Equipment response spectra for base-isolated shear beam structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmadi, G.; Su, L.

1992-01-01

Equipment response spectra in base-isolated structure under seismic ground excitations are studied. The equipment is treated as a single-degree-of-freedom system attached to a nonuniform elastic beam structural model. Several leading base isolation systems, including the laminated rubber bearing, the resilient-friction base isolator with and without a sliding upper plate, and the EDF system are considered. Deflection and acceleration response spectra for the equipment and the shear beam structure subject to a sinusoidal and the accelerogram of the N00W component of El Centro 1940 earthquake are evaluated. Primary-secondary interaction effects are included in the analysis. Several numerical parametric studies are carried out and the effectiveness of different base isolation systems in protecting the nonstructural components is studied. It is shown that use of properly designed base isolation systems provides considerable protection for secondary systems, as well as, the structure against severe seismic loadings. (orig.)

Irradiation position-control equipment for the HIMAC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higashi, Seiichi; Kuma, Shoichiro [Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Nomura, Kazuaki; Endo, Masahiro; Minohara, Shin-ichi

1995-02-01

Use of heavy-ion beams to mount a pinpoint attack on unhealthy tissue requires that the target tissue be placed in the precise location specified by the therapy planning equipment. The article reports on the detailed specifications, positioning mechanism, position verification method and the interface with the therapy planning equipment. (author).

Equipment Qualification Data Base user manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decker, Q.R.; Fackrell, L.J.; Fitch, L.R.; Meeky, O.B.

1985-09-01

This manual details the Equipment Qualification Data Base (EQDB), its usage, and contents. The EQDB consists of two files; the Plant Qualification File (PQF) and the Equipment Qualification File (EQF). The PQF contains plant specific environmental data and the EQF contains summaries of various test results. Two data management systems are used to manipulate the data and are discussed in this manual. SAS Institute System 2000 (S2K) is the management system for the PQF and Query Update (QU) is the operating system for the EQF. Each management system contains report writers. These writers and how to use them are discussed in detail in this manual

The application of low lever laser therapy using equipment produced at CEADEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orellana Molina, A.; Combarro Romero, A. M.; Morales Valdes, O.; Hernandez Diaz, A.; Corcho Corcho, C. A.; Fernandez Yanes, S.; Arteche Diaz, J.; Porrua Garcia, A.; Larrea Cox, P. J.

2012-01-01

The development of the use of light with medical purposes, constitute the fundamental basis for the introduction of the laser radiation in medicine. The magnificent results obtained and the amplification of the number of pathologies that can be treated with it, led to the introduction in 1985 of this technology in Cuban hospitals. However, the price of available commercial systems in the market was prohibitive for us, reason for which it was organized a national program that allowed the design and production of this kind of medical equipment, which is being carried out by our center (CEADEN). This technique is known as Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). Used for more than four decades, its main goal is to achieve beneficial effects on the human body, like analgesic and anti-inflammatory. It makes damaged soft tissues heal faster, offers a reparative effect on the nervous tissue, muscular tissue, soft tissue, and skin, tissue regeneration, cellular and mitochondrial ATP multiplication, increases the vascular activity, activates the immunological system, and so on. Laser therapy in Cuba has been used in different medical specialties. (Author)

Effectiveness of mat Pilates or equipment-based Pilates exercises in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

da Luz, Maurício Antônio; Costa, Leonardo Oliveira Pena; Fuhro, Fernanda Ferreira; Manzoni, Ana Carolina Taccolini; Oliveira, Naiane Teixeira Bastos; Cabral, Cristina Maria Nunes

2014-05-01

The Pilates method has been widely used to treat patients with chronic low back pain. Pilates exercises can be performed in 2 ways: by using specific equipment or without it (also known as mat Pilates). There are no studies, however, that have compared the effectiveness of mat Pilates with that of equipment-based Pilates. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mat Pilates and equipment-based Pilates in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. A 2-arm randomized controlled trial with a blinded assessor was conducted. The study was conducted at a private physical therapy clinic in Brazil. Eighty-six patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain participated. The patients were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups: a mat Pilates group (n=43) and an equipment-based Pilates group (n=43). The participants in both groups attended 12 Pilates sessions over a period of 6 weeks. The primary outcomes were pain intensity and disability. The secondary outcomes were global perceived effect, patient's specific disability, and kinesiophobia. A blinded assessor evaluated the outcomes at baseline and 6 weeks and 6 months after randomization. After 6 months, there was a statistically significant difference for disability (mean difference=3.0 points, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.6 to 5.4), specific disability (mean difference=-1.1 points, 95% CI=-2.0 to -0.1), and kinesiophobia (mean difference=4.9 points, 95% CI=1.6 to 8.2) in favor of equipment-based Pilates. No differences were found for the remaining outcomes. Equipment-based Pilates was superior to mat Pilates in the 6-month follow-up for the outcomes of disability and kinesiophobia. These benefits were not observed for pain intensity and global perceived effect in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.

The equipment access software for a distributed UNIX-based accelerator control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trofimov, Nikolai; Zelepoukine, Serguei; Zharkov, Eugeny; Charrue, Pierre; Gareyte, Claire; Poirier, Herve

1994-01-01

This paper presents a generic equipment access software package for a distributed control system using computers with UNIX or UNIX-like operating systems. The package consists of three main components, an application Equipment Access Library, Message Handler and Equipment Data Base. An application task, which may run in any computer in the network, sends requests to access equipment through Equipment Library calls. The basic request is in the form Equipment-Action-Data and is routed via a remote procedure call to the computer to which the given equipment is connected. In this computer the request is received by the Message Handler. According to the type of the equipment connection, the Message Handler either passes the request to the specific process software in the same computer or forwards it to a lower level network of equipment controllers using MIL1553B, GPIB, RS232 or BITBUS communication. The answer is then returned to the calling application. Descriptive information required for request routing and processing is stored in the real-time Equipment Data Base. The package has been written to be portable and is currently available on DEC Ultrix, LynxOS, HPUX, XENIX, OS-9 and Apollo domain. ((orig.))

A Model of Intelligent Fault Diagnosis of Power Equipment Based on CBR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gang Ma

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays the demand of power supply reliability has been strongly increased as the development within power industry grows rapidly. Nevertheless such large demand requires substantial power grid to sustain. Therefore power equipment’s running and testing data which contains vast information underpins online monitoring and fault diagnosis to finally achieve state maintenance. In this paper, an intelligent fault diagnosis model for power equipment based on case-based reasoning (IFDCBR will be proposed. The model intends to discover the potential rules of equipment fault by data mining. The intelligent model constructs a condition case base of equipment by analyzing the following four categories of data: online recording data, history data, basic test data, and environmental data. SVM regression analysis was also applied in mining the case base so as to further establish the equipment condition fingerprint. The running data of equipment can be diagnosed by such condition fingerprint to detect whether there is a fault or not. Finally, this paper verifies the intelligent model and three-ratio method based on a set of practical data. The resulting research demonstrates that this intelligent model is more effective and accurate in fault diagnosis.

Radiation hardened equipment and material data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumita, Kenji; Yamaoka, Hitoshi; Kakuta, Tsunemi; Shono, Yoshihiko; Nakamura, Tetsuo; Nakase, Yoshiaki; Furuta, Junichiro.

1988-01-01

In order to collect and put in order the results regarding radiation-withstanding equipment and materials, the Osaka Nuclear Science Association organized the committee composed of the experts in various fields in fiscal year 1986 for the purpose of building up the data base, and began the activity. From the trend of the research and development and the usefulness for the future, the fields of collecting data were decided as organic materials, optical fibers, semiconductor elements and compound semiconductors. By fiscal year 1987, the building-up of the prototype data base was aimed at, and system configuration, the making of the formats on the items and attributes of collected data, the action test of the system and so on were carried out. Under the background of the upgrading of LWRs, the development of FBRs and nuclear fusion reactors, the construction of a reprocessing plant and a low level waste storage facility, and the progress of various advanced technologies, the research on the equipment and materials having excellent radiation resistance and the development for heightening the performance have been carried out in many places separately, accordingly the activity for building up the prototype data base was begun, and about 600 cases were collected. (Kako, I.)

NFC based Equipment Qualification Management (NEQM) system preventing counterfeit and fraudulent item

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, C.K., E-mail: ckchang@kings.ac.kr [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, K.J., E-mail: klee@khu.ac.kr [Kyung Hee Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-07-01

Qualification of equipment essential to safety in nuclear power plants (NPPs) ensures its capability to perform designated safety functions on demand under postulated service conditions. However, a number of incidents identified by the NRC since 1980s catalysed the US nuclear industry to adopt standard precautions to guard against counterfeit items. The purpose of this paper is to suggest the NFC (Near Field Communication) based equipment qualification management system preventing counterfeit and fraudulent items. The NEQM (NFC based Equipment Qualification Management) system work with the support of legacy systems such as PMS (Procurement Management System) and FMS (Facility management System). (author)

NFC based Equipment Qualification Management (NEQM) system preventing counterfeit and fraudulent item

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, C.K.; Lee, K.J.

2014-01-01

Qualification of equipment essential to safety in nuclear power plants (NPPs) ensures its capability to perform designated safety functions on demand under postulated service conditions. However, a number of incidents identified by the NRC since 1980s catalysed the US nuclear industry to adopt standard precautions to guard against counterfeit items. The purpose of this paper is to suggest the NFC (Near Field Communication) based equipment qualification management system preventing counterfeit and fraudulent items. The NEQM (NFC based Equipment Qualification Management) system work with the support of legacy systems such as PMS (Procurement Management System) and FMS (Facility management System). (author)

The helical tomo-therapy: appeal to projects Inca 2005 first assessment of the three equipped establishments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zefkili, S.; Francois, P.; Giraud, P.; Caron, J.; Dejean, C.; Kantor, G.; Munos, C.; Mahe, M.A.; Lisbona, A.

2007-01-01

The centers of fight against cancer ( C.L.C.C.) Institute Curie of Paris, Institute Bergonie of Bordeaux, Center Rene Gauducheau of Nantes have got to exploit the helical radiotherapy (tomo-therapy) in the frame of an appeal to projects launched in 2005 by the National Institute of cancer (I.n.c.a.) in relation with the innovating techniques in radiotherapy and presenting one of the measures of the Cancer plan 2003-2007. This communication constitutes a step report in the installation and use of equipments. (N.C.)

The proton therapy system for Massachusetts General Hospital's Northeast Proton Therapy Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jongen, Y.

1996-01-01

In 1989, two companies, Ion Beam Applications in Belgium (IBA) and Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Japan (SHI) started to design proton therapy equipments based on cyclotrons. In 1991, SHI and IBA decided to join their development efforts in this field. In 1993, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), pioneer in the field of proton therapy, launched an international request for proposals for the procurement of an in-hospital proton therapy facility. The 18 may 1994, the contract was signed with a team of industries led by IBA, including also SHI and General Atomics (GA) of California. The proposed system is based on a fixed energy, isochronous cyclotron, followed by an energy degrader and an energy selection system. The variable energy beam can be rapidly switched in any one of three treatment rooms. Two rooms are equipped with large isocentric gantries and robotic patient positioners allowing to direct the proton beam within the patient from any direction. The third room is equipped with fixed horizontal beam. The complete system is computer controlled by a distributed network of computers, programmable logic controllers and workstations. This computer control allows to change the energy in one treatment room is less than two second, a performance matching or exceeding the flexibility offered by synchrotrons. The system is now built and undergoing factory tests. The beam has been accelerated to full energy in the cyclotron, and beam extraction tests are underway. Installation in the hospital building will take place in 1997. (author)

School-based physical therapy services and student functional performance at school.

Science.gov (United States)

Mccoy, Sarah Westcott; Effgen, Susan K; Chiarello, Lisa A; Jeffries, Lynn M; Villasante Tezanos, Alejandro G

2018-03-30

We explored relationships of school-based physical therapy to standardized outcomes of students receiving physical therapy. Using a practice-based evidence research design, School Function Assessment (SFA) outcomes of 296 students with disabilities (mean age 7y 4mo [standard deviation 2y]; 166 males, 130 females), served by 109 physical therapists, were explored. After training, therapists completed 10 SFA scales on students at the beginning and end of the school year. Therapists collected detailed weekly data on services (activities, interventions, types, student participation) using the School-Physical Therapy Interventions for Pediatrics (S-PTIP) system. Stepwise linear regressions were used to investigate S-PTIP predictors of SFA outcomes. Predictors of SFA section outcomes varied in strength, with the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) for each outcome ranging from 0.107 to 0.326. Services that correlated positively with the SFA outcomes included mobility, sensory, motor learning, aerobic/conditioning, functional strengthening, playground access interventions, and higher student participation during therapy (standardized β=0.11-0.26). Services that correlated negatively with the SFA outcomes included providing services within student groups, within school activity, with students not in special education, during recreation activities, and with positioning, hands-on facilitation, sensory integration, orthoses, and equipment interventions (standardized β=-0.14 to -0.22). Consideration of outcomes is prudent to focus services. Overall results suggest we should emphasize active mobility practice by using motor learning interventions and engaging students within therapy sessions. No specific interventions predicted positively on all School Function Assessment (SFA) outcomes. Active movement practice seems related to overall better SFA outcomes. Active mobility practice improved SFA participation, mobility, recreation, and activities of daily living. Engaging

Safety management of software-based equipment

CERN Document Server

Boulanger, Jean-Louis

2013-01-01

A review of the principles of the safety of software-based equipment, this book begins by presenting the definition principles of safety objectives. It then moves on to show how it is possible to define a safety architecture (including redundancy, diversification, error-detection techniques) on the basis of safety objectives and how to identify objectives related to software programs. From software objectives, the authors present the different safety techniques (fault detection, redundancy and quality control). "Certifiable system" aspects are taken into account throughout the book. C

A Method of Numerical Control Equipment Appearance Design Based on Product Identity

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Zhijuan; Zhou, Qi; Li, Bin; Visser, Steve

Research on numerical control (NC) equipment has been more and more abundant; however, there are few existing studies in the field of appearance design for NC equipments. This paper provided a method to generate new appearance design of NC equipments based on product identity (PI). For the purpose of providing guidelines to generate new concept of NC equipment design, this paper, therefore, took the DMG Company (a Germen NC equipment company) as a case, examined the total products of this company from two aspects: Product Image and Product Family. Task 1 was an evaluate task about the Product Image by using the semantic differential (SD) evaluation method; Task 2 was a study task about Product Family to find out features of the products and classify these features. During the Task 2, several features have been found out and summarized, and these features were classified into 3 different levels according to their frequency and importance. In the end, two appearance design samples have been generated based on the analysis above to prove the application of the research.

Application of risk-based inspection methods for cryogenic equipment

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

Risk-based Inspection (RBI) is widely applied across the world as part of Pressure Equipment Integrity Management, especially in the oil and gas industry, to generally reduce costs compared with time-based approaches and assist in assigning resources to the most critical equipment. One of the challenges in RBI is to apply it for low temperature and cryogenic applications, as there are usually no degradation mechanisms by which to determine a suitable probability of failure in the overall risk assessment. However, the assumptions used for other degradation mechanisms can be adopted to determine, qualitatively and semi-quantitatively, a consequence of failure within the risk assessment. This can assist in providing a consistent basis for the assumptions used in ensuring adequate process safety barriers and determining suitable sizing of relief devices. This presentation will discuss risk-based inspection in the context of cryogenic safety, as well as present some of the considerations for the risk assessme...

[Equipment design for magnetic therapy and "Polus" devices].

Science.gov (United States)

Viktorov, V A; Malkov, Iu V

1994-01-01

Low-frequency magnetotherapy is among the most original therapeutical techniques since it is effective in treating most diseases and has practically no contraindications. Due to atraumaticity of a low-frequency electromagnetic field, the application of magnetotherapy is indicated in geriatric care, in particular. The VNIIMP-VITA Joint-Stock Company has developed a family of the Polyus system equipment for magnetotherapy, whereby all the well-known therapeutical procedures of low-frequency magnetotherapy can be performed. The magnetotherapeutic room equipped with Polyus-2D, Polyus-3, and Polyus-4 ensures a complete set of magneto-therapeutical exposure. The rooms are supplied by the VNIIMP-VITA Joint-Stock Company.

Proton-therapy and hadron-therapy ionization chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boissonnat, Guillaume

2015-01-01

In the framework of the ARCHADE project (Advanced Resource Center for Hadron-therapy in Europe), a research project in Carbone ion beam therapy and clinical Proton-therapy, this work investigates the beam monitoring and dosimetry aspects of ion beam therapy. The main goal, here, is to understand the operating mode of air ionization chambers, the detectors used for such applications. This study starts at a very fundamental level as the involved physical and chemical parameters of air were measured in various electric field conditions with dedicated setups and used to produce a simulation tools aiming at reproducing the operating response in high intensity PBS (Pencil Beam Scanning) coming from IBA's (Ion Beam Applications) next generation of proton beam accelerators. In addition, an ionization chamber-based dosimetry equipment was developed, DOSION III, for radiobiology studies conducted at GANIL under the supervision of the CIMAP laboratory. (author)

A computer based learning program for radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frenzel, T.; Kruell, A.; Schmidt, R.

1999-01-01

Many textbooks about radiation therapy for the education of medical, technical and scientific staff are available. But they are restricted to transfer of knowledge via text and figures. On the other hand movies and animated pictures can give you a more realistic impression of the procedures and technical equipment of a radiation therapy department. Therefore, an interactive multimedia teaching program was developed at the Universitaets-Krankenhaus Eppendorf for the department of radiation therapy. The electronic textbook runs under 'MS Windows 3.1 trademark ' (with multimedia extensions) and 'MS Windows 95 trademark ', contains eight chapters and can be used without any preliminary knowledge. The program has been tested by medical personnel, nurses, physicists and physicians and was generally welcome. The program was designed for people with different levels of education to reach as many users as possible. It was not created to replace textbooks but was designed for their supplement. (orig.) [de

Influence of various parameters on effectiveness of seismic base isolation of nuclear equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebisawa, K.; Kameoka, H.; Takenouchi, I.; Kajiki, S.

1995-01-01

Authors developed a methodology and EBISA code for evaluating the applicability and the effectiveness of seismic base isolation of nuclear equipment. In order to investigate the influence of various parameters on the effectiveness of seismic base isolation, a sensitivity analysis was carried out for an emergency transformer with the base isolation devices. It was proved that seismic base isolation of equipment is very effective. This effectiveness can be influenced by the differences of the base isolation devices and the direction of the input seismic wave. (author). 7 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

Procedure for field axes measurement, beam indication adjustment, and figure of convergence determination within performance tests for radiation therapy equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quast, U; Krause, K; Rassow, J [Essen Univ. (Gesamthochschule) (Germany, F.R.). Abt. fuer Klinische Strahlenphysik

1976-09-01

A routine measuring procedure for the verification of radiation field axes and figure of convergence within a spatial resolution of +- 0.5 mm is described. Measurements are done in two parallel planes in a certain distance before and behind the presumed isocentre. The used test arrangement permits rapid check and controlled adjustment of the alignment of beam or isocentre indicating devices for all isocentric radiation therapy equipment.

Trends in spread of the particle therapy of cancers to areal bases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Mitsuyuki; Aoki, Takashi; Tsujii, Hirohiko

2009-01-01

In Japan, the rate of cancer death accounts for 30%, now there are 8 facilities having the cancer particle therapy (PT) which is promising due to its highly effective, short term, non-surgical, not always expensive treatment, and local areas have tended to construct such facility for their people. This special article describes trends in the title concerning the areal intention for setting up the therapeutic bases, global trend of PT, research and development in manufacturers of PT equipments, and response of health insurer to the trend. The article contains following 15 topics presented by 15 authors or groups of the academia, official and company institutes, prefectural officers, manufacturers and an insurer, and by Editorial. Topics are: Significance and future view of PT in cancer treatment; Present state of construction of PT facilities in various areas; Fifteen year-results of PT in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and its effort to spread the therapy; Gumma University's 21st century program COE (Center of Excellence), Medical and Biological Studies with Accelerator Technology; Project for constructing Fukui Prefectural Proton PT Center; The role of Proton PT Center in southern Tohoku area as the first private facility; PT center by Foundation of Medipolis Medical Research Institute in southern Kyushu area; Global trend of PT; Spread of PT and the role of health insurance in it/Mitsui-Sumitomo's health insurance, Kirameki, the contribution to general public; Mitsubishi Electric Corp.'s effort to spread PT equipments; Toshiba's effort; Hitachi's effort; Sumitomo Heavy Industries' effort; Effort by Chiyoda Technol Corp. and Still River Systems to develop the next generation superconducting PT equipment; and Overview by Editorial/Complicated trend in invitation and construction of PT facilities. (K.T.)

Dosimetric characterization of a 2-D array of 223 solid state detectors for daily morning checks in Tomo Therapy equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyes S, U.; Sosa A, M.; Vega C, H. R.

2015-10-01

Tomo Therapy is a new technique for the cancer treatment; however, the equipment must meet nearly all mechanical and dosimetric characteristics of a conventional linear accelerator for medical use. Daily quality controls are vital to the good operation of the equipment and thus guarantee excellent quality in the daily delivery of treatments. This paper presents the procedure of the dosimetric characterization of a two-dimensional array of 223 solid state detectors, called TomoDose of the Sun Nuclear Company. Dosimetric important criteria are established to perform these checks quickly and accurately. Dosimetric tests proposed are: repeatability, linearity, dependence of Sad and SSD. Some results are compared with readings of the ionization chamber Exradim A1SL. Finally the results of 30 consecutive days are presented to establish criteria for evidence of dose, field size, symmetry and flattening of the radiation beam on Tomo Therapy equipment. Expected values for daily verification are: Dose constancy of 194.89 c Gy, σ= 1.31 c Gy, symmetry in the X axis of -0.19 %, σ=0.08 %, symmetry in the Y axis of 1.66 %, σ= 0.05 %, flattened in the X axis of 25.71 %, σ= 0.05 % and flattened in the Y axis of 6.41 %, σ= 10.23 %. Field sizes obtained were 40.45 cm in the X axis and 5.10 on the Y axis, with standard deviations of 0.02 cm and 0.01 cm, respectively. TomoDose dosimetric values, compared to the values obtained with ionization chamber, presented differences smaller than 2%. (Author)

The one million volt X-ray therapy equipment at St Bartholomew's Hospital, 1936-1960

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Innes, G.S.

1988-01-01

St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1934 placed a contract with Messrs Metropolitan Vickers, of Manchester, for an X-ray therapy equipment to operate at 600 kV, 2mA d.c., but with the proviso that every effort would be made to attain an operating condition of 1000 kV, 4mA. The X-ray tube and rectifiers were to be continuously evacuated and demountable. This meant that components such as filaments, anodes and the target could be easily replaced, so providing cheap maintenance and continuous availability of the plant. No specification exists today, but one was assembled from the minutes of the Cancer Committee of the hospital and the contract pricing. A brief outline historical review is also presented, particularly of the personalities involved, and the War years 1939-1945. (author)

Research on Health State Perception Algorithm of Mining Equipment Based on Frequency Closeness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gang Wang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The health state perception of mining equipment is intended to have an online real- time knowledge and analysis of the running conditions of large mining equipments. Due to its unknown failure mode, a challenge was raised to the traditional fault diagnosis of mining equipments. A health state perception algorithm of mining equipment was introduced in this paper, and through continuous sampling of the machine vibration data, the time-series data set was set up; subsequently, the mode set based on the frequency closeness was constructed by the d neighborhood method combined with the TSDM algorithm, thus the forecast method on the basis of the dual mode set was eventually formed. In the calculation of the frequency closeness, the Goertzel algorithm was introduced to effectively decrease the computation amount. It was indicated through the simulation test on the vibration data of the drum shaft base that the health state of the device could be effectively distinguished. The algorithm has been successfully applied to equipment monitoring in the Huoer Xinhe Coal Mine of Shanxi Coal Imp&Exp. Group Co., Ltd.

Neutron irradiation therapy machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Conventional neutron irradiation therapy machines, based on the use of cyclotrons for producing neutron beams, use a superconducting magnet for the cyclotron's magnetic field. This necessitates complex liquid He equipment and presents problems in general hospital use. If conventional magnets are used, the weight of the magnet poles considerably complicates the design of the rotating gantry. Such a therapy machine, gantry and target facilities are described in detail. The use of protons and deuterons to produce the neutron beams is compared and contrasted. (U.K.)

Evidence-based music therapy practice: an integral understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrams, Brian

2010-01-01

The American Music Therapy Association has recently put into action a plan called its Research Strategic Priority, with one of its central purposes to advance the music therapy field through research promoting Evidence-Based Practice of music therapy. The extant literature on music therapy practice, theory, and research conveys a range of very different perspectives on what may count as the "evidence" upon which practice is based. There is therefore a need to conceptualize evidence-based music therapy practice in a multifaceted, yet coherent and balanced way. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a framework based upon four distinct epistemological perspectives on evidence-based music therapy practice that together represent an integral understanding.

Generation of equipment response spectrum considering equipment-structure interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Hoon; Yoo, Kwang Hoon

2005-01-01

Floor response spectra for dynamic response of subsystem such as equipment, or piping in nuclear power plant are usually generated without considering dynamic interaction between main structure and subsystem. Since the dynamic structural response generally has the narrow-banded shapes, the resulting floor response spectra developed for various locations in the structure usually have high spectral peak amplitudes in the narrow frequency bands corresponding to the natural frequencies of the structural system. The application of such spectra for design of subsystems often leads to excessive design conservatisms, especially when the equipment frequency and structure are at resonance condition. Thus, in order to provide a rational and realistic design input for dynamic analysis and design of equipment, dynamic equipment-structure interaction (ESI) should be considered in developing equipment response spectrum which is particularly important for equipment at the resonance condition. Many analytical methods have been proposed in the past for developing equipment response spectra considering ESI. However, most of these methods have not been adapted to the practical applications because of either the complexities or the lack of rigorousness of the methods. At one hand, mass ratio among the equipment and structure was used as an important parameter to obtain equipment response spectra. Similarly, Tseng has also proposed the analytical method for developing equipment response spectra using mass ratio in the frequency domain. This method is analytically rigorous and can be easily validated. It is based on the dynamic substructuring method as applied to the dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis, and can relatively easily be implemented for practical applications without to change the current dynamic analysis and design practice for subsystems. The equipment response spectra derived in this study are also based on Tseng's proposed method

Integrating HIV care and treatment into primary healthcare: Are clinics equipped?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talitha Crowley

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The demand for HIV care and treatment services is increasing rapidly and strategies to sustain long-term care should be employed. The decentralisation and integration of HIV care and treatment services into primary healthcare (PHC is vitally important in order to ensure optimal access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy and ongoing chronic care. Conversely, the PHC system is fraught with the current burden of disease. Setting: The study was conducted in PHC clinics in the uMgungundlovu district, Kwa-Zulu Natal.Aim: The objectives of the study were to assess whether PHC clinics were equipped to deliver integrated HIV services and to evaluate the availability of resources as well as support systems for HIV care and treatment in PHC clinics.Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken in 20 randomly-selected, eligible clinics in the uMgungundlovu district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. An evaluation instrument was completed through observations and review of the clinic data records. Criteria were based on the World Health Organization’s guide to indicators for antiretroviral programmes as well as South African HIV standards for PHC facilities.Results: None of the clinics were equipped adequately. Clinics with a higher patient load had poorer scores, whilst clinics providing antiretroviral therapy were better equipped in terms of human resources and infrastructure.Conclusion: HIV services are an essential part of primary healthcare and clinics need to be equipped adequately in order to render this service. It is unlikely that the over-burdened health system would be able to cope with an increased number of patients on antiretroviral therapy in the long term, whilst maintaining quality of services, without support being given to PHC clinics.

Integrating HIV care and treatment into primary healthcare: Are clinics equipped?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talitha Crowley

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Background: The demand for HIV care and treatment services is increasing rapidly and strategies to sustain long-term care should be employed. The decentralisation and integration of HIV care and treatment services into primary healthcare (PHC is vitally important in order to ensure optimal access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy and ongoing chronic care. Conversely, the PHC system is fraught with the current burden of disease. Setting: The study was conducted in PHC clinics in the uMgungundlovu district, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Aim: The objectives of the study were to assess whether PHC clinics were equipped to deliver integrated HIV services and to evaluate the availability of resources as well as support systems for HIV care and treatment in PHC clinics. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken in 20 randomly-selected, eligible clinics in the uMgungundlovu district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. An evaluation instrument was completed through observations and review of the clinic data records. Criteria were based on the World Health Organization’s guide to indicators for antiretroviral programmes as well as South African HIV standards for PHC facilities. Results: None of the clinics were equipped adequately. Clinics with a higher patient load had poorer scores, whilst clinics providing antiretroviral therapy were better equipped in terms of human resources and infrastructure. Conclusion: HIV services are an essential part of primary healthcare and clinics need to be equipped adequately in order to render this service. It is unlikely that the over-burdened health system would be able to cope with an increased number of patients on antiretroviral therapy in the long term, whilst maintaining quality of services, without support being given to PHC clinics.

Equipment Maintenance management support system based on statistical analysis of maintenance history data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, S.; Ando, Y.; Morioka, T.

1990-01-01

Plant maintenance is recently becoming important with the increase in the number of nuclear power stations and in plant operating time. Various kinds of requirements for plant maintenance, such as countermeasures for equipment degradation and saving maintenance costs while keeping up plant reliability and productivity, are proposed. For this purpose, plant maintenance programs should be improved based on equipment reliability estimated by field data. In order to meet these requirements, it is planned to develop an equipment maintenance management support system for nuclear power plants based on statistical analysis of equipment maintenance history data. The large difference between this proposed new method and current similar methods is to evaluate not only failure data but maintenance data, which includes normal termination data and some degree of degradation or functional disorder data for equipment and parts. So, it is possible to utilize these field data for improving maintenance schedules and to evaluate actual equipment and parts reliability under the current maintenance schedule. In the present paper, the authors show the objectives of this system, an outline of this system and its functions, and the basic technique for collecting and managing of maintenance history data on statistical analysis. It is shown, from the results of feasibility tests using simulation data of maintenance history, that this system has the ability to provide useful information for maintenance and the design enhancement

Effectiveness of mat Pilates or equipment-based Pilates in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a protocol of a randomised controlled trial

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Chronic low back pain is an expensive and difficult condition to treat. One of the interventions widely used by physiotherapists in the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain is exercise therapy based upon the Pilates principles. Pilates exercises can be performed with or without specific equipment. These two types of Pilates exercises have never been compared on a high-quality randomised controlled trial. Methods/design This randomised controlled trial with a blinded assessor will evaluate eighty six patients of both genders with chronic low back pain, aged between 18 and 60 years, from one Brazilian private physiotherapy clinic. The patients will be randomly allocated into two groups: Mat Group will perform the exercises on the ground while the Equipment-based Group will perform the Pilates method exercises on the following equipment: Cadillac, Reformer, Ladder Barrel, and Step Chair. The general and specific disability of the patient, kinesiophobia, pain intensity and global perceived effect will be evaluated by a blinded assessor before randomisation and at six weeks and six months after randomisation. In addition, the expectation of the participants and their confidence with the treatment will be evaluated before randomisation and after the first treatment session, respectively. Discussion This will be the first study aiming to compare the effectiveness of Mat and Equipment-based Pilates exercises in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. The results may help health-care professionals in clinical decision-making and could potentially reduce the treatment costs of this condition. Trial registration Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials RBR-7tyg5j PMID:23298183

Pneumatic Muscle Actuated Rehabilitation Equipment of the Upper Limb Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Deaconescu dr. eng. habil., Andrea, Prof.

2017-06-01

Rehabilitation equipment of the upper limb joints holds a key role in passive physical therapy. Within this framework, the paper presents two such pieces of equipment developed for the rehabilitation of elbow and of wrist and knuckles, respectively. The presented and discussed equipment is actuated by pneumatic muscles, its benefits being a low cost, simple and robust construction, as well as short response time to commands.

GRAPH-BASED POST INCIDENT INTERNAL AUDIT METHOD OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. S. Pantiukhin

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Graph-based post incident internal audit method of computer equipment is proposed. The essence of the proposed solution consists in the establishing of relationships among hard disk damps (image, RAM and network. This method is intended for description of information security incident properties during the internal post incident audit of computer equipment. Hard disk damps receiving and formation process takes place at the first step. It is followed by separation of these damps into the set of components. The set of components includes a large set of attributes that forms the basis for the formation of the graph. Separated data is recorded into the non-relational database management system (NoSQL that is adapted for graph storage, fast access and processing. Damps linking application method is applied at the final step. The presented method gives the possibility to human expert in information security or computer forensics for more precise, informative internal audit of computer equipment. The proposed method allows reducing the time spent on internal audit of computer equipment, increasing accuracy and informativeness of such audit. The method has a development potential and can be applied along with the other components in the tasks of users’ identification and computer forensics.

[Acceptance and mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapies].

Science.gov (United States)

Ngô, Thanh-Lan

2013-01-01

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the main approaches in psychotherapy. It teaches the patient to examine the link between dysfunctional thoughts and maladaptive behaviors and to re- evaluate the cognitive biases involved in the maintenance of symptoms by using strategies such as guided discovery. CBT is constantly evolving in part to improve its' effectiveness and accessibility. Thus in the last decade, increasingly popular approaches based on mindfulness and acceptance have emerged. These therapies do not attempt to modify cognitions even when they are biased and dysfunctional but rather seek a change in the relationship between the individual and the symptoms. This article aims to present the historical context that has allowed the emergence of this trend, the points of convergence and divergence with traditional CBT as well as a brief presentation of the different therapies based on mindfulness meditation and acceptance. Hayes (2004) described three successive waves in behavior therapy, each characterized by "dominant assumptions, methods and goals": traditional behavior therapy, cognitive therapy and therapies based on mindfulness meditation and acceptance. The latter consider that human suffering occurs when the individual lives a restricted life in order avoid pain and immediate discomfort to the detriment of his global wellbeing. These therapies combine mindfulness, experiential, acceptance strategies with traditional behavior principles in order to attain lasting results. There are significant points of convergence between traditional CBT and therapies based on mindfulness meditation and acceptance. They are both empirically validated, based upon a theoretical model postulating that avoidance is key in the maintenance of psychopathology and they recommend an approach strategy in order to overcome the identified problem. They both use behavioral techniques in the context of a collaborative relationship in order to identify precise problems and to

Moving from Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy to Augmented Reality Exposure-Based Therapy: A Review

OpenAIRE

Baus, Oliver; Bouchard, Stéphane

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET). Unlike virtual reality (VR), which entails a complete virtual environment (VE), augmented reality (AR) limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although, the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the twentieth centur...

Control of equipment isolation system using wavelet-based hybrid sliding mode control

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shieh-Kung; Loh, Chin-Hsiung

2017-04-01

Critical non-structural equipment, including life-saving equipment in hospitals, circuit breakers, computers, high technology instrumentations, etc., is vulnerable to strong earthquakes, and on top of that, the failure of the vibration-sensitive equipment will cause severe economic loss. In order to protect vibration-sensitive equipment or machinery against strong earthquakes, various innovative control algorithms are developed to compensate the internal forces that to be applied. These new or improved control strategies, such as the control algorithms based on optimal control theory and sliding mode control (SMC), are also developed for structures engineering as a key element in smart structure technology. The optimal control theory, one of the most common methodologies in feedback control, finds control forces through achieving a certain optimal criterion by minimizing a cost function. For example, the linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) was the most popular control algorithm over the past three decades, and a number of modifications have been proposed to increase the efficiency of classical LQR algorithm. However, except to the advantage of simplicity and ease of implementation, LQR are susceptible to parameter uncertainty and modeling error due to complex nature of civil structures. Different from LQR control, a robust and easy to be implemented control algorithm, SMC has also been studied. SMC is a nonlinear control methodology that forces the structural system to slide along surfaces or boundaries; hence this control algorithm is naturally robust with respect to parametric uncertainties of a structure. Early attempts at protecting vibration-sensitive equipment were based on the use of existing control algorithms as described above. However, in recent years, researchers have tried to renew the existing control algorithms or developing a new control algorithm to adapt the complex nature of civil structures which include the control of both structures and non

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for severe Functional Disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fjorback, Lone Overby

MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY FOR FUNCTIONAL DISORDERS- A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL   Background: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a group skills-training program developed by Kabat-Zinn. It is designed to teach patients to become more aware of and relate differently...... to their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Randomised controlled studies of MBSR have shown mitigation of stress, anxiety, and dysphoria in general population and reduction in total mood disturbance and stress symptoms in a medical population. In Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy MBSR is recombined...... with cognitive therapy. Aim: To examine the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in severe Functional disorders, defined as severe Bodily Distress Disorder. Method: 120 patients are randomised to either Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy: a manualized programme with eight weekly 3 ½ hour group...

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for severe Functional Disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fjorback, Lone Overby

with cognitive therapy. Aim: To examine the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in severe Functional disorders, defined as severe Bodily Distress Disorder. Method: 120 patients are randomised to either Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy: a manualized programme with eight weekly 3 ½ hour group......MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY FOR FUNCTIONAL DISORDERS- A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL   Background: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a group skills-training program developed by Kabat-Zinn. It is designed to teach patients to become more aware of and relate differently...... to their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Randomised controlled studies of MBSR have shown mitigation of stress, anxiety, and dysphoria in general population and reduction in total mood disturbance and stress symptoms in a medical population. In Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy MBSR is recombined...

A strategy for implementation of experience based seismic equipment qualification in IEEE and ASME industry standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, T.M.

