WorldWideScience

Sample records for techniques survey results

  1. Sci-Fri PM: Radiation Therapy, Planning, Imaging, and Special Techniques - 10: Results from Canada Wide Survey on Total Body Irradiation Practice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Studinski, Ryan; Fraser, Danielle; Samant, Rajiv; MacPherson, Miller [The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre (Canada)

    2016-08-15

    Purpose: Total Body Irradiation (TBI) is delivered to a relatively small number of patients with a variety of techniques; it has been a challenge to develop consensus studies for best practice. This survey was created to assess the current state of TBI in Canada. Methods: The survey was created with questions focusing on the radiation prescription, delivery technique and resources involved. The survey was circulated electronically to the heads of every clinical medical physics department in Canada. Responses were gathered and collated, and centres that were known to deliver TBI were urged to respond. Results: Responses from 20 centres were received, including 12 from centres that perform TBI. Although a variety of TBI dose prescriptions were reported, 12 Gy in 6 fractions was used in 11 centres while 5 centres use unique prescriptions. For dose rate, a range of 9 to 51 cGy/min was reported. Most centres use an extended SSD technique, with the patient standing or lying down against a wall. The rest use either a “sweeping” technique or a more complicated multi-field technique. All centres but one indicated that they shield the lungs, and only a minority shield other organs. The survey also showed that considerable resources are used for TBI including extra staffing, extended planning and treatment times and the use of locally developed hardware or software. Conclusions: This survey highlights that both similarities and important discrepancies exist between TBI techniques across the country, and is an opportunity to prompt more collaboration between centres.

  2. Radon survey techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1976-01-01

    The report reviews radon measurement surveys in soils and in water. Special applications, and advantages and limitations of the radon measurement techniques are considered. The working group also gives some directions for further research in this field

  3. Survey of NDT techniques, services, qualifications and certification of NDT personnel-preliminary results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleta, C.R.; Kinilitan, V.E.; Lailo, R.M.

    1987-01-01

    This paper presented the results of a survey conducted to determine the profile of the NDT industry including its problems. A questionnaire designed in three parts 1) present practices on qualification and certification, 2) NDT equipment and 3) services and problems in NDT. Of the 36 firms contacted only 20 responded. Results indicated the following: a) most firms are engaged in four (4) main techniques, RT, UT, MT and PT. Only 2 indicated capability of ET. b) level III personnel are relatively few in number, c) most firms allow the ASNT recommendation as a basis for their qualifications and certification and are in favor of standardization of the qualification and certification process and supportive of a national center for training of NDT personnel and d) most firms perceived the lack of adequate repair/maintenance skills/facilities, followed by high cost of equipment and the lack of national standard for qualification and certification. (ELC)

  4. Construction practices: Pulse builder survey results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kadulski, R

    This paper discusses the results of a nationwide builder survey on common building techniques, such as framing, insulation, airtight construction practices, testing for airtightness, windows, furnaces and water heaters, and ventilation. Results indicate that changes in construction were mainly influenced by the R-2000 program. The spread of R-2000 technology is reflected in the use of higher insulation levels than are called for by codes or than is normal practice, sealing of joints, and attention to air and vapour retarders as well as air tight drywall techniques combined with mechanical ventilation systems.

  5. System reliability worth assessment at a midwest utility-survey results for residential customers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chowdhury, A.A.; Mielnik, T.C. [Electric System Planning, MidAmerican Energy Company, Davenport, Iowa (United States); Lawton, L.E.; Sullivan, M.J.; Katz, A. [Population Research Systems, San Francisco, CA (United States)

    2005-12-01

    This paper presents the overall results of a residential customer survey conducted in service areas of MidAmerican Energy Company, a Midwest utility. A similar survey was conducted concurrently in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors and the survey results are presented in a companion paper. The results of this study are compared with the results of other studies performed in the high cost areas of the US east and west coasts. This is the first ever study of this nature performed for the residential customers in the US Midwest region. Methodological differences in the study design compared to coastal surveys are discussed. Customer survey costing techniques can be categorized into three main groups: contingent valuation techniques, direct costing techniques and indirect costing techniques. Most customer surveys conducted by different organizations in the last two decades used a combination of all three techniques. The selection of a technique is mainly dependent on the type of customer being surveyed. In this MidAmerican study, contingent valuation techniques and an indirect costing technique have been used, as most consequences of power outages to residential users are related to inconvenience or disruption of housekeeping and leisure activities that are intangible in nature. The major contribution of this paper is that particulars of Midwest residential customers compared to residential customers of coastal utilities are noted and customer responses on power quality issues that are important to customers are summarized. (author)

  6. Nurse Practitioners' Use of Communication Techniques: Results of a Maryland Oral Health Literacy Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koo, Laura W; Horowitz, Alice M; Radice, Sarah D; Wang, Min Q; Kleinman, Dushanka V

    2016-01-01

    We examined nurse practitioners' use and opinions of recommended communication techniques for the promotion of oral health as part of a Maryland state-wide oral health literacy assessment. Use of recommended health-literate and patient-centered communication techniques have demonstrated improved health outcomes. A 27-item self-report survey, containing 17 communication technique items, across 5 domains, was mailed to 1,410 licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in Maryland in 2010. Use of communication techniques and opinions about their effectiveness were analyzed using descriptive statistics. General linear models explored provider and practice characteristics to predict differences in the total number and the mean number of communication techniques routinely used in a week. More than 80% of NPs (N = 194) routinely used 3 of the 7 basic communication techniques: simple language, limiting teaching to 2-3 concepts, and speaking slowly. More than 75% of respondents believed that 6 of the 7 basic communication techniques are effective. Sociodemographic provider characteristics and practice characteristics were not significant predictors of the mean number or the total number of communication techniques routinely used by NPs in a week. Potential predictors for using more of the 7 basic communication techniques, demonstrating significance in one general linear model each, were: assessing the office for user-friendliness and ever taking a communication course in addition to nursing school. NPs in Maryland self-reported routinely using some recommended health-literate communication techniques, with belief in their effectiveness. Our findings suggest that NPs who had assessed the office for patient-friendliness or who had taken a communication course beyond their initial education may be predictors for using more of the 7 basic communication techniques. These self-reported findings should be validated with observational studies. Graduate and continuing education for NPs

  7. Poisson and negative binomial item count techniques for surveys with sensitive question.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Guo-Liang; Tang, Man-Lai; Wu, Qin; Liu, Yin

    2017-04-01

    Although the item count technique is useful in surveys with sensitive questions, privacy of those respondents who possess the sensitive characteristic of interest may not be well protected due to a defect in its original design. In this article, we propose two new survey designs (namely the Poisson item count technique and negative binomial item count technique) which replace several independent Bernoulli random variables required by the original item count technique with a single Poisson or negative binomial random variable, respectively. The proposed models not only provide closed form variance estimate and confidence interval within [0, 1] for the sensitive proportion, but also simplify the survey design of the original item count technique. Most importantly, the new designs do not leak respondents' privacy. Empirical results show that the proposed techniques perform satisfactorily in the sense that it yields accurate parameter estimate and confidence interval.

  8. Investigation of individual radiation exposures from discharges to the aquatic environment: techniques used in habits surveys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leonard, D.R.P.; Hunt, G.J.; Jones, P.G.W.

    1982-01-01

    The techniques used by the Fisheries Radiobiological Laboratory (FRL) in conducting habits surveys are described and discussed. The main objectives of these surveys are to investigate exposure pathways to the public resulting from radioactive discharges to the aquatic environment and to provide the basic data from which critical groups can be identified. Preparation, conduct and interpretation of the results of surveys are described and possible errors obtained by the interview technique are highlighted. A means of verifying the results of interviews by a logging technique has been devised and some comparative results are presented. (author)

  9. Radiation techniques used in patients with breast cancer: Results of a survey in Spain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Algara, Manuel; Arenas, Meritxell; De las Peñas Eloisa Bayo, Dolores; Muñoz, Julia; Carceller, José Antonio; Salinas, Juan; Moreno, Ferran; Martínez, Francisco; González, Ezequiel; Montero, Ángel

    2012-01-01

    Aim To evaluate the resources and techniques used in the irradiation of patients with breast cancer after lumpectomy or mastectomy and the status of implementation of new techniques and therapeutic schedules in our country. Background The demand for cancer care has increased among the Spanish population, as long as cancer treatment innovations have proliferated. Radiation therapy in breast cancer has evolved exponentially in recent years with the implementation of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, image guided radiotherapy and hypofractionation. Material and Methods An original survey questionnaire was sent to institutions participating in the SEOR-Mama group (GEORM). In total, the standards of practice in 969 patients with breast cancer after surgery were evaluated. Results The response rate was 70% (28/40 centers). In 98.5% of cases 3D conformal treatment was used. All the institutions employed CT-based planning treatment. Boost was performed in 56.4% of patients: electrons in 59.8%, photons in 23.7% and HDR brachytherapy in 8.8%. Fractionation was standard in 93.1% of patients. Supine position was the most frequent. Only 3 centers used prone position. The common organs of risk delimited were: homolateral lung (80.8%) and heart (80.8%). In 84% histograms were used. An 80.8% of the centers used isocentric technique. In 62.5% asymmetric fields were employed. CTV was delimited in 46.2%, PTV in 65% and both in 38.5%. A 65% of the centers checked with portal films. IMRT and hypofractionation were used in 1% and in 5.5% respectively. Conclusion In most of centers, 3D conformal treatment and CT-based planning treatment were used. IMRT and hypofractionation are currently poorly implemented in Spain. PMID:24377012

  10. 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.

  11. Modern Surveying Techniques In National Infrastructural ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Research in National Development ... Modern Surveying Techniques In National Infrastructural Development: Case Study Of Roads ... Ways that Remote Sensing help to make highway construction easier were discussed.

  12. Medical Simulation Practices 2010 Survey Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCrindle, Jeffrey J.

    2011-01-01

    Medical Simulation Centers are an essential component of our learning infrastructure to prepare doctors and nurses for their careers. Unlike the military and aerospace simulation industry, very little has been published regarding the best practices currently in use within medical simulation centers. This survey attempts to provide insight into the current simulation practices at medical schools, hospitals, university nursing programs and community college nursing programs. Students within the MBA program at Saint Joseph's University conducted a survey of medical simulation practices during the summer 2010 semester. A total of 115 institutions responded to the survey. The survey resus discuss overall effectiveness of current simulation centers as well as the tools and techniques used to conduct the simulation activity

  13. PTAC driving safety survey results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lloyd, E. [Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2005-07-01

    The results of a survey conducted by the Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada were presented. The survey identified ways in which companies in the oil and gas industry can reduce the potential for vehicle incidents, as well as improve fleet management techniques. Respondents provided a list of over 60 relevant technologies with high potential for application. Top driving safety challenges included adverse weather and road conditions, as well as driver attitude and awareness. Driver speed and fatigue were also seen as significant challenges, as well as encounters with wildlife and road conditions. Poor site conditions were also identified as a challenge, along with poor hazard recognition training, and lack of experience. A total of 157 representatives responded, whose fleets collectively drive approximately 136,500,000 km per year. The fleets totalled 15,800 vehicles. Respondents' affiliations with the oil and gas industry were included, as well as ownership classifications and company fleet sizes. Total annual fleet kilometers were presented, as well as the number of incidents per company per year, along with the number of respondents' animal strikes per year. tabs, figs.

  14. Automatic surveying techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sah, R.

    1976-01-01

    In order to investigate the feasibility of automatic surveying methods in a more systematic manner, the PEP organization signed a contract in late 1975 for TRW Systems Group to undertake a feasibility study. The completion of this study resulted in TRW Report 6452.10-75-101, dated December 29, 1975, which was largely devoted to an analysis of a survey system based on an Inertial Navigation System. This PEP note is a review and, in some instances, an extension of that TRW report. A second survey system which employed an ''Image Processing System'' was also considered by TRW, and it will be reviewed in the last section of this note. 5 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs

  15. Fuzzy Bi-level Decision-Making Techniques: A Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangquan Zhang

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Bi-level decision-making techniques aim to deal with decentralized management problems that feature interactive decision entities distributed throughout a bi-level hierarchy. A challenge in handling bi-level decision problems is that various uncertainties naturally appear in decision-making process. Significant efforts have been devoted that fuzzy set techniques can be used to effectively deal with uncertain issues in bi-level decision-making, known as fuzzy bi-level decision-making techniques, and researchers have successfully gained experience in this area. It is thus vital that an instructive review of current trends in this area should be conducted, not only of the theoretical research but also the practical developments. This paper systematically reviews up-to-date fuzzy bi-level decisionmaking techniques, including models, approaches, algorithms and systems. It also clusters related technique developments into four main categories: basic fuzzy bi-level decision-making, fuzzy bi-level decision-making with multiple optima, fuzzy random bi-level decision-making, and the applications of bi-level decision-making techniques in different domains. By providing state-of-the-art knowledge, this survey paper will directly support researchers and practitioners in their understanding of developments in theoretical research results and applications in relation to fuzzy bi-level decision-making techniques.

  16. Comparison of survey techniques on detection of northern flying squirrels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diggins, Corinne A.; Gilley, L. Michelle; Kelly, Christine A.; Ford, W. Mark

    2016-01-01

    The ability to detect a species is central to the success of monitoring for conservation and management purposes, especially if the species is rare or endangered. Traditional methods, such as live capture, can be labor-intensive, invasive, and produce low detection rates. Technological advances and new approaches provide opportunities to more effectively survey for species both in terms of accuracy and efficiency than previous methods. We conducted a pilot comparison study of a traditional technique (live-trapping) and 2 novel noninvasive techniques (camera-trapping and ultrasonic acoustic surveys) on detection rates of the federally endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) in occupied habitat within the Roan Mountain Highlands of North Carolina, USA. In 2015, we established 3 5 × 5 live-trapping grids (6.5 ha) with 4 camera traps and 4 acoustic detectors systematically embedded in each grid. All 3 techniques were used simultaneously during 2 4-day survey periods. We compared techniques by assessing probability of detection (POD), latency to detection (LTD; i.e., no. of survey nights until initial detection), and survey effort. Acoustics had the greatest POD (0.37 ± 0.06 SE), followed by camera traps (0.30 ± 0.06) and live traps (0.01 ± 0.005). Acoustics had a lower LTD than camera traps (P = 0.017), where average LTD was 1.5 nights for acoustics and 3.25 nights for camera traps. Total field effort was greatest with live traps (111.9 hr) followed by acoustics (8.4 hr) and camera traps (9.6 hr), although processing and examination for data of noninvasive techniques made overall effort similar among the 3 methods. This pilot study demonstrated that both noninvasive methods were better rapid-assessment detection techniques for flying squirrels than live traps. However, determining seasonal effects between survey techniques and further development of protocols for both noninvasive techniques is

  17. A survey on reliability and safety analysis techniques of robot systems in nuclear power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eom, H S; Kim, J H; Lee, J C; Choi, Y R; Moon, S S

    2000-12-01

    The reliability and safety analysis techniques was surveyed for the purpose of overall quality improvement of reactor inspection system which is under development in our current project. The contents of this report are : 1. Reliability and safety analysis techniques suvey - Reviewed reliability and safety analysis techniques are generally accepted techniques in many industries including nuclear industry. And we selected a few techniques which are suitable for our robot system. They are falut tree analysis, failure mode and effect analysis, reliability block diagram, markov model, combinational method, and simulation method. 2. Survey on the characteristics of robot systems which are distinguished from other systems and which are important to the analysis. 3. Survey on the nuclear environmental factors which affect the reliability and safety analysis of robot system 4. Collection of the case studies of robot reliability and safety analysis which are performed in foreign countries. The analysis results of this survey will be applied to the improvement of reliability and safety of our robot system and also will be used for the formal qualification and certification of our reactor inspection system.

  18. A survey on reliability and safety analysis techniques of robot systems in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eom, H.S.; Kim, J.H.; Lee, J.C.; Choi, Y.R.; Moon, S.S.

    2000-12-01

    The reliability and safety analysis techniques was surveyed for the purpose of overall quality improvement of reactor inspection system which is under development in our current project. The contents of this report are : 1. Reliability and safety analysis techniques suvey - Reviewed reliability and safety analysis techniques are generally accepted techniques in many industries including nuclear industry. And we selected a few techniques which are suitable for our robot system. They are falut tree analysis, failure mode and effect analysis, reliability block diagram, markov model, combinational method, and simulation method. 2. Survey on the characteristics of robot systems which are distinguished from other systems and which are important to the analysis. 3. Survey on the nuclear environmental factors which affect the reliability and safety analysis of robot system 4. Collection of the case studies of robot reliability and safety analysis which are performed in foreign countries. The analysis results of this survey will be applied to the improvement of reliability and safety of our robot system and also will be used for the formal qualification and certification of our reactor inspection system

  19. Is integrative use of techniques in psychotherapy the exception or the rule? Results of a national survey of doctoral-level practitioners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thoma, Nathan C; Cecero, John J

    2009-12-01

    This study sought to investigate the extent to which therapists endorse techniques outside of their self-identified orientation and which techniques are endorsed across orientations. A survey consisting of 127 techniques from 8 major theories of psychotherapy was administered via U.S. mail to a national random sample of doctoral-level psychotherapy practitioners. The 201 participants endorsed substantial numbers of techniques from outside their respective orientations. Many of these techniques were quite different from those of the core theories of the respective orientations. Further examining when and why experienced practitioners switch to techniques outside their primary orientation may help reveal where certain techniques fall short and where others excel, indicating a need for further research that taps the collective experience of practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. A Survey of Face Recognition Technique | Omidiora | Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A review of face recognition techniques has been carried out. Face recognition has been an attractive field in the society of both biological and computer vision of research. It exhibits the characteristics of being natural and low-intrusive. In this paper, an updated survey of techniques for face recognition is made. Methods of ...

  1. Emerging Technologies and Techniques for Wide Area Radiological Survey and Remediation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sutton, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Zhao, P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-03-24

    Technologies to survey and decontaminate wide-area contamination and process the subsequent radioactive waste have been developed and implemented following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant release and the breach of a radiological source resulting in contamination in Goiania, Brazil. These civilian examples of radioactive material releases provided some of the first examples of urban radiological remediation. Many emerging technologies have recently been developed and demonstrated in Japan following the release of radioactive cesium isotopes (Cs-134 and Cs-137) from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in 2011. Information on technologies reported by several Japanese government agencies, such as the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the National Institute for Environmental Science (NIES), together with academic institutions and industry are summarized and compared to recently developed, deployed and available technologies in the United States. The technologies and techniques presented in this report may be deployed in response to a wide area contamination event in the United States. In some cases, additional research and testing is needed to adequately validate the technology effectiveness over wide areas. Survey techniques can be deployed on the ground or from the air, allowing a range of coverage rates and sensitivities. Survey technologies also include those useful in measuring decontamination progress and mapping contamination. Decontamination technologies and techniques range from non-destructive (e.g., high pressure washing) and minimally destructive (plowing), to fully destructive (surface removal or demolition). Waste minimization techniques can greatly impact the long-term environmental consequences and cost following remediation efforts. Recommendations on technical improvements to address technology gaps are presented together with observations on remediation in Japan.

  2. Retirement Applicant Satisfaction Survey Results

    Data.gov (United States)

    Social Security Administration — This dataset contains information about the Retirement Applicant Survey (RAS). The survey measured satisfaction results with the retirement application process. The...

  3. Monitoring the Future 2014 Survey Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Statistics » Infographics » Monitoring the Future 2014 Survey Results Monitoring the Future 2014 Survey Results Email Facebook Twitter ... embed/iQDhYlYp81c?rel=0 Text Description of Infographic Monitoring the Future is an annual survey of 8th, ...

  4. Survey of intravitreal injection techniques among retina specialists in Israel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Segal O

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Ori Segal,1,2 Yael Segal-Trivitz,1,3 Arie Y Nemet,1,2 Noa Geffen,1,2 Ronit Nesher,1,2 Michael Mimouni4 1Department of Ophthalmology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, 2The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 3Department of Psychiatry, Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Petah Tikva, 4Department of Ophthalmology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe antivascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injection techniques of retinal specialists in order to establish a cornerstone for future practice guidelines. Methods: All members of the Israeli Retina Society were contacted by email to complete an anonymous, 19-question, Internet-based survey regarding their intravitreal injection techniques. Results: Overall, 66% (52/79 completed the survey. Most (98% do not instruct patients to discontinue anticoagulant therapy and 92% prescribe treatment for patients in the waiting room. Three quarters wear sterile gloves and prepare the patient in the supine position. A majority (71% use sterile surgical draping. All respondents apply topical analgesics and a majority (69% measure the distance from the limbus to the injection site. A minority (21% displace the conjunctiva prior to injection. A majority of the survey participants use a 30-gauge needle and the most common quadrant for injection is superotemporal (33%. Less than half routinely assess postinjection optic nerve perfusion (44%. A majority (92% apply prophylactic antibiotics immediately after the injection. Conclusion: The majority of retina specialists perform intravitreal injections similarly. However, a relatively large minority performs this procedure differently. Due to the extremely low percentage of complications, it seems as though such differences do not increase the risk. However, more evidence-based medicine, a cornerstone for practice guidelines, is required in order to identify the intravitreal injection techniques

  5. National and Regional Surveys of Radon Concentration in Dwellings. Review of Methodology and Measurement Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    Reliable, comparable and 'fit for purpose' results are essential requirements for any decision based on analytical measurements. For the analyst, the availability of tested and validated sampling and analytical procedures is an extremely important tool for carrying out such measurements. For maximum utility, such procedures should be comprehensive, clearly formulated and readily available to both the analyst and the customer for reference. In the specific case of radon surveys, it is very important to design a survey in such a way as to obtain results that can reasonably be considered representative of a population. Since 2004, the Environment Programme of the IAEA has included activities aimed at the development of a set of procedures for the measurement of radionuclides in terrestrial environmental samples. The development of radon measurement procedures for national and regional surveys started with the collection and review of more than 160 relevant scientific papers. On the basis of this review, this publication summarizes the methodology and the measurement techniques suitable for a population representative national or regional survey on radon concentration in the indoor air of dwellings. The main elements of the survey design are described and discussed, such as the sampling scheme, the protocols, the questionnaire and the data analysis, with particular attention to the potential biases that can affect the representativeness of the results. Moreover, the main measurement techniques suitable for national surveys on indoor radon are reviewed, with particular attention to the elements that can affect the precision and accuracy of the results

  6. National and Regional Surveys of Radon Concentration in Dwellings. Review of Methodology and Measurement Techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-12-15

    Reliable, comparable and 'fit for purpose' results are essential requirements for any decision based on analytical measurements. For the analyst, the availability of tested and validated sampling and analytical procedures is an extremely important tool for carrying out such measurements. For maximum utility, such procedures should be comprehensive, clearly formulated and readily available to both the analyst and the customer for reference. In the specific case of radon surveys, it is very important to design a survey in such a way as to obtain results that can reasonably be considered representative of a population. Since 2004, the Environment Programme of the IAEA has included activities aimed at the development of a set of procedures for the measurement of radionuclides in terrestrial environmental samples. The development of radon measurement procedures for national and regional surveys started with the collection and review of more than 160 relevant scientific papers. On the basis of this review, this publication summarizes the methodology and the measurement techniques suitable for a population representative national or regional survey on radon concentration in the indoor air of dwellings. The main elements of the survey design are described and discussed, such as the sampling scheme, the protocols, the questionnaire and the data analysis, with particular attention to the potential biases that can affect the representativeness of the results. Moreover, the main measurement techniques suitable for national surveys on indoor radon are reviewed, with particular attention to the elements that can affect the precision and accuracy of the results.

  7. 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.

  8. Technical errors in complete mouth radiographic survey according to radiographic techniques and film holding methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Karp Sik; Byun, Chong Soo; Choi, Soon Chul

    1986-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the numbers and causes of retakes in 300 complete mouth radiographic surveys made by 75 senior dental students. According to radiographic techniques and film holding methods, they were divided into 4 groups: Group I: Bisecting-angle technique with patient's fingers. Group II: Bisecting-angle technique with Rinn Snap-A-Ray device. Group III: Bisecting-angle technique with Rinn XCP instrument (short cone) Group IV: Bisecting-angle technique with Rinn XCP instrument (long cone). The most frequent cases of retakes, the most frequent tooth area examined, of retakes and average number of retakes per complete mouth survey were evaluated. The obtained results were as follows: Group I: Incorrect film placement (47.8), upper canine region, and 0.89. Group II: Incorrect film placement (44.0), upper canine region, and 1.12. Group III: Incorrect film placement (79.2), upper canine region, and 2.05. Group IV: Incorrect film placement (67.7), upper canine region, and 1.69.

  9. Scala tympani cochleostomy I: results of a survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adunka, Oliver F; Buchman, Craig A

    2007-12-01

    To assess current surgical techniques for scala tympani cochlear implantation among North American surgeons. A survey was distributed to all cochlear implant surgeons participating in the 2006 William House Cochlear Implant Study Group in Toronto, Canada. Participants were asked to anonymously identify their routine surgical practices. Images of trans-facial recess approaches to the round window and cochlear promontory were used in a multiple-choice fashion to assess the surgeon's typical exposure and cochleostomy location. Returned questionnaires were electronically processed and evaluated. Fifty-five (75%) of 73 returned surveys had adequate data validity and availability. Landmark identification and preferred cochleostomy locations varied greatly. About 20% of surgeons selected cochleostomy locations superior to the round window membrane. Cochleostomy size and location appeared to be influenced by surgical experience and whether or not the round window overhang was drilled off. This survey clearly documents marked variations in surgical techniques for scala tympani cochlear implantation. Future studies should more clearly define the surgical anatomy of this region for appropriate placement of a scala tympani cochleostomy. These findings may ultimately have an impact on hearing and neural preservation cochlear implant surgeries.

  10. [Abortion in Brazil: a household survey using the ballot box technique].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diniz, Debora; Medeiros, Marcelo

    2010-06-01

    This study presents the first results of the National Abortion Survey (PNA, Pesquisa Nacional de Aborto), a household random sample survey fielded in 2010 covering urban women in Brazil aged 18 to 39 years. The PNA combined two techniques, interviewer-administered questionnaires and self-administered ballot box questionnaires. The results of PNA show that at the end of their reproductive health one in five women has performed an abortion, with abortions being more frequent in the main reproductive ages, that is, from 18 to 29 years old. No relevant differentiation was observed in the practice of abortion among religious groups, but abortion was found to be more common among people with lower education. The use of medical drugs to induce abortion occurred in half of the abortions, and post-abortion hospitalization was observed among approximately half of the women who aborted. Such results lead to conclude that abortion is a priority in the Brazilian public health agenda.

  11. Embryo transfer techniques: an American Society for Reproductive Medicine survey of current Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toth, Thomas L; Lee, Malinda S; Bendikson, Kristin A; Reindollar, Richard H

    2017-04-01

    To better understand practice patterns and opportunities for standardization of ET. Cross-sectional survey. Not applicable. Not applicable. An anonymous 82-question survey was emailed to the medical directors of 286 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology member IVF practices. A follow-up survey composed of three questions specific to ET technique was emailed to the same medical directors. Descriptive statistics of the results were compiled. The survey assessed policies, protocols, restrictions, and specifics pertinent to the technique of ET. There were 117 (41%) responses; 32% practice in academic settings and 68% in private practice. Responders were experienced clinicians, half of whom had performed Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. D Survey Techniques for the Architectutal Restoration: the Case of ST. Agata in Pisa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bevilacqua, M. G.; Caroti, G.; Piemonte, A.; Ruschi, P.; Tenchini, L.

    2017-05-01

    and visualize the historical building in its context. These modern techniques of survey, based on the creation of point clouds, are now widely used both in the study of a building and for the thorough description of architectural details and decorations. This paper aims at describing the methodological approach and the results of the 3D survey of the Chapel of St. Agata in Pisa, aimed at its restoration. For the development of a restoration project, the survey drawings must represent not only the geometry of a building, but also the materials and the level of degradation. So, we chose to use both the laser scanner - which guarantees uniformity of the geometric survey precision - and a 3D image-based modelling. The combined use of these two techniques, supported by a total station survey, has produced two point clouds in the same reference system, and allowed the determination of the external orientation parameters of the photographic images. Since these parameters are known, it was possible to texturize the laser scanner model with high quality images. The adopted methodology, as expected, gave back metrically correct and graphically high-quality drawings. The level of detail of the survey, and consequently of the final drawings, has been previously defined for the identification of all the elements required for the analysis of the current state, such as the clear identification and position of all the degradation phenomena, materials and decorative elements such as some fragmented and heavily damaged frescoes.

  13. A survey of energy saving techniques for mobile computers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Havinga, Paul J.M.

    1997-01-01

    Portable products such as pagers, cordless and digital cellular telephones, personal audio equipment, and laptop computers are increasingly being used. Because these applications are battery powered, reducing power consumption is vital. In this report we first give a survey of techniques for

  14. Results of the PERI survey of SciDAC applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Supinski, Bronis R de; Hollingworth, Jeffrey K; Moore, Shirley; Worley, Patrick H

    2007-01-01

    The Performance Engineering Research Institute (PERI) project focuses on achieving superior performance for Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) applications on leadership class machines through cutting-edge research in performance modeling and automated performance tuning. This focus requires coordinated activities to engage SciDAC application teams. The initial application engagement activity was a survey of these teams to determine their performance goals, the criticality of those goals, current performance of their applications, application characteristics relevant to performance and their plans for future optimization. Using a web-based questionnaire, PERI researchers have worked with application developers to provide this information for over twenty-five applications. This paper describes the initial analysis of the application characteristics and performance goals, as well as current and future application engagement activities driven by these results. While the survey was conducted primarily to meet PERI needs, the results represent a snapshot of the state of SciDAC code development and may be of use to the DOE community at large. Overall, the results show that SciDAC application teams are engaged in significant new code development, which will require flexible performance optimization techniques that can improve performance as the applications evolve

  15. Using Intelligent Techniques in Construction Project Cost Estimation: 10-Year Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdelrahman Osman Elfaki

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Cost estimation is the most important preliminary process in any construction project. Therefore, construction cost estimation has the lion’s share of the research effort in construction management. In this paper, we have analysed and studied proposals for construction cost estimation for the last 10 years. To implement this survey, we have proposed and applied a methodology that consists of two parts. The first part concerns data collection, for which we have chosen special journals as sources for the surveyed proposals. The second part concerns the analysis of the proposals. To analyse each proposal, the following four questions have been set. Which intelligent technique is used? How have data been collected? How are the results validated? And which construction cost estimation factors have been used? From the results of this survey, two main contributions have been produced. The first contribution is the defining of the research gap in this area, which has not been fully covered by previous proposals of construction cost estimation. The second contribution of this survey is the proposal and highlighting of future directions for forthcoming proposals, aimed ultimately at finding the optimal construction cost estimation. Moreover, we consider the second part of our methodology as one of our contributions in this paper. This methodology has been proposed as a standard benchmark for construction cost estimation proposals.

  16. Radiological survey techniques for decontamination and dismantlement applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruesink, G.P.; Stempfley, D.H.; Pettit, P.J.; Warner, R.D.

    1997-01-01

    The Department of Energy's Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) is engaged in an aggressive Program to remove all above ground structures as part of the Fernald sites final remediation remedy. Through the complete removal of major facilities such as Plant 7, Plant 4, and Plant 1, the FEMP has developed radiological survey approaches that are effective for the different phases of the Decontamination and Dismantlement (D ampersand D) process. Some of the most pressing challenges facing the FEMP are implementing effective, low cost methods for the D ampersand D of former process buildings while minimizing environmental effects. One of the key components to ensure minimal impact on the environment is the collection of radiological contamination information during the D ampersand D process to facilitate the decision making process. Prior to the final demolition of any structure, radiological surveys of floors, walls, and ceilings must take place. These surveys must demonstrate that contamination levels am below 5000 dpm removable beta/gamma for non-porous surfaces and below 1000 dpm removable-beta/gamma for all porous surfaces. Technique which can perform these activities in a safe, effective, and cost efficient manner are greatly desired. The FEMP has investigated new approaches to address this need. These techniques include sampling approaches using standard baseline methodology as well as innovative approaches to accelerate final radiological clearance processes. To further improve upon this process, the FEMP has investigated several new technologies through the Fernald Plant 1 Large Scale Technology Demonstration Project. One of the most promising of these new technologies, Laser Induced Fluorescence, may significantly improve the radiological clearance survey process. This paper will present real world experiences in applying radiological control limits to D ampersand D projects as well as relate potential productivity and cost improvements with the

  17. FY 1992 Report on results of the survey/research project commissioned by Sunshine Project. Surveys on hydrogen-fired turbines; 1992 nendo suiso nensho turbine no chosa seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1993-03-01

    Summarized herein are results of comprehensive surveys on hydrogen energy supply/utilization systems, centered by hydrogen-fired turbines for power generation. The surveyed items include hydrogen energy supply/utilization systems on an international scale, current state of power generation techniques and utilization of hydrogen, hydrogen-fired turbines for power generation, materials techniques for hydrogen-fired turbines, studies on and evaluation of economic viability of each system, expected effects, and problems involved in development. The surveys on the hydrogen production techniques pick up electrolysis with a solid polymer electrolyte as a promising candidate, and extract the scaling-up techniques, improvement of membrane durability, etc. as the research themes. The surveys on the hydrogen storage/transportation techniques indicate that hydrogen can be carried by a chemical medium for transportation/storage at normal temperature and pressure, for which the problems associated with medium loss and safety must be studied, and that the research themes for hydrogen-occluding alloys should include increasing quantities of hydrogen occluded for bulk transportation/storage at low energy, and decreasing cost. The surveys on hydrogen-fired turbines extract a number of problems to be solved, e.g., controlling hydrogen combustion, turbine designs, materials withstanding superhigh temperature for high-temperature combustion of hydrogen, and optimization of the power generation systems. (NEDO)

  18. Comparative cost assessment of the Kato-Katz and FLOTAC techniques for soil-transmitted helminth diagnosis in epidemiological surveys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Speich Benjamin

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Kato-Katz technique is widely used for the diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in epidemiological surveys and is believed to be an inexpensive method. The FLOTAC technique shows a higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of light-intensity soil-transmitted helminth infections but is reported to be more complex and expensive. We assessed the costs related to the collection, processing and microscopic examination of stool samples using the Kato-Katz and FLOTAC techniques in an epidemiological survey carried out in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Methods We measured the time for the collection of a single stool specimen in the field, transfer to a laboratory, preparation and microscopic examination using standard protocols for the Kato-Katz and FLOTAC techniques. Salaries of health workers, life expectancy and asset costs of materials, and infrastructure costs were determined. The average cost for a single or duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears and the FLOTAC dual or double technique were calculated. Results The average time needed to collect a stool specimen and perform a single or duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears or the FLOTAC dual or double technique was 20 min and 34 sec (20:34 min, 27:21 min, 28:14 min and 36:44 min, respectively. The total costs for a single and duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears were US$ 1.73 and US$ 2.06, respectively, and for the FLOTAC double and dual technique US$ 2.35 and US$ 2.83, respectively. Salaries impacted most on the total costs of either method. Conclusions The time and cost for soil-transmitted helminth diagnosis using either the Kato-Katz or FLOTAC method in epidemiological surveys are considerable. Our results can help to guide healthcare decision makers and scientists in budget planning and funding for epidemiological surveys, anthelminthic drug efficacy trials and monitoring of control interventions.

  19. Survey on development of brown coal liquefaction techniques; Kattan ekika gijutsu ni kansuru chosa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1980-09-01

    Described herein are results of literature survey on brown coal liquefaction reactions and elementary techniques. Liquefaction of brown coal in the presence of CO and steam, or CO, H{sub 2} and steam has been investigated. It is not clear by the literature survey whether it is superior to the normal process which uses hydrogen. Brown coal contains moisture at high contents, and the drying techniques are necessary to be developed for its liquefaction. The future coal liquefaction plant will be much larger than the past one, and there are a number of problems to be solved, such as those involved in the designs of large-sized high-pressure slurry pumps, heat exchangers and preheaters. It is also necessary to develop the materials of and production techniques for large reactors which are serviceable under severe conditions. The solid-liquid separation for liquefaction products involves a number of the elementary techniques characteristic of coal liquefaction processes, and needs many technological developments. The one-stage brown coal liquefaction process is compared with the two-stage process for the secondary hydrogenation of SCR, but no clear conclusions are reached. (NEDO)

  20. ESR teleradiology survey: results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-08-01

    With recent developments of teleradiology technology and services, it has become necessary to better evaluate its extent and use among different countries in Europe. With this goal in mind, the ESR launched two specific surveys intended to gather the current state of adoption and implementation of teleradiology in clinical practice. A special focus on differentiating between insourcing teleradiology services among partners of the same organisation and outsourcing to external services was an essential part of the design of these surveys. The first survey was addressed to 44 national societies of different countries in Europe, while the second survey was intended for all practicing radiologist ESR members. While the results of these surveys reported here may provide a wealth of information to better understand the trends in adoption of teleradiology in Europe, they only represent a snapshot at a certain point in time. The rapid development of telecommunication tools as well as a fundamental change in practice and healthcare economics will certainly influence these observations in the upcoming years. These data, however, will provide objective and relevant parameters for supporting the efforts of experts and policy makers in promoting appropriate criteria and guidelines for adequate use of teleradiology in clinical practice. Main Messages • Understand concepts and challenges of teleradiology • Provide insight into current trends and solutions for teleradiology • Compare differences in teleradiolgy strategies between countries in Europe • Establish a reference on statistical data of usage of teleradiology in Europe.

  1. High precision survey and alignment techniques in accelerator construction

    CERN Document Server

    Gervaise, J

    1974-01-01

    Basic concepts of precision surveying are briefly reviewed, and an historical account is given of instruments and techniques used during the construction of the Proton Synchrotron (1954-59), the Intersecting Storage Rings (1966-71), and the Super Proton Synchrotron (1971). A nylon wire device, distinvar, invar wire and tape, and recent automation of the gyrotheodolite and distinvar as well as auxiliary equipment (polyurethane jacks, Centipede) are discussed in detail. The paper ends summarizing the present accuracy in accelerator metrology, giving an outlook of possible improvement, and some aspects of staffing for the CERN Survey Group. (0 refs).

  2. Indoor radon and radon daughters survey at Campinas-Brazil using CR-39: First results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guedes, S.; Hadler, J.C.N.; Iunes, P.J.; Navia, L.M.S.; Neman, R.S.; Paulo, S.R.; Rodrigues, V.C.; Souza, W.F.; Tello, C.A.S.; Zuniga, A.

    1999-01-01

    The first results of a radon and radon daughters (RD) survey performed at Campinas-SP, Brazil, are presented. We employed a technique that, potentially, makes possible to measure the radon and RD activity in the air and to separate from this result the activity of radon, alone. In this preliminary paper only the former activity is studied

  3. Indoor radon and radon daughters survey at Campinas-Brazil using CR-39: First results

    CERN Document Server

    Guedes, S; Iunes, P J; Navia, L M S; Neman, R S; Paulo, S R; Rodrigues, V C; Souza, W F; Tello, C A S; Zúñiga, A G

    1999-01-01

    The first results of a radon and radon daughters (RD) survey performed at Campinas-SP, Brazil, are presented. We employed a technique that, potentially, makes possible to measure the radon and RD activity in the air and to separate from this result the activity of radon, alone. In this preliminary paper only the former activity is studied.

  4. Sexual harassment of students - survey results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitrijević Aleksandra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to present results of the survey on sexual harassment of students of the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade. It starts with presenting and discussing different definitions of the term ‘sexual harassment’. Afterwards, a brief overview of available surveys on this subject is provided. Results of the surveys completed so far show that this kind of students’ victimization in educational institutions is frequent in all parts of the world, regardless of the economic, ethnic and religious grounds. The aim of the survey conducted at the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation (FASPER was to identify the prevalence and characteristics of sexual harassment among undergraduate students, as well as possible forms of assistance and support to students who experience sexual harassment. A survey was conducted by the students of FASPER during April and May 2014 on a sample of 147 students of all four years of undergraduate studies. For data collection a victimization survey was used. The survey results suggested that sexual harassment of students of FASPER is prevalent, while it only manifests itself in a form of verbal harassment with a sexual connotation. Female students are more exposed to harassment than male students, but we need to interpret this finding with a caution due to the fact that a sample was mostly consisted of female respondents. According to the students’ opinion, possible solutions for preventing and eliminating sexual harassment of students of FASPER are education of students and employees, adoption of rules for protection of students from this kind of victimization and establishment of support service for students who experience victimization by sexual harassment.

  5. The History of Electromagnetic Induction Techniques in Soil Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brevik, Eric C.; Doolittle, Jim

    2014-05-01

    Electromagnetic induction (EMI) has been used to characterize the spatial variability of soil properties since the late 1970s. Initially used to assess soil salinity, the use of EMI in soil studies has expanded to include: mapping soil types; characterizing soil water content and flow patterns; assessing variations in soil texture, compaction, organic matter content, and pH; and determining the depth to subsurface horizons, stratigraphic layers or bedrock, among other uses. In all cases the soil property being investigated must influence soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) either directly or indirectly for EMI techniques to be effective. An increasing number and diversity of EMI sensors have been developed in response to users' needs and the availability of allied technologies, which have greatly improved the functionality of these tools. EMI investigations provide several benefits for soil studies. The large amount of georeferenced data that can be rapidly and inexpensively collected with EMI provides more complete characterization of the spatial variations in soil properties than traditional sampling techniques. In addition, compared to traditional soil survey methods, EMI can more effectively characterize diffuse soil boundaries and identify included areas of dissimilar soils within mapped soil units, giving soil scientists greater confidence when collecting spatial soil information. EMI techniques do have limitations; results are site-specific and can vary depending on the complex interactions among multiple and variable soil properties. Despite this, EMI techniques are increasingly being used to investigate the spatial variability of soil properties at field and landscape scales.

  6. Survey on peripheral techniques of brown coal liquefaction techniques; Kattan ekika gijutsu ni kansuru shuhen gijutsu no chosa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1980-09-01

    Described herein are results of survey on brown coal liquefaction techniques and peripheral techniques, centered by COSTEAM process under development in USA, solubilization by alcohol and liquefaction and cracking with the aid of tetrahydroquinoline as the hydrogen donor under development in Japan, and low-temperature carbonization and new promising techniques. The COSTEAM process shows higher reaction rates, conversions and oil yields for brown coal liquefaction than the one using hydrogen gas. Some of the problems involved in this process high viscosity and oxygenated compound content of the product oil. The product oil is acceptable as fuel for power generating plants and can be produced at a moderate cost, but may be unsuitable as vehicle fuel. Coal liquefaction and solubilization processes are mainly represented by those which use hydrogen. The hydrogen cost, which is high, determines the product price. The processes which use alcohol or tetrahydroquinoline are still in the experimental stage. (NEDO)

  7. Effectiveness of control techniques in drinking water installations. Survey of recent scientific research results; Effectiviteit beheerstechnieken in drinkwaterinstallaties. RIVM inventariseert recente wetenschappelijke bevindingen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scheffer, W.

    2012-12-15

    A literature survey has been carried out on current scientific knowledge about the effectiveness of management techniques for Legionella in potable water systems. The examined scientific literature from 2007-201 comprises mainly case studies on the effect of the introduction of a certain management technique on Legionella growth [Dutch] Het RIVM heeft in opdracht van de Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) literatuuronderzoek gedaan naar de huidige wetenschappelijke kennis over de effectiviteit van beheerstechnieken voor legionella in drinkwaterinstallaties. De onderzochte wetenschappelijke literatuur uit 2007-201 I betreft vooral casestudies naar het effect van de introductie van een bepaalde beheerstechniek op de legionellagroei.

  8. A survey of visual preprocessing and shape representation techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olshausen, Bruno A.

    1988-01-01

    Many recent theories and methods proposed for visual preprocessing and shape representation are summarized. The survey brings together research from the fields of biology, psychology, computer science, electrical engineering, and most recently, neural networks. It was motivated by the need to preprocess images for a sparse distributed memory (SDM), but the techniques presented may also prove useful for applying other associative memories to visual pattern recognition. The material of this survey is divided into three sections: an overview of biological visual processing; methods of preprocessing (extracting parts of shape, texture, motion, and depth); and shape representation and recognition (form invariance, primitives and structural descriptions, and theories of attention).

  9. Management Values Survey Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffy, Barbara; Payne, Ron

    1988-01-01

    Describes results of a survey conducted to compare values of members of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) with managers in business and industry. Issues discussed include job satisfaction, opportunities for advancement, attitudes toward management, and salary; a summary of each value system is provided. (LRW)

  10. Complete Denture Impression Techniques Practiced by Private Dental Practitioners: A Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Kakatkar, Vinay R.

    2012-01-01

    Impression making is an important step in fabricating complete dentures. A survey to know the materials used and techniques practiced while recording complete denture impressions was conducted. It is disheartening to know that 33 % practitioners still use base plate custom trays to record final impressions. 8 % still use alginate for making final impressions. An acceptable technique for recording CD impressions is suggested.

  11. Yoga in Australia: Results of a national survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Penman

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The therapeutic benefits of yoga and meditation are well documented, yet little is known about the practice of yoga in Australia or elsewhere, whether as a physical activity, a form of therapy, a spiritual path or a lifestyle. Materials and Methods: To investigate the practice of yoga in Australia, a national survey of yoga practitioners was conducted utilizing a comprehensive web-based questionnaire. Respondents were self-selecting to participate. A total of 3,892 respondents completed the survey. Sixty overseas respondents and 1265 yoga teachers (to be reported separately were excluded, leaving 2,567 yoga practitioner respondents. Results: The typical yoga survey respondent was a 41-year-old, tertiary educated, employed, health-conscious female (85% women. Asana (postures and vinyasa (sequences of postures represented 61% of the time spent practicing, with the other 39% devoted to the gentler practices of relaxation, pranayama (breathing techniques, meditation and instruction. Respondents commonly started practicing yoga for health and fitness but often continued practicing for stress management. One in five respondents practiced yoga for a specific health or medical reason which was seen to be improved by yoga practice. Of these, more people used yoga for stress management and anxiety than back, neck or shoulder problems, suggesting that mental health may be the primary health-related motivation for practicing yoga. Healthy lifestyle choices were seen to be more prevalent in respondents with more years of practice. Yoga-related injuries occurring under supervision in the previous 12 months were low at 2.4% of respondents. Conclusions: Yoga practice was seen to assist in the management of specific health issues and medical conditions. Regular yoga practice may also exert a healthy lifestyle effect including vegetarianism, non-smoking, reduced alcohol consumption, increased exercise and reduced stress with resulting cost benefits

  12. SURVEY ON CRIME ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION USING DATA MINING TECHNIQUES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Benjamin Fredrick David

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Data Mining is the procedure which includes evaluating and examining large pre-existing databases in order to generate new information which may be essential to the organization. The extraction of new information is predicted using the existing datasets. Many approaches for analysis and prediction in data mining had been performed. But, many few efforts has made in the criminology field. Many few have taken efforts for comparing the information all these approaches produce. The police stations and other similar criminal justice agencies hold many large databases of information which can be used to predict or analyze the criminal movements and criminal activity involvement in the society. The criminals can also be predicted based on the crime data. The main aim of this work is to perform a survey on the supervised learning and unsupervised learning techniques that has been applied towards criminal identification. This paper presents the survey on the Crime analysis and crime prediction using several Data Mining techniques.

  13. Using experts’ consensus (the Delphi method) to evaluate weighting techniques in web surveys not based on probability schemes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Toepoel, V.; Emerson, Hannah

    2017-01-01

    Weighting techniques in web surveys based on no probability schemes are devised to correct biases due to self-selection, undercoverage, and nonresponse. In an interactive panel, 38 survey experts addressed weighting techniques and auxiliary variables in web surveys. Most of them corrected all biases

  14. Use of structured personality survey techniques to indicate operator response to stressful situations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waller, M.A.

    1990-01-01

    Under given circumstances, a person will tend to operate in one of four dominant orientations: (1) to perform tasks; (2) to achieve consensus; (3) to achieve understanding, or (4) to maintain structure. Historically, personality survey techniques, such as the Myers-Briggs type indicator, have been used to determine these tendencies. While these techniques can accurately reflect a person's orientation under normal social situations, under different sets of conditions, the same person may exhibit other tendencies, displaying a similar or entirely different orientation. While most do not exhibit extreme tendencies or changes of orientation, the shift in personality from normal to stressful conditions can be rather dramatic, depending on the individual. Structured personality survey techniques have been used to indicate operator response to stressful situations. These techniques have been extended to indicate the balance between orientations that the control room team has through the various levels of cognizance

  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. Results and analysis of the 2008-2009 Insulin Injection Technique Questionnaire survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Coninck, Carina; Frid, Anders; Gaspar, Ruth; Hicks, Debbie; Hirsch, Larry; Kreugel, Gillian; Liersch, Jutta; Letondeur, Corinne; Sauvanet, Jean-Pierre; Tubiana, Nadia; Strauss, Kenneth

    Background: The efficacy of injection therapy in diabetes depends on correct injection technique and, to provide patients with guidance in this area, we must understand how they currently inject. Methods: From September 2008 to June 2009, 4352 insulin-injecting Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients

  17. Comparison of passive soil vapor survey techniques at a Tijeras Arroyo site, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eberle, C.S.; Wade, W.M.; Tharp, T.; Brinkman, J.

    1996-01-01

    Soil vapor surveys were performed to characterize the approximate location of soil contaminants at a hazardous waste site. The samplers were from two separate companies and a comparison was made between the results of the two techniques. These results will be used to design further investigations at the site

  18. Summary of microsatellite instability test results from laboratories participating in proficiency surveys: proficiency survey results from 2005 to 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, Theresa A; Bridge, Julia A; Sabatini, Linda M; Nowak, Jan A; Vasalos, Patricia; Jennings, Lawrence J; Halling, Kevin C

    2014-03-01

    The College of American Pathologists surveys are the largest laboratory peer comparison programs in the world. These programs allow laboratories to regularly evaluate their performance and improve the accuracy of the patient test results they provide. Proficiency testing is offered twice a year to laboratories performing microsatellite instability testing. These surveys are designed to emulate clinical practice, and some surveys have more challenging cases to encourage the refinement of laboratory practices. This report summarizes the results and trends in microsatellite instability proficiency testing from participating laboratories from the inception of the program in 2005 through 2012. We compiled and analyzed data for 16 surveys of microsatellite instability proficiency testing during 2005 to 2012. The number of laboratories participating in the microsatellite instability survey has more than doubled from 42 to 104 during the 8 years analyzed. An average of 95.4% of the laboratories correctly classified each of the survey test samples from the 2005A through 2012B proficiency challenges. In the 2011B survey, a lower percentage of laboratories (78.4%) correctly classified the specimen, possibly because of overlooking subtle changes of microsatellite instability and/or failing to enrich the tumor content of the specimen to meet the limit of detection of their assay. In general, laboratories performed well in microsatellite instability testing. This testing will continue to be important in screening patients with colorectal and other cancers for Lynch syndrome and guiding the management of patients with sporadic colorectal cancer.

  19. Yoga in Australia: Results of a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penman, Stephen; Cohen, Marc; Stevens, Philip; Jackson, Sue

    2012-07-01

    The therapeutic benefits of yoga and meditation are well documented, yet little is known about the practice of yoga in Australia or elsewhere, whether as a physical activity, a form of therapy, a spiritual path or a lifestyle. To investigate the practice of yoga in Australia, a national survey of yoga practitioners was conducted utilizing a comprehensive web-based questionnaire. Respondents were self-selecting to participate. A total of 3,892 respondents completed the survey. Sixty overseas respondents and 1265 yoga teachers (to be reported separately) were excluded, leaving 2,567 yoga practitioner respondents. The typical yoga survey respondent was a 41-year-old, tertiary educated, employed, health-conscious female (85% women). Asana (postures) and vinyasa (sequences of postures) represented 61% of the time spent practicing, with the other 39% devoted to the gentler practices of relaxation, pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation and instruction. Respondents commonly started practicing yoga for health and fitness but often continued practicing for stress management. One in five respondents practiced yoga for a specific health or medical reason which was seen to be improved by yoga practice. Of these, more people used yoga for stress management and anxiety than back, neck or shoulder problems, suggesting that mental health may be the primary health-related motivation for practicing yoga. Healthy lifestyle choices were seen to be more prevalent in respondents with more years of practice. Yoga-related injuries occurring under supervision in the previous 12 months were low at 2.4% of respondents. Yoga practice was seen to assist in the management of specific health issues and medical conditions. Regular yoga practice may also exert a healthy lifestyle effect including vegetarianism, non-smoking, reduced alcohol consumption, increased exercise and reduced stress with resulting cost benefits to the community.

  20. Comprehensive geophysical survey technique in exploration for deep-buried hydrothermal type uranium deposits in Xiangshan volcanic basin, China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ke, D.

    2014-01-01

    According to recent drilling results, uranium mineralization has been found underground more than 1000 m deep in the Xiangshan volcanic basin, in where uranium exploration has been carried out for over 50 years. This paper presents a comprehensive geophysical survey technique, including audio magnetotelluric method (AMT), high resolution ground magnetic and radon survey, which aim to prospect deep-buried and concealed uranium deposits in Xiangshan volcanic basin. Based on research and application, a comprehensive geophysical technique consisting of data acquisition, processing and interpretation has been established. Concealed rock and ore-controlling structure buried deeper than 1000 m can be detected by using this technique. Moreover, one kind of anti-interference technique of AMT survey is presented, which can eliminate the interference induced by the high-voltage power lines. Result of AMT in Xiangshan volcanic basin is demonstrated as high-low-high mode, which indicates there are three layers in geology. The upper layer with high resistivity is mainly the react of porphyroclastic lava. The middle layer with low resistivity is metamorphic schists or dellenite whereas the lower layer with high resistivity is inferred as granite. The interface between middle and lower layer is recognized as the potential zone for occurrence of uranium deposits. According to the corresponding relation of the resistivity and magnetic anomaly with uranium ore bodies, the tracing model of faults and interfaces between the different rocks, and the forecasting model of advantageous area for uranium deposits have been established. In terms of the forecasting model, some significant sections for uranium deposits were delineated in the west of the Xiangshan volcanic basin. As a result, some achievements on uranium prospecting have been acquired. High grade economic uranium ore bodies have been found in several boreholes, which are located in the forecasted zones. (author)

  1. UAS Mapping as an alternative for land surveying techniques?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Devriendt

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Can a UAS mapping technique compete with standard surveying techniques? Since the boom in different RPAS (remotely piloted air system, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAS (unmanned aerial system, this is one of the crucial questions when it comes to UAS mappings. Not the looks and feels are important but the reliability, ease-to-use, and accuracy that you get with a system based on hardware and corresponding software. This was also one of the issues that the Dutch Land Registry asked a few months ago aimed at achieving an effective and usable system for updating property boundaries in new-build districts. Orbit GT gave them a ready-made answer: a definitive outcome based on years of research and development in UAS mapping technology and software.

  2. Statistical literacy and sample survey results

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAlevey, Lynn; Sullivan, Charles

    2010-10-01

    Sample surveys are widely used in the social sciences and business. The news media almost daily quote from them, yet they are widely misused. Using students with prior managerial experience embarking on an MBA course, we show that common sample survey results are misunderstood even by those managers who have previously done a statistics course. In general, they fare no better than managers who have never studied statistics. There are implications for teaching, especially in business schools, as well as for consulting.

  3. Survey on result promotion of the atomic force technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eguchi, Masato; Okuno, Yumiko [Nikkei Research Inst. of Industry and Markets, Tokyo (Japan)

    1998-02-01

    By change of environment around research and development of atomic force, investigation has been recently executed not only on a theme directing a specific aim, but also on technical development considering some applications to the other field reflected by social needs. Therefore, an effective procedure and program capable of reflecting and promoting results of the atomic fore development to other industrial field were necessary. In this study, methods of evaluation and industrialization on study results of the atomic force were investigated. As a result, in order to promote the study results to other field, it was found to be important that some free reasons and concept engineering to mediate between developing and applying sides were to be present. In addition, it was suggested by some searches that a new atomic industry has a probability to be created by using potential energies such as heat, radiation, pulse, and so on. In this paper, evaluation on industrialization of the atomic force technical resources, and establishment of the industrialization program were described. (G.K.)

  4. Nuclear assay of coal. Volume 4. Moisture determination in coal: survey of electromagnetic techniques. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bevan, R.; Luckie, P.; Gozani, T.; Brown, D.R.; Bozorgmanesh, H.; Elias, E.

    1979-01-01

    This survey consists of two basic parts. The first consists of a survey of various non-nuclear moisture determination techniques. Three techniques are identified as promising for eventual on-line application with coal; these are the capacitance, microwave attenuation, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. The second part is devoted to an in-depth analysis of these three techniques and the current extent to which they have been applied to coal. With a given coal type, accuracies of +- 1% absolute in moisture content are achievable with all three techniques. The accuracy of the two electromagnetic techniques has been demonstrated in the laboratory and on-line in coal burning plants, whereas only small samples have been analyzed with NMR. The current shortcoming of the simple electromagnetic techniques is the sensitivity of calibrations to physical parameters and coal type. NMR is currently limited by small sample sizes and non-rugged design. These findings are summarized and a list of manufacturers of moisture analyzers is given in the Appendix

  5. The results of complex radiation-hygienic survey of the reference settlements in Mogilev region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ageeva, T.N.; Chegerova, T.I.; Shchur, A.V.; Shapsheeva, T.P.; Lipnitskij, L.V.

    2011-01-01

    The results of complex radiation-hygienic survey of the reference settlements located on the radioactively contaminated territory have been presents in the article. The four-year dynamics of the internal exposure doses of the reference settlements' inhabitants and their relationship with the 137 Cs content in foods consumed by the population have been shown. It was ascertained that there are still some isolated individuals with high doses of internal radiation among the surveyed population, which have the significant influence on the average annual radiation dose for the inhabitants and dose of its critical group. The external exposure individual doses of the inhabitants and the results of measuring of the gamma radiation dose rate in place of the settlements have been analyzed. It have been expressed the opinion about need entering adjustment in the measuring techniques of external doses. (authors)

  6. NREL Partnership Survey - FY 2016 Results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2016-09-01

    The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducts an annual partnership satisfaction survey in which we ask our clients to rate NREL in a number of areas. As a national laboratory, the principal areas we focus on include value, timeliness, quality, price, and capabilities. This fact sheet shows the results of a survey with 300 customers responding to 11 questions using ratings that vary from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree.' In FY 16, 100% of the scores improved or were equal to FY 15 numbers.

