ahn, Mu-Young; Lee, Eun-Seok; Jung, Ki Jung

    2007-01-01

    The allocation of components and systems to be delivered to ITER on an in-kind basis, was agreed between the ITER Parties. Among parties, Korea agreed to procure inboard blanket modules 1, 2 and 6, which consists of FW and shield block. Regarding shield block the detail design and Fabrication techniques development have been undertaken in Korea. Especially manufacturing feasibility study on shield block had been performed and some technical issues for the fabrication were selected. Based on these results, fabrication techniques using EB welding are being developed. Meanwhile, the detail design of inboard standard module has been carried out. The optimization of flow driver design to improve the cooling performance was executed. And, thermo-hydraulic analysis on half block of inboard standard module was performed. In this study, current status and some results from Fabrication techniques development on ITER blanket shield block are described. The detail design activity and results on shield block are also introduced herein. (orig.)

  3. Numerical models: Detailing and simulation techniques aimed at comparison with experimental data, support to test result interpretation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Chiwen

    2001-01-01

    This part of the presentation discusses the modelling details required and the simulation techniques available for analyses, facilitating the comparison with the experimental data and providing support for interpretation of the test results. It is organised to cover the following topics: analysis inputs; basic modelling requirements for reactor coolant system; method applicable for reactor cooling system; consideration of damping values and integration time steps; typical analytic models used for analysis of reactor pressure vessel and internals; hydrodynamic mass and fluid damping for the internal analysis; impact elements for fuel analysis; and PEI theorem and its applications. The intention of these topics is to identify the key parameters associated with models of analysis and analytical methods. This should provide proper basis for useful comparison with the test results

  4. EVALUATION OF THE METERED-DOSE INHALER TECHNIQUE AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Nadi F. Zeraati

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available Poor inhaler technique is a common problem both in asthmatic patients and healthcare providers, which contributes to poor asthma control. This study was performed to evaluate the adequacy of metered-dose inhaler (MDI technique in a sample of physicians and nurses practicing in hospitals of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. A total of 173 healthcare providers voluntary participated in this study. After the participants answered a questionnaire aimed at identifying their involvement in MDI prescribing and counseling, a trained observer assessed their MDI technique using a checklist of nine steps. Of the 173 participants, 35 (20.2% were physicians and 138 (79.8% were nurses. Only 12 participants (6.93% performed all steps correctly. Physicians performed essential steps significantly better than nurses (85.7% vs. 63.8%, P < 0.05. The majority of healthcare providers responsible for instructing patients on the correct MDI technique were unable to perform this technique correctly, indicating the need for regular formal training programs on inhaler techniques.

  5. Accuracy of implant transfer with open-tray and closed-tray impression techniques and surface detail reproduction of the tooth during impression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hakimeh Siadat

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aims: Accurate recording of implant location is required to achieve passive fit and have the implants without stress concentration. The aim of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the dimensional and angular accuracy of open-tray and closed-tray impression techniques using polyether impression material and also to assess the surface detail reproduction of the tooth while impression making.Materials and Methods: One reference metal model with 2 implants (Implantium on the position of the maxillary second premolar and first molar and one molar tooth for evaluation of surface details was prepared. 27 polyether impressions of these models were made (9 using open-tray, 9 using closed-tray techniques and 9 were made just of the surface of the teeth without any implants. Impressions were poured with ADA type IV stone. Coordinate Measuring Machine was used for measuring the dimensional accuracy and video measuring machine for surface detail reproduction. All of these measurements were compared with the measurements on the reference model. Data were analyzed by and compared by T-test and One-way ANOVA.Results: There was a significant statistical difference between open-tray and closed-tray techniques (P0.05.Conclusion: The accuracy of open-tray impression technique was more than closed-tray technique. The surface detail reproduction of the tooth was not affected by impression technique.

  6. Wind Turbine Rotor Simulation via CFD Based Actuator Disc Technique Compared to Detailed Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esmail Mahmoodi

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a generalized Actuator Disc (AD is used to model the wind turbine rotor of the MEXICO experiment, a collaborative European wind turbine project. The AD model as a combination of CFD technique and User Defined Functions codes (UDF, so-called UDF/AD model is used to simulate loads and performance of the rotor in three different wind speed tests. Distributed force on the blade, thrust and power production of the rotor as important designing parameters of wind turbine rotors are focused to model. A developed Blade Element Momentum (BEM theory as a code based numerical technique as well as a full rotor simulation both from the literature are included into the results to compare and discuss. The output of all techniques is compared to detailed measurements for validation, which led us to final conclusions.

  7. Swarm Intelligence: New Techniques for Adaptive Systems to Provide Learning Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Lung-Hsiang; Looi, Chee-Kit

    2012-01-01

    The notion of a system adapting itself to provide support for learning has always been an important issue of research for technology-enabled learning. One approach to provide adaptivity is to use social navigation approaches and techniques which involve analysing data of what was previously selected by a cluster of users or what worked for…

  8. DNS with detailed and tabulated chemistry of engine relevant igniting systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bekdemir, C.; Somers, L.M.T.; Goey, de L.P.H.

    2014-01-01

    Developments in modern engine technology are moving towards a regime with fuel injection uncoupled from combustion. Auto-ignition is an essential characteristic in these systems. The accurate prediction of this chemical process is of paramount importance. Tabulation techniques can provide a detailed

  9. Great Basin land managers provide detailed feedback about usefulness of two climate information web applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chad Zanocco

    Full Text Available Land managers in the Great Basin are working to maintain or restore sagebrush ecosystems as climate change exacerbates existing threats. Web applications delivering climate change and climate impacts information have the potential to assist their efforts. Although many web applications containing climate information currently exist, few have been co-produced with land managers or have incorporated information specifically focused on land managers’ needs. Through surveys and interviews, we gathered detailed feedback from federal, state, and tribal sagebrush land managers in the Great Basin on climate information web applications targeting land management. We found that a managers are searching for weather and climate information they can incorporate into their current management strategies and plans; b they are willing to be educated on how to find and understand climate related web applications; c both field and administrative-type managers want data for timescales ranging from seasonal to decadal; d managers want multiple levels of climate information, from simple summaries, to detailed descriptions accessible through the application; and e managers are interested in applications that evaluate uncertainty and provide projected climate impacts. Keywords: Great Basin, Sagebrush, Land management, Climate change, Web application, Co-production

  10. Isotope measurement techniques for atmospheric methane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lowe, D.; White, J.; Levin, I.; Wahlen, M.; Miller, J.B.; Bergamaschi, P.

    2002-01-01

    Measurement techniques for the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric methane (δ 13 C) are described in detail as applied in several leading institutions active in this field since many years. The standard techniques with offline sample preparation and subsequent measurement by dual inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) are compared with continuous flow IRMS. The potential use of infrared absorption spectroscopy is briefly discussed. Details on quality control and calibration are provided. Basic analytical aspects for the measurement of other species, 2 H and 14 C, are also given. (author)

  11. Optical versus radiographic magnification for fine-detail skeletal radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genant, H.K.; Doi, K.; Mall, J.C.

    1974-01-01

    Fine detail radiographic techniques for peripheral skeletal imaging have gained wide clinical acceptance. In this study, the imaging properties and clinical applications of the optical magnification technique, which employs fine-grain industrial film and a large focal spot, have been compared quantitatively and qualitatively with those of three slow screen-film techniques, namely, contact exposure with a large focal spot, 2X radiographic magnification with a 0.3 mm focal spot, and 4X radiographic magnification with a 50 μ focal spot. The modulation transfer functions (MTFs) of the recording systems and focal spots have been obtained and film sensitometry has been performed. Clinical comparisons for patients with metabolic, arthritic, and neoplastic skeletal disorders have been made. The results illustrate the superiority of the optical magnification technique over contact or 2X magnification techniques using slow screen-film systems. If a microfocus tube is used, however, direct radiographic magnification may provide images comparable in resolution, noise, and contrast to those made with the optical magnification technique, and at lower radiation exposure to the patient. (U.S.)

  12. Handbook of Qualitative Research Techniques and Analysis in Entrepreneurship

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    One of the most challenging tasks in the research design process is choosing the most appropriate data collection and analysis techniques. This Handbook provides a detailed introduction to five qualitative data collection and analysis techniques pertinent to exploring entreprneurial phenomena....

  13. Kinetic energy budget details

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. This paper presents the detailed turbulent kinetic energy budget and higher order statistics of flow behind a surface-mounted rib with and without superimposed acoustic excitation. Pattern recognition technique is used to determine the large-scale structure magnitude. It is observed that most of the turbulence ...

  14. Academic Detailing with Provider Audit and Feedback Improve Prescribing Quality for Older Veterans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenberg, Ann E; Echt, Katharina V; Kemp, Lawanda; McGwin, Gerald; Perkins, Molly M; Mirk, Anna K

    2018-03-01

    Suboptimal prescribing persists as a driver of poor quality care of older veterans and is associated with risk of hospitalization and emergency department visits. We adapted a successful medication management model, Integrated Management and Polypharmacy Review of Vulnerable Elders (IMPROVE), from an urban geriatric specialty clinic to rural community-based clinics that deliver primary care. The goals were to promote prescribing quality and safety for older adults, including reduced prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). We augmented the original model, which involved a pharmacist-led, one-on-one medication review with high-risk older veterans, to provide rural primary care providers (PCPs) and pharmacists with educational outreach through academic detailing and tools to support safe geriatric prescribing practices, as well as individual audit and feedback on prescribing practice and confidential peer benchmarking. Twenty PCPs and 4 pharmacists at 4 rural Georgia community-based outpatient clinics participated. More than 7,000 older veterans were seen in more than 20,000 PCP encounters during the 14-month intervention period. Implementation of the IMPROVE intervention reduced PIM prescribing incidence from 9.6 new medications per 100 encounters during baseline to 8.7 after the intervention (P = .009). IMPROVE reduced PIM prevalence (proportion of encounters involving veterans who were taking at least 1 PIM) from 22.6% to 16.7% (P < .001). These approaches were effective in reducing PIMs prescribed to older veterans in a rural setting and constitute a feasible model for disseminating geriatric best practices to the primary care setting. © 2018, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.

  15. Nuclear Weak Rates and Detailed Balance in Stellar Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Misch, G. Wendell, E-mail: wendell@sjtu.edu, E-mail: wendell.misch@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2017-07-20

    Detailed balance is often invoked in discussions of nuclear weak transitions in astrophysical environments. Satisfaction of detailed balance is rightly touted as a virtue of some methods of computing nuclear transition strengths, but I argue that it need not necessarily be strictly obeyed in astrophysical environments, especially when the environment is far from weak equilibrium. I present the results of shell model calculations of nuclear weak strengths in both charged-current and neutral-current channels at astrophysical temperatures, finding some violation of detailed balance. I show that a slight modification of the technique to strictly obey detailed balance has little effect on the reaction rates associated with these strengths under most conditions, though at high temperature the modified technique in fact misses some important strength. I comment on the relationship between detailed balance and weak equilibrium in astrophysical conditions.

  16. Could lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy provide oncological providence for local resectional techniques for colon cancer? A review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leroy Joel

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Endoscopic resectional techniques for colon cancer are undermined by their inability to determine lymph node status. This limits their application to only those lesions at the most minimal risk of lymphatic dissemination whereas their technical capacity could allow intraluminal or even transluminal address of larger lesions. Sentinel node biopsy may theoretically address this breach although the variability of its reported results for this disease is worrisome. Methods Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were interrogated back to 1999 to identify all publications concerning lymphatic mapping for colon cancer with reference cross-checking for completeness. All reports were examined from the perspective of in vivo technique accuracy selectively in early stage disease (i.e. lesions potentially within the technical capacity of endoscopic resection. Results Fifty-two studies detailing the experiences of 3390 patients were identified. Considerable variation in patient characteristics as well as in surgical and histological quality assurances were however evident among the studies identified. In addition, considerable contamination of the studies by inclusion of rectal cancer without subgroup separation was frequent. Indeed such is the heterogeneity of the publications to date, formal meta-analysis to pool patient cohorts in order to definitively ascertain technique accuracy in those with T1 and/or T2 cancer is not possible. Although lymphatic mapping in early stage neoplasia alone has rarely been specifically studied, those studies that included examination of false negative rates identified high T3/4 patient proportions and larger tumor size as being important confounders. Under selected circumstances however the technique seems to perform sufficiently reliably to allow it prompt consideration of its use to tailor operative extent. Conclusion The specific question of whether sentinel node biopsy can augment the oncological

  17. Active solar distillation - A detailed review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sampathkumar, K.; Pitchandi, P. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tamilnadu College of Engineering, Coimbatore 641659, Tamilnadu (India); Arjunan, T.V. [Department of Automobile Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore 641004, Tamilnadu (India); Senthilkumar, P. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, KSR College of Engineering, Tiruchengode 637215, Tamilnadu (India)

    2010-08-15

    All over the world, access to potable water to the people are narrowing down day by day. Most of the human diseases are due to polluted or non-purified water resources. Even today, under developed countries and developing countries face a huge water scarcity because of unplanned mechanism and pollution created by manmade activities. Water purification without affecting the ecosystem is the need of the hour. In this context, many conventional and non-conventional techniques have been developed for purification of saline water. Among these, solar distillation proves to be both economical and eco-friendly technique particularly in rural areas. Many active distillation systems have been developed to overcome the problem of lower distillate output in passive solar stills. This article provides a detailed review of different studies on active solar distillation system over the years. Thermal modelling was done for various types of active single slope solar distillation system. This review would also throw light on the scope for further research and recommendations in active solar distillation system. (author)

  18. Survey of semantic modeling techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, C.L.

    1975-07-01

    The analysis of the semantics of programing languages was attempted with numerous modeling techniques. By providing a brief survey of these techniques together with an analysis of their applicability for answering semantic issues, this report attempts to illuminate the state-of-the-art in this area. The intent is to be illustrative rather than thorough in the coverage of semantic models. A bibliography is included for the reader who is interested in pursuing this area of research in more detail.

  19. Providing detailed information about latent tuberculosis and compliance with the PPD test among healthcare workers in Israel: A randomized controlled study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danielle Taubman

    2013-12-01

    Conclusions: Compliance for latent TB screening is low among HCWs in northeastern Israel. Providing detailed information about latent TB was not associated with increased test compliance. Understanding existing disparities in screening rates and potential barriers to latent TB screening among HCWs is important in order to move forward and successfully increase screening rates.

  20. Plants status monitor: Modelling techniques and inherent benefits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1987-01-01

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

  1. TV content analysis techniques and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Kompatsiaris, Yiannis

    2012-01-01

    The rapid advancement of digital multimedia technologies has not only revolutionized the production and distribution of audiovisual content, but also created the need to efficiently analyze TV programs to enable applications for content managers and consumers. Leaving no stone unturned, TV Content Analysis: Techniques and Applications provides a detailed exploration of TV program analysis techniques. Leading researchers and academics from around the world supply scientifically sound treatment of recent developments across the related subject areas--including systems, architectures, algorithms,

  2. Accuracy of implant transfer and surface detail reproduction with polyether and polyvinyl siloxane using closed-tray impression technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marzieh Alikhasi

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available   Background and Aims: Making accurate impressions of prepared teeth when they are adjacent to dental implants is of great importance. In these situations, disregarding the selection of appropriate impression material and technique, not only can affect accuracy of transferring of the 3-dimentional spatial status of implant, but also can jeopardize the accurate recording of tooth. In the present study, the accuracy of two impression materials with taper impression copings for recording implant position and surface details was evaluated.   Materials and Methods: One metal reference model with 2 implants (Implantium and a preparation of three grooves on a tooth according to ADA no. 19 standard was fabricated. 10 medium- consistency polyEther (PE impressions using custom trays and 10 polyVinyl Siloxane (PVS putty wash impressions using prefabricated trays with conical impression coping were made. Impressions were poured with ADA type IV stone. A Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM evaluated x, y and angular displacement of the implant analog heads and also accuracy of groove reproduction were measured using a Video Measuring Machine (VMM. These measurements were compared to the ones from reference model. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and T-test.   Results: Putty wash PVS had less linear discrepancy compared with reference model (P > 0.001. There was no significant difference in the surface detail reproduction (P = 0.15.   Conclusion: Putty wash PVS had better results for linear displacement compared with medium consistency PE. There was no significant difference in surface detail reproduction between the two impression materials.

  3. Evaluation of the Metered-Dose Inhaler Technique among Health Care Providers Practicing in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Nadi

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Poor inhaler technique is a common problem both in asthma patients and health care providers , which contributes to poor asthma control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correctness of metered-dose inhaler (MDI technique in a sample of physicians , pharmacists and nurses practicing in Hamadan University hospitals. A total of 176 healthcare providers (35 internists and general physicians , 138 nurses and 3 pharmacists were participated voluntary in this study. After the participants answered a questionnaire aimed at identifying their involvement in MDI prescribing and counseling , a trained observer assessed their MDI technique using a checklist of ten steps.Of the 176 participants , 35(20% were physician , and 3 subjects (2% were pharmacists , and 138 (78% were nurses. However only 6 participants (3.4% performed all steps correctly. Physicians performed significantly better than non-physicians (8.6% vs. 2.13%.The majority of healthcare providers responsible for instructing patients on the correct MDI technique were unable to perform this technique correctly ‘indicating the need for regular formal training programmes on inhaler techniques.

  4. Exploring Architectural Details Through a Wearable Egocentric Vision Device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alletto, Stefano; Abati, Davide; Serra, Giuseppe; Cucchiara, Rita

    2016-02-17

    Augmented user experiences in the cultural heritage domain are in increasing demand by the new digital native tourists of 21st century. In this paper, we propose a novel solution that aims at assisting the visitor during an outdoor tour of a cultural site using the unique first person perspective of wearable cameras. In particular, the approach exploits computer vision techniques to retrieve the details by proposing a robust descriptor based on the covariance of local features. Using a lightweight wearable board, the solution can localize the user with respect to the 3D point cloud of the historical landmark and provide him with information about the details at which he is currently looking. Experimental results validate the method both in terms of accuracy and computational effort. Furthermore, user evaluation based on real-world experiments shows that the proposal is deemed effective in enriching a cultural experience.

  5. Exploring Architectural Details Through a Wearable Egocentric Vision Device

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefano Alletto

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Augmented user experiences in the cultural heritage domain are in increasing demand by the new digital native tourists of 21st century. In this paper, we propose a novel solution that aims at assisting the visitor during an outdoor tour of a cultural site using the unique first person perspective of wearable cameras. In particular, the approach exploits computer vision techniques to retrieve the details by proposing a robust descriptor based on the covariance of local features. Using a lightweight wearable board, the solution can localize the user with respect to the 3D point cloud of the historical landmark and provide him with information about the details at which he is currently looking. Experimental results validate the method both in terms of accuracy and computational effort. Furthermore, user evaluation based on real-world experiments shows that the proposal is deemed effective in enriching a cultural experience.

  6. Detailed Facility Report Data Dictionary | ECHO | US EPA

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Detailed Facility Report Data Dictionary provides users with a list of the variables and definitions that have been incorporated into the Detailed Facility Report. The Detailed Facility Report provides a concise enforcement and compliance history for a facility.

  7. Review of geotechnical measurement techniques for a nuclear waste repository in bedded salt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-12-01

    This report presents a description of geotechnical measurement techniques that can provide the data necessary for safe development - i.e., location, design, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment - of a radioactive waste repository in bedded salt. Geotechnical data obtained by a diversity of measurement techniques are required during all phases of respository evolution. The techniques discussed in this report are grouped in the following categories: geologic, geophysical and geodetic; rock mechanics; hydrologic, hydrogeologic and water quality; and thermal. The major contribution of the report is the presentation of extensive tables that provide a review of available measurement techniques for each of these categories. The techniques are also discussed in the text to the extent necessary to describe the measurements and associated instruments, and to evaluate the applicability or limitations of the method. More detailed discussions of thermal phenomena, creep laws and geophysical methods are contained in the appendices; references to detailed explanations of measurement techniques and instrumentation are inluded throughout the report

  8. Review of geotechnical measurement techniques for a nuclear waste repository in bedded salt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1979-12-01

    This report presents a description of geotechnical measurement techniques that can provide the data necessary for safe development - i.e., location, design, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment - of a radioactive waste repository in bedded salt. Geotechnical data obtained by a diversity of measurement techniques are required during all phases of respository evolution. The techniques discussed in this report are grouped in the following categories: geologic, geophysical and geodetic; rock mechanics; hydrologic, hydrogeologic and water quality; and thermal. The major contribution of the report is the presentation of extensive tables that provide a review of available measurement techniques for each of these categories. The techniques are also discussed in the text to the extent necessary to describe the measurements and associated instruments, and to evaluate the applicability or limitations of the method. More detailed discussions of thermal phenomena, creep laws and geophysical methods are contained in the appendices; references to detailed explanations of measurement techniques and instrumentation are inluded throughout the report.

  9. Ultrasonic techniques for fluids characterization

    CERN Document Server

    Povey, Malcolm J W

    1997-01-01

    This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to the use of ultrasonic techniques for the characterization of fluids. Focusing on ultrasonic velocimetry, the author covers the basic topics and techniques necessaryfor successful ultrasound measurements on emulsions, dispersions, multiphase media, and viscoelastic/viscoplastic materials. Advanced techniques such as scattering, particle sizing, and automation are also presented. As a handbook for industrial and scientific use, Ultrasonic Techniques for Fluids Characterization is an indispensable guide to chemists and chemical engineers using ultrasound for research or process monitoring in the chemical, food processing, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biotechnology,and fuels industries. Key Features * Appeals to anyone using ultrasound to study fluids * Provides the first detailed description of the ultrasound profiling technique for dispersions * Describes new techniques for measuring phase transitions and nucleation, such as water/ice and oil/fat * Presents the l...

  10. Detailed characterization of bio-oil from pyrolysis of non-edible seed-cakes by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugumaran, Vatsala; Prakash, Shanti; Ramu, Emmandi; Arora, Ajay Kumar; Bansal, Veena; Kagdiyal, Vivekanand; Saxena, Deepak

    2017-07-15

    Bio-oil obtained from pyrolysis is highly complicated mixture with valued chemicals. In order to reduce the complexity for unambiguous characterization of components present in bio-oil, solvent extractions using different solvents with increasing polarity have been adopted. The fractions have been analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for identifying the functional groups and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), for detailed characterization of components present in various fractions, thereby providing in-depth information at molecular level of various components in bio-oil. This paper reveals the potential of the analytical techniques in identification and brings out the similarities as well as differences in the components present in the bio-oil obtained from two non-edible oil seed-cakes, viz., Jatropha and Karanjia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Techniques and Tools Providing Strategic Decision Support: A Framework, Review, and Guidelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-07-01

    associations in a dream (Lacan, 1977). But the cognitive operations at level 5 are in themselves beyond the language or the person carrying them out (Jameson...formalizing techniques. A major problem for the design of systems able to provide support at this level is that, as in dream interpretation, what needs to...the development of object relations and affects. International Journal of Psychoanalysis , 59, 285-296. Savage, L.J., 1954. The foundations of

  12. Radioactive contamination mapping system detailed design report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauer, R.G.; O'Callaghan, P.B.

    1996-08-01

    The Hanford Site's 100 Area production reactors released radioactively and chemically contaminated liquids into the soil column. The primary source of the contaminated liquids was reactor coolant and various waste waters released from planned liquid discharges, as well as pipelines, pipe junctions, and retention basins leaking into the disposal sites. Site remediation involves excavating the contaminated soils using conventional earthmoving techniques and equipment, treating as appropriate, transporting the soils, and disposing the soils at ERDF. To support remediation excavation, disposal, and documentation requirements, an automated radiological monitoring system was deemed necessary. The RCMS (Radioactive Contamination Mapping System) was designed to fulfill this need. This Detailed Design Report provides design information for the RCMS in accordance with Bechtel Hanford, Inc. Engineering Design Project Instructions

  13. The Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raparia, D.; Alessi, J.; Kponou, A.

    1997-01-01

    Projections of charged particle beam current density (profiles) are frequently used as a measure of beam position and size. In conventional practice only two projections, usually horizontal and vertical, are measured. This puts a severe limit on the detail of information that can be achieved. A third projection provides a significant improvement. The Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) uses three or more projections to reconstruct 3-dimensional density profiles. At the 200 MeV H-linac, we have used this technique to measure beam density, and it has proved very helpful, especially in helping determine if there is any coupling present in x-y phase space. We will present examples of measurements of current densities using this technique

  14. Mathematical modeling provides kinetic details of the human immune response to vaccination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dustin eLe

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available With major advances in experimental techniques to track antigen-specific immune responses many basic questions on the kinetics of virus-specific immunity in humans remain unanswered. To gain insights into kinetics of T and B cell responses in human volunteers we combine mathematical models and experimental data from recent studies employing vaccines against yellow fever and smallpox. Yellow fever virus-specific CD8 T cell population expanded slowly with the average doubling time of 2 days peaking 2.5 weeks post immunization. Interestingly, we found that the peak of the yellow fever-specific CD8 T cell response is determined by the rate of T cell proliferation and not by the precursor frequency of antigen-specific cells as has been suggested in several studies in mice. We also found that while the frequency of virus-specific T cells increases slowly, the slow increase can still accurately explain clearance of yellow fever virus in the blood. Our additional mathematical model describes well the kinetics of virus-specific antibody-secreting cell and antibody response to vaccinia virus in vaccinated individuals suggesting that most of antibodies in 3 months post immunization are derived from the population of circulating antibody-secreting cells. Taken together, our analysis provides novel insights into mechanisms by which live vaccines induce immunity to viral infections and highlight challenges of applying methods of mathematical modeling to the current, state-of-the-art yet limited immunological data.

  15. Mathematical modeling provides kinetic details of the human immune response to vaccination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Dustin; Miller, Joseph D; Ganusov, Vitaly V

    2014-01-01

    With major advances in experimental techniques to track antigen-specific immune responses many basic questions on the kinetics of virus-specific immunity in humans remain unanswered. To gain insights into kinetics of T and B cell responses in human volunteers we combined mathematical models and experimental data from recent studies employing vaccines against yellow fever and smallpox. Yellow fever virus-specific CD8 T cell population expanded slowly with the average doubling time of 2 days peaking 2.5 weeks post immunization. Interestingly, we found that the peak of the yellow fever-specific CD8 T cell response was determined by the rate of T cell proliferation and not by the precursor frequency of antigen-specific cells as has been suggested in several studies in mice. We also found that while the frequency of virus-specific T cells increased slowly, the slow increase could still accurately explain clearance of yellow fever virus in the blood. Our additional mathematical model described well the kinetics of virus-specific antibody-secreting cell and antibody response to vaccinia virus in vaccinated individuals suggesting that most of antibodies in 3 months post immunization were derived from the population of circulating antibody-secreting cells. Taken together, our analysis provided novel insights into mechanisms by which live vaccines induce immunity to viral infections and highlighted challenges of applying methods of mathematical modeling to the current, state-of-the-art yet limited immunological data.

  16. Bone tissue engineering scaffolding: computer-aided scaffolding techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thavornyutikarn, Boonlom; Chantarapanich, Nattapon; Sitthiseripratip, Kriskrai; Thouas, George A; Chen, Qizhi

    Tissue engineering is essentially a technique for imitating nature. Natural tissues consist of three components: cells, signalling systems (e.g. growth factors) and extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM forms a scaffold for its cells. Hence, the engineered tissue construct is an artificial scaffold populated with living cells and signalling molecules. A huge effort has been invested in bone tissue engineering, in which a highly porous scaffold plays a critical role in guiding bone and vascular tissue growth and regeneration in three dimensions. In the last two decades, numerous scaffolding techniques have been developed to fabricate highly interconnective, porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. This review provides an update on the progress of foaming technology of biomaterials, with a special attention being focused on computer-aided manufacturing (Andrade et al. 2002) techniques. This article starts with a brief introduction of tissue engineering (Bone tissue engineering and scaffolds) and scaffolding materials (Biomaterials used in bone tissue engineering). After a brief reviews on conventional scaffolding techniques (Conventional scaffolding techniques), a number of CAM techniques are reviewed in great detail. For each technique, the structure and mechanical integrity of fabricated scaffolds are discussed in detail. Finally, the advantaged and disadvantage of these techniques are compared (Comparison of scaffolding techniques) and summarised (Summary).

  17. Novel information theory techniques for phonon spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hague, J P

    2007-01-01

    The maximum entropy method (MEM) and spectral reverse Monte Carlo (SRMC) techniques are applied to the determination of the phonon density of states (PDOS) from heat-capacity data. The approach presented here takes advantage of the standard integral transform relating the PDOS with the specific heat at constant volume. MEM and SRMC are highly successful numerical approaches for inverting integral transforms. The formalism and algorithms necessary to carry out the inversion of specific heat curves are introduced, and where possible, I have concentrated on algorithms and experimental details for practical usage. Simulated data are used to demonstrate the accuracy of the approach. The main strength of the techniques presented here is that the resulting spectra are always physical: Computed PDOS is always positive and properly applied information theory techniques only show statistically significant detail. The treatment set out here provides a simple, cost-effective and reliable method to determine phonon properties of new materials. In particular, the new technique is expected to be very useful for establishing where interesting phonon modes and properties can be found, before spending time at large scale facilities

  18. Evaluation of stabilization techniques for ion implant processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Matthew F.; Wong, Selmer S.; Minter, Jason P.; Marlowe, Trey; Narcy, Mark E.; Livesay, William R.

    1999-06-01

    With the integration of high current ion implant processing into volume CMOS manufacturing, the need for photoresist stabilization to achieve a stable ion implant process is critical. This study compares electron beam stabilization, a non-thermal process, with more traditional thermal stabilization techniques such as hot plate baking and vacuum oven processing. The electron beam processing is carried out in a flood exposure system with no active heating of the wafer. These stabilization techniques are applied to typical ion implant processes that might be found in a CMOS production process flow. The stabilization processes are applied to a 1.1 micrometers thick PFI-38A i-line photoresist film prior to ion implant processing. Post stabilization CD variation is detailed with respect to wall slope and feature integrity. SEM photographs detail the effects of the stabilization technique on photoresist features. The thermal stability of the photoresist is shown for different levels of stabilization and post stabilization thermal cycling. Thermal flow stability of the photoresist is detailed via SEM photographs. A significant improvement in thermal stability is achieved with the electron beam process, such that photoresist features are stable to temperatures in excess of 200 degrees C. Ion implant processing parameters are evaluated and compared for the different stabilization methods. Ion implant system end-station chamber pressure is detailed as a function of ion implant process and stabilization condition. The ion implant process conditions are detailed for varying factors such as ion current, energy, and total dose. A reduction in the ion implant systems end-station chamber pressure is achieved with the electron beam stabilization process over the other techniques considered. This reduction in end-station chamber pressure is shown to provide a reduction in total process time for a given ion implant dose. Improvements in the ion implant process are detailed across

  19. Methodological Details and Full Bibliography

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset has several components, The first part describes fully our literature review, providing details not included in the text. The second part provides all...

  20. Using public health detailing and a family-centered ecological approach to promote patient-provider-parent action for reducing childhood obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sealy, Yvette M; Zarcadoolas, Christina; Dresser, Michelle; Wedemeyer, Laura; Short, Leslie; Silver, Lynn

    2012-04-01

    This paper describes the research and development of the Obesity in Children Action Kit, a paper-based chronic disease management tool of the Public Health Detailing Program (PHD) at the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It also describes PHD's process for developing the Obesity in Children detailing campaign (targeting healthcare providers working with children aged 2-18) and its results, during which the Action Kit materials were a focal point. The campaign goals were to impact healthcare provider clinical behaviors, improve the health literacy of parents and children, instigate patient-provider-parent dialogue, and change family practices to prevent obesity. Qualitative research methods consisted of healthcare provider in-depth interviews and parent focus groups to aid campaign development. Evaluation of the Obesity in Children campaign included self-reported data on uptake and usage of clinical tools and action steps of matched assessments from 237 healthcare provider initial and follow-up visits, material stock counts, and DOHMH representative qualitative visit excerpts. Key themes identified in parent focus groups were concerns about childhood diabetes and high blood pressure, awareness of cultural pressure and our "supersize" culture, frustration with family communication around overweight and obesity, lack of knowledge about food quality and portion size, economic pressures, and the availability of healthy and nutritious foods. During the Obesity in Children campaign, six representatives reached 161 practices with 1,588 one-on-one interactions, and an additional 461 contacts were made through group presentations. After these interactions, there was a significant increase in the percentage of physicians self-reported use of key recommended practices: Use of BMI percentile-for-age to assess for overweight or obesity at every visit increased from 77% to 88% (p families to set realistic goals increased from 64% to 86% (p

  1. Computational techniques of the simplex method

    CERN Document Server

    Maros, István

    2003-01-01

    Computational Techniques of the Simplex Method is a systematic treatment focused on the computational issues of the simplex method. It provides a comprehensive coverage of the most important and successful algorithmic and implementation techniques of the simplex method. It is a unique source of essential, never discussed details of algorithmic elements and their implementation. On the basis of the book the reader will be able to create a highly advanced implementation of the simplex method which, in turn, can be used directly or as a building block in other solution algorithms.

  2. Passive RF component technology materials, techniques, and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Guoan

    2012-01-01

    Focusing on novel materials and techniques, this pioneering volume provides you with a solid understanding of the design and fabrication of smart RF passive components. You find comprehensive details on LCP, metal materials, ferrite materials, nano materials, high aspect ratio enabled materials, green materials for RFID, and silicon micromachining techniques. Moreover, this practical book offers expert guidance on how to apply these materials and techniques to design a wide range of cutting-edge RF passive components, from MEMS switch based tunable passives and 3D passives, to metamaterial-bas

  3. Capturing Fine Details Involving Low-Cost Sensors -a Comparative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehany, N.; Barsi, A.; Lovas, T.

    2017-11-01

    Capturing the fine details on the surface of small objects is a real challenge to many conventional surveying methods. Our paper discusses the investigation of several data acquisition technologies, such as arm scanner, structured light scanner, terrestrial laser scanner, object line-scanner, DSLR camera, and mobile phone camera. A palm-sized embossed sculpture reproduction was used as a test object; it has been surveyed by all the instruments. The result point clouds and meshes were then analyzed, using the arm scanner's dataset as reference. In addition to general statistics, the results have been evaluated based both on 3D deviation maps and 2D deviation graphs; the latter allows even more accurate analysis of the characteristics of the different data acquisition approaches. Additionally, own-developed local minimum maps were created that nicely visualize the potential level of detail provided by the applied technologies. Besides the usual geometric assessment, the paper discusses the different resource needs (cost, time, expertise) of the discussed techniques. Our results proved that even amateur sensors operated by amateur users can provide high quality datasets that enable engineering analysis. Based on the results, the paper contains an outlook to potential future investigations in this field.

  4. Oncologic applications of diagnostic imaging techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forrest, L.J.; Thrall, D.E.

    1995-01-01

    Before appropriate therapy can be instituted for a cancer patient, the presence and extent of tumor must be evaluated. Deciding which imaging technique to use depends on tumor location, type, and biologic behavior. Conventional radiography provides important information at a relatively low cost compared with other imaging modalities. Ultrasound is a valuable adjunct to radiography, but does not replace it because both imaging modalities provide unique information. Nuclear medicine procedures contribute additional, unique data by providing physiological information, but specificity is lacking. Both CT and MRI provide images with exquisite anatomic detail, but availability and cost prohibit their general use

  5. Measurement and control of detailed electronic properties in a single molecule break junction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kun; Hamill, Joseph; Zhou, Jianfeng; Guo, Cunlan; Xu, Bingqian

    2014-01-01

    The lack of detailed experimental controls has been one of the major obstacles hindering progress in molecular electronics. While large fluctuations have been occurring in the experimental data, specific details, related mechanisms, and data analysis techniques are in high demand to promote our physical understanding at the single-molecule level. A series of modulations we recently developed, based on traditional scanning probe microscopy break junctions (SPMBJs), have helped to discover significant properties in detail which are hidden in the contact interfaces of a single-molecule break junction (SMBJ). For example, in the past we have shown that the correlated force and conductance changes under the saw tooth modulation and stretch-hold mode of PZT movement revealed inherent differences in the contact geometries of a molecular junction. In this paper, using a bias-modulated SPMBJ and utilizing emerging data analysis techniques, we report on the measurement of the altered alignment of the HOMO of benzene molecules with changing the anchoring group which coupled the molecule to metal electrodes. Further calculations based on Landauer fitting and transition voltage spectroscopy (TVS) demonstrated the effects of modulated bias on the location of the frontier molecular orbitals. Understanding the alignment of the molecular orbitals with the Fermi level of the electrodes is essential for understanding the behaviour of SMBJs and for the future design of more complex devices. With these modulations and analysis techniques, fruitful information has been found about the nature of the metal-molecule junction, providing us insightful clues towards the next step for in-depth study.

  6. E-detailing: information technology applied to pharmaceutical detailing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoya, Isaac D

    2008-11-01

    E-detailing can be best described as the use of information technology in the field of pharmaceutical detailing. It is becoming highly popular among pharmaceutical companies because it maximizes the time of the sales force, cuts down the cost of detailing and increases physician prescribing. Thus, the application of information technology is proving to be beneficial to both physicians and pharmaceutical companies. When e-detailing was introduced in 1996, it was limited to the US; however, numerous other countries soon adopted this novel approach to detailing and now it is popular in many developed nations. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the rapid growth of e-detailing in the field of pharmaceutical marketing. A review of e-detailing literature was conducted in addition to personal conversations with physicians. E-detailing has the potential to reduce marketing costs, increase accessibility to physicians and offer many of the advantages of face-to-face detailing. E-detailing is gaining acceptance among physicians because they can access the information of a pharmaceutical product at their own time and convenience. However, the drug safety aspect of e-detailing has not been examined and e-detailing remains a supplement to traditional detailing and is not yet a replacement to it.

  7. Microsoft Security Bible A Collection of Practical Security Techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Mullen, Timothy "Thor"

    2011-01-01

    Thor's Microsoft® Security Bible provides a "one-stop-shop" for Microsoft-related security techniques and procedures as applied to the typical deployment of a Microsoft-based infrastructure. The book contains detailed security concepts and methodologies described at every level: Server, Client, Organizational Structure, Platform-specific security options, application specific security (IIS, SQL, Active Directory, etc.) and also includes new, never-before-published security tools complete with source code. Detailed technical information on security processes for all major Microsoft applications

  8. 41 CFR 102-75.1225 - What details are provided in the “Notice of Availability”?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What details are... Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL... information, and a date by which an interested Federal agency must respond in writing to indicate a definite...

  9. Developments in remote sensing technology enable more detailed urban flood risk analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denniss, A.; Tewkesbury, A.

    2009-04-01

    Spaceborne remote sensors have been allowing us to build up a profile of planet earth for many years. With each new satellite launched we see the capabilities improve: new bands of data, higher resolution imagery, the ability to derive better elevation information. The combination of this geospatial data to create land cover and usage maps, all help inform catastrophe modelling systems. From Landsat 30m resolution to 2.44m QuickBird multispectral imagery; from 1m radar data collected by TerraSAR-X which enables rapid tracking of the rise and fall of a flood event, and will shortly have a twin satellite launched enabling elevation data creation; we are spoilt for choice in available data. However, just what is cost effective? It is always a question of choosing the appropriate level of input data detail for modelling, depending on the value of the risk. In the summer of 2007, the cost of the flooding in the UK was approximately £3bn and affected over 58,000 homes and businesses. When it comes to flood risk, we have traditionally considered rising river levels and surge tides, but with climate change and variations in our own construction behaviour, there are other factors to be taken into account. During those summer 2007 events, the Environment Agency suggested that around 70% of the properties damaged were the result of pluvial flooding, where high localised rainfall events overload localised drainage infrastructure, causing widespread flooding of properties and infrastructure. To create a risk model that is able to simulate such an event requires much more accurate source data than can be provided from satellite or radar. As these flood events cause considerable damage within relatively small, complex urban environments, therefore new high resolution remote sensing techniques have to be applied to better model these events. Detailed terrain data of England and Wales, plus cities in Scotland, have been produced by combining terrain measurements from the latest

  10. Patch Clamp: A Powerful Technique for Studying the Mechanism of Acupuncture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Zhang

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Cellular and molecular events can be investigated using electrophysiological techniques. In particular, the patch-clamp method provides detailed information. In addition, the patch-clamp technique has become a powerful method for investigating the mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture. In this paper, recent researches on how acupuncture might modulate electrophysiological responses in the central nervous system (CNS and affect peripheral structures are reviewed.

  11. Industrial fouling: problem characterization, economic assessment, and review of prevention, mitigation, and accommodation techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garrett-Price, B.A.; Smith, S.A.; Watts, R.L.

    1984-02-01

    A comprehensive overview of heat exchanger fouling in the manufacturing industries is provided. Specifically, this overview addresses: the characteristics of industrial fouling problems; the mitigation and accommodation techniques currently used by industry; and the types and magnitude of costs associated with industrial fouling. A detailed review of the fouling problems, costs and mitigation techniques is provided for the food, textile, pulp and paper, chemical, petroleum, cement, glass and primary metals industries.

  12. Are medical articles highlighting detailed statistics more cited?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mike Thelwall

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available When conducting a literature review, it is natural to search for articles and read their abstracts in order to select papers to read fully. Hence, informative abstracts are important to ensure that research is read. The description of a paper's methods may help to give confidence that a study is of high quality. This article assesses whether medical articles that mention three statistical methods, each of which is arguably indicative of a more detailed statistical analysis than average, are more highly cited. The results show that medical articles mentioning Bonferroni corrections, bootstrapping and effect size tend to be 7%, 8% and 15% more highly ranked for citations than average, respectively. Although this is consistent with the hypothesis that mentioning more detailed statistical techniques generate more highly cited research, these techniques may also tend to be used in more highly cited areas of Medicine.

  13. Environment and the sterile insect technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagel, P.; Peveling, R.

    2005-01-01

    The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an exceptionally promising pest control method in terms of efficacy and environmental compatibility. Assessments of environmental risks vary according to the status and origin of the target pests. The suppression or eradication of exotic pest populations with the SIT raises few environmental concerns, and these are related mainly to pre-release suppression techniques. However, the elimination of native species, or at least populations of native species, requires more detailed and complex assessments of ecological effects and consequences for biodiversity conservation. Eradication programmes provide opportunities to study these topics within the scope of both environmental impact assessments and operational monitoring programmes. (author)

  14. Imaging of the hip and bony pelvis. Techniques and applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, A.M. [Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham (United Kingdom). MRI Centre; Johnson, K.J. [Princess of Wales Birmingham Children' s Hospital (United Kingdom); Whitehouse, R.W. (eds.) [Manchester Royal Infirmary (United Kingdom). Dept. of Clinical Radiology

    2006-07-01

    This is a comprehensive textbook on imaging of the bony pelvis and hip joint that provides a detailed description of the techniques and imaging findings relevant to this complex anatomical region. In the first part of the book, the various techniques and procedures employed for imaging the pelvis and hip are discussed in detail. The second part of the book documents the application of these techniques to the diverse clinical problems and diseases encountered. Among the many topics addressed are congenital and developmental disorders including developmental dysplasia of the hip, irritable hip and septic arthritis, Perthes' disease and avascular necrosis, slipped upper femoral epiphysis, bony and soft tissue trauma, arthritis, tumours and hip prostheses. Each chapter is written by an acknowledged expert in the field, and a wealth of illustrative material is included. This book will be of great value to musculoskeletal and general radiologists, orthopaedic surgeons and rheumatologists. (orig.)

  15. Techniques, processes, and measures for software safety and reliability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sparkman, D.

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed survey of current recommended practices and measurement techniques for the development of reliable and safe software-based systems. This report is intended to assist the United States Nuclear Reaction Regulation (NRR) in determining the importance and maturity of the available techniques and in assessing the relevance of individual standards for application to instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power generating stations. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) provides technical support for the Instrumentation and Control System Branch (ICSB) of NRRin advanced instrumentation and control systems, distributed digital systems, software reliability, and the application of verificafion and validafion for the development of software

  16. Integral transform techniques for Green's function

    CERN Document Server

    Watanabe, Kazumi

    2015-01-01

    This book describes mathematical techniques for integral transforms in a detailed but concise manner. The techniques are subsequently applied to the standard partial differential equations, such as the Laplace equation, the wave equation and elasticity equations. Green’s functions for beams, plates and acoustic media are also shown, along with their mathematical derivations. The Cagniard-de Hoop method for double inversion is described in detail, and 2D and 3D elastodynamic problems are treated in full. This new edition explains in detail how to introduce the branch cut for the multi-valued square root function. Further, an exact closed form Green’s function for torsional waves is presented, as well as an application technique of the complex integral, which includes the square root function and an application technique of the complex integral.

  17. Multiple-endpoint assay provides a detailed mechanistic view of responses to herbicide exposure in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nestler, Holger; Groh, Ksenia J.; Schönenberger, René; Behra, Renata; Schirmer, Kristin; Eggen, Rik I.L.; Suter, Marc J.-F.

    2012-01-01

    The release of herbicides into the aquatic environment raises concerns about potential detrimental effects on ecologically important non-target species, such as unicellular algae, necessitating ecotoxicological risk assessment. Algal toxicity tests based on growth, a commonly assessed endpoint, are integrative, and hence do not provide information about underlying toxic mechanisms and effects. This limitation may be overcome by measuring more specific biochemical and physiological endpoints. In the present work, we developed and applied a novel multiple-endpoint assay, and analyzed the effects of the herbicides paraquat, diuron and norflurazon, each representing a specific mechanism of toxic action, on the single celled green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The endpoints added to assessment of growth were pigment content, maximum and effective photosystem II quantum yield, ATP content, esterase and oxidative activity. All parameters were measured at 2, 6 and 24 h of exposure, except for growth and pigment content, which were determined after 6 and 24 h only. Effective concentrations causing 50% of response (EC50s) and lowest observable effect concentrations (LOECs) were determined for all endpoints and exposure durations where possible. The assay provided a detailed picture of the concentration- and time-dependent development of effects elicited by the analyzed herbicides, thus improving the understanding of the underlying toxic mechanisms. Furthermore, the response patterns were unique to the respective herbicide and reflected the different mechanisms of toxicity. The comparison of the endpoint responses and sensitivities revealed that several physiological and biochemical parameters reacted earlier or stronger to disturbances than growth. Overall, the presented multiple-endpoint assay constitutes a promising basis for investigating stressor and toxicant effects in green algae.

  18. Multiple-endpoint assay provides a detailed mechanistic view of responses to herbicide exposure in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nestler, Holger [Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland); Groh, Ksenia J.; Schoenenberger, Rene; Behra, Renata [Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); Schirmer, Kristin [Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland); EPF Lausanne, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Eggen, Rik I.L. [Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland); Suter, Marc J.-F., E-mail: suter@eawag.ch [Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland)

    2012-04-15

    The release of herbicides into the aquatic environment raises concerns about potential detrimental effects on ecologically important non-target species, such as unicellular algae, necessitating ecotoxicological risk assessment. Algal toxicity tests based on growth, a commonly assessed endpoint, are integrative, and hence do not provide information about underlying toxic mechanisms and effects. This limitation may be overcome by measuring more specific biochemical and physiological endpoints. In the present work, we developed and applied a novel multiple-endpoint assay, and analyzed the effects of the herbicides paraquat, diuron and norflurazon, each representing a specific mechanism of toxic action, on the single celled green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The endpoints added to assessment of growth were pigment content, maximum and effective photosystem II quantum yield, ATP content, esterase and oxidative activity. All parameters were measured at 2, 6 and 24 h of exposure, except for growth and pigment content, which were determined after 6 and 24 h only. Effective concentrations causing 50% of response (EC50s) and lowest observable effect concentrations (LOECs) were determined for all endpoints and exposure durations where possible. The assay provided a detailed picture of the concentration- and time-dependent development of effects elicited by the analyzed herbicides, thus improving the understanding of the underlying toxic mechanisms. Furthermore, the response patterns were unique to the respective herbicide and reflected the different mechanisms of toxicity. The comparison of the endpoint responses and sensitivities revealed that several physiological and biochemical parameters reacted earlier or stronger to disturbances than growth. Overall, the presented multiple-endpoint assay constitutes a promising basis for investigating stressor and toxicant effects in green algae.

  19. Artificial intelligence techniques used in respiratory sound analysis--a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palaniappan, Rajkumar; Sundaraj, Kenneth; Sundaraj, Sebastian

    2014-02-01

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently been established as an alternative method to many conventional methods. The implementation of AI techniques for respiratory sound analysis can assist medical professionals in the diagnosis of lung pathologies. This article highlights the importance of AI techniques in the implementation of computer-based respiratory sound analysis. Articles on computer-based respiratory sound analysis using AI techniques were identified by searches conducted on various electronic resources, such as the IEEE, Springer, Elsevier, PubMed, and ACM digital library databases. Brief descriptions of the types of respiratory sounds and their respective characteristics are provided. We then analyzed each of the previous studies to determine the specific respiratory sounds/pathology analyzed, the number of subjects, the signal processing method used, the AI techniques used, and the performance of the AI technique used in the analysis of respiratory sounds. A detailed description of each of these studies is provided. In conclusion, this article provides recommendations for further advancements in respiratory sound analysis.

  20. A detailed spectroscopic study of an Italian fresco

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barilaro, Donatella; Crupi, Vincenza; Majolino, Domenico; Barone, Germana; Ponterio, Rosina

    2005-01-01

    In the present work we characterized samples of plasters and pictorial layers taken from a fresco in the Acireale Cathedral. The fresco represents the Coronation of Saint Venera, patron saint of this Ionian town. By performing a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the plaster preparation layer by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD), and of the painting layer by FTIR and confocal Raman microspectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy+energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and XRD, we were able to identify the pigments and the binders present. In particular, Raman investigation was crucial to the characterization of the pigments thanks to the high resolution of the confocal apparatus used. It is worth stressing that the simultaneous use of complementary techniques was able to provide more complete information for the conservation of the artifact we studied

  1. Temperature Measurements of Dense Plasmas by Detailed Balance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holl, A; Redmer, R; Ropke, G; Reinholz, H; Thiele, R; Fortmann, C; Forster, E; Cao, L; Tschentscher, T; Toleikis, S; Glenzer, S H

    2006-01-01

    Plasmas at high electron densities of n e = 10 20 - 10 26 cm -3 and moderate temperatures T e = 1 - 20 eV are important for laboratory astrophysics, high energy density science and inertial confinement fusion. These plasmas are usually referred to as Warm Dense Matter (WDM) and are characterized by a coupling parameter of Λ ∼> 1 where correlations become important. The characterization of such plasmas is still a challenging task due to the lack of direct measurement techniques for temperatures and densities. They propose to measure the Thomson scattering spectrum of vacuum-UV radiation off density fluctuations in the plasma. Collective Thomson scattering provides accurate data for the electron temperature applying first principles. Further, this method takes advantage of the spectral asymmetry resulting from detailed balance and is independent of collisional effects in these dense systems

  2. Dynamical twisted mass fermions with light quarks. Simulation and analysis details

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boucaud, P. [Paris-11 Univ., 91 - Orsay (France). Lab. de Physique Theorique; Dimopoulos, P. [Rome-2 Univ. (Italy). Dipt. di Fisica; Farchioni, F. [Muenster Univ. (DE). Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik] (and others)

    2008-03-15

    In a recent paper (2007) we presented precise lattice QCD results of our European Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC). They were obtained by employing two mass-degenerate flavours of twisted mass fermions at maximal twist. In the present paper we give details on our simulations and the computation of physical observables. In particular, we discuss the problem of tuning to maximal twist, the techniques we have used to compute correlators and error estimates. In addition, we provide more information on the algorithm used, the autocorrelation times and scale determination, the evaluation of disconnected contributions and the description of our data by means of chiral perturbation theory formulae. (orig.)