1996-01-01

In the past 20 years, extensive data on the performance of mechanical and electric equipment during actual strong motion earthquakes and seismic qualification tests has been accumulated. Recognizing that an experience based approach provides a technically sound and cost effective method for the seismic qualification of some or certain equipment, the IEEE Nuclear Power Engineering Committee and the ASME Committee on Qualification of Mechanical Equipment established a Special Working Group to investigate the incorporation of experienced based methods into the industry consensus codes and standards currently used in the seismic qualification of Seismic Category Nuclear Power Plant equipment. This paper presents the strategy (course of action) which was developed by the Special Working Group for meeting this objective of incorporation of experience based seismic qualification standards used in the design and seismic qualification of seismic category nuclear power plant equipment. This strategy was recommended to both chartering organizations, the IEEE Nuclear Power Engineering Committee and the ASME Committee on Qualification of Mechanical Equipment for their consideration and implementation. The status of the review and implementation of the Special Working Group's recommended strategy by the sponsoring organization is also discussed

Design of EPON far-end equipment based on FTTH

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Xiancheng; Yun, Xiang

2008-12-01

Now, most favors fiber access is mainly the EPON fiber access system. Inheriting from the low cost of Ethernet, usability and bandwidth of optical network, EPON technology is one of the best technologies in fiber access and is adopted by the carriers all over the world widely. According to the scheme analysis to FTTH fan-end equipment, hardware design of ONU is proposed in this paper. The FTTH far-end equipment software design deference modulation design concept, it divides the software designment into 5 function modules: the module of low-layer driver, the module of system management, the module of master/slave communication, and the module of main/Standby switch and the module of command line. The software flow of the host computer is also analyzed. Finally, test is made for Ethernet service performance of FTTH far-end equipment, E1 service performance and the optical path protection switching, and so on. The results of test indicates that all the items are accordance with technical request of far-end ONU equipment and possess good quality and fully reach the requirement of telecommunication level equipment. The far-end equipment of FTTH divides into several parts based on the function: the control module, the exchange module, the UNI interface module, the ONU module, the EPON interface module, the network management debugging module, the voice processing module, the circuit simulation module, the CATV module. In the downstream direction, under the protect condition, we design 2 optical modules. The system can set one group optical module working and another group optical module closure when it is initialized. When the optical fiber line is cut off, the LOS warning comes out. It will cause MUX to replace another group optical module, simultaneously will reset module 3701/3711 and will make it again test the distance, and will give the plug board MPC850 report through the GPIO port. During normal mode, the downstream optical signal is transformed into the

Condition Evaluation of Storage Equipment Based on Improved D-S Evidence Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Xiao-yu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Assessment and prediction of the storage equipment’s condition is always a difficult aspect in PHM technology. The current Condition evaluation of equipment lacks of the state level, and a single test data can’t reflect the change of equipment’s state. To solve the problem, this paper proposes an evaluation method based on improved D-S evidence theory. Firstly, use analytic hierarchy process (AHP to establish a hierarchical structure model of equipment and divide the qualified state into 4 grades. Then respectively compare the test data with the last test value, historical test mean value and standard value. And the triangular fuzzy function to calculate the index membership degree, combined with D-S evidence theory to fuse information from multiple sources, to achieve such equipment real-time state assessment. Finally, the model is used to a servo mechanism. The result shows that this method has a good performance in condition evaluation for the storage equipment

Effectiveness of mat Pilates or equipment-based Pilates in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a protocol of a randomised controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

da Luz Maurício Antônio

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic low back pain is an expensive and difficult condition to treat. One of the interventions widely used by physiotherapists in the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain is exercise therapy based upon the Pilates principles. Pilates exercises can be performed with or without specific equipment. These two types of Pilates exercises have never been compared on a high-quality randomised controlled trial. Methods/design This randomised controlled trial with a blinded assessor will evaluate eighty six patients of both genders with chronic low back pain, aged between 18 and 60 years, from one Brazilian private physiotherapy clinic. The patients will be randomly allocated into two groups: Mat Group will perform the exercises on the ground while the Equipment-based Group will perform the Pilates method exercises on the following equipment: Cadillac, Reformer, Ladder Barrel, and Step Chair. The general and specific disability of the patient, kinesiophobia, pain intensity and global perceived effect will be evaluated by a blinded assessor before randomisation and at six weeks and six months after randomisation. In addition, the expectation of the participants and their confidence with the treatment will be evaluated before randomisation and after the first treatment session, respectively. Discussion This will be the first study aiming to compare the effectiveness of Mat and Equipment-based Pilates exercises in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. The results may help health-care professionals in clinical decision-making and could potentially reduce the treatment costs of this condition. Trial registration Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials RBR-7tyg5j

Prediction degradation trend of nuclear equipment based on GM (1, 1)-Markov chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Liming; Zhao Xinwen; Cai Qi; Wu Guangjiang

2010-01-01

The degradation trend prediction results are important references for nuclear equipment in-service inspection and maintenance plan. But it is difficult to predict the nuclear equipment degradation trend accurately by the traditional statistical probability due to the small samples, lack of degradation data and the wavy degradation locus. Therefore, a method of equipment degradation trend prediction based on GM (1, l)-Markov chain was proposed in this paper. The method which makes use of the advantages of both GM (1, 1) method and Markov chain could improve the prediction precision of nuclear equipment degradation trend. The paper collected degradation data as samples and accurately predicted the degradation trend of canned motor pump. Compared with the prediction results by GM (1, 1) method, the prediction precision by GM (1, l)-Markov chain is more accurate. (authors)

Condition based monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance on operating equipments of a hydraulic generator unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, X T; Feng, F Z; Si, A W

2012-01-01

According to performance characteristics of operating equipments in a hydraulic generator unit (HGU), the relative techniques on condition monitoring and fault diagnosis (CMFD) are introduced in this paper, especially the key technologies are emphasized, such as equipment monitoring, expert system (ES), intelligent diagnosis and condition based maintenance (CBM). Meanwhile, according to the instructor on CBM proposed by State electric power corporation, based on integrated mode, the main steps on implementation of CBM are discussed in this paper.

Evaluation of Delivery Costs for External Beam Radiation Therapy and Brachytherapy for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer-Nilsen, Kristine; Hill, Colin; Trifiletti, Daniel M; Libby, Bruce; Lash, Donna H; Lain, Melody; Christodoulou, Deborah; Hodge, Constance; Showalter, Timothy N

2018-01-01

To evaluate the delivery costs, using time-driven activity-based costing, and reimbursement for definitive radiation therapy for locally advanced cervical cancer. Process maps were created to represent each step of the radiation treatment process and included personnel, equipment, and consumable supplies used to deliver care. Personnel were interviewed to estimate time involved to deliver care. Salary data, equipment purchasing information, and facilities costs were also obtained. We defined the capacity cost rate (CCR) for each resource and then calculated the total cost of patient care according to CCR and time for each resource. Costs were compared with 2016 Medicare reimbursement and relative value units (RVUs). The total cost of radiation therapy for cervical cancer was $12,861.68, with personnel costs constituting 49.8%. Brachytherapy cost $8610.68 (66.9% of total) and consumed 423 minutes of attending radiation oncologist time (80.0% of total). External beam radiation therapy cost $4055.01 (31.5% of total). Personnel costs were higher for brachytherapy than for the sum of simulation and external beam radiation therapy delivery ($4798.73 vs $1404.72). A full radiation therapy course provides radiation oncologists 149.77 RVUs with intensity modulated radiation therapy or 135.90 RVUs with 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, with total reimbursement of $23,321.71 and $16,071.90, respectively. Attending time per RVU is approximately 4-fold higher for brachytherapy (5.68 minutes) than 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (1.63 minutes) or intensity modulated radiation therapy (1.32 minutes). Time-driven activity-based costing was used to calculate the total cost of definitive radiation therapy for cervical cancer, revealing that brachytherapy delivery and personnel resources constituted the majority of costs. However, current reimbursement policy does not reflect the increased attending physician effort and delivery costs of brachytherapy. We

21 CFR 892.5300 - Medical neutron radiation therapy system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... therapy system. (a) Identification. A medical neutron radiation therapy system is a device intended to... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Medical neutron radiation therapy system. 892.5300... analysis and display equipment, patient and equipment support, treatment planning computer programs...

Ultraviolet-based therapy for vitiligo: What′s new?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iltefat H Hamzavi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Vitiligo is an ancient disease in which depigmented and hypopigmented macules appear on the skin. It is a disfiguring condition that may lead to severe psychological trauma. Among the many treatment modalities available for use in vitiligo, those using light therapy, and in particular ultraviolet (UV light, are some of the most effective treatments. UV-based therapy includes phototherapy (narrowband UVB, photochemotherapy (psoralens with UVA, and targeted phototherapy (excimer laser and excimer lamp. It is important for any practitioner of UV-based therapy to understand the efficacy of each treatment type, as well as their respective adverse effects. In order to take full advantage of UV-based therapy, location, dosing, and photoadaptation must also be taken into account. This review discusses the various UV-based therapeutic options, adjuvant therapies, optimal dosing guidelines, appropriate patient selection, future treatment options, and recommendations based upon the current evidence and the authors′ experience with vitiligo.

[Cost and effectiveness of exercise therapy for patients with essential hypertension].

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, A; Kawakubo, K; Lee, J S; Fukuda, T; Kobayashi, Y

2001-09-01

While exercise therapy is established as an appropriate treatment for essential hypertension, its economic profile has not been fully evaluated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate cost and effectiveness in comparison with drug therapy. The study subjects were hypertensive patients under treatment at an outpatient clinic. Fifty-seven were selected on a non-randomized manner for exercise therapy and the same number of patients was chosen for drug therapy after matching age, sex, medication and complications. The following data were collected during three months of intervention. 1) Effectiveness: Change of systolic blood pressure before and after the intervention. 2) Cost: equipment, personnel expenses for exercise therapy and fees for health check-ups (exercise therapy); fees for consultation, laboratory examination and medications (drug therapy), 3) Cost-effectiveness: cost per 1 mmHg systolic blood pressure reduction. We evaluated the variance of cost-effectiveness by controlling the number of program participants, personnel expenses, and equipment expenses of exercise therapy. We also simulated how the cost-effectiveness of exercise therapy would improve by modifying the number of exercise participants, personnel and equipment expenses. The cost-effectiveness per 1 mmHg systolic blood pressure reduction was yen 11,268 for exercise therapy and yen 2,441 for drug therapy. Extending program facilities and increasing the number of participants would improve the cost-effectiveness of exercise therapy, but there were limitations to how far this could be achieved in the hospital setting. Differences in cost-effectiveness between exercise and drug therapies are attributed to differences in personnel expenses. Although they could be reduced by managerial effort of the hospital to some extent, outsourcing of exercise therapy to community-based facilities should be considered.

Space Heating Equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rafferty, Kevin D.

1998-01-01

The performance evaluation of space heating equipment for a geothermal application is generally considered from either of two perspectives: (a) selecting equipment for installation in new construction, or (b) evaluating the performance and retrofit requirements of an existing system. With regard to new construction, the procedure is relatively straightforward. Once the heating requirements are determined, the process need only involve the selection of appropriately sized hot water heating equipment based on the available water temperature. It is important to remember that space heating equipment for geothermal applications is the same equipment used in non-geothermal applications. What makes geothermal applications unique is that the equipment is generally applied at temperatures and flow rates that depart significantly from traditional heating system design. This chapter presents general considerations for the performance of heating equipment at non-standard temperature and flow conditions, retrofit of existing systems, and aspects of domestic hot water heating.

21 CFR 892.5050 - Medical charged-particle radiation therapy system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...-particle radiation therapy system. (a) Identification. A medical charged-particle radiation therapy system... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Medical charged-particle radiation therapy system... equipment, patient and equipment supports, treatment planning computer programs, component parts, and...

Physical therapy clinic therapeutic ultrasound equipment as a source for bacterial contamination.

Science.gov (United States)

Spratt, Henry G; Levine, David; Tillman, Larry

2014-10-01

A procedure commonly used in physical therapy (PT) clinics is therapeutic ultrasound (US). This equipment and associated gel comes in contact with patient skin, potentially serving as a reservoir for bacteria. In this study, we sampled US heads, gel bottle tips and gel from nine outpatient PT clinics in Southeastern Tennessee. Samples were collected using sterile swabs. At the microbiology laboratory, these swabs were used to inoculate mannitol salt agar and CHROM-MRSA agar (for Staphylococcal species) and tryptic soy broth to determine non-specific bacterial contamination. US heads, gel bottle tips and gel had variable levels of contamination. Tips of gel bottles had the highest contamination, with 52.7% positive for non-specific bacterial contamination and 3.6% positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Contamination of gel by non-specific bacteria was found in 14.5% of bottles sampled. US heads (35.5% of those sampled) had non-specific bacterial contamination, with no MRSA detected. Disinfecting US heads after initial swabbing resulted in removal of 90.9% of non-specific contamination. Gel storage at temperatures below 40 °C was found to encourage the growth of mesophilic bacteria. This study demonstrates the need for better cleaning and storage protocols for US heads and gel bottles in PT clinics.

Evaluation of a GEM and CAT-based detector for radiation therapy beam monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brahme, A.; Danielsson, M.; Iacobaeus, C.; Ostling, J.; Peskov, V.; Wallmark, M.

2000-01-01

We are developing a radiation therapy beam monitor for the Karolinska Institute. This monitor will consist of two consecutive detectors confined in one gas chamber: a 'keV-photon detector', which will allow diagnostic quality visualization of the patient, and a 'MeV-photon detector', that will measure the absolute intensity of the therapy beam and its position with respect to the patient. Both detectors are based on highly radiation resistant gas and solid photon to electron converters, combined with GEMs and a CAT as amplification structures. We have performed systematic studies of the high-rate characteristics of the GEM and the CAT, as well as tested the electron transfer through these electron multipliers and various types of converters. The tests show that the GEM and the CAT satisfy all requirements for the beam monitoring system. As a result of these studies we successfully developed and tested a full section of the beam monitor equipped with a MeV-photon converter placed between the GEM and the CAT

Supplier selection based on improved MOGA and its application in nuclear power equipment procurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Zhaojun; Wang Dezhong; Zhou Lei

2007-01-01

Considering the fact that there are few objective and available methods supporting the supplier selection in nuclear power equipment purchasing process, a supplier selection method based on improved multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is proposed. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this method for the supplier selection in nuclear power equipment procurement process. (authors)

Development of the New Kibou® Equipment for Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy from Scratch to the Final Configuration.

Science.gov (United States)

Neri, Mauro; Lorenzin, Anna; Brendolan, Alessandra; Garzotto, Francesco; Ferrari, Fiorenza; De Rosa, Silvia; Bonato, Raffaele; Villa, Gianluca; Bazzano, Simona; D''Ippoliti, Fiorella; Ricci, Zaccaria; La Manna, Gaetano; Ronco, Claudio

2017-01-01

A new technology has recently appeared in the area of extracorporeal therapies for critically ill patients with acute kidney injury. The International Renal Research Institute of Vicenza was involved from the beginning in the development of a new continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) equipment with peculiar characteristics. We report the overall experience from design of the new machine to its in vitro and in vivo testing. Kibou® (Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) is a new multifunctional machine designed for delivering RRT. Kibou® carries out many features of the fourth generation CRRT machines including the possibility of a dynamic prescription and reduction of nursing workload. We describe our first experience with this new device, focusing on several usability and performance parameters. A specific in vitro protocol was designed to analyze the various characteristics and accuracy of performance of the machine. Furthermore, a preliminary in vivo alpha trial with 12 CRRT sessions was performed to test, characterize and evaluate the machine in terms of usability, flexibility and reliability. The in vitro evaluation confirmed an adequate design and a good usability of the machine with accurate delivery of prescribed parameters. No adverse events were observed during the in vivo test that confirmed usability and safety together with accuracy of treatment delivery in different modalities. In general, the machine was rated by physicians and nurses involved in the evaluation as practical and easy to use, although a specific training is required to familiarize with the equipment. A large-scale multicenter beta trial is required to confirm the results reported in this preliminary evaluation in terms of safety, accuracy and performance of Kibou®. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Technical basis for environmental qualification of microprocessor-based safety-related equipment in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korsah, K.; Wood, R.T.; Hassan, M.; Tanaka, T.J.

1998-01-01

This document presents the results of studies sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide the technical basis for environmental qualification of computer-based safety equipment in nuclear power plants. The studies were conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The studies address the following: (1) adequacy of the present test methods for qualification of digital I and C systems; (2) preferred (i.e., Regulatory Guide-endorsed) standards; (3) recommended stressors to be included in the qualification process during type testing; (4) resolution of need for accelerated aging for equipment to be located in a benign environment; and (5) determination of an appropriate approach for addressing the impact of smoke in digital equipment qualification programs. Significant findings from the studies form the technical basis for a recommended approach to the environmental qualification of microprocessor-based safety-related equipment in nuclear power plants

Technical basis for environmental qualification of microprocessor-based safety-related equipment in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korsah, K.; Wood, R.T. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Hassan, M. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Tanaka, T.J. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1998-01-01

This document presents the results of studies sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide the technical basis for environmental qualification of computer-based safety equipment in nuclear power plants. The studies were conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The studies address the following: (1) adequacy of the present test methods for qualification of digital I and C systems; (2) preferred (i.e., Regulatory Guide-endorsed) standards; (3) recommended stressors to be included in the qualification process during type testing; (4) resolution of need for accelerated aging for equipment to be located in a benign environment; and (5) determination of an appropriate approach for addressing the impact of smoke in digital equipment qualification programs. Significant findings from the studies form the technical basis for a recommended approach to the environmental qualification of microprocessor-based safety-related equipment in nuclear power plants.

Technical advances in radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sause, W.T.

1986-01-01

Substantial advances have been made in radiation therapy. Many of these advances can be applied in most radiation therapy departments without expensive improvements in equipment. Changes in radiation fractionation, chemotherapeutic sensitization, intraoperative radiation, and interstitial implants can be performed with experience and improved physician training in most medium-sized departments. Advances that require investments in expensive equipment such as particle radiation and hyperthermia will need to be evaluated at designated treatment centers. 106 references

Psychological benefits of virtual reality for patients in rehabilitation therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chih-Hung; Jeng, Ming-Chang; Fung, Chin-Ping; Doong, Ji-Liang; Chuang, Tien-Yow

2009-05-01

Whether virtual rehabilitation is beneficial has not been determined. To investigate the psychological benefits of virtual reality in rehabilitation. An experimental group underwent therapy with a virtual-reality-based exercise bike, and a control group underwent the therapy without virtual-reality equipment. Hospital laboratory. 30 patients suffering from spinal-cord injury. A designed rehabilitation therapy. Endurance, Borg's rating-of-perceived-exertion scale, the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD-ACL), and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire. The differences between the experimental and control groups were significant for AD-ACL calmness and tension. A virtual-reality-based rehabilitation program can ease patients' tension and induce calm.

Proposed parameters for a circular particle accelerator for proton beam therapy obtained by genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campos, Gustavo L.; Campos, Tarcísio P.R.

2017-01-01

This paper brings to light optimized proposal for a circular particle accelerator for proton beam therapy purposes (named as ACPT). The methodology applied is based on computational metaheuristics based on genetic algorithms (GA) were used to obtain optimized parameters of the equipment. Some fundamental concepts in the metaheuristics developed in Matlab® software will be presented. Four parameters were considered for the proposed modeling for the equipment, being: potential difference, magnetic field, length and radius of the resonant cavity. As result, this article showed optimized parameters for two ACPT, one of them used for ocular radiation therapy, as well some parameters that will allow teletherapy, called in order ACPT - 65 and ACPT - 250, obtained through metaheuristics based in GA. (author)

Proposed parameters for a circular particle accelerator for proton beam therapy obtained by genetic algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campos, Gustavo L.; Campos, Tarcísio P.R., E-mail: gustavo.lobato@ifmg.edu.br, E-mail: tprcampos@pq.cnpq.br, E-mail: gustavo.lobato@ifmg.edu.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear

2017-07-01

This paper brings to light optimized proposal for a circular particle accelerator for proton beam therapy purposes (named as ACPT). The methodology applied is based on computational metaheuristics based on genetic algorithms (GA) were used to obtain optimized parameters of the equipment. Some fundamental concepts in the metaheuristics developed in Matlab® software will be presented. Four parameters were considered for the proposed modeling for the equipment, being: potential difference, magnetic field, length and radius of the resonant cavity. As result, this article showed optimized parameters for two ACPT, one of them used for ocular radiation therapy, as well some parameters that will allow teletherapy, called in order ACPT - 65 and ACPT - 250, obtained through metaheuristics based in GA. (author)

TU-G-213-02: IEC Subcommittee 62B (Diagnostic Imaging Equipment): Recent and Active Projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Supanich, M.

2015-01-01

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) writes standards that manufacturers of electrical equipment must comply with. Medical electrical equipment, such as medical imaging, radiation therapy, and radiation dosimetry devices, fall under Technical Committee 62. Of particular interest to medical physicists are the standards developed within Subcommittees (SC) 62B, which addresses diagnostic radiological imaging equipment, and 62C, which addresses equipment for radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and dosimetry. For example, a Working Group of SC 62B is responsible for safety and quality assurance standards for CT scanners and a Working Group of SC 62C is responsible for standards that set requirements for dosimetric safety and accuracy of linacs and proton accelerators. IEC standards thus have an impact on every aspect of a medical physicist’s job, including equipment testing, shielding design, room layout, and workflow. Consequently, it is imperative that US medical physicists know about existing standards, as well as have input on those under development or undergoing revision. The structure of the IEC and current standards development work will be described in detail. The presentation will explain how US medical physicists can learn about IEC standards and contribute to their development. Learning Objectives: Learn about the structure of the IEC and the influence that IEC standards have on the design of equipment for radiology and radiation therapy. Learn about the mechanisms by which the US participates in the development and revision of standards. Understand the specific requirements of several standards having direct relevance to diagnostic and radiation therapy physicists

TU-G-213-02: IEC Subcommittee 62B (Diagnostic Imaging Equipment): Recent and Active Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Supanich, M. [Rush University Medical Center (United States)

2015-06-15

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) writes standards that manufacturers of electrical equipment must comply with. Medical electrical equipment, such as medical imaging, radiation therapy, and radiation dosimetry devices, fall under Technical Committee 62. Of particular interest to medical physicists are the standards developed within Subcommittees (SC) 62B, which addresses diagnostic radiological imaging equipment, and 62C, which addresses equipment for radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and dosimetry. For example, a Working Group of SC 62B is responsible for safety and quality assurance standards for CT scanners and a Working Group of SC 62C is responsible for standards that set requirements for dosimetric safety and accuracy of linacs and proton accelerators. IEC standards thus have an impact on every aspect of a medical physicist’s job, including equipment testing, shielding design, room layout, and workflow. Consequently, it is imperative that US medical physicists know about existing standards, as well as have input on those under development or undergoing revision. The structure of the IEC and current standards development work will be described in detail. The presentation will explain how US medical physicists can learn about IEC standards and contribute to their development. Learning Objectives: Learn about the structure of the IEC and the influence that IEC standards have on the design of equipment for radiology and radiation therapy. Learn about the mechanisms by which the US participates in the development and revision of standards. Understand the specific requirements of several standards having direct relevance to diagnostic and radiation therapy physicists.

Present status of quality assurance system for radiation therapy in the national hospital and sanatorium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uno, Takashi; Itami, Jun; Kotaka, Kikuo; Terui, Takashi

1994-01-01

In order to improve the precision of radiation therapy and structure of radiation oncology, the state of quality assurance (QA) system for external radiation therapy in Japanese national hospitals and sanatoriums were investigated, by a questionnaire method. The questionnaire included the equipments, the personnel, and a frequency in quality assurance check of each radiation therapy facilities. The results clarified that real photon energy of megavoltage equipment was measured in only 57% of 58% institutions; frequency of the dose monitor calibration was suboptimal; personnel scale was markedly insufficient; some treatment-related apparatus was inappropriately arranged between institutions. Based on these results, it was considered that the precision of radiation therapy and its QA state could not be improved without personnel sufficiency. In the present situation, we should consider the arrangement of treatment facilities in each area and specialization of radiation therapy between institutions. (author)

Research on Integrated Analysis Method for Equipment and Tactics Based on Intervention Strategy Discussion

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

陈超; 张迎新; 毛赤龙

2012-01-01

As the increase of the complexity of the information warfare,its intervention strategy needs to be designed in an integrated environment.However,the current research always breaks the internal relation between equipment and tactics,and it is difficult to meet the requirements of their integrated analysis.In this paper,the research status quo of the integrated analysis about equipment and tactics is discussed first,some shortages of the current methods are summarized then,and an evolvement mechanism of the integrated analysis for equipment and tactics is given finally.Based on these,a framework of integrated analysis is proposed.This method＇s effectiveness is validated by an example.

Regulatory aspects of the enforcement policy applied to teletherapy equipment obsolescence (1995-2002)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truppa, Walter A.; Rey, Hugo L.; Rojas, Carlos A.

2004-01-01

The paper describes the way in which the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) has implemented an 'enforcement' policy for the services of radiotherapy that operated obsolete cobalt therapy units. Without doubt one of the greater advances has been the simulation and planning of the treatment, indispensable tools in a system of quality in radiotherapy where the equipment acquires a preponderant paper. In Argentina the distribution of equipment was inhomogeneous, and within it coexisted, as primary and unique units, great amount with a technology today already obsolete. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) took a strong regulatory attitude directed to change or to retire many of the units, as its characteristics of design and antiquity did not fulfill the criteria of radiological security established in the norms (optimization of the dose, distances source to skin, yield in surface, adequate maintenance, etc.). On this matter a policy was applied to impose within suitable terms, the change of the obsolete equipment for this practice, particularly those distances source to skin minor than 80 cm. As result of the applied coercive measures at this moment, 28 equipment of cobalt therapy in advanced degree of obsolescence were retired by regulatory decision. Part of these equipment were replaced by their owners by more modern equipment whose operation adjusts to the requirements of the radiological security norm, whereas the majority was replaced by linear accelerators. At the moment there are 86 of cobalt therapy units and 52 accelerators operating in our country, against 104 and 32 respectively, that operated in 1995. (author)

[Development of a medical equipment support information system based on PDF portable document].

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Jiangbo; Wang, Weidong

2010-07-01

According to the organizational structure and management system of the hospital medical engineering support, integrate medical engineering support workflow to ensure the medical engineering data effectively, accurately and comprehensively collected and kept in electronic archives. Analyse workflow of the medical, equipment support work and record all work processes by the portable electronic document. Using XML middleware technology and SQL Server database, complete process management, data calculation, submission, storage and other functions. The practical application shows that the medical equipment support information system optimizes the existing work process, standardized and digital, automatic and efficient orderly and controllable. The medical equipment support information system based on portable electronic document can effectively optimize and improve hospital medical engineering support work, improve performance, reduce costs, and provide full and accurate digital data

Investigating the experiences in a school-based occupational therapy program to inform community-based paediatric occupational therapy practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Rens, Lezahn; Joosten, Annette

2014-06-01

A collaborative approach with teachers is required when providing community-based occupational therapy to educationally at risk children. Collaborators share common goals and interact and support each other but challenges arise in providing collaborative occupational therapy in settings outside the school environment. The aim of this study was to capture experiences of teachers and occupational therapists working within a school-based occupational therapy program to determine if their experiences could inform collaborative practice. In this pilot study, participant responses to questionnaires (n = 32) about their experiences formed the basis for focus groups and individual interviews. Two focus group were conducted, one with teachers (n = 11) and one with occupational therapy participants (n = 6). Individual interviews were conducted with the supervising occupational therapist, school principal and two leading teachers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data from closed questions, and thematic analysis using a constant comparison approach was used to analyse open ended questions, focus groups and interviews. Three main themes emerged: (i) the need for occupational therapists to spend time in the school, to explain their role, build relationships, understand classroom routines and the teacher role; (ii) occupational therapists need to not see themselves as the expert but develop equal partnerships to set collaborative goals and (iii) occupational therapists advocating for all parties to be informed throughout the occupational therapy process. The pilot study findings identified teacher and therapist experiences within the school setting that could inform improved collaborative practice with teachers and community-based occupational therapists and these findings warrant further investigation. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Role of radiation therapy in the treatment of lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvath, Akos; Kocsis, Bela; Jozsef, Gabor

1987-01-01

A brief overview of the techniques, equipment, recent results and application fields of radiation therapy in the treatment of lung cancer is given, based on literature data and on the authors' own experiences. Side effects and patient-doctor relationship are also dealt with. (R.P.)

An open software system based on X Windows for process control and equipment monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aimar, A.; Carlier, E.; Mertens, V.

1992-01-01

The construction and application of a configurable open software system for process control and equipment monitoring can speed up and simplify the development and maintenance of equipment specific software as compared to individual solutions. The present paper reports the status of such an approach for the distributed control systems of SPS and LEP beam transfer components, based on X Windows and the OSF/Motif tool kit and applying data modeling and software engineering methods. (author)

Recircular accelerator to proton ocular therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabelo, Luisa A.; Campos, Tarcisio P.R.

2013-01-01

Proton therapy has been used for the treatment of Ocular Tumors, showing control in most cases as well as conservation of the eyeball, avoiding the enucleation. The protons provide higher energetic deposition in depth with reduced lateral spread, compared to the beam of photons and electrons, with characteristic dose deposition peak (Bragg peak). This technique requires large particle accelerators hampering the deployment a Proton Therapy Center in some countries due to the need for an investment of millions of dollars. This study is related to a new project of an electromagnetic unit of proton circular accelerator to be coupled to the national radiopharmaceutical production cyclotrons, to attend ocular therapy. This project evaluated physical parameters of proton beam circulating through classical and relativistic mechanical formulations and simulations based on an ion transport code in electromagnetic fields namely CST (Computer Simulation Technology). The structure is differentiated from other circular accelerations (patent CTIT/UFMG NRI research group/UFMG). The results show the feasibility of developing compact proton therapy equipment that works like pre-accelerator or post-accelerator to cyclotrons, satisfying the interval energy of 15 MeV to 64 MeV. Methods of reducing costs of manufacture, installation and operation of this equipment will facilitate the dissemination of the proton treatment in Brazil and consequently advances in fighting cancer. (author)

Recircular accelerator to proton ocular therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabelo, Luisa A.; Campos, Tarcisio P.R., E-mail: luisarabelo88@gmail.com, E-mail: tprcampos@pq.cnpq.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear

2013-07-01

Proton therapy has been used for the treatment of Ocular Tumors, showing control in most cases as well as conservation of the eyeball, avoiding the enucleation. The protons provide higher energetic deposition in depth with reduced lateral spread, compared to the beam of photons and electrons, with characteristic dose deposition peak (Bragg peak). This technique requires large particle accelerators hampering the deployment a Proton Therapy Center in some countries due to the need for an investment of millions of dollars. This study is related to a new project of an electromagnetic unit of proton circular accelerator to be coupled to the national radiopharmaceutical production cyclotrons, to attend ocular therapy. This project evaluated physical parameters of proton beam circulating through classical and relativistic mechanical formulations and simulations based on an ion transport code in electromagnetic fields namely CST (Computer Simulation Technology). The structure is differentiated from other circular accelerations (patent CTIT/UFMG NRI research group/UFMG). The results show the feasibility of developing compact proton therapy equipment that works like pre-accelerator or post-accelerator to cyclotrons, satisfying the interval energy of 15 MeV to 64 MeV. Methods of reducing costs of manufacture, installation and operation of this equipment will facilitate the dissemination of the proton treatment in Brazil and consequently advances in fighting cancer. (author)

Quality and safety based management of radiological and clinical equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arora, S.; Saini, P.S.

2001-01-01

TQM (Total quality management) is the 'buzz' acronym expected in almost every aspect of industrial manufacturing, product development and services solicited by the outside agencies. The correct management of the many technological resources in health institutions in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and safety is a necessity in view of the criteria on which modern medicine is based. Almost all activities -be they diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative - carried out within a modern hospital are based on widespread application of equipment and technology, the efficiency of which can directly influence the quality of service offered to the patient

Making petroleum equipment safe, a priority

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Changes to the 'Act respecting the use of petroleum products' have been announced effective May 1, 1999. The changes have been made to reduce problems which can be attributed to petroleum product leaks. The new regulations will make owners and users of petroleum equipment, including underground and above-ground storage equipment and commercial storage tanks, more accountable for the use of their own equipment. The emphasis in the new regulations is based upon the storage capacity of petroleum equipment and the risks associated with this equipment, rather than the on the activities of the owners concerned. Accordingly, the new regulations call for stricter requirements for high-risk equipment, a private equipment inspection plan, a two-year operating permit, replacing the current permits and certificates, a tariff structure based on the risks associated with the equipment, and deregulation of commercial activities involving petroleum products that require no equipment. Additionally, the amendments to the Act transfer responsibility for administration to the Regie du batiment and to the Ministere des Transports. Details of each of these changes are explained

Therapy Decision Support Based on Recommender System Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Gräßer, Felix; Beckert, Stefanie; Küster, Denise; Schmitt, Jochen; Abraham, Susanne; Malberg, Hagen; Zaunseder, Sebastian

2017-01-01

We present a system for data-driven therapy decision support based on techniques from the field of recommender systems. Two methods for therapy recommendation, namely, Collaborative Recommender and Demographic-based Recommender , are proposed. Both algorithms aim to predict the individual response to different therapy options using diverse patient data and recommend the therapy which is assumed to provide the best outcome for a specific patient and time, that is, consultation. The proposed methods are evaluated using a clinical database incorporating patients suffering from the autoimmune skin disease psoriasis. The Collaborative Recommender proves to generate both better outcome predictions and recommendation quality. However, due to sparsity in the data, this approach cannot provide recommendations for the entire database. In contrast, the Demographic-based Recommender performs worse on average but covers more consultations. Consequently, both methods profit from a combination into an overall recommender system.

Nanobody-based cancer therapy of solid tumors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kijanka, Marta|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/328212792; Dorresteijn, Bram|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/31401635X; Oliveira, Sabrina; van Bergen en Henegouwen, Paul M P|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/071919481

The development of tumor-targeted therapies using monoclonal antibodies has been successful during the last 30 years. Nevertheless, the efficacy of antibody-based therapy is still limited and further improvements are eagerly awaited. One of the promising novel developments that may overcome the

Therapy Decision Support Based on Recommender System Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Gräßer

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present a system for data-driven therapy decision support based on techniques from the field of recommender systems. Two methods for therapy recommendation, namely, Collaborative Recommender and Demographic-based Recommender, are proposed. Both algorithms aim to predict the individual response to different therapy options using diverse patient data and recommend the therapy which is assumed to provide the best outcome for a specific patient and time, that is, consultation. The proposed methods are evaluated using a clinical database incorporating patients suffering from the autoimmune skin disease psoriasis. The Collaborative Recommender proves to generate both better outcome predictions and recommendation quality. However, due to sparsity in the data, this approach cannot provide recommendations for the entire database. In contrast, the Demographic-based Recommender performs worse on average but covers more consultations. Consequently, both methods profit from a combination into an overall recommender system.

Design and implement of mobile equipment management system based on QRcode

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Runze; Duan, Xiaohui; Jiao, Bingli

2017-08-01

A mobile equipment management system based on QRcode is proposed for remote and convenient device management. Unlike conventional systems, the system here makes managers accessible to real-time information with smart phones. Compared with the conventional method, which can only be operated with specific devices, this lightweight and efficient tele management mode is conducive to the asset management in multiple scenarios.

Cell-based therapies for chronic kidney disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Koppen, A.N.

2013-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may lead to end-stage renal failure, requiring renal replacement strategies. Development of new therapies to reduce progression of CKD is therefore a major global public health target. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether cell-based therapies have the

Home-based Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Poststroke

OpenAIRE

Stephen Isbel HScD; Christine Chapparo PhD; David McConnell PhD; Judy Ranka PhD

2014-01-01

Background: This study examined the efficacy of a home-based Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CI Therapy) protocol with eight poststroke survivors. Method: Eight ABA, single case experiments were conducted in the homes of poststroke survivors. The intervention comprised restraint of the intact upper limb in a mitt for 21 days combined with a home-based and self-directed daily activity regime. Motor changes were measured using The Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and the Motor Activity L...

Evaluation of artillery equipment maintenance support capability based on grey clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Mei-jie; Gao, Peng

2017-12-01

This paper, the theory and method of evaluating the capability of equipment maintenance support in China and abroad are studied, from the point of view of the combat task of artillery troops and the strategic attachment in the future military struggle. This paper establishes the framework of the evaluation Index system of the equipment maintenance support capability of the artillery units, and applies the grey clustering method to the evaluation of the equipment maintenance support capability of the artillery units, and finally evaluates the equipment maintenance and support capability of the artillery brigade as an example, and analyzes the evaluation results. This paper finds out the outstanding problems existing in the maintenance and support of military equipment, and puts forward some constructive suggestions, in order to improve the status of military equipment maintenance and support and improve the level of future equipment maintenance.

Oil leakage detection for electric power equipment based on ultraviolet fluorescence effect

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Wang, Jian-hui; Xu, Bin; Huang, Zhi-dong; Huang, Lan-tao

2018-03-01

This paper presents a method to detect the oil leakage of high voltage power equipment based on ultraviolet fluorescence effect. The method exploits the principle that the insulating oil has the fluorescent effect under the irradiation of specific ultraviolet light. The emission spectrum of insulating oil under excitation light with different wavelengths is measured and analyzed first. On this basis, a portable oil leakage detective device for high voltage power equipment is designed and developed with a selected 365 nm ultraviolet as the excitation light and the low light level camera as the fluorescence image collector. Then, the feasibility of the proposed method and device in different conditions is experimentally verified in the laboratory environment. Finally, the developed oil leakage detective device is applied to 500 kV Xiamen substation and Quanzhou substation. And the results show that the device can detect the oil leakage of high voltage electrical equipment quickly and conveniently even under the condition of a slight oil leakage especially in the low light environment.

Nanotechnology for Cancer Therapy Based on Chemotherapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen-Yang Zhao

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Chemotherapy has been widely applied in clinics. However, the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy against cancer is seriously dissatisfactory due to the nonspecific drug distribution, multidrug resistance (MDR and the heterogeneity of cancer. Therefore, combinational therapy based on chemotherapy mediated by nanotechnology, has been the trend in clinical research at present, which can result in a remarkably increased therapeutic efficiency with few side effects to normal tissues. Moreover, to achieve the accurate pre-diagnosis and real-time monitoring for tumor, the research of nano-theranostics, which integrates diagnosis with treatment process, is a promising field in cancer treatment. In this review, the recent studies on combinational therapy based on chemotherapy will be systematically discussed. Furthermore, as a current trend in cancer treatment, advance in theranostic nanoparticles based on chemotherapy will be exemplified briefly. Finally, the present challenges and improvement tips will be presented in combination therapy and nano-theranostics.

Ultrasound-based guidance of intensity-modulated radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fung, Albert Y.C.; Ayyangar, Komanduri M.; Djajaputra, David; Nehru, Ramasamy M.; Enke, Charles A.

2006-01-01

In ultrasound-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of prostate cancer, ultrasound imaging ascertains the anatomical position of patients during x-ray therapy delivery. The ultrasound transducers are made of piezoelectric ceramics. The same crystal is used for both ultrasound production and reception. Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound devices capture and correlate series of 2-dimensional (2D) B-mode images. The transducers are often arranged in a convex array for focusing. Lower frequency reaches greater depth, but results in low resolution. For clear image, some gel is usually applied between the probe and the skin contact surface. For prostate positioning, axial and sagittal scans are performed, and the volume contours from computed tomography (CT) planning are superimposed on the ultrasound images obtained before radiation delivery at the linear accelerator. The planning volumes are then overlaid on the ultrasound images and adjusted until they match. The computer automatically deduces the offset necessary to move the patient so that the treatment area is in the correct location. The couch is translated as needed. The currently available commercial equipment can attain a positional accuracy of 1-2 mm. Commercial manufacturer designs differ in the detection of probe coordinates relative to the isocenter. Some use a position-sensing robotic arm, while others have infrared light-emitting diodes or pattern-recognition software with charge-couple-device cameras. Commissioning includes testing of image quality and positional accuracy. Ultrasound is mainly used in prostate positioning. Data for 7825 daily fractions of 234 prostate patients indicated average 3D inter-fractional displacement of about 7.8 mm. There was no perceivable trend of shift over time. Scatter plots showed slight prevalence toward superior-posterior directions. Uncertainties of ultrasound guidance included tissue inhomogeneities, speckle noise, probe pressure, and inter

The development of special equipment amplitude detection instrument based on DSP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Sidan; Chen Ligang; Lan Peng; Wang Huiting; Zhang Liangxu; Wang Lin

2014-01-01

Development and industrial application of special equipment plays an important role in the development of nuclear energy process. Equipment development process need to do a lot of tests, amplitude detection is a key test,it can analysis the device's electromechanical and physical properties. In the industrial application, the amplitude detection can effectively reflect the operational status of the current equipment, the equipment can also be a certain degree of fault diagnosis, identify problems in a timely manner. The main development target in this article is amplitude detection of special equipment. This article describes the development of special equipment amplitude detection instrument. The instrument uses a digital signal processor (DSP) as the central processing unit, and uses the DSP + CPLD + high-speed AD technology to build a complete set of high-precision signal acquisition and analysis processing systems, rechargeable lithium battery as the powered device. It can do a online monitoring of special equipment amplitude, speed parameters by acquiring and analysing the tachometer signal in the special equipment, and locally display through the LCD screen. (authors)

The Design and Implementation of the Remote Centralized-Monitoring System of Well-Control Equipment Based on RFID Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luo Bin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available At present, in domestic for the management of well control equipment continue to the traditional way of nameplates identifies and paper-based registration, there are many issues like the separation of data information of device, easy lose, difficult query, confused management and many other problems, which will make the problem device into the well field, and then resulting in well control runaway drilling accident. To solve the above problems, this paper put forward to the integrated remote centralized-monitoring management mode of the well-control equipment. Taking the advantages of IOT technology, adopting the RFID technology, and combining with the remote transmission, this paper designs the remote centralized-monitoring system of well-control equipment based on RFID, which realizes the intelligent management of well-control equipment and meets the actual demand of the well-control equipment safe use and timely scheduling, and it has the ability of field application.

Data communication between data terminal equipment and the JPL administrative data base management system

Science.gov (United States)

Iverson, R. W.

1984-01-01

Approaches to enabling an installed base of mixed data terminal equipment to access a data base management system designed to work with a specific terminal are discussed. The approach taken by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is described. Background information on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), its organization and a description of the Administrative Data Base Management System is included.