  7. A survey on the application of robot techniques to an atomic power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Tsutomu; Sato, Tomomasa; Hirai, Shigeoki; Suehiro, Takashi; Okada, Tokuji

    1982-01-01

    Tasks of workers in atomic power plants have been surveyed from the viewpoint of necessity and possibility of their robotization. The daily tasks are classified into the following: (1) plant operation; (2) periodical examination; (3) patrol and inspection; (4) in-service inspection; (5) maintenance and repaire; (6) examination and production of the fuel; (7) waste disposal; (8) decommission of the plant. The necessity and present status of the robotization in atomic power plants are investigated according to the following classification: (1) inspection robots; (2) patrol inspection/maintenance robots; (3) hot cell robots; (4) plant decommission robots. The following have been made clear through the survey: (1) Various kinds of tasks are necessary for an atomic power plant: (2) Because of most of the tasks taking place in intense radiation environments, it is necessary to introduce robots into atomic power plants: (3) In application of robots in atomic power plant systems, it is necessary to take account of various severe conditions concerning spatial restrictions, radioactive endurance and reliability. Lastly wide applicability of the techniques of knowledge robots, which operate interactively with men, has been confirmed as a result of the survey. (author)

  8. Radiotherapy for Graves' orbitopathy: results of a national survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heyd, R.; Zamboglou, N.; Heinrich Seegenschmiedt, M.; Strassmann, G.; Micke, O.; Makoski, H.B.

    2003-01-01

    Background: Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is a widely accepted indication for radiation therapy (RT). In conjunction with the German Cooperative Group on Radiotherapy for Benign Diseases (GCG-BD), a national survey was conducted in order to assess whether or not there is a consensus on the indication for RT and various treatment factors which were studied. Material and Methods: A questionnaire was circulated to 190 RT institutions to obtain relevant data concerning the patients' workload, stage-dependent indication, and diagnostic procedures, which were considered to be necessary. Further questions addressed details on radiation technique and dose-fractionation schedules, the combined use of corticoids, and salvage RT after previous treatment failure following RT. Results: With a response rate of 152/190 (80%), the survey is nationally representative. Based on the case workload, an estimated annual number of 1,600 GO cases are treated in German radiotherapy departments. With an 88% consensus, stages II-V are the typical indications. 85% considered imaging studies necessary for indication and only 48% for laboratory tests. 76% of the institutions used total doses in the range of 15-20 Gy, and conventional fractionation was most common (57%). 82% used a face mask fixation and 67% CT-based treatment planning. Approximately 50% would prescribe salvage RT, and total doses in the range of 20-40 Gy were considered to be acceptable. Conclusions: The survey revealed a consensus concerning most of the factors studied. We recommend to review the patterns of care for RT of other entities of benign diseases and to implement a quality assurance program both on national and international levels. (orig.)

  9. Research on polonium-218 survey technique for uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, R.

    1985-01-01

    This article makes an exposition of the principles and procedures of 218 Po survey technique for uranium. The experiments done with 218 Po method on a large scale on the deposits of granite, volcanic rock and carbon-silliceous slate types showed that the method of not only as effective as track method and 210 Po method, but also has the characteristics of its own. The device has higher working efficiency with only 5 minutes needed at each measurement point, and its sensitivity is higher, about 0.7 pulse/136.S (P ci /L). The results of measurement by 218 Po method will not be affected by thorium emanation and there will be no contamination of the scintillation chamber by radon daughter. The ratio of anomalous peak value to the bottom for 218 Po method is proved to be higher than that for track method and 210 Po method. In order to avoid the influence of moisture, the measurement by 218 Po method should be planned to do when it is not a rainy day and the holes must be dug some distance off the ditches and rice fields, thus ensuring the success in applying the method

  10. Results of an EMI/RFI plant survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shankar, R.; Mollerus, F.J.

    1993-01-01

    This paper summarizes the results of a telephone survey to collect information concerning electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) problems primarily at nuclear power plants. The survey found that problem sources such as two-way radios and welding have been largely resolved by procedural control and use of sound-power phone systems. Additional investigation and testing appear appropriate for noise interference related to grounding of electrical equipment and instrumentation

  11. Lot quality assurance sampling techniques in health surveys in developing countries: advantages and current constraints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanata, C F; Black, R E

    1991-01-01

    Traditional survey methods, which are generally costly and time-consuming, usually provide information at the regional or national level only. The utilization of lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) methodology, developed in industry for quality control, makes it possible to use small sample sizes when conducting surveys in small geographical or population-based areas (lots). This article describes the practical use of LQAS for conducting health surveys to monitor health programmes in developing countries. Following a brief description of the method, the article explains how to build a sample frame and conduct the sampling to apply LQAS under field conditions. A detailed description of the procedure for selecting a sampling unit to monitor the health programme and a sample size is given. The sampling schemes utilizing LQAS applicable to health surveys, such as simple- and double-sampling schemes, are discussed. The interpretation of the survey results and the planning of subsequent rounds of LQAS surveys are also discussed. When describing the applicability of LQAS in health surveys in developing countries, the article considers current limitations for its use by health planners in charge of health programmes, and suggests ways to overcome these limitations through future research. It is hoped that with increasing attention being given to industrial sampling plans in general, and LQAS in particular, their utilization to monitor health programmes will provide health planners in developing countries with powerful techniques to help them achieve their health programme targets.

  12. The Impact of Repeated Lying on Survey Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Chesney

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the effects on results of participants completing a survey more than once, a phenomenon known as farming. Using data from a real social science study as a baseline, three strategies that participants might use to farm are studied by Monte Carlo simulation. Findings show that farming influences survey results and can cause both statistical hypotheses testing Type I (false positive and Type II (false negative errors in unpredictable ways.

  13. Literature survey of heat transfer enhancement techniques in refrigeration applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jensen, M.K.; Shome, B. [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics

    1994-05-01

    A survey has been performed of the technical and patent literature on enhanced heat transfer of refrigerants in pool boiling, forced convection evaporation, and condensation. Extensive bibliographies of the technical literature and patents are given. Many passive and active techniques were examined for pure refrigerants, refrigerant-oil mixtures, and refrigerant mixtures. The citations were categorized according to enhancement technique, heat transfer mode, and tube or shell side focus. The effects of the enhancement techniques relative to smooth and/or pure refrigerants were illustrated through the discussion of selected papers. Patented enhancement techniques also are discussed. Enhanced heat transfer has demonstrated significant improvements in performance in many refrigerant applications. However, refrigerant mixtures and refrigerant-oil mixtures have not been studied extensively; no research has been performed with enhanced refrigerant mixtures with oil. Most studies have been of the parametric type; there has been inadequate examination of the fundamental processes governing enhanced refrigerant heat transfer, but some modeling is being done and correlations developed. It is clear that an enhancement technique must be optimized for the refrigerant and operating condition. Fundamental processes governing the heat transfer must be examined if models for enhancement techniques are to be developed; these models could provide the method to optimize a surface. Refrigerant mixtures, with and without oil present, must be studied with enhancement devices; there is too little known to be able to estimate the effects of mixtures (particularly NARMs) with enhanced heat transfer. Other conclusions and recommendations are offered.

  14. Visual servoing in medical robotics: a survey. Part II: tomographic imaging modalities--techniques and applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizian, Mahdi; Najmaei, Nima; Khoshnam, Mahta; Patel, Rajni

    2015-03-01

    Intraoperative application of tomographic imaging techniques provides a means of visual servoing for objects beneath the surface of organs. The focus of this survey is on therapeutic and diagnostic medical applications where tomographic imaging is used in visual servoing. To this end, a comprehensive search of the electronic databases was completed for the period 2000-2013. Existing techniques and products are categorized and studied, based on the imaging modality and their medical applications. This part complements Part I of the survey, which covers visual servoing techniques using endoscopic imaging and direct vision. The main challenges in using visual servoing based on tomographic images have been identified. 'Supervised automation of medical robotics' is found to be a major trend in this field and ultrasound is the most commonly used tomographic modality for visual servoing. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. The Extended Northern ROSAT Galaxy Cluster Survey (NORAS II). I. Survey Construction and First Results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Böhringer, Hans; Chon, Gayoung; Trümper, Joachim; Retzlaff, Jörg; Meisenheimer, Klaus; Schartel, Norbert

    2017-01-01

    As the largest, clearly defined building blocks of our universe, galaxy clusters are interesting astrophysical laboratories and important probes for cosmology. X-ray surveys for galaxy clusters provide one of the best ways to characterize the population of galaxy clusters. We provide a description of the construction of the NORAS II galaxy cluster survey based on X-ray data from the northern part of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. NORAS II extends the NORAS survey down to a flux limit of 1.8 × 10 −12 erg s −1 cm −2 (0.1–2.4 keV), increasing the sample size by about a factor of two. The NORAS II cluster survey now reaches the same quality and depth as its counterpart, the southern REFLEX II survey, allowing us to combine the two complementary surveys. The paper provides information on the determination of the cluster X-ray parameters, the identification process of the X-ray sources, the statistics of the survey, and the construction of the survey selection function, which we provide in numerical format. Currently NORAS II contains 860 clusters with a median redshift of z  = 0.102. We provide a number of statistical functions, including the log N –log S and the X-ray luminosity function and compare these to the results from the complementary REFLEX II survey. Using the NORAS II sample to constrain the cosmological parameters, σ 8 and Ω m , yields results perfectly consistent with those of REFLEX II. Overall, the results show that the two hemisphere samples, NORAS II and REFLEX II, can be combined without problems into an all-sky sample, just excluding the zone of avoidance.

  16. The Extended Northern ROSAT Galaxy Cluster Survey (NORAS II). I. Survey Construction and First Results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Böhringer, Hans; Chon, Gayoung; Trümper, Joachim [Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Retzlaff, Jörg [ESO, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Meisenheimer, Klaus [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Schartel, Norbert [ESAC, Camino Bajo del Castillo, Villanueva de la Cañada, E-28692 Madrid (Spain)

    2017-05-01

    As the largest, clearly defined building blocks of our universe, galaxy clusters are interesting astrophysical laboratories and important probes for cosmology. X-ray surveys for galaxy clusters provide one of the best ways to characterize the population of galaxy clusters. We provide a description of the construction of the NORAS II galaxy cluster survey based on X-ray data from the northern part of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. NORAS II extends the NORAS survey down to a flux limit of 1.8 × 10{sup −12} erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2} (0.1–2.4 keV), increasing the sample size by about a factor of two. The NORAS II cluster survey now reaches the same quality and depth as its counterpart, the southern REFLEX II survey, allowing us to combine the two complementary surveys. The paper provides information on the determination of the cluster X-ray parameters, the identification process of the X-ray sources, the statistics of the survey, and the construction of the survey selection function, which we provide in numerical format. Currently NORAS II contains 860 clusters with a median redshift of z  = 0.102. We provide a number of statistical functions, including the log N –log S and the X-ray luminosity function and compare these to the results from the complementary REFLEX II survey. Using the NORAS II sample to constrain the cosmological parameters, σ {sub 8} and Ω{sub m}, yields results perfectly consistent with those of REFLEX II. Overall, the results show that the two hemisphere samples, NORAS II and REFLEX II, can be combined without problems into an all-sky sample, just excluding the zone of avoidance.

  17. Site Specific Advisory Board initiative, evaluation survey results supplementary appendix: Summary of individual site results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-08-01

    This Appendix presents results of the Site-Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) Initiative for each of the 11 sites that participated in the survey. These individual results are a supplement to the June 1996 Summary Report which presented overall survey results. Results are presented in 11 sections, arranged alphabetically by site. Each section includes a series of figures and tables that parallel those presented in the Summary Report. To facilitate comparison, figures are presented both for the individual site and for the overall long survey. The sequence of sections is: Fernald, Hanford, Idaho, Los Alamos, Monticello, Nevada, Pantex, Rocky Flats, St. Louis, Sandia, and Savannah River

  18. A SURVEY OF AUTOMATION TECHNIQUES COMING FORTH IN SHEET-FED OFFSET PRINTING ORGANIZATIONS

    OpenAIRE

    Mr. Ramesh Kumar*, Mr. Bijender & Mr. Sandeep Boora

    2017-01-01

    Sheet-Fed offset is one of the premier processes in India as well as abroad. To cope up with customers large quantity demands automation has become mandatory. From prepress to post press a wide range of automation techniques exist and coming forth for sheet fed offset presses. Objective of this paper is to throw light on various sheet-fed offset automation techniques existing today and their futuristic implications. The data related to automation was collected with the help of survey conducte...

  19. A Survey of Soft-Error Mitigation Techniques for Non-Volatile Memories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sparsh Mittal

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Non-volatile memories (NVMs offer superior density and energy characteristics compared to the conventional memories; however, NVMs suffer from severe reliability issues that can easily eclipse their energy efficiency advantages. In this paper, we survey architectural techniques for improving the soft-error reliability of NVMs, specifically PCM (phase change memory and STT-RAM (spin transfer torque RAM. We focus on soft-errors, such as resistance drift and write disturbance, in PCM and read disturbance and write failures in STT-RAM. By classifying the research works based on key parameters, we highlight their similarities and distinctions. We hope that this survey will underline the crucial importance of addressing NVM reliability for ensuring their system integration and will be useful for researchers, computer architects and processor designers.

  20. Results from the 2013 drug and alcohol testing survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    This report summarizes the results of the 2013 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey. This annual survey measures the percentage of drivers with commercial drivers licenses (CDLs) that test positive fo...

  1. Results from the 2008 Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    This report summarizes the results of the 2008 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey. This annual survey measures the percentage of drivers with commercial drivers licenses who test positive for controlled sub...

  2. Telephone survey to investigate relationships between onychectomy or onychectomy technique and house soiling in cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerard, Amanda F; Larson, Mandy; Baldwin, Claudia J; Petersen, Christine

    2016-09-15

    OBJECTIVE To determine whether associations existed between onychectomy or onychectomy technique and house soiling in cats. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE 281 owners of 455 cats in Polk County, Iowa, identified via a list of randomly selected residential phone numbers of cat owners in that region. PROCEDURES A telephone survey was conducted to collect information from cat owners on factors hypothesized a priori to be associated with house soiling, including cat sex, reproductive status, medical history, and onychectomy history. When cats that had undergone onychectomy were identified, data were collected regarding the cat's age at the time of the procedure and whether a carbon dioxide laser (CDL) had been used. Information on history of house soiling behavior (urinating or defecating outside the litter box) was also collected. RESULTS Onychectomy technique was identified as a risk factor for house soiling. Cats for which a non-CDL technique was used had a higher risk of house soiling than cats for which the CDL technique was used. Cats that had undergone onychectomy and that lived in a multicat (3 to 5 cats) household were more than 3 times as likely to have house soiled as were single-housed cats with intact claws. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of this cross-sectional study suggested that use of the CDL technique for onychectomy could decrease the risk of house soiling by cats relative to the risk associated with other techniques. This and other findings can be used to inform the decisions of owners and veterinarians when considering elective onychectomy for cats.

  3. Isotope techniques in a water survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1959-10-15

    The circulation of water is one of the most interesting of natural phenomena. Exact knowledge of fluctuations in precipitation and other factors in water circulation is extremely important for areas which have a very limited water supply. The information about the circulation of water is also important for the disposal of radioactive wastes on land and in the sea. Before satisfactory methods of disposal can be devised, it is essential to know precisely whether and to what extent the wastes can be transferred from one place to another as a result of the circulation of water. One of the most efficient ways of gathering such information is to study the isotopic ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in water in different areas. Tritium can serve a s a tracer in the study of water circulation. A variety of information can be obtained by measurements of isotopic composition of water, e.g. the average age of the water molecule in a lake or age, size, storage time and flow rate of a groundwater body. The modern tools of hydrological research cannot be employed by every country, because measurements of the isotopic composition of water require great technical skill and scientific knowledge. Besides, interpretation of isotope data in terms of hydrology and climatology requires the knowledge of certain basic data for the whole world or at least for large areas. A more complete knowledge of the worldwide variations in the isotopic composition of water would greatly facilitate the interpretation of local conditions. Guided by these considerations, the International Atomic Energy Agency has decided to initiate a study to determine the world-wide distribution of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in water. On the basis of this study, it will be possible to make available basic data for the use of any country that wishes to apply isotope techniques for hydrological and climatological research. Under this project, it is proposed to collect samples of rain, river and ocean water in different

  4. ASGARD: A LARGE SURVEY FOR SLOW GALACTIC RADIO TRANSIENTS. I. OVERVIEW AND FIRST RESULTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Williams, Peter K. G.; Bower, Geoffrey C.; Croft, Steve; Keating, Garrett K.; Law, Casey J.; Wright, Melvyn C. H., E-mail: pwilliams@astro.berkeley.edu [Department of Astronomy, B-20 Hearst Field Annex 3411, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)

    2013-01-10

    Searches for slow radio transients and variables have generally focused on extragalactic populations, and the basic parameters of Galactic populations remain poorly characterized. We present a large 3 GHz survey performed with the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) that aims to improve this situation: ASGARD, the ATA Survey of Galactic Radio Dynamism. ASGARD observations spanned two years with weekly visits to 23 deg{sup 2} in two fields in the Galactic plane, totaling 900 hr of integration time on science fields and making it significantly larger than previous efforts. The typical blind unresolved source detection limit was 10 mJy. We describe the observations and data analysis techniques in detail, demonstrating our ability to create accurate wide-field images while effectively modeling and subtracting large-scale radio emission, allowing standard transient-and-variability analysis techniques to be used. We present early results from the analysis of two pointings: one centered on the microquasar Cygnus X-3 and one overlapping the Kepler field of view (l = 76 Degree-Sign , b = +13. Degree-Sign 5). Our results include images, catalog statistics, completeness functions, variability measurements, and a transient search. Out of 134 sources detected in these pointings, the only compellingly variable one is Cygnus X-3, and no transients are detected. We estimate number counts for potential Galactic radio transients and compare our current limits to previous work and our projection for the fully analyzed ASGARD data set.

  5. Results of radioactivity surveys in Miyagi Prefecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    The results of radioactivity surveys carried out in Miyagi Prefecture in fiscal 1981 (from April, 1981, to March, 1982), entrusted by the Science and Technology Agency, are presented in tables: total β radioactivity in rainwater, in rainwater and dust collected by large basins, in daily foods, in land water, in dairy products and vegetables, in marine products and in soil, 131 I nuclide in cow's milk, air γ-ray dose rate by survey meters, and air γ-ray counting, rate by a monitoring post were examined. The total β radioactivity was measured by a GM counting apparatus with an automatic sample changer, the nuclide analysis by a NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometer, the air γ-ray dose rate by a NaI(Tl) scintillation survey meter, and the γ-ray counting rate by a NaI(Tl) scintillation type monitoring post. (Mori, K.)

  6. The SAGES Legacy Unifying Globulars and Galaxies survey (SLUGGS): sample definition, methods, and initial results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brodie, Jean P.; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Jennings, Zachary G.; Pota, Vincenzo; Kader, Justin; Roediger, Joel C.; Villaume, Alexa; Arnold, Jacob A.; Woodley, Kristin A. [University of California Observatories, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Strader, Jay [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Forbes, Duncan A.; Pastorello, Nicola; Usher, Christopher; Blom, Christina; Kartha, Sreeja S. [Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, VIC 3122 (Australia); Foster, Caroline; Spitler, Lee R., E-mail: jbrodie@ucsc.edu [Australian Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670 (Australia)

    2014-11-20

    We introduce and provide the scientific motivation for a wide-field photometric and spectroscopic chemodynamical survey of nearby early-type galaxies (ETGs) and their globular cluster (GC) systems. The SAGES Legacy Unifying Globulars and GalaxieS (SLUGGS) survey is being carried out primarily with Subaru/Suprime-Cam and Keck/DEIMOS. The former provides deep gri imaging over a 900 arcmin{sup 2} field-of-view to characterize GC and host galaxy colors and spatial distributions, and to identify spectroscopic targets. The NIR Ca II triplet provides GC line-of-sight velocities and metallicities out to typically ∼8 R {sub e}, and to ∼15 R {sub e} in some cases. New techniques to extract integrated stellar kinematics and metallicities to large radii (∼2-3 R {sub e}) are used in concert with GC data to create two-dimensional (2D) velocity and metallicity maps for comparison with simulations of galaxy formation. The advantages of SLUGGS compared with other, complementary, 2D-chemodynamical surveys are its superior velocity resolution, radial extent, and multiple halo tracers. We describe the sample of 25 nearby ETGs, the selection criteria for galaxies and GCs, the observing strategies, the data reduction techniques, and modeling methods. The survey observations are nearly complete and more than 30 papers have so far been published using SLUGGS data. Here we summarize some initial results, including signatures of two-phase galaxy assembly, evidence for GC metallicity bimodality, and a novel framework for the formation of extended star clusters and ultracompact dwarfs. An integrated overview of current chemodynamical constraints on GC systems points to separate, in situ formation modes at high redshifts for metal-poor and metal-rich GCs.

  7. 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.

  8. Combination of multielement technique (INAA and ICP-MS) for a French air pollution bio-monitoring survey using mosses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayrault, S.; Deschamps, C.; Amblard, G.; Galsomies, L.; Letrouit-Galinou, M.A.; Bonhomme, P.

    1998-01-01

    This work presents the use of two trace analysis techniques through the data obtained for a significant part of the 557 mosses sampled in France. Sampling were made within the framework of European survey carried out in 1995-1996 and proposed by the Nordic Council. The analyses were produced with a combination of two multielement analysis techniques: INAA (Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis) and ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry). Theses two techniques were suitable for trace analyses in mosses. They were clearly complementary and provided for 36 elements including the heavy metals of key interest in air pollution studies. The choice of the technique for a given element depended on the feasibility (e g. Pb is not attainable by INAA), the detection limit, the analytical variability, the preparation procedures and the concentration ranges (5-100 μg/g for Pb, 0.5-5 μg/g for As). INAA measured the total content in the sample, while ICP-MS demanded a mineralization procedure resulting in losses/contamination hazards. Thus, INAA results were preferred, although this technique was time consuming. However the ICP-MS results for Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb were retained, for different reasons: detection limits (Cd, Cu), no convenient INAA conditions (Ni), and feasibility (Pb). (authors)

  9. Maintaining Oversight of Licensee Safety Culture. CSNI/WGHOF Survey Results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    In preparation for this workshop, a survey was sent to members of the WGHOF in Autumn 2006. Purpose of the Survey was to explore and share the methods and approaches used to maintain oversight of licensee safety culture. 13 countries responded to the survey. The responses were used in the development of discussion topics and themes for this workshop. This presentation (slides) summarizes the results of the survey

  10. The XXL Survey: First Results and Future

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierre, M.; Adami, C.; Birkinshaw, M.; Chiappetti, L.; Ettori, S.; Evrard, A.; Faccioli, L.; Gastaldello, F.; Giles, P.; Horellou, C.; hide

    2017-01-01

    The XXL survey currently covers two 25 deg2 patches with XMM observations of approximately 10 ks. We summarize the scientific results associated with the first release of the XXL dataset, which occurred in mid-2016.We review several arguments for increasing the survey depth to 40 ks during the next decade of XMM operations. X-ray(zeta less than 2) cluster, (zeta less than 4) active galactic nuclei (AGN), and cosmic background survey science will then benefit from an extraordinary data reservoir. This, combined with deep multi-lambda observations, will lead to solid standalone cosmological constraints and provide a wealth of information on the formation and evolution of AGN, clusters, and the X-ray background. In particular, it will offer a unique opportunity to pinpoint the zeta greater than1 cluster density. It will eventually constitute a reference study and an ideal calibration field for the upcoming eROSITA and Euclid missions.

  11. Joint NRC/EPA Sewage Sludge Radiological Survey: Survey Design & Test Site Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    This report contains the results of a radiological survey of nine publicly POTWs around the country, which was commissioned by the Sewage Sludge Subcommittee, to determine whether and to what extent radionuclides concentrate in sewage treatment wastes.

  12. The mobile image quality survey game

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasmussen, D. René

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we discuss human assessment of the quality of photographic still images, that are degraded in various manners relative to an original, for example due to compression or noise. In particular, we examine and present results from a technique where observers view images on a mobile device, perform pairwise comparisons, identify defects in the images, and interact with the display to indicate the location of the defects. The technique measures the response time and accuracy of the responses. By posing the survey in a form similar to a game, providing performance feedback to the observer, the technique attempts to increase the engagement of the observers, and to avoid exhausting observers, a factor that is often a problem for subjective surveys. The results are compared with the known physical magnitudes of the defects and with results from similar web-based surveys. The strengths and weaknesses of the technique are discussed. Possible extensions of the technique to video quality assessment are also discussed.

  13. EBR Strengthening Technique for Concrete, Long-Term Behaviour and Historical Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph Czaderski

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Epoxy bonded steel plates (externally bonded reinforcemen: EBR for the strengthening of concrete structures were introduced to the construction industry in the late 1960s, and the use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs was introduced in the 1990s, which means that these techniques have already been used in construction for 50 and 25 years, respectively. In the first part of the paper, a historical survey of the development and introduction of these strengthening techniques into the construction industry are presented. The monitoring of such applications in construction is very important and gives more confidence to this strengthening technique. Therefore, in the second part of the paper, two long-term monitoring campaigns over an extraordinarily long duration will be presented. Firstly, a 47-year monitoring campaign on a concrete beam with an epoxy bonded steel plate and, secondly, a 20-year monitoring campaign on a road bridge with epoxy bonded CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymers strips are described. The paper is an expanded version of the paper presented at the SMAR2017 Conference.

  14. Survey of technology for decommissioning of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. 8. Remote handling and cutting techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ogawa, Ryuichiro; Ishijima, Noboru [Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Engineering Center

    1999-03-01

    In nuclear fuel cycle facility decommissioning and refurbishment, the remote handling techniques such as dismantling, waste handling and decontamination are needed to reduce personnel radiation exposure. The survey research for the status of R and D activities on remote handling tools suitable for nuclear facilities in the world and domestic existing commercial cutting tools applicable to decommissioning of the facilities was conducted. In addition, the drive mechanism, sensing element and control system applicable to the remote handling devices were also surveyed. This report presents brief surveyed summaries. (H. Itami)

  15. The Common Technique for Analyzing the Financial Results Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pasternak Maria M.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The article is aimed at generalizing the theoretical approaches to the structure and elements of the technique for analysis of the Financial results report (Cumulative income report and providing suggestions for its improvement. The current methods have been analyzed, relevance of the application of a common technique for such analysis has been substantiated. A common technique for analyzing the Financial results report has been proposed, which includes definition of the objectives and tasks of analysis, subjects and objects of analysis, sources of its information. Stages of such an analysis were allocated and described. The findings of the article can be used to theoretically substantiate and to practically develop a technique for analyzing the Financial results report in the branches of Ukrainian economy.

  16. Survey of agents and techniques applicable to the solidification of low-level radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuhrmann, M.; Neilson, R.M. Jr.; Colombo, P.

    1981-12-01

    A review of the various solidification agents and techniques that are currently available or potentially applicable for the solidification of low-level radioactive wastes is presented. An overview of the types and quantities of low-level wastes produced is presented. Descriptions of waste form matrix materials, the wastes types for which they have been or may be applied and available information concerning relevant waste form properties and characteristics follow. Also included are descriptions of the processing techniques themselves with an emphasis on those operating parameters which impact upon waste form properties. The solidification agents considered in this survey include: hydraulic cements, thermoplastic materials, thermosetting polymers, glasses, synthetic minerals and composite materials. This survey is part of a program supported by the United States Department of Energy's Low-Level Waste Management Program (LLWMP). This work provides input into LLWMP efforts to develop and compile information relevant to the treatment and processing of low-level wastes and their disposal by shallow land burial

  17. Survey of agents and techniques applicable to the solidification of low-level radioactive wastes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuhrmann, M.; Neilson, R.M. Jr.; Colombo, P.

    1981-12-01

    A review of the various solidification agents and techniques that are currently available or potentially applicable for the solidification of low-level radioactive wastes is presented. An overview of the types and quantities of low-level wastes produced is presented. Descriptions of waste form matrix materials, the wastes types for which they have been or may be applied and available information concerning relevant waste form properties and characteristics follow. Also included are descriptions of the processing techniques themselves with an emphasis on those operating parameters which impact upon waste form properties. The solidification agents considered in this survey include: hydraulic cements, thermoplastic materials, thermosetting polymers, glasses, synthetic minerals and composite materials. This survey is part of a program supported by the United States Department of Energy's Low-Level Waste Management Program (LLWMP). This work provides input into LLWMP efforts to develop and compile information relevant to the treatment and processing of low-level wastes and their disposal by shallow land burial.

  18. Frequency of Yoga Practice Predicts Health: Results of a National Survey of Yoga Practitioners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alyson Ross

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Yoga shows promise as a therapeutic intervention, but relationships between yoga practice and health are underexplored. Purpose. To examine the relationship between yoga practice and health (subjective well-being, diet, BMI, smoking, alcohol/caffeine consumption, sleep, fatigue, social support, mindfulness, and physical activity. Methods. Cross-sectional, anonymous internet surveys distributed to 4307 randomly selected from 18,160 individuals at 15 US Iyengar yoga studios; 1045 (24.3% surveys completed. Results. Mean age 51.7 (± 11.7 years; 84.2% female. Frequency of home practice favorably predicted (P < .001: mindfulness, subjective well-being, BMI, fruit and vegetable consumption, vegetarian status, sleep, and fatigue. Each component of yoga practice (different categories of physical poses, breath work, meditation, philosophy study predicted at least 1 health outcome (P < .05. Conclusions. Home practice of yoga predicted health better than years of practice or class frequency. Different physical poses and yoga techniques may have unique health benefits.

  19. Survey as a group interactive teaching technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana GOREA

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Smooth running of the educational process and the results depend a great deal on the methods used. The methodology of teaching offers a great variety of teaching techniques that the teacher can make use of in the teaching/learning process. Such techniques as brainstorming, the cube, KLW, case study, Venn diagram, and many other are familiar to the teachers and they use them effectively in the classroom. The present article proposes a technique called ‘survey’, which has been successfully used by the author as a student-centered speaking activity in foreign language classes. It has certain advantages especially if used in large groups. It can be adapted for any other discipline in the case when the teacher wishes to offer the students space for cooperative activity and creativity.

  20. Online Calculus: The Course and Survey Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, G. Donald

    2001-01-01

    Describes the development and implementation of a Web-based calculus course at Texas A & M University. Discusses the course design, layout of content and the contrast with textbook structure, results of course surveys that included student reactions, and how students learn form Web-based materials. (Author/LRW)

  1. Integrated alarm annunciation and entry control systems -- Survey results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clever, J.J.; Arakaki, L.H.; Monaco, F.M.; Juarros, L.E.; Quintana, G.R.

    1993-10-01

    This report provides the results and analyses of a detailed survey undertaken in Summer 1993 to address integrated intrusion detection alarm annunciation and entry control system issues. This survey was undertaken as a first attempt toward beginning to answer questions about integrated systems and commercial capabilities to meet or partially meet US Department of Energy (DOE) site needs

  2. A Survey on Optimal Signal Processing Techniques Applied to Improve the Performance of Mechanical Sensors in Automotive Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Wilmar

    2007-01-01

    In this paper a survey on recent applications of optimal signal processing techniques to improve the performance of mechanical sensors is made. Here, a comparison between classical filters and optimal filters for automotive sensors is made, and the current state of the art of the application of robust and optimal control and signal processing techniques to the design of the intelligent (or smart) sensors that today's cars need is presented through several experimental results that show that the fusion of intelligent sensors and optimal signal processing techniques is the clear way to go. However, the switch between the traditional methods of designing automotive sensors and the new ones cannot be done overnight because there are some open research issues that have to be solved. This paper draws attention to one of the open research issues and tries to arouse researcher's interest in the fusion of intelligent sensors and optimal signal processing techniques.

  3. 10C survey of radio sources at 15.7 GHz - II. First results

    Science.gov (United States)

    AMI Consortium; Davies, Mathhew L.; Franzen, Thomas M. O.; Waldram, Elizabeth M.; Grainge, Keith J. B.; Hobson, Michael P.; Hurley-Walker, Natasha; Lasenby, Anthony; Olamaie, Malak; Pooley, Guy G.; Riley, Julia M.; Rodríguez-Gonzálvez, Carmen; Saunders, Richard D. E.; Scaife, Anna M. M.; Schammel, Michel P.; Scott, Paul F.; Shimwell, Timothy W.; Titterington, David J.; Zwart, Jonathan T. L.

    2011-08-01

    In a previous paper (Paper I), the observational, mapping and source-extraction techniques used for the Tenth Cambridge (10C) Survey of Radio Sources were described. Here, the first results from the survey, carried out using the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Large Array (LA) at an observing frequency of 15.7 GHz, are presented. The survey fields cover an area of ≈27 deg2 to a flux-density completeness of 1 mJy. Results for some deeper areas, covering ≈12 deg2, wholly contained within the total areas and complete to 0.5 mJy, are also presented. The completeness for both areas is estimated to be at least 93 per cent. The 10C survey is the deepest radio survey of any significant extent (≳0.2 deg2) above 1.4 GHz. The 10C source catalogue contains 1897 entries and is available online. The source catalogue has been combined with that of the Ninth Cambridge Survey to calculate the 15.7-GHz source counts. A broken power law is found to provide a good parametrization of the differential count between 0.5 mJy and 1 Jy. The measured source count has been compared with that predicted by de Zotti et al. - the model is found to display good agreement with the data at the highest flux densities. However, over the entire flux-density range of the measured count (0.5 mJy to 1 Jy), the model is found to underpredict the integrated count by ≈30 per cent. Entries from the source catalogue have been matched with those contained in the catalogues of the NRAO VLA Sky Survey and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm survey (both of which have observing frequencies of 1.4 GHz). This matching provides evidence for a shift in the typical 1.4-GHz spectral index to 15.7-GHz spectral index of the 15.7-GHz-selected source population with decreasing flux density towards sub-mJy levels - the spectra tend to become less steep. Automated methods for detecting extended sources, developed in Paper I, have been applied to the data; ≈5 per cent of the sources are found to be extended

  4. Investigation of background acoustical effect on online surveys: A case study of a farmers' market customer survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Xingdi

    Since the middle of 1990s, internet has become a new platform for surveys. Previous studies have discussed the visual design features of internet surveys. However, the application of acoustics as a design characteristic of online surveys has been rarely investigated. The present study aimed to fill that research gap. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of background sound on respondents' engagement and satisfaction with online surveys. Two forms of background sound were evaluated; audio recorded in studios and audio edited with convolution reverb technique. The author recruited 80 undergraduate students for the experiment. These students were assigned to one of three groups. Each of the three groups was asked to evaluate their engagement and satisfaction with a specific online survey. The content of the online survey was the same. However, the three groups was exposed to the online survey with no background sound, with background sound recorded in studios; and with background sound edited with convolution reverb technique. The results showed no significant difference in engagement and satisfaction in the three groups of online surveys; without background sound, background sound recorded in studios, and background sound edited with convolution reverb technique. The author suggests that background sound does not contribute to online surveys in all the contexts. The industry practitioners should be careful to evaluate the survey context to decide whether the background sound should be added. Particularly, ear-piercing noise or acoustics which may link to respondents' unpleasant experience should be avoided. Moreover, although the results did not support the advantage of the revolution reverb technique in improving respondents' engagement and satisfaction, the author suggests that the potential of the revolution reverb technique in the applications of online surveys can't be totally denied, since it may be useful for some contexts which need further

  5. Integrating Geological and Geodetic Surveying Techniques for Landslide Deformation Monitoring: Istanbul Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menteşe, E. Y.; Kilic, O.; BAS, M.; Tarih, A.; Duran, K.; Gumus, S.; Yapar, E. R.; Karasu, M. E.; Mehmetoğlu, H.; Karaman, A.; Edi˙ger, V.; Kosma, R. C.; Ozalaybey, S.; Zor, E.; Arpat, E.; Polat, F.; Dogan, U.; Cakir, Z.; Erkan, B.

    2017-12-01

    There are several methods that can be utilized for describing the landslide mechanisms. While some of them are commonly used, there are relatively new methods that have been proven to be useful. Obviously, each method has its own limitations and thus integrated use of these methods contributes to obtaining a realistic landslide model. The slopes of Küçükçekmece and Büyükçekmece Lagoons located at the Marmara Sea coast of İstanbul, Turkey, are among most specific examples of complex type landslides. The landslides in the area started developing at low sea level, and appears to ceased or at least slowed down to be at minimum after the sea level rise, as oppose to the still-active landslides that continue to cause damage especially in the valley slopes above the recent sea level between the two lagoons. To clarify the characteristics of these slope movements and classify them in most accurate way, Directorate of Earthquake and Ground Research of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality launched a project in cooperation with Marmara Research Center of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). The project benefits the utility of the techniques of different disciplines such as geology, geophysics, geomorphology, hydrogeology, geotechnics, geodesy, remote sensing and meteorology. Specifically, this study focuses on two main axes of these techniques, namely: geological and geodetic. The reason for selecting these disciplines is because of their efficiency and power to understand the landslide mechanism in the area. Main approaches used in these studies are comprised of geological drills, inclinometer measurements, GPS surveys and SAR (both satellite and ground based) techniques. Integration of the results gathered from these techniques led the project team to comprehend critical aspects of landslide phenomenon in the area and produce precise landslide hazard maps that are basic instruments for a resilient urban development.

  6. Research in decommissioning techniques for nuclear fuel cycle facilities in JNC. 7. JWTF decommissioning techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Ryuichiro; Ishijima, Noboru

    1999-02-01

    Decommissioning techniques such as radiation measuring and monitoring, decontamination, dismantling and remote handling in the world were surveyed to upgrading technical know-how database for decommissioning of Joyo Waste Treatment Facility (JWTF). As the result, five literatures for measuring and monitoring techniques, 14 for decontamination and 22 for dismantling feasible for JWTF decommissioning were obtained and were summarized in tables. On the basis of the research, practical applicability of those techniques to decommissioning of JWTF was evaluated. This report contains brief surveyed summaries related to JWTF decommissioning. (H. Itami)

  7. Statistical techniques applied to aerial radiometric surveys (STAARS): series introduction and the principal-components-analysis method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pirkle, F.L.

    1981-04-01

    STAARS is a new series which is being published to disseminate information concerning statistical procedures for interpreting aerial radiometric data. The application of a particular data interpretation technique to geologic understanding for delineating regions favorable to uranium deposition is the primary concern of STAARS. Statements concerning the utility of a technique on aerial reconnaissance data as well as detailed aerial survey data will be included

  8. The 2003 Australian Breast Health Survey: survey design and preliminary results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Favelle Simone

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Breast Health Surveys, conducted by the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC in 1996 and 2003, are designed to gain insight into the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of a nationally representative sample of Australian women on issues relevant to breast cancer. In this article, we focus on major aspects of the design and present results on respondents' knowledge about mammographic screening. Methods The 2003 BHS surveyed English-speaking Australian women aged 30–69 without a history of breast cancer using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Questions covered the following themes: knowledge and perceptions about incidence, mortality and risk; knowledge and behaviour regarding early detection, symptoms and diagnosis; mammographic screening; treatment; and accessibility and availability of information and services. Respondents were selected using a complex sample design involving stratification. Sample weights against Australian population benchmarks were used in all statistical analyses. Means and proportions for the entire population and by age group and area of residence were calculated. Statistical tests were conducted using a level of significance of 0.01. Results Of the 3,144 respondents who consented to being interviewed, 138 (4.4% had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer and were excluded leaving 3,006 completed interviews eligible for analysis. A majority of respondents (61.1% reported ever having had a mammogram and 29.1% identified mammography as being the best way of finding breast cancer. A majority of women (85.9% had heard of the BreastScreen Australia (BSA program, the national mammographic screening program providing free biennial screening mammograms, with 94.5% believing that BSA attendance was available regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. There have been substantial gains in women's knowledge about mammographic screening over the seven years between the two surveys. Conclusion The

  9. Indications and organisational methods for autologous blood transfusion procedures in Italy: results of a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catalano, Liviana; Campolongo, Alessandra; Caponera, Maurizio; Berzuini, Alessandra; Bontadini, Andrea; Furlò, Giuseppe; Pasqualetti, Patrizio; Liumbruno, Giancarlo M

    2014-10-01

    Pre-operative donation of autologous blood is a practice that is now being abandoned. Alternative methods of transfusing autologous blood, other than predeposited blood, do however play a role in limiting the need for transfusion of allogeneic blood. This survey of autologous blood transfusion practices, promoted by the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology more than 2 years after the publication of national recommendations on the subject, was intended to acquire information on the indications for predeposit in Italy and on some organisational aspects of the alternative techniques of autotransfusion. A structured questionnaire consisting of 22 questions on the indications and organisational methods of autologous blood transfusion was made available on a web platform from 15 January to 15 March, 2013. The 232 Transfusion Services in Italy were invited by e-mail to complete the online survey. Of the 232 transfusion structures contacted, 160 (69%) responded to the survey, with the response rate decreasing from the North towards the South and the Islands. The use of predeposit has decreased considerably in Italy and about 50% of the units collected are discarded because of lack of use. Alternative techniques (acute isovolaemic haemodilution and peri-operative blood salvage) are used at different frequencies across the country. The data collected in this survey can be considered representative of national practice; they show that the already very limited indications for predeposit autologous blood transfusion must be adhered to even more scrupulously, also to avoid the notable waste of resources due to unused units.Users of alternative autotransfusion techniques must be involved in order to gain a full picture of the degree of use of such techniques; multidisciplinary agreement on the indications for their use is essential in order for these indications to have an effective role in "patient blood management" programmes.

  10. Results and lessons from the GMOS survey of transiting exoplanet atmospheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todorov, Kamen; Desert, Jean-Michel; Huitson, Catherine; Bean, Jacob; Fortney, Jonathan; Bergmann, Marcel; Stevenson, Kevin

    2018-01-01

    We present results from the first comprehensive survey program dedicated to probing transiting exoplanet atmospheres using transmission spectroscopy with a multi-object spectrograph (MOS). Our four-years survey focussed on ten close-in giant planets for which the wavelength dependent transit depths in the visible were measured with Gemini/GMOS. We present the complete analysis of all the targets observed (50 transits, 300 hours), and the challenges to overcome to achieve the best spectrophotometric precision (200-500 ppm / 10 nm). We also present the main results and conclusions from this survey. We show that the precision achieved by this survey permits to distinguish hazy atmospheres from cloud-free ones. We discuss the challenges faced by such an experiment, and the lessons learnt for future MOS survey. We lay out the challenges facing future ground based MOS transit surveys aiming for the atmospheric characterization of habitable worlds, and utilizing the next generation of multi-object spectrographs mounted on extremely large ground based telescopes (ELT, TMT).

  11. TESTING GROUND BASED GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES TO REFINE ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYS NORTH OF THE 300 AREA, HANFORD, WASHINGTON

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petersen, S.W.

    2010-01-01

    Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys were flown during fiscal year (FY) 2008 within the 600 Area in an attempt to characterize the underlying subsurface and to aid in the closure and remediation design study goals for the 200-PO-1 Groundwater Operable Unit (OU). The rationale for using the AEM surveys was that airborne surveys can cover large areas rapidly at relatively low costs with minimal cultural impact, and observed geo-electrical anomalies could be correlated with important subsurface geologic and hydrogeologic features. Initial interpretation of the AEM surveys indicated a tenuous correlation with the underlying geology, from which several anomalous zones likely associated with channels/erosional features incised into the Ringold units were identified near the River Corridor. Preliminary modeling resulted in a slightly improved correlation but revealed that more information was required to constrain the modeling (SGW-39674, Airborne Electromagnetic Survey Report, 200-PO-1 Groundwater Operable Unit, 600 Area, Hanford Site). Both time-and frequency domain AEM surveys were collected with the densest coverage occurring adjacent to the Columbia River Corridor. Time domain surveys targeted deeper subsurface features (e.g., top-of-basalt) and were acquired using the HeliGEOTEM(reg s ign) system along north-south flight lines with a nominal 400 m (1,312 ft) spacing. The frequency domain RESOLVE system acquired electromagnetic (EM) data along tighter spaced (100 m (328 ft) and 200 m (656 ft)) north-south profiles in the eastern fifth of the 200-PO-1 Groundwater OU (immediately adjacent to the River Corridor). The overall goal of this study is to provide further quantification of the AEM survey results, using ground based geophysical methods, and to link results to the underlying geology and/or hydrogeology. Specific goals of this project are as follows: (1) Test ground based geophysical techniques for the efficacy in delineating underlying geology; (2) Use ground

  12. TESTING GROUND BASED GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES TO REFINE ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYS NORTH OF THE 300 AREA HANFORD WASHINGTON

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    PETERSEN SW

    2010-12-02

    Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys were flown during fiscal year (FY) 2008 within the 600 Area in an attempt to characterize the underlying subsurface and to aid in the closure and remediation design study goals for the 200-PO-1 Groundwater Operable Unit (OU). The rationale for using the AEM surveys was that airborne surveys can cover large areas rapidly at relatively low costs with minimal cultural impact, and observed geo-electrical anomalies could be correlated with important subsurface geologic and hydrogeologic features. Initial interpretation of the AEM surveys indicated a tenuous correlation with the underlying geology, from which several anomalous zones likely associated with channels/erosional features incised into the Ringold units were identified near the River Corridor. Preliminary modeling resulted in a slightly improved correlation but revealed that more information was required to constrain the modeling (SGW-39674, Airborne Electromagnetic Survey Report, 200-PO-1 Groundwater Operable Unit, 600 Area, Hanford Site). Both time-and frequency domain AEM surveys were collected with the densest coverage occurring adjacent to the Columbia River Corridor. Time domain surveys targeted deeper subsurface features (e.g., top-of-basalt) and were acquired using the HeliGEOTEM{reg_sign} system along north-south flight lines with a nominal 400 m (1,312 ft) spacing. The frequency domain RESOLVE system acquired electromagnetic (EM) data along tighter spaced (100 m [328 ft] and 200 m [656 ft]) north-south profiles in the eastern fifth of the 200-PO-1 Groundwater OU (immediately adjacent to the River Corridor). The overall goal of this study is to provide further quantification of the AEM survey results, using ground based geophysical methods, and to link results to the underlying geology and/or hydrogeology. Specific goals of this project are as follows: (1) Test ground based geophysical techniques for the efficacy in delineating underlying geology; (2) Use ground

  13. Improving Standard Poststratification Techniques For Random-Digit-Dialing Telephone Surveys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael P. Battaglia

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Random-digit-dialing surveys in the United States such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS typically poststratify on age, gender and race/ethnicity using control totals from an appropriate source such as the 2000 Census, the Current Population Survey, or the American Community Survey. Using logistic regression and interaction detection software we identified key "main effect" socio-demographic variables and important two-factor interactions associated with several health risk factor outcomes measured in the BRFSS, one of the largest annual RDD surveys in the United States. A procedure was developed to construct control totals, which were consistent with estimates of age, gender, and race/ethnicity obtained from a commercial source and distributions of other demographic variables from the Current Population Survey. Raking was used to incorporate main effects and two-factor interaction margins into the weighting of the BRFSS survey data. The resulting risk factor estimates were then compared with those based on the current BRFSS weighting methodology and mean squared error estimates were developed. The research demonstrates that by identifying socio-demographic variables associated with key outcome variables and including these variables in the weighting methodology, nonresponse bias can be substantially reduced.

  14. Motion Transplantation Techniques: A Survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Basten, Ben; Egges, Arjan

    2012-01-01

    During the past decade, researchers have developed several techniques for transplanting motions. These techniques transplant a partial auxiliary motion, possibly defined for a small set of degrees of freedom, on a base motion. Motion transplantation improves motion databases' expressiveness and

  15. Aerial radiation survey techniques for efficient characterization of large areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sydelko, T.; Riedhauser, S.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Accidental or intentional releases of radioactive isotopes over potentially very large surface areas can pose serious health risks to humans and ecological receptors. Timely and appropriate responses to these releases depend upon rapid and accurate characterization of impacted areas. These characterization efforts can be adversely impacted by heavy vegetation, rugged terrain, urban environments, and the presence of unknown levels of radioactivity. Aerial survey techniques have proven highly successful in measuring gamma emissions from radiological contaminates of concern quickly, efficiently, and safely. Examples of accidental releases include the unintentional distribution of uranium mining ores during transportation, the loss of uranium processing and waste materials, unintentional nuclear power plant emissions into the atmosphere, and the distribution of isotopes during major flooding events such as the one recently occurring in New Orleans. Intentional releases have occurred during the use of deleted uranium ammunition test firing and war time use by military organizations. The threat of radiological dispersion device (dirty bomb) use by terrorists is currently a major concern of many major cities worldwide. The U.S. Department of Energy, in cooperation with its Remote Sensing Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, has developed a sophisticated aerial measurement system for identifying the locations, types, and quantities of gamma emitting radionuclides over extremely large areas. Helicopter mounted Nal detectors are flown at low altitude and constant speed along parallel paths measuring the full spectrum of gamma activity. Analytical procedures are capable of distinguishing between radiological contamination and changes in natural background emissions. Mapped and tabular results of these accurate, timely and cost effective aerial gamma radiation surveys can be used to assist with emergency response actions, if necessary, and to focus more

  16. Rural Competitiveness: Results of the 1996 Rural Manufacturing Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Gale, H. Frederick, Jr.; McGranahan, David A.; Teixeira, Ruy; Greenberg, Elizabeth

    1999-01-01

    Establishments in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan locations are surprisingly similar in their adoption of new technologies, worker skill requirements, use of government programs and technical assistance, exports, and sources of financing, according to the results of a nationwide survey of 3,909 manufacturing businesses. The most widespread concern of both metro and nonmetro businesses appears to be with quality of labor. Survey respondents report rapidly increasing skill requirements, and ma...

  17. A critical survey of live virtual machine migration techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita Choudhary

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Virtualization techniques effectively handle the growing demand for computing, storage, and communication resources in large-scale Cloud Data Centers (CDC. It helps to achieve different resource management objectives like load balancing, online system maintenance, proactive fault tolerance, power management, and resource sharing through Virtual Machine (VM migration. VM migration is a resource-intensive procedure as VM’s continuously demand appropriate CPU cycles, cache memory, memory capacity, and communication bandwidth. Therefore, this process degrades the performance of running applications and adversely affects efficiency of the data centers, particularly when Service Level Agreements (SLA and critical business objectives are to be met. Live VM migration is frequently used because it allows the availability of application service, while migration is performed. In this paper, we make an exhaustive survey of the literature on live VM migration and analyze the various proposed mechanisms. We first classify the types of Live VM migration (single, multiple and hybrid. Next, we categorize VM migration techniques based on duplication mechanisms (replication, de-duplication, redundancy, and compression and awareness of context (dependency, soft page, dirty page, and page fault and evaluate the various Live VM migration techniques. We discuss various performance metrics like application service downtime, total migration time and amount of data transferred. CPU, memory and storage data is transferred during the process of VM migration and we identify the category of data that needs to be transferred in each case. We present a brief discussion on security threats in live VM migration and categories them in three different classes (control plane, data plane, and migration module. We also explain the security requirements and existing solutions to mitigate possible attacks. Specific gaps are identified and the research challenges in improving

  18. Trends in Orbital Decompression Techniques of Surveyed American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reich, Shani S; Null, Robert C; Timoney, Peter J; Sokol, Jason A

    To assess current members of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) regarding preference in surgical techniques for orbital decompression in Graves' disease. A 10-question web-based, anonymous survey was distributed to oculoplastic surgeons utilizing the ASOPRS listserv. The questions addressed the number of years of experience performing orbital decompression surgery, preferred surgical techniques, and whether orbital decompression was performed in collaboration with an ENT surgeon. Ninety ASOPRS members participated in the study. Most that completed the survey have performed orbital decompression surgery for >15 years. The majority of responders preferred a combined approach of floor and medial wall decompression or balanced lateral and medial wall decompression; only a minority selected a technique limited to 1 wall. Those surgeons who perform fat decompression were more likely to operate in collaboration with ENT. Most surgeons rarely remove the orbital strut, citing risk of worsening diplopia or orbital dystopia except in cases of optic nerve compression or severe proptosis. The most common reason given for performing orbital decompression was exposure keratopathy. The majority of surgeons perform the surgery without ENT involvement, and number of years of experience did not correlate significantly with collaboration with ENT. The majority of surveyed ASOPRS surgeons prefer a combined wall approach over single wall approach to initial orbital decompression. Despite the technological advances made in the field of modern endoscopic surgery, no single approach has been adopted by the ASOPRS community as the gold standard.

  19. Farmer survey in the hinterland of Kisangani (Democratic Republic of Congo) on rodent crop damage and rodent control techniques used

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Drazo, Nicaise Amundala; Kennis, Jan; Leirs, Herwig

    2008-01-01

    We conducted a survey on rodent crop damage among farmers in the hinterland of Kisangani (Democratic Republic of Congo). We studied the amount of crop damage, the rodent groups causing crop damage, the growth stages affected and the control techniques used. We conducted this survey in three...... municipalities using a standard questionnaire form translated into local languages, between November 2005 and June 2006 and during July 2007. We used the Quotas method and interviewed 70 households per municipality. Farmers indicated rodent groups implicated in crop damage on color photographs. Two types...... of survey techniques were used: individual and focus-group surveys. The sugar cane rat, Thryonomys sp. and Lemniscomys striatus caused most damage to crops, but inside granaries, Rattus rattus was the primary pest species eating stored food supplies and causing damage to stored goods. Cassava and maize were...

  20. Reconstructive techniques in transoral robotic surgery for head and neck cancer: a North American survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konofaos, Petros; Hammond, Sarah; Ver Halen, Jon P; Samant, Sandeep

    2013-02-01

    Although the use of transoral robotic surgery for tumor extirpation is expanding, little is known about national trends in the reconstruction of resultant defects. An 18-question electronic survey was created by an expert panel of surgeons from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Tennessee. Eligible participants were identified by the American Head and Neck Society Web site and from the Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Web site after review of surgeons trained in transoral robotic surgery techniques. Twenty-three of 27 preselected head and neck surgeons (85.18 percent) completed the survey. All respondents use transoral robotic surgery for head and neck tumor extirpation. The majority of the respondents [n = 17 (77.3 percent)] did not use any means of reconstruction. With respect to methods of reconstruction following transoral robotic surgery defects, the majority [n = 4 (80.0 percent)] used a free flap, a pedicled local flap [n = 3 (60.0 percent)], or a distant flap [n = 3 (60.0 percent)]. The radial forearm flap was the most commonly used free flap by all respondents. In general, the majority of survey respondents allow defects to heal secondarily or close primarily. Based on this survey, consensus indications for pedicled or free tissue transfer following transoral robotic surgery defects were primary head and neck tumors (stage T3 and T4a), pharyngeal defects with exposure of vital structures, and prior irradiation or chemoradiation to the operative site and neck.

  1. Evaluating autonomous acoustic surveying techniques for rails in tidal marshes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stiffler, Lydia L.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

    2018-01-01

    There is a growing interest toward the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic surveying of secretive marsh bird populations. However, there is little information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously throughout the day. We used ARUs to conduct 2 acoustic surveys for king (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) within a tidal marsh complex along the Pamunkey River, Virginia, USA, during May–July 2015. To determine the effectiveness of an ARU in replacing human personnel, we compared results of callback point‐count surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings and calculated estimates of detection probability for both rail species combined. The success of ARUs at detecting rails that human observers recorded decreased with distance (P ≤ 0.001), such that at 75 m, only 34.0% of human‐detected rails were detected by the ARU. To determine a subsampling scheme for continuous ARU data that allows for effective surveying of presence and call rates of rails, we used ARUs to conduct 15 continuous 48‐hr passive surveys, generating 720 hr of recordings. We established 5 subsampling periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min to evaluate ARU‐based presence and vocalization detections of rails compared with each of the full 60‐min sampling of ARU‐based detection of rails. All subsampling periods resulted in different (P ≤ 0.001) detection rates and unstandardized vocalization rates compared with the hourly sampling period. However, standardized vocalization counts from the 30‐min subsampling period were not different from vocalization counts of the full hourly sampling period. When surveying rail species in estuarine environments, species‐, habitat‐, and ARU‐specific limitations to ARU sampling should be considered when making inferences about abundances and distributions from ARU data. 

  2. A Survey on Optimal Signal Processing Techniques Applied to Improve the Performance of Mechanical Sensors in Automotive Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilmar Hernandez

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a survey on recent applications of optimal signal processing techniques to improve the performance of mechanical sensors is made. Here, a comparison between classical filters and optimal filters for automotive sensors is made, and the current state of the art of the application of robust and optimal control and signal processing techniques to the design of the intelligent (or smart sensors that today’s cars need is presented through several experimental results that show that the fusion of intelligent sensors and optimal signal processing techniques is the clear way to go. However, the switch between the traditional methods of designing automotive sensors and the new ones cannot be done overnight because there are some open research issues that have to be solved. This paper draws attention to one of the open research issues and tries to arouse researcher’s interest in the fusion of intelligent sensors and optimal signal processing techniques.

  3. Radiological survey results at 5 Porter Street, Beverly, Massachusetts (VB019)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Johnson, C.A.

    1992-07-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at 5 Porter Street, Beverly, Massachusetts. The survey was performed in May 1991. The purpose of the survey was to determine if uranium from work performed under government contract at the former Ventron facility had migrated off-site to neighboring areas. The survey included a surface gamma scan and the collection of soil samples for radionuclide analyses. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations or radiation measurements in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Site Remedial Action Program guidelines

  4. Radiological survey results at 2 Porter Street, Beverly, Massachusetts (VB005)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Carrier, R.F.

    1992-08-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at 2 Porter Street, Beverly, Massachusetts. The survey was performed in May 1991. The purpose of the survey was to determine if uranium dust from work performed under government contract at the former Ventron facility had migrated off-site to neighboring areas. The survey included a surface gamma scan and the collection of soil samples fore radionuclide analyses. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations or radiation measurements in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program guidelines

  5. Radiological survey results at 9 Porter Street, Beverly, Massachusetts (VB020)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Johnson, C.A.