  3. Dynamical twisted mass fermions with light quarks. Simulation and analysis details

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boucaud, P.; Dimopoulos, P.; Farchioni, F.

    2008-03-01

    In a recent paper (2007) we presented precise lattice QCD results of our European Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC). They were obtained by employing two mass-degenerate flavours of twisted mass fermions at maximal twist. In the present paper we give details on our simulations and the computation of physical observables. In particular, we discuss the problem of tuning to maximal twist, the techniques we have used to compute correlators and error estimates. In addition, we provide more information on the algorithm used, the autocorrelation times and scale determination, the evaluation of disconnected contributions and the description of our data by means of chiral perturbation theory formulae. (orig.)

  4. Academic detailing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankar, P R; Jha, N; Piryani, R M; Bajracharya, O; Shrestha, R; Thapa, H S

    2010-01-01

    There are a number of sources available to prescribers to stay up to date about medicines. Prescribers in rural areas in developing countries however, may not able to access some of them. Interventions to improve prescribing can be educational, managerial, and regulatory or use a mix of strategies. Detailing by the pharmaceutical industry is widespread. Academic detailing (AD) has been classically seen as a form of continuing medical education in which a trained health professional such as a physician or pharmacist visits physicians in their offices to provide evidence-based information. Face-to-face sessions, preferably on an individual basis, clear educational and behavioural objectives, establishing credibility with respect to objectivity, stimulating physician interaction, use of concise graphic educational materials, highlighting key messages, and when possible, providing positive reinforcement of improved practices in follow-up visits can increase success of AD initiatives. AD is common in developed countries and certain examples have been cited in this review. In developing countries the authors have come across reports of AD in Pakistan, Sudan, Argentina and Uruguay, Bihar state in India, Zambia, Cuba, Indonesia and Mexico. AD had a consistent, small but potentially significant impact on prescribing practices. AD has much less resources at its command compared to the efforts by the industry. Steps have to be taken to formally start AD in Nepal and there may be specific hindering factors similar to those in other developing nations.

  5. Understanding ensemble protein folding at atomic detail

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallin, Stefan; Shakhnovich, Eugene I

    2008-01-01

    Although far from routine, simulating the folding of specific short protein chains on the computer, at a detailed atomic level, is starting to become a reality. This remarkable progress, which has been made over the last decade or so, allows a fundamental aspect of the protein folding process to be addressed, namely its statistical nature. In order to make quantitative comparisons with experimental kinetic data a complete ensemble view of folding must be achieved, with key observables averaged over the large number of microscopically different folding trajectories available to a protein chain. Here we review recent advances in atomic-level protein folding simulations and the new insight provided by them into the protein folding process. An important element in understanding ensemble folding kinetics are methods for analyzing many separate folding trajectories, and we discuss techniques developed to condense the large amount of information contained in an ensemble of trajectories into a manageable picture of the folding process. (topical review)

  6. Influences on physicians' adoption of electronic detailing (e-detailing).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkhateeb, Fadi M; Doucette, William R

    2009-01-01

    E-detailing means using digital technology: internet, video conferencing and interactive voice response. There are two types of e-detailing: interactive (virtual) and video. Currently, little is known about what factors influence physicians' adoption of e-detailing. The objectives of this study were to test a model of physicians' adoption of e-detailing and to describe physicians using e-detailing. A mail survey was sent to a random sample of 2000 physicians practicing in Iowa. Binomial logistic regression was used to test the model of influences on physician adoption of e-detailing. On the basis of Rogers' model of adoption, the independent variables included relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, peer influence, attitudes, years in practice, presence of restrictive access to traditional detailing, type of specialty, academic affiliation, type of practice setting and control variables. A total of 671 responses were received giving a response rate of 34.7%. A total of 141 physicians (21.0%) reported using of e-detailing. The overall adoption model for using either type of e-detailing was found to be significant. Relative advantage, peer influence, attitudes, type of specialty, presence of restrictive access and years of practice had significant influences on physician adoption of e-detailing. The model of adoption of innovation is useful to explain physicians' adoption of e-detailing.

  7. The importance of the right focusing technique. At-a-glance information on focusing techniques in X-ray procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lichte-Wichmann, M.

    1993-01-01

    Sharp pictures providing all the information relevant to a particular case obviate repeat exposures, help to keep the radiation dose to a minimum and prevent false diagnoses. In her book, the author gives practical guidance on focusing techniques that is equally valuable to beginners and experienced investigators or medical X-ray assistants and physicians. A substantial part of the book is devoted to detailed instructions on how an object is brought into focus as well as on the criteria of proper focusing and the possibilities of identifying and avoiding false focusing techniques. The problems arising when uncommon X-ray pictures have to be taken are explained by diagrammatic representations. (orig.) [de

  8. Automated medical image segmentation techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharma Neeraj

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Accurate segmentation of medical images is a key step in contouring during radiotherapy planning. Computed topography (CT and Magnetic resonance (MR imaging are the most widely used radiographic techniques in diagnosis, clinical studies and treatment planning. This review provides details of automated segmentation methods, specifically discussed in the context of CT and MR images. The motive is to discuss the problems encountered in segmentation of CT and MR images, and the relative merits and limitations of methods currently available for segmentation of medical images.

  9. The devil is in the detail: children's recollection of details about their prior experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strange, Deryn; Hayne, Harlene

    2013-01-01

    Adults sometimes report highly specific details of childhood events, including the weather, what they or others were wearing, as well as information about what they or others said or were thinking at the time. When these details are reported in the course of research they shape our theories of memory development; when they are reported in a criminal trial they influence jurors' evaluation of guilt or innocence. The key question is whether these details were encoded at the time the event took place or have been added after the fact. We addressed this question prospectively by examining the memory accounts of children. In Experiment 1 we coded the reports of 5- to 6-year-olds and 9- to 10-year-olds who had experienced a unique event. We found that spontaneous mentions of these specific details were exceedingly rare. In Experiment 2 we questioned additional children about a similar event using specific questions to extract those details. We found that 9- to 10-year-olds were able to accurately answer, while 5- to 6-year-olds had considerable difficulty. Moreover, when the younger children did respond they provided generic, forensically inadequate, information. These data have important implications for the courtroom and for current theories of memory development and childhood amnesia.

  10. SU-G-IeP3-14: Updating Tools for Radiographic Technique Charts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walz-Flannigan, A; Lucas, J; Buchanan, K; Schueler, B [Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Manual technique selection in radiography is needed for imaging situations where there is difficulty in proper positioning for AEC, prosthesis, for non-bucky imaging, or for guiding image repeats. Basic information about how to provide consistent image signal and contrast for various kV and tissue thickness is needed to create manual technique charts, and relevant for physicists involved in technique chart optimization. Guidance on technique combinations and rules-of-thumb to provide consistent image signal still in use today are based on measurements with optical density of screen-film combinations and older generation x-ray systems. Tools such as a kV-scale chart can be useful to know how to modify mAs when kV is changed in order to maintain consistent image receptor signal level. We evaluate these tools for modern equipment for use in optimizing proper size scaled techniques. Methods: We used a water phantom to measure calibrated signal change for CR and DR (with grid) for various beam energies. Tube current values were calculated that would yield a consistent image signal response. Data was fit to provide sufficient granularity of detail to compose technique-scale chart. Tissue thickness approximated equivalence to 80% of water depth. Results: We created updated technique-scale charts, providing mAs and kV combinations to achieve consistent signal for CR and DR for various tissue equivalent thicknesses. We show how this information can be used to create properly scaled size-based manual technique charts. Conclusion: Relative scaling of mAs and kV for constant signal (i.e. the shape of the curve) appears substantially similar between film-screen and CR/DR. This supports the notion that image receptor related differences are minor factors for relative (not absolute) changes in mAs with varying kV. However, as demonstrated creation of these difficult to find detailed technique-scales are useful tools for manual chart optimization.

  11. Boosting flood warning schemes with fast emulator of detailed hydrodynamic models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellos, V.; Carbajal, J. P.; Leitao, J. P.

    2017-12-01

    Floods are among the most destructive catastrophic events and their frequency has incremented over the last decades. To reduce flood impact and risks, flood warning schemes are installed in flood prone areas. Frequently, these schemes are based on numerical models which quickly provide predictions of water levels and other relevant observables. However, the high complexity of flood wave propagation in the real world and the need of accurate predictions in urban environments or in floodplains hinders the use of detailed simulators. This sets the difficulty, we need fast predictions that meet the accuracy requirements. Most physics based detailed simulators although accurate, will not fulfill the speed demand. Even if High Performance Computing techniques are used (the magnitude of required simulation time is minutes/hours). As a consequence, most flood warning schemes are based in coarse ad-hoc approximations that cannot take advantage a detailed hydrodynamic simulation. In this work, we present a methodology for developing a flood warning scheme using an Gaussian Processes based emulator of a detailed hydrodynamic model. The methodology consists of two main stages: 1) offline stage to build the emulator; 2) online stage using the emulator to predict and generate warnings. The offline stage consists of the following steps: a) definition of the critical sites of the area under study, and the specification of the observables to predict at those sites, e.g. water depth, flow velocity, etc.; b) generation of a detailed simulation dataset to train the emulator; c) calibration of the required parameters (if measurements are available). The online stage is carried on using the emulator to predict the relevant observables quickly, and the detailed simulator is used in parallel to verify key predictions of the emulator. The speed gain given by the emulator allows also to quantify uncertainty in predictions using ensemble methods. The above methodology is applied in real

  12. A technique for improved stability of adaptive feedforward controllers without detailed uncertainty measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berkhoff, A P

    2012-01-01

    Model errors in adaptive controllers for the reduction of broadband noise and vibrations may lead to unstable systems or increased error signals. Previous research on active structures with small damping has shown that the addition of a low-authority controller which increases damping in the system may lead to improved performance of an adaptive, high-authority controller. Other researchers have suggested the use of frequency dependent regularization based on measured uncertainties. In this paper an alternative method is presented that avoids the disadvantages of these methods, namely the additional complex hardware and the need to obtain detailed information on the uncertainties. An analysis is made of an adaptive feedforward controller in which a difference exists between the secondary path and the model as used in the controller. The real parts of the eigenvalues that determine the stability of the system are expressed in terms of the amount of uncertainty and the singular values of the secondary path. Modifications of the feedforward control scheme are suggested that aim to improve performance without requiring detailed uncertainty measurements. (paper)

  13. Diffraction Techniques in Structural Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egli, Martin

    2016-01-01

    A detailed understanding of chemical and biological function and the mechanisms underlying the molecular activities ultimately requires atomic-resolution structural data. Diffraction-based techniques such as single-crystal X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and neutron diffraction are well established and they have paved the road to the stunning successes of modern-day structural biology. The major advances achieved in the last 20 years in all aspects of structural research, including sample preparation, crystallization, the construction of synchrotron and spallation sources, phasing approaches, and high-speed computing and visualization, now provide specialists and nonspecialists alike with a steady flow of molecular images of unprecedented detail. The present unit combines a general overview of diffraction methods with a detailed description of the process of a single-crystal X-ray structure determination experiment, from chemical synthesis or expression to phasing and refinement, analysis, and quality control. For novices it may serve as a stepping-stone to more in-depth treatises of the individual topics. Readers relying on structural information for interpreting functional data may find it a useful consumer guide. PMID:27248784

  14. The detail is dead - long live the detail!

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Steen Nepper; Dalgaard, Kim; Kerstens, Vencent

    2018-01-01

    architecture when we look into architectural history. Too classic examples are; Adolf Loos who provoked already in 1908 with his statement; "Ornament and Crime", which contested the unconscious decorations of contemporary architects. Similarly, referring to the little need for superfluous detailing; "Less...... not change the fact that it is more important than ever to bring this 'small' architectural world to attention. Today, the construction industry is dictated by an economic management that does not leave much room for thorough studies of architectural details or visionary experiments. Today's more efficient......_Delft about the Symposium; "The Detail is Dead - Long Live the Detail". For this occasion a number of leading Danish and Northern European architects, researchers and companies were invited to discuss and suggest their 'architectural detail' and the challenges they face in today's construction. This book...

  15. A detailed study of inexpensive radon control techniques in New York state houses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nitschke, I.A.; Wadach, J.B.; Clarke, W.A.; Traynor, G.W.; Adams, G.P.; Rizzuto, J.E.

    1984-01-01

    As part of a comprehensive indoor air quality and infiltration field study, radon concentrations were measured in 60 houses in upstate New York using passive integrating monitors. Indoor air radon concentrations ranged from 0.2 pCi/l to 50 pCi/l. Four houses with the highest radon levels were then extensively monitored using real-time continuous instruments for the measurement of radon, radon daughters, respirable particles, infiltration, inside-outside pressure difference, and weather parameters. Several inexpensive radon mitigation techniques were tested in these four houses. Their effectiveness ranged widely. Techniques identified as effective were permanently installed in 14 houses having indoor air radon concentration above 2 pCi/l. Finally, the long-term effectiveness of the installed control techniques is being tested using passive integrating radon monitors. (Author)

  16. Radioisotope techniques in the study of protein metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1965-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a panel meeting on June 1-5, 1964. The purpose of the panel was to discuss the present status of radioactive tracer techniques for the study of protein metabolism and to suggest ways of extending an co-ordinating the Agency's research programme in this field. The meeting was attended by 13 invited experts from ten different countries, and three representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO). Sessions of the panel were devoted to methods of preparation of labelled proteins and protein-like substances, to techniques of measurement of gastro-intestinal protein absorption and loss and to the clinical applications of these techniques. At each session, working papers were presented by various participants and then discussed in detail. This report gives the full texts of the working papers together with extensive summaries of the discussions and provides a detailed picture of the present situation and likely future developments in this field of work. It is hoped that its publication will be of interest to all concerned with problems of protein metabolism, whether in clinical medicine or the basic medical sciences. 349 refs, figs and tabs

  17. Collage technique may provide new perspectives for Alzheimer patients by exploring messages from their inner world.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meguro, Mitsue; Ishizaki, Junichi; Meguro, Kenichi

    2009-01-01

    Although the collage art technique has been introduced as a psychotherapeutic method, it has not been fully applied in dementia. To analyze characteristics of the collage articles produced by patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty AD patients were asked to select and place several clippings as they wished. The MMSE was used for cognitive assessments. Simplification and poor organization in their articles were found. The themes of one patient were found to change according to behavior. We discussed the images of the articles, especially spiritual images in the early stage and family images in the later stage. We concluded that the collage technique could provide new perspectives for dementia patients by exploring messages from their inner world.

  18. Regulation No. 56/2006 Coll. of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic dated as of January 12, 2006 on details concerning requirements for quality system documentation of authorisation holder, as well as details concerning quality requirements for nuclear installations, details concerning quality requirements for classified equipment and details concerning the scope of their approval

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    This Regulation provides details of the requirements for quality system documentation holder, details of the quality requirements for nuclear installations, details concerning quality requirements for classified equipment and details of the scope of their approval. This Regulation came into force on March 1, 2006.

  19. Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture, Tutorial Part 2 - Detailed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handler, Louis

    2014-01-01

    The STRS architecture detail presentation presents each requirement in the STRS Architecture Standard with some examples and supporting information. The purpose is to give a platform provider, application provider, or application integrator a better, more detailed understanding of the STRS Architecture Standard and its use.

  20. Persian fencing techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available There are numerous manuscripts, poems and stories that describe, specifically and in detail, the different techniques used in Persian swordsmanship. The present article explains the origins and the techniques of Persian swordsmanship. The article also describes the traditional code of conduct for Persian warriors. Additionally, it describes an array of techniques that were deployed in actual combat in Iran’s history. Some of these techniques are represented via the miniatures that are reproduced herein. This is the first article on Persian swordsmanship published in any periodical.

  1. Detail in architecture: Between arts & crafts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dulencin, Juraj

    2016-06-01

    Architectural detail represents an important part of architecture. Not only can it be used as an identifier of a specific building but at the same time enhances the experience of the realized project. Within it lie the signs of a great architect and clues to understanding his or her way of thinking. It is therefore the central topic of a seminar offered to architecture students at the Brno University of Technology. During the course of the semester-long class the students acquaint themselves with atypical architectural details of domestic and international architects by learning to read them, understand them and subsequently draw them by creating architectural blueprints. In other words, by general analysis of a detail the students learn theoretical thinking of its architect who, depending on the nature of the design, had to incorporate a variety of techniques and crafts. Students apply this analytical part to their own architectural detail design. The methodology of the seminar consists of experiential learning by project management and is complemented by a series of lectures discussing a diversity of details as well as materials and technologies required to implement it. The architectural detail design is also part of students' bachelors thesis, therefore, the realistic nature of their blueprints can be verified in the production process of its physical counterpart. Based on their own documentation the students choose the most suitable manufacturing process whether it is supplied by a specific technology or a craftsman. Students actively participate in the production and correct their design proposals in real scale with the actual material. A student, as a future architect, stands somewhere between a client and an artisan, materializes his or her idea and adjusts the manufacturing process so that the final detail fulfills aesthetic consistency and is in harmony with its initial concept. One of the very important aspects of the design is its economic cost, an

  2. The Evolution of 3D Microimaging Techniques in Geosciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahagian, D.; Proussevitch, A.

    2009-05-01

    In the analysis of geomaterials, it is essential to be able to analyze internal structures on a quantitative basis. Techniques have evolved from rough qualitative methods to highly accurate quantitative methods coupled with 3-D numerical analysis. The earliest primitive method for "seeing'" what was inside a rock was multiple sectioning to produce a series of image slices. This technique typically completely destroyed the sample being analyzed. Another destructive method was developed to give more detailed quantitative information by forming plastic casts of internal voids in sedimentary and volcanic rocks. For this, void were filled with plastic and the rock dissolved away with HF to reveal plastic casts of internal vesicles. Later, new approaches to stereology were developed to extract 3D information from 2D cross-sectional images. This has long been possible for spheres because the probability distribution for cutting a sphere along any small circle is known analytically (greatest probability is near the equator). However, large numbers of objects are required for statistical validity, and geomaterials are seldom spherical, so crystals, vesicles, and other inclusions would need a more sophisticated approach. Consequently, probability distributions were developed using numerical techniques for rectangular solids and various ellipsoids so that stereological techniques could be applied to these. The "holy grail" has always been to obtain 3D quantitative images non-destructively. A key method is Computed X-ray Tomography (CXT), in which attenuation of X-rays is recorded as a function of angular position in a cylindrical sample, providing a 2D "slice" of the interior. When a series of these "slices" is stacked (in increments equivalent with the resolution of the X-ray to make cubic voxels), a 3D image results with quantitative information regarding internal structure, particle/void volumes, nearest neighbors, coordination numbers, preferred orientations, etc. CXT can

  3. Android-Stego: A Novel Service Provider Imperceptible MMS Steganography Technique Robust to Message Loss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Avinash Srinivasan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Information hiding techniques, especially steganography, have been extensively researched for over two decades. Nonetheless, steganography on smartphones over cellular carrier networks is yet to be fully explored. Today, smartphones, which are at the epitome of ubiquitous and pervasive computing, make steganography an easily accessible covert communication channel. In this paper, we propose Android-Stego - a framework for steganography employing smart-phones. Android-Stego has been evaluated and confirmed to achieve covert communication over real world cellular service providers' communication networks such as Verizon and Sprint. A key contribution of our research presented in this paper is the benchmark results we have provided by analyzing real world cellular carriers network restrictions on MMS message size. We have also analyzed the actions the carriers take - such as compression and/or format conversion - on MMS messages that fall outside the established MMS communication norm, which varies for each service provider. Finally, We have used these benchmark results in implementing Android-Stego such that it is sensitive to carrier restrictions and robust to message loss.

  4. Collage technique may provide new perspectives for Alzheimer patients by exploring messages from their inner world

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitsue Meguro

    Full Text Available Abstract Although the collage art technique has been introduced as a psychotherapeutic method, it has not been fully applied in dementia. Objectives: To analyze characteristics of the collage articles produced by patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD. Methods: Twenty AD patients were asked to select and place several clippings as they wished. The MMSE was used for cognitive assessments. Results: Simplification and poor organization in their articles were found. The themes of one patient were found to change according to behavior. We discussed the images of the articles, especially spiritual images in the early stage and family images in the later stage. Conclusions: We concluded that the collage technique could provide new perspectives for dementia patients by exploring messages from their inner world.

  5. Framework programme for detailed characterisation in connection with construction and operation of a final repository for spent nuclear fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2010-10-15

    This report presents a programme for the detailed investigations planned to be applied during construction and operation of the repository for spent nuclear fuel at Forsmark. The report is part of SKB's application according to the Nuclear Activities Act. The detailed investigations shall provide relevant data on and site-descriptive models for the bedrock, soil deposits and eco-system of the site in order to facilitate a step-wise design and construction of the final repository. This shall be implemented in a manner that all demands on long-term safety are fulfilled, including accurate documentation of the construction work, and so that assessments of the environmental impact of the repository can be made. For the operational phase, the detailed investigations should also provide support to the deposition process with related decisions, thereby enabling fulfilment of the design premises for the siting and construction of deposition tunnels and deposition holes, as well as for deposition of canisters, and for the subsequent backfilling and closure of the repository. The Observational Method will be applied during the construction of the repository. This method entails establishing in advance acceptable limits of behaviour regarding selected geoscientific parameters and preparing a plan with measures to keep the outcome within these limits. Predictions of expected rock properties are established for each tunnel section. The outcome after excavation is compared with the acceptable range of outcomes. Information from detailed characterization will be of essential importance for application of the Observational Method and for adapting the repository to the prevailing rock properties. SKB has for the past several decades developed methods for site characterisation, applying both above- and underground investigation techniques. Experiences from this work, put into practice during the site investigations, has resulted in a solid knowledge and understanding of the

  6. Applications of advanced electron microscopy techniques to the studies of radiation effects in ceramic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, L.M.

    1998-01-01

    This paper summarizes some recent results from the application of several advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques to the studies of radiation effects in insulators with the main focus on radiation-induced amorphization. These techniques include in situ TEM during ion-beam irradiation at cryogenic and elevated temperatures, cross-sectional TEM, high-resolution TEM, and image simulation on partially damaged materials, as well as digital TEM with image processing and analysis. The combination of these techniques may often provide very detailed information about the microstructure evolution during energetic particle irradiation, especially at the early stages, which is unobtainable with any other analytical methods. These techniques have been successfully applied to the analysis of a large group of ion-beam-irradiated ceramics, including quartz, silicon carbides, uranium oxide, apatite, spinel and other complex mineral phases. The advantages and limitations of each technique, as well as some important technical details for the analysis of radiation damage in ceramics are presented. (orig.)

  7. Improved ceramic slip casting technique. [application to aircraft model fabrication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Gregory M. (Inventor); Vasquez, Peter (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    A primary concern in modern fluid dynamics research is the experimental verification of computational aerothermodynamic codes. This research requires high precision and detail in the test model employed. Ceramic materials are used for these models because of their low heat conductivity and their survivability at high temperatures. To fabricate such models, slip casting techniques were developed to provide net-form, precision casting capability for high-purity ceramic materials in aqueous solutions. In previous slip casting techniques, block, or flask molds made of plaster-of-paris were used to draw liquid from the slip material. Upon setting, parts were removed from the flask mold and cured in a kiln at high temperatures. Casting detail was usually limited with this technique -- detailed parts were frequently damaged upon separation from the flask mold, as the molded parts are extremely delicate in the uncured state, and the flask mold is inflexible. Ceramic surfaces were also marred by 'parting lines' caused by mold separation. This adversely affected the aerodynamic surface quality of the model as well. (Parting lines are invariably necessary on or near the leading edges of wings, nosetips, and fins for mold separation. These areas are also critical for flow boundary layer control.) Parting agents used in the casting process also affected surface quality. These agents eventually soaked into the mold, the model, or flaked off when releasing the case model. Different materials were tried, such as oils, paraffin, and even an algae. The algae released best, but some of it remained on the model and imparted an uneven texture and discoloration on the model surface when cured. According to the present invention, a wax pattern for a shell mold is provided, and an aqueous mixture of a calcium sulfate-bonded investment material is applied as a coating to the wax pattern. The coated wax pattern is then dried, followed by curing to vaporize the wax pattern and leave a shell

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Details PDF · Vol 22, No 2 (1999) - Articles Vegetation under different tree species in Acacia woodland in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia Details PDF · Vol 22, No 2 (1999) - Articles Preliminary evaluation of Phytomyza orobanchia (Diptera: Agromyzidae) as a controller of Orobanche spp in Ethiopia Details PDF. ISSN: 2520–7997.

  9. Detailed High Frequency Models of Various Winding Types in Power Transformers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Kenneth; Lunow, Morten Erlandsson; Holbøll, Joachim

    2005-01-01

    Abstract--In this paper, techniques are described which demonstrate how a highly detailed internal transformer model can be obtained systematically with Matlab and how it can be prepared for subsequent transient analysis. The input of such a model will mainly be the description of the cross secti...... equivalent circuit. Finally a new circuit extraction technique is proposed for vector fitted impedance matrices for more efficient computation....

  10. Applying BI Techniques To Improve Decision Making And Provide Knowledge Based Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Maria Ioana FLOREA

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The paper focuses on BI techniques and especially data mining algorithms that can support and improve the decision making process, with applications within the financial sector. We consider the data mining techniques to be more efficient and thus we applied several techniques, supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms The case study in which these algorithms have been implemented regards the activity of a banking institution, with focus on the management of lending activities.

  11. Techniques for depth-resolved imaging through turbid media including coherence-gated imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunsby, C; French, P M W

    2003-01-01

    This article aims to review the panoply of techniques for realising optical imaging through turbid media such as biological tissue. It begins by briefly discussing optical scattering and outlines the various approaches that have been developed to image through scattering media including spatial filtering, time-gated imaging and coherence-based techniques. The discussion includes scanning and wide-field techniques and concentrates on techniques to discriminate in favour of unscattered ballistic light although imaging with scattered light is briefly reviewed. Wide-field coherence-gated imaging techniques are discussed in some detail with particular emphasis placed on techniques to achieve real-time high-resolution three-dimensional imaging including through turbid media, providing rapid whole-field acquisition and high depth and transverse spatial resolution images. (topical review)

  12. Advanced experimental and numerical techniques for cavitation erosion prediction

    CERN Document Server

    Chahine, Georges; Franc, Jean-Pierre; Karimi, Ayat

    2014-01-01

    This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the cavitation erosion phenomenon and state-of-the-art research in the field. It is divided into two parts. Part 1 consists of seven chapters, offering a wide range of computational and experimental approaches to cavitation erosion. It includes a general introduction to cavitation and cavitation erosion, a detailed description of facilities and measurement techniques commonly used in cavitation erosion studies, an extensive presentation of various stages of cavitation damage (including incubation and mass loss), and insights into the contribution of computational methods to the analysis of both fluid and material behavior. The proposed approach is based on a detailed description of impact loads generated by collapsing cavitation bubbles and a physical analysis of the material response to these loads. Part 2 is devoted to a selection of nine papers presented at the International Workshop on Advanced Experimental and Numerical Techniques for Cavitation Erosion (Gr...

  13. NEUROIMAGING AND PATTERN RECOGNITION TECHNIQUES FOR AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: A REVIEW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rupali Kamathe

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD is the most common form of dementia with currently unavailable firm treatments that can stop or reverse the disease progression. A combination of brain imaging and clinical tests for checking the signs of memory impairment is used to identify patients with AD. In recent years, Neuroimaging techniques combined with machine learning algorithms have received lot of attention in this field. There is a need for development of automated techniques to detect the disease well before patient suffers from irreversible loss. This paper is about the review of such semi or fully automatic techniques with detail comparison of methods implemented, class labels considered, data base used and the results obtained for related study. This review provides detailed comparison of different Neuroimaging techniques and reveals potential application of machine learning algorithms in medical image analysis; particularly in AD enabling even the early detection of the disease- the class labelled as Multiple Cognitive Impairment.

  14. Technique of neutron-induced (fission-track) autoradiography with histological detail

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, J.M.; Taylor, G.N.; Jee, W.S.S.

    1980-01-01

    The primary advantage of neutron-induced or fission-track autoradiography compared with conventional autoradiography is that for low concentrations of fissile nuclides prohibitively long exposure times may be avoided. However, it is difficult to produce imaging of biological structures on the neutron-induced autoradiograph which would allow localization of the nuclide histologically. The technique presented circumvents this difficulty using a thin polycarbonate film applied to the histologically stained tissue section mounted on a quartz substrate. After irradiation of the tissue section with an appropriate thermal neutron flux, the fission fragment tracks are revealed by etching the film with KOH. The tracks, superimposed on the stained tissue, may be observed under the light microscope in the same manner as for conventional nuclear emulsion autoradiography

  15. National Water Model: Providing the Nation with Actionable Water Intelligence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aggett, G. R.; Bates, B.

    2017-12-01

    The National Water Model (NWM) provides national, street-level detail of water movement through time and space. Operating hourly, this flood of information offers enormous benefits in the form of water resource management, natural disaster preparedness, and the protection of life and property. The Geo-Intelligence Division at the NOAA National Water Center supplies forecasters and decision-makers with timely, actionable water intelligence through the processing of billions of NWM data points every hour. These datasets include current streamflow estimates, short and medium range streamflow forecasts, and many other ancillary datasets. The sheer amount of NWM data produced yields a dataset too large to allow for direct human comprehension. As such, it is necessary to undergo model data post-processing, filtering, and data ingestion by visualization web apps that make use of cartographic techniques to bring attention to the areas of highest urgency. This poster illustrates NWM output post-processing and cartographic visualization techniques being developed and employed by the Geo-Intelligence Division at the NOAA National Water Center to provide national actionable water intelligence.

  16. Molecular Details of Olfactomedin Domains Provide Pathway to Structure-Function Studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shannon E Hill

    detailed functional characterization of these biomedically important protein domains.

  17. Imaging of bone tumors and tumor-like lesions. Techniques and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, A. Mark; Sundaram, Murali; James, Steven L.J.

    2009-01-01

    This is a comprehensive textbook that provides a detailed description of the imaging techniques and findings in patients with benign and malignant bone tumors. In the first part of the book, the various techniques and procedures employed for imaging bone tumors are discussed in detail. Individual chapters are devoted to MRI, CT, nuclear medicine, and interventional procedures. The second part of the book gives an authoritative review of the role of these imaging techniques in diagnosis, surgical staging, biopsy, and assessment of response to therapy. The third part of the book covers the imaging features of each major tumor subtype, with separate chapters on osteogenic tumors, cartilaginous tumors, etc. The final part of the book reviews the imaging features of bone tumors at particular anatomical sites such as the spine, ribs, pelvis, and scapula. Each chapter is written by an acknowledged expert in the field, and a wealth of illustrative material is included. This book will be of great value to musculoskeletal and general radiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and oncologists. (orig.)

  18. Just-in-Time techniques as applied to hazardous materials management

    OpenAIRE

    Spicer, John S.

    1996-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited This study investigates the feasibility of integrating JIT techniques in the context of hazardous materials management. This study provides a description of JIT, a description of environmental compliance issues and the outgrowth of related HAZMAT policies, and a broad perspective on strategies for applying JIT to HAZMAT management. http://archive.org/details/justintimetechn00spic Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

  19. Radiotherapy in prostate cancer. Innovative techniques and current controversies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geinitz, Hans

    2015-01-01

    Examines in detail the role of innovative radiation techniques in the management of prostate cancer, including IMRT, IGRT, BART, and modern brachytherapy. Explores a range of current controversies in patient treatment. Intended for both radiation oncologists and urologists. Radiation treatment is rapidly evolving owing to the coordinated research of physicists, engineers, computer and imaging specialists, and physicians. Today, the arsenal of ''high-precision'' or ''targeted'' radiotherapy includes multimodal imaging, in vivo dosimetry, Monte Carlo techniques for dose planning, patient immobilization techniques, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), biologically adapted radiotherapy (BART), quality assurance methods, novel methods of brachytherapy, and, at the far end of the scale, particle beam radiotherapy using protons and carbon ions. These approaches are like pieces of a puzzle that need to be put together to provide the prostate cancer patient with high-level optimized radiation treatment. This book examines in detail the role of the above-mentioned innovative radiation techniques in the management of prostate cancer. In addition, a variety of current controversies regarding treatment are carefully explored, including whether prophylactic treatment of the pelvic lymphatics is essential, the magnitude of the effect of dose escalation, whether a benefit accrues from hypofractionation, and what evidence exists for the superiority of protons or heavy ions. Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer: Innovative Techniques and Current Controversies is intended for both radiation oncologists and urologists with an interest in the up-to-date capabilities of modern radiation oncology for the treatment of prostate cancer.

  20. Enhanced rearrangement technique for secure data transmission: case study credit card process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyavahare, Tushar; Tekade, Darshana; Nayak, Saurabh; kumar, N. Suresh; Blessy Trencia Lincy, S. S.

    2017-11-01

    Encryption of data is very important in order to keep the data secure and make secure transactions and transmission of data. Such as online shopping. whenever we give our card details there is possibility of data being hacked or intruded. So to secure that we need to encrypt the data and decryption strategy should be known only to that particular bank. Therefore to achieve this objective RSA algorithm can be used. Where only intended sender and receiver can know about the encryption and decryption of data. To make the RSA technique more secure in this paper we propose the technique we call it Modified RSA. for which a transposition module is designed which uses Row Transposition method to encrypt the data. Before giving the card details to RSA the input will be given to this transposition module which will scrambles the data and rearranges it. Output of transposition will be then provided to the modified RSA which produces the cipher text to send over the network. Use of RSA and the transposition module will provide the dual security to whole system.

  1. Nuclear analytical techniques in medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cesareo, R.

    1988-01-01

    This book acquaints one with the fundamental principles and the instrumentation relevant to analytical technique based on atomic and nuclear physics, as well as present and future biomedical applications. Besides providing a theoretical description of the physical phenomena, a large part of the book is devoted to applications in the medical and biological field, particularly in hematology, forensic medicine and environmental science. This volume reviews methods such as the possibility of carrying out rapid multi-element analysis of trace elements on biomedical samples, in vitro and in vivo, by XRF-analysis; the ability of the PIXE-microprobe to analyze in detail and to map trace elements in fragments of biomedical samples or inside the cells; the potentiality of in vivo nuclear activation analysis for diagnostic purposes. Finally, techniques are described such as radiation scattering (elastic and inelastic scattering) and attenuation measurements which will undoubtedly see great development in the immediate future

  2. Nuclear analytical techniques in medicine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cesareo, R.

    1988-01-01

    This book acquaints one with the fundamental principles and the instrumentation relevant to analytical technique based on atomic and nuclear physics, as well as present and future biomedical applications. Besides providing a theoretical description of the physical phenomena, a large part of the book is devoted to applications in the medical and biological field, particularly in hematology, forensic medicine and environmental science. This volume reviews methods such as the possibility of carrying out rapid multi-element analysis of trace elements on biomedical samples, in vitro and in vivo, by XRF-analysis; the ability of the PIXE-microprobe to analyze in detail and to map trace elements in fragments of biomedical samples or inside the cells; the potentiality of in vivo nuclear activation analysis for diagnostic purposes. Finally, techniques are described such as radiation scattering (elastic and inelastic scattering) and attenuation measurements which will undoubtedly see great development in the immediate future.

  3. Key Features of Academic Detailing: Development of an Expert Consensus Using the Delphi Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, James S; Van Hoof, Thomas J; Fischer, Michael A

    2016-02-01

    Academic detailing is an outreach education technique that combines the direct social marketing traditionally used by pharmaceutical representatives with unbiased content summarizing the best evidence for a given clinical issue. Academic detailing is conducted with clinicians to encourage evidence-based practice in order to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes. The adoption of academic detailing has increased substantially since the original studies in the 1980s. However, the lack of standard agreement on its implementation makes the evaluation of academic detailing outcomes challenging. To identify consensus on the key elements of academic detailing among a group of experts with varying experiences in academic detailing. This study is based on an online survey of 20 experts with experience in academic detailing. We used the Delphi process, an iterative and systematic method of developing consensus within a group. We conducted 3 rounds of online surveys, which addressed 72 individual items derived from a previous literature review of 5 features of academic detailing, including (1) content, (2) communication process, (3) clinicians targeted, (4) change agents delivering intervention, and (5) context for intervention. Nonrespondents were removed from later rounds of the surveys. For most questions, a 4-point ordinal scale was used for responses. We defined consensus agreement as 70% of respondents for a single rating category or 80% for dichotomized ratings. The overall survey response rate was 95% (54 of 57 surveys) and nearly 92% consensus agreement on the survey items (66 of 72 items) by the end of the Delphi exercise. The experts' responses suggested that (1) focused clinician education offering support for clinical decision-making is a key component of academic detailing, (2) detailing messages need to be tailored and provide feasible strategies and solutions to challenging cases, and (3) academic detailers need to develop specific skill sets

  4. Detailed Surgical Anatomy of Prostate: Relationship between Urethra and Dorsal Vein Complex with Apex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tunc, Lutfi; Akin, Yigit; Gumustas, Huseyin; Ak, Esat; Peker, Tuncay; Veneziano, Domenico; Guneri, Cagri

    2016-01-01

    To describe our surgical technique for dissecting the apex of prostate during robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and detailed surgical anatomy of prostate including relationship between urethra and dorsal vein complex with apex. In retrospective view of prospective collected data, 73 patients underwent RALP between December 2012 and September 2014. Surgical anatomy of prostate was revealed in all procedures. Quality of life (QoL) scores were assessed before, immediately after catheter removal, and 1 month after surgery. We divided urinary continence into 3 groups, as very early continence; continence at time of urethral catheter removal, early continent; and continence 1 month after surgery. The rest of the patients were accepted as continence. The mean follow-up was 10.2 ± 5.4 months and mean age was 61.5 ± 6.6. Maximum protection of urethra could be provided in all. Mean catheter removal was 8.9 ± 1.7 days, and all patients were continent at the time of catheter removal. QoL scores before RALP could be protected after surgery (p = 0.2). Neither conversion to open/conventional laparoscopic surgery nor complications related with bladder neck were detected. Our surgical technique can be a strong candidate for being a surgical technique for preserving urethra and very early continence could be provided after surgery. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... An algorithm to retrieve Land Surface Temperature using Landsat-8 Dataset Abstract PDF. ISSN: 2225-8531.

  6. Main: Clone Detail [KOME

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Clone Detail Mapping Pseudomolecule data detail Detail information Mapping to the T...IGR japonica Pseudomolecules kome_mapping_pseudomolecule_data_detail.zip kome_mapping_pseudomolecule_data_detail ...

  7. Development of a three-dimensional PIV measurement technique for the experimental study of air bubble collapse phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y.H.; Hassan, Y.A.; Schmidl, W.D.

    1995-01-01

    Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a quantitative flow measurement technique. The objective of this study is to develop a new three-dimensional PIV technique for the experimental study of air bubble collapse phenomena. A three-dimensional measurement technique is necessary since bubble collapse is a three-dimensional phenomenon. The investigation of the velocity flow field around a collapsing air bubble can provide detailed three-dimensional quantitative information to help improve the understanding of the related heat transfer processes

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search · USING AJOL · RESOURCES. Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  9. Performance of the In Situ Microcosm Technique for Measuring the Degradation of Organic Chemicals in Aquifers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Per H.; Christensen, Thomas Højlund; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen

    1996-01-01

    chemicals in polluted and pristine aquifers representing different redox environments. The ISM technique has great potential for providing field-relevant degradation potentials and rate constants, but care must be taken in using the equipment and interpreting the results. This paper provides details......An in situ microcosm (ISM) consists of a stainless steel cylinder isolating about 2 L of the aquifer and is equipped with valves allowing for loading and sampling from the ground surface. During the last five years, this technique has been used frequently to study the degradation of organic...

  10. Infusing Reliability Techniques into Software Safety Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Ying

    2015-01-01

    Software safety analysis for a large software intensive system is always a challenge. Software safety practitioners need to ensure that software related hazards are completely identified, controlled, and tracked. This paper discusses in detail how to incorporate the traditional reliability techniques into the entire software safety analysis process. In addition, this paper addresses how information can be effectively shared between the various practitioners involved in the software safety analyses. The author has successfully applied the approach to several aerospace applications. Examples are provided to illustrate the key steps of the proposed approach.

  11. Physical and data-link security techniques for future communication systems

    CERN Document Server

    Tomasin, Stefano

    2016-01-01

     This book focuses on techniques that can be applied at the physical and data-link layers of communication systems in order to secure transmissions against eavesdroppers. Topics ranging from information theory-based security to coding for security and cryptography are discussed, with presentation of cutting-edge research and innovative results from leading researchers. The characteristic feature of all the contributions is their relevance for practical embodiments: detailed consideration is given to applications of security principles to a variety of widely used communication techniques such as multiantenna systems, ultra-wide band communication systems, power line communications, and quantum key distribution techniques. A further distinctive aspect is the attention paid to both unconditional and computational security techniques, providing a bridge between two usually distinct worlds. The book comprises extended versions of contributions delivered at the Workshop on Communication Security, held in Ancona, I...

  12. A model for determining when an analysis contains sufficient detail to provide adequate NEPA coverage for a proposed action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eccleston, C.H.

    1994-11-01

    Neither the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) nor its subsequent regulations provide substantive guidance for determining the Level of detail, discussion, and analysis that is sufficient to adequately cover a proposed action. Yet, decisionmakers are routinely confronted with the problem of making such determinations. Experience has shown that no two decisionmakers are Likely to completely agree on the amount of discussion that is sufficient to adequately cover a proposed action. one decisionmaker may determine that a certain Level of analysis is adequate, while another may conclude the exact opposite. Achieving a consensus within the agency and among the public can be problematic. Lacking definitive guidance, decisionmakers and critics alike may point to a universe of potential factors as the basis for defending their claim that an action is or is not adequately covered. Experience indicates that assertions are often based on ambiguous opinions that can be neither proved nor disproved. Lack of definitive guidance slows the decisionmaking process and can result in project delays. Furthermore, it can also Lead to inconsistencies in decisionmaking, inappropriate Levels of NEPA documentation, and increased risk of a project being challenged for inadequate coverage. A more systematic and less subjective approach for making such determinations is obviously needed. A paradigm for reducing the degree of subjectivity inherent in such decisions is presented in the following paper. The model is specifically designed to expedite the decisionmaking process by providing a systematic approach for making these determination. In many cases, agencies may find that using this model can reduce the analysis and size of NEPA documents

  13. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An Overview of Africa's Marine Resources: Their Utilization and Sustainable Management Details · Vol 12, No 3 (2000) - Articles EDITORIAL Ganoderma Lucidum - Paramount among Medicinal Mushrooms. Details · Vol 15, No 3 (2003) - Articles Editorial: Africa's Mushrooms: A neglected bioresource whose time has come

  14. Radiotherapy in prostate cancer. Innovative techniques and current controversies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geinitz, Hans [Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Schwestern, Linz (Austria). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Linz Univ. (Austria). Medical Faculty; Roach, Mack III [California Univ., San Francisco, CA (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Van As, Nicholas (ed.) [The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton Surrey (United Kingdom)

    2015-04-01

    Examines in detail the role of innovative radiation techniques in the management of prostate cancer, including IMRT, IGRT, BART, and modern brachytherapy. Explores a range of current controversies in patient treatment. Intended for both radiation oncologists and urologists. Radiation treatment is rapidly evolving owing to the coordinated research of physicists, engineers, computer and imaging specialists, and physicians. Today, the arsenal of ''high-precision'' or ''targeted'' radiotherapy includes multimodal imaging, in vivo dosimetry, Monte Carlo techniques for dose planning, patient immobilization techniques, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), biologically adapted radiotherapy (BART), quality assurance methods, novel methods of brachytherapy, and, at the far end of the scale, particle beam radiotherapy using protons and carbon ions. These approaches are like pieces of a puzzle that need to be put together to provide the prostate cancer patient with high-level optimized radiation treatment. This book examines in detail the role of the above-mentioned innovative radiation techniques in the management of prostate cancer. In addition, a variety of current controversies regarding treatment are carefully explored, including whether prophylactic treatment of the pelvic lymphatics is essential, the magnitude of the effect of dose escalation, whether a benefit accrues from hypofractionation, and what evidence exists for the superiority of protons or heavy ions. Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer: Innovative Techniques and Current Controversies is intended for both radiation oncologists and urologists with an interest in the up-to-date capabilities of modern radiation oncology for the treatment of prostate cancer.

  15. Techniques for site investigations for underground disposal of radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-01-01

    The report provides a more detailed description of the capabilities and applications of the various earth science investigation techniques outlined in the IAEA Technical Reports Series Nos. 177, 215 and 216. These methods are generally appropriate during at least one of the stages of the assessment or selection of a site for any type of waste disposal facility, in shallow ground or in deep geological formations. This report is addressed to technical authorities responsible for or involved in planning, approving, executing and reviewing national waste disposal programmes. It may also help administrative authorities in this field to select appropriate techniques for obtaining the majority of the required information at minimum cost

  16. Active structural control with stable fuzzy PID techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Yu, Wen

    2016-01-01

    This book presents a detailed discussion of intelligent techniques to measure the displacement of buildings when they are subjected to vibration. It shows how these techniques are used to control active devices that can reduce vibration 60–80% more effectively than widely used passive anti-seismic systems. After introducing various structural control devices and building-modeling and active structural control methods, the authors propose offset cancellation and high-pass filtering techniques to solve some common problems of building-displacement measurement using accelerometers. The most popular control algorithms in industrial settings, PD/PID controllers, are then analyzed and then combined with fuzzy compensation. The stability of this combination is proven with standard weight-training algorithms. These conditions provide explicit methods for selecting PD/PID controllers. Finally, fuzzy-logic and sliding-mode control are applied to the control of wind-induced vibration. The methods described are support...

  17. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Petrology of the Cenomanian Upper Member of the Mamfe Embayment, southwestern Cameroon Details · Vol 38, No 1 (2002) - Articles Sequence stratigraphy of Iso field, western onshore Niger Delta, Nigeria Details · Vol 39, No 2 (2003) - Articles Preliminary studies on the lithostratigraphy and depositional environment of ...

  18. Wooden houses in detail. Holzhaeuser im Detail

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruske, W. (ed.)

    1986-01-01

    Under the serial title 'Planning and construction of wooden houses', WEKA will publish a number of books of which this is the first. Details of design and construction are presented, e.g.: Details of modern one-family houses; Fundamentals of design and hints for planning of wooden houses and compact wooden structures; Constructional ecology, wood protection, thermal insulation, sound insulation; Modular systems for domestic buildings; The 'bookshelf-type' house at the Berlin International Construction Exhibition (IBA); Experience with do-it-yourself systems. With 439 figs.

  19. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Singh, J. Vol 3, No 2 (2011) - Articles Plane waves in a rotating generalized thermo-elastic solid with voids. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 2141-2839. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  20. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Vol 12 (2008) - Articles On the wave equations of shallow water with rough bottom topography. Abstract · Vol 14 (2009) - Articles Energy generation in a plant due to variable sunlight intensity

  1. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Vol 45 (2016) - Articles From vectors to waves and streams: An alternative approach to semantic maps1. Abstract PDF · Vol 48 (2017) - Articles Introduction: 'n Klein ietsie for Johan Oosthuizen

  2. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... to blast loadings. Abstract PDF · Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue - Articles Experimental and numerical investigation on blast wave propagation in soil structure. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 1112-9867.

  3. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Iliopsoas haematoma in a rugby player. Abstract PDF · Vol 29, No 1 (2017) - Articles The use of negative pressure wave treatment in athlete recovery. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 2078-516X. AJOL African ...

  4. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... No 3S (2017): Special Issue - Articles Experimental and numerical investigation on blast wave propagation in soil structure. Abstract PDF · Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue - Articles Simulation on ...

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Duwa, S S. Vol 8 (2004) - Articles Lower hybrid waves instability in a velocity–sheared inhomogenous charged dust beam. Abstract · Vol 9 (2005) - Articles The slide away theory of lower hybrid bursts

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... The use of negative pressure wave treatment in athlete recovery. Abstract PDF · Vol 29, No 1 (2017) - Articles The prevalence, risk factors predicting injury and the severity of injuries sustained during ...

  7. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Vol 29, No 1 (2017) - Articles The use of negative pressure wave treatment in athlete recovery. Abstract PDF · Vol 29, No 1 (2017) - Articles The prevalence, risk factors predicting injury and the ...

  8. Verifying detailed fluctuation relations for discrete feedback-controlled quantum dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camati, Patrice A.; Serra, Roberto M.

    2018-04-01

    Discrete quantum feedback control consists of a managed dynamics according to the information acquired by a previous measurement. Energy fluctuations along such dynamics satisfy generalized fluctuation relations, which are useful tools to study the thermodynamics of systems far away from equilibrium. Due to the practical challenge to assess energy fluctuations in the quantum scenario, the experimental verification of detailed fluctuation relations in the presence of feedback control remains elusive. We present a feasible method to experimentally verify detailed fluctuation relations for discrete feedback control quantum dynamics. Two detailed fluctuation relations are developed and employed. The method is based on a quantum interferometric strategy that allows the verification of fluctuation relations in the presence of feedback control. An analytical example to illustrate the applicability of the method is discussed. The comprehensive technique introduced here can be experimentally implemented at a microscale with the current technology in a variety of experimental platforms.