A New Method of Reliability Evaluation Based on Wavelet Information Entropy for Equipment Condition Identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Z J; Zhang, X L; Chen, X F

2012-01-01

Aiming at reliability evaluation of condition identification of mechanical equipment, it is necessary to analyze condition monitoring information. A new method of reliability evaluation based on wavelet information entropy extracted from vibration signals of mechanical equipment is proposed. The method is quite different from traditional reliability evaluation models that are dependent on probability statistics analysis of large number sample data. The vibration signals of mechanical equipment were analyzed by means of second generation wavelet package (SGWP). We take relative energy in each frequency band of decomposed signal that equals a percentage of the whole signal energy as probability. Normalized information entropy (IE) is obtained based on the relative energy to describe uncertainty of a system instead of probability. The reliability degree is transformed by the normalized wavelet information entropy. A successful application has been achieved to evaluate the assembled quality reliability for a kind of dismountable disk-drum aero-engine. The reliability degree indicates the assembled quality satisfactorily.

Comparison of dose-volume histograms for Tomo therapy, linear accelerator-based 3D conformal radiation therapy, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Youn-Sang; Dong, Kyung-Rae; Kim, Chang-Bok; Choi, Seong-Kwan; Chung, Woon-Kwan; Lee, Jong-Woong

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Evaluation of DVH from 3D CRT, IMRT and Tomo therapy was conducted for tumor therapy. → The doses of GTV and CTV were compared using DVHs from 3D CRT, IMRT and Tomo therapy. → The GTV was higher when Tomo therapy was used, while the doses of critical organ were low. → They said that Tomo therapy satisfied the goal of radiation therapy more than the others. - Abstract: Evaluation of dose-volume histograms from three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and Tomo therapy was conducted. These three modalities are among the diverse treatment systems available for tumor therapy. Three patients who received tumor therapy for a malignant oligodendroglioma in the cranium, nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the cervical neck, and prostate cancer in the pelvis were selected as study subjects. Therapy plans were made for the three patients before dose-volume histograms were obtained. The doses of the gross tumor volume (GTV) and the clinical target volume (CTV) were compared using the dose-volume histograms obtained from the LINAC-based 3D CRT, IMRT planning station (Varian Eclipse-Varian, version 8.1), and Tomo therapy planning station. In addition, the doses of critical organs in the cranium, cervix, and pelvis that should be protected were compared. The GTV was higher when Tomo therapy was used compared to 3D CRT and the LINAC-based IMRT, while the doses of critical organ tissues that required protection were low. These results demonstrated that Tomo therapy satisfied the ultimate goal of radiation therapy more than the other therapies.

Meta-Analyses of Human Cell-Based Cardiac Regeneration Therapies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gyöngyösi, Mariann; Wojakowski, Wojciech; Navarese, Eliano P

2016-01-01

In contrast to multiple publication-based meta-analyses involving clinical cardiac regeneration therapy in patients with recent myocardial infarction, a recently published meta-analysis based on individual patient data reported no effect of cell therapy on left ventricular function or clinical...

[Resistance to target-based therapy and its circumvention].

Science.gov (United States)

Nishio, Kazuto

2004-07-01

Intrinsic and acquired resistance to molecular target therapy critically limits the outcome of cancer treatments. Target levels including quantitative and gene alteration should be determinants for the resistance. Downstream of the target molecules, drug metabolism, and drug transport influences the tumor sensitivity to molecular target therapy. The mechanisms of resistance to antibody therapy have not been fully clarified. Correlative clinical studies using these biomarkers of resistance are extremely important for circumvention of clinical resistance to target based therapy.

Home-based Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Poststroke

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen Isbel HScD

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Background: This study examined the efficacy of a home-based Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CI Therapy protocol with eight poststroke survivors. Method: Eight ABA, single case experiments were conducted in the homes of poststroke survivors. The intervention comprised restraint of the intact upper limb in a mitt for 21 days combined with a home-based and self-directed daily activity regime. Motor changes were measured using The Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT and the Motor Activity Log (MAL. Results: Grouped results showed statistically and clinically significant differences on the WMFT (WMFT [timed items]: Mean 7.28 seconds, SEM 1.41, 95% CI 4.40 – 10.18, p = 0.000; WMFT (Functional Ability: z = -4.63, p = 0.000. Seven out of the eight participants exceeded the minimal detectable change on both subscales of the MAL. Conclusion: This study offers positive preliminary data regarding the feasibility of a home-based CI Therapy protocol. This requires further study through an appropriately powered control trial.

Proposal of cancer therapy system without rotating gantry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodaira, Masanobu

2002-01-01

Beam therapy is one of useful methods for cancer therapy. Many results in National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) show many abilities of beam therapy for cancer therapy. In Japan, several beam therapy facilities are constructed or under construction. If its construction budget becomes to be smaller, beam therapy may be used as the general cancer therapy. But in the present beam therapy facilities, the budget of its construction is very large. One of the reasons of big budget is the construction of the big buildings equipped with thick shielding walls. Most of space of the facilities with thick shielding walls is devoted to the treatment equipments such as rotating gantries and beam transport lines. This proposal is that using oblique beam line and rotating treatment bed, multi-portal irradiation is realized without rotating gantry. At the same time, we designed adequate beam lines to minimize the total facilities. (author)

Risk-based equipment removal guide for on-line maintenance at PSE ampersand G

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knoll, A.; Smith, C.; Pollock, J.

1995-01-01

On-line maintenance plays an important role in achieving safe and reliable power generation in a nuclear power plant. However, maintenance, if not properly planned and performed, may also be an important contributor to plant risk. Therefore, plant-specific procedures are needed for equipment removal from service to enhance the benefits of on-line maintenance and minimize the risks involved. The problem is to identify and implement the most effective on-line maintenance policy in the form of a proceduralized guide to assure plant safety under various operation and maintenance constraints. This paper presents a methodology to develop plant-specific on-line maintenance strategies and acceptance criteria using a multivariate safety approach based on risk assessment. Based on plant-specific data as modeled in the individual plant evaluation (IPE) and the updated probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), the risk-based methodology is currently being applied to the development of proceduralized equipment removal guides at Hope Creek and Salem units 1 and 2 of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE ampersand G)

Equipment Operational Requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenwalt, B; Henderer, B; Hibbard, W; Mercer, M

2009-06-11

The Iraq Department of Border Enforcement is rich in personnel, but poor in equipment. An effective border control system must include detection, discrimination, decision, tracking and interdiction, capture, identification, and disposition. An equipment solution that addresses only a part of this will not succeed, likewise equipment by itself is not the answer without considering the personnel and how they would employ the equipment. The solution should take advantage of the existing in-place system and address all of the critical functions. The solutions are envisioned as being implemented in a phased manner, where Solution 1 is followed by Solution 2 and eventually by Solution 3. This allows adequate time for training and gaining operational experience for successively more complex equipment. Detailed descriptions of the components follow the solution descriptions. Solution 1 - This solution is based on changes to CONOPs, and does not have a technology component. It consists of observers at the forts and annexes, forward patrols along the swamp edge, in depth patrols approximately 10 kilometers inland from the swamp, and checkpoints on major roads. Solution 2 - This solution adds a ground sensor array to the Solution 1 system. Solution 3 - This solution is based around installing a radar/video camera system on each fort. It employs the CONOPS from Solution 1, but uses minimal ground sensors deployed only in areas with poor radar/video camera coverage (such as canals and streams shielded by vegetation), or by roads covered by radar but outside the range of the radar associated cameras. This document provides broad operational requirements for major equipment components along with sufficient operational details to allow the technical community to identify potential hardware candidates. Continuing analysis will develop quantities required and more detailed tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Management methodology for pressure equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Bletchly, P. J.

Pressure equipment constitutes a significant investment in capital and a major proportion of potential high-risk plant in many operations and this is particularly so in an alumina refinery. In many jurisdictions pressure equipment is also subject to statutory regulation that imposes obligations on Owners of the equipment with respect to workplace safety. Most modern technical standards and industry codes of practice employ a risk-based approach to support better decision making with respect to pressure equipment. For a management system to be effective it must demonstrate that risk is being managed within acceptable limits.

Integrated Instrumentation and Sensor Systems Enabling Condition-Based Maintenance of Aerospace Equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard C. Millar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the work reported herein was to use a systems engineering approach to guide development of integrated instrumentation/sensor systems (IISS incorporating communications, interconnections, and signal acquisition. These require enhanced suitability and effectiveness for diagnostics and health management of aerospace equipment governed by the principles of Condition-based maintenance (CBM. It is concluded that the systems engineering approach to IISS definition provided clear benefits in identifying overall system requirements and an architectural framework for categorizing and evaluating alternative architectures, relative to a bottom up focus on sensor technology blind to system level user needs. CBM IISS imperatives identified include factors such as tolerance of the bulk of aerospace equipment operational environments, low intrusiveness, rapid reconfiguration, and affordable life cycle costs. The functional features identified include interrogation of the variety of sensor types and interfaces common in aerospace equipment applications over multiplexed communication media with flexibility to allow rapid system reconfiguration to adapt to evolving sensor needs. This implies standardized interfaces at the sensor location (preferably to open standards, reduced wire/connector pin count in harnesses (or their elimination through use of wireless communications.

Optimal Medical Equipment Maintenance Service Proposal Decision Support System combining Activity Based Costing (ABC) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).

Science.gov (United States)

da Rocha, Leticia; Sloane, Elliot; M Bassani, Jose

2005-01-01

This study describes a framework to support the choice of the maintenance service (in-house or third party contract) for each category of medical equipment based on: a) the real medical equipment maintenance management system currently used by the biomedical engineering group of the public health system of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas located in Brazil to control the medical equipment maintenance service, b) the Activity Based Costing (ABC) method, and c) the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Results show the cost and performance related to each type of maintenance service. Decision-makers can use these results to evaluate possible strategies for the categories of equipment.

RNA-based therapies for genodermatoses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bornert, Olivier; Peking, Patricia; Bremer, Jeroen; Koller, Ulrich; van den Akker, Peter C.; Aartsma-Rus, Annemieke; Pasmooij, Anna M. G.; Murauer, Eva M.; Nystroem, Alexander

Genetic disorders affecting the skin, genodermatoses, constitute a large and heterogeneous group of diseases, for which treatment is generally limited to management of symptoms. RNA-based therapies are emerging as a powerful tool to treat genodermatoses. In this review, we discuss in detail RNA

Chapter 12. Space Heating Equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rafferty, Kevin D.

1998-01-01

The performance evaluation of space heating equipment for a geothermal application is generally considered from either of two perspectives: (a) selecting equipment for installation in new construction, or (b) evaluating the performance and retrofit requirements of an existing system. With regard to new construction, the procedure is relatively straightforward. Once the heating requirements are determined, the process need only involve the selection of appropriately sized hot water heating equipment based on the available water temperature. It is important to remember that space heating equipment for geothermal applications is the same equipment used in non-geothermal applications. What makes geothermal applications unique is that the equipment is generally applied at temperatures and flow rates that depart significantly from traditional heating system design. This chapter presents general considerations for the performance of heating equipment at non-standard temperature and flow conditions, retrofit of existing systems, and aspects of domestic hot water heating.

Therapy for obesity based on gastrointestinal hormones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Jonatan I; Christensen, Mikkel; Knop, Filip K

2011-01-01

for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In contrast to other antidiabetic treatments, these agents have a positive outcome profile on body weight. Worldwide there are 500 million obese people, and 3 million are dying every year from obesity-related diseases. Recently, incretin-based therapy was proposed...... for the treatment of obesity. Currently two different incretin therapies are widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: 1) the GLP-1 receptor agonists which cause significant and sustained weight loss in overweight patients, and 2) dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors being weight neutral. These findings...... have led to a greater interest in the physiology of intestinal peptides with potential weight-reducing properties. This review discusses the effects of the incretin-based therapies in obesity, and provides an overview of intestinal peptides with promising effects as potential new treatments for obesity....

Information technology equipment cooling method

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Mark D.

2015-10-20

According to one embodiment, a system for removing heat from a rack of information technology equipment may include a sidecar indoor air to liquid heat exchanger that cools air utilized by the rack of information technology equipment to cool the rack of information technology equipment. The system may also include a liquid to liquid heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger. The system may further include configurable pathways to connect and control fluid flow through the sidecar heat exchanger, the liquid to liquid heat exchanger, the rack of information technology equipment, and the outdoor heat exchanger based upon ambient temperature and/or ambient humidity to remove heat generated by the rack of information technology equipment.

Moving from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Baus, Oliver; Bouchard, Stéphane

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET). Unlike virtual reality (VR), which entails a complete virtual environment (VE), augmented reality (AR) limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although, the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the twentieth century. Since, then, technological developments have enabled an ever increasing level of seamless integration of virtual and physical elements into one view. Like VR, AR allows the exposure to stimuli which, due to various reasons, may not be suitable for real-life scenarios. As such, AR has proven itself to be a medium through which individuals suffering from specific phobia can be exposed "safely" to the object(s) of their fear, without the costs associated with programing complete VEs. Thus, ARET can offer an efficacious alternative to some less advantageous exposure-based therapies. Above and beyond presenting what has been accomplished in ARET, this paper covers some less well-known aspects of the history of AR, raises some ARET related issues, and proposes potential avenues to be followed. These include the type of measures to be used to qualify the user's experience in an augmented reality environment, the exclusion of certain AR-type functionalities from the definition of AR, as well as the potential use of ARET to treat non-small animal phobias, such as social phobia.

Moving from Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy to Augmented Reality Exposure-Based Therapy: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Baus, Oliver; Bouchard, Stéphane

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET). Unlike virtual reality (VR), which entails a complete virtual environment (VE), augmented reality (AR) limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although, the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the twentieth century. Since, then, technological developments have enabled an ever increasing level of seamless integration of virtual and physical elements into one view. Like VR, AR allows the exposure to stimuli which, due to various reasons, may not be suitable for real-life scenarios. As such, AR has proven itself to be a medium through which individuals suffering from specific phobia can be exposed “safely” to the object(s) of their fear, without the costs associated with programing complete VEs. Thus, ARET can offer an efficacious alternative to some less advantageous exposure-based therapies. Above and beyond presenting what has been accomplished in ARET, this paper covers some less well-known aspects of the history of AR, raises some ARET related issues, and proposes potential avenues to be followed. These include the type of measures to be used to qualify the user’s experience in an augmented reality environment, the exclusion of certain AR-type functionalities from the definition of AR, as well as the potential use of ARET to treat non-small animal phobias, such as social phobia. PMID:24624073

Vendor-based laser damage metrology equipment supporting the National Ignition Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, J. H; Jennings, R. T.; Kimmons, J. F.; Kozlowski, M. R.; Mouser, R. P.; Schwatz, S.; Stolz, C. J.; Weinzapfel, C. L.

1998-01-01

A sizable laser damage metrology effort is required as part of optics production and installation for the 192 beam National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser. The large quantities, high damage thresholds, and large apertures of polished and coated optics necessitates vendor-based metrology equipment to assure component quality during production. This equipment must be optimized to provide the required information as rapidly as possible with limited operator experience. The damage metrology tools include: (1) platinum inclusion damage test systems for laser amplifier slabs, (2) laser conditioning stations for mirrors and polarizers, and (3) mapping and damage testing stations for UV transmissive optics. Each system includes a commercial Nd:YAG laser, a translation stage for the optics, and diagnostics to evaluate damage. The scanning parameters, optical layout, and diagnostics vary with the test fluences required and the damage morphologies expected. This paper describes the technical objectives and milestones involved in fulfilling these metrology requirements

The Cost of Maintaining Educational Communications Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

Humphrey, David A.

Tentative formulas for calculating the cost of maintaining educational communications equipment are proposed. The formulas are based on a survey of campuses of the State University of New York. The survey analyzed the types of equipment to be maintained, types of maintenance, who uses the equipment, who services the equipment, and the cost…

Virtual age model for equipment aging plant based on operation environment and service state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Liming; Cai Qi; Zhao Xinwen; Chen Ling

2010-01-01

The accelerated life model based on the operation environment and service state was established by taking the virtual age as the equipment aging indices. The effect of different operation environments and service states on the reliability and virtual age under the continuum operation conditions and cycle operation conditions were analyzed, and the sensitivities of virtual age on operational environments and service states were studied. The results of the example application show that the effect of NPP equipment lifetime and the key parameters related to the reliability can be quantified by this model, and the result is in accordance with the reality.(authors)

Modification of a Superficial X-Ray Therapy Machine for Rectal Contact Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barish, Robert J.; Donohue, Karen Episcopia

2015-01-15

X-ray therapy of superficial rectal cancers using a hand-held 50 kV contact unit (Philips RT-50) in a technique first described by Papillon had reached a point of widening clinical acceptability when the manufacturer of this equipment discontinued its production. To pursue this endocavitary approach to rectal therapy, technical modifications have to be made to conventional superficial x-ray therapy machines. Advantages over the original Papillon method include remote viewing of the lesion through the proctoscopic cone and a lower radiation exposure for the operator. We have evaluated a Bucky Combination Therapy Unit under conditions in which the operating voltage (65 kV), target skin distance (23.6 cm), and added filtration (0.39 mm Al) were selected in order to match as closely as possible the beam penetration characteristics of the “standard” (Papillon) technique. With this equipment, the thermal characteristics of the tube anode and housing limit the amount of radiation that can be delivered before a “rest period” for the machine is needed. In practice, 3 minutes of irradiation at an exposure rate of 500 R/min can be performed followed by an interval of 3 minutes before irradiation can be resumed.

Calculation of the structural shielding of the radiotherapy treatment room equipped with a linear accelerator type Tomo therapy Hi-Art in the Oncology Center of Chihuahua, Mexico; Calculo del blindaje estructural de la sala de tratamiento de radioterapia equipada con un acelerador lineal del tipo Tomotherapy Hi-Art en el Centro Oncologico de Chihuahua, Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caballero G, C. A. [Southwest Oncology Centers, North Civic Center Plaza No. 2926, Scottsdale, Arizona (United States); Plascencia, J. C. [Centro Oncologico Louis and Lucille Grado, Republica del Peru No. 102-5, Col. Americas, Aguascalientes (Mexico); Vargas V, M. X.; Toledo J, P., E-mail: cabshm@msn.co [Centro Oncologico de Chihuahua, Hacienda de la Esperanza No. 6304, Fracc. Cima Comercial, Chihuahua (Mexico)

2010-09-15

The helicoid tomo therapy is an external radiotherapy system of modulated intensity, guided by image, in which the radiation is imparted to the patient using a narrow radiation beam in helicoid form, in a similar way to the scanning process with a computerized tomography. The tomo therapy equipment (Tomo Therapy Hi-Art) consists in an electrons linear accelerator with acceleration voltages of 6 MV for treatment and 3.5 MV for image, coupled to a ring that turn around the patient as this is transferred through this ring in perpendicular sense to the radiation beam. The radiation beam is narrow because has the maximum size of 5 x 40 cm{sup 2} in the isocenter. The intensity modulation of the beam is carried out with a binary dynamic collimator of 64 crisscross sheets, and the guide by image though a system of megavoltage computerized tomography. Opposed to the radiation beam, also coupled to the rotational ring, a group of lead plates exists with a total thickness of 13 cm that acts as barrier of the primary radiation beam. The special configuration of the tomography equipment makes to have the following characteristics: 1) the presence of the lead barrier of the equipment reduces the intensity of the primary beam that reaches the bunker walls in considerable way, 2) the disperse and leakage radiations are increased with regard to a conventional accelerator due to the increase in the necessary irradiation time to produce modulated intensity fields by means of the narrow radiation beam. These special characteristics of the tomo therapy equipment make that particularities exist in the application of the formulations for structural shielding calculations that appears in the NCRP reports 49, NCRP 151 and IAEA-SRS-47. For this reason, several researches have development analytic models based on geometric considerations of continuous rotation of the equipment ring to determine the shielding requirements for the primary beam, the dispersed and leakage radiation in tomo

Evidence-based approach to the maintenance of laboratory and medical equipment in resource-poor settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Malkin, Robert; Keane, Allison

2010-07-01

Much of the laboratory and medical equipment in resource-poor settings is out-of-service. The most commonly cited reasons are (1) a lack of spare parts and (2) a lack of highly trained technicians. However, there is little data to support these hypotheses, or to generate evidence-based solutions to the problem. We studied 2,849 equipment-repair requests (of which 2,529 were out-of-service medical equipment) from 60 resource-poor hospitals located in 11 nations in Africa, Europe, Asia, and Central America. Each piece of equipment was analyzed by an engineer or an engineering student and a repair was attempted using only locally available materials. If the piece was placed back into service, we assumed that the engineer's problem analysis was correct. A total of 1,821 pieces of medical equipment were placed back into service, or 72%, without requiring the use of imported spare parts. Of those pieces repaired, 1,704 were sufficiently documented to determine what knowledge was required to place the equipment back into service. We found that six domains of knowledge were required to accomplish 99% of the repairs: electrical (18%), mechanical (18%), power supply (14%), plumbing (19%), motors (5%), and installation or user training (25%). A further analysis of the domains shows that 66% of the out-of-service equipment was placed back into service using only 107 skills covering basic knowledge in each domain; far less knowledge than that required of a biomedical engineer or biomedical engineering technician. We conclude that a great majority of laboratory and medical equipment can be put back into service without importing spare parts and using only basic knowledge. Capacity building in resource-poor settings should first focus on a limited set of knowledge; a body of knowledge that we call the biomedical technician's assistant (BTA). This data set suggests that a supported BTA could place 66% of the out-of-service laboratory and medical equipment in their hospital back

Equipment-based Pilates reduces work-related chronic low back pain and disability: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Stieglitz, Dana Duval; Vinson, David R; Hampton, Michelle De Coux

2016-01-01

This study investigated effectiveness of an equipment-based Pilates protocol for reducing pain and disability in individuals with work-related chronic low back pain (CLBP). Twelve workers with non-specific CLBP participated in a quasi-experimental, one-group, pretest-posttest pilot study of supervised 6-week equipment-based Pilates exercise. Pain severity was assessed using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Physical function was assessed using the Oswestry disability index (ODI). The Pilates intervention significantly reduced pain (mean decrease in VAS 30.75 ± 20.27, p Pilates exercise reduced pain and disability in workers with CLBP. Further research is needed to investigate Pilates exercise for rehabilitation of work-related injuries in large populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of electron beam equipment based on a plasma cathode gun in additive technology

Science.gov (United States)

Galchenko, N. K.; Kolesnikova, K. A.; Semenov, G. V.; Rau, A. G.; Raskoshniy, S. Y.; Bezzubko, A. V.; Dampilon, B. V.; Sorokova, S. N.

2016-11-01

The paper discusses the application of electron beam equipment based on a plasma cathode gun for three-dimensional surface modification of metals and alloys. The effect of substrate surface preparation on the adhesion strength of gas thermal coatings has been investigated.

Nuclear equipment recalsification based on the service experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geambasu, A.; Segarceanu, D.

2000-01-01

The paper presents some considerations concerning the need of comparison between equipment performance proven by test and the service experience in Cernavoda Nuclear Plant. Service performance dana obtain partly from service failures (failures times) and partly from service experience without failure (running times) can be statistically analyzed to obtain predictions of the number of failures of unfailed units in specified period of time, means time to first failure, means time of median failure, a.s.o. These informations can be used during the operation of Nuclear Power Plant to estimate when a equipment should be replaced with a new one in order to prevent getting to the life end point. (author)

Information technology equipment cooling system

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Mark D.

2014-06-10

According to one embodiment, a system for removing heat from a rack of information technology equipment may include a sidecar indoor air to liquid heat exchanger that cools warm air generated by the rack of information technology equipment. The system may also include a liquid to liquid heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger. The system may further include configurable pathways to connect and control fluid flow through the sidecar heat exchanger, the liquid to liquid heat exchanger, the rack of information technology equipment, and the outdoor heat exchanger based upon ambient temperature and/or ambient humidity to remove heat from the rack of information technology equipment.

3D web based learning of medical equipment employed in intensive care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Cetin, Aydın

2012-02-01

In this paper, both synchronous and asynchronous web based learning of 3D medical equipment models used in hospital intensive care unit have been described over the moodle course management system. 3D medical equipment models were designed with 3ds Max 2008, then converted to ASE format and added interactivity displayed with Viewpoint-Enliven. 3D models embedded in a web page in html format with dynamic interactivity-rotating, panning and zooming by dragging a mouse over images-and descriptive information is embedded to 3D model by using xml format. A pilot test course having 15 h was applied to technicians who is responsible for intensive care unit at Medical Devices Repairing and Maintenance Center (TABOM) of Turkish High Specialized Hospital.

EUD-based biological optimization for carbon ion therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brüningk, Sarah C.; Kamp, Florian; Wilkens, Jan J.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Treatment planning for carbon ion therapy requires an accurate modeling of the biological response of each tissue to estimate the clinical outcome of a treatment. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) accounts for this biological response on a cellular level but does not refer to the actual impact on the organ as a whole. For photon therapy, the concept of equivalent uniform dose (EUD) represents a simple model to take the organ response into account, yet so far no formulation of EUD has been reported that is suitable to carbon ion therapy. The authors introduce the concept of an equivalent uniform effect (EUE) that is directly applicable to both ion and photon therapies and exemplarily implemented it as a basis for biological treatment plan optimization for carbon ion therapy. Methods: In addition to a classical EUD concept, which calculates a generalized mean over the RBE-weighted dose distribution, the authors propose the EUE to simplify the optimization process of carbon ion therapy plans. The EUE is defined as the biologically equivalent uniform effect that yields the same probability of injury as the inhomogeneous effect distribution in an organ. Its mathematical formulation is based on the generalized mean effect using an effect-volume parameter to account for different organ architectures and is thus independent of a reference radiation. For both EUD concepts, quadratic and logistic objective functions are implemented into a research treatment planning system. A flexible implementation allows choosing for each structure between biological effect constraints per voxel and EUD constraints per structure. Exemplary treatment plans are calculated for a head-and-neck patient for multiple combinations of objective functions and optimization parameters. Results: Treatment plans optimized using an EUE-based objective function were comparable to those optimized with an RBE-weighted EUD-based approach. In agreement with previous results from photon

Performative, Arts-Based, or Arts-Informed? Reflections on the Development of Arts-Based Research in Music Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ledger, Alison; McCaffrey, Tríona

2015-01-01

Arts-based research (ABR) has emerged in music therapy in diverse ways, employing a range of interpretive paradigms and artistic media. It is notable that no consensus exists as to when and where the arts are included in the research process, or which music therapy topics are most suited to arts-based study. This diversity may pose challenges for music therapists who are developing, reading, and evaluating arts-based research. This paper provides an updated review of arts-based research literature in music therapy, along with four questions for researchers who are developing arts-based research. These questions are 1) When should the arts be introduced? 2) Which artistic medium is appropriate? 3) How should the art be understood? and 4) What is the role of the audience? We argue that these questions are key to understanding arts-based research, justifying methods, and evaluating claims arising from arts-based research. Rather than defining arts-based research in music therapy, we suggest that arts-based research should be understood as a flexible research strategy appropriate for exploring the complexities of music therapy practice. © the American Music Therapy Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Selection of equipment for equipment qualification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torr, K.G.

1989-01-01

This report describes the methodology applied in selecting equipment in the special safety systems for equipment qualification in the CANDU 600 MW nuclear generating stations at Gentilly 2 and Point Lepreau. Included is an explanation of the selection procedure adopted and the rationale behind the criteria used in identifying the equipment. The equipment items on the list have been grouped into three priority categories as a planning aid to AECB staff for a review of the qualification status of the special safety systems

Fuzzy Activity Based Life Cycle Costing For Repairable Equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mulubrhan Freselam

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Life-cycle cost (LCC is the much known method used for decision making that considers all costs in the life of a system or equipment. Predicting LCCs is fraught with potential errors, owing to the uncertainty in future events, future costs, interest rates, and even hidden costs. These uncertainties have a direct impact on the decision making. Activity based LCC is used to identify the activities and cost drivers in acquisition, operation and maintenance phase. This activity based LCC is integrated with fuzzy set theory and interval mathematics to model these uncertainties. Day–Stout–Warren (DSW algorithm and the vertex method are then used to evaluate competing alternatives. A case of two pumps (Pump A and Pump B are taken and their LCC is analysed using the developed model. The equivalent annual cost of Pump B is greater than Pump A, which leads the decision maker to choose Pump A over Pump B.

The Bluebirds: World War I Soldiers' Experiences of Occupational Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettigrew, Judith; Robinson, Katie; Moloney, Stephanie

More is known about the experience of occupational therapists than the experience of patients during the profession's early years. We examined soldiers' experiences of occupational therapy in American Base Hospital 9 in France during World War I through analysis of a 53-line poem by Corporal Frank Wren contained in the unpublished memoir of occupational therapy reconstruction aide Lena Hitchcock. Historical documentary research methods and thematic analysis were used to analyze the poem, the memoir, and the hospital's published history. The poem describes the activities engaged in during occupational therapy, equipment used, and the context of therapy. It articulates positive dimensions of the experience of engaging in activities, including emotional benefits, diversion, and orthopedic benefits. Previous historical research has identified core philosophical premises about the use of occupational therapy; in this article, the enactment of these principles is established through the analysis of a soldier's account of receiving occupational therapy. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Analysis of the computational methods on the equipment shock response based on ANSYS environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yu; Li Zhaojun

2005-01-01

With the developments and completions of equipment shock vibration theory, math calculation method simulation technique and other aspects, equipment shock calculation methods are gradually developing form static development to dynamic and from linearity to non-linearity. Now, the equipment shock calculation methods applied worldwide in engineering practices mostly include equivalent static force method, Dynamic Design Analysis Method (abbreviated to DDAM) and real-time simulation method. The DDAM is a method based on the modal analysis theory, which inputs the shock design spectrum as shock load and gets hold of the shock response of the integrated system by applying separate cross-modal integrating method within the frequency domain. The real-time simulation method is to carry through the computational analysis of the equipment shock response within the time domain, use the time-history curves obtained from real-time measurement or spectrum transformation as the equipment shock load and find an iterative solution of a differential equation of the system movement by using the computational procedure within the time domain. Conclusions: Using the separate DDAM and Real-time Simulation Method, this paper carried through the shock analysis of a three-dimensional frame floating raft in ANSYS environments, analyzed the result, and drew the following conclusion: Because DDAM does not calculate damping, non-linear effect and phase difference between mode responses, the result is much bigger than that of real-time simulation method. The coupling response is much complex when the mode result of 3-dimension structure is being calculated, and the coupling response of non-shock direction is also much bigger than that of real-time simulation method when DDAM is applied. Both DDAM and real-time simulation method has its good points and scope of application. The designers should select the design method that is economic and in point according to the features and anti

TU-G-213-03: IEC Subcommittee 62C (Equipment for Radiotherapy, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Dosimetry): Recent and Active Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Culberson, W. [University of Wisconsin - Madison (United States)

2015-06-15

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) writes standards that manufacturers of electrical equipment must comply with. Medical electrical equipment, such as medical imaging, radiation therapy, and radiation dosimetry devices, fall under Technical Committee 62. Of particular interest to medical physicists are the standards developed within Subcommittees (SC) 62B, which addresses diagnostic radiological imaging equipment, and 62C, which addresses equipment for radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and dosimetry. For example, a Working Group of SC 62B is responsible for safety and quality assurance standards for CT scanners and a Working Group of SC 62C is responsible for standards that set requirements for dosimetric safety and accuracy of linacs and proton accelerators. IEC standards thus have an impact on every aspect of a medical physicist’s job, including equipment testing, shielding design, room layout, and workflow. Consequently, it is imperative that US medical physicists know about existing standards, as well as have input on those under development or undergoing revision. The structure of the IEC and current standards development work will be described in detail. The presentation will explain how US medical physicists can learn about IEC standards and contribute to their development. Learning Objectives: Learn about the structure of the IEC and the influence that IEC standards have on the design of equipment for radiology and radiation therapy. Learn about the mechanisms by which the US participates in the development and revision of standards. Understand the specific requirements of several standards having direct relevance to diagnostic and radiation therapy physicists.

Adapting Animal-Assisted Therapy Trials to Prison-Based Animal Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Molly; Ramaswamy, Megha

2016-09-01

Prison-based animal programs have shown promise when it comes to increased sociability, responsibility, and levels of patience for inmates who participate in these programs. Yet there remains a dearth of scientific research that demonstrates the impact of prison-based animal programs on inmates' physical and mental health. Trials of animal-assisted therapy interventions, a form of human-animal interaction therapy most often used with populations affected by depression/anxiety, mental illness, and trauma, may provide models of how prison-based animal program research can have widespread implementation in jail and prison settings, whose populations have high rates of mental health problems. This paper reviews the components of prison-based animal programs most commonly practiced in prisons today, presents five animal-assisted therapy case studies, evaluates them based on their adaptability to prison-based animal programs, and discusses the institutional constraints that act as barriers for rigorous prison-based animal program research implementation. This paper can serve to inform the development of a research approach to animal-assisted therapy that nurses and other public health researchers can use in working with correctional populations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Risk analysis of external radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arvidsson, Marcus

2011-09-01

External radiation therapy is carried out via a complex treatment process in which many different groups of staff work together. Much of the work is dependent on and in collaboration with advanced technical equipment. The purpose of the research task has been to identify a process for external radiation therapy and to identify, test and analyze a suitable method for performing risk analysis of external radiation therapy

Automated and observer based light field indicator edge evaluation in diagnostic X-ray equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bottaro, Marcio; Nagy, Balazs Vince; Soares, Fernanda Cristina Salvador; Rosendo, Danilo Cabral

2017-01-01

Introduction: To analyze edge detection and optical contrast calculation of light field-indicators used in X-ray via automated- and observer-based methods, and comparison with current standard approaches, which do not give exact definition for light field edge determination. Methods: Automated light sensor array was used to measure the penumbra zone of the edge in the standard X-ray equipment, while trained and naive human observers were asked to mark the light field edge according to their own determination. Different interpretations of the contrast were then calculated and compared. Results: In contrast to automated measurements of edge definition and detection, measurements by human observers showed large inter-observer variation independent of their training with X-ray equipment. Different contrast calculations considering the different edge definitions gave very different contrast values. Conclusion: As the main conclusion, we propose a more exact edge definition of the X-ray light field, corresponding well to the average human observer's edge determination. The new edge definition method with automated systems would reduce human variability in edge determination. Such errors could potentially affect the approval of X-ray equipment, and also increase the radiation dose. The automated measurement based on human observers’ edge definition and the corresponding contrast calculation may lead to a more precise light field calibration, which enables reduced irradiation doses on radiology patients. (author)

Automated and observer based light field indicator edge evaluation in diagnostic X-ray equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcio Bottaro

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction To analyze edge detection and optical contrast calculation of light field-indicators used in X-ray via automated- and observer-based methods, and comparison with current standard approaches, which do not give exact definition for light field edge determination. Methods Automated light sensor array was used to measure the penumbra zone of the edge in the standard X-ray equipment, while trained and naïve human observers were asked to mark the light field edge according to their own determination. Different interpretations of the contrast were then calculated and compared. Results In contrast to automated measurements of edge definition and detection, measurements by human observers showed large inter-observer variation independent of their training with X-ray equipment. Different contrast calculations considering the different edge definitions gave very different contrast values. Conclusion As the main conclusion, we propose a more exact edge definition of the X-ray light field, corresponding well to the average human observer’s edge determination. The new edge definition method with automated systems would reduce human variability in edge determination. Such errors could potentially affect the approval of X-ray equipment, and also increase the radiation dose. The automated measurement based on human observers’ edge definition and the corresponding contrast calculation may lead to a more precise light field calibration, which enables reduced irradiation doses on radiology patients.

Automated and observer based light field indicator edge evaluation in diagnostic X-ray equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bottaro, Marcio; Nagy, Balazs Vince; Soares, Fernanda Cristina Salvador; Rosendo, Danilo Cabral, E-mail: marcio@iee.usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil); Optics and Engineering Informatics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest (Hungary)

2017-04-15

Introduction: To analyze edge detection and optical contrast calculation of light field-indicators used in X-ray via automated- and observer-based methods, and comparison with current standard approaches, which do not give exact definition for light field edge determination. Methods: Automated light sensor array was used to measure the penumbra zone of the edge in the standard X-ray equipment, while trained and naive human observers were asked to mark the light field edge according to their own determination. Different interpretations of the contrast were then calculated and compared. Results: In contrast to automated measurements of edge definition and detection, measurements by human observers showed large inter-observer variation independent of their training with X-ray equipment. Different contrast calculations considering the different edge definitions gave very different contrast values. Conclusion: As the main conclusion, we propose a more exact edge definition of the X-ray light field, corresponding well to the average human observer's edge determination. The new edge definition method with automated systems would reduce human variability in edge determination. Such errors could potentially affect the approval of X-ray equipment, and also increase the radiation dose. The automated measurement based on human observers’ edge definition and the corresponding contrast calculation may lead to a more precise light field calibration, which enables reduced irradiation doses on radiology patients. (author)

Developing Home-Based Virtual Reality Therapy Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Janice; Kelleher, Caitlin L; Engsberg, Jack R

2013-02-01

Stroke is one of the leading causes of serious long-term disability. However, home exercise programs given at rehabilitation often lack in motivational aspects. The purposes of this pilot study were (1) create individualized virtual reality (VR) games and (2) determine the effectiveness of VR games for improving movement in upper extremities in a 6-week home therapy intervention for persons with stroke. Participants were two individuals with upper extremity hemiparesis following a stroke. VR games were created using the Looking Glass programming language and modified based on personal interests, goals, and abilities. Participants were asked to play 1 hour each day for 6 weeks. Assessments measured upper extremity movement (range of motion and Action Research Arm Test [ARAT]) and performance in functional skills (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure [COPM] and Motor Activity Log [MAL]). Three VR games were created by a supervised occupational therapist student. The participants played approximately four to six times a week and performed over 100 repetitions of movements each day. Participants showed improvement in upper extremity movement and participation in functional tasks based on results from the COPM, ARAT, and MAL. Further development in the programming environment is needed to be plausible in a rehabilitation setting. Suggestions include graded-level support and continuation of creating a natural programming language, which will increase the ability to use the program in a rehabilitation setting. However, the VR games were shown to be effective as a home therapy intervention for persons with stroke. VR has the potential to advance therapy services by creating a more motivating home-based therapy service.

Validation of GPU based TomoTherapy dose calculation engine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Quan; Lu, Weiguo; Chen, Yu; Chen, Mingli; Henderson, Douglas; Sterpin, Edmond

2012-04-01

The graphic processing unit (GPU) based TomoTherapy convolution/superposition(C/S) dose engine (GPU dose engine) achieves a dramatic performance improvement over the traditional CPU-cluster based TomoTherapy dose engine (CPU dose engine). Besides the architecture difference between the GPU and CPU, there are several algorithm changes from the CPU dose engine to the GPU dose engine. These changes made the GPU dose slightly different from the CPU-cluster dose. In order for the commercial release of the GPU dose engine, its accuracy has to be validated. Thirty eight TomoTherapy phantom plans and 19 patient plans were calculated with both dose engines to evaluate the equivalency between the two dose engines. Gamma indices (Γ) were used for the equivalency evaluation. The GPU dose was further verified with the absolute point dose measurement with ion chamber and film measurements for phantom plans. Monte Carlo calculation was used as a reference for both dose engines in the accuracy evaluation in heterogeneous phantom and actual patients. The GPU dose engine showed excellent agreement with the current CPU dose engine. The majority of cases had over 99.99% of voxels with Γ(1%, 1 mm) engine also showed similar degree of accuracy in heterogeneous media as the current TomoTherapy dose engine. It is verified and validated that the ultrafast TomoTherapy GPU dose engine can safely replace the existing TomoTherapy cluster based dose engine without degradation in dose accuracy.