    1992-07-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at 9 Porter Street, Beverly, Massachusetts. The survey was performed in May 1991. The purpose of the survey was to determine if uranium from work performed under government contract at the former Ventron facility had migrated off-site to neighboring areas. The survey included a surface gamma scan and the collection of soil samples for radionuclide analyses. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations or radiation measurements in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program guidelines

  6. New quantitative safety standards: different techniques, different results?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rouvroye, J.L.; Brombacher, A.C.

    1999-01-01

    Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) are used in the process industry to perform safety functions. Many factors can influence the safety of a SIS like system layout, diagnostics, testing and repair. In standards like the German DIN no quantitative analysis is demanded (DIN V 19250 Grundlegende Sicherheitsbetrachtungen fuer MSR-Schutzeinrichtungen, Berlin, 1994; DIN/VDE 0801 Grundsaetze fuer Rechner in Systemen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben, Berlin, 1990). The analysis according to these standards is based on expert opinion and qualitative analysis techniques. New standards like the IEC 61508 (IEC 61508 Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems, IEC, Geneve, 1997) and the ISA-S84.01 (ISA-S84.01.1996 Application of Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industries, Instrument Society of America, Research Triangle Park, 1996) require quantitative risk analysis but do not prescribe how to perform the analysis. Earlier publications of the authors (Rouvroye et al., Uncertainty in safety, new techniques for the assessment and optimisation of safety in process industry, D W. Pyatt (ed), SERA-Vol. 4, Safety engineering and risk analysis, ASME, New York 1995; Rouvroye et al., A comparison study of qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques for the assessment of safety in industry, P.C. Cacciabue, I.A. Papazoglou (eds), Proceedings PSAM III conference, Crete, Greece, June 1996) have shown that different analysis techniques cover different aspects of system behaviour. This paper shows by means of a case study, that different (quantitative) analysis techniques may lead to different results. The consequence is that the application of the standards to practical systems will not always lead to unambiguous results. The authors therefore propose a technique to overcome this major disadvantage

  7. Fiscal 1999 survey report. Survey of international cooperation over energy use rationalization techniques; 1999 nendo energy shiyo gorika shuho kokusai kyoryoku chosa hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    In the past, studies have been conducted involving the possibility of development of information offering techniques for the realization of sustainable society, for which LCA (life cycle assessment) as a tool for reducing energy consumption and environmental impact is investigated and case studies are conducted in this connection. In this fiscal year, for the purpose of deliberating how to utilize the LCA results, a survey is conducted of how LCA is being used as a tool for constructing an environmental management system set forth in the ISO14000 series, by holding conferences with LCA researchers representing the respective countries involved. Investigations are conducted into the actualities of the environmental management system, environmental performance assessment, and environmental labelling whose standardization has been under way in compliance with the ISO14000 series, into the actualities of matters relating to assessment techniques and decision making such as environmentally-friendly designing, supply chain management, reports on environments, etc., which are becoming established in enterprises, and into the actualities of access to and disclosure of information. International cooperative researches are conducted, participated in by five leading organizations of Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and Canada, and Japan's National Institute for Resources and Development, where actual states of LCA utilization are introduced and improvement on LCA techniques are discussed. (NEDO)

  8. Fiscal 1999 survey report. Survey of international cooperation over energy use rationalization techniques; 1999 nendo energy shiyo gorika shuho kokusai kyoryoku chosa hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    In the past, studies have been conducted involving the possibility of development of information offering techniques for the realization of sustainable society, for which LCA (life cycle assessment) as a tool for reducing energy consumption and environmental impact is investigated and case studies are conducted in this connection. In this fiscal year, for the purpose of deliberating how to utilize the LCA results, a survey is conducted of how LCA is being used as a tool for constructing an environmental management system set forth in the ISO14000 series, by holding conferences with LCA researchers representing the respective countries involved. Investigations are conducted into the actualities of the environmental management system, environmental performance assessment, and environmental labelling whose standardization has been under way in compliance with the ISO14000 series, into the actualities of matters relating to assessment techniques and decision making such as environmentally-friendly designing, supply chain management, reports on environments, etc., which are becoming established in enterprises, and into the actualities of access to and disclosure of information. International cooperative researches are conducted, participated in by five leading organizations of Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and Canada, and Japan's National Institute for Resources and Development, where actual states of LCA utilization are introduced and improvement on LCA techniques are discussed. (NEDO)

  9. Proper motions in the VVV Survey: Results for more than 15 million stars across NGC 6544

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contreras Ramos, R.; Zoccali, M.; Rojas, F.; Rojas-Arriagada, A.; Gárate, M.; Huijse, P.; Gran, F.; Soto, M.; Valcarce, A. A. R.; Estévez, P. A.; Minniti, D.

    2017-12-01

    Context. In the last six years, the VISTA Variable in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey mapped 562 sq. deg. across the bulge and southern disk of the Galaxy. However, a detailed study of these regions, which includes 36 globular clusters (GCs) and thousands of open clusters is by no means an easy challenge. High differential reddening and severe crowding along the line of sight makes highly hamper to reliably distinguish stars belonging to different populations and/or systems. Aims: The aim of this study is to separate stars that likely belong to the Galactic GC NGC 6544 from its surrounding field by means of proper motion (PM) techniques. Methods: This work was based upon a new astrometric reduction method optimized for images of the VVV survey. Results: PSF-fitting photometry over the six years baseline of the survey allowed us to obtain a mean precision of 0.51 mas yr-1, in each PM coordinate, for stars with Ks< 15 mag. In the area studied here, cluster stars separate very well from field stars, down to the main sequence turnoff and below, allowing us to derive for the first time the absolute PM of NGC 6544. Isochrone fitting on the clean and differential reddening corrected cluster color magnitude diagram yields an age of 11-13 Gyr, and metallicity [Fe/H] =-1.5 dex, in agreement with previous studies restricted to the cluster core. We were able to derive the cluster orbit assuming an axisymmetric model of the Galaxy and conclude that NGC 6544 is likely a halo GC. We have not detected tidal tail signatures associated to the cluster, but a remarkable elongation in the galactic center direction has been found. The precision achieved in the PM determination also allows us to separate bulge stars from foreground disk stars, enabling the kinematical selection of bona fide bulge stars across the whole survey area. Conclusions: Kinematical techniques are a fundamental step toward disentangling different stellar populations that overlap in a studied field. Our results show

  10. Results from the EROS microlensing survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beaulieu, JP; Lamers, HJGLM; Chu, YH; Suntzeff, NB; Hesser, JE; Bohlender, DA

    1999-01-01

    We present a status report of the original EROS and the on-going EROS-2 microlensing surveys, which were created to search for dark matter in the Galactic halo via microlensing effects on LMC/SMC stars. Microlensing surveys provide long-term systematic observations of millions of stars in both

  11. Customer Apathy to Insurance in Nigeria: Survey Results ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Results of a recent survey of the Nigerian Insurance Industry reveal the underlying reasons for people's general indifference towards insurance. These include lack of communication by the industry, ignorance about insurance, doubts as to the integrity of insurance practitioners, and inability to afford the premium.

  12. Application of ranging technique of radar level meter for draft survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SHEN Yijun

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available [Objectives] This paper aims to solve the problems of the high subjectivity and low accuracy and efficiency of draft surveying relying on human visual inspection.[Methods] Radar-level oil and liquid measurement technology products are widely used in the petrochemical industry. A device is developed that uses radar to survey the draft of a boat, designed with data series optimization formulae to ensure that the data results are true and correct. At the same time, a test is designed to prove the accuracy of the results.[Results] According to the conditions of the ship,the device is composed of a radar sensor, triangular bracket and display,and is put to use in the test.[Conclusions] With 15 vessels as the research objects,the comparison experiment shows a difference in range between 0.001-0.022 meters, with an average difference rate of 0.028%, which meets the requirements for ship draft survey accuracy.

  13. A technique for reducing diverse habits survey data and its application to seafood consumption near Winfrith

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, B.D.; Hunt, G.J.

    1989-01-01

    Habits surveys provide basic information to enable doses to appropriate critical groups of members of the public to be assessed. In some cases, the relevant habits of those to be included in the critical group can be quite diverse, and a simplifying method may be needed. A technique for this is described, and exemplified in relation to liquid radioactive waste discharges from AEE Winfrith, an area where the range of seafoods and radionuclide concentrations in them result in a wide variation of doses. Weighted mean consumption rates are derived for the critical group, and an example of their application in setting a revised liquid discharge authorisation is given. (author)

  14. Results from the 2012 drug and alcohol testing survey : [analysis brief].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-01

    This report summarizes the results of the 2012 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey. This annual survey measures the percentage of drivers with commercial drivers licenses (CDLs) who test positive for...

  15. Results from the 2015 Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey : analysis brief.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-06-01

    This report summarizes the results of the 2015 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey. This annual survey measures the percentage of commercial drivers license (CDL) drivers who test positive for contro...

  16. Results from the 2014 drug and alcohol testing survey : analysis brief.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    This report summarizes the results of the 2014 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey. This annual survey measures the percentage of commercial drivers license (CDL) drivers who test positive for contro...

  17. Results from the 2016 Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey : Analysis Brief

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    This report summarizes the results of the 2016 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey. This annual survey measures the percentage of commercial drivers license (CDL) drivers who test positive for contro...

  18. Assessing Caribbean Shallow and Mesophotic Reef Fish Communities Using Baited-Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) and Diver-Operated Video (DOV) Survey Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macaya-Solis, Consuelo; Exton, Dan A.; Gress, Erika; Wright, Georgina; Rogers, Alex D.

    2016-01-01

    Fish surveys form the backbone of reef monitoring and management initiatives throughout the tropics, and understanding patterns in biases between techniques is crucial if outputs are to address key objectives optimally. Often biases are not consistent across natural environmental gradients such as depth, leading to uncertainty in interpretation of results. Recently there has been much interest in mesophotic reefs (reefs from 30–150 m depth) as refuge habitats from fishing pressure, leading to many comparisons of reef fish communities over depth gradients. Here we compare fish communities using stereo-video footage recorded via baited remote underwater video (BRUV) and diver-operated video (DOV) systems on shallow and mesophotic reefs in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Caribbean. We show inconsistent responses across families, species and trophic groups between methods across the depth gradient. Fish species and family richness were higher using BRUV at both depth ranges, suggesting that BRUV is more appropriate for recording all components of the fish community. Fish length distributions were not different between methods on shallow reefs, yet BRUV recorded more small fish on mesophotic reefs. However, DOV consistently recorded greater relative fish community biomass of herbivores, suggesting that studies focusing on herbivores should consider using DOV. Our results highlight the importance of considering what component of reef fish community researchers and managers are most interested in surveying when deciding which survey technique to use across natural gradients such as depth. PMID:27959907

  19. Radiologists' Usage of Social Media: Results of the RANSOM Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranschaert, Erik R; Van Ooijen, Peter M A; McGinty, Geraldine B; Parizel, Paul M

    2016-08-01

    The growing use of social media is transforming the way health care professionals (HCPs) are communicating. In this changing environment, it could be useful to outline the usage of social media by radiologists in all its facets and on an international level. The main objective of the RANSOM survey was to investigate how radiologists are using social media and what is their attitude towards them. The second goal was to discern differences in tendencies among American and European radiologists. An international survey was launched on SurveyMonkey ( https://www.surveymonkey.com ) asking questions about the platforms they prefer, about the advantages, disadvantages, and risks, and about the main incentives and barriers to use social media. A total of 477 radiologists participated in the survey, of which 277 from Europe and 127 from North America. The results show that 85 % of all survey participants are using social media, mostly for a mixture of private and professional reasons. Facebook is the most popular platform for general purposes, whereas LinkedIn and Twitter are more popular for professional usage. The most important reason for not using social media is an unwillingness to mix private and professional matters. Eighty-two percent of all participants are aware of the educational opportunities offered by social media. The survey results underline the need to increase radiologists' skills in using social media efficiently and safely. There is also a need to create clear guidelines regarding the online and social media presence of radiologists to maximize the potential benefits of engaging with social media.

  20. Behavioral Risk Profile of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Beijing, China: Results from a Cross-sectional Survey with Randomized Response Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guo-Zhu Geng

    2016-01-01

    Conclusions: Our study employed RRTs in a survey containing questions on sexual behavior among MSM, and the results showed that RRT might be a useful tool to obtain truthful feedback on sensitive information such as sexual behavior from the respondents, especially in traditional Chinese cultural settings.

  1. Radon concentrations in Norwegian kindergartens: survey planning and preliminary results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birovljev, A.; Strand, T.; Heiberg, A.

    1998-01-01

    An extensive radon survey in Norwegian kindergartens and schools was started in early 1997; so far 2481 kindergartens were examined. Preliminary results of the first phase of the survey are presented in tabular and graphic form including, among others, the dependence of average radon concentration on the construction year of the kindergartens and on the age of the buildings. (A.K.)

  2. Evaluating autonomous acoustic surveying techniques for rails in tidal marshes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stiffler, Lydia L.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

    2018-01-01

    There is a growing interest toward the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic surveying of secretive marsh bird populations. However, there is little information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously throughout the day. We used ARUs to conduct 2 acoustic surveys for king (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) within a tidal marsh complex along the Pamunkey River, Virginia, USA, during May–July 2015. To determine the effectiveness of an ARU in replacing human personnel, we compared results of callback point‐count surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings and calculated estimates of detection probability for both rail species combined. The success of ARUs at detecting rails that human observers recorded decreased with distance (P ≤ 0.001), such that at of human‐recorded rails also were detected by the ARU, but at >75 m, only 34.0% of human‐detected rails were detected by the ARU. To determine a subsampling scheme for continuous ARU data that allows for effective surveying of presence and call rates of rails, we used ARUs to conduct 15 continuous 48‐hr passive surveys, generating 720 hr of recordings. We established 5 subsampling periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min to evaluate ARU‐based presence and vocalization detections of rails compared with each of the full 60‐min sampling of ARU‐based detection of rails. All subsampling periods resulted in different (P ≤ 0.001) detection rates and unstandardized vocalization rates compared with the hourly sampling period. However, standardized vocalization counts from the 30‐min subsampling period were not different from vocalization counts of the full hourly sampling period. When surveying rail species in estuarine environments, species‐, habitat‐, and ARU‐specific limitations to ARU sampling should be considered when making inferences about abundances and distributions from ARU data. 

  3. Results of the staff survey: your priorities

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2014-01-01

    This is the first in a series of articles which will give some details about the results of the Staff Association staff survey To know your priorities and the evolution of your concerns over the last decade we study how, in each of our latest three surveys, you chose from a list of 15 items the five most important and classified them by assigning them a priority, from the most important to the fifth most important. The list of fifteen items, and a short description, follows. Career evolution (classification, level of recruitment, advancement, promotion) Salary level Family policy (recognition of partners, allowances, school fees, kindergarten, nursery, crèche, parental leave) Health insurance Non-residence and international indemnity Annual salary adjustment (cost variation index) Contract policy (duration, recruitment, award of IC, conditions of the beginning and ending of the contract) Motivation at work (interest, team, supervision, mobility, reward scheme) Pensions (retirement, disability, o...

  4. Survey of sterile admixture practices in canadian hospital pharmacies: part 1. Methods and results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, Travis; Nishi, Cesilia; Checkowski, Ryan; Hall, Kevin W

    2009-03-01

    The 1996 Guidelines for Preparation of Sterile Products in Pharmacies of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) represent the current standard of practice for sterile compounding in Canada. However, these guidelines are practice recommendations, not enforceable standards. Previous surveys of sterile compounding practices have shown that actual practice deviates markedly from voluntary practice recommendations. In 2004, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) published its "General Chapter Pharmaceutical Compounding-Sterile Preparations", which set a more rigorous and enforceable standard for sterile compounding in the United States. To assess sterile compounding practices in Canadian hospital pharmacies and to compare them with current CSHP recommendations and USP chapter standards. An online survey, based on previous studies of sterile compounding practices, the CSHP guidelines, and the chapter standards, was created and distributed to 193 Canadian hospital pharmacies. A total of 133 pharmacies completed at least part of the survey, for a response rate of 68.9%. All respondents reported the preparation of sterile products. Various degrees of deviation from the practice recommendations were noted for virtually all areas of the CSHP guidelines and the USP standards. Low levels of compliance were most notable in the areas of facilities and equipment, process validation, and product testing. Availability in the central pharmacy of a clean room facility meeting or exceeding the criteria of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) class 8 is a requirement of the chapter standards, but more than 40% of responding pharmacies reported that they did not have such a facility. Higher levels of compliance were noted for policies and procedures, garbing requirements, aseptic technique, and handling of hazardous products. Part 1 of this series reports the survey methods and results relating to policies, personnel, raw materials, storage and handling

  5. THE LUPUS TRANSIT SURVEY FOR HOT JUPITERS: RESULTS AND LESSONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayliss, Daniel D. R.; Sackett, Penny D.; Weldrake, David T. F.; Tingley, Brandon W.; Lewis, Karen M.

    2009-01-01

    We present the results of a deep, wide-field transit survey targeting 'Hot Jupiter' planets in the Lupus region of the Galactic plane conducted over 53 nights concentrated in two epochs separated by a year. Using the Australian National University 40-inch telescope at Siding Spring Observatory (SSO), the survey covered a 0.66 deg 2 region close to the Galactic plane (b = 11 0 ) and monitored a total of 110,372 stars (15.0 ≤ V ≤ 22.0). Using difference imaging photometry, 16,134 light curves with a photometric precision of σ < 0.025 mag were obtained. These light curves were searched for transits, and four candidates were detected that displayed low-amplitude variability consistent with a transiting giant planet. Further investigations, including spectral typing and radial velocity measurements for some candidates, revealed that of the four, one is a true planetary companion (Lupus-TR-3), two are blended systems (Lupus-TR-1 and 4), and one is a binary (Lupus-TR-2). The results of this successful survey are instructive for optimizing the observational strategy and follow-up procedure for deep searches for transiting planets, including an upcoming survey using the SkyMapper telescope at SSO.

  6. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas. Technique and results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruners, P.; Penzkofer, T.; Guenther, R. W.; Mahnken, A.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: Osteoid osteoma is a benign primary bone tumor that typically occurs in children and young adults. Besides local pain, which is often worse at night, prompt relief due to medication with acetylsalicylic acid (ASS) is characteristic for this bone lesion. Because long-term medication with ASS does not represent an alternative treatment strategy due to its potentially severe side effects, different minimally invasive image-guided techniques for the therapy of osteoid osteoma have been developed. In this context radiofrequency (RF) ablation in particular has become part of the clinical routine. The technique and results of image-guided RF ablation are compared to alternative treatment strategies. Materials and Methods: Using this technique, an often needle-shaped RF applicator is percutaneously placed into the tumor under image guidance. Then a high-frequency alternating current is applied by the tip of the applicator which leads to ionic motion within the tissue resulting in local heat development and thus in thermal destruction of the surrounding tissue including the tumor. Results: The published primary and secondary success rates of this technique are 87 and 83%, respectively. Surgical resection and open curettage show comparable success rates but are associated with higher complication rates. In addition image-guided RF ablation of osteoid osteomas is associated with low costs. (orig.)

  7. The 2003 Australian Breast Health Survey: survey design and preliminary results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villanueva, Elmer V; Jones, Sandra; Nehill, Caroline; Favelle, Simone; Steel, David; Iverson, Donald; Zorbas, Helen

    2008-01-14

    The Breast Health Surveys, conducted by the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) in 1996 and 2003, are designed to gain insight into the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of a nationally representative sample of Australian women on issues relevant to breast cancer. In this article, we focus on major aspects of the design and present results on respondents' knowledge about mammographic screening. The 2003 BHS surveyed English-speaking Australian women aged 30-69 without a history of breast cancer using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Questions covered the following themes: knowledge and perceptions about incidence, mortality and risk; knowledge and behaviour regarding early detection, symptoms and diagnosis; mammographic screening; treatment; and accessibility and availability of information and services. Respondents were selected using a complex sample design involving stratification. Sample weights against Australian population benchmarks were used in all statistical analyses. Means and proportions for the entire population and by age group and area of residence were calculated. Statistical tests were conducted using a level of significance of 0.01. Of the 3,144 respondents who consented to being interviewed, 138 (4.4%) had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer and were excluded leaving 3,006 completed interviews eligible for analysis. A majority of respondents (61.1%) reported ever having had a mammogram and 29.1% identified mammography as being the best way of finding breast cancer. A majority of women (85.9%) had heard of the BreastScreen Australia (BSA) program, the national mammographic screening program providing free biennial screening mammograms, with 94.5% believing that BSA attendance was available regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. There have been substantial gains in women's knowledge about mammographic screening over the seven years between the two surveys. The NBCC Breast Health Surveys provide a valuable picture of the

  8. SY 2008-09 Customer Satisfaction Survey Results (Full Report). DoDEA Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Department of Defense Education Activity, 2009

    2009-01-01

    The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Customer Satisfaction Survey is a biennial survey administered by DoDEA to parents and students to monitor DoDEA's success in meeting students' needs. The survey is administered every other year to sponsors with children in pre-kindergarten--12th grade and to students in grades 4-12. For the…

  9. SY 2010-11 Customer Satisfaction Survey Results (Full Report). DoDEA Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Department of Defense Education Activity, 2011

    2011-01-01

    The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Customer Satisfaction Survey is a biennial survey administered by DoDEA to parents and students to monitor DoDEA's success in meeting students' needs. The survey is administered every other year to sponsors with children in pre-kindergarten-12th grade and to students in grades 4-12. For the…

  10. Musculoskeletal impairment survey in Rwanda: Design of survey tool, survey methodology, and results of the pilot study (a cross sectional survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simms Victoria

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Musculoskeletal impairment (MSI is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in developing countries. Prevalence studies for MSI in the developing world have used varying methodologies and are seldom directly comparable. This study aimed to develop a new tool to screen for and diagnose MSI and to pilot test the methodology for a national survey in Rwanda. Methods A 7 question screening tool to identify cases of MSI was developed through literature review and discussions with healthcare professionals. To validate the tool, trained rehabilitation technicians screened 93 previously identified gold standard 'cases' and 86 'non cases'. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were calculated. A standardised examination protocol was developed to determine the aetiology and diagnosis of MSI for those who fail the screening test. For the national survey in Rwanda, multistage cluster random sampling, with probability proportional to size procedures will be used for selection of a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of the population. Households to be surveyed will be chosen through compact segment sampling and all individuals within chosen households will be screened. A pilot survey of 680 individuals was conducted using the protocol. Results: The screening tool demonstrated 99% sensitivity and 97% specificity for MSI, and a positive predictive value of 98%. During the pilot study 468 out of 680 eligible subjects (69% were screened. 45 diagnoses were identified in 38 persons who were cases of MSI. The subjects were grouped into categories based on diagnostic subgroups of congenital (1, traumatic (17, infective (2 neurological (6 and other acquired(19. They were also separated into mild (42.1%, moderate (42.1% and severe (15.8% cases, using an operational definition derived from the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

  11. FIRST RESULTS FROM THE CATALINA REAL-TIME TRANSIENT SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drake, A. J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Mahabal, A.; Graham, M. J.; Williams, R.; Beshore, E.; Larson, S.; Boattini, A.; Gibbs, A.; Hill, R.; Kowalski, R.; Christensen, E.; Catelan, M.

    2009-01-01

    We report on the results from the first six months of the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS). In order to search for optical transients (OTs) with timescales of minutes to years, the CRTS analyses data from the Catalina Sky Survey which repeatedly covers 26,000 of square degrees on the sky. The CRTS provides a public stream of transients that are bright enough to be followed up using small telescopes. Since the beginning of the survey, all CRTS transients have been made available to astronomers around the world in real time using HTML tables,RSS feeds, and VOEvents. As part of our public outreach program, the detections are now also available in Keyhole Markup Language through Google Sky. The initial discoveries include over 350 unique OTs rising more than 2 mag from past measurements. Sixty two of these are classified as supernovae (SNe), based on light curves, prior deep imaging and spectroscopic data. Seventy seven are due to cataclysmic variables (CVs; only 13 previously known), while an additional 100 transients were too infrequently sampled to distinguish between faint CVs and SNe. The remaining OTs include active galactic nucleus, blazars, high-proper-motions stars, highly variable stars (such as UV Ceti stars), and transients of an unknown nature. Our results suggest that there is a large population of SNe missed by many current SN surveys because of selection biases. These objects appear to be associated with faint host galaxies. We also discuss the unexpected discovery of white dwarf binary systems through dramatic eclipses.

  12. On the practical use of CASE tools : results of a survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kusters, R.J.; Wijers, G.M.; Lee, H-Y.; Reid, T.F.; Jarzabek, S.

    1993-01-01

    The results of a recent survey of experienced CASE-tool users in the Netherlands are described. The subjects of the survey were a general evaluation of the tools used, a comparison of the objectives envisaged when acquiring the tools to the objectives that were seen to be attained, selection

  13. Shallow Depth Geophysical Investigation Through the Application of Magnetic and Electric Resistance Techniques: AN Evaluation Study of the Responses of Magnetic and Electric Resistance Techniques to Archaeogeophysical Prospection Surveys in Greece and Cyprus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarris, Apostolos

    The response characteristics of total intensity and vertical gradient magnetic techniques have been investigated in detail and compared with electric resistivity and other geophysical techniques. Four case studies from archaeological sites of Greece and Cyprus have been used as the experimental basis of this research project. Data from shallow depth geophysical investigations in these sites were collected over a period of four years. Interpretation of the geophysical results was based on the integration of the various prospecting methods. The results of the comparative study between the different techniques showed a strong correlation among all methods allowing the detection of certain features and the determination of their dimensions. The application of a large range of geophysical prospecting techniques in the surveyed archaeological sites has been able to detect the approximate position of the subsurface remains and to compare the different techniques in terms of the information that they reveal. Each one of these techniques has been used to examine the characteristic response of each method to the geophysical anomalies associated with the surveyed sites. Magnetic susceptibility measurements at two frequencies have identified areas and levels of intense human activity. A number of processing techniques such as low, high and band pass filtering in the spatial and frequency domain, computation of the residuals and fast Fourier transformation (FFT) of the magnetic potential data have been applied to the geophysical measurements. The subsequent convolution with filters representing apparent susceptibility, reduction to pole and equator, Gaussian and Butterworth regional and residual distributions, and inverse filtering in terms of spiking deconvolution have revealed a wealth of information necessary to obtain a more accurate picture of the concealed features. Inverse modelling of isolated magnetic anomalies has further enriched the information database of the

  14. PND fuel handling decontamination program: specialized techniques and results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, R.; Hobbs, K.; Minnis, M.; Graham, K.

    1995-01-01

    The use of various decontamination techniques and equipment has become a critical part of Fuel Handling maintenance work at the Pickering Nuclear Station, an eight unit CANDU station located about 30 km east of Toronto. This paper presents an overview of the set up and techniques used for cleaning in the PND Fuel Handling Maintenance Facility, and the results achieved. (author)

  15. Radiological survey results at Porter Street City Park, Beverly, Massachusetts (VB026)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Johnson, C.A.

    1992-08-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at the Porter Street City Park, Beverly, Massachusetts. The survey was performed in May 1991. The purpose of the survey was to determine if uranium from work performed under government contract at the former Ventron facility had migrated off-site to neighboring areas. The survey included a surface gamma scan and the collection of soil samples for radionuclide analyses. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations or radiation measurements in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program guidelines

  16. Results from the national hospice volunteer training survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wittenberg-Lyles, Elaine; Schneider, Greg; Oliver, Debra Parker

    2010-03-01

    Although the role of volunteers is at the heart of hospice care, little is known about hospice volunteer training and volunteer activity. A survey was used to assess current training programs for hospice volunteers. Hospices were invited to participate in the study from a link on the website for the Hospice Volunteer Association and Hospice Educators Affirming Life Project. Survey results revealed that the majority of volunteer work is in patient care, with most hospice agencies requiring a minimum 12-month volunteer commitment and an average 4-hour volunteer shift per week. Volunteer training is separate from staff training, is provided by paid agency staff, and costs approximately $14,303 per year. Communication and family support are considered important curriculum topics. Revisions to current volunteer training curriculum and format are suggested.

  17. Test description and preliminary pitot-pressure surveys for Langley Test Technique Demonstrator at Mach 6

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everhart, Joel L.; Ashby, George C., Jr.; Monta, William J.

    1992-01-01

    A propulsion/airframe integration experiment conducted in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel using a 16.8-in.-long version of the Langley Test Technique Demonstrator configuration with simulated scramjet propulsion is described. Schlieren and vapor screen visualization of the nozzle flow field is presented and correlated with pitot-pressure flow-field surveys. The data were obtained at nominal free-stream conditions of Re = 2.8 x 10 exp 6 and a nominal engine total pressure of 100 psia. It is concluded that pitot-pressure surveys coupled to schlieren and vapor-screen photographs, and oil flows have revealed flow features including vortices, free shear layers, and shock waves occurring in the model flow field.

  18. The Danish airborne gamma-ray surveying results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hovgaard, J. [Danish Emergency Management Agency, Birkeroed (Denmark)

    1997-12-31

    The Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) in co-operation with the Technical University of Denmark (TUD), Department of Automation, participated in the international exercise RESUME-95 arranged in Finland in August 1995. DEMA performed measurement with their airborne gamma-ray surveying system. Surveys were done in the three areas known as AREA I, II, III. Results from AREA II (3 km x 6 km) show that the apparent {sup 137}Cs deposition assuming a deposition profile equal to the profile in AREA I based on soil samples varies from a few 10th kBqm{sup -2} up to 110 kBqm{sup -2}. However, a detailed analysis using a new method, Noise Adjusted Singular Value Decomposition (NASVD), shows that the true variations probably are smaller and that the observed differences to some extend are due to major variations in the depth distribution of the cesium. For example agricultural areas appears to have cesium much deeper deposit than the undisturbed areas. Another interesting result is that the NASVD analysis shows that the ration of {sup 134}Cs to {sup 137}Cs is fixed and approximately 0.03 (August 1995) a number in good agreement with the expected ratio from the Chernobyl accident. No true real-time software for source detection is yet integrated in the Danish system. Results from AREA III, however, show that the implemented software for rapid post processing of data worked excellent for detection of radioactive sources. Post analysis using NASVD demonstrates that all sources except for a small {sup 137}Cs source can be localized. (au).

  19. The Danish airborne gamma-ray surveying results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hovgaard, J [Danish Emergency Management Agency, Birkeroed (Denmark)

    1998-12-31

    The Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) in co-operation with the Technical University of Denmark (TUD), Department of Automation, participated in the international exercise RESUME-95 arranged in Finland in August 1995. DEMA performed measurement with their airborne gamma-ray surveying system. Surveys were done in the three areas known as AREA I, II, III. Results from AREA II (3 km x 6 km) show that the apparent {sup 137}Cs deposition assuming a deposition profile equal to the profile in AREA I based on soil samples varies from a few 10th kBqm{sup -2} up to 110 kBqm{sup -2}. However, a detailed analysis using a new method, Noise Adjusted Singular Value Decomposition (NASVD), shows that the true variations probably are smaller and that the observed differences to some extend are due to major variations in the depth distribution of the cesium. For example agricultural areas appears to have cesium much deeper deposit than the undisturbed areas. Another interesting result is that the NASVD analysis shows that the ration of {sup 134}Cs to {sup 137}Cs is fixed and approximately 0.03 (August 1995) a number in good agreement with the expected ratio from the Chernobyl accident. No true real-time software for source detection is yet integrated in the Danish system. Results from AREA III, however, show that the implemented software for rapid post processing of data worked excellent for detection of radioactive sources. Post analysis using NASVD demonstrates that all sources except for a small {sup 137}Cs source can be localized. (au).

  20. Survey of brachytherapy practice in France in 1995. Definitive results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peiffert, D.; Simon, J.M.; Baillet, F.

    1998-01-01

    A survey questionnaire was sent to the 189 French departments of radiation Oncology and 166 responded (88%). Ninety-nine departments declared treating patients by brachytherapy and 358 shielded rooms were available. In Low Dose Rate (LDR) 81 departments used Cesium sources (159 after-loaders, 1,060 sources); Iridium wires were used by 84 departments (673 meters used). Only six departments used other elements. Twenty-six departments were equipped with high dose rate after loaders (HDR) all of them also using LDR techniques for most of the patients. A total of 9,160 patients were treated: 7,868 with LDR and 1,292 with HDR. The common sites treated by LDR were utero-vagina (4,300), breast (1,415), head and neck (1,409), skin (610), anorectal (220) and urologic (70). HDR was used for vaginal cuff (628), bronchi (371), oesophagus (232). PDR just started (33 patients) for a feasibility trial. The rate of patients treated by brachytherapy is around 6-8% of the irradiated patients, but the indications vary is each department. The diffusion of the techniques, and new indications should increase the number of patients being treated by brachytherapy. (authors)

  1. Plastic-bag radon gas monitor and survey results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torri, G.

    1990-01-01

    The Plastic-bag radon monitor used in the Italian National Survey is described. The choice of this radon gas sampler has been determined by the peculiarity of the italian environmental monitoring program, which is carried out by several different regional laboratories. Results obtained in the past using this radon monitoring device are also reported. (author). 8 refs, 7 figs

  2. The CASLEO Polarimetric Survey of Main Belt Asteroids: Updated results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Hutton, R.; Cellino, A.; Cañada-Assandri, M.

    2011-10-01

    We present updated results of the polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (Casleo), San Juan, Argentina, using the 2.15 m telescope and the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters. The goals of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids belonging to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. The survey began in 2003, and data for a sample of more than 170 asteroids have been obtained, most of them having been polarimetrically observed for the first time. Using these data we find phase-polarization curves and polarimetric parameters for several taxonomic classes.

  3. Liver metastases: interventional therapeutic techniques and results, state of the art

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogl, T.J.; Mueller, P.K.; Mack, M.G.; Straub, R.; Engelmann, K.; Neuhaus, P.

    1999-01-01

    The liver is the most common site of metastatic tumour deposits. Hepatic metastases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with gastrointestinal carcinomas and other malignant tumours. The rationale and results for interventional therapeutic techniques in the treatment of liver metastases are presented. For the treatment of patients with irresectable liver metastases, alternative local ablative therapeutic modalities have been developed. Technique and results of local interventional therapies are presented such as microwave-, radiofrequency (RF)- and ultrasound ablation, and laser-induced interstitial therapy (LITT), cryotherapy and local drug administration such as alcohol injection, endotumoral chemotherapy and regional chemoembolisation. In addition to cryotherapy, all ablative techniques can be performed percutaneously with low morbidity and mortality. Cryotherapy is an effective and precise technique for inducing tumour necrosis, but it is currently performed via laparotomy. Percutaneous local alcohol injection results in an inhomogeneous distribution in liver metastases with unreliable control rates. Local chemotherapeutic drug instillation and regional chemoembolisation produces relevant but non-reproducible lesions. Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) performed under MRI guidance results in precise and reproducible areas of induced necrosis with a local control of 94 %, and with an improved survival rate. Interventional therapeutic techniques of liver metastases do result in a remarkable local tumour control rate with improved survival results. (orig.)

  4. Towards a taxonomy of common factors in psychotherapy-results of an expert survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tschacher, Wolfgang; Junghan, Ulrich Martin; Pfammatter, Mario

    2014-01-01

    How change comes about is hotly debated in psychotherapy research. One camp considers 'non-specific' or 'common factors', shared by different therapy approaches, as essential, whereas researchers of the other camp consider specific techniques as the essential ingredients of change. This controversy, however, suffers from unclear terminology and logical inconsistencies. The Taxonomy Project therefore aims at contributing to the definition and conceptualization of common factors of psychotherapy by analyzing their differential associations to standard techniques. A review identified 22 common factors discussed in psychotherapy research literature. We conducted a survey, in which 68 psychotherapy experts assessed how common factors are implemented by specific techniques. Using hierarchical linear models, we predicted each common factor by techniques and by experts' age, gender and allegiance to a therapy orientation. Common factors differed largely in their relevance for technique implementation. Patient engagement, Affective experiencing and Therapeutic alliance were judged most relevant. Common factors also differed with respect to how well they could be explained by the set of techniques. We present detailed profiles of all common factors by the (positively or negatively) associated techniques. There were indications of a biased taxonomy not covering the embodiment of psychotherapy (expressed by body-centred techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback training and hypnosis). Likewise, common factors did not adequately represent effective psychodynamic and systemic techniques. This taxonomic endeavour is a step towards a clarification of important core constructs of psychotherapy. This article relates standard techniques of psychotherapy (well known to practising therapists) to the change factors/change mechanisms discussed in psychotherapy theory. It gives a short review of the current debate on the mechanisms by which psychotherapy works. We

  5. Radiological protection survey results about radiodiagnosis protection practices in Cuba

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jova S, L.; Morales M, J.A.; Quevedo, J.R.; Medina, J.R.; Naranjo, A.M.; Fornet, O.M.

    1996-01-01

    In order to identify radiation protection current situation in national X-ray diagnostic practice , the State (cuban) Supervision System for Radiation and Nuclear Safety carried out in 1992 a survey which was planned for projection of future regulatory activities in this field. Survey covers the most important aspects related to radiation protection of occupationally exposed workers, patients and general population. Surveyed sample included a total of 52 X-ray units, sited in 7 dental clinics, 2 polyclinics and 13 hospitals, from 7 provinces of the country. Results showed that the organization of radiation protection in terms of personnel specially designated to carry out surveillance and control activities and level of documentation is deficient. Survey evidenced the general lack of safety and quality culture among technologists and radiologists which is mainly reflected in non regular application of basic patient protection measures (shielding, collimation, use of proper filtration among others) and non regular execution of basic quality inspection of employed radiographic systems. (authors). 4 refs., 1 fig

  6. A Brief History of the use of Electromagnetic Induction Techniques in Soil Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brevik, Eric C.; Doolittle, James

    2017-04-01

    Electromagnetic induction (EMI) has been used to characterize the spatial variability of soil properties since the late 1970s. Initially used to assess soil salinity, the use of EMI in soil studies has expanded to include: mapping soil types; characterizing soil water content and flow patterns; assessing variations in soil texture, compaction, organic matter content, and pH; and determining the depth to subsurface horizons, stratigraphic layers or bedrock, among other uses. In all cases the soil property being investigated must influence soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) either directly or indirectly for EMI techniques to be effective. An increasing number and diversity of EMI sensors have been developed in response to users' needs and the availability of allied technologies, which have greatly improved the functionality of these tools and increased the amount and types of data that can be gathered with a single pass. EMI investigations provide several benefits for soil studies. The large amount of georeferenced data that can be rapidly and inexpensively collected with EMI provides more complete characterization of the spatial variations in soil properties than traditional sampling techniques. In addition, compared to traditional soil survey methods, EMI can more effectively characterize diffuse soil boundaries and identify included areas of dissimilar soils within mapped soil units, giving soil scientists greater confidence when collecting spatial soil information. EMI techniques do have limitations; results are site-specific and can vary depending on the complex interactions among multiple and variable soil properties. Despite this, EMI techniques are increasingly being used to investigate the spatial variability of soil properties at field and landscape scales. The future should witness a greater use of multiple-frequency and multiple-coil EMI sensors and integration with other sensors to assess the spatial variability of soil properties. Data analysis

  7. Survey of Analysis of Crime Detection Techniques Using Data Mining and Machine Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabakaran, S.; Mitra, Shilpa

    2018-04-01

    Data mining is the field containing procedures for finding designs or patterns in a huge dataset, it includes strategies at the convergence of machine learning and database framework. It can be applied to various fields like future healthcare, market basket analysis, education, manufacturing engineering, crime investigation etc. Among these, crime investigation is an interesting application to process crime characteristics to help the society for a better living. This paper survey various data mining techniques used in this domain. This study may be helpful in designing new strategies for crime prediction and analysis.

  8. Uranium exploration techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nichols, C.E.

    1984-01-01

    The subject is discussed under the headings: introduction (genetic description of some uranium deposits; typical concentrations of uranium in the natural environment); sedimentary host rocks (sandstones; tabular deposits; roll-front deposits; black shales); metamorphic host rocks (exploration techniques); geologic techniques (alteration features in sandstones; favourable features in metamorphic rocks); geophysical techniques (radiometric surveys; surface vehicle methods; airborne methods; input surveys); geochemical techniques (hydrogeochemistry; petrogeochemistry; stream sediment geochemistry; pedogeochemistry; emanometry; biogeochemistry); geochemical model for roll-front deposits; geologic model for vein-like deposits. (U.K.)

  9. Teaching Non-Beginner Programmers with App Inventor: Survey Results and Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, Andrey; Martin, Nancy L.

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the results of a survey with 40 students enrolled in an Android Application Development course offered during the spring semester of 2013 and 2014. The course used App Inventor to build the apps and required students to have an introduction to programming course as a prerequisite. The survey asked for demographic information and…

  10. Survey of sterile admixture practices in canadian hospital pharmacies: part 2. More results and discussion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, Travis; Nishi, Cesilia; Checkowski, Ryan; Hall, Kevin W

    2009-05-01

    The 1996 Guidelines for Preparation of Sterile Products in Pharmacies of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) represent the current standard of practice for sterile compounding in Canada. However, these guidelines are practice recommendations, not enforceable standards. Previous surveys of sterile compounding practices have shown that actual practice deviates markedly from voluntary practice recommendations. In 2004, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) published its "General Chapter Pharmaceutical Compounding-Sterile Preparations", which set a more rigorous and enforceable standard for sterile compounding in the United States. To assess sterile compounding practices in Canadian hospital pharmacies and to compare them with current CSHP recommendations and USP chapter standards. An online survey, based on previous studies of sterile compounding practices, the CSHP guidelines, and the chapter standards, was created and distributed to 193 Canadian hospital pharmacies. A total of 133 pharmacies completed at least part of the survey, for a response rate of 68.9%. All respondents reported the preparation of sterile products. Various degrees of deviation from the practice recommendations were noted for virtually all areas of the CSHP guidelines and the USP standards. Low levels of compliance were most notable in the areas of facilities and equipment, process validation, and product testing. Availability in the central pharmacy of a clean room facility meeting or exceeding the criteria of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) class 8 is a requirement of the chapter standards, but more than 40% of responding pharmacies reported that they did not have such a facility. Higher levels of compliance were noted for policies and procedures, garbing requirements, aseptic technique, and handling of hazardous products. The survey methods for this study and results relating to policies, personnel, raw materials, storage and handling, facilities and

  11. Liver metastases: interventional therapeutic techniques and results, state of the art

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vogl, T.J.; Mueller, P.K.; Mack, M.G.; Straub, R.; Engelmann, K. [Dept. of Radiology, Univ. of Frankfurt (Germany); Neuhaus, P. [Dept. of Surgery, Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany)

    1999-05-01

    The liver is the most common site of metastatic tumour deposits. Hepatic metastases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with gastrointestinal carcinomas and other malignant tumours. The rationale and results for interventional therapeutic techniques in the treatment of liver metastases are presented. For the treatment of patients with irresectable liver metastases, alternative local ablative therapeutic modalities have been developed. Technique and results of local interventional therapies are presented such as microwave-, radiofrequency (RF)- and ultrasound ablation, and laser-induced interstitial therapy (LITT), cryotherapy and local drug administration such as alcohol injection, endotumoral chemotherapy and regional chemoembolisation. In addition to cryotherapy, all ablative techniques can be performed percutaneously with low morbidity and mortality. Cryotherapy is an effective and precise technique for inducing tumour necrosis, but it is currently performed via laparotomy. Percutaneous local alcohol injection results in an inhomogeneous distribution in liver metastases with unreliable control rates. Local chemotherapeutic drug instillation and regional chemoembolisation produces relevant but non-reproducible lesions. Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) performed under MRI guidance results in precise and reproducible areas of induced necrosis with a local control of 94 %, and with an improved survival rate. Interventional therapeutic techniques of liver metastases do result in a remarkable local tumour control rate with improved survival results. (orig.) With 5 figs., 1 tab., 43 refs.

  12. A Survey on Nickel Titanium Rotary Instruments and their Usage Techniques by Endodontists in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Thimmanagowda N; Saraf, Prahlad A; Penukonda, Raghavendra; Vanaki, Sneha S; Kamatagi, Laxmikant

    2017-05-01

    The preference and usage of nickel titanium rotary instruments varies from individual to individual based on their technique, experience with the rotary systems and the clinical situation. Very limited information is available to explain the adoption of changing concepts with respect to nickel titanium rotary instruments pertaining to the endodontists in India. The aim of this study was to conduct a questionnaire survey to acquire the knowledge concerning different NiTi rotary instruments and their usage techniques by endodontists in India. A Survey questionnaire was designed which consisted of 32 questions regarding designation, demographics, experience with rotary instruments, usage of different file systems, usage techniques, frequency of reuse, occurrence of file fracture, reasons and their management was distributed by hand in the national postgraduate convention and also disseminated via electronic medium to 400 and 600 endodontists respectively. Information was collected from each individual to gain insight into the experiences and beliefs of endodontists concerning the new endodontic technology of rotary NiTi instrumentation based on their clinical experience with the rotary systems. The questions were designed to ascertain the problems, patterns of use and to identify areas of perceived or potential concern regarding the rotary instruments and the data acquired was statistically evaluated using Fisher's-exact test and the Chi-Square test. Overall 63.8% (638) endodontists responded. ProTaper was one of the most commonly used file system followed by M two and ProTaper Next. There was a significant co relation between the years of experience and the file re use frequency, preparation technique, file separation, management of file separation. A large number of Endodontists prefer to reuse the rotary NiTi instruments. As there was an increase in the experience, the incidence of file separation reduced with increasing number of re use frequency and with

  13. Looking Ahead: A Report on the Latest Survey Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Technology & Learning, 1995

    1995-01-01

    Reports on the results of a survey of software publishers and market researchers for educators that was conducted to determine development, purchasing, and upgrading plans for educational computer technology. Highlights include operating systems, including Macintosh, DOS, and Windows; equipment needs, including memory, monitors, and special…

  14. Use of cognitive interview techniques in the development of nutrition surveys and interactive nutrition messages for low-income populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbone, Elena T; Campbell, Marci K; Honess-Morreale, Lauren

    2002-05-01

    The effectiveness of dietary surveys and educational messages is dependent in part on how well the target audience's information processing needs and abilities are addressed. Use of pilot testing is helpful; however, problems with wording and language are often not revealed. Cognitive interview techniques offer 1 approach to assist dietitians in understanding how audiences process information. With this method, respondents are led through a survey or message and asked to paraphrase items; discuss thoughts, feelings, and ideas that come to mind; and suggest alternative wording. As part of a US Department of Agriculture-funded nutrition education project, 23 cognitive interviews were conducted among technical community college students in North Carolina. Interview findings informed the development of tailored computer messages and survey questions. Better understanding of respondents' cognitive processes significantly improved the language and approach used in this intervention. Interview data indicated 4 problem areas: vague or ineffective instructions, confusing questions and response options, variable interpretation of terms, and misinterpretation of dietary recommendations. Interviews also provided insight into the meaning of diet-related stages of change. These findings concur with previous research suggesting that cognitive interview techniques are a valuable tool in the formative evaluation and development of nutrition surveys and materials.

  15. Market survey results for alternate sensor communications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rivas, R.R.; White, K.R.; Turnage, L.C.

    1996-02-01

    This document presents the results of a system analysis and market survey of commercially available alarm communication systems for potential use as an alternate sensor communication system. Only those systems that report alarm/sensor information to a central control panel were considered. The communication systems surveyed include wireless radio frequency (RF) systems, spread spectrum systems, fiber optic systems, twisted pair/copper wire, cellular systems, and other types of communication equipment. All systems are commercially available, and most information was obtained by telephone conversations with the manufacturer, personal interviews at security conferences, and countless reviews of the manufacturers' data sheets. Many systems were identified, but only those that met a minimum set of system requirements were included. Other systems that appeared to be applicable usually did not provide adequate data encryption or could not interface directly to the system. While such features could be incorporated using additional hardware, doing so would make the system more expensive and conflict with the idea of purchasing a single unit that meets the minimum set of requirements. Several systems greatly exceed the scope of this project and utilizing such systems would mean investing in more capacity than is really needed

  16. Results of nuclear security culture survey on personnel at nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Hosik; Lee, Jeong-Ho

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A new surveying questionnaire for evaluating the security awareness of personnel was developed. • The developed surveying tools consist of four categories and 44 questions in total. • The surveying tools developed in this study can be used in other countries. - Abstract: A survey to evaluate awareness of the nuclear security culture of personnel at nuclear facilities was developed. The survey was made up of a series of questionnaires that were divided into four categories, beliefs and attitude, operating systems, leadership behaviors and staff behaviors. Each category contained six to 16 questions. The category on beliefs and attitude was composed of questions that asked plant workers on how much consideration facility personnel give to issues of security when doing his/her work. The section pertaining to operating systems for nuclear security consisted of questions on guidance documents, information security, and education and training. The questions on leadership behaviors were separated into two parts, one for managers and another for staff. These include questions relating to communication between management and staff, surveillance work related to nuclear security and the sharing of information. The last category of questions concerned staff behaviors. It consisted of questions on knowledge, procedures and implementation related to nuclear security. A survey was conducted on 858 people who worked at nuclear power plants using the questionnaire that was developed in this study. The survey was performed between October 7 to 17, 2014. The survey results were collected and analyzed. A numerical value was given to each question, so that the results of the survey were represented as a score. The data revealed that awareness of the nuclear security culture increased with age. This increase stopped when staff members entered their 50s. It is believed that a person in his/her 50s has a greater degree of experience and passion for their work than

  17. Radiological survey results at 4400 Piehl Road, Ottawa Lake, Michigan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Johnson, C.A.

    1993-04-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at 4400 Piehl Road in Ottawa Lake, Michigan. The survey was performed in September, 1992. The purpose of the survey was to determine if materials containing uranium from work performed under government contract at the former Baker Brothers facility in Toledo, Ohio had been transported off-site to this neighboring area. The radiological survey included surface gamma scans indoors and outdoors, alpha and beta scans inside the house and attached garage, beta-gamma scans of the hard surfaces outside, and the collection of soil, water, and dust samples for radionuclide analyses. Results of the survey demonstrated that the majority of the measurements on the property were within DOE guidelines. However, the presence of isolated spots of uranium contamination were found in two areas where materials were allegedly transported to the property from the former Baker Brothers site. Uranium uptake by persons on the property by ingestion is fairly unlikely, but inhalation is a possibility. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the residential property at 4400 Piehl Road in Ottawa Lake, Michigan be considered for inclusion under FUSRAP

  18. Radiological survey results at 1 Shady Lane, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ095)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-07-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action at the Stepan property in Maywood, New Jersey and several vicinity properties in Lodi, New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Maywood Interim Storage Site (MISS), adjacent to the former Maywood Chemical Works facility. The property at One Shady Lane, Lodi, New Jersey was not one of these vicinity properties but was surveyed by DOE at the request of the owner. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted in November 1994, was to confirm whether remedial actions were to be performed on the property in order to be in compliance with the identified Guidelines. The radiological survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, and the collection of soil samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at One Shady Lane, Lodi, New Jersey, were comparable to background levels in the area, and well within the limits prescribed by DOE radiological guidelines. Based on the results of the radiological survey data, this property does not meet guidelines for inclusion under FUSRAP

  19. Factors to Consider in Selecting an Organisational Improvement Initiative: Survey Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Musli

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Organisations should select the appropriate improvement initiative that will fit with the context of organisation and provide value to the organisation. This paper presents 18 factors to be considered when selecting an organisational improvement initiative. Organisational improvement initiatives are approaches, management systems, tools and/or techniques that can be used for managing and improving organisations, such as Lean, ISO9001, Six Sigma and Improvement Team. A survey was conducted to identify the level of importance of these 18 factors as criteria for selecting an improvement initiative. Purposive sampling was used for this survey involving practitioners, managers, engineers, executives, consultants and/or academicians, who have been involved in the selection and/or implementation of organisational improvement initiatives in Malaysia. Two factors were rated as ‘very high importance’, which involve: (1 The ability to gain top management commitment and support to introduce and implement the initiative successfully, and (2 The initiative is aligned to the vision, mission and/or purpose of the organisation. All these factors can be adopted by the organisations as decision criteria to assist in the selection of the most appropriate improvement initiative based on rational decision making.

  20. THE TIME DOMAIN SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY: VARIABLE SELECTION AND ANTICIPATED RESULTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morganson, Eric; Green, Paul J. [Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Anderson, Scott F.; Ruan, John J. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Myers, Adam D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Eracleous, Michael; Brandt, William Nielsen [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Kelly, Brandon [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9530 (United States); Badenes, Carlos [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology Center (PITT PACC), University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States); Bañados, Eduardo [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Blanton, Michael R. [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Bershady, Matthew A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, 475 N. Charter St., Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Borissova, Jura [Instituto de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de Valparaíso, Av. Gran Bretaña 1111, Playa Ancha, Casilla 5030, and Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), Santiago (Chile); Burgett, William S. [GMTO Corp, Suite 300, 251 S. Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Chambers, Kenneth, E-mail: emorganson@cfa.harvard.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); and others

    2015-06-20

    We present the selection algorithm and anticipated results for the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS). TDSS is an Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-IV Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) subproject that will provide initial identification spectra of approximately 220,000 luminosity-variable objects (variable stars and active galactic nuclei across 7500 deg{sup 2} selected from a combination of SDSS and multi-epoch Pan-STARRS1 photometry. TDSS will be the largest spectroscopic survey to explicitly target variable objects, avoiding pre-selection on the basis of colors or detailed modeling of specific variability characteristics. Kernel Density Estimate analysis of our target population performed on SDSS Stripe 82 data suggests our target sample will be 95% pure (meaning 95% of objects we select have genuine luminosity variability of a few magnitudes or more). Our final spectroscopic sample will contain roughly 135,000 quasars and 85,000 stellar variables, approximately 4000 of which will be RR Lyrae stars which may be used as outer Milky Way probes. The variability-selected quasar population has a smoother redshift distribution than a color-selected sample, and variability measurements similar to those we develop here may be used to make more uniform quasar samples in large surveys. The stellar variable targets are distributed fairly uniformly across color space, indicating that TDSS will obtain spectra for a wide variety of stellar variables including pulsating variables, stars with significant chromospheric activity, cataclysmic variables, and eclipsing binaries. TDSS will serve as a pathfinder mission to identify and characterize the multitude of variable objects that will be detected photometrically in even larger variability surveys such as Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

  1. SSL Adoption by Museums: Survey Results, Analysis, and Recommendations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perrin, T. E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Druzik, J. R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Miller, N. J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2014-11-01

    DOE Solid-State Lighting GATEWAY report that summarizes the results of a survey of the museum community regarding conversions to SSL in museums. Responses provided real-world insight into how LEDs are being incorporated into museums, and what successes and hurdles have been encountered in the process.

  2. Designing and conducting survey research a comprehensive guide

    CERN Document Server

    Rea, Louis M

    2014-01-01

    The industry standard guide, updated with new ideas and SPSS analysis techniques Designing and Conducting Survey Research: A Comprehensive Guide Fourth Edition is the industry standard resource that covers all major components of the survey process, updated to include new data analysis techniques and SPSS procedures with sample data sets online. The book offers practical, actionable guidance on constructing the instrument, administrating the process, and analyzing and reporting the results, providing extensive examples and worksheets that demonstrate the appropriate use of survey and data tech

  3. The VLA Sky Survey (VLASS): Overview and First Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Steven T.; VLASS Survey Team, Survey Science Group (SSG)

    2018-01-01

    VLASS team.In this presentation we describe the science goals, survey design, and technical implementation for the VLASS, and highlight results from the Pilot and the first epoch observations taken so far.

  4. Tumescent liposuction report performance measurement initiative: national survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanke, William; Cox, Sue Ellen; Kuznets, Naomi; Coleman, William P

    2004-07-01

    This study was created by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Institute for Quality Improvement to measure clinical performance and improvement opportunities for physicians and ambulatory health-care organizations. Data were collected prospectively between February 2001 and August 2002. Thirty-nine study centers participated, and 688 patients who had tumescent liposuction were surveyed and followed for 6 months. The objective was to determine patient satisfaction with tumescent liposuction and examine current liposuction practice and the safety of tumescent liposuction in a representative cohort of patients. The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Institute for Quality Improvement collected prospective data from February 2001 to August 2002 from 68 organizations registered for this study. Ultimately 39 organizations submitted 688 useable cases performed totally with local anesthesia, "tumescent technique." The overall clinical complication rate found in the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Institute for Quality Improvement study was 0.7% (5 of 702). There was a minor complication rate of 0.57%. The major complication rate was 0.14% with one patient requiring hospitalization. Seventy-five percent of the patients reported no discomfort during their procedures. Of the 59% of patients who responded to a 6-month postoperative survey, 91% were positive about their decision to have liposuction (rating of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-5) and 84% had high levels (4 or 5 on a scale of 1-5) of overall satisfaction with the procedure. Our findings are consistent with others in that tumescent liposuction is a safe procedure with a low complication rate and high patient satisfaction.

  5. Comparison of Satellite Surveying to Traditional Surveying Methods for the Resources Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osborne, B. P.; Osborne, V. J.; Kruger, M. L.

    Modern ground-based survey methods involve detailed survey, which provides three-space co-ordinates for surveyed points, to a high level of accuracy. The instruments are operated by surveyors, who process the raw results to create survey location maps for the subject of the survey. Such surveys are conducted for a location or region and referenced to the earth global co- ordinate system with global positioning system (GPS) positioning. Due to this referencing the survey is only as accurate as the GPS reference system. Satellite survey remote sensing utilise satellite imagery which have been processed using commercial geographic information system software. Three-space co-ordinate maps are generated, with an accuracy determined by the datum position accuracy and optical resolution of the satellite platform.This paper presents a case study, which compares topographic surveying undertaken by traditional survey methods with satellite surveying, for the same location. The purpose of this study is to assess the viability of satellite remote sensing for surveying in the resources industry. The case study involves a topographic survey of a dune field for a prospective mining project area in Pakistan. This site has been surveyed using modern surveying techniques and the results are compared to a satellite survey performed on the same area.Analysis of the results from traditional survey and from the satellite survey involved a comparison of the derived spatial co- ordinates from each method. In addition, comparisons have been made of costs and turnaround time for both methods.The results of this application of remote sensing is of particular interest for survey in areas with remote and extreme environments, weather extremes, political unrest, poor travel links, which are commonly associated with mining projects. Such areas frequently suffer language barriers, poor onsite technical support and resources.