  9. Results of Detailed Hydrologic Characterization Tests - Fiscal Year 2000

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spane, Frank A; Thorne, Paul D; Newcomer, Darrell R

    2001-01-01

    This report provides the results of detailed hydrologic characterization tests conducted within eleven Hanford Site wells during fiscal year 2000. Detailed characterization tests performed included groundwater-flow characterization; barometric response evaluation; slug tests; single-well tracer tests; constant-rate pumping tests; and in-well, vertical flow tests. Hydraulic property estimates obtained from the detailed hydrologic tests include transmissivity; hydraulic conductivity; specific yield; effective porosity; in-well, lateral flow velocity; aquifer-flow velocity; vertical distribution of hydraulic conductivity (within the well-screen section); and in-well, vertical flow velocity. In addition, local groundwater-flow characteristics (i.e., hydraulic gradient and flow direction) were determined for four sites where detailed well testing was performed

  10. Scanning tunneling microscopy II further applications and related scanning techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Güntherodt, Hans-Joachim

    1992-01-01

    Scanning Tunneling Microscopy II, like its predecessor, presents detailed and comprehensive accounts of the basic principles and broad range of applications of STM and related scanning probe techniques. The applications discussed in this volume come predominantly from the fields of electrochemistry and biology. In contrast to those described in Vol. I, these sudies may be performed in air and in liquids. The extensions of the basic technique to map other interactions are described inchapters on scanning force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, scanning near-field optical microscopy, together with a survey of other related techniques. Also described here is the use of a scanning proximal probe for surface modification. Togehter, the two volumes give a comprehensive account of experimental aspcets of STM. They provide essentialreading and reference material for all students and researchers involvedin this field.

  11. Generic Techniques for the Calibration of Robots with Application of the 3-D Fixtures and Statistical Technique on the PUMA 500 and ARID Robots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tawfik, Hazem

    1991-01-01

    A relatively simple, inexpensive, and generic technique that could be used in both laboratories and some operation site environments is introduced at the Robotics Applications and Development Laboratory (RADL) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In addition, this report gives a detailed explanation of the set up procedure, data collection, and analysis using this new technique that was developed at the State University of New York at Farmingdale. The technique was used to evaluate the repeatability, accuracy, and overshoot of the Unimate Industrial Robot, PUMA 500. The data were statistically analyzed to provide an insight into the performance of the systems and components of the robot. Also, the same technique was used to check the forward kinematics against the inverse kinematics of RADL's PUMA robot. Recommendations were made for RADL to use this technique for laboratory calibration of the currently existing robots such as the ASEA, high speed controller, Automated Radiator Inspection Device (ARID) etc. Also, recommendations were made to develop and establish other calibration techniques that will be more suitable for site calibration environment and robot certification.

  12. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Isa, M.F.M.. Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue - Articles Experimental and numerical investigation on blast wave propagation in soil structure. Abstract PDF · Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue - ...

  13. Knowledge based systems: A critical survey of major concepts, issues and techniques. Visuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Kavi, Srinu

    1984-01-01

    This Working Paper Series entry represents a collection of presentation visuals associated with the companion report entitled, Knowledge Based Systems: A Critical Survey of Major Concepts, Issues, and Techniques, USL/DBMS NASA/RECON Working Paper Series report number DBMS.NASA/RECON-9. The objectives of the report are to: examine various techniques used to build the KBS; to examine at least one KBS in detail, i.e., a case study; to list and identify limitations and problems with the KBS; to suggest future areas of research; and to provide extensive reference materials.

  14. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Abstract PDF · Vol 3, No 6 (2011) - Articles Mixed convection flow and heat transfer in a vertical wavy channel containing porous and fluid layer with traveling thermal waves. Abstract PDF · Vol 3, No 8 ...

  15. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Ismail, A. Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue - Articles Investigate of wave absorption performance for oil palm frond and empty fruit bunch at 5.8 GHz. Abstract PDF · Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue ...

  16. Gamma scan technique for detecting coupon inside the mother pipeline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasif Mohd Zain; Roslan Yahya; Mohamad Rabaie Shari; Airwan Affandi Mahmood; Mior Ahmad Khusaini Adnan

    2012-01-01

    Many times a year natural gas transmission and distribution companies need to make new connections to pipelines to expand or modify their existing system through hot tapping procedure. This procedure involves the installation of a new pipeline connection while the pipeline remains in service, flowing natural gas under pressure. The hot tap procedure includes attaching a branch connection and valve on the outside of an operating pipeline, and then cutting out the pipe-line wall within the branch and removing the wall section, which is called object of coupon through the valve. During the hot tapping process a critical problems occurred when a coupon fell into the mother pipeline. To overcome this problem, a gamma-ray absorption technique was chosen whereby a mapping technique will be done to detect the coupon position. The technique is non-destructive as it applies Co-60 (5 mCi) as a radioisotope sealed source to emit gamma radiation and a NaI(Tl) scintillation as detector. The result provided a visible representation of density profile inside pipeline where the coupon location can be located. This paper provides the detail of the technique used and presents the result obtained. (author)

  17. Nuclear and related techniques in parasitology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayunga, E.G.; Stek, M. Jr.

    1986-05-01

    The course, entitled ''Atomic Energy Applications in Parasitology'', was offered by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, USA, during the summer of 1983. The course began with an exhaustive introduction to radiation physics, then encompassed a variety of practical applications including irradiation attenuation, radioisotope labeling, tracer techniques and radioimmunoassays. This laboratory manual was written by the faculty in an attempt to document the learning experience of the training course and to provide a detailed description of state-of-the-art technology, methods and procedures with up-to-date-references. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the 25 chapters in this manual

  18. Digital audio watermarking fundamentals, techniques and challenges

    CERN Document Server

    Xiang, Yong; Yan, Bin

    2017-01-01

    This book offers comprehensive coverage on the most important aspects of audio watermarking, from classic techniques to the latest advances, from commonly investigated topics to emerging research subdomains, and from the research and development achievements to date, to current limitations, challenges, and future directions. It also addresses key topics such as reversible audio watermarking, audio watermarking with encryption, and imperceptibility control methods. The book sets itself apart from the existing literature in three main ways. Firstly, it not only reviews classical categories of audio watermarking techniques, but also provides detailed descriptions, analysis and experimental results of the latest work in each category. Secondly, it highlights the emerging research topic of reversible audio watermarking, including recent research trends, unique features, and the potentials of this subdomain. Lastly, the joint consideration of audio watermarking and encryption is also reviewed. With the help of this...

  19. Detailed modeling of mountain wave PSCs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Fueglistaler

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs play a key role in polar ozone depletion. In the Arctic, PSCs can occur on the mesoscale due to orographically induced gravity waves. Here we present a detailed study of a mountain wave PSC event on 25-27 January 2000 over Scandinavia. The mountain wave PSCs were intensively observed by in-situ and remote-sensing techniques during the second phase of the SOLVE/THESEO-2000 Arctic campaign. We use these excellent data of PSC observations on 3 successive days to analyze the PSCs and to perform a detailed comparison with modeled clouds. We simulated the 3-dimensional PSC structure on all 3 days with a mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP model and a microphysical box model (using best available nucleation rates for ice and nitric acid trihydrate particles. We show that the combined mesoscale/microphysical model is capable of reproducing the PSC measurements within the uncertainty of data interpretation with respect to spatial dimensions, temporal development and microphysical properties, without manipulating temperatures or using other tuning parameters. In contrast, microphysical modeling based upon coarser scale global NWP data, e.g. current ECMWF analysis data, cannot reproduce observations, in particular the occurrence of ice and nitric acid trihydrate clouds. Combined mesoscale/microphysical modeling may be used for detailed a posteriori PSC analysis and for future Arctic campaign flight and mission planning. The fact that remote sensing alone cannot further constrain model results due to uncertainities in the interpretation of measurements, underlines the need for synchronous in-situ PSC observations in campaigns.

  20. Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy and Dor Fundoplication for Esophageal Achalasia: Technique and Perioperative Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andolfi, Ciro; Fisichella, P Marco

    2016-11-01

    Surgical correction of achalasia using laparoscopic Heller myotomy with Dor fundoplication is argued to be the gold standard treatment for patients with achalasia. The goal of this technical report is to illustrate our preferred approach to patients with achalasia and to provide the reader with a detailed description of our operative technique, its rationale, and our pre and postoperative management.

  1. Molecular details of secretory phospholipase A2 from flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) provide insight into its structure and function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Payal; Dash, Prasanta K

    2017-09-11

    Secretory phospholipase A 2 (sPLA 2 ) are low molecular weight proteins (12-18 kDa) involved in a suite of plant cellular processes imparting growth and development. With myriad roles in physiological and biochemical processes in plants, detailed analysis of sPLA 2 in flax/linseed is meagre. The present work, first in flax, embodies cloning, expression, purification and molecular characterisation of two distinct sPLA 2 s (I and II) from flax. PLA 2 activity of the cloned sPLA 2 s were biochemically assayed authenticating them as bona fide phospholipase A 2 . Physiochemical properties of both the sPLA 2 s revealed they are thermostable proteins requiring di-valent cations for optimum activity.While, structural analysis of both the proteins revealed deviations in the amino acid sequence at C- & N-terminal regions; hydropathic study revealed LusPLA 2 I as a hydrophobic protein and LusPLA 2 II as a hydrophilic protein. Structural analysis of flax sPLA 2 s revealed that secondary structure of both the proteins are dominated by α-helix followed by random coils. Modular superimposition of LusPLA 2 isoforms with rice sPLA 2 confirmed monomeric structural preservation among plant phospholipase A 2 and provided insight into structure of folded flax sPLA 2 s.

  2. Providing detailed information about latent tuberculosis and compliance with the PPD test among healthcare workers in Israel: a randomized controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taubman, Danielle; Titler, Nava; Edelstein, Hana; Elias, Mazen; Saliba, Walid

    2013-12-01

    The compliance of screening for latent tuberculosis (TB) with the tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) test is very low among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Israel. This randomized controlled study uses the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a conceptual framework to examine whether providing more information about latent TB and the PPD test increases the response rate for PPD screening among HCWs. All candidate HCWs for latent TB screening were randomly allocated to one of the following two invitations to perform the PPD test: regular letter (control group, n=97), and a letter with information about latent TB and the PPD test (intervention group, n=196). 293 HCWs were included (185 nurses, and 108 physicians). Overall, 36 (12.3%) HCWs were compliant with the PPD test screening. Compliance with PPD testing in the intervention group was not statistically different from the control group, RR 0.87 (95% CI, 0.46-1.65). Compliance for latent TB screening is low among HCWs in northeastern Israel. Providing detailed information about latent TB was not associated with increased test compliance. Understanding existing disparities in screening rates and potential barriers to latent TB screening among HCWs is important in order to move forward and successfully increase screening rates. Copyright © 2013 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Combined geophysical techniques for detailed groundwater flow investigation in tectonically deformed fractured rocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Alexopoulos

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present a combination of several near surface geophysical investigation techniques with high resolution remote sensing image interpretations, in order to define the groundwater flow paths and whether they can be affected by future seismic events. A seasonal spring (Amvrakia located at the foot of Meteora pillars near the village of Kastraki (Greece was chosen as a test site. The Meteora conglomeratic formations crop out throughout the study area and are characterized by large discontinuities caused by post Miocene till present tectonic deformation [Ferriere et al. 2011, Royden and Papanikolaou 2011]. A network of groundwater pathways has been developed above the impermeable marls underlying the conglomeratic strata. Our research aims to define these water pathways in order to investigate and understand the exact mechanism of the spring by mapping the exposed discontinuity network with classic field mapping and remote sensing image interpretation and define their underground continuity with the contribution of near surface geophysical techniques. Five Very Low Frequency (VLF profiles were conducted with different directions around the spring aiming to detect possible conductive zones in the conglomeratic formations that the study area consists of. Moreover, two Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT sections of a total length of 140m were carried out parallel to the VLF profiles for cross-checking and verifying the geophysical information. Both techniques revealed important conductive zones (<200 Ohm m within the conglomerate strata, which we interpret as discontinuities filled with water supplying the spring, which are quite vulnerable to displacements as the hydraulic connections between them might be easily disturbed after a future seismic event.

  4. Detailed investigation of a time-of-flight neutron spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elevant, T.; Trostell, B.

    1981-02-01

    Properties of a neutron spectrometer and telescope, based on double neutron interaction in hydrogen based scintillators and neutron time-of-flight technique, have been investigated in detail. Theoretical scaling of the resolutions with the flight path length and scattering angle have been confirmed by experimental results. Important parameters in connection with calibration of the spectrometer are discussed and calculated relative resolutions of the ion temperature are shown when applied to a fusion deuterium plasma. (Auth.)

  5. A Statistical Model for Synthesis of Detailed Facial Geometry

    OpenAIRE

    Golovinskiy, Aleksey; Matusik, Wojciech; Pfister, Hanspeter; Rusinkiewicz, Szymon; Funkhouser, Thomas

    2006-01-01

    Detailed surface geometry contributes greatly to the visual realism of 3D face models. However, acquiring high-resolution face geometry is often tedious and expensive. Consequently, most face models used in games, virtual reality, or computer vision look unrealistically smooth. In this paper, we introduce a new statistical technique for the analysis and synthesis of small three-dimensional facial features, such as wrinkles and pores. We acquire high-resolution face geometry for people across ...

  6. Study on detailed geological modelling for fluvial sandstone reservoir in Daqing oil field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao Hanqing; Fu Zhiguo; Lu Xiaoguang [Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Daqing (China)

    1997-08-01

    Guided by the sedimentation theory and knowledge of modern and ancient fluvial deposition and utilizing the abundant information of sedimentary series, microfacies type and petrophysical parameters from well logging curves of close spaced thousands of wells located in a large area. A new method for establishing detailed sedimentation and permeability distribution models for fluvial reservoirs have been developed successfully. This study aimed at the geometry and internal architecture of sandbodies, in accordance to their hierarchical levels of heterogeneity and building up sedimentation and permeability distribution models of fluvial reservoirs, describing the reservoir heterogeneity on the light of the river sedimentary rules. The results and methods obtained in outcrop and modem sedimentation studies have successfully supported the study. Taking advantage of this method, the major producing layers (PI{sub 1-2}), which have been considered as heterogeneous and thick fluvial reservoirs extending widely in lateral are researched in detail. These layers are subdivided into single sedimentary units vertically and the microfacies are identified horizontally. Furthermore, a complex system is recognized according to their hierarchical levels from large to small, meander belt, single channel sandbody, meander scroll, point bar, and lateral accretion bodies of point bar. The achieved results improved the description of areal distribution of point bar sandbodies, provide an accurate and detailed framework model for establishing high resolution predicting model. By using geostatistic technique, it also plays an important role in searching for enriched zone of residual oil distribution.

  7. Research on the Hotel Image Based on the Detail Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ban; Shenghua, Zheng; He, Yi

    Detail service management, initially developed as marketing programs to enhance customer loyalty, has now become an important part of customer relation strategy. This paper analyzes the critical factors of detail service and its influence on the hotel image. We establish the theoretical model of influencing factors on hotel image and propose corresponding hypotheses. We use applying statistical method to test and verify the above-mentioned hypotheses. This paper provides a foundation for further study of detail service design and planning issues.

  8. Detailed statistical contact angle analyses; "slow moving" drops on inclining silicon-oxide surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt, M; Groß, K; Grub, J; Heib, F

    2015-06-01

    Contact angle determination by sessile drop technique is essential to characterise surface properties in science and in industry. Different specific angles can be observed on every solid which are correlated with the advancing or the receding of the triple line. Different procedures and definitions for the determination of specific angles exist which are often not comprehensible or reproducible. Therefore one of the most important things in this area is to build standard, reproducible and valid methods for determining advancing/receding contact angles. This contribution introduces novel techniques to analyse dynamic contact angle measurements (sessile drop) in detail which are applicable for axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric drops. Not only the recently presented fit solution by sigmoid function and the independent analysis of the different parameters (inclination, contact angle, velocity of the triple point) but also the dependent analysis will be firstly explained in detail. These approaches lead to contact angle data and different access on specific contact angles which are independent from "user-skills" and subjectivity of the operator. As example the motion behaviour of droplets on flat silicon-oxide surfaces after different surface treatments is dynamically measured by sessile drop technique when inclining the sample plate. The triple points, the inclination angles, the downhill (advancing motion) and the uphill angles (receding motion) obtained by high-precision drop shape analysis are independently and dependently statistically analysed. Due to the small covered distance for the dependent analysis (contact angle determination. They are characterised by small deviations of the computed values. Additional to the detailed introduction of this novel analytical approaches plus fit solution special motion relations for the drop on inclined surfaces and detailed relations about the reactivity of the freshly cleaned silicon wafer surface resulting in acceleration

  9. Channel coding techniques for wireless communications

    CERN Document Server

    Deergha Rao, K

    2015-01-01

    The book discusses modern channel coding techniques for wireless communications such as turbo codes, low-density parity check (LDPC) codes, space–time (ST) coding, RS (or Reed–Solomon) codes and convolutional codes. Many illustrative examples are included in each chapter for easy understanding of the coding techniques. The text is integrated with MATLAB-based programs to enhance the understanding of the subject’s underlying theories. It includes current topics of increasing importance such as turbo codes, LDPC codes, Luby transform (LT) codes, Raptor codes, and ST coding in detail, in addition to the traditional codes such as cyclic codes, BCH (or Bose–Chaudhuri–Hocquenghem) and RS codes and convolutional codes. Multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communications is a multiple antenna technology, which is an effective method for high-speed or high-reliability wireless communications. PC-based MATLAB m-files for the illustrative examples are provided on the book page on Springer.com for free dow...

  10. IPUMS: Detailed global data on population characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kugler, T.

    2017-12-01

    Many new and exciting sources of data on human population distributions based on remote sensing, mobile technology, and other mechanisms are becoming available. These new data sources often provide fine scale spatial and/or temporal resolution. However, they typically focus on the location of population, with little or no information on population characteristics. The large and growing collection of data available through the IPUMS family of products complements datasets that provide spatial and temporal detail but little attribute detail by providing the full depth of characteristics covered by population censuses, including demographic, household structure, economic, employment, education, and housing characteristics. IPUMS International provides census microdata for 85 countries. Microdata provide the responses to every census question for each individual in a sample of households. Microdata identify the sub-national geographic unit in which a household is located, but for confidentiality reasons, identified units must include a minimum population, typically 20,000 people. Small-area aggregate data often describe much smaller geographic units, enabling study of detailed spatial patterns of population characteristics. However the structure of aggregate data tables is highly heterogeneous across countries, census years, and even topics within a given census, making these data difficult to work with in any systematic way. A recently funded project will assemble small-area aggregate population and agricultural census data published by national statistical offices. Through preliminary work collecting and cataloging over 10,000 tables, we have identified a small number of structural families that can be used to organize the many different structures. These structural families will form the basis for software tools to document and standardize the tables for ingest into a common database. Both the microdata and aggregate data are made available through IPUMS Terra

  11. A technique for the quantification of the 3D connectivity of thin articulations in bony sutures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maloul, Asmaa; Fialkov, Jeffrey; Hojjat, Seyed-Parsa; Whyne, Cari M

    2010-04-19

    The anatomy and development of cranial and facial sutures have been studied in detail using histological sections, 2D radiographs and more recently CT imaging. However, little attention has been paid to evaluating and quantifying the connectivity of these thin cortical bone articulations. More recent technological advances such as micro-CT imaging has the potential to be used to provide quantitative measurements of 3D connectivity in bony articulations. This study presents a new technique for quantifying the connectivity of bony projections inside cranial and facial sutures using a combination of skeletonization, thinning algorithms and 3D intensity mapping. The technique is demonstrated in five sutures through semi-automated analysis and image processing of microCT scans. In the sagittal, coronal and frontozygomatic sutures an average bone connectivity of 6.6-11.6% was found with multiple bony projections providing an interlocking structure between adjacent bones. Much higher bone connectivity was present in the zygomaticotemporal and zygomaticomaxillary sutures (22.7-37.4%) with few bony projections. This method combining microCT scanning and image processing techniques was successfully used to quantify the connectivity of thin bone articulations and allowed detailed assessment of sutural fusion in 3D. The wider application of this technique may allow quantification of connectivity in other structures, in particular fracture healing of long bones. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Detailed design report for an operational phase panel-closure system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    Under contract to Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Westinghouse), Waste Isolation Division (WID), IT Corporation has prepared a detailed design of a panel-closure system for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Preparation of this detailed design of an operational-phase closure system is required to support a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B permit application and a non-migration variance petition. This report describes the detailed design for a panel-closure system specific to the WIPP site. The recommended panel-closure system will adequately isolate the waste-emplacement panels for at least 35 years. This report provides detailed design and material engineering specifications for the construction, emplacement, and interface-grouting associated with a panel-closure system at the WIPP repository, which would ensure that an effective panel-closure system is in place for at least 35 years. The panel-closure system provides assurance that the limit for the migration of volatile organic compounds (VOC) will be met at the point of compliance, the WIPP site boundary. This assurance is obtained through the inherent flexibility of the panel-closure system

  13. Column ratio mapping: a processing technique for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robb, Paul D; Craven, Alan J

    2008-12-01

    An image processing technique is presented for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images that have been acquired using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This technique is termed column ratio mapping and involves the automated process of measuring atomic column intensity ratios in high-resolution HAADF images. This technique was developed to provide a fuller analysis of HAADF images than the usual method of drawing single intensity line profiles across a few areas of interest. For instance, column ratio mapping reveals the compositional distribution across the whole HAADF image and allows a statistical analysis and an estimation of errors. This has proven to be a very valuable technique as it can provide a more detailed assessment of the sharpness of interfacial structures from HAADF images. The technique of column ratio mapping is described in terms of a [110]-oriented zinc-blende structured AlAs/GaAs superlattice using the 1 angstroms-scale resolution capability of the aberration-corrected SuperSTEM 1 instrument.

  14. Column ratio mapping: A processing technique for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robb, Paul D.; Craven, Alan J.

    2008-01-01

    An image processing technique is presented for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images that have been acquired using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This technique is termed column ratio mapping and involves the automated process of measuring atomic column intensity ratios in high-resolution HAADF images. This technique was developed to provide a fuller analysis of HAADF images than the usual method of drawing single intensity line profiles across a few areas of interest. For instance, column ratio mapping reveals the compositional distribution across the whole HAADF image and allows a statistical analysis and an estimation of errors. This has proven to be a very valuable technique as it can provide a more detailed assessment of the sharpness of interfacial structures from HAADF images. The technique of column ratio mapping is described in terms of a [1 1 0]-oriented zinc-blende structured AlAs/GaAs superlattice using the 1 A-scale resolution capability of the aberration-corrected SuperSTEM 1 instrument.

  15. Radiologic examination of orthopaedics. Methods and techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hafner, E.; Meuli, H.C.

    1976-01-01

    This volume describes in detail radiological examinations of the skeleton modern procedures in orthopaedic surgery. Special emphasis is given to functional examination techniques based upon the authors' extensive work on standardized radiological examinations best suited to the needs of orthopaedic surgeons. These techniques were developed at the Radiodiagnostic Department of the Central Radiological Clinic, Bern University, in cooperation with the University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Surgery of the Locomotor System. Exposure techniques are explained concisely, yet with extraordinary precision and attention to detail. They have proved highly successful in teaching programs for X-ray technicians and as standard examination techniques for many hospitals, X-ray departments, orthopaedic units, and private clinics. Recommended for orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, general surgeons, and X-ray technicians, this definitive treatise, with its superb X-ray reproductions and complementary line drawings, explains how to achieve improved diagnoses and standardized control with the least possible radiation exposure to the patient

  16. Production and manipulation of bovine embryos: techniques and terminology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machaty, Z; Peippo, J; Peter, A

    2012-09-15

    There are numerous publications regarding bovine embryos, ranging from descriptions of their appearance and development to emerging techniques in the field of assisted reproductive technology. Concurrently, several specialized terms have been developed to describe the bovine embryo. The purpose of the current review is two-fold; it is primarily to describe techniques involved in the in vivo and in vitro production of bovine embryos and their manipulation, and secondarily to summarize specialized terms used in these processes. The intention is not to review these techniques in detail, but instead to provide salient points and current knowledge regarding these techniques, with a focus on terminology. The first review dealt with classical and contemporary terminology used to describe morphologic aspects of ovarian dynamics in cattle. Subsequently, the terms and current understanding of processes involved in preattachment bovine embryos were described in the second review. As the third article in a series, this mini-review is focused on defining the production, manipulation, and transfer of bovine preattachment embryos. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Food physics and radiation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szabo, A. S.

    1999-01-01

    In the lecture information is given about food physics, which is a rather new, interdisciplinary field of science, connecting food science and applied physics. The topics of radioactivity of foodstuffs and radiation techniques in the food industry are important parts of food physics detailed information will be given about the main fields (e.g. radio stimulation, food preservation) of radiation techniques in the agro-food sector. Finally some special questions of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs in hungary and applicability of radioanalytical techniques (e.g. Inaa) for food investigation will be analyzed and discussed

  18. Results of Detailed Hydrologic Characterization Tests—Fiscal and Calendar Year 2005

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spane, Frank A.; Newcomer, Darrell R.

    2008-02-27

    This report provides the results of detailed hydrologic characterization tests conducted within selected Hanford Site wells during fiscal and calendar year 2005. Detailed characterization tests performed included groundwater-flow characterization, barometric response evaluation, slug tests, in-well vertical groundwater-flow assessments, and a single-well tracer and constant-rate pumping test. Hydraulic property estimates obtained from the detailed hydrologic tests include hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, specific yield, effective porosity, in-well lateral and vertical groundwater-flow velocity, aquifer groundwater-flow velocity, and depth-distribution profiles of hydraulic conductivity. In addition, local groundwater-flow characteristics (i.e., hydraulic gradient and flow direction) were determined for a site where detailed well testing was performed. Results obtained from these tests provide hydrologic information that supports the needs of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act waste management area characterization as well as sitewide groundwater monitoring and modeling programs. These results also reduce the uncertainty of groundwater-flow conditions at selected locations on the Hanford Site.

  19. Medicare Referring Provider DMEPOS PUF

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This dataset, which is part of CMSs Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, details information on Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and...

  20. Containment vessel bottom head transport and lifting technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Donghong; Tian Shiyong; Hu Dequan; Xiao Hongtao

    2013-01-01

    The challengeable transport and lifting techniques and high safety assurance measures are needed for the onsite construction of the AP1000 containment vessel bottom head (CVBH), which is a large component with heavy weight, big size, high center of gravity, and easy to deformation. During transport, the infra structural road foundation is heavily loaded with big turning radius, and the requirement for synchronization of transport vehicles is strict. During lifting, the crane lifting capacities are high, requirement for the lifting and rigging tools is strict, nuclear island being put into place is difficult, and the crane operating foundation is heavily loaded. The transport and lifting techniques and safety assurance measures for CVBH are elaborated in detail, so as to provide a reference for the follow-up transport and lifting of large components of nuclear island. (authors)

  1. Development of testing techniques for mine fan performance

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WU Zheng-yan; JIANG Shu-guang; PENG Dan-ren

    2006-01-01

    Three progressive stages of testing techniques are elaborated, which are entirely manual operating, taking separate instruments testing and computer program controlling. The testing method and principle are detailed based on the testing process for meteorological parameters, air pressure, air quality and rotating velocity. And every testing technique is analyzed. Finally, the technique outlook is viewed. All this plays a leading role in development of the testing techniques.

  2. Synchrotron radiation based analytical techniques (XAS and XRF)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jha, Shambhu Nath

    2014-01-01

    A brief description of the principles of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques is given in this article with emphasis on the advantages of using synchrotron radiation-based instrumentation/beamline. XAS technique is described in more detail to emphasize the strength of the technique as a local structural probe. (author)

  3. Family physicians' perceptions of academic detailing: a quantitative and qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O'Connor Nicolette

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The efficacy of academic detailing in changing physicians' knowledge and practice has been the subject of many primary research publications and systematic reviews. However, there is little written about the features of academic detailing that physicians find valuable or that affect their use of it. The goal of our project was to explore family physicians' (FPs perceptions of academic detailing and the factors that affect their use of it. Methods We used 2 methods to collect data, a questionnaire and semi-structured telephone interviews. We mailed questionnaires to all FPs in the Dalhousie Office of Continuing Medical Education database and analyzed responses of non-users and users of academic detailing. After a preliminary analysis of questionnaire data, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 7 FPs who did not use academic detailing and 17 who did use it. Results Overall response rate to the questionnaire was 33% (289/869. Response rate of non-users of academic detailing was 15% (60/393, of users was 48% (229/476. The 3 factors that most encouraged use of academic detailing were the topics selected, the evidence-based approach adopted, and the handout material. The 3 factors that most discouraged the use of academic detailing were spending office time doing CME, scheduling time to see the academic detailer, and having CME provided by a non-physician. Users of academic detailing rated it as being more valuable than other forms of CME. Generally, interview data confirmed questionnaire data with the exception that interview informants did not view having CME provided by a non-physician as a barrier. Interview informants mentioned that the evidence-based approach adopted by academic detailing had led them to more critically evaluate information from other CME programs, pharmaceutical representatives, and journal articles, but not advice from specialists. Conclusion Users of academic detailing highly value its educational

  4. 29 CFR 403.3 - Form of annual financial report-detailed report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Form of annual financial report-detailed report. 403.3... LABOR LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS LABOR ORGANIZATION ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORTS § 403.3 Form of annual financial report—detailed report. Every labor organization shall, except as expressly provided otherwise in...

  5. Nanodisc-Targeted STD NMR Spectroscopy Reveals Atomic Details of Ligand Binding to Lipid Environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muñoz-García, Juan C; Inacio Dos Reis, Rosana; Taylor, Richard J; Henry, Alistair J; Watts, Anthony

    2018-05-18

    Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy is one of the most popular ligand-based NMR techniques for the study of protein-ligand interactions. This is due to its robustness and the fact that it is focused on the signals of the ligand, without any need for NMR information on the macromolecular target. This technique is most commonly applied to systems involving different types of ligands (e.g., small organic molecules, carbohydrates or lipids) and a protein as the target, in which the latter is selectively saturated. However, only a few examples have been reported where membrane mimetics are the macromolecular binding partners. Here, we have employed STD NMR spectroscopy to investigate the interactions of the neurotransmitter dopamine with mimetics of lipid bilayers, such as nanodiscs, by saturation of the latter. In particular, the interactions between dopamine and model lipid nanodiscs formed either from charged or zwitterionic lipids have been resolved at the atomic level. The results, in agreement with previous isothermal titration calorimetry studies, show that dopamine preferentially binds to negatively charged model membranes, but also provide detailed atomic insights into the mode of interaction of dopamine with membrane mimetics. Our findings provide relevant structural information for the design of lipid-based drug carriers of dopamine and its structural analogues and are of general applicability to other systems. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: A DETAILED MODEL ATMOSPHERE ANALYSIS OF NEARBY WHITE DWARFS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giammichele, N.; Bergeron, P. [Kitt Peak National Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (United States); Dufour, P., E-mail: noemi.giammichele@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: pierre.bergeron@astro.umontreal.ca, E-mail: patrick.dufour@astro.umontreal.ca [Departement de Physique, Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 (Canada)

    2012-04-01

    We present improved atmospheric parameters of nearby white dwarfs lying within 20 pc of the Sun. The aim of the current study is to obtain the best statistical model of the least-biased sample of the white dwarf population. A homogeneous analysis of the local population is performed combining detailed spectroscopic and photometric analyses based on improved model atmosphere calculations for various spectral types including DA, DB, DC, DQ, and DZ stars. The spectroscopic technique is applied to all stars in our sample for which optical spectra are available. Photometric energy distributions, when available, are also combined to trigonometric parallax measurements to derive effective temperatures, stellar radii, as well as atmospheric compositions. A revised catalog of white dwarfs in the solar neighborhood is presented. We provide, for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of the mass distribution and the chemical distribution of white dwarf stars in a volume-limited sample.

  7. Random sampling technique for ultra-fast computations of molecular opacities for exoplanet atmospheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, M.

    2017-10-01

    Context. Opacities of molecules in exoplanet atmospheres rely on increasingly detailed line-lists for these molecules. The line lists available today contain for many species up to several billions of lines. Computation of the spectral line profile created by pressure and temperature broadening, the Voigt profile, of all of these lines is becoming a computational challenge. Aims: We aim to create a method to compute the Voigt profile in a way that automatically focusses the computation time into the strongest lines, while still maintaining the continuum contribution of the high number of weaker lines. Methods: Here, we outline a statistical line sampling technique that samples the Voigt profile quickly and with high accuracy. The number of samples is adjusted to the strength of the line and the local spectral line density. This automatically provides high accuracy line shapes for strong lines or lines that are spectrally isolated. The line sampling technique automatically preserves the integrated line opacity for all lines, thereby also providing the continuum opacity created by the large number of weak lines at very low computational cost. Results: The line sampling technique is tested for accuracy when computing line spectra and correlated-k tables. Extremely fast computations ( 3.5 × 105 lines per second per core on a standard current day desktop computer) with high accuracy (≤1% almost everywhere) are obtained. A detailed recipe on how to perform the computations is given.

  8. A detailed BWR recirculation loop model for RELAP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Araiza-Martínez, Enrique, E-mail: enrique.araiza@inin.gob.mx; Ortiz-Villafuerte, Javier, E-mail: javier.ortiz@inin.gob.mx; Castillo-Durán, Rogelio, E-mail: rogelio.castillo@inin.gob.mx

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • A new detailed BWR recirculation loop model was developed for RELAP. • All jet pumps, risers, manifold, suction and control valves, and recirculation pump are modeled. • Model is tested against data from partial blockage of two jet pumps. • For practical applications, simulation results showed good agreement with available data. - Abstract: A new detailed geometric model of the whole recirculation loop of a BWR has been developed for the code RELAP. This detailed model includes the 10 jet pumps, 5 risers, manifold, suction and control valves, and the recirculation pump, per recirculation loop. The model is tested against data from an event of partial blockage at the entrance nozzle of one jet pump in both recirculation loops. For practical applications, simulation results showed good agreement with data. Then, values of parameters considered as figure of merit (reactor power, dome pressure, core flow, among others) for this event are compared against those from the common 1 jet pump per loop model. The results show that new detailed model led to a closer prediction of the reported power change. The detailed recirculation loop model can provide more reliable boundary condition data to a CFD models for studies of, for example, flow induced vibration, wear, and crack initiation.

  9. Advantages and Limitations of Current Imaging Techniques for Characterizing Liposome Morphology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annie-Louise Robson

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available There are currently a number of imaging techniques available for evaluating the morphology of liposomes and other nanoparticles, with each having its own advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when interpreting data. Controlling and validating the morphology of nanoparticles is of key importance for the effective clinical translation of liposomal formulations. There are a number of physical characteristics of liposomes that determine their in vivo behavior, including size, surface characteristics, lamellarity, and homogeneity. Despite the great importance of the morphology of nanoparticles, it is generally not well-characterized and is difficult to control. Appropriate imaging techniques provide important details regarding the morphological characteristics of nanoparticles, and should be used in conjunction with other methods to assess physicochemical parameters. In this review, we will discuss the advantages and limitations of available imaging techniques used to evaluate liposomal formulations.

  10. Multiple Access Techniques for Next Generation Wireless: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shree Krishna Sharma

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The advances in multiple access techniques has been one of the key drivers in moving from one cellular generation to another. Starting from the first generation, several multiple access techniques have been explored in different generations and various emerging multiplexing/multiple access techniques are being investigated for the next generation of cellular networks. In this context, this paper first provides a detailed review on the existing Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA related works. Subsequently, it highlights the main features and the drawbacks of various existing and emerging multiplexing/multiple access techniques. Finally, we propose a novel concept of clustered orthogonal signature division multiple access for the next generation of cellular networks. The proposed concept envisions to employ joint antenna coding in order to enhance the orthogonality of SDMA beams with the objective of enhancing the spectral efficiency of future cellular networks.

  11. Simple lock-in detection technique utilizing multiple harmonics for digital PGC demodulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Fajie; Huang, Tingting; Jiang, Jiajia; Fu, Xiao; Ma, Ling

    2017-06-01

    A simple lock-in detection technique especially suited for digital phase-generated carrier (PGC) demodulators is proposed in this paper. It mixes the interference signal with rectangular waves whose Fourier expansions contain multiple odd or multiple even harmonics of the carrier to recover the quadrature components needed for interference phase demodulation. In this way, the use of a multiplier is avoided and the efficiency of the algorithm is improved. Noise performance with regard to light intensity variation and circuit noise is analyzed theoretically for both the proposed technique and the traditional lock-in technique, and results show that the former provides a better signal-to-noise ratio than the latter with proper modulation depth and average interference phase. Detailed simulations were conducted and the theoretical analysis was verified. A fiber-optic Michelson interferometer was constructed and the feasibility of the proposed technique is demonstrated.

  12. In vitro radionuclide techniques in medical diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-02-01

    The use of radionuclide based microanalytical techniques for medical diagnosis has been increasing in recent years. Several such methods are in routine use in advanced laboratories in the industrialized world, but are often beyond the capability of developing countries. The IAEA has organized several training activities and seminars to bring the benefits of such advances to laboratories in developing Member States. The most recent was an interregional training course in Tokyo, March 1996, in collaboration with the Japanese Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The course was conducted by international experts, local staff, and IAEA staff. With the intention of giving the main techniques used at the course to a wider distribution they have been compiled into the present technical document. It is hoped that laboratories in developing Member States that did not have participants at the training course will find the information provided useful and sufficiently detailed to enable their application in their home institutions

  13. Detailed Structural Analysis of Critical Wendelstein 7-X Magnet System Components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egorov, K.

    2006-01-01

    The Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator experiment is presently under construction and assembly in Greifswald, Germany. The goal of the experiment is to verify that the stellarator magnetic confinement concept is a viable option for a fusion reactor. The complex W7-X magnet system requires a multi-level approach to structural analysis for which two types of finite element models are used: Firstly, global models having reasonably coarse meshes with a number of simplifications and assumptions, and secondly, local models with detailed meshes of critical regions and elements. Widely known sub-modelling technique with boundary conditions extracted from the global models is one of the approaches for local analysis with high assessment efficiency. In particular, the winding pack (WP) of the magnet coils is simulated in the global model as a homogeneous orthotropic material with effective mechanical characteristic representing its real composite structure. This assumption allows assessing the whole magnet system in terms of general structural factors like forces and moments on the support elements, displacements of the main components, deformation and stress in the coil casings, etc. In a second step local models with a detailed description of more critical WP zones are considered in order to analyze their internal components like conductor jackets, turn insulation, etc. This paper provides an overview of local analyses of several critical W7-X magnet system components with particular attention on the coil winding packs. (author)

  14. AN ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF GEOREFERENCED POINT CLOUDS PRODUCED VIA MULTI-VIEW STEREO TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO IMAGERY ACQUIRED VIA UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Harwin

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs are becoming viable environmental remote sensing tools. Sensor and battery technology is expanding the data capture opportunities. The UAV, as a close range remote sensing platform, can capture high resolution photography on-demand. This imagery can be used to produce dense point clouds using multi-view stereopsis techniques (MVS combining computer vision and photogrammetry. This study examines point clouds produced using MVS techniques applied to UAV and terrestrial photography. A multi-rotor micro UAV acquired aerial imagery from a altitude of approximately 30–40 m. The point clouds produced are extremely dense (<1–3 cm point spacing and provide a detailed record of the surface in the study area, a 70 m section of sheltered coastline in southeast Tasmania. Areas with little surface texture were not well captured, similarly, areas with complex geometry such as grass tussocks and woody scrub were not well mapped. The process fails to penetrate vegetation, but extracts very detailed terrain in unvegetated areas. Initially the point clouds are in an arbitrary coordinate system and need to be georeferenced. A Helmert transformation is applied based on matching ground control points (GCPs identified in the point clouds to GCPs surveying with differential GPS. These point clouds can be used, alongside laser scanning and more traditional techniques, to provide very detailed and precise representations of a range of landscapes at key moments. There are many potential applications for the UAV-MVS technique, including coastal erosion and accretion monitoring, mine surveying and other environmental monitoring applications. For the generated point clouds to be used in spatial applications they need to be converted to surface models that reduce dataset size without loosing too much detail. Triangulated meshes are one option, another is Poisson Surface Reconstruction. This latter option makes use of point normal

  15. Trajectory control sensor engineering model detailed test objective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dekome, Kent; Barr, Joseph Martin

    1991-01-01

    The concept employed in an existing Trajectory Control Sensor (TCS) breadboard is being developed into an engineering model to be considered for flight on the Shuttle as a Detailed Test Objective (DTO). The sensor design addresses the needs of Shuttle/SSF docking/berthing by providing relative range and range rate to 1500 meters as well as the perceived needs of AR&C by relative attitude measurement over the last 100 meters. Range measurement is determined using a four-tone ranging technique. The Doppler shift on the highest frequency tone will be used to provide direct measurement of range rate. Bearing rate and attitude rates will be determined through back differencing of bearing and attitude, respectively. The target consists of an isosceles triangle configuration of three optical retroreflectors, roughly one meter and one-half meter in size. After target acquisition, the sensor continually updates the positions of the three retros at a rate of about one hertz. The engineering model is expected to weigh about 25 pounds, consume 25-30 watts, and have an envelope of about 1.25 cubic feet. The following concerns were addressed during the presentation: are there any concerns with differentiating attitude and bearing to get attitude and bearing rates? Since the docking scenario has low data bandwidth, back differencing is a sufficient approximation of a perfect differentiator for this application. Could range data be obtained if there were no retroreflectors on the target vehicle? Possibly, but only at close range. It would be dependent on target characteristics.

  16. State of the art review of radioactive waste volume reduction techniques for commercial nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-04-01

    A review is made of the state of the art of volume reduction techniques for low level liquid and solid radioactive wastes produced as a result of: (1) operation of commercial nuclear power plants, (2) storage of spent fuel in away-from-reactor facilities, and (3) decontamination/decommissioning of commercial nuclear power plants. The types of wastes and their chemical, physical, and radiological characteristics are identified. Methods used by industry for processing radioactive wastes are reviewed and compared to the new techniques for processing and reducing the volume of radioactive wastes. A detailed system description and report on operating experiences follow for each of the new volume reduction techniques. In addition, descriptions of volume reduction methods presently under development are provided. The Appendix records data collected during site surveys of vendor facilities and operating power plants. A Bibliography is provided for each of the various volume reduction techniques discussed in the report

  17. Air barrier details: How effective are they

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    A project was initiated to measure the air leakage through three typical details in wood frame walls: the header joist, electric outlets, and window openings. Three construction methods were tested: the poly approach, where a sealed internal polyethylene sheet and caulking provide the air barrier; an external air barrier approach using a continuous vapor permeable membrane sandwiched between two layers of external wall sheathing; and the airtight drywall approach (ADA), where the interior gypsum board finish along with framing and gaskets are the air barrier. Twelve sample panels using each of the three details were built using each of the construction approaches. A traditional wood-frame wall construction detail, with no effort made to create a continuous air barrier, was also built and tested for comparison. The samples were put in a test chamber so that air pressures could create infiltration or exfiltration through the panel under loads similar to those due to wind action. Measurements were made at several stages during construction of each sample to see the effect of different components on the air leakage. Overall, all but the traditional samples and the ADA electrical outlet panel exceeded the current tightness standards for glass and aluminum curtain walls. All three approaches could meet the airtightness standards of the R-2000 program. The total air leakage calculated for each approach is under 20% of that in traditional construction. Of the details tested, window detailing offers the greatest potential for increasing overall airtightness compared to traditional methods. 1 ref., 2 figs., 1 tab.

  18. The laser principles and application techniques. 2. ed.

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maillet, H.

    1986-01-01

    Specialists of each field gathered to give a complete overview of laser techniques possibilities. Operation principles, properties and the different kinds of lasers are detailed. Inertial fusion, isotope separation, medecine are part of the laser application fields presented, and application techniques in these fields are described [fr

  19. Protection provided by masks sinkers in interventional techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pera Cegarra, O.; Alejo Luque, L.; Pifarre Martinez, J.

    2011-01-01

    The high doses that are taught in laboratories worked indispensable the use of shields and armor. In this context, the use of sinkers glasses is widespread, but not the sinkers of the masks. Qur goal is to study the effectiveness of such masks for later comparison with that provided by leaded glasses with side shields. Specifically, compare the reduction in lens dose rate for different positions and orientations of the head of specialist intervention.

  20. The integration of novel diagnostics techniques for multi-scale monitoring of large civil infrastructures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Soldovieri

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available In the recent years, structural monitoring of large infrastructures (buildings, dams, bridges or more generally man-made structures has raised an increased attention due to the growing interest about safety and security issues and risk assessment through early detection. In this framework, aim of the paper is to introduce a new integrated approach which combines two sensing techniques acting on different spatial and temporal scales. The first one is a distributed optic fiber sensor based on the Brillouin scattering phenomenon, which allows a spatially and temporally continuous monitoring of the structure with a "low" spatial resolution (meter. The second technique is based on the use of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR, which can provide detailed images of the inner status of the structure (with a spatial resolution less then tens centimetres, but does not allow a temporal continuous monitoring. The paper describes the features of these two techniques and provides experimental results concerning preliminary test cases.

  1. 9RU2 Radiological protection, attention to the detail-EPU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Padilla C, I.

    2008-01-01

    To optimize times and movements in a reload project of nuclear fuel in a nuclear plant, where they are programmed more three thousand maintenance activities, modifications, monitoring and inspection in a smaller period to 30 days, and additionally to optimize the individual and collective dose in the same one, turn out to be important challenges where the used strategies must be accompanied of a deep knowledge of the installation in the radiological sense and of the spaces conceptualized in the time. The attention to the detail makes possible that the objectives are fulfilled. During the shutdown of reload 9 of Unit 2 (9RU2) of the nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde, the attention in detail applied in the critical points allowed a saving of dose of 0.7 Sv-person and one deviation of the goal of only +0.85% (smaller to 1% of the goal established like 2 challenge of Sv-person). Analysis of times, movements and training to develop skills in inspection activities in service that requires intervention in the external surface of the reactor vessel to examine the condition of welds, allowed reducing times of execution of 12 to 2 hours. Analysis of the environment and attention to the detail are techniques that allowed optimizing dose in 9RU2 and they were used in the project Power Increase. In this work the strategies of the surroundings and attention in detail applied in 9RU2 would appear and detail attention in the increase of power in the reload 13 Unit 1. (Author)

  2. Reported credibility techniques in higher education evaluation studies that use qualitative methods: A research synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Hongjing; Hitchcock, John

    2018-06-01

    This synthesis study examined the reported use of credibility techniques in higher education evaluation articles that use qualitative methods. The sample included 118 articles published in six leading higher education evaluation journals from 2003 to 2012. Mixed methods approaches were used to identify key credibility techniques reported across the articles, document the frequency of these techniques, and describe their use and properties. Two broad sets of techniques were of interest: primary design techniques (i.e., basic), such as sampling/participant recruitment strategies, data collection methods, analytic details, and additional qualitative credibility techniques (e.g., member checking, negative case analyses, peer debriefing). The majority of evaluation articles reported use of primary techniques although there was wide variation in the amount of supporting detail; most of the articles did not describe the use of additional credibility techniques. This suggests that editors of evaluation journals should encourage the reporting of qualitative design details and authors should develop strategies yielding fuller methodological description. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Scanning tunneling microscopy II further applications and related scanning techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Güntherodt, Hans-Joachim

    1995-01-01

    Scanning Tunneling Microscopy II, like its predecessor, presents detailed and comprehensive accounts of the basic principles and broad range of applications of STM and related scanning probe techniques. The applications discussed in this volume come predominantly from the fields of electrochemistry and biology. In contrast to those described in STM I, these studies may be performed in air and in liquids. The extensions of the basic technique to map other interactions are described in chapters on scanning force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, and scanning near-field optical microscopy, together with a survey of other related techniques. Also described here is the use of a scanning proximal probe for surface modification. Together, the two volumes give a comprehensive account of experimental aspects of STM. They provide essential reading and reference material for all students and researchers involved in this field. In this second edition the text has been updated and new methods are discussed.

  4. Framework for detailed studies on the construction and operation of repositories for spent nuclear fuel; Ramprogram foer detaljundersoekningar vid uppfoerande och drift av slutfoervar foer anvaent kaernbraensle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2010-10-15

    This report presents a programme for the detailed investigations planned to be applied during construction and operation of the repository for spent nuclear fuel at Forsmark. The report is part of SKB's application according to the Nuclear Activities Act. The detailed investigations shall provide relevant data on and site-descriptive models for the bedrock, soil deposits and eco-system of the site in order to facilitate a step-wise design and construction of the final repository. This shall be implemented in a manner that all demands on long-term safety are fulfilled, including accurate documentation of the construction work, and so that assessments of the environmental impact of the repository can be made. For the operational phase, the detailed investigations should also provide support to the deposition process with related decisions, thereby enabling fulfilment of the design premises for the siting and construction of deposition tunnels and deposition holes, as well as for deposition of canisters, and for the subsequent backfilling and closure of the repository. The Observational Method will be applied during the construction of the repository. This method entails establishing in advance acceptable limits of behaviour regarding selected geoscientific parameters and preparing a plan with measures to keep the outcome within these limits. Predictions of expected rock properties are established for each tunnel section. The outcome after excavation is compared with the acceptable range of outcomes. Information from detailed characterization will be of essential importance for application of the Observational Method and for adapting the repository to the prevailing rock properties. SKB has for the past several decades developed methods for site characterisation, applying both above- and underground investigation techniques. Experiences from this work, put into practice during the site investigations, has resulted in a solid knowledge and understanding of the

  5. On Detailing in Contemporary Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Claus; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2010-01-01

    Details in architecture have a significant influence on how architecture is experienced. One can touch the materials and analyse the detailing - thus details give valuable information about the architectural scheme as a whole. The absence of perceptual stimulation like details and materiality...... / tactility can blur the meaning of the architecture and turn it into an empty statement. The present paper will outline detailing in contemporary architecture and discuss the issue with respect to architectural quality. Architectural cases considered as sublime piece of architecture will be presented...

  6. Vis-A-Plan /visualize a plan/ management technique provides performance-time scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranck, N. H.

    1967-01-01

    Vis-A-Plan is a bar-charting technique for representing and evaluating project activities on a performance-time basis. This rectilinear method presents the logic diagram of a project as a series of horizontal time bars. It may be used supplementary to PERT or independently.