Transfer of Minibeam Radiation Therapy into a cost-effective equipment for radiobiological studies: a proof of concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Prezado, Y; Dos Santos, M; Gonzalez, W; Jouvion, G; Guardiola, C; Heinrich, S; Labiod, D; Juchaux, M; Jourdain, L; Sebrie, C; Pouzoulet, F

2017-12-11

Minibeam radiation therapy (MBRT) is an innovative synchrotron radiotherapy technique able to shift the normal tissue complication probability curves to significantly higher doses. However, its exploration was hindered due to the limited and expensive beamtime at synchrotrons. The aim of this work was to develop a cost-effective equipment to perform systematic radiobiological studies in view of MBRT. Tumor control for various tumor entities will be addressable as well as studies to unravel the distinct biological mechanisms involved in normal and tumor tissues responses when applying MBRT. With that aim, a series of modifications of a small animal irradiator were performed to make it suitable for MBRT experiments. In addition, the brains of two groups of rats were irradiated. Half of the animals received a standard irradiation, the other half, MBRT. The animals were followed-up for 6.5 months. Substantial brain damage was observed in the group receiving standard RT, in contrast to the MBRT group, where no significant lesions were observed. This work proves the feasibility of the transfer of MBRT outside synchrotron sources towards a small animal irradiator.

The first private-hospital based proton therapy center in Korea; Status of the proton therapy center at Samsung Medical Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Kwang Zoo; Han, Young Yih; Kim, Jin Sung

2015-01-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the proton therapy system at Samsung Medical Center (SMC-PTS) including the proton beam generator, irradiation system, patient positioning system, patient position verification system, respiratory gating system, and operating and safety control system, and review the current status of the SMC-PTS. The SMC-PTS has a cyclotron (230 MeV) and two treatment rooms: one treatment room is equipped with a multi-purpose nozzle and the other treatment room is equipped with a dedicated pencil beam scanning nozzle. The proton beam generator including the cyclotron and the energy selection system can lower the energy of protons down to 70 MeV from the maximum 230 MeV. The multi-purpose nozzle can deliver both wobbling proton beam and active scanning proton beam, and a multi-leaf collimator has been installed in the downstream of the nozzle. The dedicated scanning nozzle can deliver active scanning proton beam with a helium gas filled pipe minimizing unnecessary interactions with the air in the beam path. The equipment was provided by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., RayStation from RaySearch Laboratories AB is the selected treatment planning system, and data management will be handled by the MOSAIQ system from Elekta AB. The SMC-PTS located in Seoul, Korea, is scheduled to begin treating cancer patients in 2015

The first private-hospital based proton therapy center in Korea; status of the Proton Therapy Center at Samsung Medical Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Kwangzoo; Han, Youngyih; Kim, Jinsung; Ahn, Sung Hwan; Ju, Sang Gyu; Jung, Sang Hoon; Chung, Yoonsun; Cho, Sungkoo; Jo, Kwanghyun; Shin, Eun Hyuk; Hong, Chae-Seon; Shin, Jung Suk; Park, Seyjoon; Kim, Dae-Hyun; Kim, Hye Young; Lee, Boram; Shibagaki, Gantaro; Nonaka, Hideki; Sasai, Kenzo; Koyabu, Yukio; Choi, Changhoon; Huh, Seung Jae; Ahn, Yong Chan; Pyo, Hong Ryull; Lim, Do Hoon; Park, Hee Chul; Park, Won; Oh, Dong Ryul; Noh, Jae Myung; Yu, Jeong Il; Song, Sanghyuk; Lee, Ji Eun; Lee, Bomi; Choi, Doo Ho

2015-12-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the proton therapy system at Samsung Medical Center (SMC-PTS) including the proton beam generator, irradiation system, patient positioning system, patient position verification system, respiratory gating system, and operating and safety control system, and review the current status of the SMC-PTS. The SMC-PTS has a cyclotron (230 MeV) and two treatment rooms: one treatment room is equipped with a multi-purpose nozzle and the other treatment room is equipped with a dedicated pencil beam scanning nozzle. The proton beam generator including the cyclotron and the energy selection system can lower the energy of protons down to 70 MeV from the maximum 230 MeV. The multi-purpose nozzle can deliver both wobbling proton beam and active scanning proton beam, and a multi-leaf collimator has been installed in the downstream of the nozzle. The dedicated scanning nozzle can deliver active scanning proton beam with a helium gas filled pipe minimizing unnecessary interactions with the air in the beam path. The equipment was provided by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., RayStation from RaySearch Laboratories AB is the selected treatment planning system, and data management will be handled by the MOSAIQ system from Elekta AB. The SMC-PTS located in Seoul, Korea, is scheduled to begin treating cancer patients in 2015.

Proton Therapy for Skull Base Chordomas: An Outcome Study from the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute

OpenAIRE

Deraniyagala, Rohan L.; Yeung, Daniel; Mendenhall, William M.; Li, Zuofeng; Morris, Christopher G.; Mendenhall, Nancy P.; Okunieff, Paul; Malyapa, Robert S.

2013-01-01

Objectives Skull base chordoma is a rare, locally aggressive tumor located adjacent to critical structures. Gross total resection is difficult to achieve, and proton therapy has the conformal advantage of delivering a high postoperative dose to the tumor bed. We present our experience using proton therapy to treat 33 patients with skull base chordomas.

Proton therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jongen, Y.

1995-01-01

Ideal radiotherapy deposits a large amount of energy in the tumour volume, and none in the surrounding healthy tissues. Proton therapy comes closer to this goal because of a greater concentration of dose, well defined proton ranges and points of energy release which are precisely known - the Bragg peak1. In the past, the development of clinical proton therapy has been hampered by complexity, size, and cost. To be clinically effective, energies of several hundred MeV are required; these were previously unavailable for hospital installations, and pioneering institutions had to work with complex, inadequate equipment originally intended for nuclear physics research. Recently a number of specialist organizations and commercial companies have been working on dedicated systems for proton therapy. One, IBA of Belgium, has equipment for inhouse hospital operation which encompasses a complete therapy centre, delivered as a turnkey package and incorporating a compact, automated, higher energy cyclotron with isocentric gantries. Their system will be installed at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. The proton therapy system comprises: - a 235 MeV isochronous cyclotron to deliver beams of up to 1.5 microamps, but with a hardware limitation to restrict the maximum possible dose; - variable energy beam (235 to 70 MeV ) with energy spread and emittance verification; - a beam transport and switching system to connect the exit of the energy selection system to the entrances of a number of gantries and fixed beamlines. Along the beam transport system, the beam characteristics are monitored with non-interceptive multiwire ionization chambers for automatic tuning; - gantries fitted with nozzles and beamline elements for beam control; both beam scattering and beam wobbling techniques are available for shaping the beam;

Quality assurance study for dosimetry of Radiation Therapy equipment in Saudi Arabia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Mokhlef, Jazi M.; Nabaz, Noori

2003-01-01

International standards address the accuracy of dose delivery for radiation therapy machines as well as quality assurance and staffing levels for radiation therapy centers. We performed absolute calibrations of gamma ,X-ray and electron radiotherapy beams in all radiation therapy centers in Saudi Arabia. We also assessed quality assurance and staffing levels Dosimetric measurements were made with a portable dosimetry system, which consisted of a calibrated Farmer ionization chamber and an electrometer, small water phantom, barometer and thermometer. Differences between the measured and the expected output (c Gy/MU or c Gy/min) were found to be in the range of -11%+5%. About 17% of radiotherapy beams were not within the acceptable tolerance level (+/-3%). Quality assurance in some radiation centers was poor and staffing levels were inadequate. We found poor compliance with internationally accepted tolerance levels for dose calibration of radiotherapy beams at radiation therapy centers in Saudi Arabia. Analysis of medical physics staffing revealed severe discrepancies from those recommended by international guidelines .We recommend that radiation therapy centers be adequately staffed with qualified medical physics personnel and that periodic audit programs be required a governmental body. (author)

Nonimmune cells equipped with T-cell-receptor-like signaling for cancer cell ablation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kojima, Ryosuke; Scheller, Leo; Fussenegger, Martin

2018-01-01

The ability to engineer custom cell-contact-sensing output devices into human nonimmune cells would be useful for extending the applicability of cell-based cancer therapies and for avoiding risks associated with engineered immune cells. Here we have developed a new class of synthetic T-cell receptor-like signal-transduction device that functions efficiently in human nonimmune cells and triggers release of output molecules specifically upon sensing contact with a target cell. This device employs an interleukin signaling cascade, whose OFF/ON switching is controlled by biophysical segregation of a transmembrane signal-inhibitory protein from the sensor cell-target cell interface. We further show that designer nonimmune cells equipped with this device driving expression of a membrane-penetrator/prodrug-activating enzyme construct could specifically kill target cells in the presence of the prodrug, indicating its potential usefulness for target-cell-specific, cell-based enzyme-prodrug cancer therapy. Our study also contributes to the advancement of synthetic biology by extending available design principles to transmit extracellular information to cells.

Prior use of durable medical equipment as a risk adjuster for health-based capitation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.C. van Kleef (Richard); R.C.J.A. van Vliet (René)

2010-01-01

textabstractThis paper examines a new risk adjuster for capitation payments to Dutch health plans, based on the prior use of durable medical equipment (DME). The essence is to classify users of DME in a previous year into clinically homogeneous classes and to apply the resulting classification as a

Strategic project selection based on evidential reasoning approach for high-end equipment manufacturing industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Guangyan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of science and technology, emerging information technologies have significantly changed the daily life of people. In such context, strategic project selection for high-end equipment manufacturing industries faces more and more complexities and uncertainties with the consideration of several complex criteria. For example, a group of experts rather than a single expert should be invited to select strategic project for high-end equipment manufacturing industries and the experts may feel difficulty to express their preferences towards different strategic projects due to their limited cognitive capabilities. In order to handle these complexities and uncertainties, the criteria framework of strategic project selection is firstly constructed based on the characteristics of high-end equipment manufacturing industries and then evidential reasoning (ER approach is introduced in this paper to help experts express their uncertain preferences and aggregate these preferences to generate an appropriate strategic project. A real case of strategic project selection in a high-speed train manufacturing enterprise is investigated to demonstrate the validity of the ER approach in solving strategic project selection problem.

Model-based sensor-augmented pump therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosman, Benyamin; Voskanyan, Gayane; Loutseiko, Mikhail; Roy, Anirban; Mehta, Aloke; Kurtz, Natalie; Parikh, Neha; Kaufman, Francine R; Mastrototaro, John J; Keenan, Barry

2013-03-01

In insulin pump therapy, optimization of bolus and basal insulin dose settings is a challenge. We introduce a new algorithm that provides individualized basal rates and new carbohydrate ratio and correction factor recommendations. The algorithm utilizes a mathematical model of blood glucose (BG) as a function of carbohydrate intake and delivered insulin, which includes individualized parameters derived from sensor BG and insulin delivery data downloaded from a patient's pump. A mathematical model of BG as a function of carbohydrate intake and delivered insulin was developed. The model includes fixed parameters and several individualized parameters derived from the subject's BG measurements and pump data. Performance of the new algorithm was assessed using n = 4 diabetic canine experiments over a 32 h duration. In addition, 10 in silico adults from the University of Virginia/Padova type 1 diabetes mellitus metabolic simulator were tested. The percentage of time in glucose range 80-180 mg/dl was 86%, 85%, 61%, and 30% using model-based therapy and [78%, 100%] (brackets denote multiple experiments conducted under the same therapy and animal model), [75%, 67%], 47%, and 86% for the control experiments for dogs 1 to 4, respectively. The BG measurements obtained in the simulation using our individualized algorithm were in 61-231 mg/dl min-max envelope, whereas use of the simulator's default treatment resulted in BG measurements 90-210 mg/dl min-max envelope. The study results demonstrate the potential of this method, which could serve as a platform for improving, facilitating, and standardizing insulin pump therapy based on a single download of data. © 2013 Diabetes Technology Society.

Accelerator based neutron source for neutron capture therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salimov, R.; Bayanov, B.; Belchenko, Yu.; Belov, V.; Davydenko, V.; Donin, A.; Dranichnikov, A.; Ivanov, A.; Kandaurov, I; Kraynov, G.; Krivenko, A.; Kudryavtsev, A.; Kursanov, N.; Savkin, V.; Shirokov, V.; Sorokin, I.; Taskaev, S.; Tiunov, M.

2004-01-01

Full text: The Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (Novosibirsk) and the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (Obninsk) have proposed an accelerator based neutron source for neutron capture and fast neutron therapy for hospital. Innovative approach is based upon vacuum insulation tandem accelerator (VITA) and near threshold 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be neutron generation. Pilot accelerator based neutron source for neutron capture therapy is under construction now at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk, Russia. In the present report, the pilot facility design is presented and discussed. Design features of facility components are discussed. Results of experiments and simulations are presented. Complete experimental tests are planned by the end of the year 2005

The basic discussion on nuclear power safety improvement based on nuclear equipment design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Feiyun; Yao Yangui; Yu Hao; He Yinbiao; Gao Lei; Yao Weida

2013-01-01

The safety of strengthening nuclear power design was described based on nuclear equipment design after Fukushima nuclear accident. From these aspects, such as advanced standard system, advanced design method, suitable test means, consideration of beyond design basis event, and nuclear safety culture construction, the importance of nuclear safety improvement was emphatically presented. The enlightenment was given to nuclear power designer. (authors)

Performing Art-Based Research: Innovation in Graduate Art Therapy Education

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Bruce L.; Hoffman, Nadia

2014-01-01

This article presents an innovation in art therapy research and education in which art-based performance is used to generate, embody, and creatively synthesize knowledge. An art therapy graduate student's art-based process of inquiry serves to demonstrate how art and performance may be used to identify the research question, to conduct a process…

Electronic equipment packaging technology

CERN Document Server

Ginsberg, Gerald L

1992-01-01

The last twenty years have seen major advances in the electronics industry. Perhaps the most significant aspect of these advances has been the significant role that electronic equipment plays in almost all product markets. Even though electronic equipment is used in a broad base of applications, many future applications have yet to be conceived. This versatility of electron­ ics has been brought about primarily by the significant advances that have been made in integrated circuit technology. The electronic product user is rarely aware of the integrated circuits within the equipment. However, the user is often very aware of the size, weight, mod­ ularity, maintainability, aesthetics, and human interface features of the product. In fact, these are aspects of the products that often are instrumental in deter­ mining its success or failure in the marketplace. Optimizing these and other product features is the primary role of Electronic Equipment Packaging Technology. As the electronics industry continues to pr...

Proceedings of FED remote maintenance equipment workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sager, P.; Garin, J.; Hager, E.R.; Spampinato, P.T.; Tobias, D.; Young, N.

1981-11-01

A workshop was convened in two sessions in January and March 1981, on the remote maintenance equipment for the Fusion Engineering Device (FED). The objectives of the first session were to familiarize the participants with the status of the design of the FED and to develop a remote maintenance equipment list for the FED. The objective of the second session was to have the participants present design concepts for the equipment which had been identified in the first session. The equipment list was developed for general purpose and special purpose equipment. The general purpose equipment was categorized as manipulators and other, while the special purpose equipment was subdivided according to the reactor subsystem it serviced: electrical, magnetic, and nuclear. Both mobile and fixed base manipulators were identified. Handling machines were identified as the major requirement for special purpose equipment

Comprehensive analysis and evaluation of big data for main transformer equipment based on PCA and Apriority

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Lijuan; Yan, Haijun; Hao, Yongqi; Chen, Yun

2018-01-01

With the power supply level of urban power grid toward high reliability development, it is necessary to adopt appropriate methods for comprehensive evaluation of existing equipment. Considering the wide and multi-dimensional power system data, the method of large data mining is used to explore the potential law and value of power system equipment. Based on the monitoring data of main transformer and the records of defects and faults, this paper integrates the data of power grid equipment environment. Apriori is used as an association identification algorithm to extract the frequent correlation factors of the main transformer, and the potential dependence of the big data is analyzed by the support and confidence. Then, the integrated data is analyzed by PCA, and the integrated quantitative scoring model is constructed. It is proved to be effective by using the test set to validate the evaluation algorithm and scheme. This paper provides a new idea for data fusion of smart grid, and provides a reference for further evaluation of big data of power grid equipment.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Tumor-Targeted Gene Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Qi; Zhao, Yue; Niess, Hanno; Conrad, Claudius; Schwarz, Bettina; Jauch, Karl-Walter; Huss, Ralf; Nelson, Peter J.

2012-01-01

Mesenchymal stem (or stromal) cells (MSCs) are nonhematopoietic progenitor cells that can be obtained from bone marrow aspirates or adipose tissue, expanded and genetically modified in vitro, and then used for cancer therapeutic strategies in vivo. Here, we review available data regarding the application of MSC-based tumor-targeted therapy in gastrointestinal cancer, provide an overview of the general history of MSC-based gene therapy in cancer research, and discuss potential problems associated with the utility of MSC-based therapy such as biosafety, immunoprivilege, transfection methods, and distribution in the host. PMID:22530882

SOLUTION FOR AN EQUIPMENT OF RAILWAY BRIDGE MONITORING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liviu Mihai SIMA

2009-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a solution for the railway bridges monitoring based on the use of already existing equipments in the railway installations and some new equipments based on photo-elements, as well. This kind of equipments can function in continue and discontinuous regime, means of them tracking down if the bridge piles suffered movements by different reasons. This aspect can put in danger the safety of the circulation on that bridge.

Nanomedicine-based combination anticancer therapy between nucleic acids and small-molecular drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wei; Chen, Liqing; Kang, Lin; Jin, Mingji; Sun, Ping; Xin, Xin; Gao, Zhonggao; Bae, You Han

2017-06-01

Anticancer therapy has always been a vital challenge for the development of nanomedicine. Repeated single therapeutic agent may lead to undesirable and severe side effects, unbearable toxicity and multidrug resistance due to complex nature of tumor. Nanomedicine-based combination anticancer therapy can synergistically improve antitumor outcomes through multiple-target therapy, decreasing the dose of each therapeutic agent and reducing side effects. There are versatile combinational anticancer strategies such as chemotherapeutic combination, nucleic acid-based co-delivery, intrinsic sensitive and extrinsic stimulus combinational patterns. Based on these combination strategies, various nanocarriers and drug delivery systems were engineered to carry out the efficient co-delivery of combined therapeutic agents for combination anticancer therapy. This review focused on illustrating nanomedicine-based combination anticancer therapy between nucleic acids and small-molecular drugs for synergistically improving anticancer efficacy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Application of information management system about medical equipment].

Science.gov (United States)

Hang, Jianjin; Zhang, Chaoqun; Wu, Xiang-Yang

2011-05-01

Based on the practice of workflow, information management system about medical equipment was developed and its functions such as gathering, browsing, inquiring and counting were introduced. With dynamic and complete case management of medical equipment, the system improved the management of medical equipment.

Magnetic resonance imaging and cell-based neurorestorative therapy after brain injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan Jiang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Restorative cell-based therapies for experimental brain injury, such as stroke and traumatic brain injury, substantially improve functional outcome. We discuss and review state of the art magnetic resonance imaging methodologies and their applications related to cell-based treatment after brain injury. We focus on the potential of magnetic resonance imaging technique and its associated challenges to obtain useful new information related to cell migration, distribution, and quantitation, as well as vascular and neuronal remodeling in response to cell-based therapy after brain injury. The noninvasive nature of imaging might more readily help with translation of cell-based therapy from the laboratory to the clinic.

Mine railway equipments management information system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, X.; Han, K.; Duan, T.; Liu, Z.; Lu, H. [China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou (China)

2007-06-15

Based on client/server and browser/server models, the management information system described realized the entire life-cycle management of mine railway equipment which included universal equipment and special equipment in the locomotive depot, track maintenance division, electrical depot and car depot. The system has other online functions such as transmitting reports, graphics management, statistics, searches, graphics wizard and web propaganda. It was applied in Pingdingshan Coal Co. Ltd.'s Railway Transport Department. 5 refs., 4 figs.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Therapy for Test Anxiety: A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Lily A.; Forman, Evan M.; Herbert, James D.; Hoffman, Kimberly L.; Yuen, Erica K.; Goetter, Elizabeth M.

2011-01-01

Many university students suffer from test anxiety that is severe enough to impair performance. Given mixed efficacy results of previous cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) trials and a theoretically driven rationale, an acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) approach was compared to traditional CBT (i.e., Beckian cognitive therapy; CT) for the…

Development of remote handling tools and equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakahira, Masataka; Oka, Kiyoshi; Taguchi, Kou; Ito, Akira; Fukatsu, Seiichi; Oda, Yasushi; Kajiura, Soji; Yamazaki, Seiichiro; Aoyama, Kazuo.

1997-01-01

The remote handling (RH) tools and equipment development in ITER focuses mainly on the welding and cutting technique, weld inspection and double-seal door which are essential factors in the replacement of in-vessel components such as divertor and blanket. The conceptual design of these RH tools and equipment has been defined through ITER engineering design activity (EDA). Similarly, elementary R and D of the RH tools and equipment have been extensively performed to accumulate a technological data base for process and performance qualification. Based on this data, fabrications of full-scale RH tools and equipment are under progress. A prototypical bore tool for pipe welding and cutting has already been fabricated and is currently undergoing integrated performance tests. This paper describes the design outline of the RH tools and equipment related to in-vessel components maintenance, and highlights the current status of RH tools and equipment development by the Japan Home Team as an ITER R and D program. This paper also includes an outline of insulation joint and quick-pipe connector development, which has also been conducted through the ITER R and D program in order to standardize RH operations and components. (author)

Independent checks of linear accelerators equipped with multileaf collimators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlikova, I.; Ekendahl, D.; Horakova, I.

2005-01-01

National Radiation Protection Institute (NRPI) provides independent checks of therapeutic equipment as a part of state supervision. In the end of 2003, the audit was broaden for linear accelerators equipped with multileaf collimators (MLC). NRPI provides TLD postal audits and on-site independent checks. This contribution describes tests for multileaf collimators and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique that are accomplished within the independent on-site check of linear accelerators. The character and type of tests that are necessary to pursue for multileaf collimator depends on application technique. There are three basic application of the MLC. The first we call 'static MLC' and it serves for replacing conventional blocking or for adjusting the field shape to match the beam's-eye view projection of a planning target volume during an arc rotation of the x-ray beam. This procedure is called conformal radiotherapy. The most advanced technique with MLC is intensity modulated radiation therapy. The dose can be delivered to the patient with IMRT in various different ways: dynamic MLC, segmented MLC and IMRT arc therapy. Independent audits represent an important instrument of quality assurance. Methodology for independent check of static MLC was successfully verified on two types of accelerators: Varian and Elekta. Results from pilot measurements with dynamic MLC imply that the methodology is applicable for Varian accelerators. In the future, the experience with other types of linear accelerators will contribute to renovation, modification, and broaden independent checks methodology. (authors)

Maintenance and fabrication of electronic equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Chong Eun; Moon, Byung Soo; Hong, Suk Boong; Kim, Yong Keun; Kim, Jung Bok

2003-12-01

Development of radiation monitoring equipment could be the base of domestic development of RMS. And the technique could be adapted to development of other radiation equipment of KAERI as well as hospitals and nuclear power plants. The RMS technology could be adapted to the development of precision instruments related to nuclear radiation and be the base of fundamental technology such as protein structure analysis of bio technology, development of nano advanced material and aircraft material. The technology of multi-channel readout ASIC for nuclear radiation detector, which has been imported from abroad, could be adapted to development of radiation equipment for image processing, position of detection, NDT etc., and also the technique will be expected to contribute to increase the use of radiation technology to industrial applications

Evidence - based medicine/practice in sports physical therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Manske, Robert C; Lehecka, B J

2012-10-01

A push for the use of evidence-based medicine and evidence-based practice patterns has permeated most health care disciplines. The use of evidence-based practice in sports physical therapy may improve health care quality, reduce medical errors, help balance known benefits and risks, challenge views based on beliefs rather than evidence, and help to integrate patient preferences into decision-making. In this era of health care utilization sports physical therapists are expected to integrate clinical experience with conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of research evidence in order to make clearly informed decisions in order to help maximize and optimize patient well-being. One of the more common reasons for not using evidence in clinical practice is the perceived lack of skills and knowledge when searching for or appraising research. This clinical commentary was developed to educate the readership on what constitutes evidence-based practice, and strategies used to seek evidence in the daily clinical practice of sports physical therapy.

Life Cycle Management for Equipments in Nuclear Plants Based on Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Dalin; Sun Jinlong

2012-01-01

Life cycle management model based on reliability includes two parts: obtaining failure rate function and founding cost-oriented model to solve. It is actually a single objective programming whose optimal solution is the most economical replacement period. Parameters of failure rate function are estimated by Weibull process fitting with the method of maximum likelihood. The objective function of the model is life-cost function where the dependent variable is replacement period T, with the constraints of failure rate or availability. After foundation of LCM model, we solve it to find the optimal replacement period for the equipments. (author)

The research of medical equipment on-line detection system based on Android smartphone

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Junjie; Dong, Xinyu; Zhang, Hongjie; Liu, Mengjun

2017-06-01

With the unceasing enhancement of medical level, the expanding scale of medical institutions, medical equipment as an important tool for disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention, used in all levels of medical institutions. The quality and accuracy of the Medical equipment play a key role in the doctor's diagnosis and treatment effect, medical metrology as the important technical foundation is to ensure that the equipment, technology, material components are accurate and the application is safe and reliable. Medical equipment have the feature of variety, large quantity, long using cycle, expensive and multi-site, which bring great difficulty in maintenance, equipment management and verification. Therefore, how to get the medical measurement integrate deeply into the advanced internet technology, information technology and the new measuring method, for real-time monitoring of medical equipment, tracking, positioning, and query is particularly important.

Prioritizing equipment for replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Capuano, Mike

2010-01-01

It is suggested that clinical engineers take the lead in formulating evaluation processes to recommend equipment replacement. Their skill, knowledge, and experience, combined with access to equipment databases, make them a logical choice. Based on ideas from Fennigkoh's scheme, elements such as age, vendor support, accumulated maintenance cost, and function/risk were used.6 Other more subjective criteria such as cost benefits and efficacy of newer technology were not used. The element of downtime was also omitted due to the data element not being available. The resulting Periop Master Equipment List and its rationale was presented to the Perioperative Services Program Council. They deemed the criteria to be robust and provided overwhelming acceptance of the list. It was quickly put to use to estimate required capital funding, justify items already thought to need replacement, and identify high-priority ranked items for replacement. Incorporating prioritization criteria into an existing equipment database would be ideal. Some commercially available systems do have the basic elements of this. Maintaining replacement data can be labor-intensive regardless of the method used. There is usually little time to perform the tasks necessary for prioritizing equipment. However, where appropriate, a clinical engineering department might be able to conduct such an exercise as shown in the following case study.

Improving the efficiency of thermal power equipment based on technologies using surfactants

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolaeva, L. A.; Zueva, O. S.

2015-10-01

The formation of deposits on the functional surfaces of the equipment of heating systems and their corrosion are one of the major energetic problems. To improve the operational efficiency of thermal power equipment, surface-active agents (surfactants) are widely used, which are applied for the treatment of the working surfaces before use, during use, to prevent the parking corrosion, as well as while performing periodic chemical cleanings of power equipment. The tests have been performed, and the technology of application of Auge Neo Ac 56 acid product (MAHIM, Kazan) has been developed, designed to remove mineral deposits and scale from cooling and boiler systems without mechanical influence on them and without disassembly of technological equipment.

A complex method of equipment replacement planning. An advanced plan for the replacement of medical equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

Dondelinger, Robert M

2004-01-01

This complex method of equipment replacement planning is a methodology; it is a means to an end, a process that focuses on equipment most in need of replacement, rather than the end itself. It uses data available from the maintenance management database, and attempts to quantify those subjective items important [figure: see text] in making equipment replacement decisions. Like the simple method of the last issue, it is a starting point--albeit an advanced starting point--which the user can modify to fit their particular organization, but the complex method leaves room for expansion. It is based on sound logic, documented facts, and is fully defensible during the decision-making process and will serve your organization well as provide a structure for your equipment replacement planning decisions.

Nanomedicine for cancer therapy from chemotherapeutic to hyperthermia-based therapy

CERN Document Server

Kumar, Piyush

2017-01-01

This Brief focuses on the cancer therapy available till date, from conventional drug delivery to nanomedicine in clinical trial. In addition, it reports on future generation based nanotherapeutics and cancer theranostic agent for effective therapeutic diagnosis and treatment. Breast cancer was chosen as the model system in this review. The authors give emphasis to multiple drug resistance (MDR) and its mechanism and how to overcome it using the nanoparticle approach. .

Procurement strategic analysis of nuclear safety equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Caixia; Yang Haifeng; Li Xiaoyang; Li Shixin

2013-01-01

The nuclear power development plan in China puts forward a challenge on procurement of nuclear safety equipment. Based on the characteristics of the procurement of nuclear safety equipment, requirements are raised for procurement process, including further clarification of equipment technical specification, establishment and improvement of the expert database of the nuclear power industry, adoption of more reasonable evaluation method and establishment of a unified platform for nuclear power plants to procure nuclear safety equipment. This paper makes recommendation of procurement strategy for nuclear power production enterprises from following aspects, making a plan of procurement progress, dividing procurement packages rationally, establishing supplier database through qualification review and implementing classified management, promoting localization process of key equipment continually and further improving the system and mechanism of procurement of nuclear safety equipment. (authors)

Análise da dose do laser de baixa potência em equipamentos nacionais Analysis of low-level laser therapy doses in Brazilian equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TY Fukuda

2008-02-01

Full Text Available CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A laserterapia de baixa potência vem sendo cada vez mais utilizada, e o crescente interesse por seus efeitos relaciona-se com a grande quantidade de publicações científicas. Muitos terapeutas e pesquisadores têm-se baseado na definição da dose do laser pela densidade energética (deltaE; porém, a grande variedade de equipamentos de laser pode levar a diferença nos resultados terapêuticos encontrados, por fornecerem parâmetros que variam de acordo com o fabricante. OBJETIVO: Analisar a energia final transmitida ao tecido ao aplicar-se a mesma deltaE em equipamentos de diferentes marcas nacionais. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados sete equipamentos nacionais, com potência média (Pm diferentes, e foram realizadas simulações aplicando deltaE de 1J/cm² em cada aparelho, para avaliar possíveis diferenças na energia final. RESULTADOS: A mesmadeltaE aplicada em diferentes aparelhos nacionais forneceu energia final que variou entre 10 e 90mJ. Esta variação na energia deveu-se principalmente a diferenças na Pm, sendo encontrados valores entre 5,4 e 75mW. CONCLUSÃO: Esta variabilidade na energia final, que é transmitida ao tecido, indica que a deltaE parece não ser o parâmetro que melhor descreve a dose a ser utilizada. É preciso mencionar não só a deltaE, mas também a energia final, para que se possa estabelecer a dose para obtenção do melhor resultado terapêutico.INTRODUCTION: Low-level laser therapy is becoming more popular and there is a growing interest in its effects, as reflected in the increased number of articles published about the subject. Many therapists and researchers have used a laser dose definition based on energy density (deltaE. However, the variety of laser equipments may lead to differences in the therapeutic results found, since the parameters supplied by these equipments vary according to the manufacturer. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the final energy transmitted to the tissue when

Computer-based Programs in Speech Therapy of Dyslalia and Dyslexia- Dysgraphia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirela Danubianu

2010-04-01

Full Text Available During the last years, the researchers and therapists in speech therapy have been more and more concerned with the elaboration and use of computer programs in speech disorders therapy. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of computer-based programs for the Romanian language in speech therapy. Along the study, we will present the experimental research through assessing the effectiveness of computer programs in the speech therapy for speech disorders: dyslalia, dyslexia and dysgraphia. Methodologically, the use of the computer in the therapeutic phases was carried out with the help of some computer-based programs (Logomon, Dislex-Test etc. that we elaborated and we experimented with during several years of therapeutic activity. The sample used in our experiments was composed of 120 subjects; two groups of 60 children with speech disorders were selected for both speech disorders: 30 for the experimental ('computer-based' group and 30 for the control ('classical method' group. The study hypotheses verified whether the results, obtained by the subjects within the experimental group, improved significantly after using the computer-based program, compared to the subjects within the control group, who did not use this program but got a classical therapy. The hypotheses were confirmed for the speech disorders included in this research; the conclusions of the study confirm the advantages of using computer-based programs within speech therapy by correcting these disorders, as well as due to the positive influence these programs have on the development of children’s personality.

Medical equipment in government health facilities: Missed opportunities

OpenAIRE

Pardeshi Geeta

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: The availability and optimal utilization of medical equipment is important for improving the quality of health services. Significant investments are made for the purchase, maintenance and repair of medical equipment. Inadequate management of these equipment will result in financial losses and deprive the public of the intended benefits. This analysis is based on the conceptual framework drawn from the WHO recommended- lifecycle of medical equipment. AIMS: (1) To identify the probl...

Cell therapy medicinal product regulatory framework in Europe and its application for MSC based therapy development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janis eAncans

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs, including cell therapy products, form a new class of medicines in the European Union. Since ATMPs are at the forefront of scientific innovation in medicine, specific regulatory framework has been developed for these medicines and implemented from 2009. The Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT has been established at European Medicines Agency (EMA for centralized classification, certification and evaluation procedures, and other ATMP related tasks. Guidance documents, initiatives and interaction platforms are available to make the new framework more accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises, academia, hospitals and foundations. Good understanding of centralised and national components of the regulatory system is required to plan product development. It is in the best interests of cell therapy developers to utilise provided resources starting with the preclinical stage. Whilst there have not been mesenchymal stem cell (MSC based medicine authorisations in the EU, three MSC products have received marketing approval in other regions since 2011. Information provided on regulatory requirements, procedures and initiatives is aimed to facilitate MSC based medicinal product development and authorisation in the EU.

Allocation of R&D Equipment Expenditure Based on Organisation Discipline Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Xanthe E.; Foster, Nigel; Finch, Adam; Elsum, Ian

2017-01-01

Sufficient and state-of-the-art research equipment is one component required to maintain the research competitiveness of a R&D organisation. This paper describes an approach to inform more optimal allocation of equipment expenditure levels in a large and diverse R&D organisation, such as CSIRO. CSIRO is Australia's national science agency,…

Moving from Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy (VRET to Augmented Reality Exposure-Based Therapy (ARET: A review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver eBaus

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the move from virtual reality exposure-based therapy (VRET to augmented reality exposure-based therapy (ARET. Unlike virtual reality (VR, which entails a complete virtual environment (VE, augmented reality (AR limits itself to producing certain virtual elements to then merge them into the view of the physical world. Although the general public may only have become aware of AR in the last few years, AR type applications have been around since beginning of the 20th century. Since, then, technological developments have enabled an ever increasing level of seamless integration of virtual and physical elements into one view. Like VR, AR allows the exposure to stimuli which, due to various reasons, may not be suitable for real-life scenarios. As such, AR has proven itself to be a medium through which individuals suffering from specific phobia can be exposed safely to the object(s of their fear, without the costs associated with programming complete virtual environments. Thus, ARET can offer an efficacious alternative to some less advantageous exposure-based therapies. Above and beyond presenting what has been accomplished in ARET, this paper also raises some ARET related issues, and proposes potential avenues to be followed. These include the definition of an AR related term, the type of measures to be used to qualify the user’s experience in an augmented reality environment (ARE, the development of alternative geospatial referencing systems, as well as the potential use of ARET to treat social phobia. Overall, it may be said that the use of ARET, although promising, is still in its infancy but that, given a continued cooperation between clinical and technical teams, ARET has the potential of going well beyond the treatment of small animal phobia.

Operation monitor for plant equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Tetsufumi; Kanemoto, Shigeru.

1991-01-01

In a nuclear power plant, states of each of equipment in the plant are monitored accurately even under such a operation condition that the power is changed. That is, the fundamental idea is based on a model comparison method. A deviation between an output signal upon normal plant state obtained in a forecasting model device and that of the objective equipment in the plant are compared with a predetermined value. The result of the comparison is inputted to an alarm device to alarm the abnormality of the states of the equipment to an operator. The device of the present invention thus constituted can monitor the abnormality of the operation of equipment accurately even under such a condition that a power level fluctuates. As a result, it can remarkably contribute to mitigate operator's monitoring operation under the condition such as during load following operation. (I.S.)

Maintenance-based prognostics of nuclear plant equipment for long-term operation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Welz, Zachary; Coble, Jamie; Upadhyaya, Belle; Hines, Wes [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (United States)

2017-08-15

While industry understands the importance of keeping equipment operational and well maintained, the importance of tracking maintenance information in reliability models is often overlooked. Prognostic models can be used to predict the failure times of critical equipment, but more often than not, these models assume that all maintenance actions are the same or do not consider maintenance at all. This study investigates the influence of integrating maintenance information on prognostic model prediction accuracy. By incorporating maintenance information to develop maintenance-dependent prognostic models, prediction accuracy was improved by more than 40% compared with traditional maintenance-independent models. This study acts as a proof of concept, showing the importance of utilizing maintenance information in modern prognostics for industrial equipment.

Light-based therapy on wound healing : a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suan, Lau Pik; Bidin, Noriah; Cherng, Chong Jia; Hamid, Asmah

2014-01-01

Wound healing is a complex matrix and overlapping process. In order to accelerate the healing process and minimize bacterial infection, light-based therapy was applied to stimulate bio-reaction to improve healing. The aim of this paper is to review the effects induced by light source (laser and incoherent light like LED) on different biological targets. The light-based therapy techniques were categorized according to the wavelength, energy density, type of irradiance and activity of tissues in the healing process. Out of 80 cases, 77% were animal studies, 5% were human studies and 18% were cell studies. Around 75% of light-based therapy has an advantage on tissue interaction and 25% has no effect or inhibition on the healing process. The appropriate dose appears to be between 1 and 5 J cm −2 . At shorter wavelength, photobiostimulation would be effective with a high frequently administrated low-energy dose. On the other hand, for longer wavelength it is the reverse, i.e., more effective with a low frequent treated schedule and a high-energy dose. (topical reviews)

A hybrid degradation tendency measurement method for mechanical equipment based on moving window and Grey–Markov model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Wei; Zhou, Jianzhong; Zheng, Yang; Liu, Han

2017-01-01

Accurate degradation tendency measurement is vital for the secure operation of mechanical equipment. However, the existing techniques and methodologies for degradation measurement still face challenges, such as lack of appropriate degradation indicator, insufficient accuracy, and poor capability to track the data fluctuation. To solve these problems, a hybrid degradation tendency measurement method for mechanical equipment based on a moving window and Grey–Markov model is proposed in this paper. In the proposed method, a 1D normalized degradation index based on multi-feature fusion is designed to assess the extent of degradation. Subsequently, the moving window algorithm is integrated with the Grey–Markov model for the dynamic update of the model. Two key parameters, namely the step size and the number of states, contribute to the adaptive modeling and multi-step prediction. Finally, three types of combination prediction models are established to measure the degradation trend of equipment. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated with a case study on the health monitoring of turbine engines. Experimental results show that the proposed method has better performance, in terms of both measuring accuracy and data fluctuation tracing, in comparison with other conventional methods. (paper)

A hybrid degradation tendency measurement method for mechanical equipment based on moving window and Grey-Markov model

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wei; Zhou, Jianzhong; Zheng, Yang; Liu, Han

2017-11-01

Accurate degradation tendency measurement is vital for the secure operation of mechanical equipment. However, the existing techniques and methodologies for degradation measurement still face challenges, such as lack of appropriate degradation indicator, insufficient accuracy, and poor capability to track the data fluctuation. To solve these problems, a hybrid degradation tendency measurement method for mechanical equipment based on a moving window and Grey-Markov model is proposed in this paper. In the proposed method, a 1D normalized degradation index based on multi-feature fusion is designed to assess the extent of degradation. Subsequently, the moving window algorithm is integrated with the Grey-Markov model for the dynamic update of the model. Two key parameters, namely the step size and the number of states, contribute to the adaptive modeling and multi-step prediction. Finally, three types of combination prediction models are established to measure the degradation trend of equipment. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated with a case study on the health monitoring of turbine engines. Experimental results show that the proposed method has better performance, in terms of both measuring accuracy and data fluctuation tracing, in comparison with other conventional methods.