  6. Non-governmental organizations assisting victims of crime in Belgrade: Survey results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milivojević Sanja K.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of survey regarding non-governmental organizations assisting victims of crime in Belgrade. The survey was completed at the end of 2002 for purposes of establishing a Victim Support Service in Serbia. In introduction authors give a short review of victim support services development in the World and the region, explaining the need for such service in Serbia, the subject and the aim of the article as well as the purpose of the survey. Second part of the paper contains the sample, methodology and the aim of the interview with NGO representatives. In the third section authors present the analysis of the survey data. Finally, in conclusion authors summarize the data and observed problems, suggestions for possible solution and directions of future development of services and organizations assisting victims of crime in Serbia.

  7. Results of the 2013 CASE Europe Salary Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paradise, Andrew

    2013-01-01

    CASE has conducted salary surveys to track trends in the profession and to help members benchmark salaries since 1982. Following CASE's major overhaul of the survey instrument and data collection system, CASE Europe fielded a European version of the salary survey for the second time in October 2012. All individual CASE Europe members at colleges,…

  8. High risk behaviour near OPG dams and power stations : results from two surveys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giesbrecht, N.; Schmidt, R.; Ialomiteanu, A. [Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    2009-07-01

    High risk behaviour near dams is not uncommon. This presentation discussed the results from 2 surveys on high risk behaviour near dams and power stations operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG). The main components of the project were presented, with particular reference to analyses of recent literature on high-risk behaviour; interviews with OPG managers and staff in 4 regions; main survey of respondents from 4 regions; follow-up interviews with high-risk respondents; interviews with community members and contacts from recreational associations; and recommendations. Specific questions and results were provided from each survey. From the first survey, the characteristics of respondents that used OPG sites for recreation were identified. One hundred high risk respondents completed a follow-up interview. The survey showed that although high-risk behaviour is not uncommon, the main reason people use the facilities are for recreation and relaxation, and not for thrill seeking purposes. Recommendations stemming from the surveys included the need for definition of boundaries and delivery of messages via children, recreational associations, and law enforcement personnel. tabs., figs.

  9. Results of quality control surveys of radioimmunological determinations of thyrotropin in newborns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roehle, G.; Kruse, R.; Voigt, U.; Torresani, T.

    1983-01-01

    Within the quality control scheme of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Klinische Chemie, seven quality control surveys of thyrotropin (TSH) determinations in blood dried on filter paper have been carried out since 1980. Ninety-six screening laboratories from 12 European countries took part in these surveys. In a single survey each participant usually analysed four different samples; each of these consisted of three spots of dried blood spiked with defined amounts of thyrotropin. For the evaluations of the surveys the participants were asked to give information about their analytical results, and from these, their diagnostic classifications. The medians of the analytical results correlated well with the given thyrotropin concentrations, but the individual estimations from different laboratories varied greatly. Major discrepancies of classification were also apparent, both in the given thyrotropin concentrations and in the individual estimations. Two special collaborative studies with nine selected laboratories showed on the one hand that analysis of the largest possible part of the dried blood sample can help to optimize the precision of the results; on the other hand, considerable drawbacks related to the reagents and the methods were sometimes observed. (orig.) [de

  10. The effect of mode and context on survey results: Analysis of data from the Health Survey for England 2006 and the Boost Survey for London

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roth Marilyn A

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Health-related data at local level could be provided by supplementing national health surveys with local boosts. Self-completion surveys are less costly than interviews, enabling larger samples to be achieved for a given cost. However, even when the same questions are asked with the same wording, responses to survey questions may vary by mode of data collection. These measurement differences need to be investigated further. Methods The Health Survey for England in London ('Core' and a London Boost survey ('Boost' used identical sampling strategies but different modes of data collection. Some data were collected by face-to-face interview in the Core and by self-completion in the Boost; other data were collected by self-completion questionnaire in both, but the context differed. Results were compared by mode of data collection using two approaches. The first examined differences in results that remained after adjusting the samples for differences in response. The second compared results after using propensity score matching to reduce any differences in sample composition. Results There were no significant differences between the two samples for prevalence of some variables including long-term illness, limiting long-term illness, current rates of smoking, whether participants drank alcohol, and how often they usually drank. However, there were a number of differences, some quite large, between some key measures including: general health, GHQ12 score, portions of fruit and vegetables consumed, levels of physical activity, and, to a lesser extent, smoking consumption, the number of alcohol units reported consumed on the heaviest day of drinking in the last week and perceived social support (among women only. Conclusion Survey mode and context can both affect the responses given. The effect is largest for complex question modules but was also seen for identical self-completion questions. Some data collected by interview and self

  11. Bolivia 1998: results from the Demographic and Health Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-09-01

    This document presents the results of the Bolivia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), or Encuesta Nacional de Demografia y Salud 1998, conducted by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, La Paz, Bolivia, within the framework of the DHS Program of Macro International. Data were collected from 12,109 households and complete interviews were conducted with 11,187 women aged 15-49. A male survey was also conducted, which collected data from 3780 men aged 15-64. The information collected include the following: 1) general characteristics of the population, 2) fertility, 3) fertility preferences, 4) current contraceptive use, 5) contraception, 6) marital and contraceptive status, 7) postpartum variables, 8) infant mortality, 9) health: disease prevention and treatment, and 10) nutritional status: anthropometric measures.

  12. Technical basis for tumbleweed survey requirements and disposal criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    J. D. Arana

    2000-01-01

    This technical basis document describes the technique for surveying potentially contaminated tumbleweeds in areas where the Environmental Restoration Contractor has jurisdiction and the disposal criteria based on these survey results. The report also discusses the statistical basis for surveys and the historical basis for the assumptions that are used to interpret the surveys

  13. Technical Basis for Tumbleweed Survey Requirements and Disposal Criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arana, J.D.

    2000-01-01

    This technical basis document describes the technique for surveying potentially contaminated tumbleweeds in areas where the Environmental Restoration Contractor has jurisdiction and the disposal criteria based on these survey results. The report also discusses the statistical basis for surveys and the historical basis for the assumptions that are used to interpret the surveys

  14. Latest Results of the SETHI Survey at Arecibo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korpela, E. J.; Demorest, P.; Heien, E.; Heiles, C.; Werthimer, D.

    2004-10-01

    SETH i is a survey of the distribution of galactic neutral hydrogen being performed comensally at the NAIC Arecibo Observatory. At the same time that observers use receivers in the Gregorian dome, SETHi is recording a 2.5MHz band centered at 1420 MHz from a flat feed on Carriage House 1. During normal astronomical observations, the SETH i feed scans across the sky at twice the sidereal rate. During 4 years of observations, we have accumulated over 15,000 hours of data covering most of the sky accessible to Arecibo. This survey has higher angular resolution than existing single dish surveys and higher sensitivity than existing or planned interferometric surveys.

  15. [Estimating child mortality using the previous child technique, with data from health centers and household surveys: methodological aspects].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguirre, A; Hill, A G

    1988-01-01

    2 trials of the previous child or preceding birth technique in Bamako, Mali, and Lima, Peru, gave very promising results for measurement of infant and early child mortality using data on survivorship of the 2 most recent births. In the Peruvian study, another technique was tested in which each woman was asked about her last 3 births. The preceding birth technique described by Brass and Macrae has rapidly been adopted as a simple means of estimating recent trends in early childhood mortality. The questions formulated and the analysis of results are direct when the mothers are visited at the time of birth or soon after. Several technical aspects of the method believed to introduce unforeseen biases have now been studied and found to be relatively unimportant. But the problems arising when the data come from a nonrepresentative fraction of the total fertile-aged population have not been resolved. The analysis based on data from 5 maternity centers including 1 hospital in Bamako, Mali, indicated some practical problems and the information obtained showed the kinds of subtle biases that can result from the effects of selection. The study in Lima tested 2 abbreviated methods for obtaining recent early childhood mortality estimates in countries with deficient vital registration. The basic idea was that a few simple questions added to household surveys on immunization or diarrheal disease control for example could produce improved child mortality estimates. The mortality estimates in Peru were based on 2 distinct sources of information in the questionnaire. All women were asked their total number of live born children and the number still alive at the time of the interview. The proportion of deaths was converted into a measure of child survival using a life table. Then each woman was asked for a brief history of the 3 most recent live births. Dates of birth and death were noted in month and year of occurrence. The interviews took only slightly longer than the basic survey

  16. FIRBACK Far Infrared Survey with ISO: Data Reduction, Analysis and First Results

    OpenAIRE

    Dole, Herve; Lagache, Guilaine; Puget, Jean-Loup; Gispert, Richard; Aussel, H.; Bouchet, F. R.; Ciliegi, C.; Clements, D. L.; Cesarsky, C.; Desert, F-X; Elbaz, D.; Franceschini, A.; Guiderdoni, B.; Harwit, M.; Laureijs, R.

    1999-01-01

    FIRBACK is one of the deepest cosmological surveys performed in the far infrared, using ISOPHOT. We describe this survey, its data reduction and analysis. We present the maps of fields at 175 microns. We point out some first results: source identifications with radio and mid infrared, and source counts at 175 microns. These two results suggest that half of the FIRBACK sources are probably at redshifts greater than 1. We also present briefly the large follow-up program.

  17. 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.

  18. Radon in Irish schools: the results of a national survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Synnott, H; Hanley, O; Fenton, D; Colgan, P A

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a survey of radon concentrations in Irish primary and post-primary schools. The objective of this survey was to assess the distribution of radon in Irish schools and to identify those requiring remedial work to reduce radon exposure to children and staff. All primary and post-primary schools were invited to participate in the survey. Indoor radon concentrations were measured during the academic year using integrating passive alpha track-etch detectors with a measurement period from three to nine months. The survey was carried out on a phased basis from 1998 to 2004 and is one of the most comprehensive of its kind undertaken in Europe. Measurements were completed in 38 531 ground floor classrooms and offices in 3826 schools, representing over 95% of the approximate 4000 primary and post-primary schools in Ireland. Of these, 984 schools had radon concentrations greater than 200 Bq m -3 in 3028 rooms and 329 schools had radon concentrations in excess of 400 Bq m -3 in 800 rooms. The average radon concentration in schools was 93 Bq m -3 . This results in an annual average effective dose to an Irish child from exposure to radon of 0.3 mSv per year, assuming that the long-term radon concentration is equal to the radon concentration present during the working hours and that the annual average occupancy is 1000 h per year. A programme of remediation of schools with radon concentrations above 200 Bq m -3 has been put in place

  19. Safety culture in regulatory expert organization : analysis result of survey for KINS employees

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, G. S.; Choi, Y. S.

    2003-01-01

    Much has been discussed on safety culture of operating organizations, however, little has been done on that of regulatory organization. Current issues and activities related to nuclear safety culture at IAEA, OECD/NEA, etc. were investigated and relevant literatures were reviewed. Elements essential for safety culture of regulatory organization were proposed and survey questionnaire for employees of regulatory expert organization, KINS, was developed based on the elements proposed. The survey result was presented and its implications were discussed. Based on the result, elements of safety culture in regulatory organization were proposed. The result of this survey can be used in developing safety culture model of regulatory organization, measurement method and also promotion of safety culture in regulatory organization

  20. [Reality of treatment in psychotherapy: Results of a survey of German psychiatric hospitals].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laux, G; Sander, K; Artmann, S; Dreher, J; Lenz, J; Hauth, I

    2015-05-01

    Since the introduction of the qualification as specialist for psychiatry and psychotherapy, in addition to psychopharmacotherapy psychotherapy is an integral component of the treatment of mentally ill people. A survey was carried out to evaluate the reality of clinical routine use of psychotherapy in German psychiatric hospitals. Between October 2011 and March 2012 German hospitals of psychiatry and psychotherapy were contacted by the head organization, the conference of national directors (Bundesdirektorenkonferenz), to participate in a survey regarding the application of psychotherapy in the real clinical world of daily treatment. With an anonymous questionnaire, data were requested as either a printed form or online version. Data from 25 psychiatric hospitals in the year 2010 could be analysed (average number of beds 300 of which 53 were for psychosomatic/psychotherapeutic patients) and a total of 87,000 inpatients were treated whereby 34 % were diagnosed as F1 addictive disorders and 24 % as F3 affective disorders. More than 80 % of the hospitals applied group therapies of relaxation, cognitive behavior therapy, social competence training and specific techniques, such as dialectic-behavior therapy. As individual treatment methods, patients with depressive disorders were treated with cognitive behavior therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy or psychodynamic therapy in more than 50 % of the cases. Relaxation techniques were offered in most cases by the nursing staff, behavior therapy by psychologists and physicians and psychodynamic therapy mainly by psychiatrists.

  1. Environmental monitoring using autonomous vehicles: a survey of recent searching techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayat, Behzad; Crasta, Naveena; Crespi, Alessandro; Pascoal, António M; Ijspeert, Auke

    2017-06-01

    Autonomous vehicles are becoming an essential tool in a wide range of environmental applications that include ambient data acquisition, remote sensing, and mapping of the spatial extent of pollutant spills. Among these applications, pollution source localization has drawn increasing interest due to its scientific and commercial interest and the emergence of a new breed of robotic vehicles capable of operating in harsh environments without human supervision. The aim is to find the location of a region that is the source of a given substance of interest (e.g. a chemical pollutant at sea or a gas leakage in air) using a group of cooperative autonomous vehicles. Motivated by fast paced advances in this challenging area, this paper surveys recent advances in searching techniques that are at the core of environmental monitoring strategies using autonomous vehicles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The THU-NAOC transient survey: the performance and results from the first year

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Tian-Meng; Zhou Xu; Nie Jun-Dan; Jiang Zhao-Ji; Ma Jun; Wang Ling-Zhi; Zhou Zhi-Min; Zou Hu; Wang Xiao-Feng; Chen Jun-Cheng; Zhou Li; Li Wen-Xiong; Liu Qing; Mo Jun; Zhang Kai-Cheng; Yao Xin-Yu; Zhao Xu-Lin; Huang Fang; Zhang Ju-Jia; Wu Chao

    2015-01-01

    The Tsinghua University-National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) Transient Survey is an automatic survey that conducts a systematic exploration of optical transients. This project utilizes a 60/90 cm Schmidt telescope at the Xinglong Station of NAOC. This survey repeatedly covers ∼ 1000 square degrees of the northern sky with a cadence of 3–4 d. With an exposure of 60 s, the survey reaches a limiting unfiltered magnitude of about 19.5 mag, which enables us to discover supernovae in their relatively young stages. We describe the overall performance of our survey during the first year and present some preliminary results. (research papers)

  3. TAPP - Stuttgart technique and result of a large single center series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bittner R

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Laparoscopic hernioplasty is assessed as a difficult operation. Operative technique determines the frequency of complications, the time of recovery and the rate of recurrences. A proper technique is absolutely necessary to achieve results that are superior to open hernia surgery. Technique: The key points in our technique are 1 use of nondisposable instruments; 2 use of blunt trocars, consisting of expanding and non-incisive cone-shaped tips; 3 spacious and curved opening to the peritoneum, high above all possible hernia openings; 4 meticulous dissection of the entire pelvic floor; 5 complete reduction of the hernial sac; 6 wide parietalization of the peritoneal sac, at least down to the mid of psoas muscle; 7 implantation of a large mesh, at least 10 cm x 15 cm; 8 fixation of the mesh by clip to Cooper′s ligament, to the rectus muscle and lateral to the epigastric vessels, high above the ileopubic tract; 9 the use of glue allows fixation also to the latero-caudial region; and 10 closure of the peritoneum by running suture. Results: With this technique in 12,678 hernia repairs, the following results could be achieved: operating time - 40 min; morbidity - 2.9%; recurrence rate - 0.7%; disability of work - 14 days. In all types of hernias (recurrence after previous open surgery, recurrence after previous preperitoneal operation, scrotal hernia, hernia in patients after transabdominal prostate resection, similar results could be achieved. Summary: Laparoscopic hernia repair can be performed successfully in clinical practice even by surgeons in training. Precondition for the success is a strictly standardized operative technique and a well-structured educational program.

  4. Recent applications of nuclear medicine techniques and results in Vietnam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phan Sy An

    2008-01-01

    The author presented recent applications of nuclear medicine techniques and results in Vietnam. The author concentrated some valuable and helpful studies such as functional tests, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, bone, thyroid, lung, kidney and gastrointestinal tract scintigraphy for diagnosis. The results of RIA and IRMA concerning with thyroid diseases, cancer, microalbuminuria and TSH in blood spot on paper for screening of congenital hypothyroidism in new born babies were also given. The report also mentioned results of liver cancer and palliative bone metastasis treatments in Vietnam. A new technique using gamma probe in surgery for breast cancer was presented. The author introduced some modern teleradiotherapeutic modalities such as cyberknif, gamma knife, gamma rotating systeme and linac recently installed in Vietnam. (author)

  5. Quality of Academic Advising at UNO: Results of Student and Faculty Surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ESS Reports, 1988

    1988-01-01

    This report presents the results of a student/faculty survey on the academic advising process at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and highlights issues in improving the advising process. The survey included 195 recent graduates, 269 existing students, and 207 faculty and professional advisors. The study found that 70.8% of students were…

  6. Daylighting practices of the architectural industry (baseline results of a national survey)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hattrup, M.P.

    1990-05-01

    A national survey of over 300 commercial design architects was conducted to develop baseline information on their knowledge, perceptions, and use of daylighting in commercial building designs. Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted the survey for the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Building and Community Systems (BCS). In the survey daylighting was defined as the intentional use of natural light as a partial substitute for artificially generated light. The results suggested that architects need to be educated about the true benefits of daylighting and the impacts it can have on a building's energy performance. Educational programs that will increase the architects' understanding and awareness of modern daylighting technologies and practices should be developed by utilities, stage agencies, and the federal government. If more architects can be made aware of the true effectiveness and positive attributes of daylighting systems and technologies, daylighting may be used in more commercial buildings. The results of the survey show that the more familiar architects feel they are with daylighting, the more they use daylighting. 3 refs., 19 tabs.

  7. Initial communication survey results for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, D.M.

    1991-03-01

    To support the public communication efforts of the Technical Steering Panel of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project, a public survey was conducted. The survey was intended to provide information about the public's knowledge and interest in the project and the best ways to communicate project results. Questions about the project were included as part of an omnibus survey conducted by Washington State University. The survey was conducted by phone to Washington State residents in the spring of 1990. This report gives the HEDR-related questions and summary data of responses. Questions associated with the HEDR Project were grouped into four categories: knowledge of the HEDR Project; interest in the project; preferred ways of receiving information about the project (including public information meetings, a newsletter mailed to homes, presentations to civic groups in the respondent's community, a computer bulletin board respondent could access with a modem, information displays at public buildings and shopping malls, and an information video sent to respondent); and level of concern over past exposure from Hanford operations. Questions abut whom state residents are most likely to trust about radiation issues were also part of the omnibus survey, and responses are included in this report

  8. Retinal Vessels Segmentation Techniques and Algorithms: A Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jasem Almotiri

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Retinal vessels identification and localization aim to separate the different retinal vasculature structure tissues, either wide or narrow ones, from the fundus image background and other retinal anatomical structures such as optic disc, macula, and abnormal lesions. Retinal vessels identification studies are attracting more and more attention in recent years due to non-invasive fundus imaging and the crucial information contained in vasculature structure which is helpful for the detection and diagnosis of a variety of retinal pathologies included but not limited to: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR, glaucoma, hypertension, and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD. With the development of almost two decades, the innovative approaches applying computer-aided techniques for segmenting retinal vessels are becoming more and more crucial and coming closer to routine clinical applications. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview for retinal vessels segmentation techniques. Firstly, a brief introduction to retinal fundus photography and imaging modalities of retinal images is given. Then, the preprocessing operations and the state of the art methods of retinal vessels identification are introduced. Moreover, the evaluation and validation of the results of retinal vessels segmentation are discussed. Finally, an objective assessment is presented and future developments and trends are addressed for retinal vessels identification techniques.

  9. Results of the 2015 National Certified Pharmacy Technician Workforce Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desselle, Shane P; Holmes, Erin R

    2017-07-01

    The results of the 2015 National Certified Pharmacy Technician Workforce Survey are described. A survey was e-mailed to a randomized sample of 5,000 certified pharmacy technicians (CPhTs) throughout the United States, with response reminders employed. Survey items eliciting demographic and work characteristics and work life attitudes were generated from the literature and qualitative interviews. This study aimed to describe job satisfaction, sources of stress, profession and employer commitment, education and training, and reasons for entry into the profession among CPhTs and determine relationships between those variables and CPhTs' level of involvement in various work activities, with particular attention paid to differences in practice setting. Frequency statistics, correlation analysis, and means testing were used to meet study objectives and identify significant differences. A total of 516 CPhTs currently working as a pharmacy technician responded to the survey. The CPhTs reported high levels of involvement in more traditional activities but less involvement in those that involve greater cognitive load. Respondents reported moderate levels of job satisfaction and commitment and somewhat high levels of stress overall. Most CPhTs chose to be a pharmacy technician because they desired to enter a healthcare field and help people and were recruited. CPhTs derived benefit from all aspects of education and training evaluated and most from on-the-job training. Perceived value of education and training was associated with higher satisfaction and commitment and with lower stress. There were a number of differences in these work life attitudes across practice settings and by involvement in various job functions. The results of the survey indicated that job satisfaction and commitment were moderate and that stress levels were somewhat high among CPhTs. There were a number of differences in work life attitudes across practice settings and by involvement in various job

  10. VLBI FOR GRAVITY PROBE B. IV. A NEW ASTROMETRIC ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE AND A COMPARISON WITH RESULTS FROM OTHER TECHNIQUES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebach, D. E.; Ratner, M. I.; Shapiro, I. I.; Bartel, N.; Bietenholz, M. F.; Lederman, J. I.; Ransom, R. R.; Campbell, R. M.; Gordon, D.; Lestrade, J.-F.

    2012-01-01

    When very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations are used to determine the position or motion of a radio source relative to reference sources nearby on the sky, the astrometric information is usually obtained via (1) phase-referenced maps or (2) parametric model fits to measured fringe phases or multiband delays. In this paper, we describe a 'merged' analysis technique which combines some of the most important advantages of these other two approaches. In particular, our merged technique combines the superior model-correction capabilities of parametric model fits with the ability of phase-referenced maps to yield astrometric measurements of sources that are too weak to be used in parametric model fits. We compare the results from this merged technique with the results from phase-referenced maps and from parametric model fits in the analysis of astrometric VLBI observations of the radio-bright star IM Pegasi (HR 8703) and the radio source B2252+172 nearby on the sky. In these studies we use central-core components of radio sources 3C 454.3 and B2250+194 as our positional references. We obtain astrometric results for IM Peg with our merged technique even when the source is too weak to be used in parametric model fits, and we find that our merged technique yields astrometric results superior to the phase-referenced mapping technique. We used our merged technique to estimate the proper motion and other astrometric parameters of IM Peg in support of the NASA/Stanford Gravity Probe B mission.

  11. OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    OECD Publishing, 2013

    2013-01-01

    This first "OECD Skills Outlook" presents the initial results of the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), which evaluates the skills of adults in 22 OECD member countries and two partner countries. The PIAAC survey was designed to provide insights into the availability of some key skills and how they are used at work and at home through the…

  12. Bridge Programs in Illinois: Results of the 2010 Illinois Bridge Status Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, J. L.; Harmon, T.

    2010-01-01

    This report provides a summary of major results of the Illinois Bridge Status Survey, administered online between April and June 2010. The purpose of the survey was to understand the extent to which bridge programs are being implemented in Illinois, as well as to build an online directory of bridge programs. Bridge programs are an emerging…

  13. Worldwide enucleation techniques and materials for treatment of retinoblastoma: an international survey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daphne L Mourits

    Full Text Available To investigate the current practice of enucleation with or without orbital implant for retinoblastoma in countries across the world.A digital survey identifying operation techniques and material used for orbital implants after enucleation in patients with retinoblastoma.We received a response of 58 surgeons in 32 different countries. A primary artificial implant is routinely inserted by 42 (72.4% surgeons. Ten (17.2% surgeons leave the socket empty, three (5.2% decide per case. Other surgeons insert a dermis fat graft as a standard primary implant (n=1, or fill the socket in a standard secondary procedure (n=2; one uses dermis fat grafts and one artificial implants. The choice for porous implants was more frequent than for non-porous implants: 27 (58.7% and 15 (32.6%, respectively. Both porous and non-porous implant types are used by 4 (8.7% surgeons. Twenty-five surgeons (54.3% insert bare implants, 11 (23.9% use separate wrappings, eight (17.4% use implants with prefab wrapping and two insert implants with and without wrapping depending on type of implant. Attachment of the muscles to the wrapping or implant (at various locations is done by 31 (53.4% surgeons. Eleven (19.0% use a myoconjunctival technique, nine (15.5% suture the muscles to each other and seven (12.1% do not reattach the muscles. Measures to improve volume are implant exchange at an older age (n=4, the use of Restylane SQ (n=1 and osmotic expanders (n=1. Pegging is done by two surgeons.No (worldwide consensus exists about the use of material and techniques for enucleation for the treatment of retinoblastoma. Considerations for the use of different techniques are discussed.

  14. High-grade spondylolisthesis: gradual reduction using Magerl's external fixator followed by circumferential fusion technique and long-term results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karampalis, Christos; Grevitt, Michael; Shafafy, Masood; Webb, John

    2012-05-01

    To report the results of a cohort of patients treated with this technique high lighting radiological and functional outcomes, discussing also benefits arising from a gradual reduction procedure compared with other techniques. We evaluated nine patients who have undergone high-grade listhesis reduction and circumferential fusion at our institution from 1988 to 2006. Average length of follow-up was 11 years (5-19). Functional outcomes and radiological measurements were recorded and reported. Slip magnitude was reduced by an average of 2.9 grades (Meyerding classification). Slip angle improved by an average of 66% (p = 0.0001), lumbosacral angle by 47% (p = 0.0002), sacral rotation by 51% (p = 0.0068) and sacral inclination by 47% (p = 0.0055). At the latest follow-up 88.9% had achieved solid fusion. Post-operative 10-point Visual Analogue Score (VAS) for back pain had improved by 70% (p Average postoperative Oswestry Disability Index for all patients was 8% (range 0-16%) and that for Low Back Outcome Scores was 56.6 (range 44-70). All components of Short Form 36 Health Survey were greater than 80%. Overall patients' expectations were met in 100%. This is an effective and safe technique which addresses the lumbosacral kyphosis and cosmetic deformity without the neurological complications which accompany other reduction and fusion techniques for high-grade spondylolisthesis.

  15. Deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems: A Summary of the 2016 National Survey Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-03-01

    This report presents summary results of the 2016 ITS Deployment Tracking survey, the most recent survey conducted through the ITS Deployment Tracking Project. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the ITS Joint Program Office have pursued a resea...

  16. Trends in the use of illicit substances in Thailand: Results from national household surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angkurawaranon, Chaisiri; Jiraporncharoen, Wichuda; Likhitsathian, Surinporn; Thaikla, Kanittha; Kanato, Manop; Perngparn, Usaneya; Assanangkornchai, Sawitri; Aramrattana, Apinun

    2018-02-27

    Thailand borders some of the world's largest methamphetamine and opioid producing countries and trafficking routes. Thailand's 'War on Drugs' campaign was launched in 2003. This study reports trends in illicit substance use in Thailand over the period 2001-2011. National Household surveys on illicit drug use were conducted in 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2011. A stratified multi-stage cluster random sampling technique was implemented for each survey. Provinces in four regions were systematically selected using a probability proportionate to the size of the targeted population. Participants were interviewed using structured questionnaires on their history of substance use. The prevalence of illicit drug use within the past drastically decreased from 4.5% in 2001 to 1.0% in 2003 (P survey. Other types of illicit drugs were less commonly used in Thailand. There was a decrease in prevalence of illicit drug use within the past year between 2001 and 2003 in Thailand. Since 2003, the past year prelavence of illicit drug use has remained relatively stable. From 2001 to 2011, cannabis, kratom and yaba have remained the three most commonly reported types of illicit drugs used in Thailand. © 2018 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  17. Basin Visual Estimation Technique (BVET) and Representative Reach Approaches to Wadeable Stream Surveys: Methodological Limitations and Future Directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lance R. Williams; Melvin L. Warren; Susan B. Adams; Joseph L. Arvai; Christopher M. Taylor

    2004-01-01

    Basin Visual Estimation Techniques (BVET) are used to estimate abundance for fish populations in small streams. With BVET, independent samples are drawn from natural habitat units in the stream rather than sampling "representative reaches." This sampling protocol provides an alternative to traditional reach-level surveys, which are criticized for their lack...

  18. Use of 222Rn-resistant techniques in new home construction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, J.E. Jr.; Cote, R.A.

    1999-01-01

    The objective of this project was to assess the status of the use of 222 Rn-resistant construction techniques in new home construction in the eight Zone 1 counties of North Carolina. Zone 1 counties have an average predicted indoor 222 Rn screening potential greater than 148 Bq m -3 (4 pCi L -1 ). To facilitate a response from builders, a brief survey form was designed and printed on the back of a self-addressed, postage-paid postcard. This survey form was mailed to 460 home builders in the Zone 1 counties. The response rate was 17%, which can be compared to the 4.9% response rate obtained in a national survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. In their survey, 62% of the responding builders reported that they had built some or many homes in 1996 using construction techniques to reduce the entry of radon into homes, but only 10% of the builders reported using these techniques for many homes. The National Association of Home Builders survey determined that, nationally, 30% of homes built in Zone 1 counties had 222 Rn venting features. There is the potential for bias in the results of their survey (as well as in the results of the National Association of Home Builders survey) since the response rates were low

  19. FY 2000 Report on the survey results. Report on the survey/study on development of technologies for aging societies; 2000 nendo koreika taio gijutsu kaihatsu ni kakawaru chosa kenkyu hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    The survey/study is conducted for (development of technologies for aging societies) by, e.g., the discussions at the (committee for investigating the technological development programs for activating the aging societies) and activities by the subordinate working groups, and the surveys on the aging societies and welfare-related technologies. The following results are obtained. The care-needing aged is not the sole stratum growing as a result of progress of the aging societies, because 87% of the aged can be self-supporting, needing no cares or other special aids. It is necessary to develop the industrial policies which combine the results of the promoted engineering research and development of the techniques/services for (active self-supporting) of the aged with the welfare-related equipment and services. It is also necessary to discuss the (technological development programs for activating the aging societies) through concerted efforts by the research organizations and industrial circles related to welfare equipment and government, to recognize their own roles. In these programs, acceleration and continuation of the technological development of the medical treatment/welfare equipment as one of the promising industrial areas are important. (NEDO)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meservey, Lynne D.

    1990-01-01

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

  1. Association of Sleep Groups and Sleep Survey Results of High School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Stephen A.; MacDonald, Lawrence; Frost, Frederica C.

    2006-01-01

    In January 2003 the High School Late Start Committee of the Northville Public Schools sent surveys to all families, faculty, and middle and high school students. The descriptive results of this survey can be found at www.northville.k12.mi.us/hr/late_start_committee_surveysummary.htm. This study focuses on the responses of the high school students,…

  2. Aerial radiation survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pradeep Kumar, K.S.

    1998-01-01

    Aerial gamma spectrometry surveys are the most effective, comprehensive and preferred tool to delimit the large area surface contamination in a radiological emergency either due to a nuclear accident or following a nuclear strike. The airborne survey apart from providing rapid and economical evaluation of ground contamination over large areas due to larger ground clearance and higher speed, is the only technique to overcome difficulties posed by ground surveys of inaccessible region. The aerial survey technique can also be used for searching of lost radioactive sources, tracking of radioactive plume and generation of background data on the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) of nuclear installations

  3. Techniques for sensitivity analysis of SYVAC results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prust, J.O.

    1985-05-01

    Sensitivity analysis techniques may be required to examine the sensitivity of SYVAC model predictions to the input parameter values, the subjective probability distributions assigned to the input parameters and to the relationship between dose and the probability of fatal cancers plus serious hereditary disease in the first two generations of offspring of a member of the critical group. This report mainly considers techniques for determining the sensitivity of dose and risk to the variable input parameters. The performance of a sensitivity analysis technique may be improved by decomposing the model and data into subsets for analysis, making use of existing information on sensitivity and concentrating sampling in regions the parameter space that generates high doses or risks. A number of sensitivity analysis techniques are reviewed for their application to the SYVAC model including four techniques tested in an earlier study by CAP Scientific for the SYVAC project. This report recommends the development now of a method for evaluating the derivative of dose and parameter value and extending the Kruskal-Wallis technique to test for interactions between parameters. It is also recommended that the sensitivity of the output of each sub-model of SYVAC to input parameter values should be examined. (author)

  4. Survey to explore understanding of the principles of aseptic technique: Qualitative content analysis with descriptive analysis of confidence and training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gould, Dinah J; Chudleigh, Jane; Purssell, Edward; Hawker, Clare; Gaze, Sarah; James, Deborah; Lynch, Mary; Pope, Nicola; Drey, Nicholas

    2018-04-01

    In many countries, aseptic procedures are undertaken by nurses in the general ward setting, but variation in practice has been reported, and evidence indicates that the principles underpinning aseptic technique are not well understood. A survey was conducted, employing a brief, purpose-designed, self-reported questionnaire. The response rate was 72%. Of those responding, 65% of nurses described aseptic technique in terms of the procedure used to undertake it, and 46% understood the principles of asepsis. The related concepts of cleanliness and sterilization were frequently confused with one another. Additionally, 72% reported that they not had received training for at least 5 years; 92% were confident of their ability to apply aseptic technique; and 90% reported that they had not been reassessed since their initial training. Qualitative analysis confirmed a lack of clarity about the meaning of aseptic technique. Nurses' understanding of aseptic technique and the concepts of sterility and cleanliness is inadequate, a finding in line with results of previous studies. This knowledge gap potentially places patients at risk. Nurses' understanding of the principles of asepsis could be improved. Further studies should establish the generalizability of the study findings. Possible improvements include renewed emphasis during initial nurse education, greater opportunity for updating knowledge and skills post-qualification, and audit of practice. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Report on the results of the safety culture survey conducted in PNRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, Corazon M.; Nohay, Carl M.; Badinas, Nelson P.; Melendez, Johnylen V.; Parami, Vangeline K.

    2001-01-01

    An initial safety culture survey was conducted in the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). Sixty six (66) questionnaires as given in A. Adams and A. Williamson's Measurement of Safety Culture in the Nuclear Industry, UNSW, July 1999 were distributed to the different units of PNRI. The number of sets of survey sheets distributed to the different units corresponded to the number of personnel in the unit based on the information obtained from them. Results were obtained from only 33 respondents. ANSTO has been requested to analyze the results of this survey. While waiting for the results from ANSTO, we attempted to proceed with this analysis in order to learn and practice applying the procedure based on the reference cited above.The respondents from the PNRI showed on the overall neutral views towards safety and their work. Although a minority showed positive responses to safety while a small minority showed negative responses. A remarkable result is that all respondents show strong concern over the welfare of the institute, indicating that there is still a good chance for safety culture to be developed positively among the employees given the proper strategies for motivation. (author)

  6. Competitiveness of firms, performance and customer orientation measures – empirical survey results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alena Klapalová

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to presents results from two empirical surveys concerning selected factors which can be connected to customer orientation, performance and competitiveness of firms. The purpose of the surveys was also to reveal potential differences between sectors arising from not only the different influences of internal but as well as external environment. A survey instrument was developed to analyse the relationship between several variables measuring customer orientation of surveyed firms and between these factors and level of financial performance. Several statistical methods were applied to analyse the data, specifically descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc test using financial performance for clustering firms and for assessment of potential differences of customer orientation criteria evaluation and Spearman rank correlation coefficients to assess the linear bivariate relationship between customer orientation variables. The results of ANOVA show that only the innovativeness is distinctive distinguishing criteria in conformity with the indicators of financial prosperity and that there are some differences between companies from two groups of sectors within the managers’ perception of customer orientation criteria performance.

  7. Transvaginal Cystocele Repair by Purse-String Technique Reinforced with Three Simple Sutures: Surgical Technique and Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ho-Sook Song

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose Different techniques for cystocele repair including the conventional anterior colporrhaphy and mesh technique are known. Our goal was to evaluate the anatomical success and safety of our method of transvaginal anterior vaginal wall repair by the purse-string technique reinforced with three simple additional sutures in the repair of cystocele over a 4-year follow-up period. Methods This was a retrospective review of 69 consecutive patients (grades 2 to 4 who underwent the above operations between 2001 and 2011, including their success rates as assessed by use of the Baden-Walker halfway classification system. Results Of the patients, 62 patients (98% were completely cured of cystocele and 1 patient showed grade 2 cystocele recurrence that required no further treatment. Two patients with grade 4 cystocele were completely cured. There was no vaginal erosion related to the cystocele repair. Conclusions Transvaginal anterior colporrhaphy by a purse-string technique reinforced with simple additive sutures appears to be a simple, safe, and easily performed approach in cystocele repair. There is no need for other material for reinforcement, even in high-grade cystocele, which is an advantage of our technique.

  8. Assessing Dental Hygienists' Communication Techniques for Use with Low Oral Health Literacy Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flynn, Priscilla; Acharya, Amit; Schwei, Kelsey; VanWormer, Jeffrey; Skrzypcak, Kaitlyn

    2016-06-01

    This primary aim of this study was to assess communication techniques used with low oral health literacy patients by dental hygienists in rural Wisconsin dental clinics. A secondary aim was to determine the utility of the survey instrument used in this study. A mixed methods study consisting of a cross-sectional survey, immediately followed by focus groups, was conducted among dental hygienists in the Marshfield Clinic (Wisconsin) service area. The survey quantified the routine use of 18 communication techniques previously shown to be effective with low oral health literacy patients. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between routine use of each communication technique and several indicator variables, including geographic practice region, oral health literacy familiarity, communication skills training and demographic indicators. Qualitative analyses included code mapping to the 18 communication techniques identified in the survey, and generating new codes based on discussion content. On average, the 38 study participants routinely used 6.3 communication techniques. Dental hygienists who used an oral health literacy assessment tool reported using significantly more communication techniques compared to those who did not use an oral health literacy assessment tool. Focus group results differed from survey responses as few dental hygienists stated familiarity with the term "oral health literacy." Motivational interviewing techniques and using an integrated electronic medical-dental record were additional communication techniques identified as useful with low oral health literacy patients. Dental hygienists in this study routinely used approximately one-third of the communication techniques recommended for low oral health literacy patients supporting the need for training on this topic. Based on focus group results, the survey used in this study warrants modification and psychometric testing prior to further use. Copyright © 2016 The American Dental

  9. Precision surveying the principles and geomatics practice

    CERN Document Server

    Ogundare, John Olusegun

    2016-01-01

    A comprehensive overview of high precision surveying, including recent developments in geomatics and their applications This book covers advanced precision surveying techniques, their proper use in engineering and geoscience projects, and their importance in the detailed analysis and evaluation of surveying projects. The early chapters review the fundamentals of precision surveying: the types of surveys; survey observations; standards and specifications; and accuracy assessments for angle, distance and position difference measurement systems. The book also covers network design and 3-D coordinating systems before discussing specialized topics such as structural and ground deformation monitoring techniques and analysis, mining surveys, tunneling surveys, and alignment surveys. Precision Surveying: The Principles and Geomatics Practice: * Covers structural and ground deformation monitoring analysis, advanced techniques in mining and tunneling surveys, and high precision alignment of engineering structures *...

  10. Search Techniques for the Web of Things: A Taxonomy and Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yuchao; De, Suparna; Wang, Wei; Moessner, Klaus

    2016-01-01

    The Web of Things aims to make physical world objects and their data accessible through standard Web technologies to enable intelligent applications and sophisticated data analytics. Due to the amount and heterogeneity of the data, it is challenging to perform data analysis directly; especially when the data is captured from a large number of distributed sources. However, the size and scope of the data can be reduced and narrowed down with search techniques, so that only the most relevant and useful data items are selected according to the application requirements. Search is fundamental to the Web of Things while challenging by nature in this context, e.g., mobility of the objects, opportunistic presence and sensing, continuous data streams with changing spatial and temporal properties, efficient indexing for historical and real time data. The research community has developed numerous techniques and methods to tackle these problems as reported by a large body of literature in the last few years. A comprehensive investigation of the current and past studies is necessary to gain a clear view of the research landscape and to identify promising future directions. This survey reviews the state-of-the-art search methods for the Web of Things, which are classified according to three different viewpoints: basic principles, data/knowledge representation, and contents being searched. Experiences and lessons learned from the existing work and some EU research projects related to Web of Things are discussed, and an outlook to the future research is presented. PMID:27128918

  11. Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey: Key Results Two Years Into The Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchis, Franck; Rameau, Julien; Nielsen, Eric L.; De Rosa, Robert J.; Esposito, Thomas; Draper, Zachary H.; Macintosh, Bruce; Graham, James R.; GPIES

    2016-10-01

    The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) is targeting 600 young, nearby stars using the GPI instrument. We report here on recent results obtained with this instrument from our team.Rameau et al. (ApJL, 822 2, L2, 2016) presented astrometric monitoring of the young exoplanet HD 95086 b obtained with GPI between 2013 and 2016. Efficient Monte Carlo techniques place preliminary constraints on the orbital parameters of HD 95086 b. Under the assumption of a coplanar planet-disk system, the periastron of HD 95086 b is beyond 51 AU. Therefore, HD 95086 b cannot carve the entire gap inferred from the measured infrared excess in the SED of HD 95086. Additional photometric and spectroscopic measurements reported by de Rosa et al. (2016, apJ, in press) showed that the spectral energy distribution of HD 95086 b is best fit by low temperature (T~800-1300 K), low surface gravity spectra from models which simulate high photospheric dust content. Its temperature is typical to L/T transition objects, but the spectral type is poorly constrained. HD 95086 b is an important exoplanet to test our models of atmospheric properties of young extrasolar planets.Direct detections of debris disk are keys to infer the collisional past and understand the formation of planetary systems. Two debris disks were recently studied with GPI:- Draper et al. (submitted to ApJ, 2016) show the resolved circumstellar debris disk around HD 111520 at a projected range of ~30-100 AU using both total and polarized H-band intensity. Structures in the disks such as a large brightness asymmetry and symmetric polarization fraction are seen. Additional data would confirm if a large disruption event from a stellar fly-by or planetary perturbations altered the disk density- Esposito et al. (submitted to ApJ, 2016) combined Keck NIRC2 data taken at 1.2-2.3 microns and GPI 1.6 micron total intensity and polarized light detections that probes down to projected separations less than 10 AU to show that the HD

  12. Results from an International Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Kawase, Kazumi; Carpelan-Holmstrom, Monika; Kwong, Ava; Sanfey, Hilary

    2016-01-01

    Compared with male surgeons, women have less success advancing their careers and are underrepresented in leadership positions in surgery. The purpose of this study is to identify the qualifications necessary to become leaders in surgery and the career barriers faced by women surgeons in various cultural environments. A survey was performed with women surgeons in Japan, USA, Finland, and Hong Kong, China, to assess various barriers faced by women surgeons in the respective countries. To develo...

  13. Results of the radiological survey at Two Mile Creek, Tonawanda, New York (TNY002)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murray, M.E.; Rodriguez, R.E.; Uziel, M.S.

    1997-08-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey at Two Mile Creek, Tonawanda, New York. The survey was performed in November 1991 and May 1996. The purpose of the survey was to determine if radioactive materials from work performed under government contract at the Linde Air Products Division of Union Carbide Corporation, Tonawanda, New York, had been transported into the creek. The survey included a surface gamma scan in accessible areas near the creek and the collection of soil, sediment, and core samples for radionuclide analyses. Survey results indicate that no significant material originating at the Linde plant is presently in the creek. Three of the 1991 soil sample locations on the creek bank and one near the lake contained slightly elevated concentrations of 238 U with radionuclide distributions similar to that found in materials resulting from former processing activities at the Linde site

  14. Survey sustainability Biomass. Appendix. Results of the international respondents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergsma, G.C.; Groot, M.I.

    2006-06-15

    As part of an array of strategies to combat climate change, biomass is being used increasingly as a substitute for fossil fuels. It is important that the sustainability benefits thus accruing to the Netherlands are not at the expense of sustainable development in producer countries. Against this background the 'Sustainable biomass imports' project group is developing a set of criteria for evaluating the sustainability of biomass projects. To assess support for such criteria, CE conducted an internet survey among the various stakeholders (NGOs, industry, government), drawing a total of 104 responses. This report presents all the results and conclusions of the survey, for each category of stakeholders and overall. Among the most striking conclusions are the following: The majority of respondents see a sustainability audit on biomass as feasible, provided the sustainability criteria are adequate for the purpose (68%); Almost all the respondents are of the opinion that such sustainability criteria should apply to all applications of biomass (90%); On the issue of whether these criteria should vary according to the producer region concerned, respondents were divided (50% for, 50% against); Many NGOs state there should be different sustainability criteria in force for different biomass flows (50%), in contrast to industry, which argues for a uniform set of criteria for all flows; Most respondents hold that any biomass criteria should apply to both subsidised and unsubsidised projects; At the same time, a sizable majority of respondents state that subsidisation of biomass projects should depend on the degree of sustainability (72%) and in particular on the CO2 emission cuts achieved, this being regarded as the single most important factor; When it comes to the issue of GMO, opinions differ markedly between NGOs and industry, with some 75% of NGOs wanting this aspect included, but only 10% of industry; Respondents also commented on a number of additional issues

  15. Risk perception in the public: Results of a survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bastide, S.; Brenot, J.

    1989-01-01

    At first, some approaches used to study risk perception are briefly reviewed. Then, results of a survey devoted to general public risk perception, are presented. Risky activities are ranked. Clusters of activities which are judged similar for danger, are given. The relations between perception of danger, trust in the safety organization and the characteristics of the interviewed people are emphasized. The nuclear and chemical sectors are shortly compared. (author)

  16. Results From the 2014 National Wilderness Manager Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramesh Ghimire; Ken Cordell; Alan Watson; Chad Dawson; Gary T. Green

    2015-01-01

    A national survey of managers was developed to support interagency wilderness strategic planning. The focus was on major challenges, perceived needs for science and training, and accomplishments of 1995 Strategic Plan objectives. The survey was administered to managers at the four federal agencies with wilderness management responsibilities: the Bureau of Land...

  17. The Winfrith district gamma survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cavell, I.W.; Peabody, C.O.

    1961-09-01

    This report describes the District Gamma Survey carried out around the A.E.E., Winfrith since June, 1959. Its organisation, equipment and techniques are described, and the results obtained up to the 31st December, 1960 are given. (author)

  18. Rotational acceleration during head impact resulting from different judo throwing techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murayama, Haruo; Hitosugi, Masahito; Motozawa, Yasuki; Ogino, Masahiro; Koyama, Katsuhiro

    2014-01-01

    Most severe head injuries in judo are reported as acute subdural hematoma. It is thus necessary to examine the rotational acceleration of the head to clarify the mechanism of head injuries. We determined the rotational acceleration of the head when the subject is thrown by judo techniques. One Japanese male judo expert threw an anthropomorphic test device using two throwing techniques, Osoto-gari and Ouchi-gari. Rotational and translational head accelerations were measured with and without an under-mat. For Osoto-gari, peak resultant rotational acceleration ranged from 4,284.2 rad/s(2) to 5,525.9 rad/s(2) and peak resultant translational acceleration ranged from 64.3 g to 87.2 g; for Ouchi-gari, the accelerations respectively ranged from 1,708.0 rad/s(2) to 2,104.1 rad/s(2) and from 120.2 g to 149.4 g. The resultant rotational acceleration did not decrease with installation of an under-mat for both Ouchi-gari and Osoto-gari. We found that head contact with the tatami could result in the peak values of translational and rotational accelerations, respectively. In general, because kinematics of the body strongly affects translational and rotational accelerations of the head, both accelerations should be measured to analyze the underlying mechanism of head injury. As a primary preventative measure, throwing techniques should be restricted to participants demonstrating ability in ukemi techniques to avoid head contact with the tatami.

  19. [Kirschner wire osteosynthesis for fractures in childhood: bury wires or not? : Results of a survey on care reality in Germany].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneidmueller, D; Kertai, M; Bühren, V; von Rüden, C

    2018-02-20

    Kirschner wire osteosynthesis is considered to be the standard technique for surgical fixation of displaced supracondylar humeral and distal radial fractures in children. The Kirschner wires can be left exposed or buried under the skin. Advantages of the epicutaneous technique are, e. g. the efficiency (cost, effort) and the possibility for wire removal without the necessity of a second anesthesia. On the other hand, there is a concern about higher infection rates as well as traumatization of the children due to externally visible wires. A web-based survey of members of the DGU, DGOU, DGOOC, and the pediatric traumatology section of the DGU (SKT) was performed to evaluate current treatment concepts in Germany. The pros and cons for each technique were recorded and the need for a clinical study was examined. In addition, a cost analysis was performed for both methods. The results from the literature are summarized and discussed. A total of 710 questionnaires were evaluated. The majority of the respondents were trauma surgeons working in a hospital (80%). The buried technique was superior in both fracture groups (supracondylar humeral fractures 73% and distal radius fractures 69%), whereas a relevant difference could be found depending on the profession. The main reason for the subcutaneous technique was anxiety or observed higher infections using the epicutaneous technique. In Germany, the majority of wires are buried under the skin due to a fear of higher infection rates. In addition, other influencing factors such as pain and traditional approaches play a significant role. With respect to the results in the literature as well as a possible improvement of efficiency and avoidance of a second anesthesia, a multicentric clinical study seems necessary in the future to compare both techniques.

  20. National Survey Results: Retention of Women in Collegiate Aviation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turney, Mary Ann; Bishop, James C.; Karp, Merrill R.; Niemczyk, Mary; Sitler, Ruth L.; Green, Mavis F.

    2002-01-01

    Since the numbers of women pursuing technical careers in aviation continues to remain very low, a study on retention of women was undertaken by a team of university faculty from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona State University, and Kent State University. The study was initiated to discover the factors that influence women once they have already selected an aviation career and to ascertain what could be done to support those women who have demonstrated a serious interest in an aviation career by enrolling in a collegiate aviation program. This paper reports preliminary results of data collected in the first and second years of the study. The data was collected from surveys of 390 college students (195 women and 195 men) majoring in aviation programs in nine colleges and universities, representing widely varied geographic areas and including both two- and four-year institutions. Results revealed significant areas of concern among women in pilot training. When queried about these concerns, differences were evident in the responses of the male and female groups. These differences were expected. However, a surprising finding was that women in early stages of pilot training responded differently from women in more experienced stages, These response differences did not occur among the men surveyed. The results, therefore, suggest that women in experienced stages of training may have gone through an adaptation process and reflect more male-like attitudes about a number of objects, including social issues, confidence, family, and career.

  1. Survey Result for the Safety Culture Attitude of HANARO in 2008

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Jong Sup; An, Seok Hwa

    2009-01-01

    One of the important aims of a nuclear management system is to foster a strong safety culture. The safety culture activities for HANARO have been implemented and the importance of safety management in nuclear activities has also been emphasized since its first operation. HANARO developed its own safety culture indicators by referring to the IAEA's documents for the purpose of the evaluation of the safety culture attitude. In June 2008 a survey on the safety culture was conducted based on the new safety culture indicators. The result of the survey shows that the safety culture activities contribute positively to its safe operation. But it is necessary to encourage some activities like training, resources and organizational culture. The survey was helpful to understand the general trends of the safety attitudes and to set the safety culture activities necessary for the improvement of its safe operation

  2. Stereoscopic Visualization of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Data: A Comparative Survey of Visualization Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raslan, O.; Debnam, J.M.; Ketonen, L.; Kumar, A.J.; Schellingerhout, D.; Wang, J.

    2013-01-01

    Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data has traditionally been displayed as a gray scale functional anisotropy map (GSFM) or color coded orientation map (CCOM). These methods use black and white or color with intensity values to map the complex multidimensional DTI data to a two-dimensional image. Alternative visualization techniques, such as V m ax maps utilize enhanced graphical representation of the principal eigenvector by means of a headless arrow on regular non stereoscopic (VM) or stereoscopic display (VMS). A survey of clinical utility of patients with intracranial neoplasms was carried out by 8 neuro radiologists using traditional and nontraditional methods of DTI display. Pairwise comparison studies of 5 intracranial neoplasms were performed with a structured questionnaire comparing GSFM, CCOM, VM, and VMS. Six of 8 neuro radiologists favored V m ax maps over traditional methods of display (GSFM and CCOM). When comparing the stereoscopic (VMS) and the non-stereoscopic (VM) modes, 4 favored VMS, 2 favored VM, and 2 had no preference. In conclusion, processing and visualizing DTI data stereoscopically is technically feasible. An initial survey of users indicated that V m ax based display methodology with or without stereoscopic visualization seems to be preferred over traditional methods to display DTI data.

  3. National Alliance of Business Sales Techniques and Results (STAR).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golightly, Steven J.

    This paper presents an overview of the Sales Techniques and Results (STAR) training program developed by the National Alliance of Business in conjunction with IBM. The STAR training program can be used to help vocational directors, teachers, and counselors to be better salespersons for cooperative education or job placement programs. The paper…

  4. A blood-result turn-around time survey to improve congenital ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The results of a turn-around time study of blood specimens for syphilis serology in antenatal clinic attenders between 19 rural clinics and their base hospital, including a follow-up survey to assess the impact of interventions, are described. The objective of the study was to detennine how long blood samples took to get.

  5. Epistemology and expectations survey about experimental physics: Development and initial results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin M. Zwickl

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In response to national calls to better align physics laboratory courses with the way physicists engage in research, we have developed an epistemology and expectations survey to assess how students perceive the nature of physics experiments in the contexts of laboratory courses and the professional research laboratory. The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS evaluates students’ epistemology at the beginning and end of a semester. Students respond to paired questions about how they personally perceive doing experiments in laboratory courses and how they perceive an experimental physicist might respond regarding their research. Also, at the end of the semester, the E-CLASS assesses a third dimension of laboratory instruction, students’ reflections on their course’s expectations for earning a good grade. By basing survey statements on widely embraced learning goals and common critiques of teaching labs, the E-CLASS serves as an assessment tool for lab courses across the undergraduate curriculum and as a tool for physics education research. We present the development, evidence of validation, and initial formative assessment results from a sample that includes 45 classes at 20 institutions. We also discuss feedback from instructors and reflect on the challenges of large-scale online administration and distribution of results.

  6. French parapetroleum industry: results of 1992 survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valentin, E.; Trouve, O.

    1992-01-01

    The petroleum prospection and production industries have developed a parapetroleum sector that is considerable in size and has been going through profound changes over the past few years. Under the impetus of acquisitions and mergers, the supply has become heavily concentrated, and now reorganized around a growing demand for integrated services. Petroleum companies tend to farm out a growing portion of their business, and this sharing out of competence and sometimes of responsibilities is breeding new types of partnership arrangements between the petroleum and parapetroleum business. This paper gives the results of an survey led in 1991 on petroleum international economy and gives statistical informations on french parapetroleum industry (exploration-production investments, exploratory wells drilled, drilling equipment in action, offshore operations, turnover evolution, shortage of manpower). 14 figs., 5 tabs

  7. Defining Innovation in Neurosurgery: Results from an International Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaki, Mark M; Cote, David J; Muskens, Ivo S; Smith, Timothy R; Broekman, Marike L

    2018-06-01

    Innovation is a part of the daily practice of neurosurgery. However, a clear definition of what constitutes innovation is lacking and opinions vary from continent to continent, from hospital to hospital, and from surgeon to surgeon. In this study, we distributed an online survey to neurosurgeons from multiple countries to investigate what neurosurgeons consider innovative, by gathering opinions on several hypothetical cases. The anonymous survey consisted of 52 questions and took approximately 10 minutes to complete. A total of 355 neurosurgeons across all continents excluding Antarctica completed the survey. Neurosurgeons achieved consensus (>75%) in considering specific cases to be innovative, including laser resection of meningioma, focused ultrasonography for tumor, oncolytic virus, deep brain stimulation for addiction, and photodynamic therapy for tumor. Although the new dura substitute case was not considered innovative, there was consensus among neurosurgeons indicating that institutional review board approval was still necessary to maintain ethical standards. Furthermore, although 90% of neurosurgeons considered an oncolytic virus for glioblastoma multiforme to be innovative, only 78% believed that institutional review board approval was necessary before treatment. Our results indicate that innovation is a heterogeneous concept among neurosurgeons that necessitates standardization to ensure appropriate patient safety without stifling progress. We discuss both the ethical drawbacks of not having a clear definition of innovation and the challenges in achieving a unified understanding of innovation in neurosurgery and offer suggestions for uniting the field. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Financial planning and analysis techniques of mining firms: a note on Canadian practice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blanco, H.; Zanibbi, L.R. (Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON (Canada). School of Commerce and Administration)

    1992-06-01

    This paper reports on the results of a survey of the financial planning and analysis techniques in use in the mining industry in Canada. The study was undertaken to determine the current status of these practices within mining firms in Canada and to investigate the extent to which the techniques are grouped together within individual firms. In addition, tests were performed on the relationship between these groups of techniques and both organizational size and price volatility of end product. The results show that a few techniques are widely utilized in this industry but that the techniques used most frequently are not as sophisticated as reported in previous, more broadly based surveys. The results also show that firms tend to use 'bundles' of techniques and that the relative use of some of these groups of techniques is weakly associated with both organizational size and type of end product. 19 refs., 7 tabs.