  7. Experimental technique of neutron reflection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Bo; Huang Chaoqiang; Li Xinxi

    2006-12-01

    It is presented that the classifications, structures and components of neutron reflectometer (NR), as well s functions and parameters of each components, detailed characters of NR facility 'PRN-2M'. Based on the practical experiments, the basic experimental techniques, the measurement and the related experimental settings are described, including the choice of experimental conditions, adjustments of polarized neutron beam line, basic experimental technique and approach of measurement. The above can be an instruction for NR experiments and a reference for NR construction. (authors)

  8. Synchrotron radiation microtomography of musical instruments: a non-destructive monitoring technique for insect infestations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatrice Bentivoglio-Ravasio

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available X-ray computed tomography is becoming a common technique for the structural analysis of samples of cultural relevance, providing luthiers, art historians, conservators and restorators with a unique tool for the characterization of musical instruments. Synchrotron-radiation phase-contrast microtomography is an ideal technique for the non-destructive 3D analysis of samples where small lowabsorbing details such as larvae and eggs can be detected. We report results from the first feasibility studies performed at the Elettra synchrotron laboratory, where the 1494 organ by Lorenzo Gusnasco da Pavia has been studied. Together with important information about the structural conditions, the presence of xylophages could be detected and characterized.

  9. Decomposition techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, T.T.; Sanzolone, R.F.

    1992-01-01

    Sample decomposition is a fundamental and integral step in the procedure of geochemical analysis. It is often the limiting factor to sample throughput, especially with the recent application of the fast and modern multi-element measurement instrumentation. The complexity of geological materials makes it necessary to choose the sample decomposition technique that is compatible with the specific objective of the analysis. When selecting a decomposition technique, consideration should be given to the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the sample, elements to be determined, precision and accuracy requirements, sample throughput, technical capability of personnel, and time constraints. This paper addresses these concerns and discusses the attributes and limitations of many techniques of sample decomposition along with examples of their application to geochemical analysis. The chemical properties of reagents as to their function as decomposition agents are also reviewed. The section on acid dissolution techniques addresses the various inorganic acids that are used individually or in combination in both open and closed systems. Fluxes used in sample fusion are discussed. The promising microwave-oven technology and the emerging field of automation are also examined. A section on applications highlights the use of decomposition techniques for the determination of Au, platinum group elements (PGEs), Hg, U, hydride-forming elements, rare earth elements (REEs), and multi-elements in geological materials. Partial dissolution techniques used for geochemical exploration which have been treated in detail elsewhere are not discussed here; nor are fire-assaying for noble metals and decomposition techniques for X-ray fluorescence or nuclear methods be discussed. ?? 1992.

  10. Comparison between detailed digital and conventional soil maps of an area with complex geology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Osmar Bazaglia Filho

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Since different pedologists will draw different soil maps of a same area, it is important to compare the differences between mapping by specialists and mapping techniques, as for example currently intensively discussed Digital Soil Mapping. Four detailed soil maps (scale 1:10.000 of a 182-ha sugarcane farm in the county of Rafard, São Paulo State, Brazil, were compared. The area has a large variation of soil formation factors. The maps were drawn independently by four soil scientists and compared with a fifth map obtained by a digital soil mapping technique. All pedologists were given the same set of information. As many field expeditions and soil pits as required by each surveyor were provided to define the mapping units (MUs. For the Digital Soil Map (DSM, spectral data were extracted from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM imagery as well as six terrain attributes from the topographic map of the area. These data were summarized by principal component analysis to generate the map designs of groups through Fuzzy K-means clustering. Field observations were made to identify the soils in the MUs and classify them according to the Brazilian Soil Classification System (BSCS. To compare the conventional and digital (DSM soil maps, they were crossed pairwise to generate confusion matrices that were mapped. The categorical analysis at each classification level of the BSCS showed that the agreement between the maps decreased towards the lower levels of classification and the great influence of the surveyor on both the mapping and definition of MUs in the soil map. The average correspondence between the conventional and DSM maps was similar. Therefore, the method used to obtain the DSM yielded similar results to those obtained by the conventional technique, while providing additional information about the landscape of each soil, useful for applications in future surveys of similar areas.

  11. Project planning and management techniques of the fast-paced TMX-Upgrade construction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seberger, C.D.; Chargin, A.K.

    1981-01-01

    The Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-Upgrade) construction will be completed in 18 months at a total cost of $14.5 million. This paper describes the project planning and the management techniques used to complete the TMX-Upgrade within its allocated cost and schedule. In the planning stages of a project, before approval of the proposal, we define major project objectives, create a work breakdown structure (WBS), detail a technical description for each level of the WBS, and provide detailed bottoms-up cost estimates and summary schedules. In the operating phase, which continues throughout the project, we establish budget and schedule baselines. The reporting phase includes The Department of Energy (DOE) reviews of project status at monthly, quarterly, and semiannual intervals. These reports include cost, schedule, manpower, major procurement, and technical status information

  12. Fatigue life extension techniques for weldments via mechanical surface post treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Seung Ho; Han, Jeong Woo; Cho, In Ho

    2008-01-01

    In many welded structures, fatigue failures are often occurred at welded joints in which stress concentrations due to the joint geometry are relatively high. Although employing good detail design practices by upgrading the welded detail class enables to improve the fatigue performance, in many cases, the modification of the detail may not be practicable. As an alternative, fatigue life extension techniques, that reduce the severity of the stress concentration at the weld toe region, remove imperfections, and introduce local compressive welding residual stress, can be applied. These techniques are also used as remedial measures to extend the fatigue life of critical welds that have failed prematurely and have been repaired. This paper introduces peening techniques via a pneumatic hammer peening and ultrasonic impact which make it possible to give the weld not only a favorable shape reducing the local stress concentration, but also a beneficial compressive residual stress into material surface

  13. Structural Image Analysis of the Brain in Neuropsychology Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bigler, Erin D

    2015-09-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain provides exceptional image quality for visualization and neuroanatomical classification of brain structure. A variety of image analysis techniques provide both qualitative as well as quantitative methods to relate brain structure with neuropsychological outcome and are reviewed herein. Of particular importance are more automated methods that permit analysis of a broad spectrum of anatomical measures including volume, thickness and shape. The challenge for neuropsychology is which metric to use, for which disorder and the timing of when image analysis methods are applied to assess brain structure and pathology. A basic overview is provided as to the anatomical and pathoanatomical relations of different MRI sequences in assessing normal and abnormal findings. Some interpretive guidelines are offered including factors related to similarity and symmetry of typical brain development along with size-normalcy features of brain anatomy related to function. The review concludes with a detailed example of various quantitative techniques applied to analyzing brain structure for neuropsychological outcome studies in traumatic brain injury.

  14. A Comparative Analysis of Techniques for PAPR Reduction of OFDM Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Janjić

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the problem of high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR in Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM signals is studied. Besides describing three techniques for PAPR reduction, SeLective Mapping (SLM, Partial Transmit Sequence (PTS and Interleaving, a detailed analysis of the performances of these techniques for various values of relevant parameters (number of phase sequences, number of interleavers, number of phase factors, number of subblocks depending on applied technique, is carried out. Simulation of these techniques is run in Matlab software. Results are presented in the form of Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF curves for PAPR of 30000 randomly generated OFDM symbols. Simulations are performed for OFDM signals with 32 and 256 subcarriers, oversampled by a factor of 4. A detailed comparison of these techniques is made based on Matlab simulation results.

  15. Using geophysical techniques to control in situ thermal remediation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyd, S.; Daily, W.; Ramirez, A.; Wilt, M.; Goldman, R.; Kayes, D.; Kenneally, K.; Udell, K.; Hunter, R.

    1994-01-01

    Monitoring the thermal and hydrologic processes that occur during thermal environmental remediation programs in near real-time provides essential information for controlling the process. Geophysical techniques played a crucial role in process control as well as for characterization during the recent Dynamic Underground Stripping Project demonstration in which several thousand gallons of gasoline were removed from heterogeneous soils both above and below the water table. Dynamic Underground Stripping combines steam injection and electrical heating for thermal enhancement with ground water pumping and vacuum extraction for contaminant removal. These processes produce rapid changes in the subsurface properties including changes in temperature fluid saturation, pressure and chemistry. Subsurface imaging methods are used to map the heated zones and control the thermal process. Temperature measurements made in wells throughout the field reveal details of the complex heating phenomena. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) provides near real-time detailed images of the heated zones between boreholes both during electrical heating and steam injection. Borehole induction logs show close correlation with lithostratigraphy and, by identifying the more permeable gravel zones, can be used to predict steam movement. They are also useful in understanding the physical changes in the field and in interpreting the ERT images. Tiltmeters provide additional information regarding the shape of the steamed zones in plan view. They were used to track the growth of the steam front from individual injectors

  16. Modeling techniques for quantum cascade lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jirauschek, Christian [Institute for Nanoelectronics, Technische Universität München, D-80333 Munich (Germany); Kubis, Tillmann [Network for Computational Nanotechnology, Purdue University, 207 S Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)

    2014-03-15

    Quantum cascade lasers are unipolar semiconductor lasers covering a wide range of the infrared and terahertz spectrum. Lasing action is achieved by using optical intersubband transitions between quantized states in specifically designed multiple-quantum-well heterostructures. A systematic improvement of quantum cascade lasers with respect to operating temperature, efficiency, and spectral range requires detailed modeling of the underlying physical processes in these structures. Moreover, the quantum cascade laser constitutes a versatile model device for the development and improvement of simulation techniques in nano- and optoelectronics. This review provides a comprehensive survey and discussion of the modeling techniques used for the simulation of quantum cascade lasers. The main focus is on the modeling of carrier transport in the nanostructured gain medium, while the simulation of the optical cavity is covered at a more basic level. Specifically, the transfer matrix and finite difference methods for solving the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation and Schrödinger-Poisson system are discussed, providing the quantized states in the multiple-quantum-well active region. The modeling of the optical cavity is covered with a focus on basic waveguide resonator structures. Furthermore, various carrier transport simulation methods are discussed, ranging from basic empirical approaches to advanced self-consistent techniques. The methods include empirical rate equation and related Maxwell-Bloch equation approaches, self-consistent rate equation and ensemble Monte Carlo methods, as well as quantum transport approaches, in particular the density matrix and non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The derived scattering rates and self-energies are generally valid for n-type devices based on one-dimensional quantum confinement, such as quantum well structures.

  17. Modeling techniques for quantum cascade lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jirauschek, Christian; Kubis, Tillmann

    2014-03-01

    Quantum cascade lasers are unipolar semiconductor lasers covering a wide range of the infrared and terahertz spectrum. Lasing action is achieved by using optical intersubband transitions between quantized states in specifically designed multiple-quantum-well heterostructures. A systematic improvement of quantum cascade lasers with respect to operating temperature, efficiency, and spectral range requires detailed modeling of the underlying physical processes in these structures. Moreover, the quantum cascade laser constitutes a versatile model device for the development and improvement of simulation techniques in nano- and optoelectronics. This review provides a comprehensive survey and discussion of the modeling techniques used for the simulation of quantum cascade lasers. The main focus is on the modeling of carrier transport in the nanostructured gain medium, while the simulation of the optical cavity is covered at a more basic level. Specifically, the transfer matrix and finite difference methods for solving the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation and Schrödinger-Poisson system are discussed, providing the quantized states in the multiple-quantum-well active region. The modeling of the optical cavity is covered with a focus on basic waveguide resonator structures. Furthermore, various carrier transport simulation methods are discussed, ranging from basic empirical approaches to advanced self-consistent techniques. The methods include empirical rate equation and related Maxwell-Bloch equation approaches, self-consistent rate equation and ensemble Monte Carlo methods, as well as quantum transport approaches, in particular the density matrix and non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The derived scattering rates and self-energies are generally valid for n-type devices based on one-dimensional quantum confinement, such as quantum well structures.

  18. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register ... (2013) - Articles Technical Note: Development of a Photobioreactor for Microalgae Culture ... Design, Construction and Evaluation of Motorized Okra Slicer Abstract PDF ...

  19. Kinematic characteristics of a sprinting technique and morphofunctional structures of its providing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Druz

    2017-02-01

    Tomazin, Stephanie Letzelter, Akira Ito, Masaki Ishivaka, etc., and also the executed model constructions. Conclusion The modern requirements of the development of sport define conditions of the organization of the training process in which it is necessary to provide the systematic control and the analysis of dynamics of the passing changes in biomechanics of the mastered movements, physiological processes of the training and competitive loads providing performance, psychological preparedness of the sportsman for extreme and special conditions. The implementation of such control demands the corresponding preparation of the coach's structure and necessary technical providing. The existence of modern control methods of the dynamics of the development of exhaustion in change of movements of biokinematic links of a body allow to carry out in real time on video filming this task. However, the coach can't provide the performance of all these functions at full satisfaction of these conditions. The trained professional has to be appropriately in ensuring the training process, and the training in the contents has to consist of not only the direct physical activities, but also the subsequent analysis of the video record of the actions and computer processing of their performance. The solution of these tasks assumes opening of the new specialization in specialized educational institutions, which provides the scientific and technical maintenance of the educational-training process and competitive performances. It is natural that the solution of this task has to be carried out step by step, but now there are all bases to start the beginning of its realization.     Key words: kinematic characteristic, sprinting technique, morphofunctional structures.

  20. Affinity chromatography: A versatile technique for antibody purification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, Sushrut; Saxena, Vikas; Ayyar, B Vijayalakshmi

    2017-03-01

    Antibodies continue to be extremely utilized entities in myriad applications including basic research, imaging, targeted delivery, chromatography, diagnostics, and therapeutics. At production stage, antibodies are generally present in complex matrices and most of their intended applications necessitate purification. Antibody purification has always been a major bottleneck in downstream processing of antibodies, due to the need of high quality products and associated high costs. Over the years, extensive research has focused on finding better purification methodologies to overcome this holdup. Among a plethora of different techniques, affinity chromatography is one of the most selective, rapid and easy method for antibody purification. This review aims to provide a detailed overview on affinity chromatography and the components involved in purification. An array of support matrices along with various classes of affinity ligands detailing their underlying working principles, together with the advantages and limitations of each system in purifying different types of antibodies, accompanying recent developments and important practical methodological considerations to optimize purification procedure are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. New techniques in digital holography

    CERN Document Server

    Picart, Pascal

    2015-01-01

    A state of the art presentation of important advances in the field of digital holography, detailing advances related to fundamentals of digital holography, in-line holography applied to fluid mechanics, digital color holography, digital holographic microscopy, infrared holography, special techniques in full field vibrometry and inverse problems in digital holography

  2. 75 FR 45205 - Proposed Information Collection (Request for Details of Expenses) Activity: Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-02

    ... correspondence. During the comment period, comments may be viewed online through the FDMS. FOR FURTHER... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: Request for Details of Expenses, VA... current rate of pension. Pension is an income-based program, and the payable rate depends on the claimant...

  3. 78 FR 29439 - Proposed Information Collection (Request for Details of Expenses) Activity: Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-20

    ... correspondence. During the comment period, comments may be viewed online through the FDMS. FOR FURTHER... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: Request for Details of Expenses, VA... current rate of pension. Pension is an income-based program, and the payable rate depends on the claimant...

  4. Field implementation of geological steering techniques optimizes drilling in highly-deviated and horizontal wells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jackson, C. E.; Illfelder, H. M. J.; Pineda, G.

    1998-12-31

    Field implementation of an integrated wellsite geological steering service is described. The service provides timely, useful feedback from real-time logging-while-drilling (LWD) measurements for making immediate course corrections. Interactive multi-dimensional displays of both the geological and petrophysical properties of the formation being penetrated by the wellbore are a prominent feature of the service; the optimization of the drilling is the result of the visualization afforded by the displays. The paper reviews forward modelling techniques, provides a detailed explanation of the principles underlying this new application, and illustrates the application by examples from the field. 5 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs.

  5. Handbook of laboratory techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    The Nuclear Regulatory Authority in Argentina have laboratories of support to regulations functions on radiological and nuclear safety, safeguards and physical protection, that have a surface of 2950 m 2 in the Ezeiza Atomic Center. The manual describes in seven chapters the different techniques developed and applied in the laboratories along four decades of existence. The chapter 1: Dedicated to the treatment of environmental samples, described the procedures associated with the different types of samples: deposits, waters, sediments, vegetables, milk, fish and diet. The chapter 2: Details 48 radiochemical techniques associated to the measurements of americium 241, carbon 16, strontium 90, iodine 129, plutonium, radium 226, radon, uranium, nickel and actinides. The chapter 3: Describes the measurements techniques of alpha and gamma spectrometry. The different techniques of biological and physical dosimetry are described in the chapters 5 and 6 respectively. The final chapter is dedicated the techniques of external and internal contamination. It s important to emphasize that this manual contains the standardized technologies that the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Argentina submits regularly to international comparisons

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to ... No 1 (2014) - Articles Knowledge and Attitudes towards Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) among Community Nurses in Remo Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

  7. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details ... Design and Implementation of an M/M/1 Queuing Model Algorithm and its Applicability in ... Vehicle Identification Technology to Intercept Small Arms and Ammunition on Nigeria Roads

  8. Practical techniques for pediatric computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitz, C.R.; Harwood-Nash, D.C.; Kirks, D.R.; Kaufman, R.A.; Berger, P.E.; Kuhn, J.P.; Siegel, M.J.

    1983-01-01

    Dr. Donald Kirks has assembled this section on Practical Techniques for Pediatric Computed Tomography. The material is based on a presentation in the Special Interest session at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Radiology in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA in 1982. Meticulous attention to detail and technique is required to ensure an optimal CT examination. CT techniques specifically applicable to infants and children have not been disseminated in the radiology literature and in this respect it may rightly be observed that ''the child is not a small adult''. What follows is a ''cookbook'' prepared by seven participants and it is printed in Pediatric Radiology, in outline form, as a statement of individual preferences for pediatric CT techniques. This outline gives concise explanation of techniques and permits prompt dissemination of information. (orig.)

  9. Singular perturbation techniques in the gravitational self-force problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pound, Adam

    2010-01-01

    Much of the progress in the gravitational self-force problem has involved the use of singular perturbation techniques. Yet the formalism underlying these techniques is not widely known. I remedy this situation by explicating the foundations and geometrical structure of singular perturbation theory in general relativity. Within that context, I sketch precise formulations of the methods used in the self-force problem: dual expansions (including matched asymptotic expansions), for which I identify precise matching conditions, one of which is a weak condition arising only when multiple coordinate systems are used; multiscale expansions, for which I provide a covariant formulation; and a self-consistent expansion with a fixed worldline, for which I provide a precise statement of the exact problem and its approximation. I then present a detailed analysis of matched asymptotic expansions as they have been utilized in calculating the self-force. Typically, the method has relied on a weak matching condition, which I show cannot determine a unique equation of motion. I formulate a refined condition that is sufficient to determine such an equation. However, I conclude that the method yields significantly weaker results than do alternative methods.

  10. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or ... The prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programme and infant feeding practices ... Evaluation of a diagnostic algorithm for smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis in ...

  11. Improved importance sampling technique for efficient simulation of digital communication systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Dingqing; Yao, Kung

    1988-01-01

    A new, improved importance sampling (IIS) approach to simulation is considered. Some basic concepts of IS are introduced, and detailed evolutions of simulation estimation variances for Monte Carlo (MC) and IS simulations are given. The general results obtained from these evolutions are applied to the specific previously known conventional importance sampling (CIS) technique and the new IIS technique. The derivation for a linear system with no signal random memory is considered in some detail. For the CIS technique, the optimum input scaling parameter is found, while for the IIS technique, the optimum translation parameter is found. The results are generalized to a linear system with memory and signals. Specific numerical and simulation results are given which show the advantages of CIS over MC and IIS over CIS for simulations of digital communications systems.

  12. Application of fisheries management techniques to assessing impacts: task I report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKenzie, D.H.; Baker, K.S.; Fickeisen, D.H.; Metzger, R.M.; Skalski, J.R.

    1979-03-01

    Task I efforts examined the available fisheries management techniques and assessed their potential application in a confirmatory monitoring program. The objective of such monitoring programs is to confirm that the prediction of an insignificant impact (usually made in the FES) was correct. Fisheries resource managers have developed several tools for assessing the fish population response to stress (exploitation) and they were thought potentially useful for detecting nuclear power plant impacts. Techniques in three categories were examined; catch removal, population dynamics, and nondestructive censuses, and the report contains their description, examples of application, advantages, and disadvantages. The techniques applied at nuclear power plant sites were examined in detail to provide information on implementation and variability of specific approaches. The most suitable techniques to incorporate into a monitoring program confirming no impact appear to be those based on Catch Per Unity Effort (CPUE) and hydroacoustic data. In some specific cases, age and growth studies and indirect census techniques may be beneficial. Recommendations for task II efforts to incorporate these techniques into monitoring program designs are presented. These include development of guidelines for; (1) designing and implementing a data collection program; (2) interpreting these data and assessing the occurrence of impact, and (3) establishment of the monitoring program's ability to detect changes in the affected populations

  13. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get ... Optical bus of centralized relay protection and automation system of medium voltage switchgear for data collection and transmission. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 1112- ...

  14. Experimental techniques; Techniques experimentales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roussel-Chomaz, P. [GANIL CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/DSM, 14 - Caen (France)

    2007-07-01

    This lecture presents the experimental techniques, developed in the last 10 or 15 years, in order to perform a new class of experiments with exotic nuclei, where the reactions induced by these nuclei allow to get information on their structure. A brief review of the secondary beams production methods will be given, with some examples of facilities in operation or under project. The important developments performed recently on cryogenic targets will be presented. The different detection systems will be reviewed, both the beam detectors before the targets, and the many kind of detectors necessary to detect all outgoing particles after the reaction: magnetic spectrometer for the heavy fragment, detection systems for the target recoil nucleus, {gamma} detectors. Finally, several typical examples of experiments will be detailed, in order to illustrate the use of each detector either alone, or in coincidence with others. (author)

  15. Strongly correlated systems experimental techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Mancini, Ferdinando

    2015-01-01

    The continuous evolution and development of experimental techniques is at the basis of any fundamental achievement in modern physics. Strongly correlated systems (SCS), more than any other, need to be investigated through the greatest variety of experimental techniques in order to unveil and crosscheck the numerous and puzzling anomalous behaviors characterizing them. The study of SCS fostered the improvement of many old experimental techniques, but also the advent of many new ones just invented in order to analyze the complex behaviors of these systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. The volume presents a representative collection of the modern experimental techniques specifically tailored for the analysis of strongly correlated systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognize...

  16. Idealized simulation of the Colorado hailstorm case: comparison of bulk and detailed microphysics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geresdi, I.

    One of the purposes of the Fourth Cloud Modeling Workshop was to compare different microphysical treatments. In this paper, the results of a widely used bulk treatment and five versions of a detailed microphysical model are presented. Sensitivity analysis was made to investigate the effect of bulk parametrization, ice initiation technique, CCN concentration and collision efficiency of rimed ice crystal-drop collision. The results show that: (i) The mixing ratios of different species of hydrometeors calculated by bulk and one of the detailed models show some similarity. However, the processes of hail/graupel formation are different in the bulk and the detailed models. (ii) Using different ice initiation in the detailed models' different processes became important in the hail and graupel formation. (iii) In the case of higher CCN concentration, the mixing ratio of liquid water, hail and graupel were more sensitive to the value of collision efficiency of rimed ice crystal-drop collision. (iv) The Bergeron-Findeisen process does not work in the updraft core of a convective cloud. The vapor content was always over water saturation; moreover, the supersaturation gradually increased after the appearance of precipitation ice particles.

  17. A Survey of 2D Face Recognition Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mejda Chihaoui

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Despite the existence of various biometric techniques, like fingerprints, iris scan, as well as hand geometry, the most efficient and more widely-used one is face recognition. This is because it is inexpensive, non-intrusive and natural. Therefore, researchers have developed dozens of face recognition techniques over the last few years. These techniques can generally be divided into three categories, based on the face data processing methodology. There are methods that use the entire face as input data for the proposed recognition system, methods that do not consider the whole face, but only some features or areas of the face and methods that use global and local face characteristics simultaneously. In this paper, we present an overview of some well-known methods in each of these categories. First, we expose the benefits of, as well as the challenges to the use of face recognition as a biometric tool. Then, we present a detailed survey of the well-known methods by expressing each method’s principle. After that, a comparison between the three categories of face recognition techniques is provided. Furthermore, the databases used in face recognition are mentioned, and some results of the applications of these methods on face recognition databases are presented. Finally, we highlight some new promising research directions that have recently appeared.

  18. Hyphenated analytical techniques for materials characterisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armstrong, Gordon; Kailas, Lekshmi

    2017-01-01

    This topical review will provide a survey of the current state of the art in ‘hyphenated’ techniques for characterisation of bulk materials, surface, and interfaces, whereby two or more analytical methods investigating different properties are applied simultaneously to the same sample to better characterise the sample than can be achieved by conducting separate analyses in series using different instruments. It is intended for final year undergraduates and recent graduates, who may have some background knowledge of standard analytical techniques, but are not familiar with ‘hyphenated’ techniques or hybrid instrumentation. The review will begin by defining ‘complementary’, ‘hybrid’ and ‘hyphenated’ techniques, as there is not a broad consensus among analytical scientists as to what each term means. The motivating factors driving increased development of hyphenated analytical methods will also be discussed. This introduction will conclude with a brief discussion of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis in electron microscopy as two examples, in the context that combining complementary techniques for chemical analysis were among the earliest examples of hyphenated characterisation methods. The emphasis of the main review will be on techniques which are sufficiently well-established that the instrumentation is commercially available, to examine physical properties including physical, mechanical, electrical and thermal, in addition to variations in composition, rather than methods solely to identify and quantify chemical species. Therefore, the proposed topical review will address three broad categories of techniques that the reader may expect to encounter in a well-equipped materials characterisation laboratory: microscopy based techniques, scanning probe-based techniques, and thermal analysis based techniques. Examples drawn from recent literature, and a concluding case study, will be used to explain the

  19. Hyphenated analytical techniques for materials characterisation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Gordon; Kailas, Lekshmi

    2017-09-01

    This topical review will provide a survey of the current state of the art in ‘hyphenated’ techniques for characterisation of bulk materials, surface, and interfaces, whereby two or more analytical methods investigating different properties are applied simultaneously to the same sample to better characterise the sample than can be achieved by conducting separate analyses in series using different instruments. It is intended for final year undergraduates and recent graduates, who may have some background knowledge of standard analytical techniques, but are not familiar with ‘hyphenated’ techniques or hybrid instrumentation. The review will begin by defining ‘complementary’, ‘hybrid’ and ‘hyphenated’ techniques, as there is not a broad consensus among analytical scientists as to what each term means. The motivating factors driving increased development of hyphenated analytical methods will also be discussed. This introduction will conclude with a brief discussion of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis in electron microscopy as two examples, in the context that combining complementary techniques for chemical analysis were among the earliest examples of hyphenated characterisation methods. The emphasis of the main review will be on techniques which are sufficiently well-established that the instrumentation is commercially available, to examine physical properties including physical, mechanical, electrical and thermal, in addition to variations in composition, rather than methods solely to identify and quantify chemical species. Therefore, the proposed topical review will address three broad categories of techniques that the reader may expect to encounter in a well-equipped materials characterisation laboratory: microscopy based techniques, scanning probe-based techniques, and thermal analysis based techniques. Examples drawn from recent literature, and a concluding case study, will be used to explain the

  20. Disc electrophoresis and related techniques of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Maurer, H. R

    1971-01-01

    ..., enzymes, antingens and radioactively labelled materials, and detailed treatments of micro disc electrophoresis, preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and many other techniques for special problems...

  1. Techniques used to increase the resolving power of magnetic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Magnetic resonance imaging is a method which can be used to obtain highly detailed and clear images of organs inside the body. The objective of this article is evaluation of techniques used to increase the resolving power of magnetic resonance images. The use of gradient techniques with high functionality will increase ...

  2. Novel spectroscopic techniques with using soft x-ray

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gejo, Tatsuo

    2010-01-01

    Recent progress of experimental techniques related to synchrotron radiation makes possible of detail investigation of molecular dynamics after irradiation of soft X-ray. We introduce several novel spectroscopic techniques with using soft X-ray: Symmetry-resolved zero kinetic energy electron spectroscopy, symmetry-resolved metastable photofragment spectroscopy, soft X-ray emission spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, and time-resolved-fluorescence mass-selected-ion coincidence spectroscopy. We also show new techniques performed by other groups at BL27SU in SPring-8. (author)

  3. Time-dependence and averaging techniques in atomic photoionization calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scheibner, K.F.

    1984-01-01

    Two distinct problems in the development and application of averaging techniques to photoionization calculations are considered. The first part of the thesis is concerned with the specific problem of near-resonant three-photon ionization in hydrogen, a process for which no cross section exists. Effects of the inclusion of the laser pulse characteristics (both temporal and spatial) on the dynamics of the ionization probability and of the metastable state probability are examined. It is found, for example, that the ionization probability can decrease with increasing field intensity. The temporal profile of the laser pulse is found to affect the dynamics very little, whereas the spatial character of the pulse can affect the results drastically. In the second part of the thesis techniques are developed for calculating averaged cross sections directly without first calculating a detailed cross section. Techniques are developed whereby the detailed cross section never has to be calculated as an intermediate step, but rather, the averaged cross section is calculated directly. A variation of the moment technique and a new method based on the stabilization technique are applied successfully to atomic hydrogen and helium

  4. Finger replantation: surgical technique and indications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbary, S; Dap, F; Dautel, G

    2013-12-01

    In this article, we discuss the surgical technique of finger replantation in detail, distinguishing particularities of technique in cases of thumb amputation, children fingertip replantation, ring finger avulsion, and very distal replantations. We emphasize the principles of bone shortening, the spare part concept, the special importance of nerve sutures and the use of vein graft in case of avulsion or crushing. However, even if finger replantation is now a routine procedure, a clear distinction should be made between revascularization and functional success. The indications for finger replantation are then detailed in the second part of this paper. The absolute indications for replantation are thumb, multiple fingers, transmetacarpal or hand, and any upper extremity amputation in a child whatever the level. Fingertip amputations distal to the insertion of the Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) are also a good indication. Other cases are more controversial because of the poor functional outcome, especially for the index finger, which is often functionally excluded. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.

  5. Providing visualisation support for the analysis of anatomy ontology data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burger Albert

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Improvements in technology have been accompanied by the generation of large amounts of complex data. This same technology must be harnessed effectively if the knowledge stored within the data is to be retrieved. Storing data in ontologies aids its management; ontologies serve as controlled vocabularies that promote data exchange and re-use, improving analysis. The Edinburgh Mouse Atlas Project stores the developmental stages of the mouse embryo in anatomy ontologies. This project is looking at the use of visual data overviews for intuitive analysis of the ontology data. Results A prototype has been developed that visualises the ontologies using directed acyclic graphs in two dimensions, with the ability to study detail in regions of interest in isolation or within the context of the overview. This is followed by the development of a technique that layers individual anatomy ontologies in three-dimensional space, so that relationships across multiple data sets may be mapped using physical links drawn along the third axis. Conclusion Usability evaluations of the applications confirmed advantages in visual analysis of complex data. This project will look next at data input from multiple sources, and continue to develop the techniques presented to provide intuitive identification of relationships that span multiple ontologies.

  6. Medicare Referring Provider DMEPOS PUF CY2013

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This dataset, which is part of CMSs Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, details information on Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and...

  7. Detailed Analysis of Torque Ripple in High Frequency Signal Injection based Sensor less PMSM Drives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ravikumar Setty A.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available High Frequency Signal Injection based techniques are robust and well proven to estimate the rotor position from stand still to low speed. However, Injected high frequency signal introduces, high frequency harmonics in the motor phase currents and results in significant Output Torque ripple. There is no detailed analysis exist in the literature, to study the effect of injected signal frequency on Torque ripple. Objective of this work is to study the Torque Ripple resulting from High Frequency signal injection in PMSM motor drives. Detailed MATLAB/Simulink simulations are carried to quantify the Torque ripple at different Signal frequencies.

  8. Revisiting the Seductive Details Effect in Multimedia Learning: Context-Dependency of Seductive Details

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozdemir, Devrim; Doolittle, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of context-dependency of seductive details on recall and transfer in multimedia learning environments. Seductive details were interesting yet irrelevant sentences in the instructional text. Two experiments were conducted. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to identify context-dependent and…

  9. In-core fuel management: Reloading techniques. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting and workshop held in Vienna, 19-21 October 1992

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-08-01

    The purpose of the Technical Committee Meeting and Workshop on In-core Fuel Management - Reloading Techniques, convened by the IAEA in Vienna from 19 to 21 October 1992, was to provide an international forum to review and discuss in-core fuel management reloading techniques for light water reactors. A presentation of the history and status of reloading techniques was given by S.H. Levine, Pennsylvania State University, and papers on various computer code descriptions, methodologies and experiences of utilities and vendors for nuclear fuel reloading were presented and discussed. Optimization techniques for reloadings, expert system codes and the number of energy groups used in reloading calculations were discussed in more detail during a workshop session. Refs, figs and tabs.

  10. A review on creatinine measurement techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohabbati-Kalejahi, Elham; Azimirad, Vahid; Bahrami, Manouchehr; Ganbari, Ahmad

    2012-08-15

    This paper reviews the entire recent global tendency for creatinine measurement. Creatinine biosensors involve complex relationships between biology and micro-mechatronics to which the blood is subjected. Comparison between new and old methods shows that new techniques (e.g. Molecular Imprinted Polymers based algorithms) are better than old methods (e.g. Elisa) in terms of stability and linear range. All methods and their details for serum, plasma, urine and blood samples are surveyed. They are categorized into five main algorithms: optical, electrochemical, impedometrical, Ion Selective Field-Effect Transistor (ISFET) based technique and chromatography. Response time, detection limit, linear range and selectivity of reported sensors are discussed. Potentiometric measurement technique has the lowest response time of 4-10 s and the lowest detection limit of 0.28 nmol L(-1) belongs to chromatographic technique. Comparison between various techniques of measurements indicates that the best selectivity belongs to MIP based and chromatographic techniques. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Radwan M.D, Mona Ahmed. Vol 12, No 1 (2000) - Articles RELAPSING REMITTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: CT AND MRI IMAGING VS CLINICAL FINDINGIN THE DIAGNOSIS AND DETERMINATION OF DISEASE ACTIVITY. Details. ISSN: 1110-5607. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers ...

  12. Purification by using the zone melting technique; Purification par la technique de la zone fondue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clerc, Michel

    1962-06-22

    The zone melting technique has first been used in metallurgy, and has been developed for the preparation of silicon and germanium for semiconductors, and then for the preparation of organic bodies of high purity. In this research thesis, the author first presents the principle of this technique, and then discusses the influence of agitation in liquid phase, and the influence of the number of passages over the zone. He discusses issues related to matter transport, and some technical details which intervene in the design of an apparatus for purification by zone melting. He finally presents examples.

  13. Composition and stratigraphy of the paint layers: investigation on the Madonna dei Fusi by ion beam analysis techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grassi, N.

    2005-06-01

    In the framework of the extensive study on the wood painting "Madonna dei fusi" attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques were used at the Florence accelerator laboratory to get information about the elemental composition of the paint layers. After a brief description of the basic principle and the general features of IBA techniques, we will illustrate in detail how the analysis allowed us to characterise the pigments of original and restored areas and the substrate composition, and to obtain information about the stratigraphy of the painting, also providing an estimate of the paint layer thickness.

  14. A microbial clock provides an accurate estimate of the postmortem interval in a mouse model system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metcalf, Jessica L; Wegener Parfrey, Laura; Gonzalez, Antonio; Lauber, Christian L; Knights, Dan; Ackermann, Gail; Humphrey, Gregory C; Gebert, Matthew J; Van Treuren, Will; Berg-Lyons, Donna; Keepers, Kyle; Guo, Yan; Bullard, James; Fierer, Noah; Carter, David O; Knight, Rob

    2013-01-01

    Establishing the time since death is critical in every death investigation, yet existing techniques are susceptible to a range of errors and biases. For example, forensic entomology is widely used to assess the postmortem interval (PMI), but errors can range from days to months. Microbes may provide a novel method for estimating PMI that avoids many of these limitations. Here we show that postmortem microbial community changes are dramatic, measurable, and repeatable in a mouse model system, allowing PMI to be estimated within approximately 3 days over 48 days. Our results provide a detailed understanding of bacterial and microbial eukaryotic ecology within a decomposing corpse system and suggest that microbial community data can be developed into a forensic tool for estimating PMI. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01104.001 PMID:24137541

  15. Recent developments in the detailed modelling of power house environmental conditions using GOTHIC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, R.C.; Fluke, R.J.; Yim, K.; Rossitter, B.G.

    1997-01-01

    Environmental qualification of safety equipment in the powerhouse requires detailed information on the predicted harsh conditions that can arise following a steam line break. Although lumped parameter codes provide quick assessments of global conditions, the results are unsatisfactory because the spatial detail needed to evaluate specific equipment, or indeed to optimize and confirm the design adequacy of mitigating features, is not available. To overcome these problems, new models have been developed to provide detailed three-dimensional information using the GOTHIC code. Furthermore, new animated graphical displays help the designer visualize and fully comprehend the buoyancy driven steam flow within the powerhouse. This has lead to quick optimization of the placement, size and opening time of the emergency venting system, thereby mitigating the conditions for which safety equipment must be qualified. This has resulted in significant cost savings for the environmental qualification programme. (author)

  16. Active Damping Techniques for LCL-Filtered Inverters-Based Microgrids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lorzadeh, Iman; Firoozabadi, Mehdi Savaghebi; Askarian Abyaneh, Hossein

    2015-01-01

    LCL-type filters are widely used in gridconnected voltage source inverters, since it provides switching ripples reduction with lower cost and weight than the L-type counterpart. However, the inclusion of LCL-filters in voltage source inverters complicates the current control design regarding system...... the different active damping approaches for grid-connected inverters with LCL filters, which are based on high-order filters and additional feedbacks methods. These techniques are analyzed and discussed in detail....... stability issues; because an inherent resonance peak appears due to zero impedance at that resonance frequency. Moreover, in grid-interactive low-voltage microgrids, the interactions among the LCL-filtered-based parallel inverters may result in a more complex multiresonance issue which may compromise...

  17. Influence of microscopic mottle on the definition of small image details

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Selin, K; Reichmann, S [Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, Goeteborg (Sweden)

    1979-01-01

    By a special technique of enlarging films a microscopic mottle caused by quantum fluctuations was demonstrated. It was found to affect depiction of small details in such a way as to suggest that it would be of importance for determining resolution capacity, especially in high-speed radiography. Thus, the modulation transfer function appears not to be the only factor determining radiographic resolution. The resolution of high-speed screens may be improved if the film speed is reduced, which leads to a diminished microscopic mottle.

  18. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Green, J.M.. Vol 10, No 1 (2001) - Articles Information from Radio Telemetry on movements and exploitation of naturalized Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), in Kenya cold water streams. Details. ISSN: 0002-0036. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

  19. Facilitating the exploitation of ERTS-1 imagery using snow enhancement techniques. [geological fault maps of Massachusetts and Connecticut

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wobber, F. J. (Principal Investigator); Martin, K. R.; Amato, R. V.; Leshendok, T.

    1973-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. The applications of ERTS-1 imagery for geological fracture mapping regardless of season has been repeatedly confirmed. The enhancement provided by a differential cover of snow increases the number and length of fracture-lineaments which can be detected with ERTS-1 data and accelerates the fracture mapping process for a variety of practical applications. The geological mapping benefits of the program will be realized in geographic areas where data are most needed - complex glaciated terrain and areas of deep residual soils. ERTS-1 derived fracture-lineament maps which provide detail well in excess of existing geological maps are not available in the Massachusetts-Connecticut area. The large quantity of new data provided by ERTS-1 may accelerate and improve field mapping now in progress in the area. Numerous other user groups have requested data on the techniques. This represents a major change in operating philosophy for groups who to data judged that snow obscured geological detail.

  20. Adapting Bioretention Construction Details to Local Practices in Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Outi Tahvonen

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Bioretention is a method of storm water management that includes several processes following the natural hydrological cycle. Bioretention, or variations of it, include rain gardens and bioswales, infiltrates, filtrates, evapotranspirates, and help to store and manage storm water run-off. A bioretention cell retains water, removes pollutants, and provides water elements for urban green areas. Although bioretention is a promising method for multifunctional storm water management, its construction details should not be copied from other climatic areas. A direct application may dismiss local conditions, materials, and construction practices. This study aimed to adapt construction details for bioretention to Finnish local practices and conditions and to formulate bioretention constructions that balance water, soil, and vegetation. First, construction details were reviewed, then local adaptations were applied, and finally, the application and two variations of growing media in two construction depths were tested in a test field in Southern Finland. Sandy growing media allowed the efficient retention of water during the first year, but failed to provide vital growth. The use of topsoil and compost in the growing media improved growth, but held high electrical conductivity after infiltration. All the experimental cells in the test field showed activity during the melting periods, both during winter and spring. If bioretention plays a multifunctional role in urban design and engineered ecology, the design parameters should not only focus on storm water quantity, but also on quality management and vegetation growth.

  1. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adebola, FB. Vol 16 (2010) - Articles A Cost Control Policy for Material Requirements Planning and Procurements. Abstract · Vol 19 (2011) - Articles A new Tripartite Randomized Response Technique Abstract · Vol 20, No 1 (2012) - Articles On a Numerical Comparison of the Proposed Randomized Response Technique ...

  2. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Aderinokun, GA. Vol 9, No 1 (1999) - Articles Relative Influence Of Sociodemographic Variables On Oral Health And Habits Of Some Nigerian School Children Abstract · Vol 9, No 4 (1999) - Articles Oral health services in Nigeria Details. ISSN: 0189-2657. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  3. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Development of a trap to contaminate variegated grasshoppers (Zonocerus variegatus L.) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) with Metarrhyzium flavo-viride Gams & Rozsypal in the field. Details · Vol 40, No 1 (2007) - Articles Yam pests in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana: A study of farmers\\' indigenous technical ...

  4. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Geotechnical properties of lateritic soil developed over quartz schist in Ishara area, south western Nigeria Details · Vol 44, No 1 (2008) - Articles Comparative study of the influence of cement and lime stabilization on geotechnical properties of lateritic soil derived from pegmatite in Ago-Iwoye area, southwestern Nigeria

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAMA, G. Vol 2 (2002): Supplement - Articles A Longitudinal Study of the Role of T Cell subset, Th1/Th2 cytokines and antiplasmodial antibodies in uncomplicated Malaria in a Village Population Chronically Exposed to Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    KOUONTCHOU, Samuel. Vol 2 (2002): Supplement - Articles Prevalence of Multiple Concomitant Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Simbok a Malaria Endemic Village in Cameroon. Details PDF · Vol 2 (2002): Supplement - Articles A Longitudinal Study of the Role of T Cell subset, Th1/Th2 cytokines and antiplasmodial ...

  7. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ALAKE, J. Vol 2 (2002): Supplement - Articles A Longitudinal Study of the Role of T Cell subset, Th1/Th2 cytokines and antiplasmodial antibodies in uncomplicated Malaria in a Village Population Chronically Exposed to Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A Preliminary Investigation of Relative Frequency of Undiagnosed and Previously Diagnosed Hypertension Before First Stroke in a Lagos Hospital Abstract · Vol 9, No 4 (1999) - Articles Localised tetanus in Lagos, Nigeria Details · Vol 9, No 4 (1999) - Articles Stroke with localised infarction of Wernicke's Area misdiagnosed ...

  9. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text ... Abstract · Vol 17 (2010) - Articles Investigating The Travelling Wave Solution For an SIR Endemic Disease Model With No Disease Related Death (When The Spatial Spread Of The Susceptible Is Not Negligible). Abstract.

  10. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rakotonirina, Alice. Vol 2, No 2 (2002) - Articles Effect of the decoction of rhizomes of Cyperus articulatus on bicuculline-, N-methyl-D-aspartate- and strychnine-induced behavioural excitation and convulsions in mice. Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

  11. Pharmaceutical crystallography: is there a devil in the details?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bond, A. D.

    2012-01-01

    Modern instruments for small-molecule crystallography continue to become more sophisticated and more automated. This technical progress provides a basis for frontier research in chemical and pharmaceutical crystallography, but it also encourages analytical crystallographers to become more...... are presented for pharmaceutical compounds, and the potential importance of the "details" in pharmaceutical crystallography is discussed....

  12. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Umego, M N. Vol 18, No 2 (2006) - Articles Geological mapping using fractal technique. Abstract PDF · Vol 19, No 1 (2007) - Articles Depth-To-Basement Mapping Using Fractal Technique: Application To The Chad Basin, Northeastern Nigeria Abstract PDF. ISSN: 1595-0611. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE ...

  13. VLSI ARCHITECTURE FOR IMAGE COMPRESSION THROUGH ADDER MINIMIZATION TECHNIQUE AT DCT STRUCTURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.R. Divya

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Data compression plays a vital role in multimedia devices to present the information in a succinct frame. Initially, the DCT structure is used for Image compression, which has lesser complexity and area efficient. Similarly, 2D DCT also has provided reasonable data compression, but implementation concern, it calls more multipliers and adders thus its lead to acquire more area and high power consumption. To contain an account of all, this paper has been dealt with VLSI architecture for image compression using Rom free DA based DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform structure. This technique provides high-throughput and most suitable for real-time implementation. In order to achieve this image matrix is subdivided into odd and even terms then the multiplication functions are removed by shift and add approach. Kogge_Stone_Adder techniques are proposed for obtaining a bit-wise image quality which determines the new trade-off levels as compared to the previous techniques. Overall the proposed architecture produces reduced memory, low power consumption and high throughput. MATLAB is used as a funding tool for receiving an input pixel and obtaining output image. Verilog HDL is used for implementing the design, Model Sim for simulation, Quatres II is used to synthesize and obtain details about power and area.

  14. A cone-beam CT based technique to augment the 3D virtual skull model with a detailed dental surface.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Swennen, G.R.J.; Mommaerts, M.Y.; Abeloos, J.V.S.; Clercq, C. De; Lamoral, P.; Neyt, N.; Casselman, J.W.; Schutyser, F.A.C.

    2009-01-01

    Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is used for maxillofacial imaging. 3D virtual planning of orthognathic and facial orthomorphic surgery requires detailed visualisation of the interocclusal relationship. This study aimed to introduce and evaluate the use of a double CBCT scan procedure with a

  15. Machine learning techniques to examine large patient databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyfroidt, Geert; Güiza, Fabian; Ramon, Jan; Bruynooghe, Maurice

    2009-03-01

    Computerization in healthcare in general, and in the operating room (OR) and intensive care unit (ICU) in particular, is on the rise. This leads to large patient databases, with specific properties. Machine learning techniques are able to examine and to extract knowledge from large databases in an automatic way. Although the number of potential applications for these techniques in medicine is large, few medical doctors are familiar with their methodology, advantages and pitfalls. A general overview of machine learning techniques, with a more detailed discussion of some of these algorithms, is presented in this review.

  16. Advanced Beta Dosimetry Techniques.Final Scientific/Technical Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    David M. Hamby, PhD

    2006-01-01

    Final report describing NEER research on Advanced Beta Dosimetry Techniques. The research funded by this NEER grant establishes the framework for a detailed understanding of the challenges in beta dosimetry, especially in the presence of a mixed radiation field. The work also stimulated the thinking of the research group which will lead to new concepts in digital signal processing to allow collection of detection signals and real-time analysis such that simultaneous beta and gamma spectroscopy can take place. The work described herein (with detail in the many publications that came out of this research) was conducted in a manner that provided dissertation and thesis topics for three students, one of which was completely funded by this grant. The overall benefit of the work came in the form of a dramatic shift in signal processing that is normally conducted in pulse shape analysis. Analog signal processing was shown not to be feasible for this type of work and that digital signal processing was a must. This, in turn, led the research team to a new understanding of pulse analysis, one in which expands the state-of-the-art in simultaneous beta and gamma spectroscopy with a single detector

  17. Maximizing productivity of horizontal drilling and completion techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schein, G. [BJ Services Company, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2007-07-01

    There are currently 160 active drilling rigs in the Barnett shale play, and small early developments have now become large-scale operations. This presentation outlined methods currently used to improve the productivity of directional drilling and completion techniques in gas shale plays. Horizontal completions are used to control height growth and increase contact areas. A typical horizontal well casing program was described along with details of cement liner treatment programs. Charts of optimum and non-optimum azimuth wells were included. Increased reservoir contact has been achieved by using limited-entry designs and acid stages with ball-sealers and abrasive jet-cutters. Pump rates have been increased during various stages, and larger fluid and sand volumes were used. A mineralogy comparison was provided, as well as details of the general design criteria for vertical wells in the region. It was concluded that drilling in the Barnett shale play has been successful as a result of using 3-dimensional seismic mapping as well as by initiating multiple, simultaneous fracs. The presentation also included charts of the Arkoma-Woodford play, the Arkoma-Fayetteville play, and the Delaware Basin. tabs., figs.

  18. Techniques Employed to Conduct Postshot Drilling at the former Nevada Test Site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dekin, W D

    2011-04-14

    Postshot drilling provided essential data on the results of the underground nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), now identified as the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). It was the means by which samples from the zone of interest were obtained for radiochemical analysis. This handbook describes how Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) conducted postshot drilling operations at the NTS, and it provides a general understanding of the process. Postshot drilling is a specialized application of rotary drilling. Accordingly, this handbook gives a brief description of rotary drilling in Section 2 to acquaint the reader with the general subject before proceeding to the specialized techniques used in postshot drilling. In Section 3, the handbook describes the typical postshot drilling situation at the former NTS and the drilling methods used. Section 4 describes the typical sequence of operations in postshot drilling at the former NTS. Detailed information on special equipment and techniques is given in a series of appendices (A through F) at the end of the handbook.