Therapy for obesity based on gastrointestinal hormones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bagger, Jonatan I; Christensen, Mikkel; Knop, Filip K

2011-01-01

It has long been known that peptide hormones from the gastrointestinal tract have significant impact on the regulation of nutrient metabolism. Among these hormones, incretins have been found to increase insulin secretion, and thus incretin-based therapies have emerged as new modalities...

Comparative Outcome Analysis of Penicillin-Based Versus Fluoroquinolone-Based Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chi-Chuan; Lin, Chia-Hui; Lin, Kuan-Yin; Chuang, Yu-Chung; Sheng, Wang-Huei

2016-01-01

Abstract Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common but potentially life-threatening condition, but limited information exists on the effectiveness of fluoroquinolones compared to β-lactams in outpatient settings. We aimed to compare the effectiveness and outcomes of penicillins versus respiratory fluoroquinolones for CAP at outpatient clinics. This was a claim-based retrospective cohort study. Patients aged 20 years or older with at least 1 new pneumonia treatment episode were included, and the index penicillin or respiratory fluoroquinolone therapies for a pneumonia episode were at least 5 days in duration. The 2 groups were matched by propensity scores. Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare the rates of hospitalizations/emergence service visits and 30-day mortality. A logistic model was used to compare the likelihood of treatment failure between the 2 groups. After propensity score matching, 2622 matched pairs were included in the final model. The likelihood of treatment failure of fluoroquinolone-based therapy was lower than that of penicillin-based therapy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.88; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 0.77–0.99), but no differences were found in hospitalization/emergence service (ES) visits (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% CI, 0.92–1.74) and 30-day mortality (adjusted HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.30–1.62) between the 2 groups. The likelihood of treatment failure of fluoroquinolone-based therapy was lower than that of penicillin-based therapy for CAP on an outpatient clinic basis. However, this effect may be marginal. Further investigation into the comparative effectiveness of these 2 treatment options is warranted. PMID:26871827

21 CFR 892.5750 - Radionuclide radiation therapy system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... system. (a) Identification. A radionuclide radiation therapy system is a device intended to permit an... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Radionuclide radiation therapy system. 892.5750... patient's body. This generic type of device may include signal analysis and display equipment, patient and...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for multiple chemical sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hauge, Christian R; Bonde, Jens Peter E; Rasmussen, Alice

2012-01-01

no evidence-based treatments for MCS. Nevertheless, there is a substantial need for a treatment, because the condition can be severely disabling and can greatly reduce the quality of life (QOL) for those affected.In this study, we aim to assess the effects of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT...

Functional Requirements for Continuation Period Equipment and Drilling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, J.J.

2000-01-01

For geophysical measurements, creating a functional requirement based on finding a specific-sized target at a specific depth is difficult because of the wide variation of subsurface and surface geologic conditions that can be encountered. An alternative approach used in this paper is to specify functional requirements based on what is needed to search for the effects of a given target within a reasonable background of environmental or geological variation (noise). There is a gap between what the state-of-the-art expert with a large amount of experience can be expected to accomplish and what a non-expert inspector with limited experience can do. There are also limitations because of the Treaty environment (equipment certification, transparency, managed access, etc.); thus, for OSI, we must opt for pragmatic approach. Equipment must be easy to use, rugged, and functional over a wide range of environmental conditions. Equipment should consist of commercially available technology. Well-established operational procedures should be used for taking measurements, reducing data, and presenting data, with software mostly provided by the manufacturer along with the equipment. Equipment should be used in conjunction with WGB-approved position-finding equipment capable of relative position determinations pertinent to the type of equipment and measurement

Equipment Replacement Decision Making: Opportunities and Challenges

OpenAIRE

Fan, Wei (David); Gemar, Mason D.; Machemehl, Randy

2012-01-01

The primary function of equipment managers is to replace the right equipment at the right time and at the lowest overall cost. In this paper, the opportunities and challenges associated with equipment replacement optimization (ERO) are discussed in detail. First, a comprehensive review of the state-of-the art and state-of-the practice literature for the ERO problem is conducted. Second, a dynamic programming (DP) based optimization solution methodology is presented to solve the ERO problem. T...

Aferição dos equipamentos de laser de baixa intensidade Calibration of low-level laser therapy equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Y. Fukuda

2010-08-01

Full Text Available CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A laserterapia de baixa intensidade (LBI vem sendo cada vez mais utilizada, porém ainda não há consenso na literatura quanto ao tempo em que os equipamentos devem ser submetidos à aferição ou calibragem. OBJETIVO: Analisar a potência média real (PmR dos equipamentos de LBI na região da Grande São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Para análise dos equipamentos, utilizou-se um potenciômetro (Lasercheck, próprio para aferição de equipamentos contínuos, o qual foi programado com dados referentes ao comprimento de onda do laser a ser avaliado, obtendo-se assim a PmR emitida. Os equipamentos foram analisados de duas formas: uma, com o LBI desaquecido, e outra, após 10 minutos de uso (aquecido, sendo que três análises foram feitas para cada condição. A caneta emissora foi acoplada ao potenciômetro, o qual fornecia a PmR emitida pelo LBI. Todos os dados e informações referentes à aplicação do laser foram coletados por um questionário respondido pelos responsáveis. RESULTADOS: Os 60 equipamentos avaliados mostraram déficit na PmR com os equipamentos desaquecidos e aquecidos. A análise estatística (ANOVA mostrou diminuição significativa (PBACKGROUND: Despite the increase in the use of low-level laser therapy (LLLT, there is still a lack of consensus in the literature regarding how often the equipment must be calibrated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the real average power of LLLT devices in the Greater São Paulo area. METHODS: For the evaluation, a LaserCheck power meter designed to calibrate continuous equipment was used. The power meter was programmed with data related to the laser's wavelength to gauge the real average power being emitted. The LLLT devices were evaluated in two ways: first with the device cooled down and then with the device warmed up for 10 minutes. For each condition, three tests were performed. The laser probe was aligned with the power meter, which provided the real average power being emitted by the

Beam monitoring in radiotherapy and hadron-therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontbonne, J.M.

2012-01-01

Radiotherapy techniques have evolved over the past twenty years. For photon beams, the development of tools such as multi leaf collimators, machines such as Cyberknife or tomo-therapy, have improved the conformation of treatments to the tumor volume and lowered maximum dose to healthy tissue. In another register, the use of proton-therapy is expanding in all countries and the development of carbon ions beams for hadron-therapy is also increasing. If techniques improve, the control requirements for the monitoring of the dose administered to patients are always the same. This document presents, first, the ins and outs of the different techniques of external beam radiotherapy: photon treatments, protons and hadrons. Starting from the basis of clinical requirements, it sets the variables to be measured in order to ensure the quality of treatment for the different considered modalities. It then describes some implementations, based on precise and rigorous specifications, for the monitoring and measurement of beams delivered by external beam radiotherapy equipments. Two instrumental techniques are particularly highlighted, plastic scintillators dosimetry for the control of megavoltage photon beams and ionization chamber dosimetry applied to proton-therapy or radiobiology experiments conducted at the GANIL facility. Analyzes and perspectives, based on the recent developments of treatment techniques, are delivered in conclusion and can serve as guide for future instrumental developments. (author)

Process and equipment design optimising product properties and attributes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bongers, P.M.M.; Thullie, J.

2009-01-01

Classically, when products have been developed at the bench, process engineers will search for equipment to manufacture the product at large scale. More than often, this search is constraint to the existing equipment base, or a catalog search for standard equipment. It is then not surprising, that

Handling equipment Selection in open pit mines by using an integrated model based on group decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdolreza Yazdani-Chamzini

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Process of handling equipment selection is one of the most important and basic parts in the project planning, particularly mining projects due to holding a high charge of the total project's cost. Different criteria impact on the handling equipment selection, while these criteria often are in conflicting with each other. Therefore, the process of handling equipment selection is a complex and multi criteria decision making problem. There are a variety of methods for selecting the most appropriate equipment among a set of alternatives. Likewise, according to the sophisticated structure of the problem, imprecise data, less of information, and inherent uncertainty, the usage of the fuzzy sets can be useful. In this study a new integrated model based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS is proposed, which uses group decision making to reduce individual errors. In order to calculate the weights of the evaluation criteria, FAHP is utilized in the process of handling equipment selection, and then these weights are inserted to the FTOPSIS computations to select the most appropriate handling system among a pool of alternatives. The results of this study demonstrate the potential application and effectiveness of the proposed model, which can be applied to different types of sophisticated problems in real problems.

9 CFR 590.502 - Equipment and utensils; PCB-containing equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Sanitary Standards and accepted practices currently in effect for such equipment. (c) New or replacement equipment or machinery (including any replacement parts) brought onto the premises of any official plant... equipment and machinery, and any replacement parts for such equipment and machinery. Totally enclosed...

Combined prediction model for supply risk in nuclear power equipment manufacturing industry based on support vector machine and decision tree

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Chunsheng; Meng Dapeng

2011-01-01

The prediction index for supply risk is developed based on the factor identifying of nuclear equipment manufacturing industry. The supply risk prediction model is established with the method of support vector machine and decision tree, based on the investigation on 3 important nuclear power equipment manufacturing enterprises and 60 suppliers. Final case study demonstrates that the combination model is better than the single prediction model, and demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of this model, which provides a method to evaluate the suppliers and measure the supply risk. (authors)

Cell therapy medicinal product regulatory framework in Europe and its application for MSC-based therapy development

Science.gov (United States)

Ancans, Janis

2012-01-01

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), including cell therapy products, form a new class of medicines in the European Union. Since the ATMPs are at the forefront of scientific innovation in medicine, specific regulatory framework has been developed for these medicines and implemented from 2009. The Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) has been established at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for centralized classification, certification and evaluation procedures, and other ATMP-related tasks. Guidance documents, initiatives, and interaction platforms are available to make the new framework more accessible for small- and medium-sized enterprises, academia, hospitals, and foundations. Good understanding of the centralized and national components of the regulatory system is required to plan product development. It is in the best interests of the cell therapy developers to utilize the resources provided starting with the pre-clinical stage. Whilst there have been no mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based medicine authorizations in the EU, three MSC products have received marketing approval in other regions since 2011. The information provided on the regulatory requirements, procedures, and initiatives is aimed at facilitating MSC-based medicinal product development and authorization in the EU. PMID:22912639

Hot roller embossing system equipped with a temperature margin-based controller

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seyoung, E-mail: seyoungkim@kimm.re.kr; Son, Youngsu; Lee, Sunghee; Ham, Sangyong; Kim, Byungin [Department of Robotics and Mechatronics, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-08-15

A temperature control system was proposed for hot roller embossing. The roll surface was heated using induction coils and cooled with a circulating chilled water system. The temperature of the roll surface was precisely controlled by a temperature margin-based control algorithm that we developed. Implementation of the control system reduced deviations in the roll surface temperature to less than ±2 °C. The tight temperature control and the ability to rapidly increase and decrease the roll temperature will allow optimum operating parameters to be developed quickly. The temperature margin-based controller could also be used to optimize the time course of electrical power and shorten the cooling time by choosing an appropriate temperature margin, possibly for limited power consumption. The chiller-equipped heating roll with the proposed control algorithm is expected to decrease the time needed to determine the optimal embossing process.

Hot roller embossing system equipped with a temperature margin-based controller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seyoung; Son, Youngsu; Lee, Sunghee; Ham, Sangyong; Kim, Byungin

2014-01-01

A temperature control system was proposed for hot roller embossing. The roll surface was heated using induction coils and cooled with a circulating chilled water system. The temperature of the roll surface was precisely controlled by a temperature margin-based control algorithm that we developed. Implementation of the control system reduced deviations in the roll surface temperature to less than ±2 °C. The tight temperature control and the ability to rapidly increase and decrease the roll temperature will allow optimum operating parameters to be developed quickly. The temperature margin-based controller could also be used to optimize the time course of electrical power and shorten the cooling time by choosing an appropriate temperature margin, possibly for limited power consumption. The chiller-equipped heating roll with the proposed control algorithm is expected to decrease the time needed to determine the optimal embossing process

Empirically Based Psychosocial Therapies for Schizophrenia: The Disconnection between Science and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glenn D. Shean

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Empirically validated psychosocial therapies for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia were described in the report of the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT, 2009. The PORT team identified eight psychosocial treatments: assertive community treatment, supported employment, cognitive behavioral therapy, family-based services, token economy, skills training, psychosocial interventions for alcohol and substance use disorders, and psychosocial interventions for weight management. PORT listings of empirically validated psychosocial therapies provide a useful template for the design of effective recovery-oriented mental health care systems. Unfortunately, surveys indicate that PORT listings have not been implemented in clinical settings. Obstacles to the implementation of PORT psychosocial therapy listings and suggestions for changes needed to foster implementation are discussed. Limitations of PORT therapy listings that are based on therapy outcome efficacy studies are discussed, and cross-cultural and course and outcome studies of correlates of recovery are summarized.

On-site equipment and materials against CBRNE terrorism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Soichiro; Tokita, Kenichi

2016-01-01

There is no almighty field service equipment that can handle by itself all CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive) terrorism. Since there is merit and demerit for each of equipment, operation methods and linkage of material/equipment based on detection principle are indispensable. This paper explained the principle and operation method of detection equipment, operation using multiple material/equipment, and system construction to facilitate cooperation with related ministries and agencies. There are six examples as typical material/equipment and detection principle for handling CBRNE as shown below: (1) ion mobility spectrometer, (2) infrared spectroscopy, (3) Raman scattering spectroscopy, (4) gas chromatographic mass spectrometry, (5) fluorescent reactive dye classification method, and (6) antigen antibody reaction method. This paper shows a flowchart that can measure within the duration of a respirator while wearing Level A protective clothing (about 15 to 20 min) by the combination of detector/analyzer based on these methods. The authors developed an information system that allows prompt information exchange between the on-site administrative agencies, research institutes, and other related organizations via network, in the case when substances etc. could not be specified in the above flowchart. (A.O.)

Equipment considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Trace or ultratrace analyses require that the HPLC equipment used, including the detector, be optimal for such determinations. HPLC detectors are discussed at length in Chapter 4; discussion here is limited to the rest of the equipment. In general, commercial equipment is adequate for trace analysis; however, as the authors approach ultratrace analysis, it becomes very important to examine the equipment thoroughly and optimize it, where possible. For this reason they will review the equipment commonly used in HPLC and discuss the optimization steps. Detectability in HPLC is influenced by two factors (1): (a) baseline noise or other interferences that lead to errors in assigning the baseline absorbance; (b) peak width. 87 refs

Analysis of variations in the dose delivered in radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feld, D.B.

1996-01-01

The outcome of radiotherapy in cancer care is heavily dependent on the quality of the treatment. This work presents a review of how daily practice and the current availability of equipment for treatment planning and simulating as well as a number of other factors affect the radiation therapy quality in Argentina. The establishment of refreshing courses for all types of staffs involved in the treatments, modernization of equipment and strict routines in patient set up and quality control would give a significant contribution to a higher quality in radiation therapy. (author). 3 refs

Analysis of variations in the dose delivered in radiation therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feld, D B [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Radiacion-Gcia de Aplicaciones, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Div. Dosimetria

1996-08-01

The outcome of radiotherapy in cancer care is heavily dependent on the quality of the treatment. This work presents a review of how daily practice and the current availability of equipment for treatment planning and simulating as well as a number of other factors affect the radiation therapy quality in Argentina. The establishment of refreshing courses for all types of staffs involved in the treatments, modernization of equipment and strict routines in patient set up and quality control would give a significant contribution to a higher quality in radiation therapy. (author). 3 refs.

Planning guide for radiologic installations. fascicle 1 -- radiation therapy installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuddenham, W.J.

1976-01-01

Five articles dealing with the development and operation of radiation therapy facilities present recommendations for the design of various types of radiation therapy facilities, including the university center, the free-standing private oncology center, and the community hospital radiation therapy department. Different concepts of department design are represented. In one article, the planning room is conceived to be the central feature of a facility; in another article, radiation therapy is designed around examination rooms. Shielding requirements are also discussed, as are the advantages and space and licensing requirements of various types of equipment. There is a need for planning appropriate computer facilities in conjunction with other equipment plans, and a critique of one radiation therapy unit is provided. The concept of a regional network for the delivery of radiation therapy services is then explored. The volume contains extensive illustrations in the form of floor plans, drawings, figures, and tables. Many of the articles include a bibliography. This is the first in a series of publications on radiation department design which will be useful to architects, engineers, and hospital planners

DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems in cancer therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Dandan; Wang, Lei; Li, Wei; Xu, Xiaowen; Jiang, Wei

2017-11-25

DNA as a novel biomaterial can be used to fabricate different kinds of DNA nanostructures based on its principle of GC/AT complementary base pairing. Studies have shown that DNA nanostructure is a nice drug carrier to overcome big obstacles existing in cancer therapy such as systemic toxicity and unsatisfied drug efficacy. Thus, different types of DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems have been designed in cancer therapy. To improve treating efficacy, they are also developed into more functional drug delivery nanosystems. In recent years, some important progresses have been made. The objective of this review is to make a retrospect and summary about these different kinds of DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems and their latest progresses: (1) active targeting; (2) mutidrug co-delivery; (3) construction of stimuli-responsive/intelligent nanosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Medical Issues: Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

... Information Packets Equipment Pool Living With SMA Medical Issues Palliative Breathing Orthopedics Nutrition Equipment Daily Life At ... curesma.org > support & care > living with sma > medical issues > equipment Equipment Individuals with SMA often require a ...

IBA's state of art Proton Therapy System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ternier, Sonja

2001-01-01

Full text: In recent years, IBA has developed a state-of-the-art Proton Therapy System that is currently being implemented at the Northeast Proton Therapy Center in Boston. First patient treatment is predicted for the fourth quarter of 2001. The IBA Proton Therapy System consists of a 230 MeV accelerator (a fixed energy isochronous cyclotron), an Energy Selection System that can decrease the energy down to 70 MeV and up to five treatment rooms. There are two types of treatment rooms. A gantry treatment room in which a patient can be treated from virtually any angle or a fixed horizontal beam line aimed at treatments of the of the head and neck. The system is equipped with a Therapy Control System and a Global Safety Management System. The Integrated Therapy Control System is an integrated system ensuring the control of the treatment sessions through independent but networked therapy control units and, therefore, the control of each equipment subsystem. The integrated safety management system, independent of the Therapy Control System, includes a set of hard-wired safety devices, ensuring the safety of the patient and personnel. The system will be capable of delivering proton treatments in four-treatment modes: Double Scattering, Single Scattering, Wobbling and Pencil Beam Scanning. The presentation will show the most important subsystems and treatment modes capabilities as well as the most recent advances in the technology. (author)

Third-wave cognitive therapy versus mentalisation-based treatment for major depressive disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Gluud, Christian; Kongerslev, Mickey

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the benefits and harms of third-wave cognitive therapy versus mentalisation-based therapy in a small sample of depressed participants. SETTING: The trial was conducted at an outpatient psychiatric clinic for non-psychotic patients in Roskilde, Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: 44...... consecutive adult participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder. INTERVENTIONS: 18 weeks of third-wave cognitive therapy (n=22) versus 18 weeks of mentalisation-based treatment (n=22). OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS) at end of treatment (18 weeks...... for baseline HDRS score, the difference was favouring third-wave cognitive therapy (p=0.039). At 18 weeks, five of the third-wave participants (22.7%) were in remission versus none of the mentalisation-based participants (p=0.049). We recorded no suicide attempts or suicides during the intervention period...

A laser-spectroscopy complex for fluorescent diagnostics and photodynamic therapy of age-related macula degeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Shevchik, S. A.; Meerovich, Gennadii A.; Budzinskaya, M. V.; Ermakova, N. A.; Kharnas, Sergey S.; Loschenov, Victor B.

2004-06-01

A laser-spectroscopy complex was developed for fluorescent diagnostics and photodynamic therapy of age related macula degeneration using the Russian photosensitizer Photosense. The complex is based on slit lamp which was additionally equipped with an optical adapter, and the video adapter allows to combine the procedure of photodynamic therapy and the control of its carrying in the frame work of one procedure. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of the complex were investigated using a special test object. The availability of the developed complex and Photosense itself was examined on experimental animals.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based carbon dots for photodynamic therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Haozhe; Zheng, Xiaohua; Liu, Shi; Zheng, Min; Xie, Zhigang; Wang, Yong; Yu, Meng; Shuai, Xintao

2018-06-01

The development of a simple and straightforward strategy to synthesize multifunctional carbon dots for photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been an emerging focus. In this work, diketopyrrolopyrrole-based fluorescent carbon dots (DPP CDs) were designed and synthesized through a facile one-pot hydrothermal method by using diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and chitosan (CTS) as raw materials. DPP CDs not only maintained the ability of DPP to generate singlet oxygen (1O2) but also have excellent hydrophilic properties and outstanding biocompatibility. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that DPP CDs greatly inhibited the growth of tumor cells under laser irradiation (540 nm). This study highlights the potential of the rational design of CDs for efficient cancer therapy.

Experience with rotating equipment in FBTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babu, A.; Subramanian, K.G.; Selvam, B.

2006-01-01

Fast breeder test reactor (FBTR) is a 40MWth sodium cooled PuC-UC fuelled fast breeder reactor located at Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu. FBTR has a variety of mechanical and electrical equipment comprising of single stage and multi stage water pumps, sodium pumps, compressors, Chiller units, Diesel Generator sets, vacuum pumps, ventilation fans, Turbo generator etc. The degree and extent of maintenance on these equipment are decided based on nuclear safety, station technical specification requirements, design criteria and operating philosophy. The variety and complexity of the equipment in FBTR demands various maintenance strategies (preventive, predictive, proactive etc.) for their upkeep. This paper discusses the performance of all mechanical and electrical equipment in FBTR, measures taken for their upkeep, major modifications done to prevent recurring failures, condition monitoring programme implemented, Maintenance Management and Information System developed for data acquisition and dissemination, etc. (author)

Radiation therapy: model standards for determination of need

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagasse, L.G.; Devins, T.B.

1982-03-01

Contents: Health planning process; Health care requirements (model for projecting need for megavoltage radiation therapy); Operational objectives (manpower, megavoltage therapy and treatment planning equipment, support services, management and evaluation of patient care, organization and administration); Compliance with other standards imposed by law; Financial feasibility and capability; Reasonableness of expenditures and costs; Relative merit; Environmental impact

Topical therapies in the management of chronic rhinosinusitis: an evidence-based review with recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudmik, Luke; Hoy, Monica; Schlosser, Rodney J; Harvey, Richard J; Welch, Kevin C; Lund, Valerie; Smith, Timothy L

2013-04-01

Topical therapies have become an integral component in the management plan for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Several topical therapy strategies have been evaluated, but a formal comprehensive evaluation of the evidence has never been performed. The purpose of this article is to provide an evidence-based approach for the utilization of topical therapies in the management of CRS. A systematic review of the literature was performed and the guidelines for development of an evidence-based review with recommendations were followed. Study inclusion criteria were: adult population >18 years old; chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) based on published diagnostic criteria; and clearly defined primary clinical end-point. We focused on reporting higher-quality studies (level 2b or higher), but reported on lower-level studies if the topic contained insufficient evidence. We excluded drug-eluting spacer and stent therapy from this review. This review identified and evaluated the literature on 5 topical therapy strategies for CRS: saline irrigation, topical steroid, topical antibiotic, topical antifungal, and topical alternatives (surfactant, manuka honey, and xylitol irrigations). Based on the available evidence, sinonasal saline irrigation and standard topical nasal steroid therapy are recommended in the topical treatment of CRS. Nonstandard (off-label) topical sinonasal steroid therapies can be an option for managing CRS. The evidence recommends against the use of topical antifungal therapy and topical antibiotic therapy delivered using nebulized and spray techniques in routine cases of CRS. There is insufficient clinical research to provide recommendations for alternative therapies or topical antibiotic therapy delivered using other delivery methods (eg, irrigations). © 2013 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Cost effectiveness of a radiation therapy simulator: a model for the determination of need

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dritschilo, A.; Sherman, D.; Emami, B.; Piro, A.J.; Hellman, S.

1979-01-01

The requirement for a certificate-of-need for capital expenditures of $100,000 or more has placed a major constraint on purchases of new medical equipment. Consideration of a first principles argument has not proven compelling to the planning agencies in justifying the purchase of a radiation therapy simulator. Thus a strategy based on cost-effectiveness and the consequences of survival in successfully treated patients is proposed for equipment justification. We have reviewed the records of 18-month survivors among patients with lung cancer that were treated by irradiation; we observed 3 spinal cord injuries in non-simulated patients, whereas none were observed in patients who had the benefit of simulation. Considering the societal costs of spinal cord injury, a cost-benefit analysis of a simulator justifies the expense of this equipment

Survey of Equipment Quality Control in Radiotherapy Centers in Croatia: First Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jurkovic, S.; Diklic, A.; Smilovic Radojcic, Dj.; Svabic, M.; Kasabasic, M.; Ivkovic, A.; Faj, D.

2011-01-01

Implementation of advanced radiation therapy techniques into clinical practice has a huge influence on tumour control as well as normal tissue sparing. Introduction of Conformal Radiation Therapy (CRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) into clinical practice results in precise 'tailoring' of dose distributions and according to that in reduction of irradiated volumes. This is not possible without, for the application of advanced radiation therapy techniques constructed, linear accelerators. They must be very precise, well tuned and maintained. In this way the milestone of radiation therapy quality assurance programme is machine quality control (QC). First step in development of quality control programme is existence of written QC protocols. The survey of existence of written QC protocols showed the lack of written protocols for QC procedures in Croatian radiotherapy departments. In this way regular implementation of the procedures are usually left to the conscience of the medical physicists. In the IAEA granted projects CRO6008 and RER9093, we harmonized existing QC protocols between radiation therapy departments at University hospitals Rijeka and Osijek and developed the new ones. The protocols made according to international guidelines are publicly available at websites of the State Office for Radiological and Nuclear Safety and Croatian medical physics society in order to help other radiotherapy departments in Croatia to develop their own ones. Next step was reviewing of QC practices in different centres and exchanging experiences. For that purpose we defined a set of tests, according to the existing QC protocols. Then, on-site measurements were done to check QC parameters of linear accelerators and simulators in six radiation therapy centres in Croatia. In this paper we present the tests preformed, devices and analysing tools used, along with the overall results. Tests were preformed in six radiotherapy centres in Croatia on nine linear

Celiac Disease and Drug-Based Therapies: Inquiry into Patients Demands.

Science.gov (United States)

Branchi, Federica; Tomba, Carolina; Ferretti, Francesca; Norsa, Lorenzo; Roncoroni, Leda; Bardella, Maria Teresa; Conte, Dario; Elli, Luca

2016-01-01

Medical research is looking for alternative drug-based options to the gluten-free diet (GFD) for celiac disease. We aimed at evaluating the need for alternative therapies perceived by celiac patients. During the 2013 meeting of the Lombardy section of the Italian Celiac Patients Association, adult subjects were invited to fill in a questionnaire investigating their clinical profile in relation to compliance to the diet, quality of life (QOL) as well as their opinion on alternative therapies. Three hundred and seventy two patients (76 m, mean age 41.7 ± 13.9 years) completed the questionnaire. Patients reported a significant improvement in health status (HS) and QOL after the diet was started (p < 0.001). The GFD was accepted by 88% patients, but the need for alternative therapies was reported by 65%. Subjects expressing the need for a drug-based therapy showed a lower increase in QOL (p = 0.003) and HS (p = 0.005) on GFD. The preferred option for an alternative therapy was the use of enzymes (145 subjects), followed by a vaccine (111 subjects). The GFD is favorably accepted by most celiac patients. Nevertheless, a proportion of patients pronounce themselves in favor of the development of alternative drugs. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Therapy for Reducing Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Mei-Fen; Wen, Yong-Shan; Liu, Wei-Yan; Peng, Li-Fen; Wu, Xiao-Dan; Liu, Qian-Wen

2015-01-01

Abstract Anxiety and depression are common among patients with cancer, and are often treated with psychological interventions including mindfulness-based therapy. The aim of the study was to perform a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for improving anxiety and depression in patients with cancer. Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched. The randomized controlled trials designed for patients diagnosed with cancer were included. Mindfulness-based interventions were provided. The outcomes assessed were the changes in anxiety and depression scores from before to after the intervention. The treatment response was determined by calculating the standardized mean difference (SMD) for individual studies and for pooled study results. Subgroup analyses by cancer type, type of therapy, and length of follow-up were performed. Seven studies, involving 469 participants who received mindfulness-based interventions and 419 participants in a control group, were included in the meta-analysis. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and art therapy were the most common interventions (5/7 studies). All studies reported anxiety and depression scores. The pooled SMD of the change in anxiety significantly favored mindfulness-based therapy over control treatment (−0.75, 95% confidence interval −1.28, −0.22, P = 0.005). Likewise, the pooled SMD of the change in depression also significantly favored mindfulness-based therapy over control (−0.90, 95% confidence interval −1.53, −0.26, P = 0.006). During the length of follow-ups less than 12 weeks, mindfulness-based therapy significantly improved anxiety for follow-up ≤12 weeks after the start of therapy, but not >12 weeks after the start of therapy. There was a lack of consistency between the studies in the type of mindfulness-based/control intervention implemented. Patients had different forms of cancer. Subgroup analyses included a relatively small number of

Renewal of handling and storage equipment in wholesale company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tânia Brasileiro Azevedo Teixeira

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a use of methodology for renewing handling and storage equipment in a wholesale company. It is based on equipment maintenance, downtime and possession costs. With the analysis performed,, it was possible to make some suggestions for an optimal economic point for pallets replacement. The methodology is based on mathematical and economic principles in order to provide the organization with an increase in productivity and costs reduction for handling and storage equipment. As a result of the use of methodology, the conclusion that it was possible to consider that this point is obtained when the total annual cost is equal to the average total cost was reached. Therefore, the equilibrium point is achieved when the equipment usage time is six years.

A prediction method based on grey system theory in equipment condition based maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Shengyuan; Yan, Shengyuan; Zhang, Hongguo; Zhang, Zhijian; Peng, Minjun; Yang, Ming

2007-01-01

Grey prediction is a modeling method based on historical or present, known or indefinite information, which can be used for forecasting the development of the eigenvalues of the targeted equipment system and setting up the model by using less information. In this paper, the postulate of grey system theory, which includes the grey generating, the sorts of grey generating and the grey forecasting model, is introduced first. The concrete application process, which includes the grey prediction modeling, grey prediction, error calculation, equal dimension and new information approach, is introduced secondly. Application of a so-called 'Equal Dimension and New Information' (EDNI) technology in grey system theory is adopted in an application case, aiming at improving the accuracy of prediction without increasing the amount of calculation by replacing old data with new ones. The proposed method can provide a new way for solving the problem of eigenvalue data exploding in equal distance effectively, short time interval and real time prediction. The proposed method, which was based on historical or present, known or indefinite information, was verified by the vibration prediction of induced draft fan of a boiler of the Yantai Power Station in China, and the results show that the proposed method based on grey system theory is simple and provides a high accuracy in prediction. So, it is very useful and significant to the controlling and controllable management in safety production. (authors)

Semiconductor Manufacturing equipment introduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Im, Jong Sun

2001-02-01

This book deals with semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It is comprised of nine chapters, which are manufacturing process of semiconductor device, history of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, kinds and role of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, construction and method of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, introduction of various semiconductor manufacturing equipment, spots of semiconductor manufacturing, technical elements of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, road map of technology of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the 21st century.

Non-invasive system for monitoring of the manufacturing equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Mazăre, A. G.; Belu, N.; Ionescu, L. M.; Rachieru, N.; Misztal, A.

2017-08-01

The automotive industry is one of the most important industries in the world that concerns the economy and the world culture. High demand has resulted in increasing of the pressure on the production lines. In conclusion, it is required more careful in monitoring of the production equipment not only for maintenance but also for staff safety and to increase the quality of production. In this paper, we propose a solution for non-invasive monitoring of the industrial equipment operation by measuring the current consumption on energy supply lines. Thus, it is determined the utilization schedule of the equipment and operation mode. Based on these measurements, it’s built an activity report for that equipment, available to the quality management and maintenance team. The solution consists of the current measuring equipment, with self-harvesting capabilities and radio transceiver, and an embedded system which run a server. The current measuring equipment will transmit data about consumption of each energy supply network line where is placed the industrial equipment. So, we have an internal measuring radio network. The embedded system will collect data for the equipment and put in a local data base and it will provide via an intranet application. The entire system not requires any supplementary energy supply and interventions in the factory infrastructure. It is experimented in a company from the automotive industries.

Acceptance-based behavior therapy to promote HIV medication adherence.

Science.gov (United States)

Moitra, Ethan; Herbert, James D; Forman, Evan M

2011-12-01

A significant number of adults with HIV in the USA do not maintain adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) at adequate levels. Although traditional cognitive behavioral interventions have shown promise in promoting HAART adherence, acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) may be particularly useful in this population. ABBT has the potential to overcome common avoidance-based barriers associated with poor adherence, including denial of various illness-related factors and avoidance of stigmatization. We describe the rationale for promoting psychological and behavioral acceptance in HIV-positive populations; outline an ABBT to promote HAART adherence targeting primary care patients from urban, minority, low socioeconomic backgrounds; and report preliminary qualitative observations of treatment feasibility and acceptability.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Tumor-Targeted Gene Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancer

OpenAIRE

Bao, Qi; Zhao, Yue; Niess, Hanno; Conrad, Claudius; Schwarz, Bettina; Jauch, Karl-Walter; Huss, Ralf; Nelson, Peter J.; Bruns, Christiane J.

2012-01-01

Mesenchymal stem (or stromal) cells (MSCs) are nonhematopoietic progenitor cells that can be obtained from bone marrow aspirates or adipose tissue, expanded and genetically modified in vitro, and then used for cancer therapeutic strategies in vivo. Here, we review available data regarding the application of MSC-based tumor-targeted therapy in gastrointestinal cancer, provide an overview of the general history of MSC-based gene therapy in cancer research, and discuss potential problems associa...

[Achievements and enlightenment of modern acupuncture therapy for stroke based on the neuroanatomy].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li-Fang; Fang, Jian-Qiao; Chen, Lu-Ni; Wang, Chao

2014-04-01

Up to now, in the treatment of stroke patients by acupuncture therapy, three main representative achievements involving scalp acupuncture intervention, "Xing Nao Kai Qiao" (restoring consciousness and inducing resuscitation) acupuncture technique and nape acupuncture therapy have been got. Regarding their neurobiological mechanisms, the scalp acupuncture therapy is based on the functional localization of the cerebral cortex, "Xing Nao Kai Qiao" acupuncture therapy is closely related to nerve stem stimulation, and the nape acupuncture therapy is based on the nerve innervation of the regional neck-nape area in obtaining therapeutic effects. In fact, effects of these three acupuncture interventions are all closely associated with the modern neuroanatomy. In the treatment of post-stroke spastic paralysis, cognitive disorder and depression with acupuncture therapy, modern neuroanatomical knowledge should be one of the key theoretical basis and new therapeutic techniques should be explored and developed continuously.

Theory-based training strategies for modifying practitioner concerns about exposure therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, Nicholas R; Deacon, Brett J; Dixon, Laura J; Lickel, James J

2013-12-01

Despite the well-established efficacy of exposure therapy in the treatment of pathological anxiety, many therapists believe this treatment carries an unacceptably high risk for harm, is intolerable for patients, and poses a number of ethical quandaries. These beliefs have been shown to account for two related problems: (a) underutilization of exposure therapy, and (b) overly cautious and suboptimal delivery the treatment, which likely attenuates treatment outcomes. At present, there is little guidance for those who train exposure therapists to address these concerns. This article reviews therapist negative beliefs about exposure therapy and discusses their modification based on findings from social and cognitive psychology pertinent to belief change, including dual-processing in reasoning, the need for cognition and affect, and attitude inoculation. A number of strategies are offered for augmenting training in exposure therapy in order to promote positive beliefs about the treatment. These strategies involve: (a) therapists engaging in simulated exposure therapy exercises and presenting arguments in defense of exposure's safety, tolerability, and ethicality, and (b) training therapists using emotion-based appeals (e.g., case examples) to supplement research findings. Directions for future research on practitioner concerns about exposure therapy are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A computer based approach for Material, Manpower and Equipment managementin the Construction Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Sasidhar, Jaladanki; Muthu, D.; Venkatasubramanian, C.; Ramakrishnan, K.

2017-07-01

The success of any construction project will depend on efficient management of resources in a perfect manner to complete the project with a reasonable budget and time and the quality cannot be compromised. The efficient and timely procurement of material, deployment of adequate labor at correct time and mobilization of machinery lacking in time, all of them causes delay, lack of quality and finally affect the project cost. It is known factor that Project cost can be controlled by taking corrective actions on mobilization of resources at a right time. This research focuses on integration of management systems with the computer to generate the model which uses OOM data structure which decides to include automatic commodity code generation, automatic takeoff execution, intelligent purchase order generation, and components of design and schedule integration to overcome the problems of stock out. To overcome the problem in equipment management system inventory management module is suggested and the data set of equipment registration number, equipment number, description, date of purchase, manufacturer, equipment price, market value, life of equipment, production data of the equipment which includes equipment number, date, name of the job, hourly rate, insurance, depreciation cost of the equipment, taxes, storage cost, interest, oil, grease, and fuel consumption, etc. is analyzed and the decision support systems to overcome the problem arising out improper management is generated. The problem on labor is managed using scheduling, Strategic management of human resources. From the generated support systems tool, the resources are mobilized at a right time and help the project manager to finish project in time and thereby save the abnormal project cost and also provides the percentage that can be improved and also research focuses on determining the percentage of delays that are caused by lack of management of materials, manpower and machinery in different types of projects

Commissioning of accelerator based boron neutron capture therapy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, S.; Wakita, A.; Okamoto, H.; Igaki, H.; Itami, J.; Ito, M.; Abe, Y.; Imahori, Y.

2017-01-01

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a treatment method using a nuclear reaction of 10 B(n, α) 7 Li. BNCT can be deposited the energy to a tumor since the 10 B which has a higher cross-section to a neutron is high is concentrated on the tumor. It is different from conventional radiation therapies that BNCT expects higher treatment effect to radiation resistant tumors since the generated alpha and lithium particles have higher radiological biological effectiveness. In general, BNCT has been performed in research nuclear reactor. Thus, BNCT is not widely applied in a clinical use. According to recent development of accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy system, the system has an adequate flux of neutrons. Therefore, National Cancer Canter Hospital, Tokyo, Japan is planning to install accelerator based BNCT system. Protons with 2.5 MeV are irradiated to a lithium target system to generate neutrons. As a result, thermal load of the target is 50 kW since current of the protons is 20.0 mA. Additionally, when the accelerator-based BNCT system is installed in a hospital, the facility size is disadvantage in term of neutron measurements. Therefore, the commissioning of the BNCT system is being performed carefully. In this article, we report about the commissioning. (author)

Oligonucleotide-based theranostic nanoparticles in cancer therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Shahbazi, Reza; Ozpolat, Bulent; Ulubayram, Kezban

2016-01-01

Theranostic approaches, combining the functionality of both therapy and imaging, have shown potential in cancer nanomedicine. Oligonucleotides such as small interfering RNA and microRNA, which are powerful therapeutic agents, have been effectively employed in theranostic systems against various cancers. Nanoparticles are used to deliver oligonucleotides into tumors by passive or active targeting while protecting the oligonucleotides from nucleases in the extracellular environment. The use of quantum dots, iron oxide nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles and tagging with contrast agents, like fluorescent dyes, optical or magnetic agents and various radioisotopes, has facilitated early detection of tumors and evaluation of therapeutic efficacy. In this article, we review the advantages of theranostic applications in cancer therapy and imaging, with special attention to oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. PMID:27102380

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for seasonal affective disorder : A pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fleer, Joke; Schroevers, Maya; Panjer, Vera; Geerts, Erwin; Meesters, Ybe

2014-01-01

Background: The best available treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is light therapy. Yet, this treatment does not prevent recurrence of depression in subsequent seasons. The aim of the study is to gain preliminary insight in the efficacy of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in

Methadone maintenance therapy as evidence based drug abuse ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Methadone maintenance therapy as evidence based drug abuse planning in ... drugs are being used as artificial problem-solvers such as frustrations, stress or ... Drug use is a problem to users when it begins to cause some damage to their ...