  9. Arduino based radiation survey meter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, Nur Aira Abd; Lombigit, Lojius; Abdullah, Nor Arymaswati; Azman, Azraf; Dolah, Taufik; Jaafar, Zainudin; Mohamad, Glam Hadzir Patai; Ramli, Abd Aziz Mhd; Zain, Rasif Mohd; Said, Fazila; Khalid, Mohd Ashhar; Taat, Muhamad Zahidee; Muzakkir, Amir

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the design of new digital radiation survey meter with LND7121 Geiger Muller tube detector and Atmega328P microcontroller. Development of the survey meter prototype is carried out on Arduino Uno platform. 16-bit Timer1 on the microcontroller is utilized as external pulse counter to produce count per second or CPS measurement. Conversion from CPS to dose rate technique is also performed by Arduino to display results in micro Sievert per hour (μSvhr −1 ). Conversion factor (CF) value for conversion of CPM to μSvhr −1 determined from manufacturer data sheet is compared with CF obtained from calibration procedure. The survey meter measurement results are found to be linear for dose rates below 3500 µSv/hr

  10. Search Techniques for the Web of Things: A Taxonomy and Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuchao Zhou

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The Web of Things aims to make physical world objects and their data accessible through standard Web technologies to enable intelligent applications and sophisticated data analytics. Due to the amount and heterogeneity of the data, it is challenging to perform data analysis directly; especially when the data is captured from a large number of distributed sources. However, the size and scope of the data can be reduced and narrowed down with search techniques, so that only the most relevant and useful data items are selected according to the application requirements. Search is fundamental to the Web of Things while challenging by nature in this context, e.g., mobility of the objects, opportunistic presence and sensing, continuous data streams with changing spatial and temporal properties, efficient indexing for historical and real time data. The research community has developed numerous techniques and methods to tackle these problems as reported by a large body of literature in the last few years. A comprehensive investigation of the current and past studies is necessary to gain a clear view of the research landscape and to identify promising future directions. This survey reviews the state-of-the-art search methods for the Web of Things, which are classified according to three different viewpoints: basic principles, data/knowledge representation, and contents being searched. Experiences and lessons learned from the existing work and some EU research projects related to Web of Things are discussed, and an outlook to the future research is presented.

  11. Risk perception and benefits perception. Survey results and discussion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Touzet, R.; Remedi, J.; Baron, J.; Caspani, C.

    2000-01-01

    The fact that the risks deriving from different activities involving the same radiation exposure are seen very differently by a single population is a highly significant one. Exactly identical risks are considered oppositely, depending on the origin of radiation (whether produced by medical applications or by nuclear power plants, resulting from natural radiation or from artificial radiation). It appears as if there was good radiation and bad radiation..! One of the purposes of the paper is the discussion of causes. The acceptance of a given risk by a certain section of the population is closely related to the benefits that the group expects to receive-either consciously or unconsciously-from the activity producing the risk. Consequently, an analysis of the factors influencing the eventual rejection of a practice should explore not only fears, but also hopes...! On the basis of a risk-perception survey carried out in a population sector attending hospitals-including both patients and physicians-, a prior objective analysis of the results obtained was performed and, later on, the various statements by those surveyed were studied. The design of the survey allowed for a comparative assessment of the perception of different risks depending on the people's educational and social level. An epistemological study was made on the validity involved in the use of the data resulting from the survey, so as to reach different conclusions. The population's opinion about the capacity for response, the qualification and the mitigation means available to the State authorities in order to face an eventual radiological emergency plays a leading role in risk perception. In an analysis of the relevant factors involved in risk and benefits perception by the population (in the real world), attention must be paid to the existence of organized opinion groups representing the interest of a given sector. Of course, the population's confidence in the experts providing the information is a key

  12. Exploiting stock data: a survey of state of the art computational techniques aimed at producing beliefs regarding investment portfolios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Linares Vásquez

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Selecting an investment portfolio has inspired several models aimed at optimising the set of securities which an in-vesttor may select according to a number of specific decision criteria such as risk, expected return and planning hori-zon. The classical approach has been developed for supporting the two stages of portfolio selection and is supported by disciplines such as econometrics, technical analysis and corporative finance. However, with the emerging field of computational finance, new and interesting techniques have arisen in line with the need for the automatic processing of vast volumes of information. This paper surveys such new techniques which belong to the body of knowledge con-cerning computing and systems engineering, focusing on techniques particularly aimed at producing beliefs regar-ding investment portfolios.

  13. Using geoelectrochemical technique to extract uranium and other metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Yulong

    1990-10-01

    The geoelectrochemical extraction technique, which is a direct deep exploring method, is one of the geoelectrochemical exploring methods. It is developed recently to explore basic metals, precious metals, rare metals and some nonmetal mineral products. It is also a combination of electrical surveying and geochemical surveying. This method is more useful in the seeking of gold ore deposit. The principle and technique of this method and the results in seeking gold, uranium, lead, nickel and tin ore deposits are introduced. The equipment and instruments used in this method are also given

  14. A Danish survey of spinal cord stimulation baseline data: First results from a national neuromodulation database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meier, Kaare; Scherer, Christian; Rosenlund, Christina

    A Danish survey of spinal cord stimulation baseline data: First results from a national neuromodulation database......A Danish survey of spinal cord stimulation baseline data: First results from a national neuromodulation database...

  15. Radon in workplaces: First results of an extensive survey and comparison with radon in homes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bucci, S.; Pratesi, G.; Viti, M. L.; Pantani, M.; Bochicchio, F.; Venoso, G.

    2011-01-01

    Extensive radon surveys have been carried out in many countries only in dwellings, whereas surveys in workplaces are rather sparse and generally restricted to specific workplaces/activities, e.g. schools, spas and caves. Moreover, radon-prone areas are generally defined on the basis of radon surveys in dwellings, while radon regulations use this concept to introduce specific requirements in workplaces in such areas. This approach does not take into account that work activities and workplace characteristics can significantly affect radon concentration. Therefore, an extensive survey on radon in different workplaces have been carried out in a large region of Italy (Tuscany), in order to evaluate radon distribution in workplaces over the whole territory and to identify activities and workplace characteristics affecting radon concentration. The results of this extensive survey are compared with the results of the survey carried out in dwellings in the same period. The workplaces monitored were randomly selected among the main work activities in the region, including both public and industrial buildings. The survey monitored over 3500 rooms in more than 1200 buildings for two consecutive periods of ∼6 months. Radon concentration was measured by means of passive nuclear track detectors. (authors)

  16. In vivo dosimetry for total body irradiation: five‐year results and technique comparison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warry, Alison J.; Eaton, David J.; Collis, Christopher H.; Rosenberg, Ivan

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this work is to establish if the new CT‐based total body irradiation (TBI) planning techniques used at University College London Hospital (UCLH) and Royal Free Hospital (RFH) are comparable to the previous technique at the Middlesex Hospital (MXH) by analyzing predicted and measured diode results. TBI aims to deliver a homogeneous dose to the entire body, typically using extended SSD fields with beam modulation to limit doses to organs at risk. In vivo dosimetry is used to verify the accuracy of delivered doses. In 2005, when the Middlesex Hospital was decommissioned and merged with UCLH, both UCLH and the RFH introduced updated CT‐planned TBI techniques, based on the old MXH technique. More CT slices and in vivo measurement points were used by both; UCLH introduced a beam modulation technique using MLC segments, while RFH updated to a combination of lead compensators and bolus. Semiconductor diodes were used to measure entrance and exit doses in several anatomical locations along the entire body. Diode results from both centers for over five years of treatments were analyzed and compared to the previous MXH technique for accuracy and precision of delivered doses. The most stable location was the field center with standard deviations of 4.1% (MXH), 3.7% (UCLH), and 1.7% (RFH). The least stable position was the ankles. Mean variation with fraction number was within 1.5% for all three techniques. In vivo dosimetry can be used to verify complex modulated CT‐planned TBI, and demonstrate improvements and limitations in techniques. The results show that the new UCLH technique is no worse than the previous MXH one and comparable to the current RFH technique. PACS numbers: 87.55.Qr, 87.56.N‐ PMID:25207423

  17. The Southern HII Region Discovery Survey: Preliminary Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shea, Jeanine; Wenger, Trey; Balser, Dana S.; Anderson, Loren D.; Armentrout, William P.; Bania, Thomas M.; Dawson, Joanne; Miller Dickey, John; Jordan, Christopher; McClure-Griffiths, Naomi M.

    2017-01-01

    HII regions are some of the brightest sources at radio frequencies in the Milky Way and are the sites of massive O and B-type star formation. They have relatively short (Bank Telescope. Candidate HII regions were selected from mid-infrared emission coincident with radio continuum emission, and confirmed as HII regions by the detection of radio recombination lines. Here we discuss the Southern HII Region Discovery Survey (SHRDS), a continuation of the HRDS using the Australia Telescope Compact Array over the Galactic longitude range 230 to 360 degrees. We have reduced and analyzed a small sub-set of the SHRDS sources and discuss preliminary results, including kinematic distances and metallicities.

  18. Determinants of persistence in hypertensive patients treated with irbesartan: results of a postmarketing survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greminger Peter

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Persistence is a key factor for long-term blood pressure control, which is of high prognostic importance for patients at increased cardiovascular risk. Here we present the results of a post-marketing survey including 4769 hypertensive patients treated with irbesartan in 886 general practices in Switzerland. The goal of this survey was to evaluate the tolerance and the blood pressure lowering effect of irbesartan as well as the factors affecting persistence in a large unselected population. Methods Prospective observational survey conducted in general practices in all regions of Switzerland. Previously untreated and uncontrolled pre-treated patients were started with a daily dose of 150 mg irbesartan and followed up to 6 months. Results After an observation time slightly exceeding 4 months, the average reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 20 (95% confidence interval (CI -19.6 to -20.7 mmHg and 12 mmHg (95% CI -11.4 to -12.1 mmHg, respectively. At this time, 26% of patients had a blood pressure Conclusion The results of this survey confirm that irbesartan is effective, well tolerated and well accepted by patients, as indicated by the good persistence. This post-marketing survey also emphasizes the importance of the tolerability profile and of achieving an early control of blood pressure as positive predictors of persistence.

  19. Cluster cosmology with next-generation surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ascaso, B.

    2017-03-01

    The advent of next-generation surveys will provide a large number of cluster detections that will serve the basis for constraining cos mological parameters using cluster counts. The main two observational ingredients needed are the cluster selection function and the calibration of the mass-observable relation. In this talk, we present the methodology designed to obtain robust predictions of both ingredients based on realistic cosmological simulations mimicking the following next-generation surveys: J-PAS, LSST and Euclid. We display recent results on the selection functions for these mentioned surveys together with others coming from other next-generation surveys such as eROSITA, ACTpol and SPTpol. We notice that the optical and IR surveys will reach the lowest masses between 0.3results on the mass-observable relation calibrated from the simulations, obtaining similar scatter to other observational results limited to higher redshifts. Finally, we describe the technique that we are developing to perform a Fisher Matrix analysis to provide cosmological constraints for the considered next-generation surveys and introduce very preliminary results.

  20. The analysis of the survey results for the current 'business agent'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I. H.; Shim, H. S.; Jeon, I. Y.; Kang, W. S.; Yun, K. H.; Na, S. H.; Park, T. J.; Kim, I. S.

    2004-01-01

    Our survey is conducted about the current systems in the 'Business Agents' regulations which prescribes running business such as the safe control of radiation on behalf of any permitted users. The radiation safety staffs who are engaged in the handling of radioisotope respond our quaternaries. They are as follows: 1. the radiation safety staffs' attitude to the need of 'Business Agent' regulations, 2. the satisfaction level of 'Business Agent' service, 3. the propriety of the manpower. The survey results are that the 68.4% of the respondents are in favor of the need of 'Business Agent' regulations and the 63.6% of the respondents expressed satisfactions for the service of 'Business Agent'. For the one manpower managing 'Business Agent', 32.3% of the respondents expressed as 'overburdened' and 37.5% as 'appropriate.' Our results give the feedback to develop the system of 'Business Agent' regulations as making feedback effect

  1. Current practice vs. guideline based imaging in abdominal radiology in the German speaking area. Results of an online survey; Versorgungsrealitaet vs. leitliniengerechte Bildgebung in der Abdominalradiologie im deutschsprachigen Raum. Ergebnisse einer Online-Umfrage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schreyer, A.G. [University Hospital Regenburg (Germany). Dept. of Radiology; Wessling, J. [Clemens Hospital Muenchen (Germany). Dept. of Radiology; Grenacher, L. [Diagnostic Muenchen (Germany). Diagnostic Imaging Center

    2016-03-15

    The working group for abdominal imaging within the German Roentgen Society (DRG) performed an online survey amongst radiologist concerning the current status of techniques for abdominal imaging. The results of this survey were compared with the most recent guidelines. We performed an online survey open for all members of the DRG during a 76-day period with 65 questions and an overall estimated time for finishing the questionnaire of 15 minutes concerning technical specifications for abdominal radiological imaging. The results were evaluated using descriptive statistics. 90 of all participants, who filled out the survey covering more than 80 % of the questions, were included in the statistical evaluation. 27 % of all participants were registered radiologists while 73 % represented radiologists working in a hospital. Most participants worked in a managerial position. The participants gave detailed information regarding the radiological techniques used in dedicated organ systems (esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, small intestines, colon) regarding acquired contrast phases and oral and intravenous administration of contrast medium. The results confirm that most radiologists participating in this survey perform their examinations and choose their modalities in conformity with the current existing clinical guidelines. Because most clinical guidelines do not specify radiological examinations in detail, there is a noteworthy heterogeneity of the acquired contrast phases and major divergence in terms of technical parameters. Therefore a joint radiological effort should be initiated for developing and publishing updated radiological parameters for abdominal imaging.

  2. The amazing vanishing Canadian dermatologist: results from the 2006 Canadian Dermatology Association member survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, Eunice Y; Searles, Gordon E

    2010-01-01

    The 2006 Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) member survey tracked the Canadian dermatology workforce. Information on use of nondermatologist extenders, impact of financial burden on practice style, and wait times was collected in the survey. To survey Canadian dermatologists for specialty-specific physician resource information including demographics, workload, and future career plans and compare it to results from the 2001 survey. In addition, to explore three other areas not covered in the previous survey: patient access to dermatologic care through wait times, the use of nondermatologist extenders, and potential impact of educational financial debt on practice styles. CDA members in 2006 were surveyed by mail. Follow-up mailings were done for nonresponders. Survey results were compared to those of the 2001 survey. Thirty-six percent (216 of 602) of Canadian dermatologists responded (70% in 2001). The national distribution was identical between surveys. The median age increased to 55 years; two-thirds of dermatologists are male. The median retirement age remained at 65 years. There was a shift from rural to urban practice locations; 78% practice in private offices. Three-fifths of dermatologists do mainly medical dermatology, a decrease between surveys. Pediatric dermatology decreased 10%, whereas surgical dermatology increased 52% between surveys. Fewer practitioners perform noninsured services, and half as many perform research or hospital consultations or teach medical students. Financial debt burden had no impact on selection of practice style. Median wait times for nonurgent consultations doubled from 5 to 10 weeks; follow-up visits increased from 4 to 5 weeks; noninsured consultations increased from 4 to 5 weeks. The national median wait time for a third available consultation appointment was 42 days (range 7-161 days). Seventeen percent of dermatologists reported using nondermatologist extenders. Training programs produce only 60% of new practitioners

  3. Hydroponic cultivation techniques: good results with Eg system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mimiola, G; Sigliuzzo, C [Tecnagro, Valenzano (Italy)

    1988-12-01

    This report describes results obtained at the Tecnagro agronomic institute (Valenzano, Italy) in which research is being carried out on the use of the Eg hydroponic system developed in Israel. The research program examined the following: composition of nutritive solutions for ornamental plants and vegetables, methods of application of nutritive substances, breeding densities for ornamental plants and vegetables. Successful nutritive formulas were obtained which resulted, in the case of ornamental plants, in increases in plant height (from 30 to 50%), foliage area (50%), as well as, in shortened growth cycles. For vegetables, shortened growth cycles were developed along with a greater and more consistant production. From the economics point of view, tomatoes proved to be the best choice of vegetable for cultivation with the Eg technique.

  4. The S201 far-ultraviolet imaging survey - A summary of results and implications for future surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carruthers, G. R.; Page, T.

    1984-01-01

    The results from all-sky surveys with the S201 FUV camera/spectrograph from the moon during the Apollo 16 mission are summarized with respect to implications for future UV all-sky surveys. The scans provided imagery of 10 fields, each 20 deg in diameter, in the wavelength ranges 1050-1600 A and 1250-1600 A. Best detection thresholds were obtained with 10 and 30 min exposures at 1400 A. Only 7 percent sky coverage was recorded, and then only down to 11th mag. A Mark II camera may be flown on the Shuttle on the Spartan 3 mission, as may be an all-reflector Schmidt telescope. An additional 20 percent of the sky will be mapped and microchannel intensification will increase the diffuse source sensitivity by two orders of magnitude. Several objects sighted with the S201 will be reviewed with the Mark II.

  5. Arduino based radiation survey meter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahman, Nur Aira Abd, E-mail: nur-aira@nm.gov.my; Lombigit, Lojius; Abdullah, Nor Arymaswati; Azman, Azraf; Dolah, Taufik; Jaafar, Zainudin; Mohamad, Glam Hadzir Patai; Ramli, Abd Aziz Mhd; Zain, Rasif Mohd; Said, Fazila; Khalid, Mohd Ashhar; Taat, Muhamad Zahidee [Malaysian Nuclear Agency, 43000, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Muzakkir, Amir [Sinaran Utama Teknologi Sdn Bhd, 43650, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

    2016-01-22

    This paper presents the design of new digital radiation survey meter with LND7121 Geiger Muller tube detector and Atmega328P microcontroller. Development of the survey meter prototype is carried out on Arduino Uno platform. 16-bit Timer1 on the microcontroller is utilized as external pulse counter to produce count per second or CPS measurement. Conversion from CPS to dose rate technique is also performed by Arduino to display results in micro Sievert per hour (μSvhr{sup −1}). Conversion factor (CF) value for conversion of CPM to μSvhr{sup −1} determined from manufacturer data sheet is compared with CF obtained from calibration procedure. The survey meter measurement results are found to be linear for dose rates below 3500 µSv/hr.

  6. Beverages consumption in Brazil: results from the first National Dietary Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Rosangela A; Souza, Amanda M; Duffey, Kiyah J; Sichieri, Rosely; Popkin, Barry M

    2014-01-01

    Objective To provide an overview of beverage consumption patterns using the first nationally representative survey of dietary intake in Brazil. Design Beverage consumption data were obtained by 1-day food records in an individual dietary survey. Setting nationwide cross-sectional survey, 2008–09. Subjects nationally representative sample of individuals ≥10 years (n=34,003). Results Beverages contributed to 17.1% of total energy consumption. Caloric coffee beverages provided the greatest level of energy overall (464 kJ or 111 kcal/d). Individuals from 10 to 18 (243 kJ or 58 kcal/d) and from 19 to 39 years old (230 kJ or 55 kcal/d consumed higher proportion of energy from sugar sweetened soft drinks than individuals over this age (142 kJ or 34 kcal/d for those 40–59 and 79 kJ or 19 kcal/d for those >60 years old). Conclusions Overall, the contribution of beverages, particularly sugary beverages, to total energy consumption in Brazil represents an important public health challenge and is comparable with those from other countries. PMID:25158687

  7. Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. IV. New results from the first epoch of the CASLEO survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Hutton, R.; Cellino, A.; Bendjoya, Ph.

    2014-09-01

    Aims: We present results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. Methods: The data were obtained using the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters at the 2.15m telescope. The Torino polarimeter is an instrument that allows simultaneous measurement of polarization in five different bands, and the CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation. Results: The survey began in 1995, and until 2012 data on a large sample of asteroids were obtained. We here present and analyze the unpublished results for 129 asteroids of different taxonomic types, 56 which were polarimetrically observed for the first time. We find that the asteroids (402) Chloe and (729) Watsonia are Barbarians, and asteroid (269) Justitia shows a phase - polarization curve that seems to have a small inversion angle. Data obtained in UBVRI colors allow us to sketch an analysis of the wavelength dependence of the degree of linear polarization for 31 asteroids, in spite of some large error bars in some cases. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/569/A122

  8. THE FREQUENCY OF HOT JUPITERS IN THE GALAXY: RESULTS FROM THE SuperLupus SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayliss, Daniel D. R.; Sackett, Penny D.

    2011-01-01

    We present the results of the SuperLupus Survey for transiting hot Jupiter planets, which monitored a single Galactic disk field spanning 0.66 deg 2 for 108 nights over three years. Ten candidates were detected: one is a transiting planet, two remain candidates, and seven have been subsequently identified as false positives. We construct a new image quality metric, S j , based on the behavior of 26,859 light curves, which allows us to discard poor images in an objective and quantitative manner. Furthermore, in some cases we are able to identify statistical false positives by analyzing temporal correlations between S j and transit signatures. We use Monte Carlo simulations to measure our detection efficiency by injecting artificial transits onto real light curves and applying identical selection criteria as used in our survey. We find at 90% confidence level that 0.10 +0.27 –0.08 % of dwarf stars host a hot Jupiter with a period of 1-10 days. Our results are consistent with other transit surveys, but appear consistently lower than the hot Jupiter frequencies reported from radial velocity surveys, a difference we attribute, at least in part, to the difference in stellar populations probed. In light of our determination of the frequency of hot Jupiters in Galactic field stars, previous null results for transiting planets in open cluster and globular cluster surveys no longer appear anomalously low.

  9. The DAFT/FADA Survey status and latest results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guennou, L.

    2011-12-01

    We present here the latest results obtained from the American French collaboration called the Dark energy American French Team/French American DArk energy Team (DAFT/FADA). The goal of the DAFT/FADA collaboration is to carry out a weak lensing tomography survey of z = 0.4-0.9 rich clusters of galaxies. Unlike supernovae or other methods such as cluster of galaxy counts, weak lensing tomography is purely based on geometry and does not depend on knowledge of the physics of the objects used as distance indicators. In addition, the reason for analyzing observations in the direction of clusters is that the shear signal is enhanced by about 10 over the field. Our work will eventually contain results obtained on 91 rich clusters from the HST archive combined with ground based work to obtain photo-zs. This combination of photo-z and weak lensing tomography will enable us to constrain the equation of state of dark energy. We present here the latest results obtained so far in this study.

  10. Survey on Ranging Sensors and Cooperative Techniques for Relative Positioning of Vehicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabian de Ponte Müller

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Future driver assistance systems will rely on accurate, reliable and continuous knowledge on the position of other road participants, including pedestrians, bicycles and other vehicles. The usual approach to tackle this requirement is to use on-board ranging sensors inside the vehicle. Radar, laser scanners or vision-based systems are able to detect objects in their line-of-sight. In contrast to these non-cooperative ranging sensors, cooperative approaches follow a strategy in which other road participants actively support the estimation of the relative position. The limitations of on-board ranging sensors regarding their detection range and angle of view and the facility of blockage can be approached by using a cooperative approach based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The fusion of both, cooperative and non-cooperative strategies, seems to offer the largest benefits regarding accuracy, availability and robustness. This survey offers the reader a comprehensive review on different techniques for vehicle relative positioning. The reader will learn the important performance indicators when it comes to relative positioning of vehicles, the different technologies that are both commercially available and currently under research, their expected performance and their intrinsic limitations. Moreover, the latest research in the area of vision-based systems for vehicle detection, as well as the latest work on GNSS-based vehicle localization and vehicular communication for relative positioning of vehicles, are reviewed. The survey also includes the research work on the fusion of cooperative and non-cooperative approaches to increase the reliability and the availability.

  11. Current and Developing Conceptions of Use: Evaluation Use TIG Survey Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preskill, Hallie; Caracelli, Valerie

    1997-01-01

    A survey was sent to members of the Evaluation Use Topical Interest Group (TIG) to determine their perceptions about and experiences with evaluation use. Responses from 282 members show agreement on the major purposes of evaluation and an increased use of performance-results oriented and formative evaluations. (SLD)

  12. Results of User Satisfaction Surveys for 18 buildings, 3rd Draft

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Olena Kalyanova; Heiselberg, Per

    This report is prepared to assemble and to summarise all user satisfaction surveys available for buildings from Building AdVent project. The report is organised so, that results for each building presented in a separate chapter. Moreover, the report is divided into six parts, these are, as follow...

  13. Radiological verification survey results at 14 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ001V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W. R. Grace facility. The property at 14 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 14 Peck Ave. were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  14. Radiological verification survey results at 3 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ002V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 3 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 3 Peck Ave. were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  15. Radiological verification survey results at 15 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ005V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 15 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 15 Peck Ave. were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  16. Radiological verification survey results at 17 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ006V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 17 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 17 Peck Ave. were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  17. Radiological verification survey results at 7 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ003V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 7 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 7 Peck Ave. were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  18. Radiological verification survey results as 13 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ004V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 13 Peck Ave., Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 13 Peck Ave. were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  19. Stigma in Canada: Results From a Rapid Response Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuart, Heather; Patten, Scott B; Koller, Michelle; Modgill, Geeta; Liinamaa, Tiina

    2014-01-01

    Objective: Our paper presents findings from the first population survey of stigma in Canada using a new measure of stigma. Empirical objectives are to provide a descriptive profile of Canadian’s expectations that people will devalue and discriminate against someone with depression, and to explore the relation between experiences of being stigmatized in the year prior to the survey among people having been treated for a mental illness with a selected number of sociodemographic and mental health–related variables. Method: Data were collected by Statistics Canada using a rapid response format on a representative sample of Canadians (n = 10 389) during May and June of 2010. Public expectations of stigma and personal experiences of stigma in the subgroup receiving treatment for a mental illness were measured. Results: Over one-half of the sample endorsed 1 or more of the devaluation discrimination items, indicating that they believed Canadians would stigmatize someone with depression. The item most frequently endorsed concerned employers not considering an application from someone who has had depression. Over one-third of people who had received treatment in the year prior to the survey reported discrimination in 1 or more life domains. Experiences of discrimination were strongly associated with perceptions that Canadians would devalue someone with depression, younger age (12 to 15 years), and self-reported poor general mental health. Conclusions: The Mental Health Experiences Module reflects an important partnership between 2 national organizations that will help Canada fulfill its monitoring obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and provide a legacy to researchers and policy-makers who are interested in monitoring changes in stigma over time. PMID:25565699

  20. Restricted working hours in Austrian residency programs : Survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergmeister, Konstantin D; Aman, Martin; Podesser, Bruno K

    2018-04-27

    New regulations for working hours of medical doctors have been implemented in Austria based on the European directive 2003/88/EG, limiting on-duty working hours to 48 h per week. Clinical work is, therefore, substantially reduced compared to previous decades, and little is known on physician and students' opinions on this matter. We illustrate survey results concerning on-job training, its difficulties, and implications for restricted working hours. We conducted an internal survey among M.D. and Ph.D. students and medical staff members at the Medical University of Vienna using the MedCampus system (CAMPUSOnline, Graz, Austria) and SPSS (V.21, IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). Participants were 36.5% staff members and 63.5% students. Students rated continuous education of physicians high at 9.19 ± 1.76 and staff members at 8.90 ± 2.48 on a 1-10 (1 unimportant, 10 most important) scale. Students rated limited time resources, while staff considered financial resources as the greatest challenge for in-hospital education. Overall, 28.85% thought that restricted working hours can positively influence education, while 19.04% thought the opposite and 52.11% were undecided. Considering the limited available time and financial resources, education of tomorrow's medical doctors remains an important but difficult task. While participants of our survey rated education as very important despite its many challenges, the opinions towards limited working hours were not as clear. Given that over 50% are still undecided whether reduced work hours may also positively influence medical education, it clearly presents an opportunity to include the next generations of physicians in this undertaking.

  1. Results of arthrospine assisted percutaneous technique for lumbar discectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohinder Kaushal

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Avaialable minimal invasive arthro/endoscopic techniques are not compatible with 30 degree arthroscope which orthopedic surgeons uses in knee and shoulder arthroscopy. Minimally invasive “Arthrospine assisted percutaneous technique for lumbar discectomy” is an attempt to allow standard familiar microsurgical discectomy and decompression to be performed using 30° arthroscope used in knee and shoulder arthroscopy with conventional micro discectomy instruments. Materials and Methods: 150 patients suffering from lumbar disc herniations were operated between January 2004 and December 2012 by indiginously designed Arthrospine system and were evaluated retrospectively. In lumbar discectomy group, there were 85 males and 65 females aged between 18 and 72 years (mean, 38.4 years. The delay between onset of symptoms to surgery was between 3 months to 7 years. Levels operated upon included L1-L2 (n = 3, L2-L3 (n = 2, L3-L4 (n = 8, L4-L5 (n = 90, and L5-S1 (n = 47. Ninety patients had radiculopathy on right side and 60 on left side. There were 22 central, 88 paracentral, 12 contained, 3 extraforaminal, and 25 sequestrated herniations. Standard protocol of preoperative blood tests, x-ray LS Spine and pre operative MRI and pre anaesthetic evaluation for anaesthesia was done in all cases. Technique comprised localization of symptomatic level followed by percutaneous dilatation and insertion of a newly devised arthrospine system devise over a dilator through a 15 mm skin and fascial incision. Arthro/endoscopic discectomy was then carried out by 30° arthroscope and conventional disc surgery instruments. Results: Based on modified Macnab's criteria, of 150 patients operated for lumbar discectomy, 136 (90% patients had excellent to good, 12 (8% had fair, and 2 patients (1.3% had poor results. The complications observed were discitis in 3 patients (2%, dural tear in 4 patients (2.6%, and nerve root injury in 2 patients (1.3%. About 90% patients

  2. Actual survey of dose evaluation method for standardization of radiation therapy techniques. With special reference to display method of radiation doses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumagai, Kozo; Yoshiura, Takao; Izumi, Takashi; Araki, Fujio; Takada, Takuo; Jingu, Kenichi.

    1994-01-01

    This report presents the results of questionnaire survey for actual conditions of radiation therapy, which was conducted with the aim of establishing the standardization of radiation therapy techniques. Questionnaires were sent to 100 facilities in Japan, and 86 of these answered, consisting of 62 university hospitals, 2 national hospitals, 14 cancer centers, 4 prefectural or municipal hospitals, and 4 other hospitals. In addition to electron beam therapy, the following typical diseases for radiation therapy were selected as standard irradiation models: cancers of the larynx, esophagus, breast, and uterine cervix, and malignant lymphomas. According to these models, questionnaire results are analyzed in terms of the following four items: (1) irradiation procedures, (2) energy used for radiotherapy, (3) the depth for calculating target absorption doses, and (4) points for displaying target absorption doses. (N.K.)

  3. Final Report - Independent Confirmatory Survey Summary and Results for the Hematite Decommissioning Project, Festus, Missouri

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bailey, E.N.

    2009-01-01

    The objectives of the confirmatory surveys were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the licensee's procedures and survey results.

  4. Bulletin Survey - Early Results

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    There was a good response to our questionnaire on the Bulletin (around 450 so far). Many thanks to all of you - your views are invaluable to us. Pending publication of the full figures, which will give latecomers time to take part in the survey, here we give here answers some of your most frequent comments. Thank you for the many warm tributes and messages of encouragement we received. We also received criticisms about the way information is handled in the Bulletin and on its circulation. In today's issue we reply to these two points. Why is the Bulletin politically correct ? Many respondents reproach the Bulletin for a lack of objectivity and for being too politically correct to the point of being a propaganda organ. It is true that the Bulletin is not a newspaper, but rather a bulletin of communication (like SLAC's Beam Line). What is the difference ? A newspaper is objectively independent of the subjects it reports on, and when its reporters write stories they dig around for information from all parties...

  5. Roof Moisture Surveys: Current State Of The Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobiasson, Wayne

    1983-03-01

    Moisture is the big enemy of compact roofing systems. Non-destructive nuclear, capacitance and infrared methods can all find wet insulation in such roofs but a few core samples are needed for verification. Nuclear and capacitance surveys generate quantitative results at grid points but examine only a small portion of the roof. Quantitative results are not usually provided by infrared scanners but they can rapidly examine every square inch of the roof. Being able to find wet areas when they are small is an important advantage. Prices vary with the scope of the investigation. For a particular scope, the three techniques are often cost-competitive. The limitations of each technique are related to the people involved as well as the equipment. When the right people are involved, non-destructive surveys are a very effective method for improving the long-term performance and reducing the life-cycle costs of roofing systems. Plans for the maintenance, repair or replacement of a roof should include a roof moisture survey.

  6. The Einstein/CFA stellar survey - Overview of the data and interpretation of results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaiana, G. S.

    1981-01-01

    Results are presented from an extensive survey of stellar X-ray emission, using the Einstein Observatory. Over 140 stars have been detected to date, throughout the H-R diagram, thus showing that soft X-ray emission is the norm rather than the exception for stars in general. This finding is strongly at odds with pre-Einstein expectations based on standard acoustic theories of coronal heating. Typical examples of stellar X-ray detections and an overview of the survey data are presented. In combination with recent results from solar X-ray observations, the new Einstein data argue for the general applicability of magnetic field-related coronal heating mechanisms.

  7. Somatosensory evoked potentials in the assessment of peripheral neuropathies: Commented results of a survey among French-speaking practitioners and recommendations for practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morizot-Koutlidis, R; André-Obadia, N; Antoine, J-C; Attarian, S; Ayache, S S; Azabou, E; Benaderette, S; Camdessanché, J-P; Cassereau, J; Convers, P; d'Anglejean, J; Delval, A; Durand, M-C; Etard, O; Fayet, G; Fournier, E; Franques, J; Gavaret, M; Guehl, D; Guerit, J-M; Krim, E; Kubis, N; Lacour, A; Lozeron, P; Mauguière, F; Merle, P-E; Mesrati, F; Mutschler, V; Nicolas, G; Nordine, T; Pautot, V; Péréon, Y; Petiot, P; Pouget, J; Praline, J; Salhi, H; Trébuchon, A; Tyvaert, L; Vial, C; Zola, J-M; Zyss, J; Lefaucheur, J-P

    2015-05-01

    Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are increasingly performed for the assessment of peripheral neuropathies, but no practical guidelines have yet been established in this specific application. To determine the relevant indication criteria and optimal technical parameters for SSEP recording in peripheral neuropathy investigation. A survey was conducted among the French-speaking practitioners with experience of SSEP recording in the context of peripheral neuropathies. The results of the survey were analyzed and discussed to provide recommendations for practice. SSEPs appear to be a second-line test when electroneuromyographic investigation is not sufficiently conclusive, providing complementary and valuable information on central and proximal peripheral conduction in the somatosensory pathways. Guidelines for a standardized recording protocol, including the various parameters to be measured, are proposed. We hope that these proposals will help to recognize the value of this technique in peripheral neuropathy assessment in clinical practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  8. Results of Survey Regarding Prevalence of Adventitial Infections in Mice and Rats at Biomedical Research Facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marx, James O; Gaertner, Diane J; Smith, Abigail L

    2017-09-01

    Control of rodent adventitial infections in biomedical research facilities is of extreme importance in assuring both animal welfare and high-quality research results. Sixty-three U.S. institutions participated in a survey reporting the methods used to detect and control these infections and the prevalence of outbreaks from 1 January 2014 through 31 December 2015. These results were then compared with the results of 2 similar surveys published in 1998 and 2008. The results of the current survey demonstrated that the rate of viral outbreaks in mouse colonies was decreasing, particularly in barrier facilities, whereas the prevalence of parasitic outbreaks has remained constant. These results will help our profession focus its efforts in the control of adventitial rodent disease outbreaks to the areas of the greatest needs.

  9. [Survey of pediatric sedation in Japan--results of questionnaire to universities of dentistry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeuchi, Lisa; Kuratani, Norifumi; Hoshijima, Hiroshi; Kikuchi, Hirosato

    2010-12-01

    Despite widespread use of sedation for stress management during dental treatment in adults, its prevalence of use for pediatric in patients Japan has not been clarified. We investigated here, the present situation of pediatric sedation by the questionnaire sent to the dental anesthesia departments of university hospitals in Japan. Postal survey was conducted of the dental anesthesia departments of university hospitals (29 institutions) throughout the country. Information was requested on hospital policy of indication and technique of pediatric sedation for dental treatment. The causes for avoiding pediatric sedation were also investigated. The response rate was 86.2% (25/29 institutions). Of these respondents, 16 institutions (64%, 16/25 institutions) employ sedation for pediatric dental treatment stress management. The cases performed were around 1-5 cases every month. However, the criteria for employment of pediatric sedation during dental treatment varied among institutes. They preferred to provide general endotracheal anesthesia for pediatric dental procedures, and tended to avoid sedation without airway security for children. The present survey suggests that pediatric sedation for stress management during dental treatment are employed in more than half of the dental university hospitals. However, there was little consensus regarding pediatric sedation during dental treatment among dental anesthesiologists in Japan.

  10. Head teacher professional networks in Italy: preliminary results of a national survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maurissens Isabel de

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we present the preliminary results of a national survey conducted by INDIRE on head teachers communities and professional networks. About one-fourth of the total population of Italian public school leaders participated in the survey. One of the main intents of this research is to contribute to understanding of the phenomenon of professional networks frequented by school leaders and to pave the way for a further reflection on how to use such networks for head teachers’ training so as to support their daily professional practice conducted too often in isolation.

  11. Social Media Use of Cooperative Extension Family Economics Educators: Online Survey Results and Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Barbara; Zumwalt, Andrew; Bechman, Janet

    2011-01-01

    This article describes results of an online survey conducted by the eXtension Financial Security for All (FSA) Community of Practice (CoP) to determine the social media capacity and activity of its members. The survey was conducted to inform two subsequent FSA CoP programs: an archived webinar on social media programs and impact evaluation methods…

  12. GPR as a Low Impact Paleontogical Survey Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sturdevant, G. C.; Leverence, R.; Stewart, R.

    2013-12-01

    The Deweyville Formation, a Pleistocene fluvial sandstone, is a prolific source of megafaunal fossils from periods of low stand environmental conditions. GPR was employed in an environmentally sensitive area in close proximity to a salt dome in Northwest Harris County, Texas as a method of evaluating the probable paleo-depositional environment and to prospect for potential further site development of two distinct fossiliferous zones. The primary zone of interest is a lag gravel bounded sand responsible for producing a regionally unique fossil assemblage including South American megafauna (Lundelius et al, 2013). The secondary zone of interest contains undisturbed mammoth remains housed in coarse white sand emplaced on top of a clay drape which has been hypothesized to represent an oxbow lake formed by the meandering paleo-Brazos river. With an accurate map of the paleo-channel planning future activity can focus on maximizing fossil recovery and minimizing site impact. Pulse EKKO 250 MHz, 400MHz, and 1GHz system was employed in a prospect area proximal to the secondary site to calibrate and evaluate these systems for their resolution and penetration depth in the modern sediments. The data was processed using EKKO Mapper and EKKO View Deluxe software packages, 3d volumes were produced and sliced. Preliminary results from the 250 MHz demonstrate successful imaging of the sand-clay interface. After these surveys were run a small portion of the site was excavated to confirm the estimated velocities, the observed anomalies, and refine our modeling and interpretation, and improve grid design for further surveys. It was confirmed that the sand-clay interface was easily observable using GPR, however the grid spacing proved to be too wide, leading to artifacts in the 3d volume produced.

  13. Top five medical innovations in China mainland since Xinhai revolution [1911]: results of AME survey-002.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wáng, Yì-Xiáng J; Xiao, Fan

    2015-06-01

    This survey aims to scrutinize important medical innovations in Chinese mainland since Xinhai (Hsin-hai) revolution in 1911, which marked the end of Manchurian imperial rule and the beginning of China's republican era. An online cross-sectional survey was carried out during the period of Dec 29, 2014 to Feb 5, 2015, totaling 37 days. The survey was conducted on the platform provided by DXY (www.dxy.cn), which is the largest medical and paramedical related website in China. An email was sent to all DXY registered users to invite them to participate in a 5-minute survey. The participants were asked to nominate up to four important medical innovations in China mainland since Xinhai revolution. The participant could select 'zero' which means he/she felt there was no important medical innovations, or he/she did not know important medical innovations. It was noted that important medical innovations refer to (I) those with practical and almost immediate significance to improve healthcare; (II) should not only be introducing western technique to China, but those involve major improvement of existing western techniques count; (III) should not be those with important theoretical discovery but did not have almost immediate significance to improve healthcare. In total 1,513 DXY users participated in the voting. Totally 489 (32.3%), 441 (29.1%), 342 (22.6%), 150 (9.9%), 91 (6.0%) participants provided 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 nominations respectively. (I) Artemisine (Qinghaosu) for malaria treatment (Project 523 team, 1972); (II) arsenic Trioxide (As2O3) for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) treatment (ZHANG Ting-Dong and colleagues, 1970s); (III) limb re-plantation (CHEN Zhong-Wei and colleagues, 1963); (IV) all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for APL treatment (WANG Zhen-Yi and colleagues, 1988); and (V) Wu's mask for plague prevention (WU Lien-The, 1910), were voted as the top five innovations in China mainland since Xinhai revolution, with 375, 96, 91, 53, and 8 votes respectively. In

  14. The Crossmatch/Issue Ratio:  Use of a Novel Quality Indicator and Results of an International Survey on RBC Crossmatching and Issuing Practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yazer, Mark H; Alcantara, Ramir; Beizai, Pouneh

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To understand the worldwide scope of RBC crossmatching and issuing practices and measure efficiency using a novel quality indicator, the crossmatch/issue (C/I) ratio. METHODS: An electronic survey was disseminated to hospital transfusion services collecting details about RBC...... crossmatching and issuing practices. Respondents were asked to enumerate the number of RBCs crossmatched and issued at their institutions during the 2014 calendar year to calculate the C/I ratio. RESULTS: Fifty-two survey responses were received, mostly from North American transfusion services (28/52, 54......%). The electronic crossmatch was the most common technique (n = 29), and most respondents performed the crossmatch at the time that an order for RBCs was received in the transfusion service (even if an order to issue the RBCs was not received). Data to calculate the C/I ratio were supplied by 22 respondents...

  15. New diagnostic technique for Zeeman-compensated atomic beam slowing: technique and results

    OpenAIRE

    Molenaar, P.A.; Straten, P. van der; Heideman, H.G.M.; Metcalf, H.

    1997-01-01

    We have developed a new diagnostic tool for the study of Zeeman-compensated slowing of an alkali atomic beam. Our time-of-flight technique measures the longitudinal veloc- ity distribution of the slowed atoms with a resolution below the Doppler limit of 30 cm/s. Furthermore, it can map the position and velocity distribution of atoms in either ground hyperfine level inside the solenoid without any devices inside the solenoid. The technique reveals the optical pumping ef- fects, and shows in de...

  16. Survey of Water Chemistry and Corrosion of NPP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Ki Sok; Hong, Bong Geon

    2008-06-15

    Status of water chemistry of nuclear power plant and materials corrosion has been surveyed. For PWR, system chemistry of primary coolant and secondary coolant as well as the related corrosion of materials was surveyed. For BWR, system chemistry as whole has been surveyed with its accompanying corrosion problems. Radiolysis of coolant water and activation of corrosion products also was surveyed. Future NPP such as supercritical water cooled reactor and fusion reactor has also been surveyed for their water chemistry and corrosion problems. As a result, proposal for some research items has been suggested. Some related corrosion research techniques and electrochemical fundamentals are also presented.

  17. Survey of Water Chemistry and Corrosion of NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Ki Sok; Hong, Bong Geon

    2008-06-01

    Status of water chemistry of nuclear power plant and materials corrosion has been surveyed. For PWR, system chemistry of primary coolant and secondary coolant as well as the related corrosion of materials was surveyed. For BWR, system chemistry as whole has been surveyed with its accompanying corrosion problems. Radiolysis of coolant water and activation of corrosion products also was surveyed. Future NPP such as supercritical water cooled reactor and fusion reactor has also been surveyed for their water chemistry and corrosion problems. As a result, proposal for some research items has been suggested. Some related corrosion research techniques and electrochemical fundamentals are also presented

  18. OzDES multifibre spectroscopy for the Dark Energy Survey: first-year operation and results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yuan, Fang; Lidman, C.; Davis, T. M.; Childress, M.; Abdalla, F. B.; Banerji, M.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carollo, D.; Castander, F. J.; D' Andrea, C. B.; Diehl, H. T.; Cunha, C. E.; Foley, R. J.; Frieman, J.; Glazebrook, K.; Gschwend, J.; Hinton, S.; Jouvel, S.; Kessler, R.; Kim, A. G.; King, A. L.; Kuehn, K.; Kuhlmann, S.; Lewis, G. F.; Lin, H.; Martini, P.; McMahon, R. G.; Mould, J.; Nichol, R. C.; Norris, R. P.; O' Neill, C. R.; Ostrovski, F.; Papadopoulos, A.; Parkinson, D.; Reed, S.; Romer, A. K.; Rooney, P. J.; Rozo, E.; Rykoff, E. S.; Sako, M.; Scalzo, R.; Schmidt, B. P.; Scolnic, D.; Seymour, N.; Sharp, R.; Sobreira, F.; Sullivan, M.; Thomas, R. C.; Tucker, D.; Uddin, S. A.; Wechsler, R. H.; Wester, W.; Wilcox, H.; Zhang, B.; Abbott, T.; Allam, S.; Bauer, A. H.; Benoit-L?vy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Burke, D. L.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Covarrubias, R.; Crocce, M.; da Costa, L. N.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Doel, P.; Eifler, T. F.; Evrard, A. E.; Fausti Neto, A.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Gaztanaga, E.; Gerdes, D.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Honscheid, K.; James, D.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lahav, O.; Li, T. S.; Maia, M. A. G.; Makler, M.; Marshall, J.; Miller, C. J.; Miquel, R.; Ogando, R.; Plazas, A. A.; Roodman, A.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarle, G.; Thaler, J.; Walker, A. R.

    2015-07-29

    We present results for the first three years of OzDES, a six-year program to obtain redshifts for objects in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) supernova fields using the 2dF fibre positioner and AAOmega spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. OzDES is a multi-object spectroscopic survey targeting multiple types of targets at multiple epochs over a multi-year baseline, and is one of the first multi-object spectroscopic surveys to dynamically include transients into the target list soon after their discovery. At the end of three years, OzDES has spectroscopically confirmed almost 100 supernovae, and has measured redshifts for 17,000 objects, including the redshifts of 2,566 supernova hosts. We examine how our ability to measure redshifts for targets of various types depends on signal-to-noise, magnitude, and exposure time, finding that our redshift success rate increases significantly at a signal-to-noise of 2 to 3 per 1-A° ngstrom bin. We also find that the change in signal-to-noise with exposure time closely matches the Poisson limit for stacked exposures as long as 10 hours.We use these results to predict the redshift yield of the full OzDES survey, as well as the potential yields of future surveys on other facilities such as 4MOST, PFS, and MSE. This work marks the first OzDES data release, comprising 15,327 redshifts. OzDES is on target to obtain over 30,000 redshifts over the six-year duration of the survey, including a yield of approximately 5,700 supernova host-galaxy redshifts.

  19. Microbiology of processed edible insect products - Results of a preliminary survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grabowski, Nils Th; Klein, Günter

    2017-02-21

    Little is known of the microbiology of processed insect products. The present survey analysed a total of n=38 samples of deep-fried and spiced (Acheta domesticus, Locusta migratoria, and Omphisa fuscidentalis), cooked in soy sauce ("tsukudani"; Oxya yezoensis, Vespula flaviceps, and Bombyx mori), dried (A. domesticus, L. migatoria, Alphitobius diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor, B. mori, Hermetia illucens, and Musca domestica), powdered (H. illucens, T. molitor) and other (incl. deep-frozen B. mori and honeybee pollen) insect products microbiologically (total bacterial count [TBC], Enterobacteriaceae, staphylococci, bacilli, and yeasts and moulds counts, salmonellae, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli). Although each product type revealed a microbiological profile of its own, dried and powdered insects ("class I") displayed markedly higher counts than the deep-fried and cooked ones ("class II"). Thresholds between class I and II products were estimated at 4.0 (TBC), 1.0 (Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts and moulds), 2.5 (staphylococci), and 3.0lgcfu/g (bacilli). All samples were negative for salmonellae, L. monocytogenes, E. coli and Stapyhlococcus aureus, but dried and powdered insects, as well as pollen, contained B. cereus, coliforms, Serratia liquefaciens, Listeria ivanovii, Mucor spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Cryptococcus neoformans. Comparing the results with the hygiene criteria for edible insects proposed by Belgium and the Netherlands, class I products failed to comply with many bacterial count limits despite the absence of classical food pathogens. Therefore, class I products should always be consumed after another heating step as indicated by the manufacturer, until drying techniques are able to ensure lower bacterial counts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Y2K Survey Results: Counties, Cities, School Districts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petro, Jim

    Survey data obtained in recent audits updated Ohio's local government units' assessment of Year 2000 (Y2K) readiness. The survey was developed with three intended objectives: (1) to provide an accurate assessment of the efforts to remediate the Y2K problem in Ohio's school districts, cities and counties; (2) to identify issues that could affect…

  1. Cooperative Work-Study Programs in Vocational Rehabilitation: Results of a National Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bullis, Michael; Foss, Gilbert

    1983-01-01

    Conducted a national survey of vocational rehabilitation agencies (N=42) to determine the present status of cooperative work study programs serving mentally retarded secondary students. Results documented a decrease both in formal programs and number of students served. (Author/JAC)

  2. Asteroid results from the IRAS survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veeder, G.J.; Tedesco, E.F.; Matson, D.L.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports that the IRAS Asteroid and Comet Survey yield a data base of infrared flux densities for 1811 individual asteroids. Albedos and diameters for these have been derived via a standard thermal model. IRAS sampled a large number of small asteroids and detected many dark asteroids in the outer belt. High-albedo asteroids remain rare. Observations of the brighter asteroids at multiple wavelengths shows the expected range of color temperatures through the main belt

  3. Environmental scan of anal cancer screening practices: worldwide survey results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, Jigisha; Salit, Irving E; Berry, Michael J; Pokomandy, Alexandra de; Nathan, Mayura; Fishman, Fred; Palefsky, Joel; Tinmouth, Jill

    2014-01-01

    Anal squamous cell carcinoma is rare in the general population but certain populations, such as persons with HIV, are at increased risk. High-risk populations can be screened for anal cancer using strategies similar to those used for cervical cancer. However, little is known about the use of such screening practices across jurisdictions. Data were collected using an online survey. Health care professionals currently providing anal cancer screening services were invited to complete the survey via email and/or fax. Information was collected on populations screened, services and treatments offered, and personnel. Over 300 invitations were sent; 82 providers from 80 clinics around the world completed the survey. Fourteen clinics have each examined more than 1000 patients. Over a third of clinics do not restrict access to screening; in the rest, eligibility is most commonly based on HIV status and abnormal anal cytology results. Fifty-three percent of clinics require abnormal anal cytology prior to performing high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) in asymptomatic patients. Almost all clinics offer both anal cytology and HRA. Internal high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) is most often treated with infrared coagulation (61%), whereas external high-grade AIN is most commonly treated with imiquimod (49%). Most procedures are performed by physicians, followed by nurse practitioners. Our study is the first description of global anal cancer screening practices. Our findings may be used to inform practice and health policy in jurisdictions considering anal cancer screening

  4. Phone use while driving: results from an observational survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wundersitz, L N

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to quantify the level of handheld phone use when driving in South Australia. The study also sought to investigate any driver, site, and vehicle characteristics associated with handheld phone use to inform countermeasure development and publicity campaigns. An on-road observational survey of handheld phone use was undertaken as part of a larger restraint use survey. The survey was conducted at 61 sites in metropolitan Adelaide and rural regions within South Australia on weekdays and a weekend in 2009. A total of 64 (0.6%) of the 11,524 drivers observed during the survey were using handheld phones. Handheld phone usage rates ranged from 0.8 percent in metropolitan Adelaide to 0.3 percent in the rural region of The Riverland. Of all driver, site, and vehicle characteristics examined, the only statistically significant difference in handheld phone usage was for the number of vehicle occupants. The odds of a driver using a handheld phone while traveling alone was over 4 times higher than for a driver traveling with passengers. The level of handheld phone use among drivers in South Australia appears to be low relative to other jurisdictions. The level of enforcement activity and severity of penalties do not offer a clear explanation for the higher levels of compliance with phone laws. Given the rate of increase in phone technology, it is important to conduct regular roadside surveys of phone use among drivers to monitor trends in usage over time.

  5. Supply chain simulation tools and techniques: a survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kleijnen, J.P.C.

    2005-01-01

    The main contribution of this paper is twofold: it surveys different types of simulation for supply chain management; it discusses several methodological issues. These different types of simulation are spreadsheet simulation, system dynamics, discrete-event simulation and business games. Which

  6. Results of an Institutional LGBT Climate Survey at an Academic Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chester, Sean D; Ehrenfeld, Jesse M; Eckstrand, Kristen L

    2014-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to characterize the climate and culture experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees and students at one large academic medical center. An anonymous, online institutional climate survey was used to assess the attitudes and experiences of LGBT employees and students. There were 42 LGBT and 14 non-LGBT survey participants. Results revealed that a surprisingly large percentage of LGBT individuals experienced pressure to remain "closeted" and were harassed despite medical center policies of non-discrimination. Continuing training, inclusive policies and practices, and the development of mechanisms to address LGBT-specific harassment are necessary for improving institutional climate.

  7. Survey of immunoassay techniques for biological analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burtis, C.A.

    1986-10-01

    Immunoassay is a very specific, sensitive, and widely applicable analytical technique. Recent advances in genetic engineering have led to the development of monoclonal antibodies which further improves the specificity of immunoassays. Originally, radioisotopes were used to label the antigens and antibodies used in immunoassays. However, in the last decade, numerous types of immunoassays have been developed which utilize enzymes and fluorescent dyes as labels. Given the technical, safety, health, and disposal problems associated with using radioisotopes, immunoassays that utilize the enzyme and fluorescent labels are rapidly replacing those using radioisotope labels. These newer techniques are as sensitive, are easily automated, have stable reagents, and do not have a disposal problem. 6 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

  8. STARtorialist: Astronomy Fashion & Culture Blog and Reader Survey Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ash, Summer; Rice, Emily L.; Jarreau, Paige B.

    2016-01-01

    STARtorialist (startorialist.com) is a Tumblr-based blog that curates the proliferation of "Astro Fashion" - clothing accessories, decor, and more - with the goal of celebrating the beauty of the universe and highlighting the science behind the astronomical imagery. Since launching in January 2013, we have written over 1000 unique posts about everything from handmade and boutique products to mass-produced commercial items to haute couture seen on fashion runways. Each blog post features images and descriptions of the products with links to the original astronomical images or other relevant science content. We also feature profiles of astronomers, scientists, students, and communicators wearing, making, or decorating with "startorial" items. Our most popular posts accumulate hundreds or thousands of notes (faves or reblogs, in Tumblr parlance), and one post has nearly 150,000 notes. In our second year, we have grown from 1,000 to just shy of 20,000 followers on Tumblr, with an increased audience on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as well. We present preliminary results from a reader survey conducted September-October 2015 in collaboration with science communication researcher Dr. Paige Jarreau. The survey provides data on reader habits, motivations, attitudes, and demographics in order to assess how STARtorialist has influenced our readers' views on science, scientists, and the scientific community as a whole.

  9. Results of a national survey on nuclear medicine procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curti, A.R.; Gatica, N.A.; Melis, H.J.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: In 1997, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Argentina carried out a compilation of data on radiopharmaceuticals administered to patients in nuclear medicine procedures. Its aim was to get information on the radiopharmaceuticals that are used in different procedures and the activity administered to the patient, to assess the radiation exposure of the population and to contribute to a global survey of medical radiation usage and exposures conducted by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), by sending information of the country. The data compiled were analysed, and for the most frequent procedures, the mean activity administered, the standard deviation, the distribution of the number of procedures for different age groups, sex and radiopharmaceuticals were assessed. The radiation exposure for children and adults was estimated. For the main diagnostic examinations, the results of the survey were compared with specific values published in the Basic Safety Standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (Safety Series No. 115, 1996). As a conclusion, it may be point out the importance of continuing with the compilation of this kind of information in order to identify emerging trends on the use of nuclear medicine procedures in Argentina and the activity of radiopharmaceuticals administered to the patients. (author) [es

  10. Clinical effects in children irradiated prenatally: 11 year survey results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stepanova, E.I.; Kondrashova, V.G.; Galichanskaya, T.Ya.; Davidenko, O.A.; Vdovenko, V.Y.; Stakhurskaya, N.A.

    1997-01-01

    The 11 years-long survey results indicated the amount of children increase with disconcordant development signs, thyroid structure and function disorders both with that of somatic status. Majority of blood and immune system quality and quantity parameters deviations been present during the ''acute iodine period'' among children exposed to acute irradiation gradually reached the control level. The hemopoetic and immunocompetent system function substantial deviations are continued being registered among children born in zone of radionuclide contamination. (author)

  11. Thermographic survey of two rural buildings in Spain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin Ocana, S.; Canas Guerrero, I. [Departamento de Construccion y Vias Rurales, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Agronomos, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Gonzalez Requena, I. [Departamento de Materiales y Produccion Aeroespacial, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Aeronauticos, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid (Spain)

    2004-07-01

    Two common housing prototypes of existing buildings in Spanish rural areas were surveyed by infrared inspection. The aim of the study is to assess the usefulness of infrared thermography as a technique for the detection of the thermal performance of rural buildings. For the traditional house the best results were obtained in the thermographic survey carried out in the evening. Contrarily, for the modern house the thermographic survey at daybreak provided more information. Infrared thermography allowed the comparison of the thermal performance of two buildings. (author)

  12. 2008 HIMSS Survey results: best practices in implementing nursing/interdisciplinary documentation systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newbold, Susan K; Kimmel, Kathleen C; O'Steen, Randy; Morgan, Gina Sauls

    2008-11-06

    Health care organizations are increasingly using computer systems to support nursing care documentation; however, processes used to deploy such systems are widely varied. The purpose of this survey was to understand current practices related to implementation of computerized nursing and interdisciplinary documentation systems with the goal to establish best practice guidelines. In Spring 2007, members from the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society Nursing Informatics Working Group interviewed a sample of 15 hospitals to solicit information regarding the following processes: leadership activities, clinical transformation processes, project management activities, implementation processes, evaluation metrics, terminology and other standards used, and methods used to facilitate end-user adoption. This poster will report the results of this survey. Implications for Nurses will be discussed. The results are valuable to nursing informatics professionals who plan to implement systems and to their nursing executives responsible for the systems that are implemented.