  19. Technique of nuclear reactors controls; Technique des controles des reacteurs nucleaires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weill, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1953-12-15

    This report deal about 'Techniques of control of the nuclear reactors' in the goal to achieve the control of natural uranium reactors and especially the one of Saclay. This work is mainly about the measurement into nuclear parameters and go further in the measurement of thermodynamic variables,etc... putting in relief the new features required on behalf of the detectors because of their use in the thermal neutrons flux. In the domain of nuclear measurement, we indicate the realizations and the results obtained with thermal neutron detectors and for the measurement of ionizations currents. We also treat the technical problem of the start-up of a reactor and of the reactivity measurement. We give the necessary details for the comprehension of all essential diagrams and plans put on, in particular, for the reactor of Saclay. (author) [French] Nous avons aborde le probleme de la ''Technique du Controle des reacteurs nucleaires'' dans le but de realiser le controle du reacteur de Saclay. C'est ainsi que nous avons ete amene a etudier le probleme dans son ensemble, tel qu'il se pose pour tout reacteur a uranium naturel. Ce travail traite principalement du domaine des mesures a caractere nucleaire et s'etend dans le domaine des mesures thermodynamque de niveaux, etc... mettant en relief les caracteristiques nouvelles exigees de la part des detecteurs du fait de leur utilisation dans le flux de neutrons thermiques. Dans le domaine de mesures nucleaires, nous indiquons principalement les realisations et les resultats obtenus pour les detecteurs de neutrons thermiques et pour la mesure de courants d'ionisations. Nous traitons egalement du probleme technique du demarrage d'un reacteur et du probleme de la mesure de la reactivite. Nous donnons les details necessaires a la comrehension de tous les schemas et plans de cablages essentiels mis au point, en particulier, pour le reacteur de Saclay. (auteur)

  20. Dosimetry and optimization in digital radiography based on the detail contrast resolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomes B, W. O. [Instituto Federal da Bahia, Rua Emidio dos Santos s/n, Barbalho 40301-015, Salvador de Bahia (Brazil); Gomes de C, A., E-mail: wilsonottobatista@gmail.com [Secretaria de Saude do Estado da Bahia, Salvador de Bahia (Brazil)

    2016-10-15

    In digital radiography, computed radiography systems (CR) and portable panels a-Si (DR) are adapted to equipment previously used for the system screen / film. Therefore it maintains the characteristics as grid, filtration, yield, etc. Otherwise, the systems dedicated with a-Si panels (DR), are designed to operate with these image receptors. The ability to detect in low contrast details is reduced for all systems with increasing ratio of scattered radiation / primary radiation. In this context there is a need to acquire experience and adjust exposure protocols to ensure the quality of the image with maintaining kerma values in the surface as low as possible. The contrast resolution is defined as the ability of the system to distinguish similar degrees of attenuation of the object and is a parameter used to maintain the quality index and comparison between different systems. The protocols were: chest (90 and 102 kV with the range of 2-20 m As) and abdomen (80 kV in the range of 10-80 m As). Kerma values were evaluated with a solid state sensors. Based on analysis of these curves C-D, which identified the technique would imply a lower kerma input surface while maintaining image quality from the point of view of contrast-detail resolution. The results show that the IQFinv varies little throughout the range of m As, while the value of kerma varies linearly with in m As. Also, the complete analysis of the curves indicate that there was an increase in the definition of detail with increasing m As. The conclusion is that, in the transition phase of the new receivers are needed to assess and adjust practiced protocols to ensure the quality index of the image taking into account aspects of radiation protection of the patient. And even with digital technology, good radiographic technique should be practiced. (Author)

  1. CHEBYSHEV ACCELERATION TECHNIQUE FOR SOLVING FUZZY LINEAR SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.H. Nasseri

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, Chebyshev acceleration technique is used to solve the fuzzy linear system (FLS. This method is discussed in details and followed by summary of some other acceleration techniques. Moreover, we show that in some situations that the methods such as Jacobi, Gauss-Sidel, SOR and conjugate gradient is divergent, our proposed method is applicable and the acquired results are illustrated by some numerical examples.

  2. CHEBYSHEV ACCELERATION TECHNIQUE FOR SOLVING FUZZY LINEAR SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.H. Nasseri

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, Chebyshev acceleration technique is used to solve the fuzzy linear system (FLS. This method is discussed in details and followed by summary of some other acceleration techniques. Moreover, we show that in some situations that the methods such as Jacobi, Gauss-Sidel, SOR and conjugate gradient is divergent, our proposed method is applicable and the acquired results are illustrated by some numerical examples.

  3. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    NENTY, N. JOHNSON. Vol 7, No 3 (2001) - Articles Common errors and perfomance of students in junior secondary mathematics certificate examinations in Cross River State, Nigeria Details PDF. ISSN: 1118-0579. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's ...

  4. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    QUAKYI, A.I.. Vol 2 (2002): Supplement - Articles A Longitudinal Study of the Role of T Cell subset, Th1/Th2 cytokines and antiplasmodial antibodies in uncomplicated Malaria in a Village Population Chronically Exposed to Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Admasu, Assefa. Vol 22, No 2 (1999) - Articles Preliminary evaluation of Phytomyza orobanchia (Diptera: Agromyzidae) as a controller of Orobanche spp in Ethiopia Details PDF. ISSN: 2520–7997. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL ...

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Obtaining the green's function for electromagnetic waves propagating in layered in-homogeneous thin film media of spherical particles on a substrate. Abstract · Vol 20, No 2 (2008) - Articles solution growth and ...

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    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Lema, VM. Vol 80, No 9 (2003): - Articles Fournier's gangrene complicating vasectomy. Details PDF · Vol 86, No 6 (2009) - Articles Therapeutic misconception and clinical trials in sub-saharan Africa: A review. Abstract PDF · Vol 86, No 11 (2009) - Articles HIV/AIDS and pregnancy-related deaths in Blantyre, Malawi

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Motabagani, MA. Vol 80, No 9 (2003): - Articles Anomalies of the renal, phrenic and suprarenal arteries: Case Report Details PDF · Vol 81, No 3 (2004): - Articles Morphological study of the uncommon rectus sterni muscle in German cadavers. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 0012-835X. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE ...

  9. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ibeabuchi, NM. Vol 10, No 3 (2000) - Articles Comparison of the effects of Methylsalicylate Cream with cryotherapy on delayed onset muscle soreness. Details · Vol 22, No 2 (2012) - Articles X-ray Pelvimetry And Labour Outcome In Term Pregnancy In A Rural Nigerian Population Abstract. ISSN: 0189-2657. AJOL African ...

  10. The Accuracy of 3D Optical Reconstruction and Additive Manufacturing Processes in Reproducing Detailed Subject-Specific Anatomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Ferraiuoli

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available 3D reconstruction and 3D printing of subject-specific anatomy is a promising technology for supporting clinicians in the visualisation of disease progression and planning for surgical intervention. In this context, the 3D model is typically obtained from segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, computed tomography (CT or echocardiography images. Although these modalities allow imaging of the tissues in vivo, assessment of quality of the reconstruction is limited by the lack of a reference geometry as the subject-specific anatomy is unknown prior to image acquisition. In this work, an optical method based on 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC techniques is used to reconstruct the shape of the surface of an ex vivo porcine heart. This technique requires two digital charge-coupled device (CCD cameras to provide full-field shape measurements and to generate a standard tessellation language (STL file of the sample surface. The aim of this work was to quantify the error of 3D-DIC shape measurements using the additive manufacturing process. The limitations of 3D printed object resolution, the discrepancy in reconstruction of the surface of cardiac soft tissue and a 3D printed model of the same surface were evaluated. The results obtained demonstrated the ability of the 3D-DIC technique to reconstruct localised and detailed features on the cardiac surface with sub-millimeter accuracy.

  11. Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo Techniques of Unobserved Component Time Series Models Using Ox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nonejad, Nima

    This paper details Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques for analysis of unobserved component time series models using several economic data sets. PMCMC combines the particle filter with the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. Overall PMCMC provides a very compelling, computationally fast...... and efficient framework for estimation. These advantages are used to for instance estimate stochastic volatility models with leverage effect or with Student-t distributed errors. We also model changing time series characteristics of the US inflation rate by considering a heteroskedastic ARFIMA model where...

  12. Novel experimental measuring techniques required to provide data for CFD validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasser, H.-M.

    2008-01-01

    CFD code validation requires experimental data that characterize the distributions of parameters within large flow domains. On the other hand, the development of geometry-independent closure relations for CFD codes have to rely on instrumentation and experimental techniques appropriate for the phenomena that are to be modelled, which usually requires high spatial and time resolution. The paper reports about the use of wire-mesh sensors to study turbulent mixing processes in single-phase flow as well as to characterize the dynamics of the gas-liquid interface in a vertical pipe flow. Experiments at a pipe of a nominal diameter of 200 mm are taken as the basis for the development and test of closure relations describing bubble coalescence and break-up, interfacial momentum transfer and turbulence modulation for a multi-bubble-class model. This is done by measuring the evolution of the flow structure along the pipe. The transferability of the extended CFD code to more complicated 3D flow situations is assessed against measured data from tests involving two-phase flow around an asymmetric obstacle placed in a vertical pipe. The obstacle, a half-moon-shaped diaphragm, is movable in the direction of the pipe axis; this allows the 3D gas fraction field to be recorded without changing the sensor position. In the outlook, the pressure chamber of TOPFLOW is presented, which will be used as the containment for a test facility, in which experiments can be conducted in pressure equilibrium with the inner atmosphere of the tank. In this way, flow structures can be observed by optical means through large-scale windows even at pressures of up to 5 MPa. The so-called 'Diving Chamber' technology will be used for Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) tests. Finally, some important trends in instrumentation for multi-phase flows will be given. This includes the state-of-art of X-ray and gamma tomography, new multi-component wire-mesh sensors, and a discussion of the potential of other non

  13. Novel experimental measuring techniques required to provide data for CFD validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasser, H.M.

    2007-01-01

    CFD code validation requires experimental data that characterize distributions of parameters within large flow domains. On the other hand, the development of geometry-independent closure relations for CFD codes have to rely on instrumentation and experimental techniques appropriate for the phenomena that are to be modelled, which usually requires high spatial and time resolution. The presentation reports about the use of wire-mesh sensors to study turbulent mixing processes in the single-phase flow as well as to characterize the dynamics of the gas-liquid interface in a vertical pipe flow. Experiments at a pipe of a nominal diameter of 200 mm are taken as the basis for the development and test of closure relations describing bubble coalescence and break-up, interfacial momentum transfer and turbulence modulation for a multi-bubble-class model. This is done by measuring the evolution of the flow structure along the pipe. The transferability of the extended CFD code to more complicated 3D flow situations is assessed against measured data from tests involving two-phase flow around an asymmetric obstacle placed in a vertical pipe. The obstacle, a half-moon-shaped diaphragm, is movable in the direction of the pipe axis; this allows the 3D gas fraction field to be recorded without changing the sensor position. In the outlook, the pressure chamber of TOPFLOW is presented, which will be used as the containment for a test facility, in which experiments can be conducted in pressure equilibrium with the inner atmosphere of the tank. In this way, flow structures can be observed by optical means through large-scale windows even at pressures of up to 5 MPa. The so-called 'Diving Chamber' technology will be used for Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) tests. Finally, some important trends in instrumentation for multi-phase flows will be given. This includes the state-of-art of X-ray and gamma tomography, new multi-component wire-mesh sensors, and a discussion of the potential of

  14. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Brown, Duncan. Vol 16, No 2 (2002): Continental Africans & the Question of Identity - Articles Environment and Identity: Douglas Livingstone's A Littoral Zone Details. ISSN: 0256-004. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  15. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SONUGA, F A. Vol 6, No 1 (2000) - Articles Geophysical investigation of Karkarku earthdam embankment. Details. ISSN: 1118-0579. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use · Contact AJOL ...

  16. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Vol 8 (2004) - Articles Further on stokes expansions for the finite amplitude water waves. Abstract · Vol 11 (2007) - Articles On the effects of wave steepness on higher order Stokes waves. Abstract. ISSN: 1116-4336.

  17. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Focho, DA. Vol 2, No 1 (2002) - Articles Observations on the Meiotic Process in the African Pest Grasshopper Taphronota thaelephora Stal. (Orthoptera : Pyrgomorphidae) Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  18. Monte Carlo methods beyond detailed balance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schram, Raoul D.; Barkema, Gerard T.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/101275080

    2015-01-01

    Monte Carlo algorithms are nearly always based on the concept of detailed balance and ergodicity. In this paper we focus on algorithms that do not satisfy detailed balance. We introduce a general method for designing non-detailed balance algorithms, starting from a conventional algorithm satisfying

  19. Detailed Reaction Kinetics for CFD Modeling of Nuclear Fuel Pellet Coating for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Battaglia, Francine

    2008-01-01

    The research project was related to the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative and was in direct alignment with advancing knowledge in the area of Nuclear Fuel Development related to the use of TRISO fuels for high-temperature reactors. The importance of properly coating nuclear fuel pellets received a renewed interest for the safe production of nuclear power to help meet the energy requirements of the United States. High-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors use fuel in the form of coated uranium particles, and it is the coating process that was of importance to this project. The coating process requires four coating layers to retain radioactive fission products from escaping into the environment. The first layer consists of porous carbon and serves as a buffer layer to attenuate the fission and accommodate the fuel kernel swelling. The second (inner) layer is of pyrocarbon and provides protection from fission products and supports the third layer, which is silicon carbide. The final (outer) layer is also pyrocarbon and provides a bonding surface and protective barrier for the entire pellet. The coating procedures for the silicon carbide and the outer pyrocarbon layers require knowledge of the detailed kinetics of the reaction processes in the gas phase and at the surfaces where the particles interact with the reactor walls. The intent of this project was to acquire detailed information on the reaction kinetics for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of carbon and silicon carbine on uranium fuel pellets, including the location of transition state structures, evaluation of the associated activation energies, and the use of these activation energies in the prediction of reaction rate constants. After the detailed reaction kinetics were determined, the reactions were implemented and tested in a computational fluid dynamics model, MFIX. The intention was to find a reduced mechanism set to reduce the computational time for a simulation, while still providing accurate results

  20. Numerical differentiation methods for the logarithmic derivative technique used in dielectric spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henrik Haspel

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available In dielectric relaxation spectroscopy the conduction contribution often hampers the evaluation of dielectric spectra, especially in the low-frequency regime. In order to overcome this the logarithmic derivative technique could be used, where the calculation of the logarithmic derivative of the real part of the complex permittivity function is needed. Since broadband dielectric measurement provides discrete permittivity function, numerical differentiation has to be used. Applicability of the Savitzky-Golay convolution method in the derivative analysis is examined, and a detailed investigation of the influential parameters (frequency, spectrum resolution, peak shape is presented on synthetic dielectric data.

  1. Using data mining techniques to explore physicians' therapeutic decisions when clinical guidelines do not provide recommendations: methods and example for type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toussi, Massoud; Lamy, Jean-Baptiste; Le Toumelin, Philippe; Venot, Alain

    2009-06-10

    Clinical guidelines carry medical evidence to the point of practice. As evidence is not always available, many guidelines do not provide recommendations for all clinical situations encountered in practice. We propose an approach for identifying knowledge gaps in guidelines and for exploring physicians' therapeutic decisions with data mining techniques to fill these knowledge gaps. We demonstrate our method by an example in the domain of type 2 diabetes. We analyzed the French national guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes to identify clinical conditions that are not covered or those for which the guidelines do not provide recommendations. We extracted patient records corresponding to each clinical condition from a database of type 2 diabetic patients treated at Avicenne University Hospital of Bobigny, France. We explored physicians' prescriptions for each of these profiles using C5.0 decision-tree learning algorithm. We developed decision-trees for different levels of detail of the therapeutic decision, namely the type of treatment, the pharmaco-therapeutic class, the international non proprietary name, and the dose of each medication. We compared the rules generated with those added to the guidelines in a newer version, to examine their similarity. We extracted 27 rules from the analysis of a database of 463 patient records. Eleven rules were about the choice of the type of treatment and thirteen rules about the choice of the pharmaco-therapeutic class of each drug. For the choice of the international non proprietary name and the dose, we could extract only a few rules because the number of patient records was too low for these factors. The extracted rules showed similarities with those added to the newer version of the guidelines. Our method showed its usefulness for completing guidelines recommendations with rules learnt automatically from physicians' prescriptions. It could be used during the development of guidelines as a complementary source from

  2. Using data mining techniques to explore physicians' therapeutic decisions when clinical guidelines do not provide recommendations: methods and example for type 2 diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toussi Massoud

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Clinical guidelines carry medical evidence to the point of practice. As evidence is not always available, many guidelines do not provide recommendations for all clinical situations encountered in practice. We propose an approach for identifying knowledge gaps in guidelines and for exploring physicians' therapeutic decisions with data mining techniques to fill these knowledge gaps. We demonstrate our method by an example in the domain of type 2 diabetes. Methods We analyzed the French national guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes to identify clinical conditions that are not covered or those for which the guidelines do not provide recommendations. We extracted patient records corresponding to each clinical condition from a database of type 2 diabetic patients treated at Avicenne University Hospital of Bobigny, France. We explored physicians' prescriptions for each of these profiles using C5.0 decision-tree learning algorithm. We developed decision-trees for different levels of detail of the therapeutic decision, namely the type of treatment, the pharmaco-therapeutic class, the international non proprietary name, and the dose of each medication. We compared the rules generated with those added to the guidelines in a newer version, to examine their similarity. Results We extracted 27 rules from the analysis of a database of 463 patient records. Eleven rules were about the choice of the type of treatment and thirteen rules about the choice of the pharmaco-therapeutic class of each drug. For the choice of the international non proprietary name and the dose, we could extract only a few rules because the number of patient records was too low for these factors. The extracted rules showed similarities with those added to the newer version of the guidelines. Conclusion Our method showed its usefulness for completing guidelines recommendations with rules learnt automatically from physicians' prescriptions. It could be used

  3. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    McCarthy, Greg. Vol 15, No 1 (2001): Media Freedom and Human Rights - Articles Caught between Empires: Ambivalence in Australian Films Details. ISSN: 0256-004. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and ...

  4. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ligthelm, A.A.. Vol 5, No 2 (2001) - Articles Community attitudes towards Casinos and the estimated magnitude of problem gambling The Mpumalanga case. Details PDF. ISSN: 1027-4332. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Comarof, Jean. Vol 1999, No 3-4 (1999) - Articles Alien-Nation: Zombies, Immigrants and Millennial Capitalism Details. ISSN: 0850-8712. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use · Contact ...

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Njubi, Francis. Vol 15, No 1 (2001): Media Freedom and Human Rights - Articles New Media, Old Struggles: Pan Africanism, Anti-racism and Information Technology Details. ISSN: 0256-004. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  7. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Okeke, EO. Vol 10 (2006) - Articles Analysis of Stokes waves theory as a diffusion problem. Abstract · Vol 11 (2007) - Articles On the impact of wave-current on Stokes waves. Abstract. ISSN: 1116-4336. AJOL African ...

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Love, Alison. Vol 29, No 2 (2002) - Articles Policy-makers, the Press and Politics: Reporting a Public Policy Document Details. ISSN: 0379-0622. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use ...

  9. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Idowu, OO. Vol 8, No 1 (2003) - Articles Evaluation of Different Substrates and Combinations on the Growth of Pleurotus pulmonarius (Fries) Quelet (Sajor-caju) Details. ISSN: 1118-2733. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  10. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Odigie, IP. Vol 10, No 4 (2000) - Articles High dose vitamin E administration attenuates hypertensin in 2-Kidney 1 Clip Goldblatt hypertensive rats. Details. ISSN: 0189-2657. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms ...

  11. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Warnorff, DK. Vol 13, No 4 (2001) - Articles Development of a scoring system for the diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis. Details PDF. ISSN: 1995-7262. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions ...

  12. Isotope correlation and mass spectrometry techniques for irradiated fuel assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deron, S.

    1985-01-01

    This paper outlines the methods used to account for fissionable materials in irradiated nuclear fuel elements entering reprocessing plants. Verification is accomplished at three mass balance stations in the plant. Techniques employed fall into two categories: isotopic and isotope dilution analyses by mass spectometry and isotope correlation techniques. These methods are discussed in some detail

  13. Image quality and radiation exposure in digital storage plate mammography with magnification technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fiedler, E.; Aichinger, U.; Boehner, C.; Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Bautz, W.; Saebel, M.

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: Comparison of image quality between digital phosphor storage plate mammography in magnification technique and a conventional film screen system regarding the special aspect of radiation exposure. Materials and Methods: Radiograms of a RMI-mammography phantom were acquired using a conventional film screen system and two digital storage plate systems. Additionally, the radiograms of one digital system were postprocessed emphasizing contrast and included in the comparison. Results: The detectability of details in storage plate mammographies with magnification technique is almost equal to that of film screen mammographies. Thereby, lower radiation exposures were necessary using the digital systems. Conclusions: Based on these results, storage plate mammography in magnification technique is used in clinical routine at our institution. The correct parameters in image postprocessing are of elementary importance for detail detectability. Future studies must show, whether the lower radiation exposure in digital radiograms of the breast, revealing much higher background noise, will allow the same detail detectability as film screen mammographies. (orig.) [de

  14. Image quality in conventional film screen system, digital phosphor storage plate mammography in magnification technique and digital mammography in CCD-technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Aichinger, U.; Boehner, C.; Dobritz, M.; Bautz, W.; Saebel, M.

    2000-01-01

    Purpose: Comparison of image quality between conventional film screen system, digital phosphor storage plate mammography in magnification technique and digital mammography in CCD-technique. Materials and Methods: Radiograms of a RMI-mammography phantom were acquired using a conventional film screen system, two digital storage plate systems and two digital systems in CCD-technique. Additionally, the radiograms of one digital phosphor storage plate system were post-processed emphasizing contrast and included in the comparison. Results: The detectability of details was the best with the digital mammography in CCD-technique in comparison with the conventional film screen technique resp. digital phosphor storage plate in magnification technique. Conclusions: Based on these results there is the possibility to replace the conventional film screen system by further studies - this has to be confirmed. (orig.) [de

  15. Power quality research techniques: advantages and disadvantages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gil Montoya, Francisco; Manzano Agugliaro, Francisco; Gomez Lopez, Julio; Sanchez Alguacil, Pedro

    2012-01-01

    Nowadays, power quality (PQ) plays a very important role in power systems. So that is why it is very important to use suitable tools allowing a precise detection of anomalies and perturbations in power systems. Given traditional analysis techniques, such as Fourier Transform, today new tools are being developed based on domain transformation, such as Wavelet Transform (WT) or S-Transform (ST), along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques such as Fuzzy Logic (FL) or Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). In this paper, new algorithm and mathematic techniques are reviewed and discussed, and also compared with traditional techniques, revealing the precision and superiority achieved with these new techniques. ST and WT is detailed, basically, as a tool with great scope and future in power quality analysis because of its precision, noise immunity and its contribution with quality information about PQ.

  16. Characteristics of Laser Flash Technique for Thermal Diffusivity Measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, D. G.; Kim, H. M.; Hong, G. P

    2008-08-15

    In relation to selection of thermal conductivity measurement technology, various thermal conductivity measurement technique are investigated for characteristics of each technique and it's measurable range. For the related laser flash techniques, various technical characteristics are reviewed and discussed. Especially, Parker adiabatic model are reviewed because of importance for basic theory of the thermal diffusivity determination. Finite pulse time effect, heat loss effect and non-uniform heating effect, which are main technical factors for laser flash technique, are considered. Finally, characteristics of constituent elements for laser flash measurement system are reviewed and investigated in detail.

  17. A detailed phylogeny for the Methanomicrobiales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouviere, P.; Mandelco, L.; Winker, S.; Woese, C. R.

    1992-01-01

    The small subunit rRNA sequence of twenty archaea, members of the Methanomicrobiales, permits a detailed phylogenetic tree to be inferred for the group. The tree confirms earlier studies, based on far fewer sequences, in showing the group to be divided into two major clusters, temporarily designated the "methanosarcina" group and the "methanogenium" group. The tree also defines phylogenetic relationships within these two groups, which in some cases do not agree with the phylogenetic relationships implied by current taxonomic names--a problem most acute for the genus Methanogenium and its relatives. The present phylogenetic characterization provides the basis for a consistent taxonomic restructuring of this major methanogenic taxon.

  18. Review of available synchronization and time distribution techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, R. G.; Lieberman, T. N.; Stone, R. R.

    1974-01-01

    The methods of synchronizing precision clocks will be reviewed placing particular attention to the simpler techniques, their accuracies, and the approximate cost of equipment. The more exotic methods of synchronization are discussed in lesser detail. The synchronization techniques that will be covered will include satellite dissemination, communication and navigation transmissions via VLF, LF, HF, UHF and microwave as well as commercial and armed forces television. Portable clock trips will also be discussed.

  19. [Authentication of Trace Material Evidence in Forensic Science Field with Infrared Microscopic Technique].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Zhi-quan; Hu, Ke-liang

    2016-03-01

    In the field of forensic science, conventional infrared spectral analysis technique is usually unable to meet the detection requirements, because only very a few trace material evidence with diverse shapes and complex compositions, can be extracted from the crime scene. Infrared microscopic technique is developed based on a combination of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic technique and microscopic technique. Infrared microscopic technique has a lot of advantages over conventional infrared spectroscopic technique, such as high detection sensitivity, micro-area analysisand nondestructive examination. It has effectively solved the problem of authentication of trace material evidence in the field of forensic science. Additionally, almost no external interference is introduced during measurements by infrared microscopic technique. It can satisfy the special need that the trace material evidence must be reserved for witness in court. It is illustrated in detail through real case analysis in this experimental center that, infrared microscopic technique has advantages in authentication of trace material evidence in forensic science field. In this paper, the vibration features in infrared spectra of material evidences, including paints, plastics, rubbers, fibers, drugs and toxicants, can be comparatively analyzed by means of infrared microscopic technique, in an attempt to provide powerful spectroscopic evidence for qualitative diagnosis of various criminal and traffic accident cases. The experimental results clearly suggest that infrared microscopic technique has an incomparable advantage and it has become an effective method for authentication of trace material evidence in the field of forensic science.

  20. The Devil Is in the Details: Evidence from the GED on the Role of Examination System Details in Determining Who Passes. NCSALL Reports #16.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyler, John H.; Murnane, Richard J.; Willett, John B.

    A study used data from a long-standing examination system, the General Educational Development (GED) certificate, to illustrate that the details of examination systems have marked impacts on the number of test takers who obtain the desired credential and on the racial/ethnic composition of passers. Data provided by the Florida Department of…

  1. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    EKPA, O. D.. Vol 7, No 2 (2001) - Articles Variental differences AND polymorphism in palm oil: a case study of palm oils blended with coconut oil. Details PDF. ISSN: 1118-0579. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners ...

  2. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kioni, P N. Vol 9, No 1 (2007) - Articles Detailed structure of pipe flow with water hammer oscillations. Abstract. ISSN: 1561-7645. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use · Contact AJOL ...

  3. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Legwaila, GM. Vol 12 (2003) - Articles Review of sweet sorghum: a potential cash and forage crop in Botswana Details. ISSN: 1021-0873. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use · Contact ...

  4. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Akum, ZE. Vol 1, No 3 (2001) - Articles Basic home range characteristics for the conservation of the African grey parrot in the Korup national park, Cameroon Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms ...

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bobcokono, Irene Yatabene. Vol 1, No 1 (2001) - Articles Utilisation du papier filtre dans la gestion de programme de lute contre le SIDA au Cameroun Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and ...

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erasmus, GJ. Vol 1, No 1 (2001) - Articles Genetic parameter estimates for growth traits in purebred Gudali and two-breed synthetic Wakwa beef cattle in a tropical environment. Details PDF · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's ...

  7. The Effects of Seductive Details in an Inflatable Planetarium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillette, Sean

    Astronomy is becoming a forgotten science, which is evident by its relatively low enrollment figures compared to biology, chemistry, and physics. A portable inflatable planetarium brings relevance back to astronomy and offers support to students and educators by simulating realistic astronomical environments. This study sought to determine if learning is improved in an inflatable planetarium by adhering to the design principles of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML), specifically the coherence principle, in an authentic classroom. Two groups of 5th grade students of similar ability were purposefully assigned using a 1-teacher-to-many-students format with mean lesson lengths of 34 minutes. The experimental group was differentiated with seductive details, defined as interesting but irrelevant facts that can distract learning. The control group ( n = 28), with seductive details excluded, outperformed the experimental group (n = 28), validating the coherence principle and producing a Cohen's effect size of medium practical significance (d = 0.4). These findings suggest that CTML, when applied to planetarium instruction, does increase student learning and that seductive details do have a negative effect on learning. An adult training project was created to instruct educators on the benefits of CTML in astronomy education. This study leads to positive social change by highlighting astronomy education while providing educators with design principles of CTML in authentic settings to maximize learning, aid in the creation of digital media (astronomical simulations/instructional lessons for planetariums) and provide valuable training for owners of inflatable planetariums with the eventual goal of increasing student enrollment of astronomy courses at the local level.

  8. Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Determined Through Molecular Modeling Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clancy, Thomas C.; Gates, Thomas S.

    2005-01-01

    The potential for gains in material properties over conventional materials has motivated an effort to develop novel nanostructured materials for aerospace applications. These novel materials typically consist of a polymer matrix reinforced with particles on the nanometer length scale. In this study, molecular modeling is used to construct fully atomistic models of a carbon nanotube embedded in an epoxy polymer matrix. Functionalization of the nanotube which consists of the introduction of direct chemical bonding between the polymer matrix and the nanotube, hence providing a load transfer mechanism, is systematically varied. The relative effectiveness of functionalization in a nanostructured material may depend on a variety of factors related to the details of the chemical bonding and the polymer structure at the nanotube-polymer interface. The objective of this modeling is to determine what influence the details of functionalization of the carbon nanotube with the polymer matrix has on the resulting mechanical properties. By considering a range of degree of functionalization, the structure-property relationships of these materials is examined and mechanical properties of these models are calculated using standard techniques.

  9. Review of analytical techniques to determine the chemical forms of vapours and aerosols released from overheated fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowsher, B.R.; Nichols, A.L.

    1989-12-01

    A comprehensive review has been undertaken of appropriate analytical techniques to monitor and measure the chemical effects that occur in large-scale tests designed to study severe reactor accidents. Various methods have been developed to determine the chemical forms of the vapours, aerosols and deposits generated during and after such integral experiments. Other specific techniques have the long-term potential to provide some of the desired data in greater detail, although considerable efforts are still required to apply these techniques to the study of radioactive debris. Such in-situ and post-test methods of analysis have been also assessed in terms of their applicability to the analysis of samples from the Phebus-FP tests. The recommended in-situ methods of analysis are gamma-ray spectroscopy, potentiometry, mass spectrometry, and Raman/UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. Vapour/aerosol and deposition samples should also be obtained at well-defined time intervals during each experiment for subsequent post-test analysis. No single technique can provide all the necessary chemical data from these samples, and the most appropriate method of analysis involves a complementary combination of autoradiography, AES, IR, MRS, SEMS/EDS, SIMS/LMIS, XPS and XRD

  10. Dropout Prediction in E-Learning Courses through the Combination of Machine Learning Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lykourentzou, Ioanna; Giannoukos, Ioannis; Nikolopoulos, Vassilis; Mpardis, George; Loumos, Vassili

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, a dropout prediction method for e-learning courses, based on three popular machine learning techniques and detailed student data, is proposed. The machine learning techniques used are feed-forward neural networks, support vector machines and probabilistic ensemble simplified fuzzy ARTMAP. Since a single technique may fail to…

  11. Elements of slow-neutron scattering basics, techniques, and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Carpenter, J M

    2015-01-01

    Providing a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the theory and applications of slow-neutron scattering, this detailed book equips readers with the fundamental principles of neutron studies, including the background and evolving development of neutron sources, facility design, neutron scattering instrumentation and techniques, and applications in materials phenomena. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience in this field, this text explores the implications of slow-neutron research in greater depth and breadth than ever before in an accessible yet rigorous manner suitable for both students and researchers in the fields of physics, biology, and materials engineering. Through pedagogical examples and in-depth discussion, readers will be able to grasp the full scope of the field of neutron scattering, from theoretical background through to practical, scientific applications.

  12. Survey of geophysical techniques for site characterization in basalt, salt and tuff

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, G.M.; Blackey, M.E.; Rice, J.E.; Murphy, V.J.; Levine, E.N.; Fisk, P.S.; Bromery, R.W.

    1987-07-01

    Geophysical techniques may help determine the nature and extent of faulting in the target areas, along with structural information that would be relevant to questions concerning the future integrity of a high-level-waste repository. Chapters focus on particular geophysical applications to four rock types - basalt, bedded salt, domal salt and tuff - characteristic of the sites originally proposed for site characterization. No one geophysical method can adequately characterize the geological structure beneath any site. The seismic reflection method, which is generally considered to be the most incisive of the geophysical techniques, has to date provided only marginal information on structure at the depth of the proposed repository at the Hanford, Washington, site, and no useful results at all at the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site. This result is partially due to geological complexity beneath these sites, but may also be partially attributed to the use of inappropriate acquisition and processing parameters. To adequately characterize a site using geophysics, modifications will have to be made to standard techniques to emphasize structural details at the depths of interest. 137 refs., 43 figs., 4 tabs

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

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    HP

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

  14. Improved Tandem Measurement Techniques for Aerosol Particle Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rawat, Vivek Kumar

    Non-spherical, chemically inhomogeneous (complex) nanoparticles are encountered in a number of natural and engineered environments, including combustion systems (which produces highly non-spherical aggregates), reactors used in gas-phase materials synthesis of doped or multicomponent materials, and in ambient air. These nanoparticles are often highly diverse in size, composition and shape, and hence require determination of property distribution functions for accurate characterization. This thesis focuses on development of tandem mobility-mass measurement techniques coupled with appropriate data inversion routines to facilitate measurement of two dimensional size-mass distribution functions while correcting for the non-idealities of the instruments. Chapter 1 provides the detailed background and motivation for the studies performed in this thesis. In chapter 2, the development of an inversion routine is described which is employed to determine two dimensional size-mass distribution functions from Differential Mobility Analyzer-Aerosol Particle Mass analyzer tandem measurements. Chapter 3 demonstrates the application of the two dimensional distribution function to compute cumulative mass distribution function and also evaluates the validity of this technique by comparing the calculated total mass concentrations to measured values for a variety of aerosols. In Chapter 4, this tandem measurement technique with the inversion routine is employed to analyze colloidal suspensions. Chapter 5 focuses on application of a transverse modulation ion mobility spectrometer coupled with a mass spectrometer to study the effect of vapor dopants on the mobility shifts of sub 2 nm peptide ion clusters. These mobility shifts are then compared to models based on vapor uptake theories. Finally, in Chapter 6, a conclusion of all the studies performed in this thesis is provided and future avenues of research are discussed.

  15. Fluoroscopically guided tunneled trans-caudal epidural catheter technique for opioid-free neonatal epidural analgesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, Andrew D; Hughes, Elisabeth M

    2016-06-01

    Epidural analgesia confers significant perioperative advantages to neonates undergoing surgical procedures but may be very technically challenging to place using a standard interlaminar loss-of-resistance to saline technique given the shallow depth of the epidural space. Thoracic epidural catheters placed via the caudal route may reduce the risk of direct neural injury from needle placement, but often pose higher risks of infection and/or improper positioning if placed without radiographic guidance. We present a detailed method of placing a fluoroscopically guided, tunneled transcaudal epidural catheter, which may reduce both of these risks. The accuracy and precision of this technique often provides adequate analgesia to allow for opioid-free epidural infusions as well as significant reductions in systemic opioids through the perioperative period. Opioid-free analgesia using a regional anesthetic technique allows for earlier extubation and reduced perioperative sedation, which may have a less deleterious neurocognitive effect on the developing brain of the neonate.

  16. Self-cleaning Foliar Surfaces Characterization using RIMAPS Technique and Variogram Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosi, Pablo E.

    2002-01-01

    Along the last ten years many important studies about characterization of self-cleaning foliar surfaces have been done and focused new interest on this kind of surfaces.These studies were possible due to the development of a novel preparation technique for this biological material that let us observe the delicate structures of a foliar surface under scanning electron microscope (S.E.M.).This technique consists of replacing the natural water of the specimen by glycerol. Digital S.E.M. images from both self-cleaning and non-self-cleaning foliar surfaces were obtained and analyzed using RIMAPS technique and Variograms method. Our results revealed the existence of a common and exclusive geometrical pattern that is found in species which present self-cleaning foliar surfaces.This pattern combines at least nine different directions.The results from the Variograms method showed that the stomata play a key role in the determination of foliar surface roughness. In addition, spectra from RIMAPS technique constitute a fingerprint of a foliar surface so they can be used to find evolutionary relationships among species.Further studies will provide more detailed information to fully elucidate the self-cleaning pattern, so it might be possible to reproduce it on an artificial surface and make it self-cleaning

  17. Surface science techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Bracco, Gianangelo

    2013-01-01

    The book describes the experimental techniques employed to study surfaces and interfaces. The emphasis is on the experimental method. Therefore all chapters start with an introduction of the scientific problem, the theory necessary to understand how the technique works and how to understand the results. Descriptions of real experimental setups, experimental results at different systems are given to show both the strength and the limits of the technique. In a final part the new developments and possible extensions of the techniques are presented. The included techniques provide microscopic as well as macroscopic information. They cover most of the techniques used in surface science.

  18. Analytical techniques for mechanistic characterization of EUV photoresists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzeskowiak, Steven; Narasimhan, Amrit; Murphy, Michael; Ackerman, Christian; Kaminsky, Jake; Brainard, Robert L.; Denbeaux, Greg

    2017-03-01

    Extreme ultraviolet (EUV, 13.5 nm) lithography is the prospective technology for high volume manufacturing by the microelectronics industry. Significant strides towards achieving adequate EUV source power and availability have been made recently, but a limited rate of improvement in photoresist performance still delays the implementation of EUV. Many fundamental questions remain to be answered about the exposure mechanisms of even the relatively well understood chemically amplified EUV photoresists. Moreover, several groups around the world are developing revolutionary metal-based resists whose EUV exposure mechanisms are even less understood. Here, we describe several evaluation techniques to help elucidate mechanistic details of EUV exposure mechanisms of chemically amplified and metal-based resists. EUV absorption coefficients are determined experimentally by measuring the transmission through a resist coated on a silicon nitride membrane. Photochemistry can be evaluated by monitoring small outgassing reaction products to provide insight into photoacid generator or metal-based resist reactivity. Spectroscopic techniques such as thin-film Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can measure the chemical state of a photoresist system pre- and post-EUV exposure. Additionally, electrolysis can be used to study the interaction between photoresist components and low energy electrons. Collectively, these techniques improve our current understanding of photomechanisms for several EUV photoresist systems, which is needed to develop new, better performing materials needed for high volume manufacturing.

  19. In situ tagging technique for fishes provides insight into growth and movement of invasive lionfish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akins, John L; Morris, James A; Green, Stephanie J

    2014-10-01

    's mass. Our study offers a novel in situ tagging technique that can be used to provide critical information on fish site fidelity, movement patterns, and growth in cases where ex situ tagging is not feasible.

  20. Optimum radiotherapy schedule for uterine cervical cancer based-on the detailed information of dose fractionation and radiotherapy technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Jae Ho; Kim, Hyun Chang; Suh, Chang Ok

    2005-01-01

    The best dose-fractionation regimen of the definitive radiotherapy for cervix cancer remains to be clearly determined. It seems to be partially attributed to the complexity of the affecting factors and the lack of detailed information on external and intra-cavitary fractionation. To find optimal practice guidelines, our experiences of the combination of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT) were reviewed with detailed information of the various treatment parameters obtained from a large cohort of women treated homogeneously at a single institute. The subjects were 743 cervical cancer patients (Stage IB 198, IIA 77, IIB 364, IIIA 7, IIIB 89 and IVA 8) treated by radiotherapy alone, between 1990 and 1996. A total external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) dose of 23.4 ∼ 59.4 Gy (Median 45.0) was delivered to the whole pelvis. High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT) was also performed using various fractionation schemes. A Midline block (MLB) was initiated after the delivery of 14.4∼ 43.2 Gy (Median 36.0) of EBRT in 495 patients, while in the other 248 patients EBRT could not be used due to slow tumor regression or the huge initial bulk of tumor. The point A, actual bladder and rectal doses were individually assessed in all patients. The biologically effective dose (BED) to the tumor (α / β = 10) and late-responding tissues (α /β = 3) for both EBRT and HDR-ICBT were calculated. The total BED values to point A, the actual bladder and rectal reference points were the summation of the EBRT and HDR-ICBT. In addition to all the details on dose-fractionation, the other factors (i.e. the overall treatment time, physicians preference) that can affect the schedule of the definitive radiotherapy were also thoroughly analyzed. The association between MD-BED Gy 3 and the risk of complication was assessed using serial multiple logistic regressions models. The associations between R-BED Gy 3 and rectal complications

  1. Experience of molecular monitoring techniques in upstream oil and gas operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitchell, Anthony F.; Anfindsen, Hilde; Liengen, Turid; Molid, Solfrid [Statoil ASA (Denmark)

    2011-07-01

    For a numbers of years, molecular monitoring tools have been used in upstream oil and gas operations but the results have given only limited added value. This paper discusses the various techniques available for upstream molecular monitoring which provides scope for identification of microbial influenced problems. The methodology, which consists of analyzing solid samples using traditional as well as molecular techniques, is detailed. Two cases were studied with the objective of determining if microbial contamination was contributing to the problem. The first case was a study of amorphous deposits in production wells and mainly iron sulphide was found. The second study was of amorphous deposits in water injection wells and the analysis showed typical components of drilling and completion fluids with some organic material. Two more cases, corrosion of tubing in a water injection well and flow line corrosion, are discussed and the results are given. From the study, it can be concluded that failure can be due to several factors, chemical and biological.

  2. Novel Hybrid Scheduling Technique for Sensor Nodes with Mixed Criticality Tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihai-Victor Micea

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Sensor networks become increasingly a key technology for complex control applications. Their potential use in safety- and time-critical domains has raised the need for task scheduling mechanisms specially adapted to sensor node specific requirements, often materialized in predictable jitter-less execution of tasks characterized by different criticality levels. This paper offers an efficient scheduling solution, named Hybrid Hard Real-Time Scheduling (H2RTS, which combines a static, clock driven method with a dynamic, event driven scheduling technique, in order to provide high execution predictability, while keeping a high node Central Processing Unit (CPU utilization factor. From the detailed, integrated schedulability analysis of the H2RTS, a set of sufficiency tests are introduced and demonstrated based on the processor demand and linear upper bound metrics. The performance and correct behavior of the proposed hybrid scheduling technique have been extensively evaluated and validated both on a simulator and on a sensor mote equipped with ARM7 microcontroller.

  3. Novel Hybrid Scheduling Technique for Sensor Nodes with Mixed Criticality Tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micea, Mihai-Victor; Stangaciu, Cristina-Sorina; Stangaciu, Valentin; Curiac, Daniel-Ioan

    2017-06-26

    Sensor networks become increasingly a key technology for complex control applications. Their potential use in safety- and time-critical domains has raised the need for task scheduling mechanisms specially adapted to sensor node specific requirements, often materialized in predictable jitter-less execution of tasks characterized by different criticality levels. This paper offers an efficient scheduling solution, named Hybrid Hard Real-Time Scheduling (H²RTS), which combines a static, clock driven method with a dynamic, event driven scheduling technique, in order to provide high execution predictability, while keeping a high node Central Processing Unit (CPU) utilization factor. From the detailed, integrated schedulability analysis of the H²RTS, a set of sufficiency tests are introduced and demonstrated based on the processor demand and linear upper bound metrics. The performance and correct behavior of the proposed hybrid scheduling technique have been extensively evaluated and validated both on a simulator and on a sensor mote equipped with ARM7 microcontroller.

  4. Geophysical and geochemical techniques for exploration of hydrocarbons and minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sittig, M.

    1980-01-01

    The detailed descriptive information in this book is based on 389 US patents that deal with geophysical and geochemical techniques useful for the exploration of hydrocarbons and minerals. Where it was necessary to round out the complete technological picture, a few paragraphs from cited government reports have been included. These techniques are used in prospecting for oil, coal, oil shale, tar sand and minerals. The patents are grouped under the following chapters: geochemical prospecting; geobiological prospecting; geophysical exploration; magnetic geophysical prospecting; gravitational geophysical prospecting; electrical geophysical prospecting; nuclear geophysical prospecting; seismic geophysical prospecting; and exploratory well drilling. This book serves a double purpose in that it supplies detailed technical information and can be used as a guide to the US patent literature in this field. By indicating all the information that is significant, and eliminating legal jargon and juristic phraseology, this book presents an advanced, industrially oriented review of modern methods of geophysical and geochemical exploration techniques

  5. Renal fine structures detected by NMR imaging. First communication concerning an optimized technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zilch, H.G.

    1986-11-01

    A significantly improved image quality is achieved by the technique described, as compared to the magnetic resonance data obtained so far. The detailed analysis of the kidney goes as deep as into anatomic fine structures, and there is reason to hope for far better diagnostic details.

  6. Devil in the details? Developmental dyslexia and visual long-term memory for details.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huestegge, Lynn; Rohrßen, Julia; van Ermingen-Marbach, Muna; Pape-Neumann, Julia; Heim, Stefan

    2014-01-01

    Cognitive theories on causes of developmental dyslexia can be divided into language-specific and general accounts. While the former assume that words are special in that associated processing problems are rooted in language-related cognition (e.g., phonology) deficits, the latter propose that dyslexia is rather rooted in a general impairment of cognitive (e.g., visual and/or auditory) processing streams. In the present study, we examined to what extent dyslexia (typically characterized by poor orthographic representations) may be associated with a general deficit in visual long-term memory (LTM) for details. We compared object- and detail-related visual LTM performance (and phonological skills) between dyslexic primary school children and IQ-, age-, and gender-matched controls. The results revealed that while the overall amount of LTM errors was comparable between groups, dyslexic children exhibited a greater portion of detail-related errors. The results suggest that not only phonological, but also general visual resolution deficits in LTM may play an important role in developmental dyslexia.

  7. Modified grassline technique for orthodontic space closure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohmiller, Rose Marie

    2006-04-01

    Use of traditional orthodontic measures in the periodontally compromised dentition can be problematic. This article describes a variation of the Grassline technique, in which the author uses adhesive bonding to harmoniously re-align malpositioned teeth. In this simple, easy-to-learn technique, a cotton thread is used to achieve orthodontic tooth movement. Initial contact with the saliva causes shrinkage of the thread, exercising a minor force that moves the teeth while allowing enough time for the tissues to regenerate. With this moderate, intermittent force, successful treatment is achieved with minimal risk. Moreover, this orthodontic technique has been associated with an increase in bone volume. This article presents this new technique and details methods for maintaining treatment success. The technique also is compared with an approach described in the literature. Two case reports are presented; the technique is employed in the first to close a diastema in a periodontally compromised dentition and in the second to correct the migration of maxillary and mandibular incisors. Photographs and radiographs show the esthetic improvement achieved in both cases using this technique.

  8. Basic prediction techniques in modern video coding standards

    CERN Document Server

    Kim, Byung-Gyu

    2016-01-01

    This book discusses in detail the basic algorithms of video compression that are widely used in modern video codec. The authors dissect complicated specifications and present material in a way that gets readers quickly up to speed by describing video compression algorithms succinctly, without going to the mathematical details and technical specifications. For accelerated learning, hybrid codec structure, inter- and intra- prediction techniques in MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, and HEVC are discussed together. In addition, the latest research in the fast encoder design for the HEVC and H.264/AVC is also included.

  9. Strengthening of competence planning truss through instructional media development details

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handayani, Sri; Nurcahyono, M. Hadi

    2017-03-01

    Competency-Based Learning is a model of learning in which the planning, implementation, and assessment refers to the mastery of competencies. Learning in lectures conducted in the framework for comprehensively realizing student competency. Competence means the orientation of the learning activities in the classroom must be given to the students to be more active learning, active search for information themselves and explore alone or with friends in learning activities in pairs or in groups, learn to use a variety of learning resources and printed materials, electronic media, as well as environment. Analysis of learning wooden structure known weakness in the understanding of the truss detail. Hence the need for the development of media that can provide a clear picture of what the structure of the wooden horses and connection details. Development of instructional media consisted of three phases of activity, namely planning, production and assessment. Learning Media planning should be tailored to the needs and conditions necessary to provide reinforcement to the mastery of competencies, through the table material needs. The production process of learning media is done by using hardware (hardware) and software (software) to support the creation of a medium of learning. Assessment of the media poduk yan include feasibility studies, namely by subject matter experts, media experts, while testing was done according to the student's perception of the product. The results of the analysis of the materials for the instructional aspects of the results obtained 100% (very good) and media analysis for the design aspects of the media expressed very good with a percentage of 88.93%. While the analysis of student perceptions expressed very good with a percentage of 84.84%. Media Learning Truss Details feasible and can be used in the implementation of learning wooden structure to provide capacity-building in planning truss

  10. Ultrasonic imaging in LMFBRs using digital techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fothergill, J.R.; McKnight, J.A.; Barrett, L.M.

    Ultrasonic technology for providing images of components immersed in the opaque sodium of LMFBRs is being developed at RNL. For many years the application has been restricted by the unavailability of convenient ultrasonic sources and receivers capable of withstanding the reactor environment. Until recently, for example, important ultrasonic instrument design, such as for future sweep arms, had to be based on waveguided ultrasonics. RNL have developed an economic immersible transducer that can be deployed during reactor shut-down, when many demands for ultrasonic imaging are made. The transducer design is not suited at present to the sophisticated techniques of phased arrays; consequently image formation must depend on the physical scanning of a target using one or more transducers in pulse-echo mode. The difficulties of access into a fast reactor impose further restrictions. Some applications may involve easy scanning sequences, thus the sweep arm requires only a rotation to provide a map of the reactor core area. For a more detailed examination of the same area, however, special engineering solutions are needed to provide a more satisfactory scanning sequence. A compromise solution involving the rotating shield movement is being used for a PFR experiment to examine a limited area of the core. (author)

  11. 48 CFR 9904.405-50 - Techniques for application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    .... 9904.405-50 Section 9904.405-50 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.405-50 Techniques for application. (a) The detail and...

  12. Development of evaluation method for software hazard identification techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, H. W.; Chen, M. H.; Shih, C.; Yih, S.; Kuo, C. T.; Wang, L. H.; Yu, Y. C.; Chen, C. W.