Hadron therapy takes off in Europe

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2011-01-01

A joint meeting of ULICE, ENLIGHT and PARTNER recently took place in Marburg (Germany). The three initiatives are shaping both the present and the future of hadron therapy in Europe, where new cutting-edge facilities have started to fight cancer with beams of protons and carbon ions.   A pictorial representation of a raster scan on a tumour. (Photo courtesy of HIT/GSI/Siemens.) Thanks to a very active multidisciplinary community consisting of physicists, biologists, radiobiologists, engineers, IT specialists and medical doctors, hadron therapy is taking off in Europe. Indeed, after a few decades during which the innovative technique was mainly used experimentally in Japan, the US and a couple of pioneering laboratory-based facilities in Europe, today an increasing number of hospitals are being equipped with synchrotrons and dedicated treatment rooms. “Asia and Europe are at the forefront of research and use of carbon ions in the treatment of some rare and radio-resistant t...

Electrical equipment qualification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, W.S.

1983-01-01

Electrical equipment qualification research programs being carried out by CEA, JAERI, and Sandia Laboratories are discussed. Objectives of the program are: (1) assessment of accident simulation methods for electrical equipment qualification testing; lower coarse (2) evaluation of equipment aging and accelerated aging methods; (3) determine radiation dose spectrum to electrical equipment and assess simulation methods for qualification; (4) identify inadequacies in electrical equipment qualification procedures and standards and potential failure modes; and (5) provide data for verifying and improving standards, rules and regulatory guides

Toward precision manufacturing of immunogene T-cell therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jun; Melenhorst, J Joseph; Fraietta, Joseph A

2018-05-01

Cancer can be effectively targeted using a patient's own T cells equipped with synthetic receptors, including chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that redirect and reprogram these lymphocytes to mediate tumor rejection. Over the past two decades, several strategies to manufacture genetically engineered T cells have been proposed, with the goal of generating optimally functional cellular products for adoptive transfer. Based on this work, protocols for manufacturing clinical-grade CAR T cells have been established, but these complex methods have been used to treat only a few hundred individuals. As CAR T-cell therapy progresses into later-phase clinical trials and becomes an option for more patients, a major consideration for academic institutions and industry is developing robust manufacturing processes that will permit scaling-out production of immunogene T-cell therapies in a reproducible and efficient manner. In this review, we will discuss the steps involved in cell processing, the major obstacles surrounding T-cell manufacturing platforms and the approaches for improving cellular product potency. Finally, we will address the challenges of expanding CAR T-cell therapy to a global patient population. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 69.306 - Central office equipment (COE).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... that any Central office equipment attributable to local transport shall be assigned to the Transport... Information and Transport access elements based on the remaining combined investment in COE Category 1... equipment for purposes of the Modification of Final Judgment in United States v. Western Electric Co. shall...

Proton and carbon ion therapy

CERN Document Server

Lomax, Tony

2013-01-01

Proton and Carbon Ion Therapy is an up-to-date guide to using proton and carbon ion therapy in modern cancer treatment. The book covers the physics and radiobiology basics of proton and ion beams, dosimetry methods and radiation measurements, and treatment delivery systems. It gives practical guidance on patient setup, target localization, and treatment planning for clinical proton and carbon ion therapy. The text also offers detailed reports on the treatment of pediatric cancers, lymphomas, and various other cancers. After an overview, the book focuses on the fundamental aspects of proton and carbon ion therapy equipment, including accelerators, gantries, and delivery systems. It then discusses dosimetry, biology, imaging, and treatment planning basics and provides clinical guidelines on the use of proton and carbon ion therapy for the treatment of specific cancers. Suitable for anyone involved with medical physics and radiation therapy, this book offers a balanced and critical assessment of state-of-the-art...

Photoelectric detectors used in laser based control and alignment equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chis, I.; Ciura, A.I.; Udrea, M.V.

1988-03-01

Some theoretical considerations and practical results regarding the utilization of the ROL 50 photovoltaic cell in a leveling control system and glass quality control equipment are presented. (authors)

Outcomes of couples with infidelity in a community-based sample of couple therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkins, David C; Marín, Rebeca A; Lo, Tracy T Y; Klann, Notker; Hahlweg, Kurt

2010-04-01

Infidelity is an often cited problem for couples seeking therapy, but the research literature to date is very limited on couple therapy outcomes when infidelity is a problem. The current study is a secondary analysis of a community-based sample of couple therapy in Germany and Austria. Outcomes for 145 couples who reported infidelity as a problem in their relationship were compared with 385 couples who sought therapy for other reasons. Analyses based on hierarchical linear modeling revealed that infidelity couples were significantly more distressed and reported more depressive symptoms at the start of therapy but continued improving through the end of therapy and to 6 months posttherapy. At the follow-up assessment, infidelity couples were not statistically distinguishable from non-infidelity couples, replicating previous research. Sexual dissatisfaction did not depend on infidelity status. Although there was substantial missing data, sensitivity analyses suggested that the primary findings were not due to missing data. The current findings based on a large community sample replicated previous work from an efficacy trial and show generally optimistic results for couples in which there has been an affair. 2010 APA, all rights reserved

Electricity Breakdown Management for Sarawak Energy: Use of Condition-Based Equipment for Detection of Defective Insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, J. K.; Abas, N.

2017-07-01

Managing electricity breakdown is vital since an outage causes economic losses for customers and the utility companies. However, electricity breakdown is unavoidable due to some internal or external factors beyond our control. Electricity breakdown on overhead lines tend occur more frequently because it is prone to external disturbances such as animal, overgrown vegetation and defective pole top accessories. In Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), majority of the network are composed of overhead lines and hence, is more prone to failure. Conventional method of equipment inspection and fault finding are not effective to quickly identify the root cause of failure. SEB has engaged the use of corona discharge camera as condition-based monitoring equipment to carry out condition based inspection on the line in order to diagnose the condition of the lines prior to failure. Experimental testing has been carried out to determine the correlation between the corona discharge count and the level of defect on line insulator. The result shall be tabulated and will be used as reference for future scanning and diagnostic on any defect on the lines.

Solution-Focused Therapy: Strength-Based Counseling for Children with Social Phobia

Science.gov (United States)

George, Cindy M.

2008-01-01

Solution-focused therapy is proposed as an effective strength-based model for children with social phobia. Social phobia is described along with the etiology and prevailing treatment approaches. A case illustration demonstrates the application of solution-focused therapy with a child who experienced social phobia. Implications for counseling and…

The critical role of community-based micro-grants for disability aids and equipment: results from a needs analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Muenchberger, Heidi; Ehrlich, Carolyn; Parekh, Sanjoti; Crozier, Michelle

2016-01-01

To investigate the role of philanthropic micro-grants (maximum of $10,000) in the provision of aids and equipment for adults (aged 18-65 years of age) with complex disabilities and examine key trends in aids and equipment requests. This study examined, through quantitative and qualitative analysis, aids and equipment requests (n = 371 individual applications as represented by 136 service organisations in three Australian states) received by a not-for-profit (NFP) organisation across five consecutive years of an innovative micro-grants scheme. Findings highlight that living situation (living with family or living independently) significantly influences the nature of requests for respite, aids, equipment and home modifications. Specifically, people with complex disabilities living with their families require greater combined service provision (higher equipment need, respite support, home modifications) than those living independently (equipment need only). Type of disability did not influence request type. Qualitative data further indicated the "last resort" nature of respite requests, particularly for younger applicants (under 45 years of age) indicating critical unmet needs in the community. Results demonstrate the vital role of NFP organisations and philanthropic funds in supporting daily lifestyle aids and equipment (including respite) that might otherwise not be funded for people with complex disabilities. Although preliminary in its scope and prior to implementation of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia, findings suggest both opportunity and risk to the uptake of community-based micro-grant funding: opportunity for users through the provision of essential aids and lifestyle supports, and risk through over-subscription and devolving of responsibility for critical support resources from public sector. The aids and equipment needs of adults under the age of 65 appear to have been underestimated, poorly defined and under

Mesenchymal stem cell-based gene therapy: A promising therapeutic strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadian, Mozhdeh; Abasi, Elham; Akbarzadeh, Abolfazl

2016-08-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells that exist in bone marrow, fat, and so many other tissues, and can differentiate into a variety of cell types including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes, as well as myocytes and neurons. Moreover, they have great capacity for self-renewal while maintaining their multipotency. Their capacity for proliferation and differentiation, in addition to their immunomodulatory activity, makes them very promising candidates for cell-based regenerative medicine. Moreover, MSCs have the ability of mobilization to the site of damage; therefore, they can automatically migrate to the site of injury via their chemokine receptors following intravenous transplantation. In this respect, they can be applied for MSC-based gene therapy. In this new therapeutic method, genes of interest are introduced into MSCs via viral and non-viral-based methods that lead to transgene expression in them. Although stem cell-based gene therapy is a relatively new strategy, it lights a new hope for the treatment of a variety of genetic disorders. In the near future, MSCs can be of use in a vast number of clinical applications, because of their uncomplicated isolation, culture, and genetic manipulation. However, full consideration is still crucial before they are utilized for clinical trials, because the number of studies that signify the advantageous effects of MSC-based gene therapy are still limited.

Microanalysis on selected video clips with focus on communicative response in music therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner

2007-01-01

This chapter describes a five-step procedure for video analysis where the topic of investigation is the communicative response of clients in music therapy. In this microanalysis procedure only very short video clips are used, and in order to select these clips an overview of each music therapy...... session is obtained with the help of a session-graph that is a systematic way of collecting video observations from one music therapy session and combining the data in one figure. The systematic procedures do not demand sophisticated computer equipment; only standard programmes such as Excel and a media...... player. They are based on individual music therapy work with a population who are difficult to engage in joint activities and who show little response (e.g. persons suffering from severe dementia). The video analysis tools might be relevant to other groups of clients where it is important to form a clear...

Equipment Reliability Program in NPP Krsko

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skaler, F.; Djetelic, N.

2006-01-01

Operation that is safe, reliable, effective and acceptable to public is the common message in a mission statement of commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). To fulfill these goals, nuclear industry, among other areas, has to focus on: 1 Human Performance (HU) and 2 Equipment Reliability (EQ). The performance objective of HU is as follows: The behaviors of all personnel result in safe and reliable station operation. While unwanted human behaviors in operations mostly result directly in the event, the behavior flaws either in the area of maintenance or engineering usually cause decreased equipment reliability. Unsatisfied Human performance leads even the best designed power plants into significant operating events, which can be found as well-known examples in nuclear industry. Equipment reliability is today recognized as the key to success. While the human performance at most NPPs has been improving since the start of WANO / INPO / IAEA evaluations, the open energy market has forced the nuclear plants to reduce production costs and operate more reliably and effectively. The balance between these two (opposite) goals has made equipment reliability even more important for safe, reliable and efficient production. Insisting on on-line operation by ignoring some principles of safety could nowadays in a well-developed safety culture and human performance environment exceed the cost of electricity losses. In last decade the leading USA nuclear companies put a lot of effort to improve equipment reliability primarily based on INPO Equipment Reliability Program AP-913 at their NPP stations. The Equipment Reliability Program is the key program not only for safe and reliable operation, but also for the Life Cycle Management and Aging Management on the way to the nuclear power plant life extension. The purpose of Equipment Reliability process is to identify, organize, integrate and coordinate equipment reliability activities (preventive and predictive maintenance, maintenance

Occupational Therapy in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, Carli; VanPuymbrouck, Laura

Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) 1915(c) waivers are the largest provider of long-term services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). In this study, we explored how HCBS IDD waivers projected providing occupational therapy services in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. Medicaid HCBS IDD waivers across the nation gathered from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed to determine how they projected providing occupational therapy services in terms of service expenditures and utilization. In FY 2015, $14.13 million of spending was projected for occupational therapy services of 7,500 participants. However, there was large heterogeneity across states and services in terms of total projected spending, spending per participant, and reimbursement rates. Comparisons across states strengthen the profession's ability to assert the value of its services. These findings can help identify best practices and can advocate for the refinement of state occupational therapy programs. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Performance characterization of night vision equipment based on Triangle Orientation Discrimination (TOD) methodology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laurent, N.; Lejard, C.; Deltel, G.; Bijl, P.

2013-01-01

Night vision equipment is crucial in order to accomplish supremacy and safety of the troops on the battlefield. Evidently, system integrators, MODs and end-users need access to reliable quantitative characterization of the expected field performance when using night vision equipment. The Image

The improvement of maintenance service for traction networks equipment on the base of process approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. V. Mironov

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The new methods development for improving the maintenance service for equipment of traction networks in order to increase its efficiency and quality. Methodology. In world practice of solving problems related to the quality of products and services is usually achieved by introducing quality management system in to the enterprises. The provisions of quality management system were used for solving the problem. The technologies of process engineering were used for describing the main stages of maintenance service. Findings. The development of high-speed movement and growth of its intensity, the use of electric rolling stock of a new generation require the introduction of new methods diagnostics of equipment technical state and improvement of the existing maintenance system and repair of power supply. Developing a model of business-processes, their optimization with using techniques of process engineering and system management is needed for the transition to the management system based on the process approach. From the standpoint of the process approach and in accordance with the requirements of the quality management system (ISO 9001-2009, the operation of the E (Department of electrification and power supply infrastructure sector is represented as a scheme of business-processes in which the guaranteed supply with electricity of railway and third-party consumers is defined as the main business-process of management. Each of the sub-process of power supply for consumers is described in details. The use methods and main stages of process approach for sample management system reorganization were investigated. The methodology and the application method of PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act closed loop to the equipment maintenance system were described. The monitoring process of traction networks maintenance using the process approach was divided into components after investigations. The technical documentation of maintenance service was investigated in

Graphene-based nanovehicles for photodynamic medical therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Y

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Yan Li,1 Haiqing Dong,1 Yongyong Li,1 Donglu Shi1,2 1Shanghai East Hospital, The Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Nano Science (iNANO, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2The Materials Science and Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA Abstract: Graphene and its derivatives such as graphene oxide (GO have been widely explored as promising drug delivery vehicles for improved cancer treatment. In this review, we focus on their applications in photodynamic therapy. The large specific surface area of GO facilitates efficient loading of the photosensitizers and biological molecules via various surface functional groups. By incorporation of targeting ligands or activatable agents responsive to specific biological stimulations, smart nanovehicles are established, enabling tumor-triggering release or tumor-selective accumulation of photosensitizer for effective therapy with minimum side effects. Graphene-based nanosystems have been shown to improve the stability, bioavailability, and photodynamic efficiency of organic photosensitizer molecules. They have also been shown to behave as electron sinks for enhanced visible-light photodynamic activities. Owing to its intrinsic near infrared absorption properties, GO can be designed to combine both photodynamic and photothermal hyperthermia for optimum therapeutic efficiency. Critical issues and future aspects of photodynamic therapy research are addressed in this review. Keywords: graphene, nanovehicle, photodynamic therapy, photosensitizer, hyperthermia

The new Wuerzburg data base for radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richter, J.; Richter, E.; Tausch, J.

1991-01-01

Conception, structure and realisation of a new data base for radiation therapy are present. The data base utilizes the commercial data base system ORACLE and the data base language SQL. A program package for statistical analyses including Kaplan-Meier-calculations, logrank test and Gehan/Breslow test was elaborated. The input of the data recorded on form sheets is carried out on a data base of the Tumor Centre in the first instance. From there the data are transfered to the ORACLE data base. Up to now the courses of disease of about 13 000 patients are stored. Therefore, extensive and detailed statistical analyses are practicable. (orig.) [de

After-hours Power Status of Office Equipment and Inventory of Miscellaneous Plug-load Equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberson, Judy A.; Webber, Carrie A.; McWhinney, Marla C.; Brown, Richard E.; Pinckard, Margaret J.; Busch, John F.

2004-01-22

This research was conducted in support of two branches of the EPA ENERGY STAR program, whose overall goal is to reduce, through voluntary market-based means, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the U.S. The primary objective was to collect data for the ENERGY STAR Office Equipment program on the after-hours power state of computers, monitors, printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and multi-function devices. We also collected data for the ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings branch on the types and amounts of ''miscellaneous'' plug-load equipment, a significant and growing end use that is not usually accounted for by building energy managers. This data set is the first of its kind that we know of, and is an important first step in characterizing miscellaneous plug loads in commercial buildings. The main purpose of this study is to supplement and update previous data we collected on the extent to which electronic office equipment is turned off or automatically enters a low power state when not in active use. In addition, it provides data on numbers and types of office equipment, and helps identify trends in office equipment usage patterns. These data improve our estimates of typical unit energy consumption and savings for each equipment type, and enables the ENERGY STAR Office Equipment program to focus future effort on products with the highest energy savings potential. This study expands our previous sample of office buildings in California and Washington DC to include education and health care facilities, and buildings in other states. We report data from twelve commercial buildings in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania: two health care buildings, two large offices (> 500 employees each), three medium offices (50-500 employees), four education buildings, and one ''small office'' that is actually an aggregate of five small businesses. Two buildings are in the San Francisco Bay area of California, five are in

Automated and observer based light field indicator edge evaluation in diagnostic X-ray equipment

OpenAIRE

Bottaro, Márcio; Nagy, Balázs Vince; Soares, Fernanda Cristina Salvador; Rosendo, Danilo Cabral

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction To analyze edge detection and optical contrast calculation of light field-indicators used in X-ray via automated- and observer-based methods, and comparison with current standard approaches, which do not give exact definition for light field edge determination. Methods Automated light sensor array was used to measure the penumbra zone of the edge in the standard X-ray equipment, while trained and naïve human observers were asked to mark the light field edge according t...

What works best for whom? Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for depressive symptoms in patients with diabetes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tovote, K. Annika; Schroevers, Maya J.; Snippe, Evelien; Emmelkamp, Paul M.G.; Links, Thera P.; Sanderman, Robbert; Fleer, Joke

2017-01-01

Objective: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) have shown to be effective interventions for treating depressive symptoms in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about which intervention works best for whom (i.e., moderators of efficacy). The

Glucosamine-Based Supramolecular Nanotubes for Human Mesenchymal Cell Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Talloj, Satish Kumar; Cheng, Bill; Weng, Jen-Po; Lin, Hsin-Chieh

2018-04-23

Herein, we demonstrate an example of glucosamine-based supramolecular hydrogels that can be used for human mesenchymal cell therapy. We designed and synthesized a series of amino acid derivatives based on a strategy of capping d-glucosamine moiety at the C-terminus and fluorinated benzyl group at the N-terminus. From a systematic study on chemical structures, we discovered that the glucosamine-based supramolecular hydrogel [pentafluorobenzyl (PFB)-F-Glu] self-assembled with one-dimensional nanotubular structures at physiological pH. The self-assembly of a newly discovered PFB-F-Glu motif is attributed to the synergistic effect of π-π stacking and extensive intermolecular hydrogen bonding network in aqueous medium. Notably, PFB-F-Glu nanotubes are proven to be nontoxic to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and have been shown to enhance hMSC proliferation while maintaining their pluripotency. Retaining of pluripotency capabilities provides potentially unlimited source of undifferentiated cells for the treatment of future cell therapies. Furthermore, hMSCs cultured on PFB-F-Glu are able to secrete paracrine factors that downregulate profibrotic gene expression in lipopolysaccharide-treated human skin fibroblasts, which demonstrates that PFB-F-Glu nanotubes have the potential to be used for wound healing applications. Overall, this article addresses the importance of chemical design to generate supramolecular biomaterials for stem cell therapy.

[Investigation of non-ionizing radiation hazards from physiotherapy equipment in 16 medical institutions].

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jia-xi; Zhou, Wei; Qiu, Hai-li; Yang, Guang-tao

2013-12-01

To investigate the non-ionizing radiation hazards from physiotherapy equipment in medical institutions and to explore feasible control measures for occupational diseases. On-site measurement and assessment of ultra-high-frequency radiation, high-frequency electromagnetic field, microwave radiation, and laser radiation were carried out in 16 medical institutions using the methods in the Measurement of Physical Agents in Workplace (GBZ/T189-2007). All the investigated medical institutions failed to take effective protective measures against non-ionizing radiation. Of the 17 ultra-short wave therapy apparatus, 70.6%, 47.1%, and 17.64% had a safe intensity of ultra-high-frequency radiation on the head, chest, and abdomen, respectively. Of the 4 external high-frequency thermotherapy apparatus, 100%, 75%, and 75%had a safe intensity of high-frequency electromagnetic field on the head, chest, and abdomen, respectively. In addition, the intensities of microwave radiation and laser radiation produced by the 18 microwave therapy apparatus and 12 laser therapeutic apparatus met national health standards. There are non-ionizing radiation hazards from physiotherapy equipment in medical institutions, and effective prevention and control measures are necessary.

An upconversion nanoparticle - Zinc phthalocyanine based nanophotosensitizer for photodynamic therapy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xia, L.; Kong, X.; Liu, X.; Tu, L.; Zhang, Y.; Chang, Y.; Liu, K.; Shen, D.; Zhao, H.; Zhang, H.

2014-01-01

Recent advances in NIR triggering upconversion-based photodynamic therapy have led to substantial improvements in upconversion-based nanophotosensitizers. How to obtain the high efficiency of singlet oxygen generation under low 980 nm radiation dosage still remains a challenge. A highly efficient

Clinical results of proton beam therapy for skull base chordoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igaki, Hiroshi; Tokuuye, Koichi; Okumura, Toshiyuki; Sugahara, Shinji; Kagei, Kenji; Hata, Masaharu; Ohara, Kiyoshi; Hashimoto, Takayuki; Tsuboi, Koji; Takano, Shingo; Matsumura, Akira; Akine, Yasuyuki

2004-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate clinical results of proton beam therapy for patients with skull base chordoma. Methods and materials: Thirteen patients with skull base chordoma who were treated with proton beams with or without X-rays at the University of Tsukuba between 1989 and 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. A median total tumor dose of 72.0 Gy (range, 63.0-95.0 Gy) was delivered. The patients were followed for a median period of 69.3 months (range, 14.6-123.4 months). Results: The 5-year local control rate was 46.0%. Cause-specific, overall, and disease-free survival rates at 5 years were 72.2%, 66.7%, and 42.2%, respectively. The local control rate was higher, without statistical significance, for those with preoperative tumors <30 mL. Partial or subtotal tumor removal did not yield better local control rates than for patients who underwent biopsy only as the latest surgery. Conclusion: Proton beam therapy is effective for patients with skull base chordoma, especially for those with small tumors. For a patient with a tumor of <30 mL with no prior treatment, biopsy without tumor removal seems to be appropriate before proton beam therapy

Tolerance-based Structural Design of Tubular-Structure Loading Equipments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiping Lu

2011-05-01

is worked out under different ball screws, trapezoidal screw threads, worm and worm gears. To meet the requirement of tolerance in tubular-structure assembly, mechanisms for all motions are defined. The design of loading equipment is tested and assessed by experiments, and the result shows the design is highly qualified for its assembly.

Clinical Study on the Visceral Differentiation-Based Acupuncture Therapy for Insomnia

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LING Li; JIANG Xin-mei; XUE Jin-wei; WANG Miao; KE Rui

2008-01-01

objective;To investigate the clinical effects of acupuncture for insomnia on the basis of visceral differentiation.Methods;Seventy cases of insomnia were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,The former was treated by acupuncture based on visceral differentiation and the latter by the routine acupuncture therapy.Results;The clinical effcts were significantly better in the treatment group than that of the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion;The visceral difrerentiation-based acupuncture therapy may enhance the therapeutic effects for insomnia patients.

Development of an equipment diagnostic system that evaluates sensor drift

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanada, Masaki; Arita, Setsuo; Tada, Nobuo; Yokota, Katsuo

2011-01-01

The importance of condition monitoring technology for equipment has increased with the introduction of condition-based maintenance in nuclear power plants. We are developing a diagnostic system using process signals for plant equipment, such as pumps and motors. It is important to enable the diagnostic system to distinguish sensor drift and equipment failure. We have developed a sensor drift diagnostic method that combines some highly correlative sensor signals by using the MT (Mahalanobis-Taguchi) method. Furthermore, we have developed an equipment failure diagnostic method that measures the Mahalanobis distance from the normal state of equipment by the MT method. These methods can respectively detect sensor drift and equipment failure, but there are the following problems. In the sensor drift diagnosis, there is a possibility of misjudging the sensor drift when the equipment failure occurs and the process signal changes because the behavior of the process signal is the same as that of the sensor drift. Oppositely, in the equipment failure diagnosis, there is a possibility of misjudging the equipment failure when the sensor drift occurs because the sensor drift influences the change of process signal. To solve these problems, we propose a diagnostic method combining the sensor drift diagnosis and the equipment failure diagnosis by the MT method. Firstly, the sensor drift values are estimated by the sensor drift diagnosis, and the sensor drift is removed from the process signal. It is necessary to judge the validity of the estimated sensor drift values before removing the sensor drift from the process signal. We developed a method for judging the validity of the estimated sensor drift values by using the drift distribution based on the sensor calibration data. And then, the equipment failure is diagnosed by using the process signals after removal of the sensor drifts. To verify the developed diagnostic system, several sets of simulation data based on abnormal cases

Italy-Japan international project-based learning for developing human resources using design of welfare equipment as a subject.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanafusa, A; Komeda, T; Ito, K; Zobel, P Beomonte

2015-08-01

Project-based learning (PBL) is effective for developing human resources of young students. The design of welfare equipment, such as wheelchairs and gait assistive devices, is taken as the subject in this study because these devices must be fit to their environment, users, and method of use; students must consider the circumstances of each country concerned. The program commenced in 2012 at L'Aquila, Italy, and the Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan and has been continuing for three years. Students were divided into four groups and discussions were held on how to adapt the equipment to the user and environment. After discussion, they designed and simulated a model of the equipment using CAD. Finally, they presented their designs to each other. Through the program, students had fruitful discussions, exchanged ideas from different cultures, and learned from each other. Furthermore, friendships among the students were nurtured. It is believed that the objective of the program was satisfactorily accomplished.

Research on the Emergence Modeling of Equipment System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Xin-Hua

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Under the conditions of information, the network-centric system and the confrontation in the system has developed into a major combat style. But the traditional line of sexual assessment method is difficult to accurately assess the information equipment system combat capability. Therefore, this paper studies the effective evaluation method of the operational capability of the information equipment system from the perspective of emerge. Based on the simulation modeling and evaluation method, building the capability model of the weapon equipment system to evaluate the operational capability of the information weapon weaponry equipment. Through the example analysis, the validity of the simulation model and the practicability of the evaluation system is analyzed by analyzing the examples.

Development of logistic support for space equipment on the base of the “Sail-BMSTU” midget spacecraft

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brom Alla

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper envisages the application of integrated logistic support conception (ILS for space equipment on the base of the example of the student’s «Sail BMSTU» midget spacecraft (MS. The peculiarities of space equipment logistic support in operation phase are considered. The special focus is done to the problem of decrease in production expenses of spacecrafts. The paper suggests that the solution of this problem has to be based on tools commonly used in engineering fields – functional analysis and FMECA. The fragment of FMECA is presented. Due to FMECA it is clear what products in spacecrafts should be calibrated in accordance with quality requirements of military class and what ones should be calibrated in accordance with quality requirements of commercial and industrial classes. Each failure mode of midget spacecraft, identified within FMECA, is studied by assessing of criticality, severity and probability of emergence. The paper describes the main procedures of integrated logistic support on the base of the student’s «Sail MGTU» midget spacecraft. Recommended guidelines providing reliability of electro radio products are elaborated. The practical application of integrated logistic support in aerospace industry is reasonably presented.

Guidelines for safe practice of stereotactic body (ablative) radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foote, Matthew; Barry, Tamara; Bailey, Michael; Smith, Leigh; Seeley, Anna; Siva, Shankar; Hegi-Johnson, Fiona; Booth, Jeremy; Ball, David; Thwaites, David

2015-01-01

The uptake of stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SABR) / stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) worldwide has been rapid. The Australian and New Zealand Faculty of Radiation Oncology (FRO) assembled an expert panel of radiation oncologists, radiation oncology medical physicists and radiation therapists to establish guidelines for safe practice of SABR. Draft guidelines were reviewed by a number of international experts in the field and then distributed through the membership of the FRO. Members of the Australian Institute of Radiography and the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine were also asked to comment on the draft. Evidence-based recommendations (where applicable) address aspects of departmental staffing, procedures and equipment, quality assurance measures, as well as organisational considerations for delivery of SABR treatments. Central to the guidelines is a set of key recommendations for departments undertaking SABR. These guidelines were developed collaboratively to provide an educational guide and reference for radiation therapy service providers to ensure appropriate care of patients receiving SABR.

Ilaj bil hijamah (cupping therapy) in the Unani system of medicine: anecdotal practice to evidence based therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas Zaidi, S M; Jameel, S S; Jafri, Kehkashan; Khan, Shariq A; Ahmad, Ehsan

2016-08-01

Cupping (Hijamah) therapy is very well documented as a result of several thousand years of clinical experiences in Unani medicine. In this procedure, suction is created by various means either with or without bloodletting. Though this therapy is being widely practiced across the globe for treating many chronic and intractable ailments but many reports reveal its unscientific and improper practices which results in many complications. Therefore to develop standard operative procedures and to propose protocols of cupping therapy in various diseases is the need of hour. A thorough literature review of relevant journals and textbooks was performed to gather the maximum available data on cupping therapy. This paper seeks to introduce the general concepts of cupping therapy in Unani medicine and other traditional systems of medicine, shortcomings and limitations of the currently published studies and suggest ways to improve these technical/methodological flaws. In addition, the authors have also attempted to provide the cupping related materials, hypotheses, observations which will provide the researchers the base for evaluating their usefulness in future clinical trials.

Possible artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant malaria in Nigeria: a report of three cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nnennaya Anthony Ajayi

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant malaria is rare in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization identifies monitoring and surveillance using day-3 parasitaemia post-treatment as the standard test for identifying suspected artemisinin resistance. We report three cases of early treatment failure due to possible artemisinin-based combination therapy-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. All cases showed adequate clinical and parasitological responses to quinine. This study reveals a need to re-evaluate the quality and efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy agents in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Fault diagnosis of nuclear-powered equipment based on HMM and SVM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue Xia; Zhang Chunliang; Zhu Houyao; Quan Yanming

2012-01-01

For the complexity and the small fault samples of nuclear-powered equipment, a hybrid HMM/SVM method was introduced in fault diagnosis. The hybrid method has two steps: first, HMM is utilized for primary diagnosis, in which the range of possible failure is reduced and the state trends can be observed; then faults can be recognized taking the advantage of the generalization ability of SVM. Experiments on the main pump failure simulator show that the HMM/SVM system has a high recognition rate and can be used in the fault diagnosis of nuclear-powered equipment. (authors)

Pilot-scale equipment development for lithium-based reduction of spent oxide fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrmann, S. D.

1998-01-01

An integral function of the electrometallurgical conditioning of DOE spent nuclear fuel is the standardization of waste forms. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has developed and is presently demonstrating the electrometallurgical conditioning of sodium-bonded metal fuel from Experimental Breeder Reactor II, resulting in uranium, ceramic waste, and metal waste forms. Engineering studies are underway at ANL in support of pilot-scale equipment development, which would precondition irradiated oxide fuel and likewise demonstrate the application of electrometallurgical conditioning to such non-metallic fuels. This paper highlights the integration of proposed spent oxide fuel conditioning with existing electrometallurgical processes. Additionally, technical bases for engineering activities to support a scale up of an oxide reduction process are described

Evidence-Based Management of Anticoagulant Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Schulman, Sam; Witt, Daniel M.; Vandvik, Per Olav; Fish, Jason; Kovacs, Michael J.; Svensson, Peter J.; Veenstra, David L.; Crowther, Mark; Guyatt, Gordon H.

2012-01-01

Background: High-quality anticoagulation management is required to keep these narrow therapeutic index medications as effective and safe as possible. This article focuses on the common important management questions for which, at a minimum, low-quality published evidence is available to guide best practices. Methods: The methods of this guideline follow those described in Methodology for the Development of Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis Guidelines: Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines in this supplement. Results: Most practical clinical questions regarding the management of anticoagulation, both oral and parenteral, have not been adequately addressed by randomized trials. We found sufficient evidence for summaries of recommendations for 23 questions, of which only two are strong rather than weak recommendations. Strong recommendations include targeting an international normalized ratio of 2.0 to 3.0 for patients on vitamin K antagonist therapy (Grade 1B) and not routinely using pharmacogenetic testing for guiding doses of vitamin K antagonist (Grade 1B). Weak recommendations deal with such issues as loading doses, initiation overlap, monitoring frequency, vitamin K supplementation, patient self-management, weight and renal function adjustment of doses, dosing decision support, drug interactions to avoid, and prevention and management of bleeding complications. We also address anticoagulation management services and intensive patient education. Conclusions: We offer guidance for many common anticoagulation-related management problems. Most anticoagulation management questions have not been adequately studied. PMID:22315259

Re-qualification of switchgear equipment following field modification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tulk, J.D.; El Bestawi, M.A.

1984-01-01

A set of 4.16 kV switchgear was seismically qualified by shaker table test for use in a nuclear power plant. Later, the equipment was modified by the addition of two extra switches and enclosures. This paper describes the methods used to extend the qualification achieved in the original proof test to the new configuration. Qualification of the modified switchgear depended on demonstrating that the intensity of the shaking that would be experienced by equipment mounted in the extended enclosure during a design basis earthquake (DBE) would be no stronger than the shaking that occurred during the original qualification testing. This was accomplished by a combination of analysis and experiment. Natural frequencies and mode-shapes of the original and extended enclosure structures were determined through in-situ modal tests on the equipment. Mathematical models based on the experimental results were then used for dynamic analyses which generated two sets of in-equipment response spectra: one set representing the original qualification test; and one set representing the response of the modified equipment to a hypothetical DBE. Qualification was confirmed by demonstrating that the test-based response spectra for the original configuration exceeded the response spectra developed for the extended structure subjected to DBE level excitation

Predicting response to incretin-based therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agrawal N

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Sanjay Kalra1, Bharti Kalra2, Rakesh Sahay3, Navneet Agrawal41Department of Endocrinology, 2Department of Diabetology, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, India; 3Department of Endocrinology, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India; 4Department of Medicine, GR Medical College, Gwalior, IndiaAbstract: There are two important incretin hormones, glucose-dependent insulin tropic polypeptide (GIP and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1. The biological activities of GLP-1 include stimulation of glucose-dependent insulin secretion and insulin biosynthesis, inhibition of glucagon secretion and gastric emptying, and inhibition of food intake. GLP-1 appears to have a number of additional effects in the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. Incretin based therapy includes GLP-1 receptor agonists like human GLP-1 analogs (liraglutide and exendin-4 based molecules (exenatide, as well as DPP-4 inhibitors like sitagliptin, vildagliptin and saxagliptin. Most of the published studies showed a significant reduction in HbA1c using these drugs. A critical analysis of reported data shows that the response rate in terms of target achievers of these drugs is average. One of the first actions identified for GLP-1 was the glucose-dependent stimulation of insulin secretion from islet cell lines. Following the detection of GLP-1 receptors on islet beta cells, a large body of evidence has accumulated illustrating that GLP-1 exerts multiple actions on various signaling pathways and gene products in the ß cell. GLP-1 controls glucose homeostasis through well-defined actions on the islet ß cell via stimulation of insulin secretion and preservation and expansion of ß cell mass. In summary, there are several factors determining the response rate to incretin therapy. Currently minimal clinical data is available to make a conclusion. Key factors appear to be duration of diabetes, obesity, presence of autonomic neuropathy, resting energy expenditure, plasma glucagon levels and

Radiotherapy equipment and departments in the European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grau, Cai; Defourny, Noémie; Malicki, Julian

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Documenting the distribution of radiotherapy departments and the availability of radiotherapy equipment in the European countries is an important part of HERO - the ESTRO Health Economics in Radiation Oncology project. HERO has the overall aim to develop a knowledge base...... of the provision of radiotherapy in Europe and build a model for health economic evaluation of radiation treatments at the European level. The aim of the current report is to describe the distribution of radiotherapy equipment in European countries. METHODS: An 84-item questionnaire was sent out to European...... countries, principally through their national societies. The current report includes a detailed analysis of radiotherapy departments and equipment (questionnaire items 26-29), analyzed in relation to the annual number of treatment courses and the socio-economic status of the countries. The analysis is based...

Planning and acceptance testing of MV therapy installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almond, Peter R.; Horton, John L.

1995-01-01

Purpose: This course is designed for practitioners and beginners in brachytherapy. The aim is to review biological principles equipment are aware of all aspects involved. The object is to cover in a broad overview the considerations that go into selecting, installing, testing and accepting megavoltage therapy equipment and to provide a resource for more detailed information. Planning and acceptance testing of a megavoltage therapy installation is a major undertaking for any size group, institution or department. It can take approximately two years from the time a decision is made to get a machine to where the first patient is treated. Because the equipment and site preparation are expensive, and most of the machines are complex and can be supplied by several different manufacturers, it is imperative that a great deal of thought and care go into the decision: the aim being that the specifications of the machine that is installed meet the immediate need of the department and the needs for the projected lifetime of the equipment. A general survey of the types of equipment available will be presented. This will concentrate on general purpose linear accelerators, although Cobalt 60 machines, microtrons and special purpose machines (intra-operative equipment) will also be covered. General descriptions of the machines along with typical specifications will be given. Selecting the best machine to meet specific needs can be quite complex and criteria for making the selection are presented in a series of twelve steps. site selection and room design, including the console area, are also critical. The general principles for shielding calculations will be provided. Critical to any installation is the acceptance testing of the equipment including material and radiation oncology performance tests. These tests will be outlined. A reading list of suitable references describing in detail many of the aspects of this course will be provided

Nanotechnology for Cancer Therapy Based on Chemotherapy

OpenAIRE

Chen-Yang Zhao; Rui Cheng; Zhe Yang; Zhong-Min Tian

2018-01-01

Chemotherapy has been widely applied in clinics. However, the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy against cancer is seriously dissatisfactory due to the nonspecific drug distribution, multidrug resistance (MDR) and the heterogeneity of cancer. Therefore, combinational therapy based on chemotherapy mediated by nanotechnology, has been the trend in clinical research at present, which can result in a remarkably increased therapeutic efficiency with few side effects to normal tissues. Moreover,...

Development of processing procedure preparing for digital computer controlled equipment on modular design base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Starosel'tsev, O.P.; Khrundin, V.I.

1982-01-01

In order to reduce labour consumption of technological preparation of production for digital computer controlled machines during the treatment of steam turbines articles created is a system of modular design of technological processes and controlling programs. A set of typical modulas-transitions, being a number of surfaces of an articles treated with one cutting tool in optimum sequence, and a library of cutting tools are the base of the system. Introduction of such a system sharply enhaneces the efficiency of the equipment utilization [ru

Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Glucagon-like Peptide-1-based Therapies in Ischaemic Stroke

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marlet, Ida R; Ölmestig, Joakim N E; Vilsbøll, Tina

2018-01-01

Review was to systematically evaluate the proposed mechanism of action for GLP-1-based therapies in ischaemic brain damage in animals. We performed a literature search using MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library. GLP-1-based therapies administered before, during or after experimental stroke in diabetic and non......Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies, GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4Is) are widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Increasing evidence suggests that they may provide neuroprotection. The aim of this Mini......-diabetic animals were evaluated. We reviewed 27 studies comprised of 20 involving GLP-1RAs and seven involving DPP-4Is. Both GLP-1RAs and DPP-4Is affected the acute inflammatory response secondary to ischaemia by reducing inflammation, endothelial leakage and excitotoxicity. Both treatments also reduced oxidative...

Design by analysis of composite pressure equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durand, S.; Mallard, H.