  13. Monitoring of land subsidence in Ravenna Municipality using two different DInSAR techniques: comparison and discussion of the results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiaschi, Simone; Di Martire, Diego; Tessitore, Serena; Achilli, Vladimiro; Ahmed, Ahmed; Borgstrom, Sven; Calcaterra, Domenico; Fabris, Massimo; Ramondini, Massimo; Serpelloni, Enrico; Siniscalchi, Valeria; Floris, Mario

    2015-04-01

    Land subsidence affecting the Ravenna Municipality (Emilia Romagna Region, NE Italy) is one of the best example on how the exploitation of natural resources can affect the environment and the territory. In fact, the pumping of groundwater and the extraction of gas from both on and off-shore reservoirs, started in the 1950s, have caused a strong land subsidence affecting most of the Emilia Romagna territory but in particular the Adriatic Sea coastline near Ravenna. In such area the current subsidence rate, even if lower than in the past, can reach the -2cm/y. Local Authorities have monitored this phenomenon over the years with different techniques: spirit levelling, GPS surveys and, more recently, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques, confirming the critical situation of land subsidence risk. In this work, we present the comparison between the results obtained with two different DInSAR techniques applied to the study of the land subsidence in the Ravenna territory: the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) and the Coherent Pixel Technique (CPT) techniques. The SBAS works on SARscape software and is based on the Berardino et al., 2002 algorithm. This technique relies on the combination of differential interferograms created from stacks of SAR image pairs that have small temporal and perpendicular baselines. Thanks to the application of several interferograms for every single image, it is possible to obtain high spatial coherence, high data density and more effective error reduction. This allows us to obtain mean velocity maps with good data density even over non-urbanized territories. For the CPT we used the SUBsoft processor based on the algorithm implemented by Mora et al., 2003. CPT is able to extract from a stack of differential interferograms the deformation evolution over wide areas during large time spans. The processing scheme is composed of three main steps: a) the generation of the best interferogram set among all the available images of the

  14. 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

  15. A Survey of Spatio-Temporal Grouping Techniques

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Megret, Remi; DeMenthon, Daniel

    2002-01-01

    ...) segmentation by trajectory grouping, and (3) joint spatial and temporal segmentation. The first category is the broadest, as it inherits the legacy techniques of image segmentation and motion segmentation...

  16. Determining Plutonium Mass in Spent Fuel with Nondestructive Assay Techniques -- Preliminary Modeling Results Emphasizing Integration among Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tobin, S.J.; Fensin, M.L.; Ludewigt, B.A.; Menlove, H.O.; Quiter, B.J.; Sandoval, N.P.; Swinhoe, M.T.; Thompson, S.J.

    2009-01-01

    There are a variety of motivations for quantifying Pu in spent (used) fuel assemblies by means of nondestructive assay (NDA) including the following: strengthen the capabilities of the International Atomic Energy Agencies to safeguards nuclear facilities, quantifying shipper/receiver difference, determining the input accountability value at reprocessing facilities and providing quantitative input to burnup credit determination for repositories. For the purpose of determining the Pu mass in spent fuel assemblies, twelve NDA techniques were identified that provide information about the composition of an assembly. A key point motivating the present research path is the realization that none of these techniques, in isolation, is capable of both (1) quantifying the elemental Pu mass of an assembly and (2) detecting the diversion of a significant number of pins. As such, the focus of this work is determining how to best integrate 2 or 3 techniques into a system that can quantify elemental Pu and to assess how well this system can detect material diversion. Furthermore, it is important economically to down-select among the various techniques before advancing to the experimental phase. In order to achieve this dual goal of integration and down-selection, a Monte Carlo library of PWR assemblies was created and is described in another paper at Global 2009 (Fensin et al.). The research presented here emphasizes integration among techniques. An overview of a five year research plan starting in 2009 is given. Preliminary modeling results for the Monte Carlo assembly library are presented for 3 NDA techniques: Delayed Neutrons, Differential Die-Away, and Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence. As part of the focus on integration, the concept of 'Pu isotopic correlation' is discussed and the role of cooling time determination.

  17. Analgesic techniques in minor painful procedures in neonatal units: a survey in northern Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Codipietro, Luigi; Bailo, Elena; Nangeroni, Marco; Ponzone, Alberto; Grazia, Giuseppe

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this survey was to evaluate the current practice regarding pain assessment and pain management strategies adopted in commonly performed minor painful procedures in Northern Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). A multicenter survey was conducted between 2008 and 2009 in 35 NICUs. The first part of the survey form covered pain assessment tools, the timing of analgesics, and the availability of written guidelines. A second section evaluated the analgesic strategies adopted in commonly performed painful procedures. The listed analgesic procedures were as follows: oral sweet solutions alone, non-nutritive sucking (NNS) alone, a combination of sweet solutions and NNS, breast-feeding where available, and topical anesthetics. Completed questionnaires were returned from 30 neonatal units (85.7% response rate). Ten of the 30 NICUs reported using pain assessment tools for minor invasive procedures. Neonatal Infant Pain Scale was the most frequently used pain scale (60%). Twenty neonatal units had written guidelines directing pain management practices. The most frequently used procedures were pacifiers alone (69%), followed by sweet-tasting solutions (58%). A 5% glucose solution was the most frequently utilized sweet-tasting solution (76.7%). A minority of NICUs (16.7%) administered 12% sucrose solutions for analgesia and the application of topical anesthetics was found in 27% of NICUs while breast-feeding was performed in 7% of NICUs. This study found a low adherence to national and international guidelines for analgesia in minor procedures: the underuse of neonatal pain scales (33%), sucrose solution administration before heel lance (23.3%), topical anesthetics before venipuncture, or other analgesic techniques. The presence of written pain control guidelines in these regions of Northern Italy increased in recent years (from 25% to 66%). © 2010 World Institute of Pain.

  18. First Results from BISTRO: A SCUBA-2 Polarimeter Survey of the Gould Belt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ward-Thompson, Derek; Pattle, Kate; Kirk, Jason M. [Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE (United Kingdom); Bastien, Pierre; Coudé, Simon [Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec and département de physique, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7 (Canada); Furuya, Ray S. [Tokushima University, Minami Jousanajima-machi 1-1, Tokushima 770-8502 (Japan); Kwon, Woojin; Choi, Minho; Hoang, Thiem [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Lai, Shih-Ping [Institute of Astronomy and Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Qiu, Keping [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023 (China); Berry, David; Friberg, Per; Graves, Sarah F. [East Asian Observatory, 660 N. A‘ohōkū Place, University Park, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Francesco, James Di; Johnstone, Doug [NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Franzmann, Erica [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T2N2 (Canada); Greaves, Jane S. [School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AA (United Kingdom); Houde, Martin [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London N6A 3K7 (Canada); Koch, Patrick M., E-mail: dward-thompson@uclan.ac.uk, E-mail: kmpattle@uclan.ac.uk, E-mail: jmkirk@uclan.ac.uk, E-mail: spseyres@uclan.ac.uk [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); and others

    2017-06-10

    We present the first results from the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey, using the Sub-millimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 camera, with its associated polarimeter (POL-2), on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. We discuss the survey’s aims and objectives. We describe the rationale behind the survey, and the questions that the survey will aim to answer. The most important of these is the role of magnetic fields in the star formation process on the scale of individual filaments and cores in dense regions. We describe the data acquisition and reduction processes for POL-2, demonstrating both repeatability and consistency with previous data. We present a first-look analysis of the first results from the BISTRO survey in the OMC 1 region. We see that the magnetic field lies approximately perpendicular to the famous “integral filament” in the densest regions of that filament. Furthermore, we see an “hourglass” magnetic field morphology extending beyond the densest region of the integral filament into the less-dense surrounding material, and discuss possible causes for this. We also discuss the more complex morphology seen along the Orion Bar region. We examine the morphology of the field along the lower-density northeastern filament. We find consistency with previous theoretical models that predict magnetic fields lying parallel to low-density, non-self-gravitating filaments, and perpendicular to higher-density, self-gravitating filaments.

  19. Radiological survey results at 914 Black Oak Ridge Road, Wayne, New Jersey (WJ005)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at several vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 914 Black Oak Ridge Road, Wayne, New Jersey was not one of these vicinity properties; however the owner requested that his property be radiologically surveyed. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological scoping survey of this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted in early November 1993, was to determine whether any radiological contamination might be present on the property. The radiological survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at one meter, and the collection of soil and/or debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations or radiation measurements in excess of applicable DOE guidelines

  20. The FAA Health Awareness Program: Results of the 1998 Customer Service Assessment Survey

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hilton, Thomas

    2000-01-01

    This report presents the results of an agency-wide survey of employee health and wellness to determine workforce involvement in and satisfaction with the Federal Aviation Administration's Health Awareness Program (HAP...

  1. Results of the independent radiological verification survey at 4400 Piehl Road, Ottawa Lake, Michigan (BTO002)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murray, M.E.; Brown, K.S.

    1996-04-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducted an independent radiological verification survey at Ottawa Lake, Michigan. The survey was performed in November and December of 1994. The purpose of the survey was to verify that the site was remediated to levels below the DOE guidelines for FUSRAP sites. Results of the independent radiological verification survey at Ottawa Lake, Michigan confirm that the residual uranium contamination at the site is below DOE FUSRAP guidelines for unrestricted use.

  2. Geophex Airborne Unmanned Survey System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Won, I.L.; Keiswetter, D.

    1995-01-01

    Ground-based surveys place personnel at risk due to the proximity of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO) items or by exposure to radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals. The purpose of this effort is to design, construct, and evaluate a portable, remotely-piloted, airborne, geophysical survey system. This non-intrusive system will provide stand-off capability to conduct surveys and detect buried objects, structures, and conditions of interest at hazardous locations. During a survey, the operators remain remote from, but within visual distance of, the site. The sensor system never contacts the Earth, but can be positioned near the ground so that weak geophysical anomalies can be detected. The Geophex Airborne Unmanned Survey System (GAUSS) is designed to detect and locate small-scale anomalies at hazardous sites using magnetic and electromagnetic survey techniques. The system consists of a remotely-piloted, radio-controlled, model helicopter (RCH) with flight computer, light-weight geophysical sensors, an electronic positioning system, a data telemetry system, and a computer base-station. The report describes GAUSS and its test results

  3. Geophex Airborne Unmanned Survey System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Won, I.L.; Keiswetter, D.

    1995-12-31

    Ground-based surveys place personnel at risk due to the proximity of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO) items or by exposure to radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals. The purpose of this effort is to design, construct, and evaluate a portable, remotely-piloted, airborne, geophysical survey system. This non-intrusive system will provide stand-off capability to conduct surveys and detect buried objects, structures, and conditions of interest at hazardous locations. During a survey, the operators remain remote from, but within visual distance of, the site. The sensor system never contacts the Earth, but can be positioned near the ground so that weak geophysical anomalies can be detected. The Geophex Airborne Unmanned Survey System (GAUSS) is designed to detect and locate small-scale anomalies at hazardous sites using magnetic and electromagnetic survey techniques. The system consists of a remotely-piloted, radio-controlled, model helicopter (RCH) with flight computer, light-weight geophysical sensors, an electronic positioning system, a data telemetry system, and a computer base-station. The report describes GAUSS and its test results.

  4. Field results of antifouling techniques for optical instruments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strahle, W.J.; Hotchkiss, F.S.; Martini, Marinna A.

    1998-01-01

    An anti-fouling technique is developed for the protection of optical instruments from biofouling which leaches a bromide compound into a sample chamber and pumps new water into the chamber prior to measurement. The primary advantage of using bromide is that it is less toxic than the metal-based antifoulants. The drawback of the bromide technique is also discussed.

  5. Comparative data compression techniques and multi-compression results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasan, M R; Ibrahimy, M I; Motakabber, S M A; Ferdaus, M M; Khan, M N H

    2013-01-01

    Data compression is very necessary in business data processing, because of the cost savings that it offers and the large volume of data manipulated in many business applications. It is a method or system for transmitting a digital image (i.e., an array of pixels) from a digital data source to a digital data receiver. More the size of the data be smaller, it provides better transmission speed and saves time. In this communication, we always want to transmit data efficiently and noise freely. This paper will provide some compression techniques for lossless text type data compression and comparative result of multiple and single compression, that will help to find out better compression output and to develop compression algorithms

  6. A Survey on Cloud Security Issues and Techniques

    OpenAIRE

    Sharma, Shubhanjali; Gupta, Garima; Laxmi, P. R.

    2014-01-01

    Today, cloud computing is an emerging way of computing in computer science. Cloud computing is a set of resources and services that are offered by the network or internet. Cloud computing extends various computing techniques like grid computing, distributed computing. Today cloud computing is used in both industrial field and academic field. Cloud facilitates its users by providing virtual resources via internet. As the field of cloud computing is spreading the new techniques are developing. ...

  7. Transcorporeal cervical foraminotomy: description of technique and results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilherme Pereira Corrêa Meyer

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Retrospective analyses of 216 patients undergoing foraminal decompression with transcorporeal approach and review of the surgical technique. METHOD: 216 patients with minimum follow-up of 2 years and an average of 41.8 months were included in the study. The clinical records of these patients were reviewed for complications, NDI (neck disability index and VAS (visual analogue scale. Pre and post-operative radiographs were used to evaluate the disc height. RESULTS: At the end of follow-up patients had significant clinical improvement with reduction of NDI of 88.3% and 86.5% and 68.3% of the VAS for neck and upper limb, respectively (p<0.05. A reduction of 8.8% of the disc height was observed without other complications associated (p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Radicular decompression through a transcorporeal approach is an alternative that provides good clinical results without the need for a fusion and with few complications.

  8. Uranium exploration and evaluation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowie, S.H.U.

    1977-01-01

    Ground, carborne and airborne surveys for uranium commenced with GM-counters and developed to total-count scintillation counters which have subsequently been replaced to some extent by gamma spectrometers. Stabilisation of the last mentioned is important and has only been achieved recently. Hydrogeochemistry has been revitalised by the introduction of neutron activation analysis and has considerable promise of success in the discovery of surface and near-surface uranium deposits. Soil, stream sediment and lake sediment analyses also have potential particularly in follow-up surveys. One of the most encouraging methods of detecting relatively deeply buried uranium ore bodies is by measuring the radon content of air retained in soil or sub-soil; also that dissolved in stream or lake water. Helium, particularly 4 He, which is also a decay product of uranium but which has an infinite half-life could be measured along with radon. Theoretically this could not only give additional information on buried ore bodies, but on the depth of burial. Another possible technique for use in the detection of buried ore bodies is that of measuring the increased heat flow at surface which, in favourable circumstatnces, should be associated with significant uranium occurrences. Measurement of heat flow could either be by surface thermal sensors or by thermal infra-red scanning techniques from aircraft. For the purposes of preliminary surveys of large areas, airborne geochemical techniques offer considerable scope. Possibilities include the measurement of 222 Rn in the atmosphere. Alternatively, one or more of the decay products of radon could be measured. These are 210 Pb, 210 Bi and 210 Po. It is concluded that there is ample evidence to suggest that the more widespread application of known exploration methods, together with new techniques that can already be envisaged, will result in important new discoveries of uranium reserves

  9. Survey on visualization and analysis techniques based on diffusion MRI for in-vivo anisotropic diffusion structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masutani, Yoshitaka; Sato, Tetsuo; Urayama, Shin-ichi; Bihan, D.L.

    2008-01-01

    In association with development of diffusion MR imaging technologies for anisotropic diffusion measurement in living body, related research is explosively increasing including research fields of applied mathematics and visualization in addition to MR imaging, biomedical image technology, and medical science. One of the reasons is that the diffusion MRI data set is a set of high dimensional image information beyond conventional scalar or vector images, and is attractive for the researchers in the related fields. This survey paper is mainly aimed at introducing state-of-the-art of post processing techniques reported in the literature for diffusion MRI data, such as analysis and visualization. (author)

  10. Results of the CRCPD survey of 1984 low-level radioactive waste: progress to mid-September, 1986

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devine, T.L.

    1987-01-01

    The survey of 1984 low-level radioactive waste by the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc., is the second such survey. The previous survey was for waste generated during 1982. The CRCPD survey of 1984 LLRW requested information concerning the license, the effluents and other on-site managed wastes, details of exported waste type, the capacity for storing waste prior to shipment and its average utilization during 1984. Details of the exported waste included waste type, processing and packaging, NRC class, burial site or broker to which the waste was sent, and anticipated waste generation by year and by class through 1989. Shortcomings of the questionnaire and preliminary results are discussed. Based on the results of the two surveys of low-level radioactive waste conducted by the CRCPD, and the serious discrepancies which exist between data on waste shipped by generators and that on waste received by disposal sites, the following recommendation is made. That a single, national repository be established for all data on the generation and ultimate disposition of low-level radioactive waste. 1 figure, 1 table

  11. Tapping Their Patients' Problems Away? Characteristics of Psychotherapists Using Energy Meridian Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudiano, Brandon A.; Brown, Lily A.; Miller, Ivan W.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: The objective was to learn about the characteristics of psychotherapists who use energy meridian techniques (EMTs). Methods: We conducted an Internet-based survey of the practices and attitudes of licensed psychotherapists. Results: Of 149 survey respondents (21.4% social workers), 42.3% reported that they frequently use or are inclined…

  12. Mobile phone use by drivers : 2009 - survey results for England

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    Premise/hypothesis : The Department for Transport has commissioned surveys to monitor the levels of mobile phone use by drivers across England since 2002. Methods : Two or three-person teams conducted observational surveys of mobile phone use on repr...

  13. Radiological re-survey results at 146 West Central Avenue, Maywood, New Jersey (MJ034)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murray, M.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1994-05-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from 1916 to 1959. During the early years of operation, MCW stored wastes and residues in low-lying areas west of the processing facilities and consequently some of the residuals containing radioactive materials migrated offsite to the surrounding area. Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designated for remedial action the old MCW property and several vicinity properties. Additionally, in 1984, the property at 146 West Central Ave., Maywood, New Jersey and properties in its vicinity were included as a decontamination research and development project under the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. In 1987 and 1988, at the request of DOE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducted a radiological survey on this property. A report describing this survey was published in 1989. A second radiological survey by ORNL was conducted on this property in May 1993 at the request of DOE after an ad hoc radiological survey, requested by the property owner and conducted by Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI), identified some contamination not previously found by ORNL. The purpose of the second ORNL survey was to determine whether radioactive materials from the old MCW were present on the property, and if so, if radioactive materials present were above guidelines. A certified civil survey was requisitioned by ORNL to determine actual property boundaries before beginning the radiological re-survey. The re-survey included a surface gamma scan and the collection of a large number of soil samples for radionuclide analyses. Results of this survey demonstrated that although elevated residual thorium-232 contamination was present in a few isolated spots on the southern end of the backyard, it did not exceed DOE guidelines

  14. Site suitability evaluation of an old operating landfill using AHP and GIS techniques and integrated hydrogeological and geophysical surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saatsaz, Masoud; Monsef, Iman; Rahmani, Mostafa; Ghods, Abdolreza

    2018-02-16

    Because of the outdated methods of common landfill selection, it is imperative to reevaluate the usage suitability. To assess the suitability of the existing waste landfill in Zanjan, Iran, we have used a combination of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and GIS techniques, along with fieldwork surveys. Four major criteria and 12 subcriteria were considered, and the AHP was applied to assign the relative importance weights of criteria and subcriteria to each other. Finally, a landfill suitability map was generated and ranked based on the final suitability scores. The results show that the unsuitable areas are around Zanjan, in the middle parts of the plain. By contrast, the most suitable areas are uncultivated areas, located mostly in the west, north, and south. The results also indicate that the present landfill is a highly suitable site. After desk studies, geoelectrical surveys and infiltration measurements were conducted to make the final decision. Double-ring permeability tests confirm the landfill is an acceptable site. The electrical sounding shows that the leachate plume has a width of about ~ 450 m, spreads to a depth of about ~ 55 m, and migrates towards the northeast. Considering the groundwater depth, dry climate, and a low infiltration rate of the landfill soils, it can be concluded that leachate plumes will not contaminate groundwater within this decade. The proposed method can be implemented to reevaluate the suitability of any old operating reservoir such as oil reservoirs, petrol filling stations, heavy industrial tanks, and landfills, containing liquid hazardous materials.

  15. Groundwater discharge mapping at Altnabreac by thermal infrared linescan surveying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brereton, N.R.; Hall, D.H.

    1983-07-01

    A thermal infra-red linescan survey has been carried out of the area around Altnabreac, Caithness. The objectives of the survey were: to assess the applicability of the technique to the location of springs discharging from peat covered crystalline rocks; to provide the locations of springs for a subsequent geochemical sampling programme; and to gain clearer understanding of the ground water circulation patterns in the area. The number and distribution of springs located by the survey has proved to be far greater than had been previously anticipated and the capabilities of the technique have been clearly demonstrated. The results, together with other geochemical and hydrogeological data, indicate that the majority of the springs represent near surface recent groundwaters circulating within the moraine deposits and weathered granite. (author)

  16. Availability and accessibility of e-books in Nigerian libraries: a survey

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper investigates availability and accessibility of e-books in Nigeria Libraries. A social survey method of research was adopted for the study and the questionnaire as a research instrument was used. A systematic random sampling technique was used to determine respondents in the survey. The result shows that ...

  17. Engineering surveying

    CERN Document Server

    Schofield, W

    2001-01-01

    The aim of Engineering Surveying has always been to impart and develop a clear understanding of the basic topics of the subject. The author has fully revised the book to make it the most up-to-date and relevant textbook available on the subject.The book also contains the latest information on trigonometric levelling, total stations and one-person measuring systems. A new chapter on satellites ensures a firm grasp of this vitally important topic.The text covers engineering surveying modules for civil engineering students on degree courses and forms a reference for the engineering surveying module in land surveying courses. It will also prove to be a valuable reference for practitioners.* Simple clear introduction to surveying for engineers* Explains key techniques and methods* Details reading systems and satellite position fixing

  18. Traumatic neuralgia from pressure-point strikes in the martial arts: results from a retrospective online survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Michael D

    2008-06-01

    Many techniques in Asian martial arts hand-to-hand combat systems emphasize hitting or striking specific sites on the body that correlate with exposed portions of peripheral nerves. To evaluate the prevalence and clinical effects of this unique sports-related injury. An anonymous self-administered retrospective 20-question electronic survey was posted on a high-traffic martial arts Web site. Primary outcome measures were demographic and medical history data, including martial arts experience and neuropathic symptoms associated with injury from this form of combat. Risk of symptoms was calculated by dividing the number of individuals with symptoms in each pressure-point area by the number of individuals who were struck in these areas during martial arts training. Of the 651 survey responses received, 605 met inclusion criteria. Neuropathic symptoms were reported by 291 subjects. Most symptoms occurred in individuals aged between 20 and 30 years as well as in individuals with less than 1 year of martial arts training. The majority of respondents with neuropathic symptoms reported a symptom duration of less than 1 year (207 [71%]). Individuals with more than 5 years of combat training experience had a greater risk of chronic symptoms than individuals with less experience. Strikes to pressure points on the back had the greatest risk of inducing neuropathic symptoms. Symptoms of neurapraxia can occur in individuals as a result of practicing martial arts involving strikes on pressure points. Although the majority of symptoms resolve within 1 year, individuals with prolonged exposure to pressure-point strikes may be more likely to have chronic symptoms.

  19. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Teen Pregnancy in Vietnam: Results from Two National Surveys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huong Nguyen

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This study asked two broad questions: (1 what is the prevalence of teen pregnancy in contemporary Vietnam; and (2 what selected social, family, and individual factors are associated with teen pregnancy in Vietnam? The study utilized Vietnam Survey Assessment of Vietnamese Youth surveys conducted in 2003 and 2008 to answer the two research questions within the context of fast political, economic, and social change in Vietnam in the last two decades. Results of this study show that the prevalence of pregnancy among Vietnamese teenagers in the surveys was stable at 4%, or 40 pregnancies per 1000 adolescent girls aged 14 to 19. Age, experience of domestic violence, and early sexual debut were positively correlated with higher odds of teenage pregnancy for both survey cohorts; however, being an ethnic minority, educational attainment, sexual education at school, Internet use, and depressive symptoms were significantly related to teenage pregnancy only in the 2008 cohort.

  20. Perceived risks of radioactive waste transport through Oregon: Results of a statewide survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacGregor, D.; Slovic, P.; Mason, R.G.; Detweiler, J.; Binney, S.E.; Dodd, B.

    1994-01-01

    Transportation of hazardous materials, and particularly radioactive wastes, on public highways has become an important risk management issue. The unfavorability of public attitudes regarding hazardous and nuclear waste signals the potential for strong public opposition to programs for transporting these materials. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted to assess public reactions to a long-term nuclear waste transport program planned to follow a route through a portion of rural Oregon. The survey assessed a number of key risk perception issues, including perceived health and safety risks of nuclear waste transport, relative risks of transport vs. storage at an existing site, trust in state officials, and satisfaction with life in communities along the transport route. The survey identified a number of attitudes and concerns that need to be understood and considered by those in charge of designing and implementing the waste-transportation program. 22 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs

  1. National Geochemical Survey Locations and Results for Iowa

    Data.gov (United States)

    Iowa State University GIS Support and Research Facility — The United States Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with other state and federal agencies, industry, and academia, is conducting a National Geochemical...

  2. Radon in Estonian dwellings - Results from a National Radon Survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pahapill, Lia; Rulkov, Anne; Rajamaee, Raivo [Estonian Radiation Protection Centre (Kiirguskeskus), Tallinn (Spain); Aakerblom, Gustav [Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2003-10-01

    A countrywide survey of radon concentrations in Estonian dwellings was carried out during the period 1998-2001. The survey formed a part of the cooperation program on radiation protection between the Estonian Radiation Protection (Kiirguskeskus) Centre and the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI). The survey included measurements in a number of dwellings representative for Estonia in detached houses and multifamily buildings (only dwellings on the bottom floor were included in the survey). Altogether, radon concentrations were measured in 515 dwellings, a number large enough to be statistically significant. All measurements were made with alphatrack film detectors of the same type that SSI uses in Sweden. The measurements were made during a 2-3 month period during the winter half-year. Two detectors were used in each dwelling. In Estonia there are 0.17 million dwellings in detached houses and 0.45 million in multi apartment buildings. Of the 1.26 million inhabitants in Estonia. 0.36 million live in detached houses and 0.90 million in multi apartment buildings. Most of the latter were built during the Soviet occupation. Of the dwellings in multifamily buildings 30 % are assumed to be situated on the first floor. The mean radon concentration in dwellings in detached hoses, according to the survey results, is 103 Bq/m{sup 3}, in dwellings on the bottom floor in multi apartment buildings it is 78 Bq/m{sup 3}. In 1% of the dwellings the radon concentration exceeded 400 Bq/m{sup 3}. The highest radon concentration found in the study was 1040 Bq/m{sup 3}. Based on the assumption that the average radon concentration in the dwellings in multi-apartment buildings that are not situated on the bottom floor is 30 Bq/m{sup 3}, and that these dwellings constitute 70% of all dwellings in multi apartment buildings, the mean radon concentration in dwellings in multi apartment buildings is calculated to be 44 Bq/m{sup 3}. The mean value for all Estonia dwellings is calculated

  3. Radon in Estonian dwellings - Results from a National Radon Survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pahapill, Lia; Rulkov, Anne; Rajamaee, Raivo; Aakerblom, Gustav

    2003-10-01

    A countrywide survey of radon concentrations in Estonian dwellings was carried out during the period 1998-2001. The survey formed a part of the cooperation program on radiation protection between the Estonian Radiation Protection (Kiirguskeskus) Centre and the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI). The survey included measurements in a number of dwellings representative for Estonia in detached houses and multifamily buildings (only dwellings on the bottom floor were included in the survey). Altogether, radon concentrations were measured in 515 dwellings, a number large enough to be statistically significant. All measurements were made with alphatrack film detectors of the same type that SSI uses in Sweden. The measurements were made during a 2-3 month period during the winter half-year. Two detectors were used in each dwelling. In Estonia there are 0.17 million dwellings in detached houses and 0.45 million in multi apartment buildings. Of the 1.26 million inhabitants in Estonia. 0.36 million live in detached houses and 0.90 million in multi apartment buildings. Most of the latter were built during the Soviet occupation. Of the dwellings in multifamily buildings 30 % are assumed to be situated on the first floor. The mean radon concentration in dwellings in detached hoses, according to the survey results, is 103 Bq/m 3 , in dwellings on the bottom floor in multi apartment buildings it is 78 Bq/m 3 . In 1% of the dwellings the radon concentration exceeded 400 Bq/m 3 . The highest radon concentration found in the study was 1040 Bq/m 3 . Based on the assumption that the average radon concentration in the dwellings in multi-apartment buildings that are not situated on the bottom floor is 30 Bq/m 3 , and that these dwellings constitute 70% of all dwellings in multi apartment buildings, the mean radon concentration in dwellings in multi apartment buildings is calculated to be 44 Bq/m 3 . The mean value for all Estonia dwellings is calculated to be 60 Bq/m 3 . Using

  4. Preferences on technical report format - Results of a survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinelli, T. E.; Cordle, V. M.; Glassman, M.; Vondran, R. F.

    1984-01-01

    A survey of 513 engineers and scientists employed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center and 600 engineers and scientists from three professional/technical societies solicited the opinions of report users concerning the format of NASA technical reports. The results indicate that a summary as well as an abstract should be included, that the definitions of symbols and glossary of terms should be located in the front of the report, and that the illustrative material should be integrated with the text rather than grouped at the end of the report. Citation of references by number, one-column, ragged-right-margin layout, and third-person writing style are also preferred by a majority of the respondents.

  5. Preliminary results on the Arecibo Pisces-Perseus Supercluster Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortes, Rosemary; Lebron, Mayra; Jones, Michael G.; Koopmann, Rebecca A.; Haynes, Martha P.; APPSS Team, Undergraduate ALFALFA Team, and the ALFALFA Team

    2018-01-01

    The Arecibo Pisces-Perseus Supercluster Survey (APPSS) aims to exploit the Baryonic Tully-Fisher Relation to derive distances and peculiar velocities of galaxies in and near the main ridge of the Pisces-Perseus Supercluster (PPS), one of the most prominent features of the Cosmic Web in the nearby Universe. The sample of galaxies contains ~ 600 sources in the low-mass range (8 Team institutions in which each group contributes to the analysis of a subset of the HI PPS data. In this poster, we will present the contributions of the U.P.R. team to the APPSS project. We will show the procedure used for the Arecibo HI data analysis, including some examples, and will show our preliminary results.

  6. Searching for millisecond pulsars: surveys, techniques and prospects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stovall, K; Lorimer, D R; Lynch, R S

    2013-01-01

    Searches for millisecond pulsars (which we here loosely define as those with periods < 20 ms) in the galactic field have undergone a renaissance in the past five years. New or recently refurbished radio telescopes utilizing cooled receivers and state-of-the art digital data acquisition systems are carrying out surveys of the entire sky at a variety of radio frequencies. Targeted searches for millisecond pulsars in point sources identified by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have proved phenomenally successful, with over 50 discoveries in the past five years. The current sample of millisecond pulsars now numbers almost 200 and, for the first time in 25 years, now outnumbers their counterparts in galactic globular clusters. While many of these searches are motivated to find pulsars which form part of pulsar timing arrays, a wide variety of interesting systems are now being found. Following a brief overview of the millisecond pulsar phenomenon, we describe these searches and present some of the highlights of the new discoveries in the past decade. We conclude with predictions and prospects for ongoing and future surveys. (paper)

  7. CUSTOMIZATION IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY: SURVEY RESULTS IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Reis Graeml

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the advantage of using kanban, postponement, modularization, just-in-time, production sequencing, milk-run and cross-docking by companies that intend to increase their flexibility, agility and reliability in order to support web-based businesses. It presents the results of a survey carried out with more than 600 manufacturing companies in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and evaluates the changes that are taking place in operations, in order to make companies better suited to provide customized products, which are made to meet the individual requirements of each customer.

  8. CUSTOMIZATION IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY: SURVEY RESULTS IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Reis Graeml

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the advantage of using kanban, postponement, modularization, just-in-time, production sequencing, milk-run and cross-docking by companies that intend to increase their flexibility, agility and reliability in order to support web-based businesses. It presents the results of a survey carried out with more than 600 manufacturing companies in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and evaluates the changes that are taking place in operations, in order to make companies better suited to provide customized products, which are made to meet the individual requirements of each customer.

  9. Anesthesia for thoracic surgery: A survey of middle eastern practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eldawlatly, Abdelazeem; Turkistani, Ahmed; Shelley, Ben; El-Tahan, Mohamed; Macfie, Alistair; Kinsella, John

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The main objective of this survey is to describe the current practice of thoracic anesthesia in the Middle Eastern (ME) region. Methods: A prospective online survey. An invitation to participate was e-mailed to all members of the ME thoracic-anaesthesia group. A total of 58 members participated in the survey from 19 institutions in the Middle East. Questions concerned ventilation strategies during one-lung ventilation (OLV), anesthesia regimen, mode of postoperative analgesia, use of lung isolation techniques, and use of i.v. fluids. Results: Volume-controlled ventilation was favored over pressure-controlled ventilation (62% vs 38% of respondents, Panesthesia practice. Failure to pass a DLT and difficult airway are the most commonly cited indications for BB use. Regarding postoperative analgesia, the majority 61.8% favor thoracic epidural analgesia over other techniques (P<0.05). Conclusions: Our survey provides a contemporary snapshot of the ME thoracic anesthetic practice. PMID:23162388

  10. Survey of image quality and radiographic technique of pediatric chest examinations performed in Latin America

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khoury, H.; Mora, P.; Defaz, M.Y.; Blanco, S.; Leyton, F.; Benavente, T.; Ortiz Lopez, P.; Ramirez, R.

    2008-01-01

    This work presents the results of a survey of entrance surface air kerma values (K e ), image quality and radiographic exposure parameters used in pediatric chest examinations performed in Latin America. This study is part of the activities of the IAEA Regional Project RLA/9/057 whose objective is to optimize the radiological protection of patients in diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. The survey was performed in nine hospitals in Argentina (1), Brazil (4), Chile (1), Costa Rica (1), Peru (1) and Ecuador (1). The study group consisted of 462 pediatric patients (Group I- from two days to one year, Group II- from four to six years of age) undergoing chest PA/AP examinations. At the time of the examination the exposure parameters (kVp, mAs, focal-spot-to-film distance, etc.) and patient information (gender, height, weight and age) were recorded. The radiographic image quality was evaluated by the local radiologist based on the European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images in Pediatrics. The results showed that the exposure parameters used on newborn patients were in the majority outside the 60-65kV range recommended by the European Guidelines for a good radiographic practice. In the case of examinations of patients with age between 4 to 6 years, 80% were performed with a peak tube voltage within the 60-80 kV range, as recommended by the European Guidelines. It was found that none of countries fully comply with the European Guidelines on Quality Criteria and those criteria No. 2 and No. 3 (reproduction of the chest without rotation) received the lowest scores. Probably this occurs because there are no proper patient immobilization devices. The Ke values, for both patient groups, showed a wide dispersion, ranged from 10 μGy to 160μGy for the newborn patients and from 20μGy to 240μGy for infant patients. It is possible to conclude that, in the participating Latin American countries on this project

  11. User Needs in Green ITS : Results of a Questionnaire Survey and Proposal for Green ITS Design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Man, W.Y.; Bie, J.; Van Arem, B.

    2012-01-01

    An internet survey has been conducted among drivers in the Netherlands and Japan to study their attitude towards Green ITS. The survey focuses on driving behavior and ITS experience, attitude towards environment, and Green ITS preferences. The results show that money-related information gives the

  12. User needs in green ITS: results of a questionnaire survey and proposal for green ITS design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Man, Wing Yan; Bie, Jing; van Arem, Bart

    2011-01-01

    An internet survey has been conducted among drivers in the Netherlands and Japan to study their attitude towards Green ITS. The survey focuses on driving behavior and ITS experience, attitude towards environment, and Green ITS preferences. The results show that money-related information gives the

  13. Wind energy in industrial areas. Results of an attitude survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoolderman, J.A.; Huiberts, R.G.J.

    2000-06-01

    The feasibility of installing wind turbines in industrial parks in the Netherlands has been investigated. An overview is given of possibilities and constraints to fit in wind turbines in industrial areas, based on the results of a literature study, a market consultation of sectoral organizations, representatives of local industrial circles and industrial experts in the field of renewable energy. Also a telephone survey was carried out among 130 entrepreneurs in the Netherlands to determine their attitudes towards the use of sustainable energy and wind energy in industrial parks. The results of the attitude study are published in this report. The main report is a separate report for which a separate abstract has been prepared. The intermediate results were discussed at a meeting (23 February 2000), in which representatives from the industry, provinces, municipalities and the government participated

  14. Emergency medicine summary code for reporting CT scan results: implementation and survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Joanne; Coughlin, Ryan; Buhl, Luce; Herbst, Meghan; Herbst, Timothy; Martillotti, Jared; Coughlin, Bret

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of the study was to assess the emergency department (ED) providers' interest and satisfaction with ED CT result reporting before and after the implementation of a standardized summary code for all CT scan reporting. A summary code was provided at the end of all CTs ordered through the ED from August to October of 2016. A retrospective review was completed on all studies performed during this period. A pre- and post-survey was given to both ED and radiology providers. A total of 3980 CT scans excluding CTAs were ordered with 2240 CTs dedicated to the head and neck, 1685 CTs dedicated to the torso, and 55 CTs dedicated to the extremities. Approximately 74% CT scans were contrast enhanced. Of the 3980 ED CT examination ordered, 69% had a summary code assigned to it. Fifteen percent of the coded CTs had a critical or diagnostic positive result. The introduction of an ED CT summary code did not show a definitive improvement in communication. However, the ED providers are in consensus that radiology reports are crucial their patients' management. There is slightly increased satisfaction with the providers with less than 5 years of experience with the ED CT codes compared to more seasoned providers. The implementation of a user-friendly summary code may allow better analysis of results, practice improvement, and quality measurements in the future.

  15. Users, uses, and value of Landsat satellite imagery: results from the 2012 survey of users

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Holly M.; Richardson, Leslie A.; Koontz, Stephen R.; Loomis, John; Koontz, Lynne

    2013-01-01

    Landsat satellites have been operating since 1972, providing a continuous global record of the Earth’s land surface. The imagery is currently available at no cost through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Social scientists at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center conducted an extensive survey in early 2012 to explore who uses Landsat imagery, how they use the imagery, and what the value of the imagery is to them. The survey was sent to all users registered with USGS who had accessed Landsat imagery in the year prior to the survey and over 11,000 current Landsat imagery users responded. The results of the survey revealed that respondents from many sectors use Landsat imagery in myriad project locations and scales, as well as application areas. The value of Landsat imagery to these users was demonstrated by the high importance of and dependence on the imagery, the numerous environmental and societal benefits observed from projects using Landsat imagery, the potential negative impacts on users’ work if Landsat imagery was no longer available, and the substantial aggregated annual economic benefit from the imagery. These results represent only the value of Landsat to users registered with USGS; further research would help to determine what the value of the imagery is to a greater segment of the population, such as downstream users of the imagery and imagery-derived products.

  16. A comparison of techniques for assessing farmland bumblebee populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, T J; Holland, J M; Goulson, D

    2015-04-01

    Agri-environment schemes have been implemented across the European Union in order to reverse declines in farmland biodiversity. To assess the impact of these schemes for bumblebees, accurate measures of their populations are required. Here, we compared bumblebee population estimates on 16 farms using three commonly used techniques: standardised line transects, coloured pan traps and molecular estimates of nest abundance. There was no significant correlation between the estimates obtained by the three techniques, suggesting that each technique captured a different aspect of local bumblebee population size and distribution in the landscape. Bumblebee abundance as observed on the transects was positively influenced by the number of flowers present on the transect. The number of bumblebees caught in pan traps was positively influenced by the density of flowers surrounding the trapping location and negatively influenced by wider landscape heterogeneity. Molecular estimates of the number of nests of Bombus terrestris and B. hortorum were positively associated with the proportion of the landscape covered in oilseed rape and field beans. Both direct survey techniques are strongly affected by floral abundance immediately around the survey site, potentially leading to misleading results if attempting to infer overall abundance in an area or on a farm. In contrast, whilst the molecular method suffers from an inability to detect sister pairs at low sample sizes, it appears to be unaffected by the abundance of forage and thus is the preferred survey technique.

  17. Teachers of the Alexander Technique in the UK and the people who take their lessons: A national cross-sectional survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eldred, J; Hopton, A; Donnison, E; Woodman, J; MacPherson, H

    2015-06-01

    Given the rising profile of the Alexander Technique in the UK, there is a need for a comprehensive description of its teachers and of those who currently take lessons. In a national survey of Alexander teachers, we set out to address this information gap. A cross-sectional survey of 871 UK members of three main Alexander Technique teachers' professional associations was conducted. A questionnaire requested information about their professional background, teaching practice and methods, and about the people who attend lessons and their reasons for seeking help. With an overall response rate of 61%, 534 teachers responded; 74% were female with median age of 58 years, 60% had a higher education qualification, and 95% were self-employed, many with additional non-Alexander paid employment. The majority (87%) offered lessons on their own premises or in a privately rented room, and 19% provided home visits; both individual and group lessons were provided. People who took lessons were predominantly female (66%) with a median age of 48 years, and 91% paid for their lessons privately. Nearly two-thirds (62%) began lessons for reasons related to musculoskeletal conditions, including back symptoms, posture, neck pain, and shoulder pain. Other reasons were general (18%, including well-being), performance-related (10%, including voice-, music-, and sport-related), psychological (5%) and neurological (3%). We estimate that Alexander teachers in the UK provide approximately 400,000 lessons per year. This study provides an overview of Alexander Technique teaching in the UK today and data that may be useful when planning future research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Results of the 2014–2015 Canadian Society of Nephrology Workforce Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David R. Ward

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Nephrology was previously identified as a subspecialty with few Canadian employment opportunities, and in recent years, fewer trainees are choosing nephrology. Objective: The objective of this study is to better understand the current Canadian adult nephrology workforce and the expected workforce trends over the next 5 years. Design: This is an online self-administered survey. Setting: This study is set in Canada. Survey participants: Survey participants are Canadian adult nephrologists, including self-identified division heads. Measurements: The measurements of this study are demographics, training, current practice characteristics, work hours, and projected workforce needs. Methods: Survey questions were based on previous workforce surveys. Ethics approval was obtained through the University of Saskatchewan. The survey was piloted in both English and French and modified based on the feedback to ensure that responses accurately reflected the information desired. It was circulated to all identified Canadian nephrologists via an anonymous e-mail link for self-administration. Categorical data was aggregated, and free-text answers were thematically analyzed. Additional descriptive analysis was conducted by all authors. Results: Five hundred ninety-two Canadian nephrologists were contacted and 48 % responded, with representation from all Canadian provinces. One third of the respondents were female, and the largest age cohort was 41–50 years. Most nephrologists are trained in Canada and 61 % completed additional training. The majority of the respondents (69.1 % began working as a nephrologist immediately upon completion of fellowship training. Younger nephrologists reported more challenges in finding a job. Eighty percent of responding nephrologists were satisfied with their current work hours, 13.1 % will reduce work hours within 3 years, an additional 8.2 % will reduce work hours within 5 years, and a further 14.2 % will reduce work

  19. The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. I. Overview and First Results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Buizer, James M.; Shuping, Ralph [SOFIA-USRA, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 232-12, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Liu, Mengyao; Tan, Jonathan C.; Staff, Jan E.; Tanaka, Kei E. I. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Zhang, Yichen [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago (Chile); Beltrán, Maria T. [INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Whitney, Barbara [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 475 N. Charter St, Madison, WI 53706 (United States)

    2017-07-01

    We present an overview and first results of the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey, which is using the FORCAST instrument to image massive protostars from ∼10 to 40 μ m. These wavelengths trace thermal emission from warm dust, which in Core Accretion models mainly emerges from the inner regions of protostellar outflow cavities. Dust in dense core envelopes also imprints characteristic extinction patterns at these wavelengths, causing intensity peaks to shift along the outflow axis and profiles to become more symmetric at longer wavelengths. We present observational results for the first eight protostars in the survey, i.e., multiwavelength images, including some ancillary ground-based mid-infrared (MIR) observations and archival Spitzer and Herschel data. These images generally show extended MIR/FIR emission along directions consistent with those of known outflows and with shorter wavelength peak flux positions displaced from the protostar along the blueshifted, near-facing sides, thus confirming qualitative predictions of Core Accretion models. We then compile spectral energy distributions and use these to derive protostellar properties by fitting theoretical radiative transfer models. Zhang and Tan models, based on the Turbulent Core Model of McKee and Tan, imply the sources have protostellar masses m {sub *} ∼ 10–50 M {sub ⊙} accreting at ∼10{sup −4}–10{sup −3} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} inside cores of initial masses M {sub c} ∼ 30–500 M {sub ⊙} embedded in clumps with mass surface densities Σ{sub cl} ∼ 0.1–3 g cm{sup −2}. Fitting the Robitaille et al. models typically leads to slightly higher protostellar masses, but with disk accretion rates ∼100× smaller. We discuss reasons for these differences and overall implications of these first survey results for massive star formation theories.

  20. Scala tympani cochleostomy survey: a follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iseli, Claire; Adunka, Oliver F; Buchman, Craig A

    2014-08-01

    To reassess cochleostomy techniques among North American cochlear implant surgeons after a 6-year period of widespread education and research on the topic. Prospective cohort study. A multiple-choice survey of cochlear implant techniques was distributed to surgeons attending the William House Cochlear Implant Study Group in 2006 and 2012. This survey contained questions regarding routine surgical access and cochleostomy techniques. Responses were anonymous, and >50% were repeat respondents. Statistical analysis sought changes in technique in the past 6 years. Comparisons between 2006 and 2012 responses revealed no significant changes in the proportion of surgeons identifying the facial nerve or chorda tympani. By contrast, respondents in 2012 were more likely to drill off the round window niche overhang (P < .001), use a round window insertion (P < .001), or make a smaller cochleostomy (P = .003). In two images of a transfacial recess approach, there was a significant increase in the proportion choosing an inferior or anterior cochleostomy site over a superior location (image 1, 76% in 2006 to 92% in 2012, P = .003; image 3, 78% to 90%, respectively, P = .044). This repeat survey documents a change in practice among cochlear implant surgeons. Specifically, scala tympani access techniques now appear to be more consistent with known anatomical relationships in the round window region. These findings may have resulted from the concerted education and research efforts over the past 6 years. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  1. Myocardial perfusion SPECT 2015 in Germany. Results of the 7th survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindner, Oliver; Burchert, Wolfgang; Schäfer, Wolfgang; Hacker, Marcus

    2017-02-14

    The working group Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine presents the results of the 7th survey of myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) of the reporting year 2015. 268 questionnaires (173 practices [PR], 67 hospitals [HO], 28 university hospitals [UH]) were evaluated. Results of the last survey from 2012 are set in squared brackets. MPS of 121 939 [105 941] patients were reported. 98 % [95 %] of all MPS were performed with Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals and 2 % [5 %] with Tl-201. 78 % [79 %] of all patients were studied in PR, 14 % [15 %] in HO, and 8 % [6 %] in UH. A pharmacological stress test was performed in 43 % [39 %] (22 % [24 %] adenosine, 20 % [9 %] regadenoson, 1 % [6 %] dipyridamole or dobutamine). Attenuation correction was applied in 25 % [2009: 10 %] of MPS. Gated SPECT was performed in 78 % [70 %] of all rest MPS, in 80 % [73 %] of all stress and in 76 % [67 %] of all stress and rest MPS. 53 % [33 %] of all nuclear medicine departments performed MPS scoring by default, whereas 24 % [41 %] did not apply any quantification. 31 % [26 %] of all departments noticed an increase in their counted MPS and 29 % [29 %] no changes. Data from 89 departments which participated in all surveys showed an increase in MPS count of 11.1 % (PR: 12.2 %, HO: 4.8 %, UH: 18.4 %). 70 % [60 %] of the MPS were requested by ambulatory care cardiologists. The 2015 MPS survey reveals a high-grade adherence of routine MPS practice to current guidelines. The positive trend in MPS performance and number of MPS already observed in 2012 continues. Educational training remains necessary in the field of SPECT scoring.

  2. Trends in x-ray photography and patient exposure dose. Questionnaire survey results compared with those in 1973. [questionnaire survey in 1979

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Orito, T; Sanada, S; Maekawa, R; Koshida, K; Hiraki, T [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan). School of Paramedicine

    1980-04-01

    The exposure doses of patients in X-ray photography are influenced by such technological factors as X-ray tube voltage, filter, sensitizing screen, film and grid. Survey by questionnnaire was made previously in 1973 on the above factors. The trends five years after were surveyed similarly, in connection with the exposure doses of patients. Questionnaires were sent to 200 radiation technicians, and 121 (60.5%) answered the survey in March, 1979. The results in the cases of simple X-ray photography and obstetric, infant and breast X-ray photographings are described. X-ray tube voltage is generally on the increase. In the sensitizing screens, exposure doses are fairly decreased due to the use of improved intensifying screen (LT-II). In the grid, the ratio 8 : 1 is used more than 5 : 1. In the usage of additional filters and in the distance of photography, improvements are desired.

  3. A survey on the task analysis methods and techniques for nuclear power plant operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yong Heui; Chun, Se Woo; Suh, Sang Moon; Lee, Jung Woon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1994-04-01

    We have surveyed techniques and methods of task analysis from very traditional ones to recently developed ones that are being applicated to various industrial fields. We compare each other and analyse their fundamental characteristics and methodological specification in order to find a proper one enough to apply to nuclear power plant operators tasks. Generally, the fundamental process of task analyses has well been understandable, but its process of application in practice has not been so simple due to the wide and varying range of applications according to specific domain. Operators` tasks in NPPs are supposed to be performed strictly according to operational procedures written in a text and well trained, so the method of task analysis for operators` tasks in NPPs can be established to have its unique characteristics of task analysis based on the operational procedures. 8 figs., 10 tabs., 18 refs. (Author).

  4. A survey on the task analysis methods and techniques for nuclear power plant operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yong Heui; Chun, Se Woo; Suh, Sang Moon; Lee, Jung Woon

    1994-04-01

    We have surveyed techniques and methods of task analysis from very traditional ones to recently developed ones that are being applicated to various industrial fields. We compare each other and analyse their fundamental characteristics and methodological specification in order to find a proper one enough to apply to nuclear power plant operators tasks. Generally, the fundamental process of task analyses has well been understandable, but its process of application in practice has not been so simple due to the wide and varying range of applications according to specific domain. Operators' tasks in NPPs are supposed to be performed strictly according to operational procedures written in a text and well trained, so the method of task analysis for operators' tasks in NPPs can be established to have its unique characteristics of task analysis based on the operational procedures. 8 figs., 10 tabs., 18 refs. (Author)

  5. Psycho-social picture of sexually active adolescent girls: Results of research survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanković Biljana

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In a demographic sense, adolescents are a population group which is yet to take part in birth giving. Therefore, their sexual behavior and especially sexual activity at early ages which is not only unfavorable from the aspect of the individual, meaning risk for psycho-physical health, but from the aspect of society as well, as regards population fertility, deserves special attention. This paper shows the results of in-depth research carried out in Belgrade from September 2001 to October 2002 with an aim to establish which factors determine a young person, of sixteen years old or younger, to become sexually active. It was carried out on a sample of 111 adolescent girls between 14 and 20 years old which turned to the Republic Family Planning Center Youth Counseling Clinic of the Institute for Mother and Child Health Care of Serbia. The research showed that sexual experience, realized at an early age was an integral part of development and maturing for the largest number of surveyed girls. In the largest number of cases it was a positive experience, induced by love and experienced with a partner, mainly of the same age, with which they were in a longer, stable relationship. Nevertheless, it could be concluded from the results obtained by the research that the surveyed girls could have more easily and efficiently solved their problems and dilemmas regarding sexuality had they had the possibility to obtain a better insight into their personal feelings and feelings of others at the right time, as well as developed social experience and experience in mastering control of their impulses. With a certain number of surveyed girls that would have meant a delay in their sexual activities to a later age. This also refers to the prevention of other risky behavior such as use of alcohol and drugs, which also have an influence on changing sexual behavior, making it more risky. It is important to stress that the surveyed adolescent girls themselves recognized the

  6. Chapter 6. Dwarf mistletoe surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    J.A. Muir; B. Moody

    2002-01-01

    Dwarf mistletoe surveys are conducted for a variety of vegetation management objectives. Various survey and sampling techniques are used either at a broad, landscape scale in forest planning or program review, or at an individual, stand, site level for specific project implementation. Standard and special surveys provide data to map mistletoe distributions and quantify...

  7. THE BRIGHTEST OF REIONIZING GALAXIES SURVEY: DESIGN AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trenti, M.; Bradley, L. D.; Stiavelli, M.; MacKenty, J. W.; Oesch, P.; Carollo, C. M.; Treu, T.; Bouwens, R. J.; Illingworth, G. D.; Shull, J. M.

    2011-01-01

    We present the first results on the search for very bright (M AB ∼ -21) galaxies at redshift z ∼ 8 from the Brightest of Reionizing Galaxies (BoRG) survey. BoRG is a Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) pure-parallel survey that is obtaining images on random lines of sight at high Galactic latitudes in four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, and F160W), with integration times optimized to identify galaxies at z ∼> 7.5 as F098M dropouts. We discuss here results from a search area of approximately 130 arcmin 2 over 23 BoRG fields, complemented by six other pure-parallel WFC3 fields with similar filters. This new search area is more than two times wider than previous WFC3 observations at z ∼ 8. We identify four F098M-dropout candidates with high statistical confidence (detected at greater than 8σ confidence in F125W). These sources are among the brightest candidates currently known at z ∼ 8 and approximately 10 times brighter than the z = 8.56 galaxy UDFy-38135539. They thus represent ideal targets for spectroscopic follow-up observations and could potentially lead to a redshift record, as our color selection includes objects up to z ∼ 9. However, the expected contamination rate of our sample is about 30% higher than typical searches for dropout galaxies in legacy fields, such as the GOODS and HUDF, where deeper data and additional optical filters are available to reject contaminants.

  8. Schizophrenia through the carers' eyes: results of a European cross-sectional survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svettini, A; Johnson, B; Magro, C; Saunders, J; Jones, K; Silk, S; Hargarter, L; Schreiner, A

    2015-09-01

    Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder affecting approximately 29 million people worldwide. The ideal treatment and care of patients with schizophrenia should be provided by a multidisciplinary 'team' involving psychiatrists, nurses and other healthcare professionals, together with carers and patients. In light of the key role carers play in the care of patients with schizophrenia, the present survey was designed to assess the opinions of family members and friends of patients with schizophrenia across Europe and to ascertain their attitudes towards the illness, medication and adherence to medication. Among carers participating in this survey, there was widespread awareness of the issues involved in supporting patients with schizophrenia and the importance of their role in improving poor adherence to medication. Three differences in opinion emerged between the views of carers and psychiatrists; psychiatrists rely more on the patient themselves when assessing adherence than carers would recommend; in contrast to psychiatrists, many carers believe the illness itself contributes to non-adherence; two thirds of carers think that schizophrenia medication damages health (higher than estimated by psychiatrists). The findings from the present survey, taken together with the results from the Adherencia Terapéutica en la Esquizofrenia surveys of psychiatrists and nurses, support the need for a collaborative approach to the issue of treatment nonadherence. In particular, healthcare professionals should recognize the valuable contribution that family carers can make to improve treatment adherence and consequently clinical outcomes for patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia carries a significant burden for families providing care. The Adherencia Terapéutica en la Esquizofrenia (ADHES) carers' survey was designed to assess the opinions of family and friends of patients with schizophrenia across Europe and ascertain their attitudes towards the illness, medication and

  9. A comparison of inflation expectations and inflation credibility in South Africa: results from survey data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jannie Rossouw

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports a comparison of South African household inflation expectations and inflation credibility surveys undertaken in 2006 and 2008. It tests for possible feed-through between inflation credibility and inflation expectations. It supplements earlier research that focused only on the 2006 survey results. The comparison shows that inflation expectations differed between different income groups in both 2006 and 2008. Inflation credibility differed between male and female respondents, but this difference did not feed through to inflation expectations. More periodic survey data will be required for developing final conclusions on the possibility of feed-through effects. To this end the structure of credibility surveys should be reconsidered, as a large percentage of respondents indicated that they ‘don’t know’ whether the historic rate of inflation is an accurate indication of price increases.

  10. Monosomy 3 by FISH in uveal melanoma: variability in techniques and results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aronow, Mary; Sun, Yang; Saunthararajah, Yogen; Biscotti, Charles; Tubbs, Raymond; Triozzi, Pierre; Singh, Arun D

    2012-09-01

    Tumor monosomy 3 confers a poor prognosis in patients with uveal melanoma. We critically review the techniques used for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) detection of monosomy 3 in order to assess variability in practice patterns and to explain differences in results. Significant variability that has likely affected reported results was found in tissue sampling methods, selection of FISH probes, number of cells counted, and the cut-off point used to determine monosomy 3 status. Clinical parameters and specific techniques employed to report FISH results should be specified so as to allow meta-analysis of published studies. FISH-based detection of monosomy 3 in uveal melanoma has not been performed in a standardized manner, which limits conclusions regarding its clinical utility. FISH is a widely available, versatile technology, and when performed optimally has the potential to be a valuable tool for determining the prognosis of uveal melanoma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. SELF-ASSEMBLED ROV AND PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SURVEYS WITH LOW COST TECHNIQUES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Costa

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In last years, ROVs, have been employed to explore underwater environments and have played an important role for documentation and surveys in different fields of scientific application. In 2017, the Laboratorio di Fotogrammetria of Iuav University of Venice has decided to buy an OpenRov, a low cost ROV that could be assembled by ourselves to add some external components for our necessities, to document archaeological sites. The paper is related to the photogrammetric survey for the documentation of underwater environments and to the comparison between different solutions applied on a case studio, five marble columns on a sandy bottom at 5 meters deep. On the lateral sides of the ROV, we have applied two GoPro Hero4 Session, which have documented the items both with a series of images and with a video. The geometric accuracy of the obtained 3D model has been evaluated through comparison with a photogrammetric model realized with a professional reflex camera, Nikon D610. Some targets have been topographically surveyed with a trilateration and have been used to connected in the same reference system the different models, allowing the comparisons of the point clouds. Remote Operating Vehicles offer not only safety for their operators, but are also a relatively low cost alternative. The employment of a low-cost vehicle adapted to the necessities of surveys support a request for safer, cheaper and efficient methods for exploring underwater environments.