    2006-01-01

    This research evaluated the applicable software hazard identification techniques nowadays, such as, Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Markov chain modeling, Dynamic Flow-graph Methodology (DFM), and simulation-based model analysis; and then determined indexes in view of their characteristics, which include dynamic capability, completeness, achievability, detail, signal/noise ratio, complexity, and implementation cost. By this proposed method, the analysts can evaluate various software hazard identification combinations for specific purpose. According to the case study results, the traditional PHA + FMEA + FTA (with failure rate) + Markov chain modeling (with transfer rate) combination is not competitive due to the dilemma for obtaining acceptable software failure rates. However, the systematic architecture of FTA and Markov chain modeling is still valuable for realizing the software fault structure. The system centric techniques, such as DFM and simulation-based model-analysis, show the advantage on dynamic capability, achievability, detail, signal/noise ratio. However, their disadvantages are the completeness complexity and implementation cost. This evaluation method can be a platform to reach common consensus for the stakeholders. Following the evolution of software hazard identification techniques, the evaluation results could be changed. However, the insight of software hazard identification techniques is much more important than the numbers obtained by the evaluation. (authors)

  13. Clinical professional governance for detailed clinical models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goossen, William; Goossen-Baremans, Anneke

    2013-01-01

    This chapter describes the need for Detailed Clinical Models for contemporary Electronic Health Systems, data exchange and data reuse. It starts with an explanation of the components related to Detailed Clinical Models with a brief summary of knowledge representation, including terminologies representing clinic relevant "things" in the real world, and information models that abstract these in order to let computers process data about these things. Next, Detailed Clinical Models are defined and their purpose is described. It builds on existing developments around the world and accumulates in current work to create a technical specification at the level of the International Standards Organization. The core components of properly expressed Detailed Clinical Models are illustrated, including clinical knowledge and context, data element specification, code bindings to terminologies and meta-information about authors, versioning among others. Detailed Clinical Models to date are heavily based on user requirements and specify the conceptual and logical levels of modelling. It is not precise enough for specific implementations, which requires an additional step. However, this allows Detailed Clinical Models to serve as specifications for many different kinds of implementations. Examples of Detailed Clinical Models are presented both in text and in Unified Modelling Language. Detailed Clinical Models can be positioned in health information architectures, where they serve at the most detailed granular level. The chapter ends with examples of projects that create and deploy Detailed Clinical Models. All have in common that they can often reuse materials from earlier projects, and that strict governance of these models is essential to use them safely in health care information and communication technology. Clinical validation is one point of such governance, and model testing another. The Plan Do Check Act cycle can be applied for governance of Detailed Clinical Models

  14. Emerging optical nanoscopy techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Montgomery PC

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Paul C Montgomery, Audrey Leong-Hoi Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Ingénieur, de l'Informatique et de l'Imagerie (ICube, Unistra-CNRS, Strasbourg, France Abstract: To face the challenges of modern health care, new imaging techniques with subcellular resolution or detection over wide fields are required. Far field optical nanoscopy presents many new solutions, providing high resolution or detection at high speed. We present a new classification scheme to help appreciate the growing number of optical nanoscopy techniques. We underline an important distinction between superresolution techniques that provide improved resolving power and nanodetection techniques for characterizing unresolved nanostructures. Some of the emerging techniques within these two categories are highlighted with applications in biophysics and medicine. Recent techniques employing wider angle imaging by digital holography and scattering lens microscopy allow superresolution to be achieved for subcellular and even in vivo, imaging without labeling. Nanodetection techniques are divided into four subcategories using contrast, phase, deconvolution, and nanomarkers. Contrast enhancement is illustrated by means of a polarized light-based technique and with strobed phase-contrast microscopy to reveal nanostructures. Very high sensitivity phase measurement using interference microscopy is shown to provide nanometric surface roughness measurement or to reveal internal nanometric structures. Finally, the use of nanomarkers is illustrated with stochastic fluorescence microscopy for mapping intracellular structures. We also present some of the future perspectives of optical nanoscopy. Keywords: microscopy, imaging, superresolution, nanodetection, biophysics, medical imaging

  15. Introduction to nuclear techniques in agronomy and plant biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vose, P.B.

    1980-01-01

    A scientific textbook concerning the use of nuclear techniques in agricultural and biological studies has been written. In the early chapters, basic radiation physics principles are described including the nature of isotopes and radiation, nuclear reactions, working with radioisotopes, detection systems and instrumentation, radioassay and tracer techniques. The remaining chapters describe the applications of various nuclear techniques including activation analysis for biological samples, X-ray fluorescence spectrography for plants and soils, autoradiography, isotopes in soils studies, isotopic tracers in field experimentation, nuclear techniques in plant function and soil water studies and radiation-induced mutations in plant breeding. The principles and methods of these nuclear techniques are described in a straightforward manner together with details of many possible agricultural and biological studies which students could perform. (U.K.)

  16. Determination of connected components inthe analysis of homogeneous and detail zonesin color images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Pérez-Benito

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available A model based on local graphs to classify pixels coming from at or detail regions of an image is presented. For each pixel a local graph is dened. Its structure will depend on the similarity between neighbouring pixels. Its features allow us to classify each image pixel as belonging to one type of region or the other. This classication is an essential pre-processing technique for many Computer Vision tools, such as smoothingor sharpening of digital color images.

  17. Magnetic resonance techniques for investigation of multiple sclerosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKay, Alex; Laule, Cornelia; Li, David K. B.; Meyers, Sandra M.; Russell-Schulz, Bretta; Vavasour, Irene M.

    2014-11-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease which can cause loss of vision and balance, muscle weakness, impaired speech, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and even paralysis. The key pathological processes in MS are inflammation, edema, myelin loss, axonal loss and gliosis. Unfortunately, the cause of MS is still not understood and there is currently no cure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important clinical and research tool for MS. 'Conventional' MRI images of MS brain reveal bright lesions, or plaques, which demark regions of severe tissue damage. Conventional MRI has been extremely valuable for the diagnosis and management of people who have MS and also for the assessment of therapies designed to reduce inflammation and promote repair. While conventional MRI is clearly valuable, it lack pathological specificity and, in some cases, sensitivity to non-lesional pathology. Advanced MR techniques have been developed to provide information that is more sensitive and specific than what is available with clinical scanning. Diffusion tensor imaging and magnetization transfer provide a general but non-specific measure of the pathological state of brain tissue. MR spectroscopy provides concentrations of brain metabolites which can be related to specific pathologies. Myelin water imaging was designed to assess brain myelination and has proved useful for measuring myelin loss in MS. To combat MS, it is crucial that the pharmaceutical industry finds therapies which can reverse the neurodegenerative processes which occur in the disease. The challenge for magnetic resonance researchers is to design imaging techniques which can provide detailed pathological information relating to the mechanisms of MS therapies. This paper briefly describes the pathologies of MS and demonstrates how MS-associated pathologies can be followed using both conventional and advanced MR imaging protocols.

  18. Neutron activation analysis: an emerging technique for conservation/preservation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sayre, E.V.

    1976-01-01

    The diverse applications of neutron activation in analysis, preservation, and documentation of art works and artifacts are described with illustrations for each application. The uses of this technique to solve problems of attribution and authentication, to reveal the inner structure and composition of art objects, and, in some instances to recreate details of the objects are described. A brief discussion of the theory and techniques of neutron activation analysis is also included

  19. Metallic glass coating on metals plate by adjusted explosive welding technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, W.D.; Liu, K.X.; Chen, Q.Y.; Wang, J.T.; Yan, H.H.; Li, X.J.

    2009-01-01

    Using an adjusted explosive welding technique, an aluminum plate has been coated by a Fe-based metallic glass foil in this work. Scanning electronic micrographs reveal a defect-free metallurgical bonding between the Fe-based metallic glass foil and the aluminum plate. Experimental evidence indicates that the Fe-based metallic glass foil almost retains its amorphous state and mechanical properties after the explosive welding process. Additionally, the detailed explosive welding process has been simulated by a self-developed hydro-code and the bonding mechanism has been investigated by numerical analysis. The successful welding between the Fe-based metallic glass foil and the aluminum plate provides a new way to obtain amorphous coating on general metal substrates.

  20. Simultaneous Kidney-Pancreas Transplantation With an Original "Transverse Pancreas" Technique: Initial 9 Years' Experience With 56 Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulino, J; Martins, A; Vigia, E; Marcelino, P; Nobre, A M; Bicho, L; Filipe, E; Barroso, E

    2017-10-01

    An innovative technique for pancreas transplantation is described. The main aspect consists of the horizontal positioning of the pancreas, which allows a better venous outflow, thus preventing thrombosis and graft loss. The program of pancreas transplantation in this national reference center for pancreatic and liver surgery was started in 2007; the initial results were considered poor, resulting in the loss of half of the grafts due to venous thrombosis. After analyzing the possible causes, this technique was proposed and successfully implemented, reducing the postoperative complications, particularly the problem of venous thrombosis. A detailed description of the new surgical technique is provided. The main clinical and demographic characteristics of the 56 patients who underwent the surgery are analyzed. The incidence of venous thrombosis was 5.3% (3 patients) and graft loss was 3.5% (2 patients). Due to the good results, this technique became the standard surgery for transplantation of the pancreas in our center. The technique proved to be safe and successful. Due to the unique pancreas graft implantation, we called it "transverse pancreas surgery." Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Devil in the Details? Developmental Dyslexia and Visual Long-Term Memory for Details

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lynn eHuestegge

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Cognitive theories on causes of developmental dyslexia can be divided into language-specific and general accounts. While the former assume that words are special in that associated processing problems are rooted in language-related cognition (e.g., phonology deficits, the latter propose that dyslexia is rather rooted in a general impairment of cognitive (e.g., visual and/or auditory processing streams. In the present study, we examined to what extent dyslexia (typically characterized by poor orthographic representations may be associated with a general deficit in visual long-term memory for details. We compared object- and detail-related visual long-term memory performance (and phonological skills between dyslexic primary school children and IQ-, age- and gender-matched controls. The results revealed that while the overall amount of long-term memory errors was comparable between groups, dyslexic children exhibited a greater portion of detail-related errors. The results suggest that not only phonological, but also general visual resolution deficits in long-term memory may play an important role in developmental dyslexia.

  2. Tracer techniques in food industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pertsovskij, E.S.; Sakharov, Eh.V.; Dolinin, V.A.

    1980-01-01

    The appicability of radioactive tracer techniques to process control in food industry are considered. Investigations in the field of food industry carried out using the above method are classified. The 1 class included investigations with preliminary preparation of a radioactive indicator and its following introduction in the system studied. The 2 class includes investigations based on the introduction in the system studied of a non-active indicator which is activated in a neutron flux being in samples selected in or after the process investigated. The 3 class includes studies based on investigations of natural radioactivity of certain nuclides in food stuff. The application of tracer techniques to the above classes of investigations in various fields of food industry and the equipment applied are considered in detail [ru

  3. Segmented and Detailed Visualization of Anatomical Structures based on Augmented Reality for Health Education and Knowledge Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabel Cristina Siqueira da Silva

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The evolution of technology has changed the face of education, especially when combined with appropriate pedagogical bases. This combination has created innovation opportunities in order to add quality to teaching through new perspectives for traditional methods applied in the classroom. In the Health field, particularly, augmented reality and interaction design techniques can assist the teacher in the exposition of theoretical concepts and/or concepts that need of training at specific medical procedures. Besides, visualization and interaction with Health data, from different sources and in different formats, helps to identify hidden patterns or anomalies, increases the flexibility in the search for certain values, allows the comparison of different units to obtain relative difference in quantities, provides human interaction in real time, etc. At this point, it is noted that the use of interactive visualization techniques such as augmented reality and virtual can collaborate with the process of knowledge discovery in medical and biomedical databases. This work discuss aspects related to the use of augmented reality and interaction design as a tool for teaching anatomy and knowledge discovery, with the proposition of an case study based on mobile application that can display targeted anatomical parts in high resolution and with detail of its parts.

  4. A scanning fluid dynamic gauging technique for probing surface layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, Patrick W; Chew, Y M John; Wilson, D Ian; Brooker, Anju D M; York, David W

    2010-01-01

    Fluid dynamic gauging (FDG) is a technique for measuring the thickness of soft solid deposit layers immersed in a liquid environment, in situ and in real time. This paper details the performance of a novel automated, scanning FDG probe (sFDG) which allows the thickness of a sample layer to be monitored at several points during an experiment, with a resolution of ±5 µm. Its application is demonstrated using layers of gelatine, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and baked tomato purée deposits. Swelling kinetics, as well as deformation behaviour—based on knowledge of the stresses imposed on the surface by the gauging flow—can be determined at several points, affording improved experimental data. The use of FDG as a surface scanning technique, operating as a fluid mechanical analogue of atomic force microscopy on a millimetre length scale, is also demonstrated. The measurement relies only on the flow behaviour, and is thus suitable for use in opaque fluids, does not contact the surface itself and does not rely on any specific physical properties of the surface, provided it is locally stiff

  5. Signal processing techniques for lithium beam polarimetry on DIII-D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, D. M.; Leonard, A. W.

    2006-01-01

    On the DIII-D tokamak the LIBEAM diagnostic provides precise measurements of the local magnetic field direction by combined polarimetry/ spectroscopy of the Zeeman-split 2S-2P lithium resonance line. Using these measurements we are able to determine the behavior of the edge toroidal current density j φ (r), a parameter of critical interest for edge stability and performance. For a successful measurement, analysis of the polarization state of the spectrally filtered fluorescence must be done with high precision in the presence of nonideal filtering, beam intensity evolution, and dynamically varying background light. This is accomplished by polarization modulation of the collected emission, followed by digital demodulation at various harmonics of the modulation frequency. Either lock-in or fast Fourier transform techniques can be used to determine the various Stokes parameters and reconstruct the field directions based on accurate spatial and polarization efficiency calibrations. Details of the specific techniques used to analyze various DIII-D discharges are described, along with a discussion of the present limitations and some possible avenues towards improving the analysis

  6. Detection of Moving Targets Based on Doppler Spectrum Analysis Technique for Passive Coherent Radar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhao Yao-dong

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available A novel method of moving targets detection taking Doppler spectrum analysis technique for Passive Coherent Radar (PCR is provided. After dividing the receiving signals into segments as pulse series, it utilizes the technique of pulse compress and Doppler processing to detect and locate the targets. Based on the algorithm for Pulse-Doppler (PD radar, the equipollence between continuous and pulsed wave in match filtering is proved and details of this method are introduced. To compare it with the traditional method of Cross-Ambiguity Function (CAF calculation, the relationship and mathematical modes of them are analyzed, with some suggestions on parameters choosing. With little influence to the gain of targets, the method can greatly promote the processing efficiency. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by offline processing real collected data sets and simulation results.

  7. Medical X-ray techniques in diagnostic radiography. 4. ed.

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plaats, G.J. van der; Vijlbrief, P.

    1980-01-01

    A step by step account is given of every aspect of the technical factors involved in the production of X-ray images. Chapter titles include, methods of image formation and laws of projection, sharpness and unsharpness, contrast, perceptibility of detail in the radiographic image-image quality, properties of fluoroscopic screens, radiographic films, intensifying screens and cassettes, image intensification and X-ray television, processing technique, fluoroscopy and radiographic technique in general, special radiographic techniques, radiographic examinations using contrast media, exposure and exposure tables and automatic density control, diagnostic X-ray apparatus, and diagnostic stands and accessories. (C.F.)

  8. Survey Of Lossless Image Coding Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melnychuck, Paul W.; Rabbani, Majid

    1989-04-01

    Many image transmission/storage applications requiring some form of data compression additionally require that the decoded image be an exact replica of the original. Lossless image coding algorithms meet this requirement by generating a decoded image that is numerically identical to the original. Several lossless coding techniques are modifications of well-known lossy schemes, whereas others are new. Traditional Markov-based models and newer arithmetic coding techniques are applied to predictive coding, bit plane processing, and lossy plus residual coding. Generally speaking, the compression ratio offered by these techniques are in the area of 1.6:1 to 3:1 for 8-bit pictorial images. Compression ratios for 12-bit radiological images approach 3:1, as these images have less detailed structure, and hence, their higher pel correlation leads to a greater removal of image redundancy.

  9. Performance evaluation of a digital mammography unit using a contrast-detail phantom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elizalde-Cabrera, J.; Brandan, M.-E.

    2015-01-01

    The relation between image quality and mean glandular dose (MGD) has been studied for a Senographe 2000D mammographic unit used for research in our laboratory. The magnitudes were evaluated for a clinically relevant range of acrylic thicknesses and radiological techniques. The CDMAM phantom was used to determine the contrast-detail curve. Also, an alternative method based on the analysis of signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR) ratios from the CDMAM image was proposed and applied. A simple numerical model was utilized to successfully interpret the results. Optimum radiological techniques were determined using the figures-of-merit FOMSNR=SNR2/MGD and FOMCNR=CNR2/MGD. Main results were: the evaluation of the detector response flattening process (it reduces by about one half the spatial non-homogeneities due to the X- ray field), MGD measurements (the values comply with standards), and verification of the automatic exposure control performance (it is sensitive to fluence attenuation, not to contrast). For 4-5 cm phantom thicknesses, the optimum radiological techniques were Rh/Rh 34 kV to optimize SNR, and Rh/Rh 28 kV to optimize CNR.

  10. Providing Nutritional Care in the Office Practice: Teams, Tools, and Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushner, Robert F

    2016-11-01

    Provision of dietary counseling in the office setting is enhanced by using team-based care and electronic tools. Effective provider-patient communication is essential for fostering behavior change: the key component of lifestyle medicine. The principles of communication and behavior change are skill-based and grounded in scientific theories and models. Motivational interviewing and shared decision making, a collaboration process between patients and their providers to reach agreement about a health decision, is an important process in counseling. The stages of change, self-determination, health belief model, social cognitive model, theory of planned behavior, and cognitive behavioral therapy are used in the counseling process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Template Assembly for Detailed Urban Reconstruction

    KAUST Repository

    Nan, Liangliang

    2015-05-04

    We propose a new framework to reconstruct building details by automatically assembling 3D templates on coarse textured building models. In a preprocessing step, we generate an initial coarse model to approximate a point cloud computed using Structure from Motion and Multi View Stereo, and we model a set of 3D templates of facade details. Next, we optimize the initial coarse model to enforce consistency between geometry and appearance (texture images). Then, building details are reconstructed by assembling templates on the textured faces of the coarse model. The 3D templates are automatically chosen and located by our optimization-based template assembly algorithm that balances image matching and structural regularity. In the results, we demonstrate how our framework can enrich the details of coarse models using various data sets.

  12. Techniques for Improving the Accuracy of 802.11 WLAN-Based Networking Experimentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Portoles-Comeras Marc

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Wireless networking experimentation research has become highly popular due to both the frequent mismatch between theory and practice and the widespread availability of low-cost WLAN cards. However, current WLAN solutions present a series of performance issues, sometimes difficult to predict in advance, that may compromise the validity of the results gathered. This paper surveys recent literature dealing with such issues and draws attention on the negative results of starting experimental research without properly understanding the tools that are going to be used. Furthermore, the paper details how a conscious assessment strategy can prevent placing wrong assumptions on the hardware. Indeed, there are numerous techniques that have been described throughout the literature that can be used to obtain a deeper understanding of the solutions that have been adopted. The paper surveys these techniques and classifies them in order to provide a handful reference for building experimental setups from which accurate measurements may be obtained.

  13. LANDING TECHNIQUES IN BEACH VOLLEYBALL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Tilp

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The aims of the present study were to establish a detailed and representative record of landing techniques (two-, left-, and right-footed landings in professional beach volleyball and compare the data with those of indoor volleyball. Beach volleyball data was retrieved from videos taken at FIVB World Tour tournaments. Landing techniques were compared in the different beach and indoor volleyball skills serve, set, attack, and block with regard to sex, playing technique, and court position. Significant differences were observed between men and women in landings following block actions (χ²(2 = 18.19, p < 0.01 but not following serve, set, and attack actions. Following blocking, men landed more often on one foot than women. Further differences in landings following serve and attack with regard to playing technique and position were mainly observed in men. The comparison with landing techniques in indoor volleyball revealed overall differences both in men (χ²(2 = 161.4, p < 0.01 and women (χ²(2 = 84.91, p < 0.01. Beach volleyball players land more often on both feet than indoor volleyball players. Besides the softer surface in beach volleyball, and therefore resulting lower loads, these results might be another reason for fewer injuries and overuse conditions compared to indoor volleyball

  14. Landing Techniques in Beach Volleyball

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tilp, Markus; Rindler, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The aims of the present study were to establish a detailed and representative record of landing techniques (two-, left-, and right-footed landings) in professional beach volleyball and compare the data with those of indoor volleyball. Beach volleyball data was retrieved from videos taken at FIVB World Tour tournaments. Landing techniques were compared in the different beach and indoor volleyball skills serve, set, attack, and block with regard to sex, playing technique, and court position. Significant differences were observed between men and women in landings following block actions (χ2(2) = 18.19, p volleyball revealed overall differences both in men (χ2(2) = 161.4, p volleyball players land more often on both feet than indoor volleyball players. Besides the softer surface in beach volleyball, and therefore resulting lower loads, these results might be another reason for fewer injuries and overuse conditions compared to indoor volleyball. Key Points About 1/3 of all jumping actions in beach volleyball result in a landing on one foot. Especially following block situations men land on one foot more often than women. Landing techniques are related to different techniques and positions. Landings on one foot are less common in beach volleyball than indoor volleyball. This could be a reason for fewer injuries and overuse conditions. PMID:24149150

  15. Factors Affecting Two Types of Memory Specificity: Particularization of Episodes and Details.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willén, Rebecca M; Granhag, Pär Anders; Strömwall, Leif A

    2016-01-01

    Memory for repeated events is relevant to legal investigations about repeated occurrences. We investigated how two measures of specificity (number of events referred to and amount of detail reported about the events) were influenced by interviewees' age, number of experienced events, interviewer, perceived unpleasantness, and memory rehearsal. Transcribed narratives consisting of over 40.000 utterances from 95 dental patients, and the corresponding dental records, were studied. Amount of detail was measured by categorizing the utterances as generic, specific, or specific-extended. We found that the two measures were affected differently by all five factors. For instance, number of experienced events positively influenced number of referred events but had no effect on amount of detail provided about the events. We make suggestions for future research and encourage reanalysis of the present data set and reuse of the material.

  16. Factors Affecting Two Types of Memory Specificity: Particularization of Episodes and Details.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca M Willén

    Full Text Available Memory for repeated events is relevant to legal investigations about repeated occurrences. We investigated how two measures of specificity (number of events referred to and amount of detail reported about the events were influenced by interviewees' age, number of experienced events, interviewer, perceived unpleasantness, and memory rehearsal. Transcribed narratives consisting of over 40.000 utterances from 95 dental patients, and the corresponding dental records, were studied. Amount of detail was measured by categorizing the utterances as generic, specific, or specific-extended. We found that the two measures were affected differently by all five factors. For instance, number of experienced events positively influenced number of referred events but had no effect on amount of detail provided about the events. We make suggestions for future research and encourage reanalysis of the present data set and reuse of the material.

  17. The zygomatic implant perforated (ZIP) flap: a new technique for combined surgical reconstruction and rapid fixed dental rehabilitation following low-level maxillectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butterworth, C J; Rogers, S N

    2017-12-01

    This aim of this report is to describe the development and evolution of a new surgical technique for the immediate surgical reconstruction and rapid post-operative prosthodontic rehabilitation with a fixed dental prosthesis following low-level maxillectomy for malignant disease.The technique involves the use of a zygomatic oncology implant perforated micro-vascular soft tissue flap (ZIP flap) for the primary management of maxillary malignancy with surgical closure of the resultant maxillary defect and the installation of osseointegrated support for a zygomatic implant-supported maxillary fixed dental prosthesis.The use of this technique facilitates extremely rapid oral and dental rehabilitation within a few weeks of resective surgery, providing rapid return to function and restoring appearance following low-level maxillary resection, even in cases where radiotherapy is required as an adjuvant treatment post-operatively. The ZIP flap technique has been adopted as a standard procedure in the unit for the management of low-level maxillary malignancy, and this report provides a detailed step-by-step approach to treatment and discusses modifications developed over the treatment of an initial cohort of patients.

  18. Optimization of technique for insertion of implants at the supra-acetabular corridor in pelvis and acetabular surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tosounidis, Theodoros H; Mauffrey, Cyril; Giannoudis, Peter V

    2018-01-01

    The technique for application of implants at the sciatic buttress has been well described in the pelvic and acetabular fracture reconstruction literature. We described a new use of the inlet-obturator oblique view for the identification of the anterior inferior iliac spine, which is the entry point of implants, and we provide a detailed fluoroscopic and radiographic description of this view. A small series of 15 patients who underwent an application of an anterior inferior pelvic external (supra-acetabular) fixator via this technique is presented. We consider the use of the obturator oblique for the identification of the entry point unnecessary, and we advocate for the use of only the inlet-obturator oblique and iliac oblique views when implants are applied to the sciatic buttress.

  19. Recommended safety, reliability, quality assurance and management aerospace techniques with possible application by the DOE to the high-level radioactive waste repository program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bland, W.M. Jr.

    1985-05-01

    Aerospace SRQA and management techniques, principally those developed and used by the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center on the manned space flight programs, have been assessed for possible application by the DOE and the DOE-contractors to the high level radioactive waste repository program that results from the implementation of the NWPA of 1982. Those techniques believed to have the greatest potential for usefulness to the DOE and the DOE-contractors have been discussed in detail and are recommended to the DOE for adoption; discussion is provided for the manner in which this transfer of technology can be implemented. Six SRQA techniques and two management techniques are recommended for adoption by the DOE; included with the management techniques is a recommendation for the DOE to include a licensing interface with the NRC in the application of the milestone reviews technique. Three other techniques are recommended for study by the DOE for possible adaptation to the DOE program

  20. A detailed study of the generation of optically detectable watermarks using the logistic map

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mooney, Aidan; Keating, John G.; Heffernan, Daniel M.

    2006-01-01

    A digital watermark is a visible, or preferably invisible, identification code that is permanently embedded in digital media, to prove owner authentication and provide protection for documents. Given the interest in watermark generation using chaotic functions a detailed study of one chaotic function for this purpose is performed. In this paper, we present an approach for the generation of watermarks using the logistic map. Using this function, in conjunction with seed management, it is possible to generate chaotic sequences that may be used to create highpass or lowpass digital watermarks. In this paper we provide a detailed study on the generation of optically detectable watermarks and we provide some guidelines on successful chaotic watermark generation using the logistic map, and show using a recently published scheme, how care must be taken in the selection of the function seed

  1. Psychophysical evaluation of the image quality of a dynamic flat-panel digital x-ray image detector using the threshold contrast detail detectability (TCDD) technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Andrew G.; Cowen, Arnold R.; Bruijns, Tom J. C.

    1999-05-01

    We are currently in an era of active development of the digital X-ray imaging detectors that will serve the radiological communities in the new millennium. The rigorous comparative physical evaluations of such devices are therefore becoming increasingly important from both the technical and clinical perspectives. The authors have been actively involved in the evaluation of a clinical demonstration version of a flat-panel dynamic digital X-ray image detector (or FDXD). Results of objective physical evaluation of this device have been presented elsewhere at this conference. The imaging performance of FDXD under radiographic exposure conditions have been previously reported, and in this paper a psychophysical evaluation of the FDXD detector operating under continuous fluoroscopic conditions is presented. The evaluation technique employed was the threshold contrast detail detectability (TCDD) technique, which enables image quality to be measured on devices operating in the clinical environment. This approach addresses image quality in the context of both the image acquisition and display processes, and uses human observers to measure performance. The Leeds test objects TO[10] and TO[10+] were used to obtain comparative measurements of performance on the FDXD and two digital spot fluorography (DSF) systems, one utilizing a Plumbicon camera and the other a state of the art CCD camera. Measurements were taken at a range of detector entrance exposure rates, namely 6, 12, 25 and 50 (mu) R/s. In order to facilitate comparisons between the systems, all fluoroscopic image processing such as noise reduction algorithms, were disabled during the experiments. At the highest dose rate FDXD significantly outperformed the DSF comparison systems in the TCDD comparisons. At 25 and 12 (mu) R/s all three-systems performed in an equivalent manner and at the lowest exposure rate FDXD was inferior to the two DSF systems. At standard fluoroscopic exposures, FDXD performed in an equivalent

  2. Structural level characterization of base oils using advanced analytical techniques

    KAUST Repository

    Hourani, Nadim

    2015-05-21

    Base oils, blended for finished lubricant formulations, are classified by the American Petroleum Institute into five groups, viz., groups I-V. Groups I-III consist of petroleum based hydrocarbons whereas groups IV and V are made of synthetic polymers. In the present study, five base oil samples belonging to groups I and III were extensively characterized using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) equipped with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) sources. First, the capabilities and limitations of each analytical technique were evaluated, and then the availed information was combined to reveal compositional details on the base oil samples studied. HPLC showed the overwhelming presence of saturated over aromatic compounds in all five base oils. A similar trend was further corroborated using GC×GC, which yielded semiquantitative information on the compound classes present in the samples and provided further details on the carbon number distributions within these classes. In addition to chromatography methods, FT-ICR MS supplemented the compositional information on the base oil samples by resolving the aromatics compounds into alkyl- and naphtheno-subtituted families. APCI proved more effective for the ionization of the highly saturated base oil components compared to APPI. Furthermore, for the detailed information on hydrocarbon molecules FT-ICR MS revealed the presence of saturated and aromatic sulfur species in all base oil samples. The results presented herein offer a unique perspective into the detailed molecular structure of base oils typically used to formulate lubricants. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

  3. A pilot modeling technique for handling-qualities research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, R. A.

    1980-01-01

    A brief survey of the more dominant analysis techniques used in closed-loop handling-qualities research is presented. These techniques are shown to rely on so-called classical and modern analytical models of the human pilot which have their foundation in the analysis and design principles of feedback control. The optimal control model of the human pilot is discussed in some detail and a novel approach to the a priori selection of pertinent model parameters is discussed. Frequency domain and tracking performance data from 10 pilot-in-the-loop simulation experiments involving 3 different tasks are used to demonstrate the parameter selection technique. Finally, the utility of this modeling approach in handling-qualities research is discussed.

  4. Template Assembly for Detailed Urban Reconstruction

    KAUST Repository

    Nan, Liangliang; Wonka, Peter; Ghanem, Bernard; Jiang, Caigui

    2015-01-01

    Structure from Motion and Multi View Stereo, and we model a set of 3D templates of facade details. Next, we optimize the initial coarse model to enforce consistency between geometry and appearance (texture images). Then, building details are reconstructed

  5. Ultrasound assisted extraction of food and natural products. Mechanisms, techniques, combinations, protocols and applications. A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chemat, Farid; Rombaut, Natacha; Sicaire, Anne-Gaëlle; Meullemiestre, Alice; Fabiano-Tixier, Anne-Sylvie; Abert-Vian, Maryline

    2017-01-01

    This review presents a complete picture of current knowledge on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) in food ingredients and products, nutraceutics, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and bioenergy applications. It provides the necessary theoretical background and some details about extraction by ultrasound, the techniques and their combinations, the mechanisms (fragmentation, erosion, capillarity, detexturation, and sonoporation), applications from laboratory to industry, security, and environmental impacts. In addition, the ultrasound extraction procedures and the important parameters influencing its performance are also included, together with the advantages and the drawbacks of each UAE techniques. Ultrasound-assisted extraction is a research topic, which affects several fields of modern plant-based chemistry. All the reported applications have shown that ultrasound-assisted extraction is a green and economically viable alternative to conventional techniques for food and natural products. The main benefits are decrease of extraction and processing time, the amount of energy and solvents used, unit operations, and CO 2 emissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Assessment of ground-based monitoring techniques applied to landslide investigations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhlemann, S.; Smith, A.; Chambers, J.; Dixon, N.; Dijkstra, T.; Haslam, E.; Meldrum, P.; Merritt, A.; Gunn, D.; Mackay, J.

    2016-01-01

    A landslide complex in the Whitby Mudstone Formation at Hollin Hill, North Yorkshire, UK is periodically re-activated in response to rainfall-induced pore-water pressure fluctuations. This paper compares long-term measurements (i.e., 2009-2014) obtained from a combination of monitoring techniques that have been employed together for the first time on an active landslide. The results highlight the relative performance of the different techniques, and can provide guidance for researchers and practitioners for selecting and installing appropriate monitoring techniques to assess unstable slopes. Particular attention is given to the spatial and temporal resolutions offered by the different approaches that include: Real Time Kinematic-GPS (RTK-GPS) monitoring of a ground surface marker array, conventional inclinometers, Shape Acceleration Arrays (SAA), tilt meters, active waveguides with Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring, and piezometers. High spatial resolution information has allowed locating areas of stability and instability across a large slope. This has enabled identification of areas where further monitoring efforts should be focused. High temporal resolution information allowed the capture of 'S'-shaped slope displacement-time behaviour (i.e. phases of slope acceleration, deceleration and stability) in response to elevations in pore-water pressures. This study shows that a well-balanced suite of monitoring techniques that provides high temporal and spatial resolutions on both measurement and slope scale is necessary to fully understand failure and movement mechanisms of slopes. In the case of the Hollin Hill landslide it enabled detailed interpretation of the geomorphological processes governing landslide activity. It highlights the benefit of regularly surveying a network of GPS markers to determine areas for installation of movement monitoring techniques that offer higher resolution both temporally and spatially. The small sensitivity of tilt meter measurements

  7. Detailed inelastic analysis of an LMFBR pipeline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hibbitt, H.D.; Leung, E.K.; Ohalla, A.K.

    1982-01-01

    The paper describes detailed inelastic analyses of a large diameter, thin walled pipeline configuration typical of liquid metal cooled reactor primary piping, subject to thermal shock, with intermediate periods of creep hold time. Three such analyses are compared. Two of these analyses are performed with recently developed elements based on a combination of Fourier and polynomial interpolation to describe the deformation of the pipe. One of these two analyses includes continuous deformation of the pipe wall between each elbow and the adjacent straight pipe segments, while the other neglects such ''end effects'' on the elbow deformation. The third analysis is based on a modified axi-symmetric shell element for modeling the elbows (neglecting and effects). The results thus provide an assessment of the relative cost and importance of including consideration of end effects in modeling a realistic piping system, as well as providing a similar comparison between the two basic deforming section pipe models (Fourier/polynomial versus modified axi-symmetric shells)

  8. Ecolo Watt. Ecologic comparison of electricity providers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-09-01

    As consumers now can choose their electricity provider, Greenpeace proposes Ecolo Watt, a system which assesses the different providers, more particularly in terms of protection of the environment. This document first describes the electricity market liberalisation (principle, market opening process, a shake-up of the French electric landscape, obligations for the providers). It presents the green electricity market (original guarantees, the questionable system of green certificates, and the Eve label). It describes the methodology adopted for the Ecolo Watt comparative assessment: assessment criteria, final mark. It presents the ranking of electricity providers while analysing their energy mix, their energy policy, their energy service and sales policy, the quality and transparency of information). Detailed results are presented for each operator

  9. Vascularized bone graft in scaphoid fractures. Anatomical details and clinical indications. A cases series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vergara A, Enrique

    2007-01-01

    The fracture of scaphoid continues being a challenge for orthopedist and hand surgeons. Objective. To show the anatomical details of the bony strip from the second metacarpal in corpses injected with green latex and the results of the surgical technique in a series of patients with scaphoid pseudarthrosis. Materials and methods. We carry out an initial anatomical analysis before employing the surgical technique in clinical setting, and then we did a descriptive study of patients with pseudarthrosis of scaphoid,treated with vascularized bony graft by the first metacarpal artery. Results. All patients consolidated and improved in the pain scale, they did not have mobility deterioration or residual carpus instability, after ten years of observations. Conclusions. The vascularized graft is a useful option in the management of the pseudarthrosis of the scaphoid.

  10. Oesophageal Injury During AF Ablation: Techniques for Prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero, Jorge; Avendano, Ricardo; Grushko, Michael; Diaz, Juan Carlos; Du, Xianfeng; Gianni, Carola; Natale, Andrea

    2018-01-01

    Atrial fibrillation remains the most common arrhythmia worldwide, with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) being an essential component in the treatment of this arrhythmia. In view of the close proximity of the oesophagus with the posterior wall of the left atrium, oesophageal injury prevention has become a major concern during PVI procedures. Oesophageal changes varying from erythema to fistulas have been reported, with atrio-oesophageal fistulas being the most feared as they are associated with major morbidity and mortality. This review article provides a detailed description of the risk factors associated with oesophageal injury during ablation, along with an overview of the currently available techniques to prevent oesophageal injury. We expect that this state of the art review will deliver the tools to help electrophysiologists prevent potential oesophageal injuries, as well as increase the focus on research areas in which evidence is lacking. PMID:29636969

  11. A Description of the Revised ATHEANA (A Technique for Human Event Analysis)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FORESTER, JOHN A.; BLEY, DENNIS C.; COOPER, SUSANE; KOLACZKOWSKI, ALAN M.; THOMPSON, CATHERINE; RAMEY-SMITH, ANN; WREATHALL, JOHN

    2000-01-01

    This paper describes the most recent version of a human reliability analysis (HRA) method called ''A Technique for Human Event Analysis'' (ATHEANA). The new version is documented in NUREG-1624, Rev. 1 [1] and reflects improvements to the method based on comments received from a peer review that was held in 1998 (see [2] for a detailed discussion of the peer review comments) and on the results of an initial trial application of the method conducted at a nuclear power plant in 1997 (see Appendix A in [3]). A summary of the more important recommendations resulting from the peer review and trial application is provided and critical and unique aspects of the revised method are discussed

  12. Why healthcare providers merge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postma, Jeroen; Roos, Anne-Fleur

    2016-04-01

    In many OECD countries, healthcare sectors have become increasingly concentrated as a result of mergers. However, detailed empirical insight into why healthcare providers merge is lacking. Also, we know little about the influence of national healthcare policies on mergers. We fill this gap in the literature by conducting a survey study on mergers among 848 Dutch healthcare executives, of which 35% responded (resulting in a study sample of 239 executives). A total of 65% of the respondents was involved in at least one merger between 2005 and 2012. During this period, Dutch healthcare providers faced a number of policy changes, including increasing competition, more pressure from purchasers, growing financial risks, de-institutionalisation of long-term care and decentralisation of healthcare services to municipalities. Our empirical study shows that healthcare providers predominantly merge to improve the provision of healthcare services and to strengthen their market position. Also efficiency and financial reasons are important drivers of merger activity in healthcare. We find that motives for merger are related to changes in health policies, in particular to the increasing pressure from competitors, insurers and municipalities.

  13. Nonaqueous slip casting of high temperature ceramic superconductors using an investment casting technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooker, Matthew W. (Inventor); Taylor, Theodore D. (Inventor); Wise, Stephanie A. (Inventor); Buckley, John D. (Inventor); Vasquez, Peter (Inventor); Buck, Gregory M. (Inventor); Hicks, Lana P. (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    A process for slip casting ceramic articles that does not employ parting agents and affords the casting of complete, detailed, precision articles that do not possess parting lines is presented. This process is especially useful for high temperature superconductors and water-sensitive ceramics. A wax pattern for a shell mold is provided, and an aqueous mixture of a calcium sulfate-bonded investment material is applied as a coating to the wax pattern. The coated wax pattern is then dried, followed by curing to vaporize the wax pattern and leave a shell mold of the calcium sulfate-bonded investment material. The shell mold is cooled to room temperature, and a ceramic slip, created by dispersing a ceramic powder in an organic liquid, is poured therein. After a ceramic shell of desired thickness or a solid article has set up in the shell mold, excess ceramic slip is poured out. The shell mold is misted with water and peeled away from the ceramic article, after which the ceramic is fired to provide a complete, detailed, precision, high temperature superconductive ceramic article without parting lines. The casting technique may take place in the presence of a magnetic field to orient the ceramic powders during the casting process.

  14. School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) 2000 Public-Use Data Files, User's Manual, and Detailed Data Documentation. [CD-ROM].

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC.

    This CD-ROM contains the raw, public-use data from the 2000 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) along with a User's Manual and Detailed Data Documentation. The data are provided in SAS, SPSS, STATA, and ASCII formats. The User's Manual and the Detailed Data Documentation are provided as .pdf files. (Author)

  15. Determination of structure of oriented samples using two-dimensional solid state NMR techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin Hong; Harbison, G.S.

    1990-01-01

    One dimensional and two-dimensional MAS techniques can give detailed information about the structure and dynamics of oriented systems. We describe the application of such techniques to the liquid-crystalline polymer poly(p-phenyleneterphtalimide) (PPTA), and thence deduce the solid-state structure of the material. (author). 9 refs.; 6 figs

  16. Transformer ageing modern condition monitoring techniques and their interpretations

    CERN Document Server

    Purkait, Prithwiraj

    2017-01-01

    This book is a one-stop guide to state-of-the-art research in transformer ageing, condition monitoring and diagnosis. It is backed by rigorous research projects supported by the Australian Research Council in collaboration with several transmission and distribution companies. Many of the diagnostic techniques and tools developed in these projects have been applied by electricity utilities and would appeal to both researchers and practicing engineers. Important topics covered in this book include transformer insulation materials and their ageing behaviour, transformer condition monitoring techniques and detailed diagnostic techniques and their interpretation schemes. It also features a monitoring framework for smart transformers as well as a chapter on biodegradable oil.

  17. MSC/NASTRAN ''expert'' techniques developed and applied to the TFTR poloidal field coils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Toole, J.A.

    1986-01-01

    The TFTR poloidal field (PF) coils are being analyzed by PPPL and Grumman using MSC/NASTRAN as a part of an overall effort to establish the absolute limiting conditions of operation for TFTR. Each of the PF coils will be analyzed in depth, using a detailed set of finite element models. Several of the models developed are quite large because each copper turn, as well as its surrounding insulation, was modeled using solid elements. Several of the finite element models proved large enough to tax the capabilities of the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center (NMFECC), specifically disk storage space. To allow the use of substructuring techniques with their associated data bases for the larger models, it became necessary to employ certain infrequently used MSC/NASTRAN ''expert'' techniques. The techniques developed used multiple data bases and data base sets to divide each problem into a series of computer runs. For each run, only the data required was kept on active disk space, the remainder being placed in inactive ''FILEM'' storage, thus, minimizing active disk space required at any time and permitting problem solution using the NMFECC. A representative problem using the TFTR OH-1 coil global model provides an example of the techniques developed. The special considerations necessary to obtain proper results are discussed

  18. Groundwater movements around a repository. Phase 1, State of the art and detailed study plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindblom, U.

    1977-02-01

    The report was prepared as the first phase of a study of the groundwater movements around a repository for spent nuclear fuel in the precambrian bedrock of Sweden. The objectives of these studies are to provide a state of the art review of groundwater slow in the region of a repository in granitic rock, in order to provide a basis for long term containment assessments and to prepare a detailed study plan for the continuation of the project. The different processes affecting the groundwater situation for containment are given. A state of the art review of the fluid flow, geochemical, heat transfer and rock mechanics processes as they relate to containment is presented. A detailed study plan to provide a comprehensive assessment of the hydrogeological regime around the repository during its lifetime is also presented. The groundwater flow fields will provide a basis for subsequent long term containment studies. (L.B.)

  19. Contemporary Tools and Techniques for Substrate Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia in Structural Heart Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutchinson, Mathew D; Garza, Hyon-He K

    2018-02-24

    As we have witnessed in other arenas of catheter-based therapeutics, ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation has become increasingly anatomical in its execution. Multi-modality imaging provides anatomical detail in substrate characterization, which is often complex in nonischemic cardiomyopathy patients. Patients with intramural, intraseptal, and epicardial substrates provide challenges in delivering effective ablation to the critical arrhythmia substrate due to the depth of origin or the presence of adjacent critical structures. Novel ablation techniques such as simultaneous unipolar or bipolar ablation can be useful to achieve greater lesion depth, though at the expense of increasing collateral damage. Disruptive technologies like stereotactic radioablation may provide a tailored approach to these complex patients while minimizing procedural risk. Substrate ablation is a cornerstone of the contemporary VT ablation procedure, and recent data suggest that it is as effective and more efficient that conventional activation guided ablation. A number of specific targets and techniques for substrate ablation have been described, and all have shown a fairly high success in achieving their acute procedural endpoint. Substrate ablation also provides a novel and reproducible procedural endpoint, which may add predictive value for VT recurrence beyond conventional programmed stimulation. Extrapolation of outcome data to nonischemic phenotypes requires caution given both the variability in substrate nonischemic distribution and the underrepresentation of these patients in previous trials.

  20. The Technique of the Sound Studio: Radio, Record Production, Television, and Film. Revised Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nisbett, Alec

    Detailed explanations of the studio techniques used in radio, record, television, and film sound production are presented in as non-technical language as possible. An introductory chapter discusses the physics and physiology of sound. Subsequent chapters detail standards for sound control in the studio; explain the planning and routine of a sound…

  1. Atomic force microscopic neutron-induced alpha-autoradiography for boron imaging in detailed cellular histology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amemiya, K.; Takahashi, H.; Fujita, K.; Nakazawa, M.; Yanagie, H.; Eriguchi, M.; Nakagawa, Y.; Sakurai, Y.

    2006-01-01

    The information on subcellular microdistribution of 10 B compounds a cell is significant to evaluate the efficacy of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) because the damage brought by the released alpha/lithium particles is highly localized along their path, and radiation sensitivity is quite different among each cell organelles. In neutron-induced alpha-autoradiography (NIAR) technique, 10 B can be measured as tracks for the energetic charged particles from 10 B(n, alpha) 7 Li reactions in solid state track detectors. To perform the NIAR at intracellular structure level for research of 10 B uptake and/or microdosimetry in BNCT, we have developed high-resolution NIAR method with an atomic force microscope (AFM). AFM has been used for analyses of biological specimens such as proteins, DNAs and surface of living cells have, however, intracellular detailed histology of cells has been hardly resolved with AFM since flat surface of sectioned tissue has quite less topographical contrast among each organelle. In our new sample preparation method using UV processing, materials that absorb UV in a semi-thin section are selectively eroded and vaporized by UV exposure, and then fine relief for cellular organelles such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, filament structure and so on reveals on flat surface of the section, which can be observed with an AFM. The imaging resolution was comparable to TEM imaging of cells. This new method provides fast and cost-effective observation of histological sections with an AFM. Combining this method with NIAR technique, intracellular boron mapping would be possible. (author)

  2. Shock fitting classical techniques, recent developments, and memoirs of Gino Moretti

    CERN Document Server

    Paciorri, Renato

    2017-01-01

    This book describes the revolutionary capabilities of new shock fitting algorithms; a great improvement in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for high-speed numerical simulations. Shock fitting methods provide a solution to the current difficulties and inaccuracies in shock-capturing approaches. This work traces the evolution of shock-fitting methods, from the pioneering methods based on the structured grids (boundary and floating shock-fitting) to recent developments on unstructured grids, illustrating algorithmic details, significant applications and potential developments.  Also, to celebrate the centenary birth of the father of shock-fitting techniques, the book also includes a tribute to Gino Moretti, as well as his unpublished manuscript. This book will appeal to professionals, researchers, and graduate students in the field of CFD.

  3. Safety evaluation for the LMFBR plant using probabilistic risk assessment techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kani, Y.; Aizawa, K.

    1987-01-01

    This paper presents an application of probabilistic risk assessment techniques to a typical loop-type liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) plant in the detailed design stage. A comprehensive systems analysis has been performed to identify event sequences leading to core damage and provide insights into the importance of accident contributors. While traditional event tree/fault tree modeling was used for the analysis, this study involved a thorough investigation of initiating events and of support system faults. The qualification of accident sequences has been conducted by combining the fault trees based on the event trees and obtaining sequence cut sets with the use of the SETS code. This study also attempted to quantify the potential for operator recovery actions in the course of each accident sequence. (author)

  4. MATLAB Toolboxes for Reference Electrode Standardization Technique (REST) of Scalp EEG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Li; Li, Fali; Liu, Qiang; Wen, Xin; Lai, Yongxiu; Xu, Peng; Yao, Dezhong

    2017-01-01

    Reference electrode standardization technique (REST) has been increasingly acknowledged and applied as a re-reference technique to transform an actual multi-channels recordings to approximately zero reference ones in electroencephalography/event-related potentials (EEG/ERPs) community around the world in recent years. However, a more easy-to-use toolbox for re-referencing scalp EEG data to zero reference is still lacking. Here, we have therefore developed two open-source MATLAB toolboxes for REST of scalp EEG. One version of REST is closely integrated into EEGLAB, which is a popular MATLAB toolbox for processing the EEG data; and another is a batch version to make it more convenient and efficient for experienced users. Both of them are designed to provide an easy-to-use for novice researchers and flexibility for experienced researchers. All versions of the REST toolboxes can be freely downloaded at http://www.neuro.uestc.edu.cn/rest/Down.html, and the detailed information including publications, comments and documents on REST can also be found from this website. An example of usage is given with comparative results of REST and average reference. We hope these user-friendly REST toolboxes could make the relatively novel technique of REST easier to study, especially for applications in various EEG studies.

  5. Process of Integrating Screening and Detailed Risk-based Modeling Analyses to Ensure Consistent and Scientifically Defensible Results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buck, John W.; McDonald, John P.; Taira, Randal Y.

    2002-01-01

    To support cleanup and closure of these tanks, modeling is performed to understand and predict potential impacts to human health and the environment. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a screening tool for the United States Department of Energy, Office of River Protection that estimates the long-term human health risk, from a strategic planning perspective, posed by potential tank releases to the environment. This tool is being conditioned to more detailed model analyses to ensure consistency between studies and to provide scientific defensibility. Once the conditioning is complete, the system will be used to screen alternative cleanup and closure strategies. The integration of screening and detailed models provides consistent analyses, efficiencies in resources, and positive feedback between the various modeling groups. This approach of conditioning a screening methodology to more detailed analyses provides decision-makers with timely and defensible information and increases confidence in the results on the part of clients, regulators, and stakeholders

  6. Escape rate for nonequilibrium processes dominated by strong non-detailed balance force

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Ying; Xu, Song; Ao, Ping

    2018-02-01

    Quantifying the escape rate from a meta-stable state is essential to understand a wide range of dynamical processes. Kramers' classical rate formula is the product of an exponential function of the potential barrier height and a pre-factor related to the friction coefficient. Although many applications of the rate formula focused on the exponential term, the prefactor can have a significant effect on the escape rate in certain parameter regions, such as the overdamped limit and the underdamped limit. There have been continuous interests to understand the effect of non-detailed balance on the escape rate; however, how the prefactor behaves under strong non-detailed balance force remains elusive. In this work, we find that the escape rate formula has a vanishing prefactor with decreasing friction strength under the strong non-detailed balance limit. We both obtain analytical solutions in specific examples and provide a derivation for more general cases. We further verify the result by simulations and propose a testable experimental system of a charged Brownian particle in electromagnetic field. Our study demonstrates that a special care is required to estimate the effect of prefactor on the escape rate when non-detailed balance force dominates.

  7. Red blood cell image enhancement techniques for cells with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    quality or challenging conditions of the images such as poor illumination of blood smear and most importantly overlapping RBC. The algorithm comprises of two RBC segmentation that can be selected based on the image quality, circle mask technique and grayscale blood smear image processing. Detail explanations ...