2004-01-01

Design by analysis has been particularly pointed out by the european pressure equipment directive. Advanced mechanical analysis like finite element method are used instead of classical design by formulas or graphs. Structural behaviour can be understood by the designer. Design by analysis of metallic pressure equipments is widely used. Material behaviour or limits analysis is based on sophisticated approach (elasto-plastic analysis,..). Design by analysis of composite pressure equipments is not systematically used for industrial products. The difficulty comes from the number of information to handle. The laws of mechanics are the same for composite materials than for steel. The authors want to show that in design by analysis, the composite material approach is only more complete than the metallic approach. Mechanics is more general but not more complicated. A multi-material approach is a natural evolution of design by analysis of composite equipments. The presentation is illustrated by several industrial cases - composite vessel: analogy with metallic calculations; - composite pipes and fittings; - welding and bounding of thermoplastic equipments. (authors)

General Guidelines for Remote Operation and Maintenance of Pyroprocess Equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, S. H.; Park, B. S.; Park, H. S.; Lee, H. J.; Choi, C. W.; Lee, J. K

2007-12-15

As the pyroprocess handle the high radioactive materials, a high radioactive material handling facility required high safety, radioactive shielding, strict quality control, and the remote handling equipment of high technology. This report describes the guidelines of for pyroprocess based the design guides for radioactive material handling facility and equipment from American Nuclear Society(ANS), design guidelines for remotely maintained equipment from Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL), and the experience of design for ACP equipment installed at the ACPF(Advanced Conditioning Process Facility). The General guidelines in this report are as follows. The General guidelines for remote operation and maintenance of pyroprocess equipment: Pyroprocess, Remote handling equipment for pyroprocess, General guide for remote operation and maintenance, general guidelines for the design of remotely operated and maintained equipment, Estimation and analysis for remote maintenance.

Comparing telehealth-based and clinic-based group cognitive behavioral therapy for adults with depression and anxiety: a pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khatri N

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Nasreen Khatri, Elsa Marziali, Illia Tchernikov, Nancy ShepherdRotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, CanadaBackground: The primary objective of this pilot study was to demonstrate reliable adherence to a group cognitive behavioral (CBT therapy protocol when delivered using on-line video conferencing as compared with face-to-face delivery of group CBT. A secondary aim was to show comparability of changes in subject depression inventory scores between on-line and face-to-face delivery of group CBT.Methods: We screened 31 individuals, 18 of whom met the criteria for a DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition diagnosis of mood and/or anxiety disorder. All qualifying participants had the necessary equipment (computer, webcam, Internet for participation in the study, but could exercise their preference for either the on-line or face-to-face format. Eighteen completed the 13 weekly session intervention program (ten face-to-face; eight video conferencing. We coded adherence to protocol in both intervention formats and generated pre–post changes in scores on the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II for each participant.Results: Application of the CBT protocol coding system showed reliable adherence to the group CBT intervention protocol in both delivery formats. Similarly, qualitative analysis of the themes in group discussion indicated that both groups addressed similar issues. Pre–post intervention scores for the BDI-II were comparable across the two delivery formats, with 60% of participants in each group showing a positive change in BDI-II severity classification (eg, from moderate to low symptoms.Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that group CBT could be delivered in a technology-supported environment (on-line video conferencing and can meet the same professional practice standards and outcomes as face-to-face delivery of the intervention program.Keywords: psychotherapy, gerontology, mood

[Fundamental aspects for accrediting medical equipment calibration laboratories in Colombia].

Science.gov (United States)

Llamosa-Rincón, Luis E; López-Isaza, Giovanni A; Villarreal-Castro, Milton F

2010-02-01

Analysing the fundamental methodological aspects which should be considered when drawing up calibration procedure for electro-medical equipment, thereby permitting international standard-based accreditation of electro-medical metrology laboratories in Colombia. NTC-ISO-IEC 17025:2005 and GTC-51-based procedures for calibrating electro-medical equipment were implemented and then used as patterns. The mathematical model for determining the estimated uncertainty value when calibrating electro-medical equipment for accreditation by the Electrical Variable Metrology Laboratory's Electro-medical Equipment Calibration Area accredited in compliance with Superintendence of Industry and Commerce Resolution 25771 May 26th 2009 consists of two equations depending on the case; they are: E = (Ai + sigmaAi) - (Ar + sigmaAr + deltaAr1) and E = (Ai + sigmaAi) - (Ar + sigmaA + deltaAr1). The mathematical modelling implemented for measuring uncertainty in the Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira's Electrical Variable Metrology Laboratory (Electro-medical Equipment Calibration Area) will become a good guide for calibration initiated in other laboratories in Colombia and Latin-America.

Plant equipment integrity monitoring and diagnosing method and device therefor, plant equipment maintenance and inspection time determining method and device therefor, as well as nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Takahiko; Ando, Masashi; Osumi, Katsumi; Horiuchi, Tetsuo; Asakura, Yamato; Akamine, Kazuhiko.

1995-01-01

The present invention can accurately forecast a time for occurrence of troubles of plant equipments in contact with recycling water, to conduct its maintenance and inspection before occurrence of the troubles. Namely, change of water quality in plant equipments caused by corrosion of recycling water occurred in constitutional parts of the plant equipments is measured. The time upon occurrence of the troubles of the plant equipments to corrosion of the recycling water is forecast based on the measured value. A time till the occurrence of the change of water quality after starting the use of the plant equipments is calculated based on the measured value. The calculated time is compared with a correlation between the time of occurrence of the troubles after starting the use of the plant equipments and the time of occurrence of change of the water quality, to forecast the time of occurrence of the troubles. Preferably, electroconductivity and pH of recycling water in the inside or at the exit of the plant equipments are measured as an object for the measurement of change of water quality. (I.S.)

RETRIEVAL EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. Steinhoff

1997-01-01

The objective and the scope of this document are to list and briefly describe the major mobile equipment necessary for waste package (WP) retrieval from the proposed subsurface nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. Primary performance characteristics and some specialized design features of the equipment are explained and summarized in the individual subsections of this document. There are no quality assurance requirements or QA controls in this document. Retrieval under normal conditions is accomplished with the same fleet of equipment as is used for emplacement. Descriptions of equipment used for retrieval under normal conditions is found in Emplacement Equipment Descriptions, DI: BCAF00000-01717-5705-00002 (a document in progress). Equipment used for retrieval under abnormal conditions is addressed in this document and consists of the following: (1) Inclined Plane Hauler; (2) Bottom Lift Transporter; (3) Load Haul Dump (LHD) Loader; (4) Heavy Duty Forklift for Emplacement Drifts; (5) Covered Shuttle Car; (6) Multipurpose Vehicle; and (7) Scaler

SU-E-T-64: CG-Based Radiation Therapy Simulator with Physical Modeling for Avoidance of Collisions Between Gantry and Couch Or Patient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanouchi, M; Arimura, H; Yuda, I

2014-01-01

Purpose: It is time-consuming and might cause re-planning to check couch-gantry and patient-gantry collisions on a radiotherapy machine when using couch rotations for non-coplanar beam angles. The aim of this study was to develop a computer-graphics (CG)-based radiation therapy simulator with physical modeling for avoidance of collisions between gantry and couch or patient on a radiotherapy machine. Methods: The radiation therapy simulator was three-dimensionally constructed including a radiotherapy machine (Clinac iX, Varian Medical Systems), couch, and radiation treatment room according to their designs by using a physical-modeling-based computer graphics software (Blender, free and open-source). Each patient was modeled by applying a surface rendering technique to their planning computed tomography (CT) images acquired from 16-slice CT scanner (BrightSpeed, GE Healthcare). Immobilization devices for patients were scanned by the CT equipment, and were rendered as the patient planning CT images. The errors in the collision angle of the gantry with the couch or patient between gold standards and the estimated values were obtained by fixing the gantry angle for the evaluation of the proposed simulator. Results: The average error of estimated collision angles to the couch head side was -8.5% for gantry angles of 60 to 135 degree, and -5.5% for gantry angles of 225 to 300 degree. Moreover, the average error of estimated collision angles to the couch foot side was -1.1% for gantry angles of 60 to 135 degree, and 1.4% for gantry angles of 225 to 300 degree. Conclusion: The CG-based radiation therapy simulator could make it possible to estimate the collision angle between gantry and couch or patient on the radiotherapy machine without verifying the collision angles in the radiation treatment room

Radiological equipment analyzed by specific developed phantoms and software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soto, M.; Campayo, J. M.; Mayo, P.; Verdu, G.; Rodenas, F.

2010-10-01

The use of radiographic phantoms specifically designed to evaluate the operation of the radiographic equipment lets the study of the image quality obtained by this equipment in an objective way. In digital radiographic equipment, the analysis of the image quality can be computerized because the acquisition of the image is possible in different technologies that are, computerized radiography or phosphor plate and direct radiography or detector. In case of film-screen equipment s this analysis could be applied digitalising the image in a professional scanner. In this work we have shown an application to assess automatically the constancy quality image in the image chain of the radiographic equipment s. This application is integrated by designed radiographic phantoms which are adapted to conventional, dental equipment s and specific developed software for the automatic evaluation of the phantom image quality. The software is based on digital image processing techniques that let the automatic detection of the different phantom tests by edge detector, morphological operators, threshold histogram techniques... etc. The utility developed is enough sensitive to the radiographic equipment of operating conditions of voltage (kV) and charge (m As). It is a friendly user programme connected with a data base of the hospital or clinic where it has been used. After the phantom image processing the user can obtain an inform with a resume of the imaging system state with accepting and constancy results. (Author)

Radiological equipment analyzed by specific developed phantoms and software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soto, M.; Campayo, J. M. [Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales SAU, Sorolla Center, Local 10, Av. de las Cortes Valencianas No. 58, 46015 Valencia (Spain); Mayo, P. [TITANIA Servicios Tecnologicos SL, Sorolla Center, Local 10, Av. de las Cortes Valencianas No. 58, 46015 Valencia (Spain); Verdu, G.; Rodenas, F., E-mail: m.soto@lainsa.co [ISIRYIM Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia (Spain)

2010-10-15

The use of radiographic phantoms specifically designed to evaluate the operation of the radiographic equipment lets the study of the image quality obtained by this equipment in an objective way. In digital radiographic equipment, the analysis of the image quality can be computerized because the acquisition of the image is possible in different technologies that are, computerized radiography or phosphor plate and direct radiography or detector. In case of film-screen equipment s this analysis could be applied digitalising the image in a professional scanner. In this work we have shown an application to assess automatically the constancy quality image in the image chain of the radiographic equipment s. This application is integrated by designed radiographic phantoms which are adapted to conventional, dental equipment s and specific developed software for the automatic evaluation of the phantom image quality. The software is based on digital image processing techniques that let the automatic detection of the different phantom tests by edge detector, morphological operators, threshold histogram techniques... etc. The utility developed is enough sensitive to the radiographic equipment of operating conditions of voltage (kV) and charge (m As). It is a friendly user programme connected with a data base of the hospital or clinic where it has been used. After the phantom image processing the user can obtain an inform with a resume of the imaging system state with accepting and constancy results. (Author)

Impact of region contouring variability on image-based focal therapy evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Eli; Donaldson, Ian A.; Shah, Taimur T.; Hu, Yipeng; Ahmed, Hashim U.; Barratt, Dean C.

2016-03-01

Motivation: Focal therapy is an emerging low-morbidity treatment option for low-intermediate risk prostate cancer; however, challenges remain in accurately delivering treatment to specified targets and determining treatment success. Registered multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MPMRI) acquired before and after treatment can support focal therapy evaluation and optimization; however, contouring variability, when defining the prostate, the clinical target volume (CTV) and the ablation region in images, reduces the precision of quantitative image-based focal therapy evaluation metrics. To inform the interpretation and clarify the limitations of such metrics, we investigated inter-observer contouring variability and its impact on four metrics. Methods: Pre-therapy and 2-week-post-therapy standard-of-care MPMRI were acquired from 5 focal cryotherapy patients. Two clinicians independently contoured, on each slice, the prostate (pre- and post-treatment) and the dominant index lesion CTV (pre-treatment) in the T2-weighted MRI, and the ablated region (post-treatment) in the dynamic-contrast- enhanced MRI. For each combination of clinician contours, post-treatment images were registered to pre-treatment images using a 3D biomechanical-model-based registration of prostate surfaces, and four metrics were computed: the proportion of the target tissue region that was ablated and the target:ablated region volume ratio for each of two targets (the CTV and an expanded planning target volume). Variance components analysis was used to measure the contribution of each type of contour to the variance in the therapy evaluation metrics. Conclusions: 14-23% of evaluation metric variance was attributable to contouring variability (including 6-12% from ablation region contouring); reducing this variability could improve the precision of focal therapy evaluation metrics.

Life Cycle Management for Equipments in Nuclear Plants Based on Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Dalin; Sun Jinlong

2012-01-01

Majority of equipments in nuclear power stations are not un-repairable, but repaired after failures or maintained periodically and then returned to running. Along with aging or fatigue causes, duration between failures may be variable such as larger or shorter. Equipments failure occurrences are consistent with non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP), in which their failure rates are variable. We chose Weibull process to simplify the actual circumstances to obtain the optimal life cycle management plans approximately. In application we need to estimate parameters of Weibull process with existing data. Before that, trend test is necessary. Total time test (TTT) is an alternative. Trend test can determine whether the failure rate changes along operating time and whether the devices operated under imperfect or minimal repair. Parameters of Weibull process λ, β can be estimated by maximum likelihood estimation method. LCM model is designed to found an optimizing model for those aging equipments under minimal repair or imperfect maintenance with maximum economic or availability as objective function. The purpose is to establish the optimal replacement strategies. Periodical replacement is the most regular choice and so LCM model aims to calculate the optimal replacement periodical duration.

Data communication equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hak Seon; Lee, Sang Mok

1998-02-01

The contents of this book are introduction of data communication on definition, purpose and history, information terminal about data communication system and data transmission system, data transmit equipment of summary, transmission cable, data port, concentrator and front-end processor, audio communication equipment like phones, radio communication equipment of summary on foundation of electromagnetic waves, AM transmitter, AM receiver, FM receiver and FM transmitter, a satellite and mobile communication equipment such as earth station, TT and C and Cellular phone, video telephone and new media apparatus.

Medical equipment management

CERN Document Server

Willson, Keith; Tabakov, Slavik

2013-01-01

Know What to Expect When Managing Medical Equipment and Healthcare Technology in Your Organization As medical technology in clinical care becomes more complex, clinical professionals and support staff must know how to keep patients safe and equipment working in the clinical environment. Accessible to all healthcare professionals and managers, Medical Equipment Management presents an integrated approach to managing medical equipment in healthcare organizations. The book explains the underlying principles and requirements and raises awareness of what needs to be done and what questions to ask. I

Failure diagnosis aiding device for plant equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uhara, Yoshihiko.

1990-01-01

The present invention intends to improve the efficiency of trouble shooting for equipments of industrial plants such as nuclear power plants. The device of the present invention comprises an intelligence base and an inference mechanism base. The intelligence base comprises a rule base, an information storing section having a part frame and a working frame and a user's frame. The parts frame contains the failure rate on every parts and data on related operations. The working frame contains the importance and frequency of working. The user's frame contains parameters showing the extent of user's skills. The rule base, the parts frame and the working frame can be selected in accordance with the extent of the user's skill in the inference mechanism. With such a constitution, failures can be checked with the intelligence base in accordance with the knowledges for the failures of the equipments and the extent of user's skill by way of the inference mechanism. (I.S.)

Remote maintenance lessons learned on prototypical reprocessing equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kring, C.T.; Schrock, S.L.

1990-01-01

A major objective of the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is to develop and demonstrate the technology required to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. The Fuel Recycle Division, over the past 16 years, has undertaken this objective by designing and testing prototypical hardware representing essentially every major equipment item currently included in most fuel reprocessing plant conceptual designs. These designs are based on total remote maintenance to increase plant availability and reduce radiation exposure to plant operators. The designs include modular equipment to facilitate maintainability and the remote manipulation necessary to accomplish maintenance tasks. Prototypic equipment has been installed and tested in a cold mock-up of a reprocessing hot cell, called the remote operations and maintenance demonstration facility. The applied maintenance concept utilizes the dexterity and mobility of bridge-mounted, force-reflecting servomanipulators. Prototypic processing equipment includes a remote disassembly system, a remote shear system, a rotary dissolver, a remote automated sampler system, removable equipment racks to support chemical process equipment items, and the advanced servomanipulators. Each of these systems and a brief description of functions are discussed

Seismic verification of nuclear plant equipment anchorage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepiece, M.; Van Vyve, J.

1991-01-01

More than 60% of the electrical power of Belgium is generated by seven PWR nuclear power plants. For three of them, the electro-mechanical equipment had to be reassessed after ten years of operation, because the seismic requirements were upgraded from 0.1 g to 0.17 g free field ground acceleration. The seismic requalification of the active equipment was a critical problem as the classical methods were too conservative. The approach based on the use of the past experience on the seismic behavior of nonnuclear equipment, chosen and developed by the SQUG, had to be transposed to the Belgian N.P.P. The decision of the accept-ability of equipment relies heavily on the aseismatic capacity of anchorage. The Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) developed the procedure and guideline for the demonstration of the aseismatic adequacy of equipment anchorage in a cost-effective and consistent manner, to support the decision by Seismic Review Team. The field inspection procedure to identify the type of fasteners and detect their possible defects and the verification procedure developed to calculate the aseismatic capacity of equipment anchorage on the strength of fasteners, the aseismatic capacity of anchorage and the comparison of the capacity with the demand are reported. (K.I.)

Incretin-based therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian patients: Analysis of clinical trials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melva Louisa

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Aim To review the effi cacy and safety data on incretin-based therapies currently available (exenatide, liraglutide, sitagliptin, vildagliptin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian population.Methods We conducted Medline search of all relevant randomized clinical trials of incretin-based therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian populations. Data pertinent to the efficacy and safety of GLP-1 mimetics and DPP-4 inhibitors were extracted and used.Results We found 14 randomized controlled trials of incretin based-therapy which included 3567 type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian population (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian. It was shown that incretin-based therapies improved HbA1c at higher extent (up to -1.42% in exenatide 10 mcg bid, -1.85% for liraglutide 0.9 mg qd, -1.4% for sitagliptin 100 mg and -1.4% for vildagliptin 50 mg bid compared to the effects observed in studies with Caucasian population, with comparable safety profile.Conclusion The efficacy of incretin-based therapies in Asian patients improved glycemic parameters in a higher magnitude on some glycemic parameters compared with those in Caucasian population. These results indicate that incretin-based therapies may be more effective in Asian population than in Caucasian. (Med J Indones 2010; 19: 205-12Key words: exenatide, incretin, liraglutide, sitagliptin, type-2 diabetes, vildagliptin

After-hours power status of office equipment and energy use of miscellaneous plug-load equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberson, Judy A.; Webber, Carrie A.; McWhinney, Marla C.; Brown, Richard E.; Pinckard, Marageret J.; Busch, John F.

2004-05-27

This research was conducted in support of two branches of the EPA ENERGY STAR program, whose overall goal is to reduce, through voluntary market-based means, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the U.S. The primary objective was to collect data for the ENERGY STAR Office Equipment program on the after-hours power state of computers, monitors, printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and multi-function devices. We also collected data for the ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings branch on the types and amounts of miscellaneous plug-load equipment, a significant and growing end use that is not usually accounted for by building energy managers. For most types of miscellaneous equipment, we also estimated typical unit energy consumption in order to estimate total energy consumption of the miscellaneous devices within our sample. This data set is the first of its kind that we know of, and is an important first step in characterizing miscellaneous plug loads in commercial buildings. The main purpose of this study is to supplement and update previous data we collected on the extent to which electronic office equipment is turned off or automatically enters a low power state when not in active use. In addition, it provides data on numbers and types of office equipment, and helps identify trends in office equipment usage patterns. These data improve our estimates of typical unit energy consumption and savings for each equipment type, and enables the ENERGY STAR Office Equipment program to focus future effort on products with the highest energy savings potential. This study expands our previous sample of office buildings in California and Washington DC to include education and health care facilities, and buildings in other states. We report data from sixteen commercial buildings in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania: four education buildings, two medical buildings, two large offices (> 500 employees each), three medium offices (50-500 employees each), and five small

Respiratory and protective equipment at a large nuclear facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zippler, D.B.

1975-12-01

A variety of personal protective equipment is used in a large nuclear facility to protect employees against both nuclear and ordinary industrial materials. Equipment requirements are based on risk evaluation and may range from a minimum of shoe covers to whole body protection by air-supplied plastic suits. Types of equipment are listed and one-year costs are given. Criteria for evaluating and compartmentalizing risks are discussed. Air-supplied suits and hoods are discussed in detail

Stud bolt handling equipment for reactor vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunyan, T.W.

1989-01-01

Reactor vessel stud bolt handling equipment includes means for transferring a stud bolt to a carrier from a parking station, or vice versa. Preferably a number of stud bolts are handled simultaneously. The transfer means may include cross arms rotatable about extendable columns, and the equipment is mounted on a mobile base for movement into and out of position. Each carrier comprises a tubular socket and an expandable sleeve to grip a stud bolt. (author)

Ethical and Safety Issues of Stem Cell-Based Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Volarevic, Vladislav; Markovic, Bojana Simovic; Gazdic, Marina; Volarevic, Ana; Jovicic, Nemanja; Arsenijevic, Nebojsa; Armstrong, Lyle; Djonov, Valentin; Lako, Majlinda; Stojkovic, Miodrag

2018-01-01

Results obtained from completed and on-going clinical studies indicate huge therapeutic potential of stem cell-based therapy in the treatment of degenerative, autoimmune and genetic disorders. However, clinical application of stem cells raises numerous ethical and safety concerns. In this review, we provide an overview of the most important ethical issues in stem cell therapy, as a contribution to the controversial debate about their clinical usage in regenerative and transplantation medicine. We describe ethical challenges regarding human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, emphasizing that ethical dilemma involving the destruction of a human embryo is a major factor that may have limited the development of hESC-based clinical therapies. With previous derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) this problem has been overcome, however current perspectives regarding clinical translation of iPSCs still remain. Unlimited differentiation potential of iPSCs which can be used in human reproductive cloning, as a risk for generation of genetically engineered human embryos and human-animal chimeras, is major ethical issue, while undesired differentiation and malignant transformation are major safety issues. Although clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown beneficial effects in the therapy of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, the ability to promote tumor growth and metastasis and overestimated therapeutic potential of MSCs still provide concerns for the field of regenerative medicine. This review offers stem cell scientists, clinicians and patient's useful information and could be used as a starting point for more in-depth analysis of ethical and safety issues related to clinical application of stem cells.

Calculating evidence-based renal replacement therapy - Introducing an excel-based calculator to improve prescribing and delivery in renal replacement therapy - A before and after study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cottle, Daniel; Mousdale, Stephen; Waqar-Uddin, Haroon; Tully, Redmond; Taylor, Benjamin

2016-02-01

Transferring the theoretical aspect of continuous renal replacement therapy to the bedside and delivering a given "dose" can be difficult. In research, the "dose" of renal replacement therapy is given as effluent flow rate in ml kg -1  h -1 . Unfortunately, most machines require other information when they are initiating therapy, including blood flow rate, pre-blood pump flow rate, dialysate flow rate, etc. This can lead to confusion, resulting in patients receiving inappropriate doses of renal replacement therapy. Our aim was to design an excel calculator which would personalise patient's treatment, deliver an effective, evidence-based dose of renal replacement therapy without large variations in practice and prolong filter life. Our calculator prescribes a haemodialfiltration dose of 25 ml kg -1  h -1 whilst limiting the filtration fraction to 15%. We compared the episodes of renal replacement therapy received by a historical group of patients, by retrieving their data stored on the haemofiltration machines, to a group where the calculator was used. In the second group, the data were gathered prospectively. The median delivered dose reduced from 41.0 ml kg -1  h -1 to 26.8 ml kg -1  h -1 with reduced variability that was significantly closer to the aim of 25 ml kg -1 .h -1 ( p  < 0.0001). The median treatment time increased from 8.5 h to 22.2 h ( p  = 0.00001). Our calculator significantly reduces variation in prescriptions of continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration and provides an evidence-based dose. It is easy to use and provides personal care for patients whilst optimizing continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration delivery and treatment times.

A Novel Short-Term Maintenance Strategy for Power Transmission and Transformation Equipment Based on Risk-Cost-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hang Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Current studies on preventive condition-based maintenance of power transmission and transformation equipment mainly focus on mid-term or long-term maintenance, and cannot meet the requirements of short-term especially temporary maintenance. In order to solve the defects of the present preventive maintenance strategies, according to the engineering application and based on risk-cost analysis, a short-term maintenance strategy is proposed in this manuscript. For the equipment working in bad health condition, its active maintenance costs and operation risk costs are evaluated, respectively. Then the latest maintenance time is calculated in accordance with the principle that its operation risk costs are no higher than active maintenance costs. Utilizing the latest maintenance time, the best maintenance time is calculated by setting the maximum relative earnings of postponing maintenance as the target, which provides the operation staffs with comprehensive maintenance-decision support. In the end, different cases on the IEEE 24-bus system are simulated. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed strategy are demonstrated by the simulation results.

Optimization of maintenance for power system equipment using a predictive health model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bajracharya, G.; Koltunowicz, T.; Negenborn, R.R.; Papp, Z.; Djairam, D.; Schutter, B.D. de; Smit, J.J.

2009-01-01

In this paper, a model-predictive control based framework is proposed for modeling and optimization of the health state of power system equipment. In the framework, a predictive health model is proposed that predicts the health state of the equipment based on its usage and maintenance actions. Based

Optimization on replacement period of plant equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasai, Masao; Asano, Hiromi

2002-01-01

Optimization of the replacement period of plant equipment is one of the main items to rationalize the activities on plant maintenance. There are several models to replace the equipment and the formulations for optimizing the replacement period are different among these models. In this study, we calculated the optimum replacement periods for some equipment parts based on the replacement models and found that the optimum solutions are not so largely differ from the replacement models as far as the replacement period is not so large. So we will be able to use the most usable model especially in the early phase of rationalization on plant maintenance, since there are large uncertainties in data for optimization. (author)

Medical equipment in government health facilities: missed opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pardeshi, Geeta S

2005-01-01

The availability and optimal utilization of medical equipment is important for improving the quality of health services. Significant investments are made for the purchase, maintenance and repair of medical equipment. Inadequate management of these equipment will result in financial losses and deprive the public of the intended benefits. This analysis is based on the conceptual framework drawn from the WHO recommended- lifecycle of medical equipment. (1) To identify the problems in different stages of the life cycle. (2) To assess its financial implications and effect on service delivery. Analysis of secondary data from the latest Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Reports for the states in India. The study variables were category of equipment, financial implications and problems in the stages of life cycle. Calculation of proportions. A total of forty instances mentioning problems in the first phase of the life cycle of medical equipment were noted in 12 state reports. The equipment from the radiology department (15), equipment in the wards (5), laboratory (3) and operation theatres (4) were the ones most frequently implicated. In a majority of cases the financial implications amounted to twenty-five lakhs. The financial implications were in the form of extra expenditure, unfruitful expenditure or locking of funds. In 25 cases the equipment could not be put to use because of non-availability of trained staff and inadequate infrastructural support. Careful procurement, incoming inspection, successful installation and synchronization of qualified trained staff and infrastructural support will ensure timely onset of use of the equipment.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: trends and developments.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKenzie, Meagan B; Kocovski, Nancy L

2016-01-01

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was developed as a psychological intervention for individuals at risk of depressive relapse. Possible mechanisms of change for this intervention are in line with its theoretical underpinnings, and include increases in mindfulness and/or decreases in negative repetitive thoughts. This review provides an overview of current trends in MBCT research, including efficacy and questions regarding the specific effects of MBCT in light of recent comparisons with structurally equivalent control conditions, mechanisms of change, and moderators of treatment outcome. In addition, future directions are discussed, such as challenges with training an adequate number of therapists and disseminating this therapy.

Renewal of radiological equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-01

In this century, medical imaging is at the heart of medical practice. Besides providing fast and accurate diagnosis, advances in radiology equipment offer new and previously non-existing options for treatment guidance with quite low morbidity, resulting in the improvement of health outcomes and quality of life for the patients. Although rapid technological development created new medical imaging modalities and methods, the same progress speed resulted in accelerated technical and functional obsolescence of the same medical imaging equipment, consequently creating a need for renewal. Older equipment has a high risk of failures and breakdowns, which might cause delays in diagnosis and treatment of the patient, and safety problems both for the patient and the medical staff. The European Society of Radiology is promoting the use of up-to-date equipment, especially in the context of the EuroSafe Imaging Campaign, as the use of up-to-date equipment will improve quality and safety in medical imaging. Every healthcare institution or authority should have a plan for medical imaging equipment upgrade or renewal. This plan should look forward a minimum of 5 years, with annual updates. Teaching points • Radiological equipment has a definite life cycle span, resulting in unavoidable breakdown and decrease or loss of image quality which renders equipment useless after a certain time period.• Equipment older than 10 years is no longer state-of-the art equipment and replacement is essential. Operating costs of older equipment will be high when compared with new equipment, and sometimes maintenance will be impossible if no spare parts are available.• Older equipment has a high risk of failure and breakdown, causing delays in diagnosis and treatment of the patient and safety problems both for the patient and the medical staff.• Every healthcare institution or authority should have a plan for medical imaging equipment upgrade or replacement. This plan should look forward a

Ketogenic Diets: New Advances for Metabolism-Based Therapies

Science.gov (United States)

Kossoff, Eric H.; Hartman, Adam L.

2014-01-01

Purpose of review Despite myriad anticonvulsants available and in various stages of development, there are thousands of children and adults with epilepsy worldwide still refractory to treatment and not candidates for epilepsy surgery. Many of these patients will now turn to dietary therapies such as the ketogenic diet, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet, modified Atkins diet, and low glycemic index treatment. Recent Findings In the past several years, neurologists are finding new indications to use these dietary treatments, perhaps even as first-line therapy, including infantile spasms, myoclonic-astatic epilepsy (Doose syndrome), Dravet syndrome, and status epilepticus (including FIRES syndrome). Adults are also one of the most rapidly growing populations being treated nowadays; a group of patients previously not typically offered these treatments. In 2009, two controlled trials of the ketogenic diet were published as well as an International Expert Consensus Statement on dietary treatment of epilepsy. Ketogenic diets are also now being increasingly studied for neurologic conditions other than epilepsy, including Alzheimer disease and cancer. Insights from basic science research have helped elucidate the mechanisms by which metabolism-based therapy may be helpful, both in terms of an anticonvulsant and possibly neuroprotective effect. Summary Dietary therapy for epilepsy continues to grow in popularity worldwide, with expanding use for adults and conditions other than epilepsy. PMID:22322415

Avatar-Based Therapy within Prison Settings: Pilot Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

van Rijn, Biljana; Cooper, Mick; Jackson, Andrew; Wild, Ciara

2017-01-01

The paper presents an introduction of a newly developed, avatar-based virtual reality therapy, as an addition to the therapeutic programme, within a therapeutic community prison in the UK. The participants had six group sessions facilitated by a counsellor. The aim of the project was to investigate whether this approach would improve mental health…

Design Issues and Application of Cable-Based Parallel Manipulators for Rehabilitation Therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Ottaviano

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, cable-based manipulators are proposed for application in rehabilitation therapies. Cable-based manipulators show good features that are very useful when the system has to interact with humans. In particular, they can be used to aid motion or as monitoring/training systems in rehabilitation therapies. Modelling and simulation of both active and passive cable-based parallel manipulators are presented for an application to help older people, patients or disabled people in the sit-to-stand transfer and as a monitoring/training system. Experimental results are presented by using built prototypes.

Seismic resistance of WWER equipment (systematization and generalization)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaznovski, S.; Chechenov, H.

1999-01-01

Within the scope of the contract with IAEA, calculational and experimental investigations of equipment seismic resistance were carried out. Systematic seismic inspection was conducted for 21 WWER type reactors in Armenia, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. On the base of generalisation of extensive real data accumulated during inspection of equipment seismic resistance at different WWER-type NPPs the classification of seismic instability reasons and working out of generalised recommendations were carried out. It gives the possibility to specialists in many cases to expose the seismic insufficiency of equipment and to choose the suitable measures without laborious experimental investigations, tests, and calculations

Seismic qualification of nuclear equipment under multiple support excitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neelwarne, A.; Kushwaha, H.S.; Kakodkar, A.

1991-01-01

ERS (Envelop Response Spectrum) is a conservative method for seismic analysis of equipment without overhang whereas it may severely underestimate the response, as compared to the time history response, for the case of overhanging equipment. However, MSRS (Multi Support Response Spectrum) method appears to give conservative results for both class of equipment. Inability to account a) magnification of response and b) contribution of antisymmetric modes resulting from relative support motion are found to be the reasons for unconservatism of ERS method. A simple criterion for selection of proper method, between ERS and MSRS, for the analysis of overhanging equipment is developed. The criterion is based on correlation of modal mass with the modal normal coordinate and is applicable to generalised equipment of non uniform mass and stiffness distribution. It is shown that; 1) MSRS method must be adopted if equipment first mode corresponds to vibration of overhanging masses. 2) MSRS method should be adopted if the modal mass for the first mode is less than 15 % of equipment mass. 3) Algebraic support group combination appears to give realistic results for the analysis of equipment. This is due to the dominant cantilever beam like behaviour of primary structure resulting in near in-phase motion at equipment supports. (author)

Fluorolon coatings of cold drying for radiation-protective equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shigorina, I.I.; Egorov, B.N.; Timofeeva, L.P.

1977-01-01

A composition of the volatile fraction (butyl acetate:acetone = 3:1) is proposed for fluorolon 32L base varnishes possessing high viability. Formulations for the fluorolon air-drying enamels of various colous are presented. Fluorolon coatings based on these enamels are detailed, providing satisfactory adhesion properties. A fairly high chemical stability of these coatings is shown making it possible to employ them for anti-corrosion protection of outer surfaces, equipment and building constructions for chemical equipment

Study on highly reliable digital communication technology of reactor nuclear measuring equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu Pengfei; Huang Xiaojin

2007-01-01

To meet the need of highly reliable of reactor nuclear measuring equipment, in allusion to the idiographic request of nuclear measuring equipment, the actual technical development and the application in industrial field, we design a kind of redundancy communication net based on PROFIBUS, and a kind of communication interface module based on redundancy PROFIBUS communication, which link the nuclear measuring equipment and PROFIBUS communication net, and also lay a foundation for advanced research. (authors)

Occupational Therapy in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers

Science.gov (United States)

VanPuymbrouck, Laura

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE. Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) 1915(c) waivers are the largest provider of long-term services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). In this study, we explored how HCBS IDD waivers projected providing occupational therapy services in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. METHOD. Medicaid HCBS IDD waivers across the nation gathered from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed to determine how they projected providing occupational therapy services in terms of service expenditures and utilization. RESULTS. In FY 2015, $14.13 million of spending was projected for occupational therapy services of 7,500 participants. However, there was large heterogeneity across states and services in terms of total projected spending, spending per participant, and reimbursement rates. CONCLUSION. Comparisons across states strengthen the profession’s ability to assert the value of its services. These findings can help identify best practices and can advocate for the refinement of state occupational therapy programs. PMID:29426389

[Hydrotherapy equipment].

Science.gov (United States)

Tsibikov, V B; Ragozin, S I; Mikheeva, L V

1985-01-01

A flow-chart is developed demonstrating the relation between medical and prophylactic institutions within the organizational structure of the rehabilitation system and main types of rehabilitation procedures. In order to ascertain the priority in equipping rehabilitation services with adequate hardware the special priority criterion is introduced. The highest priority is assigned to balneotherapeutic and fangotherapeutic services. Based on the operation-by-operation analysis of clinical processes related to service and performance of balneologic procedures the preliminary set of clinical devices designed for baths, basins and showers in hospitals and rehabilitation departments is defined in a generalized form.

Photoelectric equipment type MFS-7 for analyzing oils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orlova, S.A.; Fridman, M.G.; Kholosha, T.V.; Ezhoda, G.D.; Nechitailov, V.V.

1987-01-01

The authors describe the equipment type MFS-7 which is intended for analyzing used oils for the wear products of motors. The difference between type MFS-7 and its predecessors lies in the application of computer techniques to control the equipment and process the output data; and in the design of the sample container, which allows for two methods of introducing the sample into the discharge. The photoelectric equipment consists of an excitation spectrum source IVS-28, having an ac arc mode and 1.v. spark, a polychoromator, a special sample holder for analyzing liquid samples, an electronic recording apparatus with digital voltmeter type ERU-18 and control computer system Spectr 2.2 based on a minicomputer with its own printer. The type MFS-7 equipment has been tested and put into mass production

‘Third wave’ cognitive therapy versus mentalization-based therapy for major depressive disorder. A protocol for a randomised clinical trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakobsen Janus Christian

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most interventions for depression have shown small or no effects. ‘Third wave‘ cognitive therapy and mentalization-based therapy have both gained some ground as treatments of psychological problems. No randomised trial has compared the effects of these two interventions for patients with major depression. Methods/ design We plan a randomised, parallel group, assessor-blinded superiority clinical trial. During two years we will include 84 consecutive adult participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The participants will be randomised to either ‘third wave‘ cognitive therapy versus mentalization-based therapy. The primary outcome will be the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression at cessation of treatment at 18 weeks. Secondary outcomes will be the proportion of patients with remission, Symptom Checklist 90 Revised, Beck’s Depression Inventory, and The World Health Organisation-Five Well-being Index 1999. Discussion Interventions for depression have until now shown relatively small effects. Our trial results will provide knowledge about the effects of two modern psychotherapeutic interventions. Trial registration ClinicalTrials: NCT01070134

Microcomputer-based equipment-control and data-acquisition system for fission-reactor reactivity-worth measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDowell, W.P.; Bucher, R.G.

1980-01-01

Material reactivity-worth measurements are one of the major classes of experiments conducted on the Zero Power research reactors (ZPR) at Argonne National Laboratory. These measurements require the monitoring of the position of a servo control element as a sample material is positioned at various locations in a critical reactor configuration. In order to guarantee operational reliability and increase experimental flexibility for these measurements, the obsolete hardware-based control unit has been replaced with a microcomputer based equipment control and data acquisition system. This system is based on an S-100 bus, dual floppy disk computer with custom built cards to interface with the experimental system. To measure reactivity worths, the system accurately positions samples in the reactor core and acquires data on the position of the servo control element. The data are then analyzed to determine statistical adequacy. The paper covers both the hardware and software aspects of the design

Microcomputer-based equipment-control and data-acquisition system for fission-reactor reactivity-worth measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDowell, W.P.; Bucher, R.G.

1980-01-01

Material reactivity-worth measurements are one of the major classes of experiments conducted on the Zero Power research reactors (ZPR) at Argonne National Laboratory. These measurements require the monitoring of the position of a servo control element as a sample material is positioned at various locations in a critical reactor configuration. In order to guarantee operational reliability and increase experimental flexibility for these measurements, the obsolete hardware-based control unit has been replaced with a microcomputer based equipment control and data acquisition system. This system is based on an S-100 bus, dual floppy disk computer with custom built cards to interface with the experimental system. To measure reactivity worths, the system accurately positions samples in the reactor core and acquires data on the position of the servo control element. The data are then analyzed to determine statistical adequacy. The paper covers both the hardware and software aspects of the design.

On the cost-effectiveness of Carbon ion radiation therapy for skull base chordoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaekel, Oliver; Land, Beate; Combs, Stephanie Elisabeth; Schulz-Ertner, Daniela; Debus, Juergen

2007-01-01

Aim: The cost-effectiveness of Carbon ion radiotherapy (RT) for patients with skull base chordoma is analyzed. Materials and Methods: Primary treatment costs and costs for recurrent tumors are estimated. The costs for treatment of recurrent tumors were estimated using a sample of 10 patients presenting with recurrent chordoma at the base of skull at DKFZ. Using various scenarios for the local control rate and reimbursements of Carbon ion therapy the cost-effectiveness of ion therapy for these tumors is analyzed. Results: If local control rate for skull base chordoma achieved with carbon ion therapy exceeds 70.3%, the overall treatment costs for carbon RT are lower than for conventional RTI. The cost-effectiveness ratio for carbon RT is 2539 Euro per 1% increase in survival, or 7692 Euro per additional life year. Conclusion: Current results support the thesis that Carbon ion RT, although more expensive, is at least as cost-effective as advanced photon therapies for these patients. Ion RT, however, offers substantial benefits for the patients such as improved control rates and less severe side effects

Ethical dilemmas experienced by occupational therapy students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Ethics training strives to facilitate critical thinking, objective analysis and clinical reasoning skills to equip students with the ability to make an impartial and unbiased decision in different contexts and diverse client populations. This enhances students' learning experiences. Occupational therapy (OT) students ...