  12. Means of surveying contaminated areas resulting from overseas nuclear accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Looney, J.H.H.; Thorne, M.C.; Dickson, D.M.J.

    1989-09-01

    The Chernobyl accident is briefly reviewed as a useful basis to examine some of the considerations related to the design of surveys. The plans and procedures of key European and North American countries are reviewed, as well as the plans and capabilities of UK facilities and government agencies. The survey design incorporates the concepts of land use category, topography climate, etc. and discusses the spatial and temporal scale requirements. Use of a Geographic Information System is recommended to co-ordinate the data. Models address the requirement to detect an annual effective dose equivalent of 0.5 mSv to an individual in the first year following the accident. The equipment requirements are based on transit-type vans, each, preferably, with one or two gamma spectrometers, MCA's and ancillary equipment, with three teams of two men. This unit could survey about 150 km 2 within a larger area in 3 days. The cost per survey team is estimated to be Pound 60,000 - Pound 80,000 in the first year, with annual costs of Pound 20-23,000. (author)

  13. Positive Community Norm Survey 2011 : Methodology and Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-01

    This survey established a baseline understanding of the positive norms that exist in Idaho, plus reveal the gaps in knowledge and perceived norms with regard to impaired driving. These gaps will indicate the most effective opportunities for future co...

  14. Results of survey for assessing awareness level regarding radiological hazards of tobacco smoking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tahir, S. N. A.

    2009-01-01

    Human consumption of tobacco is as old as human history. However, injurious health effects due to tobacco smoking may not be evident to the public at large. This article presents results of a questionnaire based on a survey carried out in the metropolitan city of Lahore of Pakistan with an aim to understand the awareness level of the general population about the radiological hazards associated with tobacco smoking. Some 3600 participants from different educational backgrounds from all segments of the society participated in this survey. Analysis of the data collected concluded that the awareness level of the representative participants regarding the radiological hazards associated with tobacco smoking was alarmingly poor. These results suggest that a nationwide mass media campaign may be launched by the government authorities in Health and Environment departments to enlighten the general public in this respect to avoid tobacco-smoking-associated health risks. (authors)

  15. Recommendations for abortion surveys using the ballot-box technique Recomendações para inquéritos sobre aborto usando a técnica de urna

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Medeiros

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The article lists recommendations for dealing with methodological aspects of an abortion survey and makes suggestions for testing and validating the survey questionnaire. The recommendations are based on the experience of the Brazilian Abortion Survey (PNA, a random sample household survey that used the ballot-box technique and covered adult women in all urban areas of the country.O artigo lista recomendações para lidar com aspectos metodológicos de um inquérito sobre aborto e faz sugestões para testar e validar o questionário do levantamento. As recomendações baseiam-se na experiência da Pesquisa Nacional de Aborto (PNA, uma pesquisa domiciliar baseada em amostra aleatória da população urbana do Brasil que utilizou a técnica de urna.

  16. Determining consumer preferences for a cash option: Arkansas survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon-Rusinowitz, L; Mahoney, K J; Desmond, S M; Shoop, D M; Squillace, M R; Fay, R A

    1997-01-01

    As long-term care (LTC) expenditures have risen, policymakers have sought ways to control costs while maintaining consumer satisfaction. Concurrently, there is increasing interest within the aging and disability communities in consumer-directed care. The Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation (CCDE) seeks to increase consumer direction and control costs by offering a cash allowance and information services to persons with disabilities, enabling them to purchase needed assistance. The authors present results from a telephone survey conducted to assess consumer preferences for a cash option in Arkansas and describe how findings from the four-State CCDE can inform consumer information efforts and policymakers.

  17. A survey of intrusion detection techniques in Cloud

    OpenAIRE

    Modi, C.; Patel, D.; Patel, H.; Borisaniya, B.; Patel, A.; Rajarajan, M.

    2013-01-01

    Cloud computing provides scalable, virtualized on-demand services to the end users with greater flexibility and lesser infrastructural investment. These services are provided over the Internet using known networking protocols, standards and formats under the supervision of different managements. Existing bugs and vulnerabilities in underlying technologies and legacy protocols tend to open doors for intrusion. This paper, surveys different intrusions affecting availability, confidentiality and...

  18. Confirmation study of the effectiveness of prospect techniques for deep geothermal resources. Deep-seated geothermal resources survey report (Fiscal year 1993); 1993 nendo chinetsu tansa gijutsu nado kensho chosa. Shinbu chinetsu shigen chosa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-03-01

    Drilling and survey of deep geothermal exploration wells were conducted in order to grasp the existing situation of deep geothermal resource and the whole image of geothermal systems in the area where geothermal resource was already developed. Following fiscal 1992, the well was drilled in fiscal 1993 down to depths of 605m-1505m, and a 13-3/8 inch casing was inserted down to a depth of 1500m. In the drilling, four cores including oriented cores were sampled, and microscopic observation, X-ray diffraction analysis, fluid inclusion survey, core property test, etc. were conducted. In the FMI logging, detected were 273 bedding planes, 483 fractures, etc. Further made were a velocity structure survey, a gravity survey in the area of 270 km{sup 2} including deep exploration wells, a quality survey of the Kakkonda river water, etc. As to geothermal structure models in the Kakkonda area, results of the drilling were added to prediction models before drilling deep exploration wells, but the revision was not very much. Besides, studies were made of a survey method using microearthquakes, a survey technique using resistivity, etc. 61 refs., 259 figs., 95 tabs.

  19. State survey of silviculture nonpoint source programs: a comparison of the 2000 northeastern and national results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pamela J. Edwards; Gordon W. Stuart

    2002-01-01

    The National Association of State Foresters conducts surveys of silviculture nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control programs to measure progress and identify needs. The 2000 survey results are summarized here for the nation and for the 20-state northeastern region. Current emphasis of NPS pollution programs is on education, training, and monitoring. Educational...

  20. Results of a Textbook Survey Given in Introductory Astronomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willoughby, Shannon

    2007-05-01

    Textbooks are required for virtually all college science courses taught around the country, but whether students use them and find them valuable is not clear. In order to get a better idea about what the students thought of the textbook and how they spent their time using it, an anonymous survey was taken by 305 (out of 400) students enrolled in Physics 101 during the Fall semester of 2005. Developed and administered by www.textrev.com, this is a free survey that college faculty may use for physics and chemistry textbooks. This survey revealed two interesting points. First, although 75% of the students found the textbook to be moderately to very challenging, only 38% of students reported spending 2 or more hours per week reading the text. Reading was assigned the majority of class periods, with the intention that they would read the material before it was covered in class. Second, 81% of the students found that the end of chapter problems were moderately to very challenging, but 62% reported spending one hour or less per week working on the assigned questions. Homework was assigned regularly from the textbook for the first half of the class, after which point we experimented with an online homework system. Next semester a new textbook is being adopted for this class, which has no color pictures and is significantly slimmer than the current textbook. This textbook survey will be given again at the end of next semester to look for any changes in textbook usage.

  1. Problem-solving and developing quality management methods and techniques on the example of automotive industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek Łuczak

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The knowledge about methods and techniques of quality management together with their effective use can be definitely regarded as an indication of high organisational culture. Using such methods and techniques in an effective way can be attributed to certain level of maturity, as far as the quality management system in an organisation is concerned. There is in the paper an analysis of problem-solving methods and techniques of quality management in the automotive sector in Poland. The survey was given to the general population, which in case of the study consisted of companies operating in Poland that had certified quality management systems against ISO/TS 16949. The results of the conducted survey and the conclusions of the author can show actual and potential OEM suppliers (both 1st and 2nd tier in which direction their strategies for development and improvement of quality management systems should go in order to be effective. When the universal character of methods and techniques used in the surveyed population of companies is taken into consideration, it can be assumed that the results of the survey are also universal for all organisations realising the TQM strategy. The results of the research confirmed that methods which are also the basis for creating key system documents are the most relevant ones, i.e. flowcharts and FMEA, and moreover process monitoring tools (SPC and problem solving methods -above all 8D.

  2. Survey of Green Radio Communications Networks: Techniques and Recent Advances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed H. Alsharif

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Energy efficiency in cellular networks has received significant attention from both academia and industry because of the importance of reducing the operational expenditures and maintaining the profitability of cellular networks, in addition to making these networks “greener.” Because the base station is the primary energy consumer in the network, efforts have been made to study base station energy consumption and to find ways to improve energy efficiency. In this paper, we present a brief review of the techniques that have been used recently to improve energy efficiency, such as energy-efficient power amplifier techniques, time-domain techniques, cell switching, management of the physical layer through multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO management, heterogeneous network architectures based on Micro-Pico-Femtocells, cell zooming, and relay techniques. In addition, this paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each technique to contribute to a better understanding of each of the techniques and thereby offer clear insights to researchers about how to choose the best ways to reduce energy consumption in future green radio networks.

  3. Techniques for laser processing, assay, and examination of spent fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, J.H.; Mitchell, R.C.; Rogell, M.L.

    1981-11-01

    Fuel examination studies were performed which have application to interim spent fuel storage. These studies were in three areas, i.e., laser drilling and rewelding demonstration, nondestructive assay techniques survey, and fuel examination techniques survey

  4. Analysis of the survey results for the safety culture attitudes of HANARO management division staff

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, M.; Hwang, S. Y.; Lim, I. C.; Kang, T. J.; Choi, H. Y

    2003-12-01

    This report provides the that analysis results of the surveys on the safety culture attitude and related topics for the HANARO Management Division staff. The survey form consisted of the questionnaire on the safety culture attitude, happiness and life style, drinking habit and traffic safety attitude. The key information drawn from the analysis are as follow; First, the level of safety culture attitude of the staff was confirmed and it was found that the attitude improved when the present analysis results were compared with them for the survey in 1998. Second, the degree of happiness that the staff feel is higher than the average Korean and they enjoy more leisure time than the average Korean. Third, the staff drink more alcohol than the average Korean. Thus, the drinking habit must be improved for the health of the staff. Fourth, the questionnaire of the happiness and the traffic safety attitude should be improved to verify the hypotheses on the relation between them and the safety culture attitude.

  5. Analysis of the survey results for the safety culture attitudes of HANARO management division staff

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, M.; Hwang, S. Y.; Lim, I. C.; Kang, T. J.; Choi, H. Y.

    2003-12-01

    This report provides the that analysis results of the surveys on the safety culture attitude and related topics for the HANARO Management Division staff. The survey form consisted of the questionnaire on the safety culture attitude, happiness and life style, drinking habit and traffic safety attitude. The key information drawn from the analysis are as follow; First, the level of safety culture attitude of the staff was confirmed and it was found that the attitude improved when the present analysis results were compared with them for the survey in 1998. Second, the degree of happiness that the staff feel is higher than the average Korean and they enjoy more leisure time than the average Korean. Third, the staff drink more alcohol than the average Korean. Thus, the drinking habit must be improved for the health of the staff. Fourth, the questionnaire of the happiness and the traffic safety attitude should be improved to verify the hypotheses on the relation between them and the safety culture attitude

  6. Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids. VI. New results from the second epoch of the CASLEO survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Hutton, R.; García-Migani, E.

    2017-11-01

    Aims: We present the results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry and to estimate the diversity in the polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes. Methods: The data were obtained using the CASPOL polarimeter at the 2.15 m telescope. CASPOL is a polarimeter based on a CCD detector and a Savart plate. The survey began in 1995 and data on a large sample of asteroids were obtained until 2012. A second period began in 2013 using a polarimeter with a more sensitive detector in order to study small asteroids, families, and special taxonomic groups. Results: We present and analyze the unpublished results for 128 asteroids of different taxonomic types, 55 of them observed for the first time. The observational data allowed us to find probable new cases of Barbarian objects but also two D-type objects, (565) Marbachia and (1481) Tubingia, that seem to have phase-polarization curves with a large inversion angle. The data obtained combined with data from the literature enabled us to find phase-polarization curves for 121 objects of different taxonomic types and to study the relations between several polarimetric and physical parameters. Using an approximation for the phase-polarization curve we found the index of refraction of the surface material and the scatter separation distance for all the objects with known polarimetric parameters. We also found that the inversion angle is a function of the index of refraction of the surface, while the phase angle where the minimum of polarization is produced provides information about the distance between scatter particles or, to some extent, the porosity of the surface. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la

  7. NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 13: Source selection and information use by US aerospace engineers and scientists: Results of a telephone survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Glassman, Nanci A.

    1992-01-01

    A telephone survey of U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists belonging to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) was conducted between December 4, 1991 and January 5, 1992. The survey was undertaken to (1) validate the telephone survey as an appropriate technique for collecting data from U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists; (2) collect information about how the results of NASA/DoD aerospace research are used in the R&D process; (3) identify those selection criteria which affect the use of federally-funded aerospace R&D; and (4) obtain information that could be used to develop a self-administered mail questionnaire for use with the same population. The average rating of importance of U.S. government technical reports was 2.5 (on a 4-point scale); The mean/median number of times U.S. government technical reports were used per 6 months was 8/2. Factors scoring highest for U.S. government technical reports were technical accuracy (2.9), reliable data and technical information (2.8), and contains comprehensive data and information (2.7) on a 4-point system. The factors scoring highest for influencing the use of U.S. government technical reports were relevance (3.1), technical accuracy (3.06), and reliable data/information (3.02). Ease of use, familiarity, technical accuracy, and relevance correlated with use of U.S. government technical reports. Survey demographics, survey questionnaire, and the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project publications list are included.

  8. Monitoring beach changes using GPS surveying techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morton, Robert; Leach, Mark P.; Paine, Jeffrey G.; Cardoza, Michael A.

    1993-01-01

    A need exists for frequent and prompt updating of shoreline positions, rates of shoreline movement, and volumetric nearshore changes. To effectively monitor and predict these beach changes, accurate measurements of beach morphology incorporating both shore-parallel and shore-normal transects are required. Although it is possible to monitor beach dynamics using land-based surveying methods, it is generally not practical to collect data of sufficient density and resolution to satisfy a three-dimensional beach-change model of long segments of the coast. The challenge to coastal scientists is to devise new beach monitoring methods that address these needs and are rapid, reliable, relatively inexpensive, and maintain or improve measurement accuracy.

  9. Radiological Survey Results for the Niagara Mohawk Right-of-Way, Tonawanda, New York (TNY004)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKenzie, S.P.; Uziel, M.S.

    1998-01-01

    At the request of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a radiological survey of a small portion of the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation right-of-way in Tonawanda, New York. The purpose of the survey was to determine if radioactive residuals had migrated from or been redistributed onto the Niagara Mohawk right-of-way from the former Linde property to the west. The Linde Air Products Division of Union Carbide Corporation, Tonawanda New York, had used radioactive materials at that location for work performed under government contract from 1942 through 1948. The survey was performed in May 1996 in response to Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) requirements. These requirements dictate that the radiological status of certain vicinity properties shall be assessed and documented according to prescribed procedures prior to certification of the property for release for unrestricted use. Such release can only be granted if the property is found to be within current applicable authorized limits. The survey included a gamma scan of accessible areas and the collection and radionuclide analysis of soil samples from the portion of right-of-way located east of the former Linde plant site and north of the railway spur entrance gate. Results of the survey indicate that radioactive material probably originating from the Linde plant is located on the Niagara Mohawk right-of-way in the area surveyed. Surface gamma exposure rates were elevated above typical background levels. Four scattered surface soil samples exceeded DOE guideline values for 238 U, and 8 of 13 surface soil samples exceeded DOE guideline values for 226 Ra. The radionuclide distribution in these samples was similar to that found in materials resulting from former processing activities at the Linde site. It is recommended that the property be designated for remedial action by DOE

  10. U.S. Residential Miscellaneous Refrigeration Products: Results from Amazon Mechanical Turk Surveys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greenblatt, Jeffery B.; Young, Scott J.; Yang, Hung-Chia; Long, Timothy; Beraki, Bereket; Price, Sarah K.; Pratt, Stacy; Willem, Henry; Desroches, Louis-Benoit

    2013-11-14

    Amazon Mechanical Turk was used, for the first time, to collect statistically representative survey data from U.S. households on the presence, number, type and usage of refrigerators, freezers, and various “miscellaneous” refrigeration products (wine/beverage coolers, residential icemakers and non-vapor compression refrigerators and freezers), along with household and demographic information. Such products have been poorly studied to date, with almost no information available about shipments, stocks, capacities, energy use, etc. A total of 9,981 clean survey responses were obtained from five distinct surveys deployed in 2012. General refrigeration product survey responses were weighted to demographics in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2009 dataset. Miscellaneous refrigeration product survey responses were weighted according to demographics of product ownership found in the general refrigeration product surveys. Model number matching for a portion of miscellaneous refrigeration product responses allowed validation of refrigeration product characteristics, which enabled more accurate estimates of the penetrations of these products in U.S. households. We estimated that there were 12.3±1.0 million wine/beverage coolers, 5.5(–3.5,+3.2) million residential icemakers and 4.4(–2.7,+2.3) million non-vapor compression refrigerators in U.S. households in 2012. (All numerical results are expressed with ranges indicating the 95% confidence interval.) No evidence was found for the existence of non-vapor compression freezers. Moreover, we found that 15% of wine/beverage coolers used vapor compression cooling technology, while 85% used thermoelectric cooling technology, with the vast majority of thermoelectric units having capacities of less than 30 wine bottles (approximately 3.5 cubic feet). No evidence was found for the existence of wine/beverage coolers with absorption cooling technology. Additionally, we estimated

  11. U.S. Residential Miscellaneous Refrigeration Products: Results from Amazon Mechanical Turk Surveys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greenblatt, Jeffery B. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Young, Scott J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Yang, Hung-Chia [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Long, Timothy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Beraki, Bereket [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Price, Sarah K. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pratt, Stacy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Willem, Henry [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Desroches, Louis-Benoit [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2013-04-01

    Amazon Mechanical Turk was used, for the first time, to collect statistically representative survey data from U.S. households on the presence, number, type and usage of refrigerators, freezers, and various “miscellaneous” refrigeration products (wine/beverage coolers, residential icemakers and non-vapor compression refrigerators and freezers), along with household and demographic information. Such products have been poorly studied to date, with almost no information available about shipments, stocks, capacities, energy use, etc. A total of 9,820 clean survey responses were obtained from four distinct surveys deployed in 2012. General refrigeration product survey responses were weighted to demographics in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2009 dataset. Miscellaneous refrigeration product survey responses were weighted according to demographics of product ownership found in the general refrigeration product surveys. Model number matching for a portion of miscellaneous refrigeration product responses allowed validation of refrigeration product characteristics, which enabled more accurate estimates of the penetrations of these products in U.S. households. We estimated that there were 12.3±1.0 million wine/beverage coolers, 5.5(–3.5,+3.2) million residential icemakers and 2.9(–2.5,+4.5) million non-vapor compression refrigerators in U.S. households in 2012. (All numerical results are expressed with ranges indicating the 95% confidence interval.) No evidence was found for the existence of non-vapor compression freezers. Moreover, we found that 15% of wine/beverage coolers used vapor compression cooling technology, while 85% used thermoelectric cooling technology, with the vast majority of thermoelectric units having capacities of less than 30 wine bottles (approximately 3.5 cubic feet). No evidence was found for the existence of wine/beverage coolers with absorption cooling technology. Additionally, we estimated

  12. Plane and geodetic surveying

    CERN Document Server

    Johnson, Aylmer

    2014-01-01

    IntroductionAim And ScopeClassification Of SurveysThe Structure Of This BookGeneral Principles Of SurveyingErrorsRedundancyStiffnessAdjustmentPlanning And Record KeepingPrincipal Surveying ActivitiesEstablishing Control NetworksMappingSetting OutResectioningDeformation MonitoringAngle MeasurementThe Surveyor's CompassThe ClinometerThe Total StationMaking ObservationsChecks On Permanent AdjustmentsDistance MeasurementGeneralTape MeasurementsOptical Methods (Tachymetry)Electromagnetic Distance Measurement (EDM)Ultrasonic MethodsGNSSLevellingTheoryThe InstrumentTechniqueBookingPermanent Adjustmen

  13. Geothermal survey handbook

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1974-01-01

    The objective of this handbook is to publicize widely the nature of geothermal surveys. It covers geothermal survey planning and measurement as well as measurement of thermal conductivity. Methods for the detection of eruptive areas, the measurement of radiative heat using snowfall, the measurement of surface temperature using infrared radiation and the measurement of thermal flow are described. The book also contains information on physical detection of geothermal reservoirs, the measurement of spring wells, thermographic measurement of surface heat, irregular layer surveying, air thermographics and aerial photography. Isotope measurement techniques are included.

  14. MCNP Techniques for Modeling Sodium Iodide Spectra of Kiwi Surveys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robert B Hayes

    2007-01-01

    This work demonstrates how MCNP can be used to predict the response of mobile search and survey equipment from base principles. The instrumentation evaluated comes from the U.S. Department of Energy's Aerial Measurement Systems. Through reconstructing detector responses to various point-source measurements, detector responses to distributed sources can be estimated through superposition. Use of this methodology for currently deployed systems allows predictive determinations of activity levels and distributions for common configurations of interest. This work helps determine the quality and efficacy of certain surveys in fully characterizing an effected site following a radiological event of national interest

  15. DUst around NEarby Stars. The survey observational results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eiroa, C.; Marshall, J. P.; Mora, A.; Montesinos, B.; Absil, O.; Augereau, J. Ch.; Bayo, A.; Bryden, G.; Danchi, W.; del Burgo, C.; Ertel, S.; Fridlund, M.; Heras, A. M.; Krivov, A. V.; Launhardt, R.; Liseau, R.; Loehne, T.; Maldonado, J.; Pilbratt, G. L.; Roberge, A.; Rodmann, J.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Solano, E.; Stapelfeldt, K.; Thebault, P.; Wolf, S.; Ardila, D.; Arevalo, M.; Beichmann, C.; Faramaz, V.; Gonzalez-Garcia, B. M.; Gutierrez, R.; Lebreton, J.; Martinez-Arnaiz, R.; Meeus, G.; Montes, D.; Olofsson, G.; Su, K. Y. L.; White, G. J.; Barrado, D.; Fukagawa, M.; Gruen, E.; Kamp, I.; Lorente, R.; Morbidelli, A.; Mueller, S.; Mutschke, H.; Nakagawa, T.; Ribas, I.; Walker, H.

    Context. Debris discs are a consequence of the planet formation process and constitute the fingerprints of planetesimal systems. Their solar system counterparts are the asteroid and Edgeworth-Kuiper belts. Aims: The DUNES survey aims at detecting extra-solar analogues to the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt

  16. Results of a survey on accident and safety analysis codes, benchmarks, verification and validation methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, A.G.; Wilkin, G.B.

    1996-03-01

    During the 'Workshop on R and D needs' at the 3rd Meeting of the International Group on Research Reactors (IGORR-III), the participants agreed that it would be useful to compile a survey of the computer codes and nuclear data libraries used in accident and safety analyses for research reactors and the methods various organizations use to verify and validate their codes and libraries. Five organizations, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL, Canada), China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE, People's Republic of China), Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI, Japan), Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL, USA), and Siemens (Germany) responded to the survey. The results of the survey are compiled in this report. (author) 36 refs., 3 tabs

  17. Childhood familial pheochromocytoma. Conflicting results of localization techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turner, M.C.; DeQuattro, V.; Falk, R.; Ansari, A.; Lieberman, E.

    1986-01-01

    Childhood familial pheochromocytoma was investigated in four patients by abdominal computed tomographic scan, [ 131 I]metaiodobenzylguanidine scan, and vena caval catecholamine sampling. Results conflicted with surgical findings. Computed tomographic scan identified all four adrenal tumors but missed two midline tumors in one patient. [ 131 I]metaiodobenzylguanidine scan identified two of three adrenal tumors but also suggested extra-adrenal tumors not confirmed at operation in two of three patients. Vena caval sampling for catecholamines confirmed all adrenal tumors but suggested additional tumors not verified at operation in two of three patients. All patients are asymptomatic and have normal urinary catecholamines 15 to 51 months after operation. Because of the frequency of multiple tumors in familial pheochromocytoma, different diagnostic techniques were employed. False-positive results were more frequent with [ 131 I]metaiodobenzylguanidine and vena caval sampling. Reinterpretation of the [ 131 I]metaiodobenzylguanidine scans at a later date led to less false-positive interpretation, although the false-negative rate remained unchanged. More pediatric experience with [ 131 I]metaiodobenzylguanidine scans and vena caval sampling in familial pheochromocytoma is needed. Confirmation of tumor and its localization rest with meticulous surgical exploration

  18. Efficacy of neurosurgery resident education in the new millennium: the 2008 Council of State Neurosurgical Societies post-residency survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzola, Catherine A; Lobel, Darlene A; Krishnamurthy, Satish; Bloomgarden, Gary M; Benzil, Deborah L

    2010-08-01

    Neurosurgical residency training paradigms have changed in response to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandates and demands for quality patient care. Little has been done to assess resident education from the perspective of readiness to practice. To assess the efficacy of resident training in preparing young neurosurgeons for practice. In response to Resolution V-2007F of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies, a survey was developed for neurosurgeons who applied for oral examination, Part II of the American Board of Neurological Surgery boards, in 2002 through 2007 (N = 800). The survey was constructed in "survey monkey" format and sent to 775 of 800 (97%) neurosurgeons for whom e-mail addresses were available. The response rate was 30% (233/775). Most neurosurgeons were board certified (n = 226, 97%). General neurosurgical training was judged as adequate by a large majority (n = 188, 80%). Sixty-percent chose to pursue at least 1 additional year of fellowship training (n = 138, 60%). Surgical skills training was acceptable, but 6 skill-technique areas were reported to be inadequate (endovascular techniques, neurosurgical treatment of pain, stereotactic radiosurgery, epilepsy surgery, cranial base surgery, and stereotactic neurosurgery). Respondents also noted inadequate education in contract negotiation, practice evaluation, and management. The study suggests that neurosurgeons believed that they were well trained in their surgical skills except for some areas of subspecialization. However, there is a significant need for improvement of resident training in the areas of socioeconomic and medicolegal education. Continued evaluation of the efficacy of neurosurgical education is important.

  19. Restaurant industry preparedness against intentional food contamination: results of a South Carolina survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xirasagar, Sudha; Kanwat, C P; Smith, Lillian U; Li, Yi-Jhen; Sros, Lekhena; Shewchuk, Richard M

    2010-01-01

    Food safety and food defense are both responsibilities of public health agencies. Food safety practices within restaurants are regulated by state and local public health laws based on the US Food and Drug Administration Model Food Code. However, little is known about preemptive practices against intentional food-borne outbreaks within restaurants. The researchers administered a survey to a 50 percent random sample of South Carolina's restaurants, a state that relies heavily on tourism and the restaurant industry for its economic well-being. The survey received a response rate of 15 percent. The food defense practice items fall under three functional categories: employee management and training practices; vendor and delivery-related practices; and physical facilities and operational security practices. This study presents the results, classified by geographic region. Findings indicate some key areas of vulnerability that need attention to protect the public from mass food outbreaks due to intentional contamination. Of concern, there is much variation in practices by geographic region. On the basis of the survey, recommendations are made to improve restaurant preparedness against food-borne outbreaks from terrorism and malevolent contamination.

  20. Results of the 2004 Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) Survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, Shilpen; Jagsi, Reshma; Wilson, John; Frank, Steven; Thakkar, Vipul V.; Hansen, Eric K.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to document adequacy of training, career plans after residency, use of the in-service examination, and motivation for choice of radiation oncology as a specialty. Methods and Materials: In 2004, the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) conducted a nationwide survey of all radiation oncology residents in the United States. Results: The survey was returned by 297 residents (response rate, 54%). Of the respondents, 29% were female and 71% male. The most popular career choice was joining an established private practice (38%), followed by a permanent academic career (29%). Residents for whom a permanent academic career was not their first choice were asked whether improvements in certain areas would have led them to be more likely to pursue an academic career. The most commonly chosen factors that would have had a strong or moderate influence included higher salary (81%), choice of geographic location (76%), faculty encouragement (68%), and less time commitment (68%). Of respondents in the first 3 years of training, 78% believed that they had received adequate training to proceed to the next level of training. Of those in their fourth year of training, 75% believed that they had received adequate training to enter practice. Conclusions: Multiple factors affect the educational environment of physicians in training. Data describing concerns unique to resident physicians in radiation oncology are limited. The current survey was designed to explore a variety of issues confronting radiation oncology residents. Training programs and the Residency Review Committee should consider these results when developing new policies to improve the educational experiences of residents in radiation oncology

  1. Cystoscopic-assisted partial cystectomy: description of technique and results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gofrit ON

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Ofer N Gofrit,1 Amos Shapiro,1 Ran Katz,1 Mordechai Duvdevani,1 Vladimir Yutkin,1 Ezekiel H Landau,1 Kevin C Zorn,2 Guy Hidas,1 Dov Pode1 1Department of Urology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel; 2Department of Surgery, Section of Urology, Montreal, Canada Background: Partial cystectomy provides oncological results comparable with those of radical cystectomy in selected patients with invasive bladder cancer without the morbidity associated with radical cystectomy and urinary diversion. We describe a novel technique of partial cystectomy that allows accurate identification of tumor margins while minimizing damage to the rest of the bladder. Methods: During the study period, 30 patients underwent partial cystectomy for invasive high-grade cancer. In 19 patients, the traditional method of tumor identification was used, ie, identifying the tumor by palpation and cystotomy. In eleven patients, after mobilization of the bladder, flexible cystoscopy was done and the light of the cystoscope was pointed toward one edge of the planned resected ellipse around the tumor, thus avoiding cystotomy. Results: Patients who underwent partial cystectomy using the novel method were similar in all characteristics to patients operated on using the traditional technique except for tumor diameter which was significantly larger in patients operated on using the novel method (4.3±1.5 cm versus 3.11±1.18 cm, P=0.032. Complications were rare in both types of surgery. The 5-year local recurrence-free survival was marginally superior using the novel method (0.8 versus 0.426, P=0.088. Overall, disease-specific and disease-free survival rates were similar. Conclusion: The use of a flexible cystoscope during partial cystectomy is a simple, low-cost maneuver that assists in planning the bladder incision and minimizes injury to the remaining bladder by avoiding the midline cystotomy. Initial oncological results show a trend toward a lower rate of local

  2. Position fixing and surveying techniques for marine archaeological studies

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ganesan, P.

    . This technical report is going to be of great help to marine archaeologists, who wants to know the capabilities of some of the most common available tools for position fixing, their accuracies and method of surveying, which in turn will help in selecting...

  3. Consumer Ethical Decision Making: Intensity, Self-Consciousness and Neutralization Techniques

    OpenAIRE

    Syed Afzal Moshadi Shah; Shehla Amjad

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of moral intensity on self-conscious emotions and neutralization techniques in the context of ethical decision making among consumers. A sample of 388 shopping mall retail consumers was recruited through self-administered survey technique. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, correlation was carried out in SPSS whereas the measurement model and structural relationships were estimated using AMOS. Results indicate ...

  4. Common Core Math in the K-8 Classroom: Results from a National Teacher Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bay-Williams, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) should result in noticeable differences in primary and middle school math classrooms across the United States. "Common Core Math in the K-8 Classroom: Results from a National Teacher Survey" takes a close look at how educators are implementing the…

  5. [Pseudo-continent perineal colostomy. Results and techniques].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasser, P; Dubé, P; Guillot, J M; Elias, D

    1997-09-01

    This prospective study was conducted to assess functional results obtained after pseudo-continent perineal colostomy using the Schmidt procedure. Functional outcome was assessed in 40 patients who had undergone amputation of the rectum for cancer and pseudo-continent perineal colostomy reconstruction between 1989 and 1995 in our institution. The cancer pathology, operative procedure and post-operative care were noted. Morbidity, functional outcome and degree of patient satisfaction were recorded. Mean follow-up was 45 months (18-87) in 100% of the patients. There were no operative deaths. Twenty patients had post-operative complications and 2 patients required early conversion to definitive abdominal colostomy due to severe perineal complications. Function outcome showed normal continence in 4 patients, air incontinence in 23, occasional minimal leakage in 9 and incontinence requiring iliac colostomy in 2. Eighty-six percent of the patients were highly satisfied or satisfied with their continence capacity. Pseudo-continent perineal colostomy is a reliable technique which can be proposed as an alternative to left iliac colostomy after amputation of the rectum for cancer if a rigorous procedure is applied: careful patient selection, informed consent, rigorous surgical procedure, daily life-long irrigation of the colon.

  6. Morphological pyramids in multiresolution MIP rendering of large volume data : Survey and new results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roerdink, J.B.T.M.

    We survey and extend nonlinear signal decompositions based on morphological pyramids, and their application to multiresolution maximum intensity projection (MIP) volume rendering with progressive refinement and perfect reconstruction. The structure of the resulting multiresolution rendering

  7. A survey of numerical cubature over triangles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyness, J.N.; Cools, R.

    1993-12-31

    This survey collects together theoretical results in the area of numerical cubature over triangles and is a vehicle for a current bibliography. We treat first the theory relating to regular integrands and then the corresponding theory for singular integrands with emphasis on the ``full comer singularity.`` Within these two sections we treat successively approaches based on transforming the triangle into a square, formulas based on polynomial moment fitting, and extrapolation techniques. Within each category we quote key theoretical results without proof, and relate other results and references to these. Nearly all the references we have found may be readily placed in one of these categories. This survey is theoretical in character and does not include recent work in adaptive and automatic integration.

  8. Results of the radiological survey at 136 West Central Avenue (MJ030), Maywood, New Jersey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Crutcher, J.W.; Carrier, R.F.; Floyd, L.M.

    1989-02-01

    As a result of the Energy and Water Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 1984, the property discussed in this report and properties in its vicinity contaminated with residues from the former Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) were included as a decontamination research and development project under the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. As part of this project, DOE is conducting radiological surveys in the vicinity of the site to identify properties contaminated with residues derived from the MCW. The principal radionuclide of concern is thorium-232. The radiological survey discussed in this report is part of that effort and was conducted, at the request of DOE by members of the Measurement Applications and Development Group of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A radiological survey of the private, residential property at 136 West Central Avenue, Maywood, New Jersey, was conducted during 1987. The survey and sampling of the ground surface and subsurface were carried out on April 29, 1987

  9. Polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids⋆. III. Results for 33 X-type objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cañada-Assandri, M.; Gil-Hutton, R.; Benavidez, P.

    2012-06-01

    Aims: We present results of a polarimetric survey of main-belt asteroids at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (Casleo), San Juan, Argentina. The aims of this survey are to increase the database of asteroid polarimetry, to estimate diversity in polarimetric properties of asteroids that belong to different taxonomic classes, and to search for objects that exhibit anomalous polarimetric properties. Methods: The data were obtained with the Torino and CASPROF polarimeters at the 2.15 m telescope. The Torino polarimeter is an instrument that allows the simultaneous measurement of polarization in five different bands, and the CASPROF polarimeter is a two-hole aperture polarimeter with rapid modulation. Results: The survey began in 2003, and up to 2009 data of a sample of more than 170 asteroids were obtained. In this paper the results for 33 X-type objects are presented, several of them are being polarimetrically observed for the first time. Using these data we found polarization curves and polarimetric parameters for different groups among this taxonomic class and that there are objects with very different albedo in the sub-classes of the X taxonomic complex. Based on observations carried out at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, operated under agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina and the National Universities of La Plata, Córdoba, and San Juan.Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/542/A11

  10. 2006 B100 Quality Survey Results: Milestone Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alleman, T. L.; McCormick, R. L.; Deutch, S.

    2007-05-01

    In 2006, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory conducted a nationwide quality survey of pure biodiesel (B100) intended to be used as a blendstock. The study collected random samples throughout the United States and analyzed them for quality against the current and proposed ASTM D6751 fuel quality specifications.

  11. New diagnostic technique for Zeeman-compensated atomic beam slowing: technique and results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Molenaar, P.A.; Straten, P. van der; Heideman, H.G.M.; Metcalf, H.

    1997-01-01

    We have developed a new diagnostic tool for the study of Zeeman-compensated slowing of an alkali atomic beam. Our time-of-flight technique measures the longitudinal veloc- ity distribution of the slowed atoms with a resolution below the Doppler limit of 30 cm/s. Furthermore, it can map

  12. Radiological verification survey results at 898 Black Oak Ridge Rd., Wayne, New Jersey (WJ004V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at 898 Black Oak Ridge Road, Wayne, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at one meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at 898 Black Oak Ridge Road were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  13. Radiological verification survey results at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur, Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ008V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains railroad spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur, Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at the Pompton Plains railroad spur were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  14. Conducting Web-based Surveys.

    OpenAIRE

    David J. Solomon

    2001-01-01

    Web-based surveying is becoming widely used in social science and educational research. The Web offers significant advantages over more traditional survey techniques however there are still serious methodological challenges with using this approach. Currently coverage bias or the fact significant numbers of people do not have access, or choose not to use the Internet is of most concern to researchers. Survey researchers also have much to learn concerning the most effective ways to conduct s...

  15. Analysis of the Survey Results About University Students' Perception of Benefits of Supporting E-Learning Education

    OpenAIRE

    Michal Stričík; Monika Čonková

    2017-01-01

    The paper deals with the analysis of the answers to the results of the questionnaire survey on the e-learning system used at the Faculty of Business Economics of the University of Economics in Bratislava with seat in Košice, used at the Faculty in Košice and the workplace in Michalovce. The results of the survey point to the fact that respondents appreciate the use of e-learning form of education compared to its classical form (78 % of respondents) and the possibility of studying at any time ...

  16. Vector Quantization of Harmonic Magnitudes in Speech Coding Applications—A Survey and New Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wai C. Chu

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available A harmonic coder extracts the harmonic components of a signal and represents them efficiently using a few parameters. The principles of harmonic coding have become quite successful and several standardized speech and audio coders are based on it. One of the key issues in harmonic coder design is in the quantization of harmonic magnitudes, where many propositions have appeared in the literature. The objective of this paper is to provide a survey of the various techniques that have appeared in the literature for vector quantization of harmonic magnitudes, with emphasis on those adopted by the major speech coding standards; these include constant magnitude approximation, partial quantization, dimension conversion, and variable-dimension vector quantization (VDVQ. In addition, a refined VDVQ technique is proposed where experimental data are provided to demonstrate its effectiveness.

  17. Timing and technique impact the effectiveness of road-based, mobile acoustic surveys of bats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Acunto, Laura E; Pauli, Benjamin P; Moy, Mikko; Johnson, Kiara; Abu-Omar, Jasmine; Zollner, Patrick A

    2018-03-01

    Mobile acoustic surveys are a common method of surveying bat communities. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies exploring different methods for conducting mobile road surveys of bats. During 2013, we conducted acoustic mobile surveys on three routes in north-central Indiana, U.S.A., using (1) a standard road survey, (2) a road survey where the vehicle stopped for 1 min at every half mile of the survey route (called a "start-stop method"), and (3) a road survey with an individual using a bicycle. Linear mixed models with multiple comparison procedures revealed that when all bat passes were analyzed, using a bike to conduct mobile surveys detected significantly more bat passes per unit time compared to other methods. However, incorporating genus-level comparisons revealed no advantage to using a bike over vehicle-based methods. We also found that survey method had a significant effect when analyses were limited to those bat passes that could be identified to genus, with the start-stop method generally detecting more identifiable passes than the standard protocol or bike survey. Additionally, we found that significantly more identifiable bat passes (particularly those of the Eptesicus and Lasiurus genera) were detected in surveys conducted immediately following sunset. As governing agencies, particularly in North America, implement vehicle-based bat monitoring programs, it is important for researchers to understand how variations on protocols influence the inference that can be gained from different monitoring schemes.

  18. SAGES climate survey: results and strategic planning for our future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Telem, Dana A; Qureshi, Alia; Edwards, Michael; Jones, Daniel B

    2018-03-30

    While SAGES prides itself on diversity and inclusivity, we also recognize that as an organization we are not impervious to blind spots impacting equity within the membership. To address this, the We R Sages task force was formed to identify the barriers and facilitators to creating a diverse organization and develop a strategic plan for the implementation of programing and opportunities that promote diversity and inclusivity within our membership. As the first step in the process, a survey was administered to gauge the current organizational climate. In September of 2017, a validated climate survey was administered to 704 SAGES committee members via SurveyMonkey®. Climate was assessed on: overall SAGES experience, consideration of leaving the organization, mentorship within the organization, resources and opportunities within the organization, and attitudes and experiences within the organization. Additional free text responses were encouraged to generate qualitative themes. The survey response rate was 52.1% (n = 367). Respondent self-identified demographics were: male (73%), white (63%), heterosexual (95.5%), and non-disabled (98%). Average overall satisfaction was 8.1/10. 12.5% of respondents had considered leaving the organization and 74.4% had not identified a formal mentor within the organization. Average agreement with equitable distribution of resources and opportunities was 5.8/10. 93.6% of respondents had not experienced bias within the organization. Overall SAGES has a very positive climate; however, several key issues were identified from the quantitative survey as well as the free text responses. Strategic planning to address issues of membership recruitment, committee engagement, advancement transparency, diversity awareness, leadership development, and formal mentorship are being implemented.

  19. Perception of risks and safety. Results of the November 2001 survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    After having recalled the themes present in the survey on the perception of risks and safety as far as nuclear energy is concerned, this report proposes an analysis of the obtained results. It discusses the current general concerns, the perception of risks (confidence, truth), the perception of technological and natural risks for the environment (hazardous installations, demand for environmental acceptability of installations, disasters), the opinions on nuclear activities (image, actors, control of these activities, possibility of a nuclear accident), and finally the risks associated with radon

  20. Advancing US GHG Inventory by Incorporating Survey Data using Machine-Learning Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsaker, C.; Ogle, S. M.; Breidt, J.

    2017-12-01

    Crop management data are used in the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory that is compiled annually and reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Emissions for carbon stock change and N2O emissions for US agricultural soils are estimated using the USDA National Resources Inventory (NRI). NRI provides basic information on land use and cropping histories, but it does not provide much detail on other management practices. In contrast, the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey collects detailed crop management data that could be used in the GHG Inventory. The survey data were collected from NRI survey locations that are a subset of the NRI every 10 years. Therefore, imputation of the CEAP are needed to represent the management practices across all NRI survey locations both spatially and temporally. Predictive mean matching and an artificial neural network methods have been applied to develop imputation model under a multiple imputation framework. Temporal imputation involves adjusting the imputation model using state-level USDA Agricultural Resource Management Survey data. Distributional and predictive accuracy is assessed for the imputed data, providing not only management data needed for the inventory but also rigorous estimates of uncertainty.

  1. Application of spectroscopic techniques for the study of paper documents: A survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manso, M.; Carvalho, M.L.

    2009-01-01

    For many centuries paper was the main material for recording cultural achievements all over the world. Paper is mostly made from cellulose with small amounts of organic and inorganic additives, which allow its identification and characterization and may also contribute to its degradation. Prior to 1850, paper was made entirely from rags, using hemp, flax and cotton fibres. After this period, due to the enormous increase in demand, wood pulp began to be commonly used as raw material, resulting in rapid degradation of paper. Spectroscopic techniques represent one of the most powerful tools to investigate the constituents of paper documents in order to establish its identification and its state of degradation. This review describes the application of selected spectroscopic techniques used for paper characterization and conservation. The spectroscopic techniques that have been used and will be reviewed include: Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, X-Ray spectroscopy, Laser-based Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Mass Spectroscopy, Laser ablation, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

  2. Does technique matter; a pilot study exploring weighting techniques for a multi-criteria decision support framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Til, Janine; Groothuis-Oudshoorn, Catharina; Lieferink, Marijke; Dolan, James; Goetghebeur, Mireille

    2014-01-01

    There is an increased interest in the use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to support regulatory and reimbursement decision making. The EVIDEM framework was developed to provide pragmatic multi-criteria decision support in health care, to estimate the value of healthcare interventions, and to aid in priority-setting. The objectives of this study were to test 1) the influence of different weighting techniques on the overall outcome of an MCDA exercise, 2) the discriminative power in weighting different criteria of such techniques, and 3) whether different techniques result in similar weights in weighting the criteria set proposed by the EVIDEM framework. A sample of 60 Dutch and Canadian students participated in the study. Each student used an online survey to provide weights for 14 criteria with two different techniques: a five-point rating scale and one of the following techniques selected randomly: ranking, point allocation, pairwise comparison and best worst scaling. The results of this study indicate that there is no effect of differences in weights on value estimates at the group level. On an individual level, considerable differences in criteria weights and rank order occur as a result of the weight elicitation method used, and the ability of different techniques to discriminate in criteria importance. Of the five techniques tested, the pair-wise comparison of criteria has the highest ability to discriminate in weights when fourteen criteria are compared. When weights are intended to support group decisions, the choice of elicitation technique has negligible impact on criteria weights and the overall value of an innovation. However, when weights are used to support individual decisions, the choice of elicitation technique influences outcome and studies that use dissimilar techniques cannot be easily compared. Weight elicitation through pairwise comparison of criteria is preferred when taking into account its superior ability to discriminate between

  3. Consumer Ethical Decision Making: Intensity, Self-Consciousness and Neutralization Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Afzal Moshadi Shah

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of moral intensity on self-conscious emotions and neutralization techniques in the context of ethical decision making among consumers. A sample of 388 shopping mall retail consumers was recruited through self-administered survey technique. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, correlation was carried out in SPSS whereas the measurement model and structural relationships were estimated using AMOS. Results indicate that moral intensity positively influences consumer’s self-consciousness, neutralization techniques and behavioural intention. Self-consciousness negatively influence consumer’s defence mechanism i.e. neutralization techniques. Neither self-consciousness nor neutralization techniques is found to have an impact on consumers’ behavioural intention. Only self-consciousness is found to complementary mediate the relationship of moral intensity and neutralization. The limitations associated with field survey and crosssectional research design are inevitable. The study offers some relevant practical implications for government, marketing professionals and academia. The study is among the pioneer studies that theoretically links and empirically examines Issue Contingent Model, theory of neutralization and self-consciousness. The study develops and tested an Urdu language version of the questionnaire for retail consumers.

  4. The Northeastern area's objectives and beliefs responses regarding forests and grasslands: 2004 survey results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lori B. Shelby; Deborah J. Shields; Michael D. Miller; Donna L. Lybecker; Brian M. Kent; Vesna Bashovska

    2009-01-01

    The USDA Forest Service revises its Strategic Plan according to the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act. The goals and objectives included in the Strategic Plan are developed from natural resource trend data (Forest and Rangeland Renewable Planning Act) and from public input such as the results from this telephone survey. The purpose of this report is to...

  5. Correlation Results for a Mass Loaded Vehicle Panel Test Article Finite Element Models and Modal Survey Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maasha, Rumaasha; Towner, Robert L.

    2012-01-01

    High-fidelity Finite Element Models (FEMs) were developed to support a recent test program at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The FEMs correspond to test articles used for a series of acoustic tests. Modal survey tests were used to validate the FEMs for five acoustic tests (a bare panel and four different mass-loaded panel configurations). An additional modal survey test was performed on the empty test fixture (orthogrid panel mounting fixture, between the reverb and anechoic chambers). Modal survey tests were used to test-validate the dynamic characteristics of FEMs used for acoustic test excitation. Modal survey testing and subsequent model correlation has validated the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the FEMs. The modal survey test results provide a basis for the analysis models used for acoustic loading response test and analysis comparisons

  6. Programmatic Variation in Home Hemodialysis in Canada: Results from a Nationwide Survey of Practice Patterns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert P Pauly

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Over 40% of patients with end stage renal disease in the United States were treated with home hemodialysis (HHD in the early 1970's. However, this number declined rapidly over the ensuing decades so that the overwhelming majority of patients were treated in-centre 3 times per week on a 3–4 hour schedule. Poor outcomes for patients treated in this fashion led to a renewed interest in home hemodialysis, with more intensive dialysis schedules including short daily (SDHD and nocturnal (NHD. The relative infancy of these treatment schedules means that there is a paucity of data on ‘how to do it’. Objective: We undertook a systematic survey of home hemodialysis programs in Canada to describe current practice patterns. Design: Development and deployment of a qualitative survey instrument. Setting: Community and academic HHD programs in Canada. Participants: Physicians, nurses and technologists. Measurements: Programmatic approaches to patient selection, delivery of dialysis, human resources available, and follow up. Methods: We developed the survey instrument in three phases. A focus group of Canadian nephrologists with expertise in NHD or SDHD discussed the scope the study and wrote questions on 11 domains. Three nephrologists familiar with all aspects of HHD delivery reviewed this for content validity, followed by further feedback from the whole group. Multidisciplinary teams at three sites pretested the survey and further suggestions were incorporated. In July 2010 we distributed the survey electronically to all renal programs known to offer HHD according to the Canadian Organ Replacement Registry. We compiled the survey results using qualitative and quantitative methods, as appropriate. Results: Of the academic and community programs that were invited to participate, 80% and 63%, respectively, completed the survey. We observed wide variation in programmatic approaches to patient recruitment, human resources, equipment, water

  7. Interpreting results of cluster surveys in emergency settings: is the LQAS test the best option?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilukha, Oleg O; Blanton, Curtis

    2008-12-09

    Cluster surveys are commonly used in humanitarian emergencies to measure health and nutrition indicators. Deitchler et al. have proposed to use Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) hypothesis testing in cluster surveys to classify the prevalence of global acute malnutrition as exceeding or not exceeding the pre-established thresholds. Field practitioners and decision-makers must clearly understand the meaning and implications of using this test in interpreting survey results to make programmatic decisions. We demonstrate that the LQAS test--as proposed by Deitchler et al.--is prone to producing false-positive results and thus is likely to suggest interventions in situations where interventions may not be needed. As an alternative, to provide more useful information for decision-making, we suggest reporting the probability of an indicator's exceeding the threshold as a direct measure of "risk". Such probability can be easily determined in field settings by using a simple spreadsheet calculator. The "risk" of exceeding the threshold can then be considered in the context of other aggravating and protective factors to make informed programmatic decisions.

  8. Interpreting results of cluster surveys in emergency settings: is the LQAS test the best option?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blanton Curtis

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Cluster surveys are commonly used in humanitarian emergencies to measure health and nutrition indicators. Deitchler et al. have proposed to use Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS hypothesis testing in cluster surveys to classify the prevalence of global acute malnutrition as exceeding or not exceeding the pre-established thresholds. Field practitioners and decision-makers must clearly understand the meaning and implications of using this test in interpreting survey results to make programmatic decisions. We demonstrate that the LQAS test–as proposed by Deitchler et al. – is prone to producing false-positive results and thus is likely to suggest interventions in situations where interventions may not be needed. As an alternative, to provide more useful information for decision-making, we suggest reporting the probability of an indicator's exceeding the threshold as a direct measure of "risk". Such probability can be easily determined in field settings by using a simple spreadsheet calculator. The "risk" of exceeding the threshold can then be considered in the context of other aggravating and protective factors to make informed programmatic decisions.

  9. The Forest Service Safety Survey: results from an employee-wide safety attitude survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanessa R. Lane; Ken Cordell; Stanley J. Zarnoch; Gary T. Green; Neelam Poudyal; Susan Fox

    2014-01-01

    The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a Safety Journey in 2011 aimed at elevating safety consciousness and practice in the Agency. All employees were required to attend an engagement session during the year to introduce them to the Safety Journey. In September, a survey was launched to help Forest Service leadership better understand employee...

  10. Web survey methodology

    CERN Document Server

    Callegaro, Mario; Vehovar, Asja

    2015-01-01

    Web Survey Methodology guides the reader through the past fifteen years of research in web survey methodology. It both provides practical guidance on the latest techniques for collecting valid and reliable data and offers a comprehensive overview of research issues. Core topics from preparation to questionnaire design, recruitment testing to analysis and survey software are all covered in a systematic and insightful way. The reader will be exposed to key concepts and key findings in the literature, covering measurement, non-response, adjustments, paradata, and cost issues. The book also discusses the hottest research topics in survey research today, such as internet panels, virtual interviewing, mobile surveys and the integration with passive measurements, e-social sciences, mixed modes and business intelligence. The book is intended for students, practitioners, and researchers in fields such as survey and market research, psychological research, official statistics and customer satisfaction research.

  11. Radiological characterization survey results for Gaskill Hall, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (OXO015)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kleinhans, K.R.; Murray, M.E.; Carrier, R.F.

    1996-04-01

    Between October 1952 and February 1957, National Lead of Ohio (NLO), a primary contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), subcontracted certain uranium machining operations to Alba Craft Laboratory, Incorporated, located at 10-14 West Rose Avenue, Oxford, Ohio. In 1992, personnel from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) confirmed the presence of residual radioactive materials from the AEC-related operations in and around the facility in amounts exceeding the applicable Department of Energy (DOE) guidelines. Although the amount of uranium found on the property posed little health hazard if left undisturbed, the levels were sufficient to require remediation to bring radiological conditions into compliance with current guidelines, thus ensuring that the public and the environment are protected. Because it was suspected that uranium may have been used in the past in the immediate vicinity of Alba Craft in a Miami University building a team from ORNL, performed a radiological characterization survey of that structure in January 1994. The survey was conducted at the request of DOE as a precautionary measure to ensure that no radioactive residuals were present at levels exceeding guidelines. The survey included the determination of directly measured radiation levels and the collection of smear samples to detect possible removable alpha and beta-gamma activity levels, and comparison of these data to the guidelines. Results of the survey showed that all measurements were below the applicable guideline limits set by DOE

  12. Australian survey on current practices for breast radiotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dundas, Kylie L; Pogson, Elise M; Batumalai, Vikneswary; Boxer, Miriam M; Yap, Mei Ling; Delaney, Geoff P; Metcalfe, Peter; Holloway, Lois

    2015-12-01

    Detailed, published surveys specific to Australian breast radiotherapy practice were last conducted in 2002. More recent international surveys specific to breast radiotherapy practice include a European survey conducted in 2008/2009 and a Spanish survey conducted in 2009. Radiotherapy techniques continue to evolve, and the utilisation of new techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), is increasing. This survey aimed to determine current breast radiotherapy practices across Australia. An online survey was completed by 50 of the 69 Australian radiation therapy treatment centres. Supine tangential beam whole breast irradiation remains the standard of care for breast radiotherapy in Australia. A growing number of institutions are exploring prone positioning and IMRT utilisation. This survey demonstrated a wide variation in the benchmarks used to limit and report organ at risk doses, prescribed dose regimen, and post-mastectomy bolus practices. This survey also indicated, when compared with international literature, that there may be less interest in or uptake of external beam partial breast irradiation, prone positioning, simultaneous integrated boost and breath hold techniques. These are areas where further review and research may be warranted to ensure Australian patients are receiving the best care possible based on the best evidence available. This survey provides insight into the current radiotherapy practice for breast cancer in Australia. © 2015 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

  13. Evaluation Use: Results from a Survey of U.S. American Evaluation Association Members

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleischer, Dreolin N.; Christie, Christina A.

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a cross-sectional survey on evaluation use completed by 1,140 U.S. American Evaluation Association members. This study had three foci: evaluators' current attitudes, perceptions, and experiences related to evaluation use theory and practice, how these data are similar to those reported in a previous study…

  14. Evolution of cluster X-ray luminosities and radii: Results from the 160 square degree rosat survey

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vikhlinin, A.; McNamara, B.R.; Forman, W.

    1998-01-01

    We searched for cluster X-ray luminosity and radius evolution using our sample of 203 galaxy clusters detected in the 160 deg(2) survey with the ROSAT PSPC (Vikhlinin et al.). With such a large area survey, it is possible, for the first time with ROSAT, to test the evolution of luminous clusters, L......-X > 3 x 10(44) ergs s(-1) in the 0.5-2 keV band. We detect a factor of 3-4 deficit of such luminous clusters at z > 0.3 compared with the present. The evolution is much weaker or absent at modestly lower luminosities, (1-3) x 10(44) ergs s(-1). At still lower luminosities, we find no evolution from...... the analysis of the log N-log S relation. The results in the two upper L, bins are in agreement with the Einstein Extended Medium-Sensitivity Survey evolution result (Gioia et al.; Henry ct al.), which was obtained using a completely independent cluster sample. The low-L-X results are in agreement with other...

  15. THE TAOS PROJECT: RESULTS FROM SEVEN YEARS OF SURVEY DATA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Z.-W.; Lehner, M. J.; Wang, J.-H.; Wen, C.-Y.; Wang, S.-Y.; King, S.-K.; Cook, K. H.; Lee, T. [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica. 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building, National Taiwan University. No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Granados, A. P. [Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 106, Ensenada, Baja California 22800 (Mexico); Alcock, C.; Protopapas, P. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Axelrod, T. [Steward Observatory, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Room No. 204, Tucson AZ 85721 (United States); Bianco, F. B. [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Byun, Y.-I. [Department of Astronomy and University Observatory, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Chen, W. P. [Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, No. 300, Jhongda Road, Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 320, Taiwan (China); Coehlo, N. K. [Department of Statistics, University of California Berkeley, 367 Evans Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); De Pater, I. [Department of Astronomy, University of California Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Kim, D.-W. [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Lissauer, J. J. [Space Science and Astrobiology Division 245-3, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Marshall, S. L., E-mail: zwzhang@asiaa.sinica.edu.tw [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, 2575 Sand Hill Road, MS 29, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); and others

    2013-07-01

    The Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS) aims to detect serendipitous occultations of stars by small ({approx}1 km diameter) objects in the Kuiper Belt and beyond. Such events are very rare (<10{sup -3} events per star per year) and short in duration ({approx}200 ms), so many stars must be monitored at a high readout cadence. TAOS monitors typically {approx}500 stars simultaneously at a 5 Hz readout cadence with four telescopes located at Lulin Observatory in central Taiwan. In this paper, we report the results of the search for small Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) in seven years of data. No occultation events were found, resulting in a 95% c.l. upper limit on the slope of the faint end of the KBO size distribution of q = 3.34-3.82, depending on the surface density at the break in the size distribution at a diameter of about 90 km.