  8. MODIFIED TECHNIQUE OF TOTAL LARYNGECTOMY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Predrag Spirić

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Surgical technique of total laryngectomy is well presented in many surgical textbooks. Essentially, it has remained the same since Gluck an Soerensen in 1922 described all its details. Generally, it stresses the U shape skin incision with releasing laryngeal structures and removing larynx from up to down. Further, pharyngeal reconstruction is performed with different kinds of sutures in two or more layers and is finished with skin suture and suction drainage. One of worst complications following this surgery is pharyngocutaneous fistula (PF. Modifications proposed in this this article suggests vertical skin incision with larynx removal from below upwards. In pharyngeal reconstruction we used the running locked suture in submucosal plan with „tobacco sac“ at the end on the tongue base instead of traditional T shaped suture. Suction drains were not used.The aim of study was to present the modified surgical technique of total laryingectomy and its impact on hospital stay duration and pharyngocutanous fistula formation. In this randomized study we analyzed 49 patients operated with modified surgical technique compared to 49 patient operated with traditional surgical technique of total laryngectomy. The modified technique of total laryngectomy was presented. Using modified technique we managed to decrease the PF percentage from previous 20,41% to acceptable 8,16% (p=0,0334. Also, the average hospital stay was shortened from 14,96 to 10,63 days (t =-2.9850; p=0.0358.The modified technique of total laryngectomy is safe, short and efficient surgical intervention which decreases the number of pharyngocutaneos fistulas and shortens the hospital stay.

  9. Equipment for welding of details and joints of plastic pipes in work shop conditions and at pipelines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doronin, V.A.

    1988-01-01

    A range of welding machines for operation in workshop conditions and at pipelines is presented. Set of welding equipment for mobile shop, producing prototypes, and mobile facility are developed. In 1989 they will provide the whole operation cycle of production and mounting of details and units of plastic tubes and will enable to organize the centralized production of welded and shaped details in the branch, thus excluding the shortage of these details. 8 refs.; 6 figs.; 2 tabs

  10. Authentication techniques for smart cards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, R.A.

    1994-02-01

    Smart card systems are most cost efficient when implemented as a distributed system, which is a system without central host interaction or a local database of card numbers for verifying transaction approval. A distributed system, as such, presents special card and user authentication problems. Fortunately, smart cards offer processing capabilities that provide solutions to authentication problems, provided the system is designed with proper data integrity measures. Smart card systems maintain data integrity through a security design that controls data sources and limits data changes. A good security design is usually a result of a system analysis that provides a thorough understanding of the application needs. Once designers understand the application, they may specify authentication techniques that mitigate the risk of system compromise or failure. Current authentication techniques include cryptography, passwords, challenge/response protocols, and biometrics. The security design includes these techniques to help prevent counterfeit cards, unauthorized use, or information compromise. This paper discusses card authentication and user identity techniques that enhance security for microprocessor card systems. It also describes the analysis process used for determining proper authentication techniques for a system

  11. The composite sequential clustering technique for analysis of multispectral scanner data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, M. Y.

    1972-01-01

    The clustering technique consists of two parts: (1) a sequential statistical clustering which is essentially a sequential variance analysis, and (2) a generalized K-means clustering. In this composite clustering technique, the output of (1) is a set of initial clusters which are input to (2) for further improvement by an iterative scheme. This unsupervised composite technique was employed for automatic classification of two sets of remote multispectral earth resource observations. The classification accuracy by the unsupervised technique is found to be comparable to that by traditional supervised maximum likelihood classification techniques. The mathematical algorithms for the composite sequential clustering program and a detailed computer program description with job setup are given.

  12. 3D MODELING OF HEADSTONES OF THE 2ND AND 3RD CENTURY BY LOW COST PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TECHNIQUES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Landes

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available As a dozen headstones have been discovered during excavations in south Alsace, archaeologists stored them in the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs in Strasbourg. In order to complete the survey they are used to practice by hand on the steles, they asked the INSA Strasbourg to reconstruct at least the 7 figured sandstones in 3D. The high accuracy required by the archaeologists can be reached by an expensive technique using laserscanning system. Aim of the current work is to look for an alternative method and (if appropriate low cost software allowing to provide a similar quality and a sufficient level of details. The 3D reconstruction of the headstones based exclusively on multiple images processing is presented. The step of point cloud generation is detailed because it determines the final product quality. Therefore, an assessment of the produced point cloud has been performed through comparison to a reference point cloud obtained by laser scanning technique. The steps leading to the photo-realistic textured 3D models of the headstones are presented and the software used for that are evaluated. The final product respects the accuracy requirement of 1 mm desired by the archaeologists.

  13. Dynamic re-weighted total variation technique and statistic Iterative reconstruction method for x-ray CT metal artifact reduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Chengtao; Qiu, Bensheng; Zhang, Cheng; Ma, Changyu; Yuan, Gang; Li, Ming

    2017-07-01

    Over the years, the X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been successfully used in clinical diagnosis. However, when the body of the patient to be examined contains metal objects, the image reconstructed would be polluted by severe metal artifacts, which affect the doctor's diagnosis of disease. In this work, we proposed a dynamic re-weighted total variation (DRWTV) technique combined with the statistic iterative reconstruction (SIR) method to reduce the artifacts. The DRWTV method is based on the total variation (TV) and re-weighted total variation (RWTV) techniques, but it provides a sparser representation than TV and protects the tissue details better than RWTV. Besides, the DRWTV can suppress the artifacts and noise, and the SIR convergence speed is also accelerated. The performance of the algorithm is tested on both simulated phantom dataset and clinical dataset, which are the teeth phantom with two metal implants and the skull with three metal implants, respectively. The proposed algorithm (SIR-DRWTV) is compared with two traditional iterative algorithms, which are SIR and SIR constrained by RWTV regulation (SIR-RWTV). The results show that the proposed algorithm has the best performance in reducing metal artifacts and protecting tissue details.

  14. Detailed α -decay study of 180Tl

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andel, B.; Andreyev, A. N.; Antalic, S.; Barzakh, A.; Bree, N.; Cocolios, T. E.; Comas, V. F.; Diriken, J.; Elseviers, J.; Fedorov, D. V.; Fedosseev, V. N.; Franchoo, S.; Ghys, L.; Heredia, J. A.; Huyse, M.; Ivanov, O.; Köster, U.; Liberati, V.; Marsh, B. A.; Nishio, K.; Page, R. D.; Patronis, N.; Seliverstov, M. D.; Tsekhanovich, I.; Van den Bergh, P.; Van De Walle, J.; Van Duppen, P.; Venhart, M.; Vermote, S.; Veselský, M.; Wagemans, C.

    2017-11-01

    A detailed α -decay spectroscopy study of 180Tl has been performed at ISOLDE (CERN). Z -selective ionization by the Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) coupled to mass separation provided a high-purity beam of 180Tl. Fine-structure α decays to excited levels in the daughter 176Au were identified and an α -decay scheme of 180Tl was constructed based on an analysis of α -γ and α -γ -γ coincidences. Multipolarities of several γ -ray transitions deexciting levels in 176Au were determined. Based on the analysis of reduced α -decay widths, it was found that all α decays are hindered, which signifies a change of configuration between the parent and all daughter states.

  15. Vadose zone transport field study: Detailed test plan for simulated leak tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    AL Ward; GW Gee

    2000-01-01

    : identify mechanisms controlling transport processes in soils typical of the hydrogeologic conditions of Hanford's waste disposal sites; reduce uncertainty in conceptual models; develop a detailed and accurate database of hydraulic and transport parameters for validation of three-dimensional numerical models; identify and evaluate advanced, cost-effective characterization methods with the potential to assess changing conditions in the vadose zone, particularly as surrogates of currently undetectable high-risk contaminants. This plan provides details for conducting field tests during FY 2000 to accomplish these objectives. Details of additional testing during FY 2001 and FY 2002 will be developed as part of the work planning process implemented by the Integration Project

  16. Anatomic partial nephrectomy: technique evolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azhar, Raed A; Metcalfe, Charles; Gill, Inderbir S

    2015-03-01

    Partial nephrectomy provides equivalent long-term oncologic and superior functional outcomes as radical nephrectomy for T1a renal masses. Herein, we review the various vascular clamping techniques employed during minimally invasive partial nephrectomy, describe the evolution of our partial nephrectomy technique and provide an update on contemporary thinking about the impact of ischemia on renal function. Recently, partial nephrectomy surgical technique has shifted away from main artery clamping and towards minimizing/eliminating global renal ischemia during partial nephrectomy. Supported by high-fidelity three-dimensional imaging, novel anatomic-based partial nephrectomy techniques have recently been developed, wherein partial nephrectomy can now be performed with segmental, minimal or zero global ischemia to the renal remnant. Sequential innovations have included early unclamping, segmental clamping, super-selective clamping and now culminating in anatomic zero-ischemia surgery. By eliminating 'under-the-gun' time pressure of ischemia for the surgeon, these techniques allow an unhurried, tightly contoured tumour excision with point-specific sutured haemostasis. Recent data indicate that zero-ischemia partial nephrectomy may provide better functional outcomes by minimizing/eliminating global ischemia and preserving greater vascularized kidney volume. Contemporary partial nephrectomy includes a spectrum of surgical techniques ranging from conventional-clamped to novel zero-ischemia approaches. Technique selection should be tailored to each individual case on the basis of tumour characteristics, surgical feasibility, surgeon experience, patient demographics and baseline renal function.

  17. [Preparation of simulate craniocerebral models via three dimensional printing technique].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lan, Q; Chen, A L; Zhang, T; Zhu, Q; Xu, T

    2016-08-09

    Three dimensional (3D) printing technique was used to prepare the simulate craniocerebral models, which were applied to preoperative planning and surgical simulation. The image data was collected from PACS system. Image data of skull bone, brain tissue and tumors, cerebral arteries and aneurysms, and functional regions and relative neural tracts of the brain were extracted from thin slice scan (slice thickness 0.5 mm) of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, slice thickness 1mm), computed tomography angiography (CTA), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, respectively. MIMICS software was applied to reconstruct colored virtual models by identifying and differentiating tissues according to their gray scales. Then the colored virtual models were submitted to 3D printer which produced life-sized craniocerebral models for surgical planning and surgical simulation. 3D printing craniocerebral models allowed neurosurgeons to perform complex procedures in specific clinical cases though detailed surgical planning. It offered great convenience for evaluating the size of spatial fissure of sellar region before surgery, which helped to optimize surgical approach planning. These 3D models also provided detailed information about the location of aneurysms and their parent arteries, which helped surgeons to choose appropriate aneurismal clips, as well as perform surgical simulation. The models further gave clear indications of depth and extent of tumors and their relationship to eloquent cortical areas and adjacent neural tracts, which were able to avoid surgical damaging of important neural structures. As a novel and promising technique, the application of 3D printing craniocerebral models could improve the surgical planning by converting virtual visualization into real life-sized models.It also contributes to functional anatomy study.

  18. Software safety analysis techniques for developing safety critical software in the digital protection system of the LMR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jang Soo; Cheon, Se Woo; Kim, Chang Hoi; Sim, Yun Sub

    2001-02-01

    This report has described the software safety analysis techniques and the engineering guidelines for developing safety critical software to identify the state of the art in this field and to give the software safety engineer a trail map between the code and standards layer and the design methodology and documents layer. We have surveyed the management aspects of software safety activities during the software lifecycle in order to improve the safety. After identifying the conventional safety analysis techniques for systems, we have surveyed in details the software safety analysis techniques, software FMEA(Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), software HAZOP(Hazard and Operability Analysis), and software FTA(Fault Tree Analysis). We have also surveyed the state of the art in the software reliability assessment techniques. The most important results from the reliability techniques are not the specific probability numbers generated, but the insights into the risk importance of software features. To defend against potential common-mode failures, high quality, defense-in-depth, and diversity are considered to be key elements in digital I and C system design. To minimize the possibility of CMFs and thus increase the plant reliability, we have provided D-in-D and D analysis guidelines.

  19. Software safety analysis techniques for developing safety critical software in the digital protection system of the LMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jang Soo; Cheon, Se Woo; Kim, Chang Hoi; Sim, Yun Sub

    2001-02-01

    This report has described the software safety analysis techniques and the engineering guidelines for developing safety critical software to identify the state of the art in this field and to give the software safety engineer a trail map between the code and standards layer and the design methodology and documents layer. We have surveyed the management aspects of software safety activities during the software lifecycle in order to improve the safety. After identifying the conventional safety analysis techniques for systems, we have surveyed in details the software safety analysis techniques, software FMEA(Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), software HAZOP(Hazard and Operability Analysis), and software FTA(Fault Tree Analysis). We have also surveyed the state of the art in the software reliability assessment techniques. The most important results from the reliability techniques are not the specific probability numbers generated, but the insights into the risk importance of software features. To defend against potential common-mode failures, high quality, defense-in-depth, and diversity are considered to be key elements in digital I and C system design. To minimize the possibility of CMFs and thus increase the plant reliability, we have provided D-in-D and D analysis guidelines

  20. Adaptive Communication Techniques for the Internet of Things

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Du

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The vision for the Internet of Things (IoT demands that material objects acquire communications and computation capabilities and become able to automatically identify themselves through standard protocols and open systems, using the Internet as their foundation. Yet, several challenges still must be addressed for this vision to become a reality. A core ingredient in such development is the ability of heterogeneous devices to communicate adaptively so as to make the best of limited spectrum availability and cope with competition which is inevitable as more and more objects connect to the system. This survey provides an overview of current developments in this area, placing emphasis on wireless sensor networks that can provide IoT capabilities for material objects and techniques that can be used in the context of systems employing low-power versions of the Internet Protocol (IP stack. The survey introduces a conceptual model that facilitates the identification of opportunities for adaptation in each layer of the network stack. After a detailed discussion of specific approaches applicable to particular layers, we consider how sharing information across layers can facilitate further adaptation. We conclude with a discussion of future research directions.

  1. Spectrometric techniques 2

    CERN Document Server

    Vanasse, George A

    2013-01-01

    Spectrometric Techniques, Volume II provides information pertinent to vacuum ultraviolet techniques to complete the demonstration of the diversity of methods available to the spectroscopist interested in the ultraviolet visible and infrared spectral regions. This book discusses the specific aspects of the technique of Fourier transform spectroscopy.Organized into five chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the large number of systematic effects in the recording of an interferogram. This text then examines the design approach for a Fourier transform spectrometer with focus on optics.

  2. Development of evaluation method for software safety analysis techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, H.; Tu, W.; Shih, C.; Chen, C.; Yang, W.; Yih, S.; Kuo, C.; Chen, M.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Full text: Following the massive adoption of digital Instrumentation and Control (I and C) system for nuclear power plant (NPP), various Software Safety Analysis (SSA) techniques are used to evaluate the NPP safety for adopting appropriate digital I and C system, and then to reduce risk to acceptable level. However, each technique has its specific advantage and disadvantage. If the two or more techniques can be complementarily incorporated, the SSA combination would be more acceptable. As a result, if proper evaluation criteria are available, the analyst can then choose appropriate technique combination to perform analysis on the basis of resources. This research evaluated the applicable software safety analysis techniques nowadays, such as, Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Markov chain modeling, Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM), and simulation-based model analysis; and then determined indexes in view of their characteristics, which include dynamic capability, completeness, achievability, detail, signal/ noise ratio, complexity, and implementation cost. These indexes may help the decision makers and the software safety analysts to choose the best SSA combination arrange their own software safety plan. By this proposed method, the analysts can evaluate various SSA combinations for specific purpose. According to the case study results, the traditional PHA + FMEA + FTA (with failure rate) + Markov chain modeling (without transfer rate) combination is not competitive due to the dilemma for obtaining acceptable software failure rates. However, the systematic architecture of FTA and Markov chain modeling is still valuable for realizing the software fault structure. The system centric techniques, such as DFM and Simulation-based model analysis, show the advantage on dynamic capability, achievability, detail, signal/noise ratio. However, their disadvantage are the completeness complexity

  3. Geosciences research: development of techniques and instruments for investigation geological environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    In order to understand the geological environment in Japan, new investigation techniques have been developed. These include: 1) Geological techniques for fracture characterization, 2) Nondestructive investigation techniques for detailed geological structure, 3) Instruments for hydraulic characterization, 4) Instruments for hydrochemical characterization. Results so far obtained are: 1) Fractures can be classified by their patterns, 2) The applicability and limitations of conventional geophysical methods were defined, 3) Instruments for measuring very low permeability were successfully developed, 4) Instruments for sampling formation water without changing in-situ conditions were developed. (author)

  4. Comparative Study of Modulation Techniques for Two-Level Voltage Source Inverters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barry W. Williams

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available A detailed comparative study of modulation techniques for single and three phase dc-ac inverters is presented.  Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation, Triplen Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation, Space Vector Modulation, Selective Harmonic Elimination and Wavelet Modulation are assessed and compared in terms of maximum fundamental output, harmonic performance, switching losses and operational mode.  The presented modulation techniques are applied to single and three phase voltage source inverters and are simulated using SIMULINK.  The simulation results clarify the inverter performance achieved using the different modulations techniques.

  5. Introduction to Body Composition Assessment Using the Deuterium Dilution Technique with Analysis of Urine Samples by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    The IAEA has fostered the more widespread use of a stable isotope technique to assess body composition in different population groups to address priority areas in public health nutrition in Member States. It has done this by supporting national and regional nutrition projects through its technical cooperation programme and coordinated research projects over many years. This publication was developed by an international group of experts to provide practical hands-on guidance in the use of this technique in settings where analysis of stable isotope ratios in biological samples is to be made by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The publication is targeted at new users of this technique, for example nutritionists, analytical chemists and other professionals. More detailed information on the theoretical background and the practical applications of state of the art methodologies to monitor changes in body composition can be found in IAEA Human Health Series No. 3, Assessment of Body Composition and Total Energy Expenditure in Humans by Stable Isotope Techniques

  6. Accelerated staining technique using kitchen microwave oven

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Archana Mukunda

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Histopathological diagnosis of specimens is greatly dependent on good sample preparation and staining. Both of these processes is governed by diffusion of fluids and dyes in and out of the tissue, which is the key to staining. Diffusion of fluids can be accelerated by the application of heat that reduces the time of staining from hours to the minute. We modified an inexpensive model of kitchen microwave oven for staining. This study is an attempt to compare the reliability of this modified technique against the tested technique of routine staining so as to establish the kitchen microwave oven as a valuable diagnostic tool. Materials and Methods: Sixty different tissue blocks were used to prepare 20 pairs of slides for 4 different stains namely hematoxylin and eosin, Van Gieson′s, 0.1% toluidine blue and periodic acid-Schiff. From each tissue block, two bits of tissues were mounted on two different slides. One slide was stained routinely, and the other stained inside a microwave. A pathologist evaluated the stained slides and the results so obtained were analyzed statistically. Results: Microwave staining considerably cut down the staining time from hours to seconds. Microwave staining showed no loss of cellular and nuclear details, uniform-staining characteristics and was of excellent quality. Interpretation and Conclusion: The cellular details, nuclear details and staining characteristics of microwave stained tissues were better than or equal to the routine stained tissue. The overall quality of microwave-stained sections was found to be better than the routine stained tissue in majority of cases.

  7. Correlation of contrast-detail analysis and clinical image quality assessment in chest radiography with a human cadaver study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Crop, An; Bacher, Klaus; Van Hoof, Tom; Smeets, Peter V; Smet, Barbara S; Vergauwen, Merel; Kiendys, Urszula; Duyck, Philippe; Verstraete, Koenraad; D'Herde, Katharina; Thierens, Hubert

    2012-01-01

    To determine the correlation between the clinical and physical image quality of chest images by using cadavers embalmed with the Thiel technique and a contrast-detail phantom. The use of human cadavers fulfilled the requirements of the institutional ethics committee. Clinical image quality was assessed by using three human cadavers embalmed with the Thiel technique, which results in excellent preservation of the flexibility and plasticity of organs and tissues. As a result, lungs can be inflated during image acquisition to simulate the pulmonary anatomy seen on a chest radiograph. Both contrast-detail phantom images and chest images of the Thiel-embalmed bodies were acquired with an amorphous silicon flat-panel detector. Tube voltage (70, 81, 90, 100, 113, 125 kVp), copper filtration (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 mm Cu), and exposure settings (200, 280, 400, 560, 800 speed class) were altered to simulate different quality levels. Four experienced radiologists assessed the image quality by using a visual grading analysis (VGA) technique based on European Quality Criteria for Chest Radiology. The phantom images were scored manually and automatically with use of dedicated software, both resulting in an inverse image quality figure (IQF). Spearman rank correlations between inverse IQFs and VGA scores were calculated. A statistically significant correlation (r = 0.80, P chest radiography. © RSNA, 2011.

  8. Eddy current technique applied to automated tube profilometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dobbeni, D.; Melsen, C. van

    1982-01-01

    The use of eddy current methods in the first totally automated pre-service inspection of the internal diameter of PWR steam generator tubes is described. The technique was developed at Laborelec, the Belgian Laboratory of the Electricity Supply Industry. Details are given of the data acquisition system and of the automated manipulator. Representative tube profiles are illustrated. (U.K.)

  9. Generation and memory for contextual detail.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulligan, Neil W

    2004-07-01

    Generation enhances item memory but may not enhance other aspects of memory. In 12 experiments, the author investigated the effect of generation on context memory, motivated in part by the hypothesis that generation produces a trade-off in encoding item and contextual information. Participants generated some study words (e.g., hot-c__) and read others (e.g., hot-cold). Generation consistently enhanced item memory but did not enhance context memory. More specifically, generation disrupted context memory for the color of the target word but did not affect context memory for location, background color, and cue-word color. The specificity of the negative generation effect in context memory argues against a general item-context trade-off. A processing account of generation meets greater success. In addition, the results provide no evidence that generation enhances recollection of contextual details. Copyright 2004 APA, all rights reserved

  10. Complex technique for studying the machine part wear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grishko, V.A.; Zhushma, V.F.

    1981-01-01

    A technique to determine the wear of steel details rolling with sliding with circulatory lubrication is suggested. The functional diagram of the experimental device and structural diagrams of equipment to register the wear of tested samples and forming the lubricating layer between them, are considered. Results of testing three conples of disc samples and the data characterizing the dependence of sample wear on the value of contact stress are presented. The peculiarity of the device used is synchronous registering of the lubricating layer formation in the place of contact and detail mass loss in time which is realized correspondingly over discharge voltage on the lubricating layer and the intensity of radiation from detail wear products activated by neutrons. On the basis, of the investigation the conclusion is made that MEhF-1 oil has a greater antiwear effectiveness than the universal TAD-17 1 oil used presently [ru

  11. Are Anesthesia Providers Ready for Hypnosis? Anesthesia Providers' Attitudes Toward Hypnotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Alexander B; Sheinberg, Rosanne; Bertram, Amanda; Seymour, Anastasia Rowland

    2016-04-01

    This study sought to measure current attitudes toward hypnosis among anesthesia providers using an in-person survey distributed at a single grand rounds at a single academic teaching hospital. One hundred twenty-six anesthesia providers (anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists) were included in this study. A 10-question Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved questionnaire was developed. One hundred twenty-six (73% of providers at the meeting) anesthesia providers completed the survey. Of the respondents, 54 (43%) were anesthesiologists, 42 (33%) were trainees (interns/residents/fellows) in anesthesia, and 30 (24%) were nurse anesthetists. Over 70% of providers, at each level of training, rated their knowledge of hypnosis as either below average or having no knowledge. Fifty-two (42%) providers agreed or strongly agreed that hypnotherapy has a place in the clinical practice of anesthesia, while 103 (83%) believed that positive suggestion has a place in the clinical practice of anesthesia (p hypnosis were that it is too time consuming (41%) and requires special training (34%). Only three respondents (2%) believed that there were no reasons for using hypnosis in their practice. These data suggest that there is a self-reported lack of knowledge about hypnosis among anesthesia providers, although many anesthesia providers are open to the use of hypnosis in their clinical practice. Anesthesia providers are more likely to support the use of positive suggestion in their practice than hypnosis. Practical concerns should be addressed if hypnosis and therapeutic verbal techniques are to gain more widespread use.

  12. Fatigue-Prone Details in Steel Bridges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohsen Heshmati

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews the results of a comprehensive investigation including more than 100 fatigue damage cases, reported for steel and composite bridges. The damage cases are categorized according to types of detail. The mechanisms behind fatigue damage in each category are identified and studied. It was found that more than 90% of all reported damage cases are of deformation-induced type and generated by some kind of unintentional or otherwise overlooked interaction between different load-carrying members or systems in the bridge. Poor detailing, with unstiffened gaps and abrupt changes in stiffness at the connections between different members were also found to contribute to fatigue cracking in many details.

  13. Experimental investigations of image quality in X-ray mammography with conventional screen film system (SFS), digital phosphor storage plate in/without magnification technique (CR) and digital CCD-technique (CCD)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Aichinger, U.; Boehner, C.; Dobritz, M.; Wenkel, E.; Bautz, W.; Saebel, M.

    2001-01-01

    Comparison of image quality in X-ray mammography between conventional film screen film system (SFS), digital phosphor storage plate in and without magnification technique (CR) and digital CCD-technique (CCD). Radiograms of an RMI-mammography phantom were acquired using a conventional screen film system, three digital storage plate systems and two digital systems in CCD-technique. Additionally the radiograms of one digital phosphor storage plate system were post-processed regarding contrast and included in the comparison. The detectability of details was best with the digital mammography in CCD-technique. After confirming these promising results in clinical studies, digital mammography should be able to replace conventional screen film technique. (orig.)

  14. Schlenk Techniques for Anionic Polymerization

    KAUST Repository

    Ratkanthwar, Kedar

    2015-09-01

    Anionic polymerization-high vacuum techniques (HVTs) are doubtlessly the most prominent and reliable experimental tools to prepare polymer samples with well-defined and, in many cases, complex macromolecular architectures. Due to the high demands for time and skilled technical personnel, HVTs are currently used in only a few research laboratories worldwide. Instead, most researchers in this filed are attracted to more facile Schlenk techniques. The basic principle of this technique followed in all laboratories is substantially the same, i.e. the use of alternate vacuum and inert gas atmosphere in glass apparatus for the purification/charging of monomer, solvents, additives, and for the manipulation of air-sensitive compounds such as alkyl metal initiators, organometallic or organic catalysts. However, it is executed quite differently in each research group in terms of the structure of Schlenk apparatus (manifolds, connections, purification/storage flasks, reactors, etc.), the use of small supplementary devices (soft tubing, cannulas, stopcocks, etc.) and experimental procedures. The operational methods are partly purpose-oriented while also featured by a high flexibility, which makes it impossible to describe in detail each specific one. In this chapter we will briefly exemplify the application of Schlenk techniques for anionic polymerization by describing the performance of a few experiments from our own work.

  15. Uranium Detection - Technique Validation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colletti, Lisa Michelle [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Chemistry Division; Garduno, Katherine [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Chemistry Division; Lujan, Elmer J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Chemistry Division; Mechler-Hickson, Alexandra Marie [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Chemistry Division; Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); May, Iain [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Chemistry Division; Reilly, Sean Douglas [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Chemistry Division

    2016-04-14

    As a LANL activity for DOE/NNSA in support of SHINE Medical Technologies™ ‘Accelerator Technology’ we have been investigating the application of UV-vis spectroscopy for uranium analysis in solution. While the technique has been developed specifically for sulfate solutions, the proposed SHINE target solutions, it can be adapted to a range of different solution matrixes. The FY15 work scope incorporated technical development that would improve accuracy, specificity, linearity & range, precision & ruggedness, and comparative analysis. Significant progress was achieved throughout FY 15 addressing these technical challenges, as is summarized in this report. In addition, comparative analysis of unknown samples using the Davies-Gray titration technique highlighted the importance of controlling temperature during analysis (impacting both technique accuracy and linearity/range). To fully understand the impact of temperature, additional experimentation and data analyses were performed during FY16. The results from this FY15/FY16 work were presented in a detailed presentation, LA-UR-16-21310, and an update of this presentation is included with this short report summarizing the key findings. The technique is based on analysis of the most intense U(VI) absorbance band in the visible region of the uranium spectra in 1 M H2SO4, at λmax = 419.5 nm.

  16. Enamel paint techniques in archaeology and their identification using XRF and micro-XRF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hložek, M.; Trojek, T.; Komoróczy, B.; Prokeš, R.

    2017-08-01

    This investigation focuses in detail on the analysis of discoveries in South Moravia - important sites from the Roman period in Pasohlávky and Mušov. Using X-ray fluorescence analysis and micro-analysis we help identify the techniques of enamel paint and give a thorough chemical analysis in details which would not be possible to determine by means of macroscopic examination. We thus address the influence of elemental composition on the final colour of the enamel paint and describe the less known technique of combining enamel with millefiori. The material analyses of the metal artefacts decorated with enamel paint significantly contribute to our knowledge of the technology being used during the Roman period.

  17. Detailed Soils 24K

    Data.gov (United States)

    Kansas Data Access and Support Center — This data set is a digital soil survey and is the most detailed level of soil geographic data developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. The information was...

  18. Dynamic acousto-elastic testing of concrete with a coda-wave probe: comparison with standard linear and nonlinear ultrasonic techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shokouhi, Parisa; Rivière, Jacques; Lake, Colton R; Le Bas, Pierre-Yves; Ulrich, T J

    2017-11-01

    The use of nonlinear acoustic techniques in solids consists in measuring wave distortion arising from compliant features such as cracks, soft intergrain bonds and dislocations. As such, they provide very powerful nondestructive tools to monitor the onset of damage within materials. In particular, a recent technique called dynamic acousto-elasticity testing (DAET) gives unprecedented details on the nonlinear elastic response of materials (classical and non-classical nonlinear features including hysteresis, transient elastic softening and slow relaxation). Here, we provide a comprehensive set of linear and nonlinear acoustic responses on two prismatic concrete specimens; one intact and one pre-compressed to about 70% of its ultimate strength. The two linear techniques used are Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and Resonance Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS), while the nonlinear ones include DAET (fast and slow dynamics) as well as Nonlinear Resonance Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NRUS). In addition, the DAET results correspond to a configuration where the (incoherent) coda portion of the ultrasonic record is used to probe the samples, as opposed to a (coherent) first arrival wave in standard DAET tests. We find that the two visually identical specimens are indistinguishable based on parameters measured by linear techniques (UPV and RUS). On the contrary, the extracted nonlinear parameters from NRUS and DAET are consistent and orders of magnitude greater for the damaged specimen than those for the intact one. This compiled set of linear and nonlinear ultrasonic testing data including the most advanced technique (DAET) provides a benchmark comparison for their use in the field of material characterization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Calibrating Detailed Chemical Analysis of M dwarfs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veyette, Mark; Muirhead, Philip Steven; Mann, Andrew; Brewer, John; Allard, France; Homeier, Derek

    2018-01-01

    The ability to perform detailed chemical analysis of Sun-like F-, G-, and K-type stars is a powerful tool with many applications including studying the chemical evolution of the Galaxy, assessing membership in stellar kinematic groups, and constraining planet formation theories. Unfortunately, complications in modeling cooler stellar atmospheres has hindered similar analysis of M-dwarf stars. Large surveys of FGK abundances play an important role in developing methods to measure the compositions of M dwarfs by providing benchmark FGK stars that have widely-separated M dwarf companions. These systems allow us to empirically calibrate metallicity-sensitive features in M dwarf spectra. However, current methods to measure metallicity in M dwarfs from moderate-resolution spectra are limited to measuring overall metallicity and largely rely on astrophysical abundance correlations in stellar populations. In this talk, I will discuss how large, homogeneous catalogs of precise FGK abundances are crucial to advancing chemical analysis of M dwarfs beyond overall metallicity to direct measurements of individual elemental abundances. I will present a new method to analyze high-resolution, NIR spectra of M dwarfs that employs an empirical calibration of synthetic M dwarf spectra to infer effective temperature, Fe abundance, and Ti abundance. This work is a step toward detailed chemical analysis of M dwarfs at a similar precision achieved for FGK stars.

  20. Development of accelerator-based γ-ray-induced positron annihilation spectroscopy technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selim, F.A.; Wells, D.P.; Harmon, J. F.; Williams, J.

    2005-01-01

    Accelerator-based γ-ray-induced positron annihilation spectroscopy performs positron annihilation spectroscopy by utilizing MeV bremsstrahlung radiation generated from an accelerator (We have named the technique 'accelerator-based γ-ray-induced PAS', even though 'bremsstrahlung' is more correct here than 'γ rays'. The reason for that is to make the name of the technique more general, since PAS may be performed by utilizing MeV γ rays emitted from nuclei through the use of accelerators as described later in this article and as in the case of positron lifetime spectroscopy [F.A. Selim, D.P. Wells, and J.F. Harmon, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 76, 033905 (2005)].) instead of using positrons from radioactive sources or positron beams. MeV γ rays create positrons inside the materials by pair production. The induced positrons annihilate with the material electrons emitting a 511-keV annihilation radiation. Doppler broadening spectroscopy of the 511-keV radiation provides information about open-volume defects and plastic deformation in solids. The high penetration of MeV γ rays allows probing of defects at high depths in thick materials up to several centimeters, which is not possible with most of the current nondestructive techniques. In this article, a detailed description of the technique will be presented, including its benefits and limitations relative to the other nondestructive methods. Its application on the investigation of plastic deformation in thick steel alloys will be shown

  1. Crowdsourcing detailed flood data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walliman, Nicholas; Ogden, Ray; Amouzad*, Shahrzhad

    2015-04-01

    Over the last decade the average annual loss across the European Union due to flooding has been 4.5bn Euros, but increasingly intense rainfall, as well as population growth, urbanisation and the rising costs of asset replacements, may see this rise to 23bn Euros a year by 2050. Equally disturbing are the profound social costs to individuals, families and communities which in addition to loss of lives include: loss of livelihoods, decreased purchasing and production power, relocation and migration, adverse psychosocial effects, and hindrance of economic growth and development. Flood prediction, management and defence strategies rely on the availability of accurate information and flood modelling. Whilst automated data gathering (by measurement and satellite) of the extent of flooding is already advanced it is least reliable in urban and physically complex geographies where often the need for precise estimation is most acute. Crowdsourced data of actual flood events is a potentially critical component of this allowing improved accuracy in situations and identifying the effects of local landscape and topography where the height of a simple kerb, or discontinuity in a boundary wall can have profound importance. Mobile 'App' based data acquisition using crowdsourcing in critical areas can combine camera records with GPS positional data and time, as well as descriptive data relating to the event. This will automatically produce a dataset, managed in ArcView GIS, with the potential for follow up calls to get more information through structured scripts for each strand. Through this local residents can provide highly detailed information that can be reflected in sophisticated flood protection models and be core to framing urban resilience strategies and optimising the effectiveness of investment. This paper will describe this pioneering approach that will develop flood event data in support of systems that will advance existing approaches such as developed in the in the UK

  2. A detailed cost analysis of in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouwmans, C.A.; Lintsen, A.M.E.; Eijkemans, M.J.; Habbema, J.D.F.; Braat, D.D.M.; Hakkaart, L.

    2008-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To provide detailed information about costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment stages and to estimate the cost per IVF and ICSI treatment cycle and ongoing pregnancy. DESIGN: Descriptive micro-costing study. SETTING: Four Dutch IVF

  3. Recovering and Preventing Loss of Detailed Memory: Differential Rates of Forgetting for Detail Types in Episodic Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekeres, Melanie J.; Bonasia, Kyra; St-Laurent, Marie; Pishdadian, Sara; Winocur, Gordon; Grady, Cheryl; Moscovitch, Morris

    2016-01-01

    Episodic memories undergo qualitative changes with time, but little is known about how different aspects of memory are affected. Different types of information in a memory, such as perceptual detail, and central themes, may be lost at different rates. In patients with medial temporal lobe damage, memory for perceptual details is severely impaired,…

  4. Integration of snow management practices into a detailed snow pack model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spandre, Pierre; Morin, Samuel; Lafaysse, Matthieu; Lejeune, Yves; François, Hugues; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle

    2016-04-01

    The management of snow on ski slopes is a key socio-economic and environmental issue in mountain regions. Indeed the winter sports industry has become a very competitive global market although this economy remains particularly sensitive to weather and snow conditions. The understanding and implementation of snow management in detailed snowpack models is a major step towards a more realistic assessment of the evolution of snow conditions in ski resorts concerning past, present and future climate conditions. Here we describe in a detailed manner the integration of snow management processes (grooming, snowmaking) into the snowpack model Crocus (Spandre et al., Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., in press). The effect of the tiller is explicitly taken into account and its effects on snow properties (density, snow microstructure) are simulated in addition to the compaction induced by the weight of the grooming machine. The production of snow in Crocus is carried out with respect to specific rules and current meteorological conditions. Model configurations and results are described in detail through sensitivity tests of the model of all parameters related to snow management processes. In-situ observations were carried out in four resorts in the French Alps during the 2014-2015 winter season considering for each resort natural, groomed only and groomed plus snowmaking conditions. The model provides realistic simulations of the snowpack properties with respect to these observations. The main uncertainty pertains to the efficiency of the snowmaking process. The observed ratio between the mass of machine-made snow on ski slopes and the water mass used for production was found to be lower than was expected from the literature, in every resort. The model now referred to as "Crocus-Resort" has been proven to provide realistic simulations of snow conditions on ski slopes and may be used for further investigations. Spandre, P., S. Morin, M. Lafaysse, Y. Lejeune, H. François and E. George

  5. Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) process, elements and techniques guidance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-12-01

    This manual provides detailed guidance on Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies (RI/FSs) conducted pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. The purpose of the RI/FS, to assess the risk posed by a hazardous waste site and to determine the best way to reduce that risk, and its structure (site characterization, risk assessment, screening and detailed analysis of alternatives, etc.) is defined in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) and further explained in the Environmental Protection Agency`s (EPA`s) Guidance for Conducting Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Studies Under CERCLA (Interim Final) 540/G-89/004, OSWER Directive 9355.3-01, October 1988. Though issued in 1988, the EPA guidance remains an excellent source of information on the conduct and structure of an RI/FS. This document makes use of supplemental RI/FS-related guidance that EPA has developed since its initial document was issued in 1988, incorporates practical lessons learned in more than 12 years of experience in CERCLA hazardous site remediation, and drawing on those lessons, introduces the Streamlined Approach For Environmental Restoration (SAFER), developed by DOE as a way to proceed quickly and efficiently through the RI/FS process at DOE facilities. Thus as its title implies, this guidance is intended to describe in detail the process and component elements of an RI/FS, as well as techniques to manage the RI/FS effectively.

  6. Fundamentals of electrochemical detection techniques for CE and MCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubán, Pavel; Hauser, Peter C

    2009-10-01

    The electroanalytical techniques of amperometry, conductometry and potentiometry match well with the instrumental simplicity of CE. Indeed, all three detection approaches have been reported for electrophoretic separations. However, the characteristics of the three methods are quite distinct and these are not related to the optical methods more commonly employed. A detailed discussion of the underlying principles of each is given. The issue of possible effects of the separation voltage on the electrochemical detection techniques is considered in depth, and approaches to the elimination of such interferences are also discussed for each case.

  7. Progress on acoustic techniques for LMFBR structural surveillance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burton, E J; Bentley, P G; McKnight, J A [RNL, UKAEA, Risley, Warrington, Cheshire (United Kingdom)

    1980-11-01

    Acoustic techniques are being developed to monitor remotely the incipient events of various modes of failure. Topics have been selected from the development programme which are either of special importance or in which significant advances have been made recently. Ultrasonic inspection of stainless steel welds is difficult and one alternative approach which is being explored is to identify manufacturing defects during fabrication by monitoring the welding processes. Preliminary measurements are described of the acoustic events measured during deliberately defective welding tests in the laboratory and some initial analysis using pattern recognition techniques is described. The assessment of structural failures using probability analysis has emphasised the potential value of continuous monitoring during operation and this has led to the investigation into the use of vibrational analysis and acoustic emission as monitoring techniques. Mechanical failure from fatigue may be anticipated from measurement of vibrational modes and experience from PFR and from models have indicated the depth of detailed understanding required to achieve this. In the laboratory a vessel with an artificial defect has been pressurised to failure. Detection of the weak stress wave emissions was possible but difficult and the prospects for on-line monitoring are discussed. Ultrasonic technology for providing images of components immersed in the opaque sodium of LMFBRs is being developed. Images are cormed by the physical scanning of a target using transducers in a pulse-echo mode. Lead zirconate transducers have been developed which can be deployed during reactor shut-down. The first application will be to examine a limited area of the core of PFR. Handling the data from such an experiment involves developing methods for reading and storing the information from such ultrasonic echo. Such techniques have been tested in real time by simulation in a water model. Methods of enhancing the images to be

  8. Making detailed predictions makes (some) predictions worse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Theresa F.

    In this paper, we investigate whether making detailed predictions about an event makes other predictions worse. Across 19 experiments, 10,895 participants, and 415,960 predictions about 724 professional sports games, we find that people who made detailed predictions about sporting events (e.g., how many hits each baseball team would get) made worse predictions about more general outcomes (e.g., which team would win). We rule out that this effect is caused by inattention or fatigue, thinking too hard, or a differential reliance on holistic information about the teams. Instead, we find that thinking about game-relevant details before predicting winning teams causes people to give less weight to predictive information, presumably because predicting details makes information that is relatively useless for predicting the winning team more readily accessible in memory and therefore incorporated into forecasts. Furthermore, we show that this differential use of information can be used to predict what kinds of games will and will not be susceptible to the negative effect of making detailed predictions.

  9. Techniques of power production from biogas and syngas. Extended abstract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Couturier, Ch.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study is to achieve a state of the art on the techniques of electricity production (mainly engines and turbines) from biomass gases (biogas and syngas). After a brief description of the various routes to produce gas from biomass, i.e. anaerobic digestion and gasification, the study shows the composition of these gases, their constituents, the factors characterizing combustion, to finish on air emissions. Then, there is a description of the general principles and parameters of operation and adjustment of the main electricity production techniques: and their various possible associations. This chapter is concluded by a comparative synthesis on the scopes and maturity of each technique. The second chapter is a review of different processes to remove contaminants of biogas and syngas. It gives operating principle, feedback, costs and development. The third chapter is an economical, energy and environmental analysis of the techniques of electricity production. The fourth chapter is a technical guide, with some practical details to operate a plant about treatment, functioning of machines. This is also a synthesis of difficulties. An economic and environmental analysis of biogas plants permits to compare different choices. This guide gives information to actors in this field to make decisions. The study is finished by a synthesis with key points and research fields, followed by a conclusion. The last chapter lists resource materials: bibliography and patents of the last 10 years. Provided in appendix, there is a directory about actors like equipment manufacturers or operating contractors. (author)

  10. Diagnostic techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berquist, T.H.; Bender, C.E.; James, E.M.; Brown, M.L.; McLeod, R.A.; Broderick, D.F.; Welch, T.J.

    1989-01-01

    Proper application of imaging procedures is essential to obtain needed information for diagnosis and therapy planning in patients with suspected foot and/or ankle pathology. This paper provides basic background data for the numerous imaging techniques

  11. Practical aspects of the resin bead technique for mass spectrometric sample loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, R.L.; Pritchard, C.A.; Carter, J.A.; Smith, D.H.

    1976-07-01

    Using an anion resin bead as a loading vehicle for uranium and plutonium samples which are to be analyzed isotopically in a mass spectrometer has many advantages over conventional techniques. It is applicable to any laboratory routinely performing such analyses, but should be particularly relevant for Safeguards' purposes. Because the techniques required differ markedly from those of conventional methods, this report has been written to describe them in detail to enable those unfamiliar with the technique to master it with a minimum of trouble

  12. A Novel Image Steganography Technique for Secured Online Transaction Using DWT and Visual Cryptography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anitha Devi, M. D.; ShivaKumar, K. B.

    2017-08-01

    Online payment eco system is the main target especially for cyber frauds. Therefore end to end encryption is very much needed in order to maintain the integrity of secret information related to transactions carried online. With access to payment related sensitive information, which enables lot of money transactions every day, the payment infrastructure is a major target for hackers. The proposed system highlights, an ideal approach for secure online transaction for fund transfer with a unique combination of visual cryptography and Haar based discrete wavelet transform steganography technique. This combination of data hiding technique reduces the amount of information shared between consumer and online merchant needed for successful online transaction along with providing enhanced security to customer’s account details and thereby increasing customer’s confidence preventing “Identity theft” and “Phishing”. To evaluate the effectiveness of proposed algorithm Root mean square error, Peak signal to noise ratio have been used as evaluation parameters

  13. Using intelligent clustering techniques to classify the energy performance of school buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santamouris, M.; Sfakianaki, K.; Papaglastra, M.; Pavlou, C.; Doukas, P.; Geros, V.; Assimakopoulos, M.N.; Zerefos, S. [University of Athens, Department of Physics, Division of Applied Physics, Laboratory of Meteorology, Athens (Greece); Mihalakakou, G.; Gaitani, N. [University of Ioannina, Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, Agrinio (Greece); Patargias, P. [University of Peloponnesus, Faculty of Human Sciences and Cultural Studies, Department of History, Kalamata (Greece); Primikiri, E. [University of Patras, Department of Architecture, Patras (Greece); Mitoula, R. [Charokopion University of Athens, Athens (Greece)

    2007-07-01

    The present paper deals with the energy performance, energy classification and rating and the global environmental quality of school buildings. A new energy classification technique based on intelligent clustering methodologies is proposed. Energy rating of school buildings provides specific information on their energy consumption and efficiency relative to the other buildings of similar nature and permits a better planning of interventions to improve its energy performance. The overall work reported in the present paper, is carried out in three phases. During the first phase energy consumption data have been collected through energy surveys performed in 320 schools in Greece. In the second phase an innovative energy rating scheme based on fuzzy clustering techniques has been developed, while in the third phase, 10 schools have been selected and detailed measurements of their energy efficiency and performance as well as of the global environmental quality have been performed using a specific experimental protocol. The proposed energy rating method has been applied while the main environmental and energy problems have been identified. The potential for energy and environmental improvements has been assessed. (author)

  14. L2-gain and passivity techniques in nonlinear control

    CERN Document Server

    van der Schaft, Arjan

    2017-01-01

    This standard text gives a unified treatment of passivity and L2-gain theory for nonlinear state space systems, preceded by a compact treatment of classical passivity and small-gain theorems for nonlinear input-output maps. The synthesis between passivity and L2-gain theory is provided by the theory of dissipative systems. Specifically, the small-gain and passivity theorems and their implications for nonlinear stability and stabilization are discussed from this standpoint. The connection between L2-gain and passivity via scattering is detailed. Feedback equivalence to a passive system and resulting stabilization strategies are discussed. The passivity concepts are enriched by a generalised Hamiltonian formalism, emphasising the close relations with physical modeling and control by interconnection, and leading to novel control methodologies going beyond passivity. The potential of L2-gain techniques in nonlinear control, including a theory of all-pass factorizations of nonlinear systems, and of parametrization...

  15. Improved self-reliance shearing interferometric technique for collimation testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Mingshan; Li, Guohua; Wang, Zhaobing; Jing, Yaling; Li, Yi

    1995-06-01

    Self-reference single plate shearing interferometric technique used for collimation testing of light beams are briefly reviewed. Two improved configurations of this self-reference interferometry with an inclined screen and matched half-field interferograms are described in detail. Sensitivity of these configurations is analyzed and compared with that of the existing ones.

  16. Secondary side photographic techniques used in characterization of Surry steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinclair, R.B.

    1984-10-01

    Characterization of the generator's secondary side prior to destructive removal of tubing presents a significant challenge. Information must be obtained in a radioactive field (up to 15 R/h) throughout the tightly spaced bundle of steam generator tubes. This report discusses the various techniques employed, along with their respective advantages and disadvantages. The most successful approach to nondestructive secondary side characterization and documentation was through use of in-house developed pinhole cameras. These devices provided accurate photographic documentation of generator condition. They could be fabricated in geometries allowing access to all parts of the generator. Semi-remote operation coupled with large area coverage per investigation and short at-location times resulted in significant personnel exposure advantages. The fabrication and use of pinhole cameras for remote inspection is discussed in detail

  17. A hybrid SEA/modal technique for modeling structural-acoustic interior noise in rotorcraft.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayachandran, V; Bonilha, M W

    2003-03-01

    This paper describes a hybrid technique that combines Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) predictions for structural vibration with acoustic modal summation techniques to predict interior noise levels in rotorcraft. The method was applied for predicting the sound field inside a mock-up of the interior panel system of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. The vibration amplitudes of the frame and panel systems were predicted using a detailed SEA model and these were used as inputs to the model of the interior acoustic space. The spatial distribution of the vibration field on individual panels, and their coupling to the acoustic space were modeled using stochastic techniques. Leakage and nonresonant transmission components were accounted for using space-averaged values obtained from a SEA model of the complete structural-acoustic system. Since the cabin geometry was quite simple, the modeling of the interior acoustic space was performed using a standard modal summation technique. Sound pressure levels predicted by this approach at specific microphone locations were compared with measured data. Agreement within 3 dB in one-third octave bands above 40 Hz was observed. A large discrepancy in the one-third octave band in which the first acoustic mode is resonant (31.5 Hz) was observed. Reasons for such a discrepancy are discussed in the paper. The developed technique provides a method for modeling helicopter cabin interior noise in the frequency mid-range where neither FEA nor SEA is individually effective or accurate.

  18. Head and neck computed tomography virtual endoscopy: evaluation of a new imaging technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallivan, R P; Nguyen, T H; Armstrong, W B

    1999-10-01

    To evaluate a new radiographic imaging technique: computed tomography virtual endoscopy (CTVE) for head and neck tumors. Twenty-one patients presenting with head and neck masses who underwent axial computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast were evaluated by CTVE. Comparisons were made with video-recorded images and operative records to evaluate the potential utility of this new imaging technique. Twenty-one patients with aerodigestive head and neck tumors were evaluated by CTVE. One patient had a nasal cylindrical cell papilloma; the remainder, squamous cell carcinomas distributed throughout the upper aerodigestive tract. Patients underwent complete head and neck examination, flexible laryngoscopy, axial CT with contrast, CTVE, and in most cases, operative endoscopy. Available clinical and radiographic evaluations were compared and correlated to CTVE findings. CTVE accurately demonstrated abnormalities caused by intraluminal tumor, but where there was apposition of normal tissue against tumor, inaccurate depictions of surface contour occurred. Contour resolution was limited, and mucosal irregularity could not be defined. There was very good overall correlation between virtual images, flexible laryngoscopic findings, rigid endoscopy, and operative evaluation in cases where oncological resections were performed. CTVE appears to be most accurate in evaluation of subglottic and nasopharyngeal anatomy in our series of patients. CTVE is a new radiographic technique that provides surface-contour details. The technique is undergoing rapid technical evolution, and although the image quality is limited in situations where there is apposition of tissue folds, there are a number of potential applications for this new imaging technique.