  16. INTEGRATED SURVEY FOR ARCHITECTURAL RESTORATION: A METHODOLOGICAL COMPARISON OF TWO CASE STUDIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Bianchi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available A preliminary survey campaign is essential in projects of restoration, urban renewal, rebuilding or promotion of architectural heritage. Today several survey techniques allow full 3D object restitution and modelling that provides a richer description than simple 2D representations. However, the amount of data to collect increases dramatically and a trade-off between efficiency and productivity from one side and assuring accuracy and completeness of the results on the other must be found. Depending on the extent and the complexity of the task, a single technique or a combination of several ones might be employed. Especially when documentation at different scales and with different levels of detail are foreseen, the latter will likely be necessary. The paper describes two architectural surveys in Italy: the old village of Navelli (AQ, affected by the earthquake in 2009, and the two most relevant remains in Codiponte (MS, damaged by the earthquake in 2013, both in the context of a project of restoration and conservation. In both sites, a 3D survey was necessary to represent effectively the objects. An integrated survey campaign was performed in both cases, which consists of a GPS network as support for georeferencing, an aerial survey and a field survey made by laser scanner and close range photogrammetry. The two case studies, thanks to their peculiarities, can be taken as exemplar to wonder if the integration of different surveying techniques is today still mandatory or, considering the technical advances of each technology, it is in fact just optional.

  17. A Survey of Librarian Perceptions of Information Literacy Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yearwood, Simone L.; Foasberg, Nancy M.; Rosenberg, Kenneth D.

    2015-01-01

    Teaching research competencies and information literacy is an integral part of the academic librarian's role. There has long been debate among librarians over what are the most effective methods of instruction for college students. Library Faculty members at a large urban university system were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the…

  18. Solving conformal contacts using multi-Hertzian techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascal, Jean-Pierre; Soua, Brahim

    2016-06-01

    Recently, publications aiming at wheel-rail contact surveys let readers think that multi-Hertzian methods present severe drawbacks with respect to 'virtual penetration' methods. These surveys criticise multi-Hertzian solutions mainly because presenting 'larger contacts overlaps' and 'frequent secondary contacts near the border of the first contact', both obvious geometric possibilities of which the practical occurrence and eventual inconvenience would remain purely theoretical unless established over definite methods demonstrating poor practical results. Recent surveys all quote Piotrowski-Chollet 2005 survey of wheel-rail contact models that attempted to illustrate defective multi-Hertzian techniques by concentrating on the method initiated by Sauvage in the 1990s and further developed by Pascal. The 2005 paper not only gives no evidence of practical inconveniences of Sauvage's method but also confuses static geometric contact overlaps with the dynamical overlapping of forces. In reality it mixes Sauvage method up with a quite different technique. Thus a clarification is now necessary by reminding what the proper Sauvage technique really is and by showing some of its practical successful applications. The present paper, focusing on determination of normal contact forces in conformal situations, intends to explain clearly the advantages of the unequivocal localisation of secondary ellipses in that multi-Hertzian method which has been developed in INRETS VOCO codes in the 1990s and successfully used by SNCF and ALSTOM in the INRETS-SNCF code, VOCODYM, and later in Pascal's online calculation of railway elastic contacts code. It proved its effectiveness for studying freight wagons derailments as well as rail wear and head-check, unrounded wheels wear, high-speed lines' deformations or TGV comfort. While simulating American ACELA trainsets' behaviour on the US North-East Corridor tracks, prior to actual tests, as part of the commercial contract. It has been also a

  19. The Brightest of Reionizing Galaxies Survey: Design and Preliminary Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trenti, M.; Bradley, L. D.; Stiavelli, M.; Oesch, P.; Treu, T.; Bouwens, R. J.; Shull, J. M.; MacKenty, J. W.; Carollo, C. M.; Illingworth, G. D.

    2011-02-01

    We present the first results on the search for very bright (M AB ≈ -21) galaxies at redshift z ~ 8 from the Brightest of Reionizing Galaxies (BoRG) survey. BoRG is a Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) pure-parallel survey that is obtaining images on random lines of sight at high Galactic latitudes in four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, and F160W), with integration times optimized to identify galaxies at z >~ 7.5 as F098M dropouts. We discuss here results from a search area of approximately 130 arcmin2 over 23 BoRG fields, complemented by six other pure-parallel WFC3 fields with similar filters. This new search area is more than two times wider than previous WFC3 observations at z ~ 8. We identify four F098M-dropout candidates with high statistical confidence (detected at greater than 8σ confidence in F125W). These sources are among the brightest candidates currently known at z ~ 8 and approximately 10 times brighter than the z = 8.56 galaxy UDFy-38135539. They thus represent ideal targets for spectroscopic follow-up observations and could potentially lead to a redshift record, as our color selection includes objects up to z ~ 9. However, the expected contamination rate of our sample is about 30% higher than typical searches for dropout galaxies in legacy fields, such as the GOODS and HUDF, where deeper data and additional optical filters are available to reject contaminants. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with Programs 11700, 11702.

  20. Consumer attitudes on cough and cold: US (ACHOO) survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blaiss, M S; Dicpinigaitis, P V; Eccles, R; Wingertzahn, M A

    2015-08-01

    The Attitudes of Consumers Toward Health, Cough, and Cold (ACHOO) survey was developed to better inform health care providers on the natural history and impact of common cold and cough, and related consumer experience and behaviors. Randomly selected US Internet/mobile device users were invited to participate in an online survey (N = 3333) in October 2012. Response quotas modeled upon 2010 US Census data ensured a demographically representative sample. To reduce potential bias from the quota design, 75% of the completed surveys were randomly selected as the primary analysis pool. Survey questions assessed participant demographics, frequency and duration of cough/cold symptoms, impact of symptoms on daily life, treatment preferences, and knowledge about cough/cold pathophysiology. In the past year, 84.6% of respondents had experienced at least one cold. Colds typically started with sore/scratchy throat (39.2%), nasal congestion (9.8%), and runny nose (9.3%) and lasted 3-7 days. Cough, the most common cold symptom (73.1%), had a delayed onset (typically 1-5 days after cold onset) and a long duration (>6 days in 35.2%). Nasal congestion and cough were the most bothersome symptoms. Many respondents waited until symptoms were 'bad enough' (42.6%) or multiple symptoms were present (20.2%) before using nonprescription medications. Drivers of choice included effectiveness in relieving symptoms, safety, and past experience. Respondents rarely consulted clinicians regarding treatment, and more than three-quarters had never received instructions from a clinician on how to choose a nonprescription cough/cold medication. Misperceptions regarding etiology and treatment of the common cold were prevalent. The main limitation is potential recall bias, since respondents had to recall cough/cold episodes over the prior year. The ACHOO survey confirms that cold is a common, bothersome experience and that there are gaps in consumers' knowledge of pathophysiology and appropriate

  1. Work site stress management: national survey results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fielding, J E

    1989-12-01

    The National Survey of Work Site Health Promotion Activities established baseline data on the frequency of nine types of health promotion activity at private work sites with more than 50 employees in the United States. Stress management activities were provided at 26.6% of work sites. Types of activities at those work sites with some stress management activity included group counseling (58.5%), individual counseling (39.3%), follow-up counseling (25.9%), special events (11.5%), providing information about stress (80.7%), providing a place to relax (64.8%), and making organizational changes to reduce employee stress (81.2%). Frequency of activities varied by industry type and by region of the country. Incidence of most types of activities did not increase as work site size increased, although the likelihood of having any of these activities did increase with work site size. Stress management activities were more likely to be present at work sites with a medical staff or health educator. An increase in output, productivity, or quality was the most frequently cited benefit (46.5%). Negative effects were reported at 2.6% of the work sites. Other health promotion activities found at the work sites surveyed included smoking cessation (61.8%), treatment and control of high blood pressure (36.7%), and weight control (34.7%). Employee Assistance Programs were responsible for stress management at 62% of the work sites with an Employee Assistance Program.

  2. Mass spectrometry. [review of techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burlingame, A. L.; Kimble, B. J.; Derrick, P. J.

    1976-01-01

    Advances in mass spectrometry (MS) and its applications over the past decade are reviewed in depth, with annotated literature references. New instrumentation and techniques surveyed include: modulated-beam MS, chromatographic MS on-line computer techniques, digital computer-compatible quadrupole MS, selected ion monitoring (mass fragmentography), and computer-aided management of MS data and interpretation. Areas of application surveyed include: organic MS and electron impact MS, field ionization kinetics, appearance potentials, translational energy release, studies of metastable species, photoionization, calculations of molecular orbitals, chemical kinetics, field desorption MS, high pressure MS, ion cyclotron resonance, biochemistry, medical/clinical chemistry, pharmacology, and environmental chemistry and pollution studies.

  3. Drug resistance in Mexico: results from the National Survey on Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bojorquez-Chapela, I; Bäcker, C E; Orejel, I; López, A; Díaz-Quiñonez, A; Hernández-Serrato, M I; Balandrano, S; Romero, M; Téllez-Rojo Solís, M M; Castellanos, M; Alpuche, C; Hernández-Ávila, M; López-Gatell, H

    2013-04-01

    To present estimations obtained from a population-level survey conducted in Mexico of prevalence rates of mono-, poly- and multidrug-resistant strains among newly diagnosed cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), as well as the main factors associated with multidrug resistance (combined resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin). Study data came from the National Survey on TB Drug Resistance (ENTB-2008), a nationally representative survey conducted during 2008-2009 in nine states with a stratified cluster sampling design. Samples were obtained for all newly diagnosed cases of pulmonary TB in selected sites. Drug susceptibility testing (DST) was performed for anti-tuberculosis drugs. DST results were obtained for 75% of the cases. Of these, 82.2% (95%CI 79.5-84.7) were susceptible to all drugs. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) was estimated at 2.8% (95%CI 1.9-4.0). MDR-TB was associated with previous treatment (OR 3.3, 95%CI 1.1-9.4). The prevalence of drug resistance is relatively low in Mexico. ENTB-2008 can be used as a baseline for future follow-up of drug resistance.

  4. Computational needs survey of NASA automation and robotics missions. Volume 1: Survey and results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Gloria J.

    1991-01-01

    NASA's operational use of advanced processor technology in space systems lags behind its commercial development by more than eight years. One of the factors contributing to this is that mission computing requirements are frequently unknown, unstated, misrepresented, or simply not available in a timely manner. NASA must provide clear common requirements to make better use of available technology, to cut development lead time on deployable architectures, and to increase the utilization of new technology. A preliminary set of advanced mission computational processing requirements of automation and robotics (A&R) systems are provided for use by NASA, industry, and academic communities. These results were obtained in an assessment of the computational needs of current projects throughout NASA. The high percent of responses indicated a general need for enhanced computational capabilities beyond the currently available 80386 and 68020 processor technology. Because of the need for faster processors and more memory, 90 percent of the polled automation projects have reduced or will reduce the scope of their implementation capabilities. The requirements are presented with respect to their targeted environment, identifying the applications required, system performance levels necessary to support them, and the degree to which they are met with typical programmatic constraints. Volume one includes the survey and results. Volume two contains the appendixes.

  5. The Hannibal Community Survey; A Case Study in a Community Development Technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croll, John A.

    Disturbed by the community's negative attitude toward its prospects for progress, the Hannibal (Missouri) Chamber of Commerce initiated a community self-survey to improve the situation. The questionnaire survey concentrated on felt needs relationg to city government, retail facilities and services, recreation, religion, education, industrial…

  6. [Internet Use by Oncology Outpatients: Results of a Survey in Germany].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Uirassu; Riese, Christoph; Baumann, Walter

    2017-05-15

    Objective Internet has become an important source of information for cancer patients regarding disease and treatment. A national survey was conducted to assess the importance of Internet in the routine care of cancer patients in Germany. Method The cross-sectional survey included 5,984 outpatients (56.7% female, M=64.3 years, SD=12). 3 groups were identified: Internet users, non-users whose families/friends did online research for them, and "complete" non-users. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and group comparisons. Results 1 patient in 2 used the Internet to research health-related information. Internet users considered this research to be helpful, felt better able to participate in health-related decisions, and less alone with their disease. However, the information found online contributed to a feeling of uncertainty. 72.5% of Internet users researched treatment options and 21.3% talked to their doctor about their research. Conclusion The Internet was shown to be an important source of information for cancer patients. For patients to be able to use Internet research meaningfully, it could be helpful that they receive support from their oncologist. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  7. The internal medicine clerkship and ambulatory learning experiences: results of the 2010 clerkship directors in internal medicine survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaheen, Amy; Papp, Klara K; Torre, Dario

    2013-01-01

    Education in the ambulatory setting should be an integral part of undergraduate medical education. However, previous studies have shown education in this setting has been lacking in medical school. Ambulatory education occurs on some internal medicine clerkships. The extent of this education is unclear. The purpose of this survey was to assess the structure, curriculum, assessment methods, and barriers to implementation of ambulatory education on the internal medicine clerkship. An annual survey of institutional members of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) was done in April 2010. The data were anonymous and descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses. Free text results were analyzed using qualitative techniques. The response rate was 75%. The majority of respondents had a required ambulatory component to the clerkship. Ambulatory experiences distinct from the inpatient internal medicine experience were common (46%). Integration with either the inpatient experiences or other departmental clerkships also occurred. The majority of ambulatory educational experiences were with generalists (74%) and/or subspecialists (45%). The most common assessment tool was the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) ambulatory shelf exam. Thematic analysis of the question about how practice based learning was taught elicited four major themes: Not taught; taught in the context of learning evidence based medicine; taught while learning chronic disease management with quality improvement; taught while learning about health care finance. Barriers to implementation included lack of faculty and financial resources. There have been significant increases in the amount of time dedicated to ambulatory internal medicine. The numbers of medical schools with ambulatory internal medicine education has increased. Integration of the ambulatory experiences with other clerkships such as family medicine occurs. Curriculum was varied but difficulties with dissemination

  8. A journal cancellation survey and resulting impact on interlibrary loan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nash, Jacob L; McElfresh, Karen R

    2016-10-01

    The research describes an extensible method of evaluating and cancelling electronic journals during a budget shortfall and evaluates implications for interlibrary loan (ILL) and user satisfaction. We calculated cost per use for cancellable electronic journal subscriptions (n=533) from the 2013 calendar year and the first half of 2014, cancelling titles with cost per use greater than $20 and less than 100 yearly uses. For remaining titles, we issued an online survey asking respondents to rank the importance of journals to their work. Finally, we gathered ILL requests and COUNTER JR2 turnaway reports for calendar year 2015. Three hundred fifty-four respondents completed the survey. Because of the level of heterogeneity of titles in the survey as well as respondents' backgrounds, most titles were reported to be never used. We developed criteria based on average response across journals to determine which to cancel. Based on this methodology, we cancelled eight journals. Examination of ILL data revealed that none of the cancelled titles were requested with any frequency. Free-text responses indicated, however, that many value free ILL as a suitable substitute for immediate full-text access to biomedical journal literature. Soliciting user feedback through an electronic survey can assist collections librarians to make electronic journal cancellation decisions during slim budgetary years. This methodology can be adapted and improved upon at other health sciences libraries.

  9. Results of the radiological survey of the Excelsior Steel Ball Company, Tonawanda, New York (TNY005)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKenzie, S.P.; Brown, K.S.

    1998-07-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted two radiological surveys of property belonging to the Excelsior Steel Ball Company, which is surrounded on three sides by the former site of the Linde Uranium Refinery, Tonawanda, New York. The surveys were performed in September 1997 and February 1998. The purpose of the first survey was to determine if radioactive residuals were present from previous activities at the former Linde site. The Linde Air Products Division of Union Carbide Corporation, Tonawanda, New York, had used radioactive materials at that location for work performed under government contract from 1942 through 1948. The purpose of the second survey was to collect additional biased samples from an area of the site where biased sample results showed slightly elevated levels of thorium-232

  10. Development of urologic laparoscopy in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: a survey among urologists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imkamp, Florian; Herrmann, Thomas R W; Stolzenburg, Jens U; Rassweiler, Jens; Sulser, Tullio; Zimmermann, Uwe; Dziuba, Sebastian; Kuczyk, Markus A; Burchardt, Martin

    2014-12-01

    Laparoscopy introduction has dramatically changed urology. Novel techniques, such as laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) and natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), might also have substantial influence. This 2012 survey evaluated present laparoscopy use, its appraisal among urologic surgeons, laparoscopy training, and use of new techniques. Results were compared to the previous surveys, demonstrating the 10-year development of laparoscopy. A detailed questionnaire regarding demographic data, laparoscopy use, attitudes concerning laparoscopy, and novel techniques was send to 424 departments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Procedures performed in 25 indications were quantitatively evaluated. The response rate was 63 % (269). Eighty-six percent of the respondents reported performing laparoscopy, compared to 54 % in 2002. Only 16 % expected economic advantages with laparoscopy, whereas 67 % expected shorter hospitalization. Seventy percent of responders anticipated comparable functional and oncological results between laparoscopic procedures and open surgery. Slow learning curves (81 %) and insufficient training facilities (32 %) were reported to impair laparoscopic surgery. On average, laparoscopic and non-laparoscopic surgical teams consisted of 2.5 and 3.5 members, respectively. LESS procedures were performed at 15 % of institutions. Twenty-two percent of respondents considered NOTES techniques valuable for future urology. Few indications (laparoscopic prostatectomies or nephrectomies) were performed frequently in specialized centers, and the rapidly increasing procedure numbers observed between 2002 and 2007 had dropped to a mild accretion. The results demonstrate broad acceptance of laparoscopy in German urologic surgery, depict the need for structured training facilities, and indicate limited impact of novel techniques (LESS and NOTES). The survey demonstrates the 10-year development of urologic laparoscopy and the broad acceptance

  11. Comparing online and telephone survey results in the context of a skin cancer prevention campaign evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollier, L P; Pettigrew, S; Slevin, T; Strickland, M; Minto, C

    2017-03-01

    A large proportion of health promotion campaign evaluation research has historically been conducted via telephone surveys. However, there are concerns about the continued viability of this form of surveying in providing relevant and representative data. Online surveys are an increasingly popular alternative, and as such there is a need to assess the comparability between data collected using the two different methods to determine the implications for longitudinal comparisons. The present study compared these survey modes in the context of health promotion evaluation research. Data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviewing and an online panel. In total, 688 and 606 respondents aged between 14 and 45 years completed the online and telephone surveys, respectively. Online respondents demonstrated higher awareness of the advertisement, rated the advertisement as more personally relevant and had better behavioural outcomes compared with the telephone respondents. The results indicate significant differences between the telephone and online surveys on most measures used to assess the effectiveness of a health promotion advertising campaign. Health promotion practitioners could consider the combination of both methods to overcome the deterioration in telephone survey response rates and the likely differences in respondent outcomes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. The NuSTAR Extragalactic Surveys: Initial Results and Catalog from the Extended Chandra Deep Field South

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mullaney, J. R.; Del-Moro, A.; Aird, J.

    2015-01-01

    We present the initial results and the source catalog from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (hereafter, ECDFS)—currently the deepest contiguous component of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey program. The survey covers the full ≈30......V fluxes) span the range L10 40 keV (0.7 300) 10 erg s» - ´ 43 1 -- ,sampling below the “knee” of the X-ray luminosity function out to z ~ 0.8-1. Finally, we identify oneNuSTAR source that has neither a Chandra nor an XMM-Newton counterpart, but that shows evidence of nuclearactivity at infrared...

  13. Technique and results of femoral bifurcation endarterectomy by eversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufranc, Julie; Palcau, Laura; Heyndrickx, Maxime; Gouicem, Djelloul; Coffin, Olivier; Felisaz, Aurélien; Berger, Ludovic

    2015-03-01

    This study evaluated, in a contemporary prospective series, the safety and efficacy of femoral endarterectomy using the eversion technique and compared our results with results obtained in the literature for the standard endarterectomy with patch closure. Between 2010 and 2012, 121 patients (76% male; mean age, 68.7 years; diabetes, 28%; renal insufficiency, 20%) underwent 147 consecutive femoral bifurcation endarterectomies using the eversion technique, associating or not inflow or outflow concomitant revascularization. The indications were claudication in 89 procedures (60%) and critical limb ischemia in 58 (40%). Primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency of the femoral bifurcation, clinical improvement, limb salvage, and survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis. Factors associated with those primary end-points were evaluated with univariate analysis. The technical success of eversion was of 93.2%. The 30-day mortality was 0%, and the complication rate was 8.2%; of which, half were local and benign. Median follow-up was 16 months (range, 1.6-31.2 months). Primary, primary assisted, and secondary patencies were, respectively, 93.2%, 97.2%, and 98.6% at 2 years. Primary, primary assisted, and secondary maintenance of clinical improvement were, respectively, 79.9%, 94.6%, and 98.6% at 2 years. The predictive factors for clinical degradation were clinical stage (Rutherford category 5 or 6, P = .024), platelet aggregation inhibitor treatment other than clopidogrel (P = .005), malnutrition (P = .025), and bad tibial runoff (P = .0016). A reintervention was necessary in 18.3% of limbs at 2 years: 2% involving femoral bifurcation, 6.1% inflow improvement, and 9.5% outflow improvement. The risk factors of reintervention were platelet aggregation inhibitor (other than clopidogrel, P = .049) and cancer (P = .011). Limb preservation at 2 years was 100% in the claudicant population. Limb salvage was 88.6% in the critical limb ischemia population

  14. An Evaluation of the Federal Energy Management Program Technical Assistance Workshops: Results of a 1998 Customer Survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    G. B. Gordon; N. Hall

    1999-04-01

    This report presents the results of a customer telephone survey of the participants of six workshops provided by the U. S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) during calendar years 1995 and 1996. The primary purpose for the survey was to provide the Team Leader for FEMP Technical Assistance and members of the team with detailed customer feedback pertaining to how well selected FEMP workshops are doing and to identify areas for improvement. The information presented enables managers to see both the strengths of their workshops, as well as workshop components that can be improved. In addition, the report identifies the questions included in the survey that were the most productive for obtaining customers experiences, opinions and recommendations. The experiences gained during this survey provide a platform from which to launch an annual FEMP customer survey.

  15. Results of the radiological survey at 6 Hancock Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ033)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Carrier, R.F.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth, earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 6 Hancock Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ033), was conducted during 1985 and 1986. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site

  16. Results of the radiological survey at 6 Branca Court, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ041)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Carrier, R.F.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rate earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 6 Branca Court, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ041), was conducted during 1985 and 1986. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Act program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 6 figs., 3 tabs

  17. Results of the radiological survey at 62 Trudy Drive, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ080)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 62 Trudy Drive, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ080), was conducted during 1988. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 5 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs

  18. Results of the radiological survey at 174 Essex Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ073)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Carrier, R.F.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 174 Essex Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ073), was conducted during 1987. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site

  19. Results of the radiological survey at 160 Essex Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ072)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Carrier, R.F.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 160 Essex Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ072), was conducted during 1987. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 4 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs

  20. Results of the radiological survey at 99 Garibaldi Avenue, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ064)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-07-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 99 Garibaldi Avenue, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ064), was conducted during 1987. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 4 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs

  1. Results of the radiological survey at 2 Branca Court, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ036)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Carrier, R.F.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1961 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 2 Branca Court, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ036), was conducted during 1985 and 1986. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site

  2. Results of the radiological survey at 77 Sinninger Street, Maywood, New Jersey (MJ052)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Brown, K.S.

    1993-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 77 Sinninger Street, Maywood, New Jersey (MJ052), was conducted on December 17, 1992. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions were not significantly different from normal background levels in the northern New Jersey area

  3. Results of the radiological survey at 112 Avenue E, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ082)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residue, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 112 Avenue E, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ082), was conducted during 1988. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 2 figs., 3 tabs

  4. Results of the radiological survey at 108 Avenue E, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ084)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 108 Avenue E, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ084), was conducted during 1988. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 5 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  5. Results of the radiological survey at 106 Columbia Lane, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ063)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-07-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 106 Columbia Lane, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ063), was conducted during 1987. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 4 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs

  6. Results of the radiological survey at 79 Avenue B, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ091)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 79 Avenue B, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ091), was conducted during 1988. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 5 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  7. Results of the radiological survey at 133 Maywood Avenue, Maywood, New Jersey (MJ025)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Carrier, R.F.; Floyd, L.M.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-10-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 133 Maywood Avenue, Maywood, New Jersey (MJ025), was conducted during 1987. The survey results demonstrate that all radionuclide concentrations and measurements conform to DOE remedial action criteria. All values are at or below typical background values found in northern New Jersey. 5 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs

  8. Results of the radiological survey at 113 Avenue E, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ081)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.

    1989-06-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 113 Avenue E, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ081), was conducted during 1988. Results of the survey demonstrated radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program criteria. The radionuclide distributions are typical of the type of material originating from the MCW site. 5 refs, 2 figs., 3 tabs

  9. Evaluating integration of inland bathymetry in the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program, 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller-Corbett, Cynthia

    2016-09-01

    Inland bathymetry survey collections, survey data types, features, sources, availability, and the effort required to integrate inland bathymetric data into the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program are assessed to help determine the feasibility of integrating three-dimensional water feature elevation data into The National Map. Available data from wading, acoustic, light detection and ranging, and combined technique surveys are provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other sources. Inland bathymetric data accessed through Web-hosted resources or contacts provide useful baseline parameters for evaluating survey types and techniques used for collection and processing, and serve as a basis for comparing survey methods and the quality of results. Historically, boat-mounted acoustic surveys have provided most inland bathymetry data. Light detection and ranging techniques that are beneficial in areas hard to reach by boat, that can collect dense data in shallow water to provide comprehensive coverage, and that can be cost effective for surveying large areas with good water clarity are becoming more common; however, optimal conditions and techniques for collecting and processing light detection and ranging inland bathymetry surveys are not yet well defined.Assessment of site condition parameters important for understanding inland bathymetry survey issues and results, and an evaluation of existing inland bathymetry survey coverage are proposed as steps to develop criteria for implementing a useful and successful inland bathymetry survey plan in the 3D Elevation Program. These survey parameters would also serve as input for an inland bathymetry survey data baseline. Integration and interpolation techniques are important factors to consider in developing a robust plan; however, available survey data are usually in a triangulated irregular network format or other format compatible with

  10. Medical physics aspects of cancer care in the Asia Pacific region: 2011 survey results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kron, T; Azhari, HA; Voon, EO; Cheung, KY; Ravindran, P; Soejoko, D; Inamura, K; Han, Y; Ung, NM; Bold, L; Win, UM; Srivastava, R; Meyer, J; Farrukh, S; Rodriguez, L; Kuo, M; Lee, JCL; Kumara, A; Lee, CC; Krisanachinda, A; Nguyen, XC; Ng, KH

    2012-01-01

    Background: Medical physicists are essential members of the radiation oncology team. Given the increasing complexity of radiotherapy delivery, it is important to ensure adequate training and staffing. The aim of the present study was to update a similar survey from 2008 and assess the situation of medical physicists in the large and diverse Asia Pacific region. Methods: Between March and July 2011, a survey on profession and practice of radiation oncology medical physicists (ROMPs) in the Asia Pacific region was performed. The survey was sent to senior physicists in 22 countries. Replies were received from countries that collectively represent more than half of the world’s population. The survey questions explored five areas: education, staffing, work patterns including research and teaching, resources available, and job satisfaction. Results and discussion: Compared to a data from a similar survey conducted three years ago, the number of medical physicists in participating countries increased by 29% on average. This increase is similar to the increase in the number of linear accelerators, showing that previously identified staff shortages have yet to be substantially addressed. This is also highlighted by the fact that most ROMPs are expected to work overtime often and without adequate compensation. While job satisfaction has stayed similar compared to the previous survey, expectations for education and training have increased somewhat. This is in line with a trend towards certification of ROMPs. Conclusion: As organisations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) start to recognise medical physics as a profession, it is evident that despite some encouraging signs there is still a lot of work required towards establishing an adequately trained and resourced medical physics workforce in the Asia Pacific region. PMID:22970066

  11. Communication methods and production techniques in fixed prosthesis fabrication: a UK based survey. Part 2: Production techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, J.; Nesbit, M.; Saberi, S.; Petridis, H.

    2014-01-01

    Aim The aim of this study was to identify the communication methods and production techniques used by dentists and dental technicians for the fabrication of fixed prostheses within the UK from the dental technicians' perspective. This second paper reports on the production techniques utilised. Materials and methods Seven hundred and eighty-two online questionnaires were distributed to the Dental Laboratories Association membership and included a broad range of topics, such as demographics, impression disinfection and suitability, and various production techniques. Settings were managed in order to ensure anonymity of respondents. Statistical analysis was undertaken to test the influence of various demographic variables such as the source of information, the location, and the size of the dental laboratory. Results The number of completed responses totalled 248 (32% response rate). Ninety percent of the respondents were based in England and the majority of dental laboratories were categorised as small sized (working with up to 25 dentists). Concerns were raised regarding inadequate disinfection protocols between dentists and dental laboratories and the poor quality of master impressions. Full arch plastic trays were the most popular impression tray used by dentists in the fabrication of crowns (61%) and bridgework (68%). The majority (89%) of jaw registration records were considered inaccurate. Forty-four percent of dental laboratories preferred using semi-adjustable articulators. Axial and occlusal under-preparation of abutment teeth was reported as an issue in about 25% of cases. Base metal alloy was the most (52%) commonly used alloy material. Metal-ceramic crowns were the most popular choice for anterior (69%) and posterior (70%) cases. The various factors considered did not have any statistically significant effect on the answers provided. The only notable exception was the fact that more methods of communicating the size and shape of crowns were utilised for

  12. Survey on Chatbot Design Techniques in Speech Conversation Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Sameera A. Abdul-Kader; Dr. John Woods

    2015-01-01

    Human-Computer Speech is gaining momentum as a technique of computer interaction. There has been a recent upsurge in speech based search engines and assistants such as Siri, Google Chrome and Cortana. Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques such as NLTK for Python can be applied to analyse speech, and intelligent responses can be found by designing an engine to provide appropriate human like responses. This type of programme is called a Chatbot, which is the focus of this study. This pap...

  13. Results and techniques of multi-loop calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steinhauser, M.

    2002-01-01

    In this review some recent multi-loop results obtained in the framework of perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and quantum electrodynamics (QED) are discussed. After reviewing the most advanced techniques used for the computation of renormalization group functions, we consider the decoupling of heavy quarks. In particular, an effective method for the evaluation of the decoupling constants is presented and explicit results are given. Furthermore the connection to observables involving a scalar Higgs boson is worked out in detail. An all-order low energy v theorem is derived which establishes a relation between the coefficient functions in the hadronic Higgs decay and the decoupling constants. We review the radiative corrections of a Higgs boson into gluons and quarks and present explicit results up to order α s 4 and α s 3 , respectively. In this review special emphasis is put on the applications of asymptotic expansions. A method is described which combines expansion terms of different kinematical regions with the help of conformal mapping and Pade approximation. This method allows us to proceed beyond the present scope of exact multi-loop calculations. As far as physical processes are concerned, we review the computation of three-loop current correlators in QCD taking into account the full mass-dependence. In particular, we concentrate on the evaluation of the total cross section for the production of hadrons in e + e - annihilation. The knowledge of the complete mass dependence at order α s 2 has triggered a bunch of theory-driven analyses of the hadronic contribution to the electromagnetic coupling evaluated at high energy scales. The status is summarized in this review. In a further application four-loop diagrams are considered which contribute to the order α 2 QED corrections to the μ decay. Its relevance for the determination of the Fermi constant G F is discussed. Finally the calculation of the three-loop relation between the anti M anti S and on

  14. Terminating Sequential Delphi Survey Data Collection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalaian, Sema A.; Kasim, Rafa M.

    2012-01-01

    The Delphi survey technique is an iterative mail or electronic (e-mail or web-based) survey method used to obtain agreement or consensus among a group of experts in a specific field on a particular issue through a well-designed and systematic multiple sequential rounds of survey administrations. Each of the multiple rounds of the Delphi survey…

  15. Results of the radiological survey at the Jessop Steel Company Site, 500 Green Street, Washington, Pennsylvania (JSP001)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cottrell, W.D.; Foley, R.D.; Floyd, L.M.

    1991-04-01

    At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted investigative radiological surveys at the Jessop Steel company, 500 Green Street, Washington, Pennsylvania (JSP001) in 1989. The purpose of the surveys was to determine whether the property was contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 238 U, as a result of work contracted to the Atomic Energy Commission. The survey included gamma scans; direct and transferable measurements of alpha and beta-gamma radiation levels; and soil dust, debris, grinding wheel, and air sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey and sampling covered portions of the exterior ground surface, the roof and gutter section above the saw shop and rolling mill area of building D, and the interiors of buildings A, B, C and D. Results of the survey demonstrated no radionuclide concentrations in excess of the DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program guidelines for radium, thorium, and uranium. The radionuclide distributions were not significantly different from typical background levels in the Pennsylvania are. 7 refs., 11 figs., 4 tabs

  16. Methods and introductory results of the Greek national health and nutrition survey - HYDRIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgia Martimianaki

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Background:  According to a large prospective cohort study (with baseline examination in the 1990s and smaller studies that followed, the population in Greece has been gradually deprived of the favorable morbidity and mortality indices recorded in the 1960s. The HYDRIA survey conducted in 2013-14 is the first nationally representative survey, which collected data related to the health and nutrition of the population in Greece. Methods: The survey sample consists of 4011 males (47% and females aged 18 years and over. Data collection included interviewer-administered questionnaires on personal characteristics, lifestyle choices, dietary habits and medical history; measurements of somatometry and blood pressure; and, blood drawing. Weighting factors were applied to ensure national representativeness of results. Results: Three out of five adults in Greece reported suffering of a chronic disease, with diabetes mellitus and chronic depression being the more frequent ones among older individuals. The population is also experiencing an overweight/obesity epidemic, since seven out of 10 adults are either overweight or obese. In addition, 40% of the population bears indications of hypertension. Smoking is still common and among women the prevalence was higher in younger age groups. Social disparities were observed in the prevalence of chronic diseases and mortality risk factors (hypertension, obesity, impaired lipid profile and high blood glucose levels. Conclusion: Excess body weight, hypertension, the smoking habit and the population’s limited physical activity are the predominant challenges that public health officials have to deal with in formulating policies and designing actions for the population in Greece.

  17. Analysis of Employee's Survey for Preventing Human-Errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sung, Chanho; Kim, Younggab; Joung, Sanghoun

    2013-01-01

    Human errors in nuclear power plant can cause large and small events or incidents. These events or incidents are one of main contributors of reactor trip and might threaten the safety of nuclear plants. To prevent human-errors, KHNP(nuclear power plants) introduced 'Human-error prevention techniques' and have applied the techniques to main parts such as plant operation, operation support, and maintenance and engineering. This paper proposes the methods to prevent and reduce human-errors in nuclear power plants through analyzing survey results which includes the utilization of the human-error prevention techniques and the employees' awareness of preventing human-errors. With regard to human-error prevention, this survey analysis presented the status of the human-error prevention techniques and the employees' awareness of preventing human-errors. Employees' understanding and utilization of the techniques was generally high and training level of employee and training effect on actual works were in good condition. Also, employees answered that the root causes of human-error were due to working environment including tight process, manpower shortage, and excessive mission rather than personal negligence or lack of personal knowledge. Consideration of working environment is certainly needed. At the present time, based on analyzing this survey, the best methods of preventing human-error are personal equipment, training/education substantiality, private mental health check before starting work, prohibit of multiple task performing, compliance with procedures, and enhancement of job site review. However, the most important and basic things for preventing human-error are interests of workers and organizational atmosphere such as communication between managers and workers, and communication between employees and bosses

  18. Confirmatory Survey Results for the Reactor Building Dome Upper Structural Surfaces, Rancho Saco Nuclear Generating Station, Herald, California

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wade C. Adams

    2006-01-01

    Results from a confirmatory survey of the upper structural surfaces of the Reactor Building Dome at the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station (RSNGS) performed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the NRC. Also includes results of interlaboratory comparison analyses on several archived soil samples that would be provided by RSNGS personnel. The confirmatory surveys were performed on June 7 and 8, 2006

  19. Status of neurology medical school education: results of 2005 and 2012 clerkship director survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Jonathan L; Ali, Imran I; Isaacson, Richard S; Safdieh, Joseph E; Finney, Glen R; Sowell, Michael K; Sam, Maria C; Anderson, Heather S; Shin, Robert K; Kraakevik, Jeff A; Coleman, Mary; Drogan, Oksana

    2014-11-04

    To survey all US medical school clerkship directors (CDs) in neurology and to compare results from a similar survey in 2005. A survey was developed by a work group of the American Academy of Neurology Undergraduate Education Subcommittee, and sent to all neurology CDs listed in the American Academy of Neurology database. Comparisons were made to a similar 2005 survey. Survey response rate was 73%. Neurology was required in 93% of responding schools. Duration of clerkships was 4 weeks in 74% and 3 weeks in 11%. Clerkships were taken in the third year in 56%, third or fourth year in 19%, and fourth year in 12%. Clerkship duration in 2012 was slightly shorter than in 2005 (fewer clerkships of ≥4 weeks, p = 0.125), but more clerkships have moved into the third year (fewer neurology clerkships during the fourth year, p = 0.051). Simulation training in lumbar punctures was available at 44% of schools, but only 2% of students attempted lumbar punctures on patients. CDs averaged 20% protected time, but reported that they needed at least 32%. Secretarial full-time equivalent was 0.50 or less in 71% of clerkships. Eighty-five percent of CDs were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied," but more than half experienced "burnout" and 35% had considered relinquishing their role. Trends in neurology undergraduate education since 2005 include shorter clerkships, migration into the third year, and increasing use of technology. CDs are generally satisfied, but report stressors, including inadequate protected time and departmental support. © 2014 American Academy of Neurology.

  20. Results of the radiological survey at 4 Hancock Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ060)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, R.D.; Carier, R.F.; Floyd, L.M.; Crutcher, J.W.

    1989-09-01

    Maywood Chemical Works (MCW) of Maywood, New Jersey, generated process wastes and residues associated with the production and refining of thorium and thorium compounds from monazite ores from 1916 to 1956. MCW supplied rare earth metals and thorium compounds to the Atomic Energy Commission and various other government agencies from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Area residents used the sandlike waste from this thorium extraction process mixed with tea and cocoa leaves as mulch in their yards. Some of these contaminated wastes were also eroded from the site into Lodi Brook. At the request of the US Department of Energy (DOE), a group from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducts investigative radiological surveys of properties in the vicinity of MCW to determine whether a property is contaminated with radioactive residues, principally 232 Th, derived from the MCW site. The survey typically includes direct measurement of gamma radiation levels and soil sampling for radionuclide analyses. The survey of this site, 4 Hancock Street, Lodi, New Jersey (LJ060), was conducted during 1985 and 1986. Gamma logging results found during this survey and during a previous survey conducted by Bechtel National, Incorporated, strongly indicated radionuclide concentrations in subsurface soil in excess of DOE remedial action criteria. This finding, coupled with the fact that adjacent properties have been found to be contaminated and that Lodi Brook apparently flows under the property, suggests that it be considered for inclusion in the DOE remedial action program. 5 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

  1. Reactivity change measurements on plutonium-uranium fuel elements in hector experimental techniques and results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tattersall, R.B.; Small, V.G.; MacBean, I.J.; Howe, W.D.

    1964-08-01

    The techniques used in making reactivity change measurements on HECTOR are described and discussed. Pile period measurements were used in the majority of oases, though the pile oscillator technique was used occasionally. These two methods are compared. Flux determinations were made in the vicinity of the fuel element samples using manganese foils, and the techniques used are described and an error assessment made. Results of both reactivity change and flux measurements on 1.2 in. diameter uranium and plutonium-uranium alloy fuel elements are presented, these measurements being carried out in a variety of graphite moderated lattices at temperatures up to 450 deg. C. (author)

  2. Results of the indoor radiological survey at the W.R. Grace Co., Curtis Bay site, Baltimore, Maryland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cottrell, W.D.; Foley, R.D.; Johnson, C.A.

    1989-07-01

    The W.R. Grace Company, Davison Chemical Division, conducted developmental research and extraction of thorium from monazite ore at its Curtis Bay facility in Baltimore, Maryland, during the 1950s under contract to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Only one of the numerous buildings on the site was used for these operations. A 1979 aerial survey of the site for the Department of Energy (DOE) indicated that a comprehensive ground survey was required to determine whether or not any contamination remained from the AEC activities in that building. A radiological scoping survey performed later that year for DOE by a team from the Measurement Applications and Development Group of the Health and Safety Research Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), disclosed surface contamination (alpha) levels in excess of DOE criteria on all five levels of the building. As a result of this finding, two additional surveys were performed in 1986 by ORNL at the request of DOE to evaluate any present or potential health risk. They are detailed in this report. The results of the 1986 surveys revealed several areas having elevated levels of radiation as a result of significant quantities of thorium on some building surfaces such as floors and ceiling beams. Most areas were small spots and in locations of low occupancy; thus, the possibility for significant exposure to workers was judged to be low. To confirm this evaluation, annual radiation exposure estimates for workers frequenting the few, larger contaminated areas on the site were derived using ORNL survey data and occupancy factors provided by the W.R. Grace Company. Estimates ranged from 27 to 41 mrem/yr or a maximum of 41% of the basic dose limit of 100 mrem/yr for members of the general public. 2 refs., 14 figs., 8 tabs

  3. Transaction costs of unilateral CDM projects in India-results from an empirical survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krey, Matthias

    2005-01-01

    Recently, transaction costs in the context of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) gained considerable attention as they were generally perceived to be significantly higher than for the other Kyoto Mechanisms. However, empirical evidence on the amount of transaction costs of CDM projects is very scarce. This paper presents the results from an empirical survey designed to quantify transaction costs of potential non-sink CDM projects in India. The definition of transaction costs of CDM projects was derived from recent literature and observations made in the current market for Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). During the survey, parts of transaction costs of 15 projects were quantified. An assessment of the results showed that specific transaction costs depend, to a large extent, on economies of scale in terms of total amount of CERs generated over the crediting period. Total transaction costs were quantified for seven projects. The costs range from 0.07 to 0.47 dollar/t CO 2 . As the projects have an emission reduction between 0.24 Mt CO 2 and 5.00 Mt CO 2 over the crediting period, the results support the assumption of Michaelowa et al. (Climate Policy 3 (2003) 273) that projects with emission reductions smaller than 0.20 Mt CO 2 are not economically viable at current CER prices

  4. Guidelines for a Training Course in Noise Survey Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadley, John; And Others

    The course is designed to train noise survey technicians during a 3-5 day period to make reliable measurements of 75 percent of the noise problems encountered in the community. The more complex noise problems remaining will continue to be handled by experienced specialists. These technicians will be trained to assist State and local governments in…

  5. Epidural analgesia practices for labour: results of a 2005 national survey in Ireland.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Fanning, Rebecca A

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The last 25 years have seen changes in the management of epidural analgesia for labour, including the advent of low-dose epidural analgesia, the development of new local anaesthetic agents, various regimes for maintaining epidural analgesia and the practice of combined spinal-epidural analgesia. We conducted a survey of Irish obstetric anaesthetists to obtain information regarding the conduct and management of obstetric epidural analgesia in Ireland in 2005. The specific objective of this survey was to discover whether new developments in obstetric anaesthesia have been incorporated into clinical practice. METHODS: A postal survey was sent to all anaesthetists with a clinical commitment for obstetric anaesthesia in the sites approved for training by the College of Anaesthetists, Ireland. RESULTS: Fifty-three per cent of anaesthetists surveyed responded. The majority of anaesthetists (98%) use low-dose epidural analgesia for the maintenance of analgesia. Only 11% use it for test-dosing and 32% for the induction of analgesia. The combined spinal-epidural analgesia method is used by 49%, but two-thirds of those who use it perform fewer than five per month. Patient-controlled epidural analgesia was in use at only one site. CONCLUSION: It appears that Irish obstetric anaesthetists have adopted the low-dose epidural analgesia trend for the maintenance of labour analgesia. This practice is not as widespread, however, for test dosing, the induction of analgesia dose or in the administration of intermittent epidural boluses to maintain analgesia when higher concentrations are used. Since its introduction in 2000, levobupivacaine has become the most popular local anaesthetic agent.

  6. Fiscal 2000 survey report. Survey of long-term energy technology strategy and the like (Survey of research management technique to contribute to formulation of long-term energy strategy); 2000 nendo choki energy gijutsu senryaku ni kansuru chosa hokokusho. Sangyo gijutsu senryaku sakutei kiban chosa (choki energy senryaku sakutei nado ni kansuru kenkyu kanri shuho no chosa)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    For the purpose of acquiring research management related basic materials necessary in the study of long-term energy strategy, a survey is conducted of the history, theory, and techniques of research management, the state of its utilization, and the products. The results of the survey are compiled into an introduction, itemized discussion, and materials. In the introduction, the purpose and basics of research management are discussed and confirmed. Taken up in the itemized discussion are an item (1) on research management relating to the selection of themes for research and development, which discusses the formulation of research and development strategy, selection of themes for research and development, formulation of plans for them, and a theme selection assisting system, an item (2) on research management relating to the management of research implementation, which discusses the management of implementation of research and development, interim assessment, and an implementation management assisting system, and an item (3) on the studies of key points for implementation and of research management for NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) to practice. As for the materials, they comprise commentaries on theories and techniques, an ex post facto assessment system and instances of assessment, list of persons related to research management, and commentaries on reference materials. (NEDO)

  7. Results of the 2008/2009 Knowledge and Opinions Surveys Conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmoyer, R. L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Truett, Tykey [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Cooper, Christy [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States); Chew, Andrea [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States)

    2010-04-01

    This report presents results of a 2008/2009 survey of hydrogen and fuel cell awareness conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The 2008/2009 survey follows up on a similar DOE survey conducted in 2004, measuring levels of awareness and understanding of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in four populations: (1) the general public, (2) students, (3) personnel in state and local governments, and (4) potential end users of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in business and industry. The 2008/2009 survey includes these four groups and adds a fifth group, safety and code officials. The same survey methods were used for both surveys; the 2008/2009 survey report includes a comparison of 2004 and 2008/2009 findings. Information from these surveys will be used to enhance hydrogen and fuel cell education strategies.

  8. Discussion on emergency aerial survey system for practical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moriuchi, Shigeru; Nagaoka, Toshi; Sakamoto, Ryuichi; Tsutsumi, Masahiro; Satio, Kimiaki; Amano, Hikaru; Matsunaga, Takeshi; Yanase, Nobuyuki; Kasai, Atsushi

    1989-02-01

    In 1980, after the occurrence of the TMI-2 accident in the United States, JAERI started the research and development of aerial survey techniques, and completed two prototype aerial survey systems in 1985 for gamma ray survey and for radioactivity monitoring. Following the Chernobyl reactor accident which occured in Soviet Union in 1986, European countries experienced environmental radiological monitoring using their aerial survey systems, and proved the effectiveness of aerial survey in the emergency. This report describes the outline of the prototype survey systems developed at JAERI, and showed the practical survey systems data processing, data analysis and the techniques including data processing, data analysis and the example outputs. Also, this report made some proposals concerning practical construction and the arrangement of the aerial survey equipments and the establishment of organization which takes charge of the practical emergency survey and the routine maintenance, based on our past experience. (author)

  9. Long-Period Exoplanets from Photometric Transit Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osborn, Hugh

    2017-10-01

    Photometric transit surveys on the ground & in space have detected thousands of transiting exoplanets, typically by analytically combining the signals from multiple transits. This technique of exoplanet detection was exploited in K2 to detect nearly 200 candidate planets, and extensive follow-up was able to confirm the planet K2-110b as a 2.6±0.1R⊕, 16.7±3.2M⊙ planet on a 14d orbit around a K-dwarf. The ability to push beyond the time limit set by transit surveys to detect long-period transiting objects from a single eclipse was also studied. This was performed by developing a search technique to search for planets around bright stars in WASP and NGTS photometry, finding NGTS to be marginally better than WASP at detecting such planets with 4.14±0.16 per year compared to 1.43±0.15, and detecting many planet candidates for which follow-up is on-going. This search was then adapted to search for deep, long-duration eclipses in all WASP targets. The results of this survey are described in this thesis, as well as detailed results for the candidate PDS-110, a young T-Tauri star which exhibited ∼20d-long, 30%-deep eclipses in 2008 and 2011. Space-based photometers such as Kepler have the precision to identify small exoplanets and eclipsing binary candidates from only a single eclipse. K2, with its 75d campaign duration and high-precision photometry, is not only ideally suited to detect significant numbers of single-eclipsing objects, but also to characterise them from a single event. The Bayesian transit-fitting tool ("Namaste: An MCMC Analysis of Single Transit Exoplanets") was developed to extract planetary and orbital information from single transits, and was applied to 71 candidate events detected in K2 photometry. The techniques developed in this thesis are highly applicable to future transit surveys such as TESS & PLATO, which will be able to discover & characterise large numbers of long period planets in this way

  10. Survey of Tokamak experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bickerton, R.J.

    1977-01-01

    The survey covers the following topics:- Introduction and history of tokamak research; review of tokamak apparatus, existing and planned; remarks on measurement techniques and their limitations; main results in terms of electron and ion temperatures, plasma density, containment times, etc. Empirical scaling; range of operating densities; impurities, origin, behaviour and control (including divertors); data on fluctuations and instabilities in tokamak plasmas; data on disruptive instabilities; experiments on shaped cross-sections; present experimental evidence on β limits; auxiliary heating; experimental and theoretical problems for the future. (author)

  11. Comparison of the large-scale radon risk map for southern Belgium with results of high resolution surveys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, H.-C.; Charlet, J.M.; Poffijn, A.

    2000-01-01

    A large-scale radon survey consisting of long-term measurements in about 5200 singe-family houses in the southern part of Belgium was carried from 1995 to 1999. A radon risk map for the region was produced using geostatistical and GIS approaches. Some communes or villages situated within high risk areas were chosen for detailed surveys. A high resolution radon survey with about 330 measurements was performed in half part of the commune of Burg-Reuland. Comparison of radon maps on quite different scales shows that the general Rn risk map has similar pattern as the radon map for the detailed study area. Another detailed radon survey in the village of Hatrival, situated in a high radon area, found very high proportion of houses with elevated radon concentrations. The results of this detailed survey are comparable to the expectation for high risk areas on the large-scale radon risk map. The good correspondence between the findings of the general risk map and the analysis of the limited detailed surveys, suggests that the large-scale radon risk map is likely reliable. (author)

  12. Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey on Algorithms, Measurement Techniques, Applications and Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anup Kumar Paul

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Localization is an important aspect in the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs that has developed significant research interest among academia and research community. Wireless sensor network is formed by a large number of tiny, low energy, limited processing capability and low-cost sensors that communicate with each other in ad-hoc fashion. The task of determining physical coordinates of sensor nodes in WSNs is known as localization or positioning and is a key factor in today’s communication systems to estimate the place of origin of events. As the requirement of the positioning accuracy for different applications varies, different localization methods are used in different applications and there are several challenges in some special scenarios such as forest fire detection. In this paper, we survey different measurement techniques and strategies for range based and range free localization with an emphasis on the latter. Further, we discuss different localization-based applications, where the estimation of the location information is crucial. Finally, a comprehensive discussion of the challenges such as accuracy, cost, complexity, and scalability are given.

  13. METHODOLOGY OF TECHNIQUE PREPARATION FOR LOW VISION JAVELIN THROWERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milan Matić

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Javelin throwing discipline for disabled people has been expanding couple of years back. In addition, world’s records have been improving year after year. The esential part in preparation of low vision javelin throwers is mastering the technique elements, crucial for acquiring better results. Method of theoretical analysis, decriptive and comparative methods of survey were applied. Relevant knowledge in the area of low vision javelin throwers was analyzed and systematized, and then interpretated theoretically and applied on the top javelin thrower, which served as a base for the inovative apporoach in methodology and praxis with disabled people. Due to visual impairment, the coordination and balance are challenged. This limitation practically makes the difference in methodology, explained in this article. Apart from the goals focused on improving the condition and results on competitions, more specialized goals should be considered, e.g. improving of orientation, balance and socialization process for the people who have low vision. Special approach used in the technique preparation brought the significant improvement in techique of our famous Paralympian Grlica Miloš. In addition to the technique improvement he acquired better results on the big competitions and a few worldwide valuable prizes were won. The area of ’sport for disabled people’ is not enough present in the praxis of sport’s workers. More articles and scientific surveys on this topic are needed for further work and results improvement with these kind of sportsmen.

  14. Opinion survey among residents in the vicinity of wind farms, elected representatives, and general public. Synthesis of results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fourquet, Jerome; Gariazzo, Marie; Merceron, Adeline

    2016-09-01

    This document presents results of a survey comprising a qualitative survey among residents at the vicinity of wind farms, a quantitative survey among the same kind of residents and among a sample representing the French population older than 18, and a qualitative survey among elected representatives of local communities. Graphs illustrate results in terms of opinion on wind energies, of relationship between information and confidence in a wind farm project. Three sets of residents living everyday at the vicinity of wind farms are synthesised in terms of opinion: the convinced ones, the unconcerned ones, and the upset ones. The opinions in terms of impacts (income for local communities and for farmers, the proof of a commitment for a virtuous ecological policy, a way to impulse a dynamics, or local curiosity) are also assessed. The main levers for a higher acceptance of wind farms are identified

  15. Prenotification, Incentives, and Survey Modality: An Experimental Test of Methods to Increase Survey Response Rates of School Principals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, Robin Tepper; Jacob, Brian

    2012-01-01

    Teacher and principal surveys are among the most common data collection techniques employed in education research. Yet there is remarkably little research on survey methods in education, or about the most cost-effective way to raise response rates among teachers and principals. In an effort to explore various methods for increasing survey response…

  16. SURVEY RESULTS AND TESTING OF RAILWAY BRIDGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. H. Haniiev

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the survey and testing of railway bridges by the State Joint-Stock Railway Company «Uzbekiston Temir Yollari» («Uzbekistan Railways». It is stated that in the existing rules on determination of the capacity of bridges the recommendations on taking into account the cumulative deflection to the moment of technical diagnostics of spans on the bridge capacity are absent. The author states on the need to develop a method for determining the wear of spans on restriction of the residual deflection in the bridge floor slabs.

  17. Void detection beneath reinforced concrete sections: The practical application of ground-penetrating radar and ultrasonic techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassidy, Nigel J.; Eddies, Rod; Dods, Sam

    2011-08-01

    Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and ultrasonic 'pulse echo' techniques are well-established methods for the imaging, investigation and analysis of steel reinforced concrete structures and are important civil engineering survey tools. GPR is, arguably, the more widely-used technique as it is suitable for a greater range of problem scenarios (i.e., from rebar mapping to moisture content determination). Ultrasonic techniques are traditionally associated with the engineering-based, non-destructive testing of concrete structures and their integrity analyses (e.g., flaw detection, shear/longitudinal velocity determination, etc). However, when used in an appropriate manner, both techniques can be considered complementary and provide a unique way of imaging the sub-surface that is suited to a range of geotechnical problems. In this paper, we present a comparative study between mid-to-high frequency GPR (450 MHz and 900 MHz) and array-based, shear wave, pulse-echo ultrasonic surveys using proprietary instruments and conventional GPR data processing and visualisation techniques. Our focus is the practical detection of sub-metre scale voids located under steel reinforced concrete sections in realistic survey conditions (e.g., a capped, relict mine shaft or vent). Representative two-dimensional (2D) sections are presented for both methods illustrating the similarities/differences in signal response and the temporal-spatial target resolutions achieved with each technique. The use of three-dimensional data volumes and time slices (or 'C-scans') for advanced interpretation is also demonstrated, which although common in GPR applications is under-utilised as a technique in general ultrasonic surveys. The results show that ultrasonic methods can perform as well as GPR for this specific investigation scenario and that they have the potential of overcoming some of the inherent limitations of GPR investigations (i.e., the need for careful antenna frequency selection and survey design in

  18. A Survey on different techniques of steganography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaur Harpreet

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Steganography is important due to the exponential development and secret communication of potential computer users over the internet. Steganography is the art of invisible communication to keep secret information inside other information. Steganalysis is the technology that attempts to ruin the Steganography by detecting the hidden information and extracting.Steganography is the process of Data embedding in the images, text/documented, audio and video files. The paper also highlights the security improved by applying various techniques of video steganography.

  19. The Impact of Knowledge Management Practices on NPP Organizational Performance - Results of a Global Survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-06-01

    The IAEA has been asked by Member States in the 2012 General Conference Resolutions to ''further increase the level of awareness of efforts in managing nuclear knowledge'' and to continue ''to further develop and disseminate guidance and methodologies for planning, designing, and implementing nuclear knowledge management programs''. The present report summarizes the results of empirical research on the relationship between KM practices in nuclear power plants, their impact on the quality of organizational knowledge processes and the resulting effects on the organizational effectiveness of nuclear power plants. It presents the basic findings of the ''IAEA Global Nuclear Power Plant Survey: Investigating the Link Between Knowledge Management Practices and Organizational Performance'', which was conducted in 2010. This benchmark survey of KM practices in nuclear power plants was developed using a standard research methodology. The survey was made available on a global basis to all nuclear power plant sites. Senior operations managers were asked to complete the survey with input, as required, from their plant management team. Data from individual survey responses were treated as confidential, and only aggregate findings were reported. A total of 124 station ''site organizations'' participated in the survey, representing a response rate of approximately 60%. The findings provide empirical evidence of the importance of KM practices in improving the organizational effectiveness of nuclear power plants. They provide information about the current state of the industry with respect to KM practices, illustrating the direct and tangible benefits of implementing such practices and justifying continued or further efforts to ensure that KM programmes and systems are strategically planned and implemented in operating nuclear power plants. The research provides insights into the mechanisms by which KM practices have an impact on organizational effectiveness and provides a basis for

  20. Perception of risks and safety. Results of the October 2000 survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    After having recalled the themes present in the survey on the perception of risks and safety as far as nuclear energy is concerned, this report proposes an analysis of the obtained results. It discusses the current general concerns, the perception of risks (confidence, truth), the opinions on the scientific expertise, the perception of technological and natural risks for the environment (hazardous installations, demand for environmental acceptability of installations, disasters), the opinions on nuclear activities (image, actors, information, control of these activities), the possibility of a nuclear accident and the implemented countermeasures, and finally the risks associated with radon