  19. Experimental techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roussel-Chomaz, P.

    2007-01-01

    This lecture presents the experimental techniques, developed in the last 10 or 15 years, in order to perform a new class of experiments with exotic nuclei, where the reactions induced by these nuclei allow to get information on their structure. A brief review of the secondary beams production methods will be given, with some examples of facilities in operation or under project. The important developments performed recently on cryogenic targets will be presented. The different detection systems will be reviewed, both the beam detectors before the targets, and the many kind of detectors necessary to detect all outgoing particles after the reaction: magnetic spectrometer for the heavy fragment, detection systems for the target recoil nucleus, γ detectors. Finally, several typical examples of experiments will be detailed, in order to illustrate the use of each detector either alone, or in coincidence with others. (author)

  20. Lab-Based Measurement of Remediation Techniques for Radiation Portal Monitors (Initial Report)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Livesay, Jake

    2012-01-01

    Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM) deployed by the Second Line of Defense (SLD) are known to be sensitive to the natural environmental radioactive background. There are several techniques used to mitigate the effects of background on the monitors, but since the installation environments can vary significantly from one another the need for a standardized, systematic, study of remediation techniques was proposed and carried out. This study is not meant to serve as the absolute last word on the subject. The data collected are, however, intelligible and useful. Some compromises were made, each of which will be described in detail. The hope of this initial report is to familiarize the SLD science teams with ORNL's effort to model the effect of various remediation techniques on simple, static backgrounds. This study provides a good start toward benchmarking the model, and each additional increment of data will serve to make the model more robust. The scope of this initial study is limited to a few basic cases. Its purpose is to prove the utility of lab-based study of remediation techniques and serve as a standard data set for future use. This importance of this first step of standardization will become obvious when science teams are working in parallel on issues of remediation; having a common starting point will do away with one category of difference, thereby making easier the task of determining the sources of disagreement. Further measurements will augment this data set, allowing for further constraint of the universe of possible situations. As will be discussed in the 'Going Forward' section, more data will be included in the final report of this work. Of particular interest will be the data taken with the official TSA lead collimators, which will provide more direct results for comparison with installation data.

  1. New techniques provide low-cost X-ray inspection of highly attenuating materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stupin, D.M.; Mueller, K.H.; Viskoe, D.A.; Howard, B.; Poland, R.W.; Schneberk, D.; Dolan, K.; Thompson, K.; Stoker, G.

    1995-01-01

    As a result of an arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation, both countries will each be storing over 40,000 containers of plutonium. To help detect any deterioration of the containers and prevent leakage, the authors are designing a digital radiography and computed tomography system capable of handling this volume reliably, efficiently, and at a lower cost. The materials to be stored have very high x-ray attenuations, and, in the past, were inspected using 1- to 24-MV x-ray sources. This inspection system, however, uses a new scintillating (Lockheed) glass and an integrating CCD camera. Preliminary experiments show that this will permit the use of a 450-kV x-ray source. This low-energy system will cost much less than others designed to use a higher-energy x-ray source because it will require a less expensive source, less shielding, and less floor space. Furthermore, they can achieve a tenfold improvement in spatial resolution by using their knowledge of the point-spread function of the x-ray imaging system and a least-squares fitting technique

  2. The detailed balance requirement and general empirical formalisms for continuum absorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Q.; Tipping, R. H.

    1994-01-01

    Two general empirical formalisms are presented for the spectral density which take into account the deviations from the Lorentz line shape in the wing regions of resonance lines. These formalisms satisfy the detailed balance requirement. Empirical line shape functions, which are essential to provide the continuum absorption at different temperatures in various frequency regions for atmospheric transmission codes, can be obtained by fitting to experimental data.

  3. A Novel Technique of Supra Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System Hyaluronic Acid Injection for Lower Face Lifting

    OpenAIRE

    Sahawatwong, Sinijchaya; Sirithanabadeekul, Punyaphat; Patanajareet, Vasiyapha; Wattanakrai, Penpun; Thanasarnaksorn, Wilai

    2016-01-01

    Background: Various methods attempting to correct sagging of the lower face focus mainly on manipulation of the superficial musculoaponeurotic System. Each technique has its own limitation. The authors propose a relatively simple, conservative method utilizing hyaluronic acid injection just above the superficial musculoaponeurotic System. Objective: To address a novel hyaluronic injection technique to lift the lower face. Methods: Details of the injection techniques are described. The Positio...

  4. Nuclear magnetic resonance provides a quantitative description of protein conformational flexibility on physiologically important time scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salmon, Loïc; Bouvignies, Guillaume; Markwick, Phineus; Blackledge, Martin

    2011-04-12

    A complete description of biomolecular activity requires an understanding of the nature and the role of protein conformational dynamics. In recent years, novel nuclear magnetic resonance-based techniques that provide hitherto inaccessible detail concerning biomolecular motions occurring on physiologically important time scales have emerged. Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) provide precise information about time- and ensemble-averaged structural and dynamic processes with correlation times up to the millisecond and thereby encode key information for understanding biological activity. In this review, we present the application of two very different approaches to the quantitative description of protein motion using RDCs. The first is purely analytical, describing backbone dynamics in terms of diffusive motions of each peptide plane, using extensive statistical analysis to validate the proposed dynamic modes. The second is based on restraint-free accelerated molecular dynamics simulation, providing statistically sampled free energy-weighted ensembles that describe conformational fluctuations occurring on time scales from pico- to milliseconds, at atomic resolution. Remarkably, the results from these two approaches converge closely in terms of distribution and absolute amplitude of motions, suggesting that this kind of combination of analytical and numerical models is now capable of providing a unified description of protein conformational dynamics in solution.

  5. Ethosomal nanocarriers: the impact of constituents and formulation techniques on ethosomal properties, in vivo studies, and clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdulbaqi, Ibrahim M; Darwis, Yusrida; Khan, Nurzalina Abdul Karim; Assi, Reem Abou; Khan, Arshad A

    2016-01-01

    Ethosomal systems are novel lipid vesicular carriers containing a relatively high percentage of ethanol. These nanocarriers are especially designed for the efficient delivery of therapeutic agents with different physicochemical properties into deep skin layers and across the skin. Ethosomes have undergone extensive research since they were invented in 1996; new compounds were added to their initial formula, which led to the production of new types of ethosomal systems. Different preparation techniques are used in the preparation of these novel carriers. For ease of application and stability, ethosomal dispersions are incorporated into gels, patches, and creams. Highly diverse in vivo models are used to evaluate their efficacy in dermal/transdermal delivery, in addition to clinical trials. This article provides a detailed review of the ethosomal systems and categorizes them on the basis of their constituents to classical ethosomes, binary ethosomes, and transethosomes. The differences among these systems are discussed from several perspectives, including the formulation, size, ζ-potential (zeta potential), entrapment efficiency, skin-permeation properties, and stability. This paper gives a detailed review on the effects of ethosomal system constituents, preparation methods, and their significant roles in determining the final properties of these nanocarriers. Furthermore, the novel pharmaceutical dosage forms of ethosomal gels, patches, and creams are highlighted. The article also provides detailed information regarding the in vivo studies and clinical trials conducted for the evaluation of these vesicular systems.

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Model Predictive Control Fundamentals Abstract PDF · Vol 34, No 4 (2015) - Computer, Telecommunications, Software, Electrical & Electronics Engineering Fuzzy Control Technique Applied to Modified Mathematical Model for Malaria Control Abstract PDF · Vol 35, No 4 (2016) - Computer, Telecommunications, Software, ...

  7. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    , harris and gagnÉ) Abstract · Vol 7, No 1 (2008) - Articles Effect of different weed management techniques on growth, susceptibility to wind damage and bunch yield of a plantain landrace (musa sp. Aab cv. Agbagba) in a derived savanna ...

  8. Sensitivity analysis techniques applied to a system of hyperbolic conservation laws

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weirs, V. Gregory; Kamm, James R.; Swiler, Laura P.; Tarantola, Stefano; Ratto, Marco; Adams, Brian M.; Rider, William J.; Eldred, Michael S.

    2012-01-01

    Sensitivity analysis is comprised of techniques to quantify the effects of the input variables on a set of outputs. In particular, sensitivity indices can be used to infer which input parameters most significantly affect the results of a computational model. With continually increasing computing power, sensitivity analysis has become an important technique by which to understand the behavior of large-scale computer simulations. Many sensitivity analysis methods rely on sampling from distributions of the inputs. Such sampling-based methods can be computationally expensive, requiring many evaluations of the simulation; in this case, the Sobol' method provides an easy and accurate way to compute variance-based measures, provided a sufficient number of model evaluations are available. As an alternative, meta-modeling approaches have been devised to approximate the response surface and estimate various measures of sensitivity. In this work, we consider a variety of sensitivity analysis methods, including different sampling strategies, different meta-models, and different ways of evaluating variance-based sensitivity indices. The problem we consider is the 1-D Riemann problem. By a careful choice of inputs, discontinuous solutions are obtained, leading to discontinuous response surfaces; such surfaces can be particularly problematic for meta-modeling approaches. The goal of this study is to compare the estimated sensitivity indices with exact values and to evaluate the convergence of these estimates with increasing samples sizes and under an increasing number of meta-model evaluations. - Highlights: ► Sensitivity analysis techniques for a model shock physics problem are compared. ► The model problem and the sensitivity analysis problem have exact solutions. ► Subtle details of the method for computing sensitivity indices can affect the results.

  9. Investigating the Interaction of Graphic Organizers and Seductive Details: Can a Graphic Organizer Mitigate the Seductive-Details Effect?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowland-Bryant, Emily; Skinner, Christopher H.; Skinner, Amy L.; Saudargas, Richard; Robinson, Daniel H.; Kirk, Emily R.

    2009-01-01

    The interaction between seductive details (SD) and a graphic organizer (GO) was investigated. Undergraduate students (n = 207) read a target-material passage about Freud's psychosexual stages. Depending on condition, the participants also read a biographical paragraph (SD-only), viewed a graphic organizer that linked the seductive details to the…

  10. Standard Establishment Through Scenarios (SETS): A new technique for occupational fitness standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blacklock, R E; Reilly, T J; Spivock, M; Newton, P S; Olinek, S M

    2015-01-01

    An objective and scientific task analysis provides the basis for establishing legally defensible Physical Employment Standards (PES), based on common and essential occupational tasks. Infrequent performance of these tasks creates challenges when developing PES based on criterion, or content validity. Develop a systematic approach using Subject Matter Experts (SME) to provide tasks with 1) an occupationally relevant scenario considered common to all personnel; 2) a minimum performance standard defined by time, distance, load or work. Examples provided here relate to the development of a new PES for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). SME of various experience are selected based on their eligibility criteria. SME are required to define a reasonable scenario for each task from personal experience, provide occupational performance requirements of the scenario in sub-groups, and discuss and agree by consensus vote on the final standard based on the definition of essential. A common and essential task for the CAF is detailed as a case example of process application. Techniques to avoid common SME rating errors are discussed and advantages to the method described. The SETS method was developed as a systematic approach to setting occupational performance standards and qualifying information from SME.

  11. Nuclear techniques in agriculture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhagwat, S.G.

    2012-01-01

    Crops provide us food grains and many other products. Demand for food and other agricultural products is increasing. There is also need for improvement of quality of the agricultural produce. There are several technologies in use for achieving the goal of increasing the quantity and quality of agricultural produce. Nuclear techniques provide us with an option which has certain advantages. The characteristics of crop plants are determined by the genetic make up of the plant. Traditionally the genetic make up was modified using conventional breeding techniques such as cross breeding to improve crops for yield, disease resistance, stress tolerance, resistance to insect pests or to improve quality. New varieties of crops are produced which replace the earlier ones and thus the demands are met. The process of development of new varieties is long and time consuming. Nuclear technique called mutation breeding provides an efficient way of breeding new varieties or improving the older ones. This technique merely enhances the process of occurrence of mutations. In nature mutations occur at a rate of approximately one in a million, while when mutations are induced using radiations such as gamma rays the efficiency of inducing mutations is enhanced. Useful mutations are selected, the mutants are evaluated and developed as a new variety. In the Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division (NA and BTD) this technique has been used to develop mutants of many crop plants. The mutants can be used to develop a variety directly or by using it in further breeding programme. Using these approaches the NA and BTD has developed 40 new varieties of crops such as groundnut, mungbean, urid, pigeon pea, mustard, soybean, sunflower, cowpea, jute. These varieties are developed in collaboration with other agricultural institutions and are popular among the farming community. The method of mutation breeding can be applied to many other crops for improvement. There is increasing interest among

  12. Prehospital Providers' Perceptions on Providing Patient and Family Centered Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayub, Emily M; Sampayo, Esther M; Shah, Manish I; Doughty, Cara B

    2017-01-01

    emotional support and effective communication as important components to the delivery of PFCC. Other providers revealed several perceived barriers to providing PFCC, though potential solutions to overcome many of these barriers were also identified. These findings can be utilized to integrate effective communication and emotional support techniques into EMS protocols and provider training to overcome perceived barriers to PFCC in the prehospital setting.

  13. Using a behaviour change techniques taxonomy to identify active ingredients within trials of implementation interventions for diabetes care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Presseau, Justin; Ivers, Noah M; Newham, James J; Knittle, Keegan; Danko, Kristin J; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

    2015-04-23

    Methodological guidelines for intervention reporting emphasise describing intervention content in detail. Despite this, systematic reviews of quality improvement (QI) implementation interventions continue to be limited by a lack of clarity and detail regarding the intervention content being evaluated. We aimed to apply the recently developed Behaviour Change Techniques Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1) to trials of implementation interventions for managing diabetes to assess the capacity and utility of this taxonomy for characterising active ingredients. Three psychologists independently coded a random sample of 23 trials of healthcare system, provider- and/or patient-focused implementation interventions from a systematic review that included 142 such studies. Intervention content was coded using the BCTTv1, which describes 93 behaviour change techniques (BCTs) grouped within 16 categories. We supplemented the generic coding instructions within the BCTTv1 with decision rules and examples from this literature. Less than a quarter of possible BCTs within the BCTTv1 were identified. For implementation interventions targeting providers, the most commonly identified BCTs included the following: adding objects to the environment, prompts/cues, instruction on how to perform the behaviour, credible source, goal setting (outcome), feedback on outcome of behaviour, and social support (practical). For implementation interventions also targeting patients, the most commonly identified BCTs included the following: prompts/cues, instruction on how to perform the behaviour, information about health consequences, restructuring the social environment, adding objects to the environment, social support (practical), and goal setting (behaviour). The BCTTv1 mapped well onto implementation interventions directly targeting clinicians and patients and could also be used to examine the impact of system-level interventions on clinician and patient behaviour. The BCTTv1 can be used to characterise

  14. The constrained discrete-time state-dependent Riccati equation technique for uncertain nonlinear systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Insu

    , filtering techniques are investigated by using the D-SDRE technique. Detailed derivation of the D-SDRE-based filter (D-SDREF) is provided under the assumption of Gaussian noises and the stability condition of the error signal between the measured signal and the estimated signals is proven to be input-to-state stable. For the non-Gaussian distributed noises, we propose a filter by combining the D-SDREF and the particle filter (PF), named the combined D-SDRE/PF. Two algorithms for the filtering techniques are provided. Several filtering techniques are compared with challenging numerical examples to show the reliability and efficacy of the proposed D-SDREF and the combined D-SDRE/PF.

  15. Modelling catchment areas for secondary care providers: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Simon; Wardlaw, Jessica; Crouch, Susan; Carolan, Michelle

    2011-09-01

    Hospitals need to understand patient flows in an increasingly competitive health economy. New initiatives like Patient Choice and the Darzi Review further increase this demand. Essential to understanding patient flows are demographic and geographic profiles of health care service providers, known as 'catchment areas' and 'catchment populations'. This information helps Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to review how their populations are accessing services, measure inequalities and commission services; likewise it assists Secondary Care Providers (SCPs) to measure and assess potential gains in market share, redesign services, evaluate admission thresholds and plan financial budgets. Unlike PCTs, SCPs do not operate within fixed geographic boundaries. Traditionally, SCPs have used administrative boundaries or arbitrary drive times to model catchment areas. Neither approach satisfactorily represents current patient flows. Furthermore, these techniques are time-consuming and can be challenging for healthcare managers to exploit. This paper presents three different approaches to define catchment areas, each more detailed than the previous method. The first approach 'First Past the Post' defines catchment areas by allocating a dominant SCP to each Census Output Area (OA). The SCP with the highest proportion of activity within each OA is considered the dominant SCP. The second approach 'Proportional Flow' allocates activity proportionally to each OA. This approach allows for cross-boundary flows to be captured in a catchment area. The third and final approach uses a gravity model to define a catchment area, which incorporates drive or travel time into the analysis. Comparing approaches helps healthcare providers to understand whether using more traditional and simplistic approaches to define catchment areas and populations achieves the same or similar results as complex mathematical modelling. This paper has demonstrated, using a case study of Manchester, that when estimating

  16. Ethical Use of Gestalt Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Given, Jane A.

    The purpose of this paper is to engender a healthy respect for Gestalt theory and techniques and the use of the techniques in the client's best interest and in the interest of positive professional and self-development in the practitioner. An overview of Gestalt techniques is provided, concentrating on the two category divisions of experiments and…

  17. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Vol 28 (2011) - Articles Supply Chain Network Design-Opportunities for Cost Reduction as Applied to East Africa Bottling Share Company in Ethiopia ... Assembly line balancing using simulation technique in a garment manufacturing firm ... Quality management: efforts and problems in Ethiopian manufacturing industries

  18. Detail, Facture, and Colour in the Architecture of Polish Single-Family Houses after 1989

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sztafrowski, Marek

    2017-10-01

    The article presents single-family houses architecture transformations since 1989, with particularly close attention paid to the significance of detail, facture, and colour. The article presents the architecture as an art of designing and building facilities with both use and aesthetic value, an art of shaping space and building forms. Architectural work should correspond to the intended function, technique, economic and aesthetic requirements, thus shaping all elements of human immediate environment, both inside and outside of the building. Architecture of the building is perceived as form, structure, and function, as well as detail, facture, and colour. Facture and colour are created through materials used for external finishes. The solid of the building is noticed first while looking at the building, then the finishes detail such as colour, facture, and detail. Materials for external finishes are commonly selected for their aesthetic value equally with their technical characteristics. The detail was always a characteristic element of style. However, currently the fashion for details can be observed, the fashion for usage of materials for external finishes and inter-connected with that colour and facture. The architecture of Polish single-family houses underwent considerable metamorphosis after system change of 1989 - from destitute in form, devoid in detail and colour socmodernism, to architecture extremely varied in terms of form, utilised structures, materials, and detail. Hence, appearance of the phenomenon called fashion can be observed in the architecture, understood as constant changeability, seeking novelty, and creation based on opinion-forming centres. The architectural fashion consists of form, function, structure, building materials, detail, facture, and colour trends, e.g. after rejecting socmodernism, steep roofs characteristic for single-family houses trend started. After 1989, initially individual single-family house projects were created; however

  19. Latest techniques in head and neck CT angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuknecht, B.

    2004-01-01

    Continuous evolution of multi row CT is increasingly making CT angiography a viable imaging modality for assessment of the supraaortic and intracranial vessels as an anatomically and functionally coherent vascular system. Extended non-invasive examinations with reduced contrast volume have become feasible with the availability of 16 and 64 row MDCT scanners. Prerequisites to obtain high resolution CT angiographies of the head and neck vessels with superior detail include the administration of low contrast volume, high contrast density (400 mg I/ml) contrast media, adequate timing and data acquisition, optimal flow rate (4 ml/s) and saline flushing. Non-invasiveness, delineation of vessel calcification, virtual independence from hemodynamic conditions, and the ability to provide quantification without needing to correct for magnification are all attributes that favour CT angiography over digital subtraction angiography and to some extent even magnetic resonance angiography as an alternative non-invasive technique. CT angiography is established as a modality of choice for the assessment of patients with acute stroke and chronic steno-occlusive disease. CT angiography may indicate the presence of extra- or intracranial acute vessel occlusion and dissection, predisposing atherosclerotic steno-occlusive disease and thus indicate thrombo-embolism or local appositional thrombosis as the principle pathogenic factor. CT angiography is used to assess anatomy, and to depict the presence, location and extent of calcified and non-calcified plaque as a cause of high grade stenosis. Despite relatively limited sensitivity CT angiography is indicated for suspected or confirmed aneurysms that demand further verification of their presence, geometry, or relationship to parent artery branches and osseous anatomic landmarks. Low volume high density contrast media have substantially increased the ability of CT angiography to depict small aneurysms, small branches, and collateral vessels

  20. Non-linear wave equations:Mathematical techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-01-01

    An account of certain well-established mathematical methods, which prove useful to deal with non-linear partial differential equations is presented. Within the strict framework of Functional Analysis, it describes Semigroup Techniques in Banach Spaces as well as variational approaches towards critical points. Detailed proofs are given of the existence of local and global solutions of the Cauchy problem and of the stability of stationary solutions. The formal approach based upon invariance under Lie transformations deserves attention due to its wide range of applicability, even if the explicit solutions thus obtained do not allow for a deep analysis of the equations. A compre ensive introduction to the inverse scattering approach and to the solution concept for certain non-linear equations of physical interest are also presented. A detailed discussion is made about certain convergence and stability problems which arise in importance need not be emphasized. (author) [es

  1. Calculation technique of free and impurity ion electronic structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulagin, N.A.; Sviridov, D.T.

    1986-01-01

    The monograph deals with calculation technique of free and impurity ion spectra with completed nl N -shell. The principles of the theory of irreducible tensor operators, genealogical coefficients, calculation technique of angular and radial parts of matrix elements operators are stated. The correlation accounting methods in free ions are considered in detail. The principles of the theory of crystal field and ligand field, the method of self-consistent field for impurity ions are reported. The technique efficiency based on example of lanthanum and actinium group ions is shown. Experimental data by nf N -ion spectra are given. The tables of angular coefficients, energy values of X-ray lines of rare earth ions and genealogical coefficients are given in the appendix

  2. Recognition of decays of charged tracks with neural network techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stimpfl-Abele, G.

    1991-01-01

    We developed neural-network learning techniques for the recognition of decays of charged tracks using a feed-forward network with error back-propagation. Two completely different methods are described in detail and their efficiencies for several NN architectures are compared with conventional methods. Excellent results are obtained. (orig.)

  3. Instrumentation, computer software and experimental techniques used in low-frequency internal friction studies at WNRE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sprugmann, K.W.; Ritchie, I.G.

    1980-04-01

    A detailed and comprehensive account of the equipment, computer programs and experimental methods developed at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Estalbishment for the study of low-frequency internal friction is presented. Part 1 describes the mechanical apparatus, electronic instrumentation and computer software, while Part II describes in detail the laboratory techniques and various types of experiments performed together with data reduction and analysis. Experimental procedures for the study of internal friction as a function of temperature, strain amplitude or time are described. Computer control of these experiments using the free-decay technique is outlined. In addition, a pendulum constant-amplitude drive system is described. (auth)

  4. Principles of fluorescence techniques

    CERN Document Server

    2016-01-01

    Fluorescence techniques are being used and applied increasingly in academics and industry. The Principles of Fluorescence Techniques course will outline the basic concepts of fluorescence techniques and the successful utilization of the currently available commercial instrumentation. The course is designed for students who utilize fluorescence techniques and instrumentation and for researchers and industrial scientists who wish to deepen their knowledge of fluorescence applications. Key scientists in the field will deliver theoretical lectures. The lectures will be complemented by the direct utilization of steady-state and lifetime fluorescence instrumentation and confocal microscopy for FLIM and FRET applications provided by leading companies.

  5. A technique for determining the optimum mix of logistics service providers of a make-to-order supply chain by formulating and solving a constrained nonlinear cost optimization problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mrityunjoy Roy

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a technique has been developed to determine the optimum mix of logistic service providers of a make-to-order (MTO supply chain. A serial MTO supply chain with different stages/ processes has been considered. For each stage different logistic service providers with different mean processing lead times, but same lead time variances are available. A realistic assumption that for each stage, the logistic service provider who charges more for his service consumes less processing lead time and vice-versa has been made in our study. Thus for each stage, for each service provider, a combination of cost and mean processing lead time is available. Using these combinations, for each stage, a polynomial curve, expressing cost of that stage as a function of mean processing lead time is fit. Cumulating all such expressions of cost for the different stages along with incorporation of suitable constraints arising out of timely delivery, results in the formulation of a constrained nonlinear cost optimization problem. On solving the problem using mathematica, optimum processing lead time for each stage is obtained. Using these optimum processing lead times and by employing a simple technique the optimum logistic service provider mix of the supply chain along with the corresponding total cost of processing is determined. Finally to examine the effect of changes in different parameters on the optimum total processing cost of the supply chain, sensitivity analysis has been carried out graphically.

  6. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Abstract · Vol 21, No 1 (2014) - Articles An Erlang-like model using SDCCH dimensioning and reattempt phenomenon for GSM congestion control. Abstract · Vol 21, No 2 (2014) - Articles Comparative analysis of hybridizing histogram equalization techniques on the performance of face recognition algorithms. Abstract.

  7. A dual resolution measurement based Monte Carlo simulation technique for detailed dose analysis of small volume organs in the skull base region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeh, Chi-Yuan; Tung, Chuan-Jung; Chao, Tsi-Chain; Lin, Mu-Han; Lee, Chung-Chi

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine dose distribution of a skull base tumor and surrounding critical structures in response to high dose intensity-modulated radiosurgery (IMRS) with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation using a dual resolution sandwich phantom. The measurement-based Monte Carlo (MBMC) method (Lin et al., 2009) was adopted for the study. The major components of the MBMC technique involve (1) the BEAMnrc code for beam transport through the treatment head of a Varian 21EX linear accelerator, (2) the DOSXYZnrc code for patient dose simulation and (3) an EPID-measured efficiency map which describes non-uniform fluence distribution of the IMRS treatment beam. For the simulated case, five isocentric 6 MV photon beams were designed to deliver a total dose of 1200 cGy in two fractions to the skull base tumor. A sandwich phantom for the MBMC simulation was created based on the patient's CT scan of a skull base tumor [gross tumor volume (GTV)=8.4 cm 3 ] near the right 8th cranial nerve. The phantom, consisted of a 1.2-cm thick skull base region, had a voxel resolution of 0.05×0.05×0.1 cm 3 and was sandwiched in between 0.05×0.05×0.3 cm 3 slices of a head phantom. A coarser 0.2×0.2×0.3 cm 3 single resolution (SR) phantom was also created for comparison with the sandwich phantom. A particle history of 3×10 8 for each beam was used for simulations of both the SR and the sandwich phantoms to achieve a statistical uncertainty of <2%. Our study showed that the planning target volume (PTV) receiving at least 95% of the prescribed dose (VPTV95) was 96.9%, 96.7% and 99.9% for the TPS, SR, and sandwich phantom, respectively. The maximum and mean doses to large organs such as the PTV, brain stem, and parotid gland for the TPS, SR and sandwich MC simulations did not show any significant difference; however, significant dose differences were observed for very small structures like the right 8th cranial nerve, right cochlea, right malleus and right semicircular

  8. Spatiotemporal evolution of a laser-induced shock wave measured by the background-oriented schlieren technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tagawa, Yoshiyuki; Yamamoto, Shota; Kameda, Masaharu

    2014-11-01

    We investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of a laser-induced shock wave in a liquid filled thin tube. In order to measure pressure distribution at shock front, we adopt the background-oriented schlieren (BOS) technique. This technique provides two- or three-dimensional pressure field in a small region with a simple setup. With an ultra high-speed video camera and a laser stroboscope, we successfully capture the spatial evolution of the shock every 0.2 μs. We find an angular variation of the pressure at the shock front. The maximum pressure is in the direction of the laser shot while the minimum value is in the perpendicular direction. We compare the temporal evolution of the pressure measured by BOS technique with those obtained by another method, i.e. pressure estimation from the shock front position. Overall trend from both methods show a good agreement. The pressure from the shock front position exists between the maximum and minimum values from BOS technique. It indicates that our quantification method can measure more detailed pressure field in two- or three-dimensions. Our results might be used for the efficient generation systems for the microjet, which can be applicable for needle free injection devices.

  9. A discussion of tools and techniques for distributed processor based control systems using CAMAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tippie, J.W.; Scandora, A.E.

    1985-01-01

    This paper describes and analyzes various distributed processor architectures using commercially available CAMAC components. The general orientation is toward distributed control systems using Digital Equipment Corporation LSI11 processors in a CAMAC environment. The paper describes in detail software tools available to simplify the development of applications software and to provide a high-level runtime environment both at the host and the remote processors. Discussion focuses on techniques for downloading of operating systems from a large host and applications tasks written in high-level languages. It also discusses software tools which enable tasks in the remote processors to exchange messages and data with tasks in the host in a simple and elegant way

  10. Performance evaluation of contrast-detail in full field digital mammography systems using ideal (Hotelling) observer vs. conventional automated analysis of CDMAM images for quality control of contrast-detail characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delakis, Ioannis; Wise, Robert; Morris, Lauren; Kulama, Eugenia

    2015-11-01

    The purpose of this work was to evaluate the contrast-detail performance of full field digital mammography (FFDM) systems using ideal (Hotelling) observer Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) methodology and ascertain whether it can be considered an alternative to the conventional, automated analysis of CDMAM phantom images. Five FFDM units currently used in the national breast screening programme were evaluated, which differed with respect to age, detector, Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) and target/filter combination. Contrast-detail performance was analysed using CDMAM and ideal observer SNR methodology. The ideal observer SNR was calculated for input signal originating from gold discs of varying thicknesses and diameters, and then used to estimate the threshold gold thickness for each diameter as per CDMAM analysis. The variability of both methods and the dependence of CDMAM analysis on phantom manufacturing discrepancies also investigated. Results from both CDMAM and ideal observer methodologies were informative differentiators of FFDM systems' contrast-detail performance, displaying comparable patterns with respect to the FFDM systems' type and age. CDMAM results suggested higher threshold gold thickness values compared with the ideal observer methodology, especially for small-diameter details, which can be attributed to the behaviour of the CDMAM phantom used in this study. In addition, ideal observer methodology results showed lower variability than CDMAM results. The Ideal observer SNR methodology can provide a useful metric of the FFDM systems' contrast detail characteristics and could be considered a surrogate for conventional, automated analysis of CDMAM images. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Technology-enabled academic detailing: computer-mediated education between pharmacists and physicians for evidence-based prescribing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Kendall; Nguyen, Anne; Jarvis-Selinger, Sandra; Novak Lauscher, Helen; Cressman, Céline; Zibrik, Lindsay

    2013-09-01

    recruitment was very low for the cross over groups, we analyzed the results in two groups instead: AD only and TEAD only. 354 sessions were conducted (AD=161, TEAD=193). Of these, complete data were available for 300 sessions, which were included in analysis (AD=133, TEAD=167). On average, TEAD sessions were 49min long, and AD sessions 81min long. Overall, physicians enjoyed both modalities of academic detailing (AD and TEAD) because they received information that both reinforced their existing diabetes knowledge and also provided new prescribing insights and approaches. The results suggest that TEAD is an acceptable alternative to AD for providing physicians advice about prescribing. TEAD is more time efficient, facilitates effective knowledge exchange and interprofessional collaboration, and can reach those physicians virtually where face-to-face AD is not possible or practical. Due to logistics, physicians were allocated, rather than randomized, to receive AD and/or TEAD. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Introduction to Body Composition Assessment Using the Deuterium Dilution Technique with Analysis of Urine Samples by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (French Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    The IAEA has fostered the more widespread use of a stable isotope technique to assess body composition in different population groups to address priority areas in public health nutrition in Member States. It has done this by supporting national and regional nutrition projects through its technical cooperation programme and coordinated research projects over many years. This publication was developed by an international group of experts to provide practical hands-on guidance in the use of this technique in settings where analysis of stable isotope ratios in biological samples is to be made by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The publication is targeted at new users of this technique, for example nutritionists, analytical chemists and other professionals. More detailed information on the theoretical background and the practical applications of state of the art methodologies to monitor changes in body composition can be found in IAEA Human Health Series No. 3, Assessment of Body Composition and Total Energy Expenditure in Humans by Stable Isotope Techniques

  13. Introduction to Body Composition Assessment Using the Deuterium Dilution Technique with Analysis of Urine Samples by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (Spanish Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    The IAEA has fostered the more widespread use of a stable isotope technique to assess body composition in different population groups to address priority areas in public health nutrition in Member States. It has done this by supporting national and regional nutrition projects through its technical cooperation programme and coordinated research projects over many years. This publication was developed by an international group of experts to provide practical hands-on guidance in the use of this technique in settings where analysis of stable isotope ratios in biological samples is to be made by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The publication is targeted at new users of this technique, for example nutritionists, analytical chemists and other professionals. More detailed information on the theoretical background and the practical applications of state of the art methodologies to monitor changes in body composition can be found in IAEA Human Health Series No. 3, Assessment of Body Composition and Total Energy Expenditure in Humans by Stable Isotope Techniques

  14. Risk-based maintenance-Techniques and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arunraj, N.S.; Maiti, J.

    2007-01-01

    Plant and equipment, however well designed, will not remain safe or reliable if it is not maintained. The general objective of the maintenance process is to make use of the knowledge of failures and accidents to achieve the possible safety with the lowest possible cost. The concept of risk-based maintenance was developed to inspect the high-risk components usually with greater frequency and thoroughness and to maintain in a greater manner, to achieve tolerable risk criteria. Risk-based maintenance methodology provides a tool for maintenance planning and decision making to reduce the probability of failure of equipment and the consequences of failure. In this paper, the risk analysis and risk-based maintenance methodologies were identified and classified into suitable classes. The factors affecting the quality of risk analysis were identified and analyzed. The applications, input data and output data were studied to understand their functioning and efficiency. The review showed that there is no unique way to perform risk analysis and risk-based maintenance. The use of suitable techniques and methodologies, careful investigation during the risk analysis phase, and its detailed and structured results are necessary to make proper risk-based maintenance decisions

  15. Detection and localization of lower gastrointestinal bleeding site with scintigraphic techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alavi, A.

    1988-01-01

    Successful management of acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding frequently depends on accurate localization of the bleeding site. History and clinical findings are often misleading in localizing the site of hemorrhage. The widespread application of flexible endoscopy and selective arteriography now provides accurate diagnoses for the majority of patients with upper GI tract hemorrhage, but lower GI bleeding still is a serious diagnostic problem. Endoscopy and barium studies are of limited value in examining the small bowel and colon in the face of active hemorrhage. Arteriography, although successful in many cases, has limitations. The angiographic demonstration of bleeding is possible only when the injection of contrast material coincides with active bleeding. Since lower GI bleeding is commonly intermittent rather than continuous, a high rate of negative angiographic examinations has been reported. Repeated angiography to pursue recurrent episodes of bleeding is impractical. Because of these shortcomings, in the past decade several noninvasive scintigraphic techniques have been developed to detect and localize sites of GI bleeding. In this chapter the authors discuss details related to the technetium 99m sulfur colloid (Tc-SC) and technetium 99m-labeled red blood cell (Tc-RBC) techniques

  16. The statistical chopper in the time-of-flight technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albuquerque Vieira, J. de.

    1975-12-01

    A detailed study of the 'statistical' chopper and of the method of analysis of the data obtained by this technique is made. The study includes the basic ideas behind correlation methods applied in time-of-flight techniques; comparisons with the conventional chopper made by an analysis of statistical errors; the development of a FORTRAN computer programme to analyse experimental results; the presentation of the related fields of work to demonstrate the potential of this method and suggestions for future study together with the criteria for a time-of-flight experiment using the method being studied [pt

  17. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Solving microwave heating model in a slab using shooting technique. Abstract · Vol 16 (2010) - Articles On the influence of buoyancy and suction/injection In Heat and Mass transfer problems. Abstract · Vol 16 (2010) - Articles Application Of Adomian's Decomposition Method In Solving Nonlinear Partial Differential ...

  18. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ani, CI. Vol 33, No 1 (2014) - Articles Application of integrated modeling technique for data services resource allocation in atm based private wan. Abstract PDF · Vol 34, No 3 (2015) - Computer, Telecommunications, Software, Electrical & Electronics Engineering A Comparative Study of Prioritized Handoff Schemes with ...

  19. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Jolly, CM. Vol 27, No 1 (2007) - Articles Cost effectiveness of selected post harvest pod handling techniques against damage, mouldiness and aflatoxin contamination of shelled groundnut in Ghana Abstract PDF. ISSN: 0855-0395. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

  20. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Anaesthesia for Oesophageal Replacement with Colonconduit– A Review of Forty Six Cases Abstract · Vol 49, No 4 (2008) - Articles Mordified Submental Endotracheal Intubation Technique in Maxillofacial Injuries Abstract · Vol 50, No 3 (2009) - Articles Managing Sacrococcygeal Teratoma in a New Born of a Psychopathic ...

  1. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... Associated with Ugba (Pentaclethra macrophylla) Produced Traditionally and in the Laboratory and the Effect of Fermentation on Product of Oligosaccharide Hydrolysis Abstract · Vol 32, No 2 (2014) - Articles Assessment of the Safety of Some On-The-Shelf Canned Food Products Using PCR-Based Molecular Technique

  2. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adediran, A.A.. Vol 22, No 1 (2018) - Articles Characterization and morphological properties of glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites fabricated under varying degrees of hand lay-up techniques. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 1119-8362. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

  3. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Odigie, J. Vol 12, No 2 (2012) - Articles Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection among Female Undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt Using Strand Displacement and Amplification [SDA] Technique Abstract PDF. ISSN: 1597-4292. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for ...

  4. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Short-term burning treatments and ecological interactions in the herb layer of False Thornveld of the Eastern Province. Abstract · Vol ... 1 (1978) - Articles Influence of Macchia eradication techniques on botanical composition of grasses in the Dohne Sourveld of the Amatole Mountains. ... Fire behaviour - A preliminary study.

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Brown, SA. Vol 4, No 2 (2007) - Articles An in vitro evaluation of the combined antimicrobial activity of ampicillin and cloxacillin against ampicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus using checker board technique (CBT) Abstract · Vol 6, No 4 (2009) - Articles Computer - based modeling in extract sciences research -III.

  6. Resolution function in deep inelastic neutron scattering using the Foil Cycling Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pietropaolo, A.; Andreani, C.; Filabozzi, A.; Pace, E.; Senesi, R.

    2007-01-01

    New perspectives for epithermal neutron spectroscopy are being opened up by the development of the Resonance Detector (RD) and its use on inverse geometry time of flight (TOF) spectrometers at spallation sources. The most recent result is the Foil Cycling Technique (FCT), which has been developed and applied on the VESUVIO spectrometer operating in the RD configuration. This technique has demonstrated its capability to improve the resolution function of the spectrometer and to provide an effective neutron and gamma background subtraction method. This paper reports a detailed analysis of the line shape of the resolution function in Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering (DINS) measurements on VESUVIO spectrometer, operating in the RD configuration and employing the FCT. The aim is to provide an analytical approximation for the analyzer energy transfer function, an useful tool for data analysis on VESUVIO. Simulated and experimental results of DINS measurements on a lead sample are compared. The line shape analysis shows that the most reliable analytical approximation of the energy transfer function is a sum of a Gaussian and a power of a Lorentzian. A comparison with the Double Difference Method (DDM) is also discussed. It is shown that the energy resolution improvement for the FCT and the DDM is almost the same, while the counting efficiency is a factor of about 1.4 higher for the FCT

  7. External details revisited - A new taxonomy for coding 'non-episodic' content during autobiographical memory retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strikwerda-Brown, Cherie; Mothakunnel, Annu; Hodges, John R; Piguet, Olivier; Irish, Muireann

    2018-04-24

    Autobiographical memory (ABM) is typically held to comprise episodic and semantic elements, with the vast majority of studies to date focusing on profiles of episodic details in health and disease. In this context, 'non-episodic' elements are often considered to reflect semantic processing or are discounted from analyses entirely. Mounting evidence suggests that rather than reflecting one unitary entity, semantic autobiographical information may contain discrete subcomponents, which vary in their relative degree of semantic or episodic content. This study aimed to (1) review the existing literature to formally characterize the variability in analysis of 'non-episodic' content (i.e., external details) on the Autobiographical Interview and (2) use these findings to create a theoretically grounded framework for coding external details. Our review exposed discrepancies in the reporting and interpretation of external details across studies, reinforcing the need for a new, consistent approach. We validated our new external details scoring protocol (the 'NExt' taxonomy) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (n = 18) and semantic dementia (n = 13), and 20 healthy older Control participants and compared profiles of the NExt subcategories across groups and time periods. Our results revealed increased sensitivity of the NExt taxonomy in discriminating between ABM profiles of patient groups, when compared to traditionally used internal and external detail metrics. Further, remote and recent autobiographical memories displayed distinct compositions of the NExt detail types. This study is the first to provide a fine-grained and comprehensive taxonomy to parse external details into intuitive subcategories and to validate this protocol in neurodegenerative disorders. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ayer, John. Vol 5, No 3 (2016) - Articles Hybridized centroid technique for 3D Molodensky-Badekas coordinate transformation in the Ghana geodetic reference network using total least squares approach. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 2225-8531. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians ...

  9. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Mahapatra, S. Vol 2, No 5 (2010) - Articles Modeling, simulation and parametric optimization of wire EDM process using response surface methodology coupled with grey-Taguchi technique. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 2141-2839. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors ...

  10. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... Retinal Vein Occlusion in Onitsha, Nigeria Abstract PDF · Vol 19, No 1 (2011) - Articles Survey of Cataract Surgical Techniques in Nigeria Abstract PDF · Vol 19, No 1 (2011) - Articles Initial Experience with Bevacizumab (AvastinTM) in the Treatment of Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration in Nigerian Patients

  11. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An in vitro evaluation of the combined antimicrobial activity of ampicillin and cloxacillin against ampicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus using checker board technique (CBT) Abstract · Vol 5, No 2 (2008) - Articles Natural heterocycles as antifertility agents. Abstract · Vol 6, No 3 (2009) - Articles Computer - based modeling ...

  12. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Yildiz, S.O.. Vol 20, No 7 (2017) - Articles The oral adverse effects of isotretinoin treatment in acne vulgaris patients: A prospective, case–control study. Abstract PDF · Vol 21, No 2 (2018) - Articles Antibacterial effect of surface pretreatment techniques against Streptococcus mutans. Abstract PDF. ISSN: 1119-3077.

  13. A new debate for Turkish physicians: e-detailing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventura, Keti; Baybars, Miray; Dedeoglu, Ayla Ozhan

    2012-01-01

    The study presents an empirical analysis of the attitudes of Turkish physicians towards e-detailing practices compared to face-to-face detailing. The findings reveal that although physicians have positive attitudes toward e-detailing, on some points they are still undecided and/or have doubts. The structural model revealed that affect, convenience, and informative content influence their attitude in a positive manner, whereas the personal interaction was found to be a negative factor. Physicians' age and frequency of calls received from representatives are moderators. The present study can be seen as an addition to pharmaceutical marketing, an underresearched study field in Turkey, and e-detailing particularly.

  14. Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 3. Detailed methodology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1987-04-01

    The final report for the project is presented in five volumes. This volume, Detailed Methodology Review, presents a discussion of the methods considered and used to estimate the impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development on coastal recreation in California. The purpose is to provide the Minerals Management Service with data and methods to improve their ability to analyze the socio-economic impacts of OCS development. Chapter II provides a review of previous attempts to evaluate the effects of OCS development and of oil spills on coastal recreation. The review also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and presents the rationale for the methodology selection made. Chapter III presents a detailed discussion of the methods actually used in the study. The volume contains the bibliography for the entire study.

  15. A survey on OFDM channel estimation techniques based on denoising strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pallaviram Sure

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Channel estimation forms the heart of any orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM based wireless communication receiver. Frequency domain pilot aided channel estimation techniques are either least squares (LS based or minimum mean square error (MMSE based. LS based techniques are computationally less complex. Unlike MMSE ones, they do not require a priori knowledge of channel statistics (KCS. However, the mean square error (MSE performance of the channel estimator incorporating MMSE based techniques is better compared to that obtained with the incorporation of LS based techniques. To enhance the MSE performance using LS based techniques, a variety of denoising strategies have been developed in the literature, which are applied on the LS estimated channel impulse response (CIR. The advantage of denoising threshold based LS techniques is that, they do not require KCS but still render near optimal MMSE performance similar to MMSE based techniques. In this paper, a detailed survey on various existing denoising strategies, with a comparative discussion of these strategies is presented.

  16. Precise determination of Pb isotope ratios by simple double spike MC-ICP-MS technique without Tl addition

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Makishima, A.; Nath, B.N.; Nakamura, E.

    A double-spike multicollector ICP-MS (DS-MC-ICP-MS) technique for Pb isotope analysis without Tl addition is established and its analytical performance is examined in detail. This simple DS-MC-ICP-MS technique using 20 ng ml sup(-1) gave averages...

  17. Feasibilty study of renewable energy powered seawater desalination technology using natural vacuum technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ayhan, Teoman; Al Madani, Hussain [Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Bahrain, P.O. box 32038, Isatown 32036 (Bahrain)

    2010-02-15

    With an ever-increasing population and rapid growth of industrialization, there is great demand for fresh water. Desalination has been a key proponent to meet the future challenges due to decreasing availability of fresh water. However, desalination uses significant amount of energy, today mostly from fossil fuels. It is, therefore, reasonable to rely on renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, ocean thermal energy, waste heat from the industry and other renewable sources. The present study deals with the energy-efficient seawater desalination system utilizing renewable energy sources and natural vacuum technique. A new desalination technology named Natural Vacuum Desalination is proposed. The novel desalination technique achieve remarkable energy efficiency through the evaporation of seawater under vacuum and will be described in sufficient detail to demonstrate that it requires much less electric energy compared to any conventional desalination plant of fresh water production of similar capacity. The discussion will highlight the main operative and maintenance features of the proposed natural vacuum seawater desalination technology which seems to have promising techno-economic potential providing also advantageous coupling with renewable energy sources. (author)

  18. Multi-technique characterization of gold electroplating on silver substrates for cultural heritage applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortega-Feliu, I.; Ager, F. J.; Roldán, C.; Ferretti, M.; Juanes, D.; Scrivano, S.; Respaldiza, M. A.; Ferrazza, L.; Traver, I.; Grilli, M. L.

    2017-09-01

    This work presents a detailed study of a series of silver plates gilded via electroplating techniques in which the characteristics of the coating gold layers are investigated as a function of the electroplating variables (voltage, time, anode surface and temperature). Some reference samples were coated by radio frequency sputtering in order to compare gold layer homogeneity and effective density. Surface analysis was performed by means of atomic and nuclear techniques (SEM-EDX, EDXRF, PIXE and RBS) to obtain information about thickness, homogeneity, effective density, profile concentration of the gold layers and Au-Ag diffusion profiles. The gold layer thickness obtained by PIXE and EDXRF is consistent with the thickness obtained by means of RBS depth profiling. Electroplated gold mass thickness increases with electroplating time, anode area and voltage. However, electrodeposited samples present rough interfaces and gold layer effective densities lower than the nominal density of Au (19.3 g/cm3), whereas sputtering produces uniform layers with nominal density. These analyses provide valuable information to historians and curators and can help the restoration process of gold-plated silver objects.

  19. Promoting a smokers' quitline in Ontario, Canada: an evaluation of an academic detailing approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirst, Maritt; Schwartz, Robert

    2015-06-01

    This study assesses the impact of an academic detailing quitline promotional outreach program on integration of patient referrals to the quitline by fax in healthcare settings and quitline utilization in Ontario, Canada. The study employed a mixed methods approach for evaluation, with trend analysis of quitline administrative data from the year before program inception (2005) to 2011 and qualitative interviews with quitline stakeholders. Participants in the qualitative interviews included academic detailing program staff, regional tobacco control stakeholders and quitline promotion experts. Quantitative outcomes included the number of fax referral partners and fax referrals received, and quitline reach. Trends in proximal and distal outreach program outcomes were assessed. The qualitative data were analysed through a process of data coding involving the constant comparative technique derived from grounded theory methods. The study identified that the outreach program has had some success in integrating the fax referral program in healthcare settings through evidence of increased fax referrals since program inception. However, organizational barriers to program partner engagement have been encountered. While referral from health professionals through the fax referral programs has increased since the inception of the outreach program, the overall reach of the quitline has not increased. The study findings highlight that an academic detailing approach to quitline promotion can have some success in achieving increased fax referral program integration in healthcare settings. However, findings suggest that investment in a comprehensive promotional strategy, incorporating academic detailing, media and the provision of free cessation medications may be a more effective approach to quitline promotion. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Perspectives on Providing And Receiving Preventive Health Care From Primary Care Providers and Their Patients With Mental Illnesses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stumbo, Scott P; Yarborough, Bobbi Jo H; Yarborough, Micah T; Green, Carla A

    2018-01-01

    Individuals with mental illnesses have higher morbidity rates and reduced life expectancy compared to the general population. Understanding how patients and providers perceive the need for prevention, as well as the barriers and beliefs that may contribute to insufficient care, are important for improving service delivery tailored to this population. Cross-sectional; mixed methods. An integrated health system and a network of federally qualified health centers and safety net clinics. Interviews (n = 30) and surveys (n = 249) with primary care providers. Interviews (n = 158) and surveys (n = 160) with patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety, or major depressive disorders. Semi-structured interviews and surveys. Thematic analysis for qualitative data; frequencies for quantitative data. More than half (n = 131, 53%) of clinicians believed patients with mental illnesses care less about preventive care than the general population, yet 88% (n = 139) of patients reported interest in improving health. Most providers (n = 216, 88%) lacked confidence that patients with mental illnesses would follow preventive recommendations; 82% (n = 129) of patients reported they would try to change lifestyles if their doctor recommended. Clinicians explained that their perception of patients' chaotic lives and lack of interest in preventive care contributed to their fatalistic attitudes on care delivery to this population. Clinicians and patients agreed on substantial need for additional support for behavior changes. Clinicians reported providing informational support by keeping messages simple; patients reported a desire for more detailed information on reasons to complete preventive care. Patients also detailed the need for assistive and tangible support to manage behavioral health changes. Our results suggest a few clinical changes could help patients complete preventive care recommendations and improve health behaviors: improving clinician-patient collaboration on