Optimization of safety equipment outages improves safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cepin, Marko

2002-01-01

Testing and maintenance activities of safety equipment in nuclear power plants are an important potential for risk and cost reduction. An optimization method is presented based on the simulated annealing algorithm. The method determines the optimal schedule of safety equipment outages due to testing and maintenance based on minimization of selected risk measure. The mean value of the selected time dependent risk measure represents the objective function of the optimization. The time dependent function of the selected risk measure is obtained from probabilistic safety assessment, i.e. the fault tree analysis at the system level and the fault tree/event tree analysis at the plant level, both extended with inclusion of time requirements. Results of several examples showed that it is possible to reduce risk by application of the proposed method. Because of large uncertainties in the probabilistic safety assessment, the most important result of the method may not be a selection of the most suitable schedule of safety equipment outages among those, which results in similarly low risk. But, it may be a prevention of such schedules of safety equipment outages, which result in high risk. Such finding increases the importance of evaluation speed versus the requirement of getting always the global optimum no matter if it is only slightly better that certain local one

Market survey of level measurement equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

In a market survey of level measurement equipment from 42 manufacturers, which is based on different principles of measurement and which is used for different applications, the data of the various manufacturers is compiled. (orig./HP) [de

Robust control investigations for equipment loaded panels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aglietti, G.S.; Langley, R.S.; Rogers, E.

1998-01-01

This paper develops a modelling technique for equipment load panels which directly produces (adequate) models of the underlying dynamics on which to base robust controller design/evaluations. This technique is based on the use of the Lagrange's equations of motion and the resulting models...

Questionnaire-based evaluation of mobile phone interference with medical-electrical equipment in Swedish hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiinberg, Stig; Samuelsson, Göran; Larsson, Stefan; Nilsson, Barbro; Jönsson, Patrik X; Ivarsson, Bodil; Olofsson, Per-Åke

2017-08-09

National recommendations in Sweden recommend a safety distance of 3 meter (m) between mobile phones and medical-electrical (ME) equipment in hospitals. A questionnaire was used to investigate how often mobile phones were reported to interfere with ME products in clinical practice across Sweden. The results confirmed that ME equipment can be affected by mobile phone use but, the risk of the patient's outcome being affected were minimal; no cases were identified which led to injury or death. In conclusion, the results support recommendations for a general safety distance of 0.5 m between mobile phones and ME equipment in care environments.

Facilitation of research-based evidence within occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Hanne Kaae; Borg, T.; Hounsgaard, Lise

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated the facilitation of evidence-based practice with the use of everyday life occupations and client-centred practice within occupational therapy in three settings of stroke rehabilitation. Method: The study was based on a phenomenological hermeneutical research...

The role of incretin-based therapies in prediabetes: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadieh, Hala; Azar, Sami T

2014-12-01

Prediabetes, a high-risk state for future development of diabetes, is prevalent globally. Abnormalities in the incretin axis are important in the progression of B-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. Incretin based therapy was found to improve B cell mass and glycaemic control in addition to having multiple beneficial effects on the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight loss in addition to their other beneficial effects on the liver and cardiovascular system. In prediabetes, several well-designed preventive trials have shown that lifestyle and pharmacologic interventions such as metformin, thiazolidinediones (TZD), acarbose and, nateglinide and orlistat, are effective in reducing diabetes development. In recent small studies, incretin based therapy (DPP IV inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists) have also been extended to patients with prediabetes since it was shown to better preserve B-cell function and mass in animal studies and in clinical trials and it was also shown to help maintain good long term metabolic control. Because of the limited studies and clinical experience, their side effects and costs currently guidelines do not recommend incretin-based therapies as an option for treatment in patients with prediabetes. With future clinical trials and studies they may be recommended for patients with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. Copyright © 2014 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incretin-based therapies in prediabetes: Current evidence and future perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Papaetis, Georgios S

2014-01-01

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is evolving globally at an alarming rate. Prediabetes is an intermediate state of glucose metabolism that exists between normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and the clinical entity of T2D. Relentless β-cell decline and failure is responsible for the progression from NGT to prediabetes and eventually T2D. The huge burden resulting from the complications of T2D created the need of therapeutic strategies in an effort to prevent or delay its development. The beneficial effects of incretin-based therapies, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, on β-cell function in patients with T2D, together with their strictly glucose-depended mechanism of action, suggested their possible use in individuals with prediabetes when greater β-cell mass and function are preserved and the possibility of β-cell salvage is higher. The present paper summarizes the main molecular intracellular mechanisms through which GLP-1 exerts its activity on β-cells. It also explores the current evidence of incretin based therapies when administered in a prediabetic state, both in animal models and in humans. Finally it discusses the safety of incretin-based therapies as well as their possible role in order to delay or prevent T2D. PMID:25512784

Radiation therapy quality control in MRCCC radiotherapy units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fielda Djuita; Rina Taurisia; Andreas Nainggolan

2011-01-01

Increasing cancer patients in Indonesia is not supported with the number of equipment that is able to treat cancer patients, especially in the radiation therapy field. Therefore, several private hospitals have joined to provide radiation therapy services and one of them is MRCCC. As a new hospital providing services in radiotherapy field, the writer tries to present our quality control program that we have done in our hospital. Purpose: As quality control to radiation therapy clinical practice. Methods: Descriptive essay of what we do in our institution. Conclusion: Average output photon and electron lower more than tolerance dose. (author)

Exploring Service-led Growth Trajectories for Analytical Equipment Providers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raja, Jawwad; Frandsen, Thomas; Mouritsen, Jan

2016-01-01

This paper examines the dilemmas encountered by advanced analytical equipment providers in developing service-led growth strategies to expand their business in pursuit of more attractive revenue models. It does so by adopting a case based research approach. The findings detail the capabilities...... and solutions-in different contexts, with a view to expanding markets and developing solution based business models, are discussed. It is argued that analytical equipment providers encounter dilemmas as managing these different trajectories implies different needs in terms of the technological sophistication...... of equipment required. This does not necessarily imply that one context is less complex than the other, but rather suggests that the role of integration is qualitatively different and that the relationship between product and service varies when developing solutions in these different arenas....

Research on the Combination of Underwater Acoustic Countermeasure Equipments Against Torpedo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Jie

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Today the use of acoustic countermeasure equipment has become the main means in submarine defense torpedo operation. Combination of acoustic countermeasure equipments are used during the operation so that we can amplify the countermeasure effect. Based on the subject of the acoustic countermeasure equipments’ combined use, this paper analyses the interference between these soft kill countermeasure equipments including gas curtain, acoustic decoy and acoustic interferometer, summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the different combined use of acoustic countermeasure equipments.

Life cycle management for equipments in nuclear plants based on reliability and actual conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalin, Wang; Jingquan, Liu; Peng, Liu

2010-01-01

Life cycle management model based on reliability includes two parts: obtaining failure rate function and founding cost-oriented model to solve. It is actually a single objective programming whose optimal solution is the most economical replacement period. Parameters of failure rate function are estimated by Weibull process fitting with the method of maximum likelihood. The objective function of the model is life-cost function where the dependent variable is replacement period T, with the constraints of failure rate or availability. After foundation of LCM model, we solve it to find the optimal replacement period for the equipments. (authors)

29 CFR 97.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use the equipment to be replaced as... equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part with grant funds, until... established to ensure the highest possible return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment...

44 CFR 13.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use the equipment to be replaced as... equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part with grant funds, until... established to ensure the highest possible return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment...

24 CFR 85.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use the equipment to be replaced as... equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part with grant funds, until... established to ensure the highest possible return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment...

43 CFR 12.72 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use the equipment to be replaced as... equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part with grant funds, until... established to ensure the highest possible return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurrent major depression: A 'best buy' for health care?

Science.gov (United States)

Shawyer, Frances; Enticott, Joanne C; Özmen, Mehmet; Inder, Brett; Meadows, Graham N

2016-10-01

While mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is effective in reducing depressive relapse/recurrence, relatively little is known about its health economic properties. We describe the health economic properties of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in relation to its impact on depressive relapse/recurrence over 2 years of follow-up. Non-depressed adults with a history of three or more major depressive episodes were randomised to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy + depressive relapse active monitoring (n = 101) or control (depressive relapse active monitoring alone) (n = 102) and followed up for 2 years. Structured self-report instruments for service use and absenteeism provided cost data items for health economic analyses. Treatment utility, expressed as disability-adjusted life years, was calculated by adjusting the number of days an individual was depressed by the relevant International Classification of Diseases 12-month severity of depression disability weight from the Global Burden of Disease 2010. Intention-to-treat analysis assessed the incremental cost-utility ratios of the interventions across mental health care, all of health-care and whole-of-society perspectives. Per protocol and site of usual care subgroup analyses were also conducted. Probabilistic uncertainty analysis was completed using cost-utility acceptability curves. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy participants had significantly less major depressive episode days compared to controls, as supported by the differential distributions of major depressive episode days (modelled as Poisson, p cognitive therapy group compared to controls, e.g., 31 and 55 days, respectively. From a whole-of-society perspective, analyses of patients receiving usual care from all sectors of the health-care system demonstrated dominance (reduced costs, demonstrable health gains). From a mental health-care perspective, the incremental gain per disability-adjusted life year for mindfulness-based

Nonsurgical treatment for cancer using radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogi, Yasuo

2012-01-01

The number of people who are dying from cancer has been increasing in association with population aging. Radiation therapy is now one of the three major cancer treatment methods, along with surgery and chemotherapy. People used to consider radiation therapy only as a ''noninvasive cancer treatment''; however, with the ceaseless effort by medical experts and corporations, different radiation therapy types and techniques including the latest technical advances have come out one after another, and the improvements in radiation therapies have provided treatments that are not only less traumatizing to patients but also as effective and therapeutic as surgery in certain body regions. The importance of radiation therapy has become and will become even greater in the society with more elderly cancer patients who do not have the physical strength to undergo surgery. In this article, the history of radiation therapy, rapidly developed high-precision radiation therapy techniques, and unsolved issues are discussed, and then, ''MHI vero4DRT'', which is the high-precision image-guided radiation therapy equipment developed for solving such issues, is introduced. (author)

Methodology development for availability improvement of standby equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Sung Min; Jeon, In Seop; Kang, Hyun Gook

2014-01-01

The core damage frequency (CDF) of operating and constructing pressurized nuclear plants are ranging on the order of 10 -5 and 10 -6 per year. The target CDF of new NPP design has been set at 10 -7 . In this context, although various systems are currently studied, availability improvement of standby equipment will be more efficient than the additional application of safety systems. It is obvious in every aspect, such as management and cost efficiency. Here, soundness can affect equipment unavailability, and the soundness degrades because of aging. However, some studies did not consider aging when calculating the unavailability. Standby equipment can age because of two important factors: standby stress which accumulates over time, and test stress which accumulates with the number of tests (or operations). Both factors should be considered together when aging is considered. However, some studies only considered standby stress or test stress. There are some previous studies which considered both factors. Besides equipment soundness related to aging effect, some process like bypass during test also can affect equipment unavailability because the original function of equipment cannot be performed immediately during this process. However, there are seldom studies dealing with above factors as a whole problem. This study investigated a general approach to calculate the unavailability of standby equipment which considers aging caused by standby and test stresses and bypass process. Based on this general approach, we propose two maintenance strategies which aim to reduce standby equipment unavailability. In section 2, the general approach is presented. As one of the strategies, the changing test interval method (CIM) is introduced in section 3, and its effectiveness is also analyzed. The online monitoring method (OMM) is investigated in section 4 as another method to reduce equipment unavailability. In section 5, a combination of these two methods is analyzed. A general

Development of quality control procedures at a new radiation therapy centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, A.

1999-01-01

Before patients can be treated with radiation therapy, the radiation therapist must be certain that the equipment is functioning within specified parameters. When commencing a new service, introducing appropriate Quality Control procedures on all equipment can be a major accomplishment. At the North Queensland Oncology Service, the Radiation Therapists are responsible for the daily Quality Control on all the radiation therapy equipment. The documentation and procedures were developed by radiation therapists to ensure that all machine parameter discrepancies would be detected before a patient was treated. Monthly Quality Control is the responsibility of the Physics Department. These are carried out on the bi-weekly service days rostered for each linear accelerator and monthly for the simulator. Ongoing Quality Control and Maintenance Meetings ensures reporting and feedback is ongoing between the Radiation Therapists and Physicists. All other liaising is done through the Deputy Chief Radiation Therapist and Senior Physicist. Copyright (1999) Australian Institute of Radiography

[Proangiogenic cell-based therapy for treatment of ischemic diseases].

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestre, Jean-Sébastien

2009-11-01

The application of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) cell-based therapy for regenerative medicine constitutes a promising therapeutic avenue for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Based on experimental studies demonstrating that bone marrow-, blood- or tissue-derived stem/progenitor cells improve the functional recovery after ischemia, clinical trials were initiated to address this new therapeutic concept. Although autolougous cell therapy was shown to improve perfusion and function of ischemic tissues, a number of issues remain to be adressed. The nature of the mobilizing, migratory and homing signals, and the mechanisms of action need to be identified and further defined. In addition, strategies to enhance homing, survival and therapeutic potential of EPC need to be developped to improve therapeutic effect and counteract EPC dysfunction in aged patients with cardiovascular risk factors. The present review article will discuss the mechanisms of action of different types of adult stem cells and several approaches to improve their therapeutic efficiency.

Potential mechanisms for cell-based gene therapy to treat HIV/AIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera-Carrillo, Elena; Berkhout, Ben

2015-02-01

An estimated 35 million people are infected with HIV worldwide. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has reduced the morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients but efficacy requires strict adherence and the treatment is not curative. Most importantly, the emergence of drug-resistant virus strains and drug toxicity can restrict the long-term therapeutic efficacy in some patients. Therefore, novel treatment strategies that permanently control or eliminate the virus and restore the damaged immune system are required. Gene therapy against HIV infection has been the topic of intense investigations for the last two decades because it can theoretically provide such a durable anti-HIV control. In this review we discuss two major gene therapy strategies to combat HIV. One approach aims to kill HIV-infected cells and the other is based on the protection of cells from HIV infection. We discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms for candidate approaches to permanently block HIV infection, including the latest strategies and future therapeutic applications. Hematopoietic stem cell-based gene therapy for HIV/AIDS may eventually become an alternative for standard ART and should ideally provide a functional cure in which the virus is durably controlled without medication. Recent results from preclinical research and early-stage clinical trials support the feasibility and safety of this novel strategy.

The Present Situation and Trend of Wearable Equipment in Electric Field Application

OpenAIRE

Guangwei Shao; Zhongjun Ji; Bing Liu

2017-01-01

With the innovation of mobile internet technology and intelligent terminal technology, the wearable equipment has been gradually applied in various industries. Through the typical application of wearable equipment, the characteristics of wearable equipment technology and application are summarized. Based on the analysis of power field business application and technology, combined with the demand of electric field management, the design situation of the wearable equipment in electric field ser...

Equipment support for the implementation of safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arlt, R.; Bosler, G.; Goldfarb, M.; Schanfein, M.; Whichello, J.

2001-01-01

Full text: The provision of effective, reliable, and user-friendly equipment needed for the implementation of safeguards is one of the main objectives of the Division of Technical Services (SOTS) in the Department of Safeguards. As an outcome of a review by an independent external consultant firm, the instrumentation sections of the SGTS were reorganized in January 2001 into two new sections, the Section for NDA Systems and Seals (TNS) and Section for Installed Systems (TIE). Each section has 'cradle-to-grave' responsibilities for development, implementation, maintenance, and decommissioning of safeguards instruments and measurement systems. Unattended assay, monitoring and surveillance instruments are the responsibility of TIE while attended nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments and seals are handled by TNS. The principal goals of both sections are to define equipment requirements based on Departmental needs, to coordinate Support Programme tasks concerning development and implementation activities, to provide system engineering of commercial components, manage laboratory and to do field testing and prove system suitability for defined safeguards applications. In addition both sections coordinate equipment and supply needs for the Department, including acquisition, preparation, servicing, installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, maintenance and repair, ensuring their availability when needed. As required, TIE and TNS provide specialized field support to the Operations Divisions. Each section is working to standardize equipment as much as possible and reduce the number of instruments performing the same function. This reduces both inspector and technician training, required parts inventories, and overall life-cycle costs. Development based on User Needs from the Operations Divisions follows a strict quality control program that includes a thorough qualification testing procedure with the last phase being field-testing under actual facility conditions. A

Current application of phytocompound-based nanocosmeceuticals for beauty and skin therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganesan, Palanivel; Choi, Dong-Kug

2016-01-01

Phytocompounds have been used in cosmeceuticals for decades and have shown potential for beauty applications, including sunscreen, moisturizing and antiaging, and skin-based therapy. The major concerns in the usage of phyto-based cosmeceuticals are lower penetration and high compound instability of various cosmetic products for sustained and enhanced compound delivery to the beauty-based skin therapy. To overcome these disadvantages, nanosized delivery technologies are currently in use for sustained and enhanced delivery of phyto-derived bioactive compounds in cosmeceutical sectors and products. Nanosizing of phytocompounds enhances the aseptic feel in various cosmeceutical products with sustained delivery and enhanced skin protecting activities. Solid lipid nanoparticles, transfersomes, ethosomes, nanostructured lipid carriers, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes are some of the emerging nanotechnologies currently in use for their enhanced delivery of phytocompounds in skin care. Aloe vera, curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, vitamins C and E, genistein, and green tea catechins were successfully nanosized using various delivery technologies and incorporated in various gels, lotions, and creams for skin, lip, and hair care for their sustained effects. However, certain delivery agents such as carbon nanotubes need to be studied for their roles in toxicity. This review broadly focuses on the usage of phytocompounds in various cosmeceutical products, nanodelivery technologies used in the delivery of phytocompounds to various cosmeceuticals, and various nanosized phytocompounds used in the development of novel nanocosmeceuticals to enhance skin-based therapy.

Development of a Hospital-based Massage Therapy Course at an Academic Medical Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Dion, Liza J; Cutshall, Susanne M; Rodgers, Nancy J; Hauschulz, Jennifer L; Dreyer, Nikol E; Thomley, Barbara S; Bauer, Brent

2015-03-01

Massage therapy is offered increasingly in US medical facilities. Although the United States has many massage schools, their education differs, along with licensure and standards. As massage therapy in hospitals expands and proves its value, massage therapists need increased training and skills in working with patients who have various complex medical concerns, to provide safe and effective treatment. These services for hospitalized patients can impact patient experience substantially and provide additional treatment options for pain and anxiety, among other symptoms. The present article summarizes the initial development and description of a hospital-based massage therapy course at a Midwest medical center. A hospital-based massage therapy course was developed on the basis of clinical experience and knowledge from massage therapists working in the complex medical environment. This massage therapy course had three components in its educational experience: online learning, classroom study, and a 25-hr shadowing experience. The in-classroom study portion included an entire day in the simulation center. The hospital-based massage therapy course addressed the educational needs of therapists transitioning to work with interdisciplinary medical teams and with patients who have complicated medical conditions. Feedback from students in the course indicated key learning opportunities and additional content that are needed to address the knowledge and skills necessary when providing massage therapy in a complex medical environment. The complexity of care in medical settings is increasing while the length of hospital stay is decreasing. For this reason, massage provided in the hospital requires more specialized training to work in these environments. This course provides an example initial step in how to address some of the educational needs of therapists who are transitioning to working in the complex medical environment.

The effect of telephone-based cognitive-behavioural therapy on parenting stress: A randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngai, Fei Wan; Wong, Paul Wai-Ching; Chung, Ka Fai; Leung, Kwok Yin

2016-07-01

Objective Stress related to parenting has detrimental effects on the well-being of children, parents and the family system as a whole. There are limited studies about the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy delivered by telephone in reducing parenting stress. The present study investigates the effect of telephone-based cognitive-behavioural therapy on parenting stress at six weeks and six months postpartum. This is a multi-site randomised controlled trial. A total of 397 Chinese mothers at risk of postnatal depression were randomly assigned to receive either telephone-based cognitive-behavioural therapy or routine postpartum care. Parental stress was assessed by the Parenting Stress Index Short Form at six weeks and six months postpartum. The findings revealed that mothers who had received telephone-based cognitive-behavioural therapy showed significantly lower levels of parenting stress than women only receiving routine postpartum care at six weeks (mean difference=9.42, 95% confidence interval 5.85-12.99, pparenting and reducing stress during the transition period. Integration of telephone-based cognitive-behavioural therapy into routine postpartum care might facilitate positive adaptation in particular for mothers at risk of postnatal depression. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to treat multiple chemical sensitivities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovbjerg, S; Hauge, Christian Riis; Rasmussen, Alice

2012-01-01

of an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program (MBCT) for adults with MCS and to evaluate possible effects on psychological distress and illness perception. The study design was a randomized clinical trial. The MBCT programme comprised 8 weekly sessions of 2½ hours. Forty-two adults were...

Composition and fundamental requirements of nuclear emergency response monitoring equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai Yongfang; Huang Weiqi; Wang Yonghong

2009-01-01

Nuclear emergency monitoring equipment is concrete foundation for accomplishing radiation monitoring in nuclear or radiation accidents. Based on technical report: Generic procedures for monitoring in a nuclear or radiological emergency published by IAEA in 1999, this paper presents the main task and composition of nuclear emergency monitoring briefly, and then the basic equipment and trends of nuclear emergency monitoring equipment is put forward in detail, which is useful to construction and reinforcement of our nuclear emergency monitoring. (authors)

Evidence-based therapy for sleep disorders in neurodegenerative diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIU Ling

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments for sleep disorders in neurodegenerative diseases so as to provide the best therapeutic regimens for the evidence-based treatment. Methods Search PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI databases with "sleep disorder or sleep disturbance", "neurodegenerative diseases", "Parkinson's disease or PD", "Alzheimer's disease or AD", "multiple system atrophy or MSA" as retrieval words. The quality of the articles were evaluated with Jadad Scale. Results A total of 35 articles, including 2 systematic reviews, 5 randomized controlled trials, 13 clinical controlled trials, 13 case series and 2 epidemiological investigation studies were included for evaluation, 13 of which were high grade and 22 were low grade articles. Clinical evidences showed that: 1 advice on sleep hygiene, careful use of dopaminergic drugs and hypnotic sedative agents should be considered for PD. Bright light therapy (BLT may improve circadian rhythm sleep disorders and clonazepam may be effective for rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD. However, to date, very few controlled studies are available to make a recommendation for the management of sleep disorders in PD; 2 treatments for sleep disorders in AD include drug therapy (e.g. melatonin, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, antipsychotic drugs, antidepressants and non-drug therapy (e.g. BLT, behavior therapy, but very limited evidence shows the effectiveness of these treatments; 3 the first line treatment for sleep-related breathing disorder in MSA is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP, and clonazepam is effective for RBD in MSA; 4 there is rare evidence related to the treatment of sleep disorders in dementia with Lewy body (DLB and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS. Conclusion Evidence-based medicine can provide the best clinical evidence on sleep disorders' treatment in neurodegenerative

A client-centred, occupation-based occupational therapy programme for adults with psychiatric diagnoses.

Science.gov (United States)

Schindler, Victoria P

2010-09-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a client-centred, occupation-based occupational therapy programme for individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. The study took place in a college campus. A pre-test/post-test design was used. There were 38 participants which included college students and community members who desired to attend college, work and/or address life skill goals. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used as a pre- and post-test measure. Goals were based on problems identified in the COPM, reflected academic, vocational, life skill, and leisure goals, and were systematically addressed weekly through activities developed by the participant and a graduate occupational therapy student who acted as a mentor. The Participant Overall Satisfaction Scale was completed by each participant. A case study was used to describe the programme in more depth. The results support that the client-centred, occupation-based occupational therapy programme increased client scores on satisfaction and performance of occupational performance problems identified on the COPM. Further research is recommended to explore how client-centred occupational therapy programmes can be effective in improving academic, vocational and life skill goals. Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Seismic qualification of equipment by means of probabilistic risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azarm, M.A.; Farahzad, P.; Boccio, J.L.

1982-01-01

Upon the sponsorship of the Equipment Qualification Branch (EQB) of NRC, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has utilized a risk-based approach for identifying, in a generic fashion, seismically risk-sensitive equipment. It is anticipated that the conclusions drawn therefrom and the methodology employed will, in part, reconcile some of the concerns dealing with the seismic qualification of equipment in operating plants. The approach taken augments an existing sensitivity analysis, based upon the WASH-1400 Reactor Safety Study (RSS), by accounting for seismicity and component fragility with the Kennedy model and by essentially including the requisite seismic data presented in the Zion Probabilistic Safety Study (ZPSS). Parametrically adjusting the seismic-related variables and ascertaining their effects on overall plant risk, core-melt probability, accident sequence probability, etc., allows one to identify those seismically risk-sensitive systems and equipment. This paper describes the approach taken and highlights the results obtained thus far for a hypothetical pressurized water reactor

Remote handling equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clement, G.

1984-01-01

After a definition of intervention, problems encountered for working in an adverse environment are briefly analyzed for development of various remote handling equipments. Some examples of existing equipments are given [fr

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Therapy for Reducing Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Cancer: A Meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Mei-Fen; Wen, Yong-Shan; Liu, Wei-Yan; Peng, Li-Fen; Wu, Xiao-Dan; Liu, Qian-Wen

2015-11-01

Anxiety and depression are common among patients with cancer, and are often treated with psychological interventions including mindfulness-based therapy.The aim of the study was to perform a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for improving anxiety and depression in patients with cancer.Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched. The randomized controlled trials designed for patients diagnosed with cancer were included. Mindfulness-based interventions were provided.The outcomes assessed were the changes in anxiety and depression scores from before to after the intervention. The treatment response was determined by calculating the standardized mean difference (SMD) for individual studies and for pooled study results. Subgroup analyses by cancer type, type of therapy, and length of follow-up were performed.Seven studies, involving 469 participants who received mindfulness-based interventions and 419 participants in a control group, were included in the meta-analysis. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and art therapy were the most common interventions (5/7 studies). All studies reported anxiety and depression scores. The pooled SMD of the change in anxiety significantly favored mindfulness-based therapy over control treatment (-0.75, 95% confidence interval -1.28, -0.22, P = 0.005). Likewise, the pooled SMD of the change in depression also significantly favored mindfulness-based therapy over control (-0.90, 95% confidence interval -1.53, -0.26, P = 0.006). During the length of follow-ups less than 12 weeks, mindfulness-based therapy significantly improved anxiety for follow-up ≤12 weeks after the start of therapy, but not >12 weeks after the start of therapy.There was a lack of consistency between the studies in the type of mindfulness-based/control intervention implemented. Patients had different forms of cancer. Subgroup analyses included a relatively small number of studies and did not

Maintenence and fabrication of Electronic Equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Chong Eun; Moon, Byung Soo; Hong, Suk Boong; Kim, Young Keun; Kim, Jung Bok; Lee, Sang Suk

2004-12-01

Development of the SPND Monitor could be the base of development of small signal processing circuits and the technique could be used to develop other precision equipment. The repair technology for high purity germanium(HPGe) detector system could be adapted to other areas where high purity detectors are used such as hospitals, universities etc. The technology of multi-channel ASIC for nuclear radiation detector, which has been imported from abroad, could be adapted to development of radiation equipment for image processing, position of detection, NDT etc., and also the technique will be expected to contribute to increase the use of radiation technology to industrial applications

A Monte Carlo-based treatment-planning tool for ion beam therapy

CERN Document Server

Böhlen, T T; Dosanjh, M; Ferrari, A; Haberer, T; Parodi, K; Patera, V; Mairan, A

2013-01-01

Ion beam therapy, as an emerging radiation therapy modality, requires continuous efforts to develop and improve tools for patient treatment planning (TP) and research applications. Dose and fluence computation algorithms using the Monte Carlo (MC) technique have served for decades as reference tools for accurate dose computations for radiotherapy. In this work, a novel MC-based treatment-planning (MCTP) tool for ion beam therapy using the pencil beam scanning technique is presented. It allows single-field and simultaneous multiple-fields optimization for realistic patient treatment conditions and for dosimetric quality assurance for irradiation conditions at state-of-the-art ion beam therapy facilities. It employs iterative procedures that allow for the optimization of absorbed dose and relative biological effectiveness (RBE)-weighted dose using radiobiological input tables generated by external RBE models. Using a re-implementation of the local effect model (LEM), theMCTP tool is able to perform TP studies u...

Promoting the Role of Occupational Therapy in School-Based Collaboration: Outcome Project

Science.gov (United States)

Christner, Andrea

2015-01-01

This evidence-based project provided a professional development opportunity for educators to enhance the awareness of school-based occupational therapy and promote a collaborative approach when supporting student participation in daily learning tasks. Through asynchronous web-based delivery, participants viewed five narrated PowerPoint…

[Cost of therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Applying an activity-based costing system].

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Rebull, María-Victoria; Terceño Gómez, Antonio; Travé Bautista, Angeles

2013-01-01

To apply the activity based costing (ABC) model to calculate the cost of therapy for neurodegenerative disorders in order to improve hospital management and allocate resources more efficiently. We used the case study method in the Francolí long-term care day center. We applied all phases of an ABC system to quantify the cost of the activities developed in the center. We identified 60 activities; the information was collected in June 2009. The ABC system allowed us to calculate the average cost per patient with respect to the therapies received. The most costly and commonly applied technique was psycho-stimulation therapy. Focusing on this therapy and on others related to the admissions process could lead to significant cost savings. ABC costing is a viable method for costing activities and therapies in long-term day care centers because it can be adapted to their structure and standard practice. This type of costing allows the costs of each activity and therapy, or combination of therapies, to be determined and aids measures to improve management. Copyright © 2012 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The prediction of the residual life of electromechanical equipment based on the artificial neural network

Science.gov (United States)

Zhukovskiy, Yu L.; Korolev, N. A.; Babanova, I. S.; Boikov, A. V.

2017-10-01

This article is devoted to the prediction of the residual life based on an estimate of the technical state of the induction motor. The proposed system allows to increase the accuracy and completeness of diagnostics by using an artificial neural network (ANN), and also identify and predict faulty states of an electrical equipment in dynamics. The results of the proposed system for estimation the technical condition are probability technical state diagrams and a quantitative evaluation of the residual life, taking into account electrical, vibrational, indirect parameters and detected defects. Based on the evaluation of the technical condition and the prediction of the residual life, a decision is made to change the control of the operating and maintenance modes of the electric motors.

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station equipment reliability management system innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Ligang; Wang Zongjun

2006-01-01

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station has achieved good performance since its commercial operation in 1994. The equipment reliability management system that features Daya Bay characteristics has been established through constant technology introduction, digestion and innovation. It is also based on the success of operational system, equipment maintenance system and technical support system. The system lays a solid foundation for the long-term safe operation of power station. This article emphasizes on the innovation part of equipment reliability management system in Daya Bay. (authors)

Fiscal 1998 survey report. Welfare equipment (Development of human friendly care support intelligent equipment / Development of home welfare equipment system); 1998 nendo chosa hokokusho. Fukushi kiki (human friendly kaigo shien chino kiki kaihatsu / zaitaku fukushi kiki system kaihatsu)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

Since disabled persons increase with a progress of an aging society, while a care power decreases with a decrease in birth rate, development and practical use of the welfare equipment contributing to self-support of aged and handicapped persons, reduction of doctors' or therapists' burdens, and as a result, reduction of medical care costs are desirable. Among them, R and D and practical use are expected of the advanced welfare equipment and system based on human engineering technology contributing to improvement of lives of aged and handicapped persons, and support of nurses and cares of disabled persons. In fiscal 1998, on both human friendly care support intelligent equipment and home welfare equipment system, this project clarified essential technical issues based on the future view, selected some themes to be newly developed in the future, and surveyed and evaluated the details of their R and D concretely. For the former, 'heart disease diagnosis and treatment total support system,' and for the latter, 'body function rehabilitation support system' were surveyed. (NEDO)

Used energy-related laboratory equipment grant program for institutions of higher learning. Eligible equipment catalog

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-07-01

This is a listing of energy related equipment available through the Energy-Related Laboratory Equipment Grant Program which grants used equipment to institutions of higher education for energy-related research. Information included is an overview of the program, how to apply for a grant of equipment, eligibility requirements, types of equipment available, and the costs for the institution.

Is Bobath-based therapy used by physiotherapists in the care of stroke patients?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nico L.U. Meeteren; Maria H.F. Grypdonck; Thóra Hafsteinsdóttir

2005-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate if physiotherapists had knowledge and skills in applying Bobath-based therapy (BB), also referred to as Neurodevelopmental Treatment, in the care of stroke patients and if they generally used the therapy in daily practice. This is because of the important

Equipment repair in coal mines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, S

1982-01-01

Most equipment in Chinese coal mines consists of machinery and equipment produced in the 1950s; the efficiency of 4-62, CTD-57 and 70B/sub 2/ ventilators is 15% lower than that of new ones; that of SSM and AYaP pumps, 10% lower than of modern ones. Equipment renovation is done in three ways: replacing obsolete equipment with new equipment of the same type; improving the performance of existing equipment by introducing efficiency and reconstruction; and replacing obsolete equipment with advanced equipment. It is indicated that the second way, for example, replacement of 4-62 ventilator blades with a maximum efficiency of 73% by 4-72 ventilator blades raises its efficiency to 90%. Replacing the 8DA-8x3 water pump, having a maximum efficiency of 63%, with the 200D 43x3 pump with a maximum efficiency of 78%, enables an electricity savings of 7000 yuan per year, which exceeds all replacement costs (600 yuan). The need to improve equipment maintenance and preventive work to increase equipment service life and to introduce new techniques and efficiency is noted.

Seismic qualification method of equipment for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J.S.; Choi, T.H.; Sulaimana, R.A.

1995-01-01

Safety related equipment installed in Korean Nuclear Power Plants are required to perform a safety function during and after a seismic event. To accomplish this safety function, they must be seismically qualified in accordance with the intent and requirements of the USNRC Reg. Guide 1.100 Rev. 02 and IEEE Std. 344-1987. This paper defines and summarizes acceptable criteria and procedures, based on the Korean experience, for seismic qualification of purchased equipment to be installed in a nuclear power plant. As such the paper is intended to be a concise reference by equipment designers, architectural engineering company and plant owners in uniform implementation of commitments to nuclear regulatory agencies such as the USNRC or Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) relating to adequacy of seismic Category 1 equipment. Thus, the paper provides the methodologies which can be used for qualifying equipment for safely related service in Nuclear Power Plants in a cost effective manner

Low Cost Science Teaching Equipment for Visually Impaired Children

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, H. O.; Singh, Rakshpal

1998-05-01

A low cost null detector an electronic thermometer and a colorimeter have been designed and developed for enabling visually impaired children (VIC) to do experiments in science that normally are accessible only to sighted children. The instruments are based on audio null detection in a balanced bridge and use a themistor for sensing the temperature and an LDR for color change. The analog output can be tactually read by VIC. The equipment has been tested for suitability with VIC. The approach followed in developing these equipment would be generally appropriate to a wide variety of science equipment for VIC by incorporating suitable sensors.

BP volume reduction equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitamura, Yoshinori; Muroo, Yoji; Hamanaka, Isao

2003-01-01

A new type of burnable poison (BP) volume reduction system is currently being developed. Many BP rods, a subcomponent of spent fuel assemblies are discharged from nuclear power reactors. This new system reduces the overall volume of BP rods. The main system consists of BP rod cutting equipment, equipment for the recovery of BP cut pieces, and special transport equipment for the cut rods. The equipment is all operated by hydraulic press cylinders in water to reduce operator exposure to radioactivity. (author)

Exercise Equipment: Neutral Buoyancy

Science.gov (United States)

Shackelford, Linda; Valle, Paul

2016-01-01

Load Bearing Equipment for Neutral Buoyancy (LBE-NB) is an exercise frame that holds two exercising subjects in position as they apply counter forces to each other for lower extremity and spine loading resistance exercises. Resistance exercise prevents bone loss on ISS, but the ISS equipment is too massive for use in exploration craft. Integrating the human into the load directing, load generating, and motion control functions of the exercise equipment generates safe exercise loads with less equipment mass and volume.

22 CFR 135.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

21 CFR 1403.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

45 CFR 602.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

49 CFR 18.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

34 CFR 80.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

10 CFR 600.232 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

45 CFR 1183.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... specifically permitted or contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the...) Management requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether... return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no...

Development of equipment for fabricating DUPIC fuel powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ki Ho; Yang, M. S.; Park, J. J.; Lee, J. W.; Kim, J. H.; Cho, K. H.; Lee, D. Y.; Lee, Y. S.; Na, S. H.

1999-06-01

The powder fabrication processes, as the first stage of manufacturing DUPIC (Direct Use of PWR spent fuel In CANDU) fuel, consist of the slitting of spent PWR fuel rods, REOX (Oxidation and REduction of Oxide Fuels) processing to produce the powder feedstock, the milling of the produced powder, the granulation of the milled powder, and the mixing of the granulated powder with pressing lubricants. All these processes should be conducted by remote means in a hot-cell environment where the direct human access is limited to the strictest minimum due to the high radioactivity. This report describe the development of the equipment for fabricating DUPIC fuel powder. These equipment are Slitting Machine, Oxidation and Reduction (OREOX) Furnace, Mill, Roll Compactor, and Mixer. Remote design concept was applied to all the equipment for use in the M6 hot-cell of the IMEF. Mechanical design considerations and capabilities of the equipment for remote operation and maintenance are presented. First prototypes were developed and installed in the DUPIC full scale mock-up and tested using a master-slave manipulator. Redesign and reconstruction were made on each equipment based on mock-up test results. The remote technology acquired through this research was utilized in developing other equipment for DUPIC fuel fabrication, thereby improving safety and increasing productivity. This technology could also be extended to the area of remote handling equipment development for use in hazardous environments. (author). 14 refs., 9 tabs., 21 figs

Development of equipment for fabricating DUPIC fuel powder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Ki Ho; Yang, M. S.; Park, J. J.; Lee, J. W.; Kim, J. H.; Cho, K. H.; Lee, D. Y.; Lee, Y. S.; Na, S. H

1999-06-01

The powder fabrication processes, as the first stage of manufacturing DUPIC (Direct Use of PWR spent fuel In CANDU) fuel, consist of the slitting of spent PWR fuel rods, REOX (Oxidation and REduction of Oxide Fuels) processing to produce the powder feedstock, the milling of the produced powder, the granulation of the milled powder, and the mixing of the granulated powder with pressing lubricants. All these processes should be conducted by remote means in a hot-cell environment where the direct human access is limited to the strictest minimum due to the high radioactivity. This report describe the development of the equipment for fabricating DUPIC fuel powder. These equipment are Slitting Machine, Oxidation and Reduction (OREOX) Furnace, Mill, Roll Compactor, and Mixer. Remote design concept was applied to all the equipment for use in the M6 hot-cell of the IMEF. Mechanical design considerations and capabilities of the equipment for remote operation and maintenance are presented. First prototypes were developed and installed in the DUPIC full scale mock-up and tested using a master-slave manipulator. Redesign and reconstruction were made on each equipment based on mock-up test results. The remote technology acquired through this research was utilized in developing other equipment for DUPIC fuel fabrication, thereby improving safety and increasing productivity. This technology could also be extended to the area of remote handling equipment development for use in hazardous environments. (author). 14 refs., 9 tabs., 21 figs.

OEE and equipment effectiveness : an evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ron, de A.J.; Rooda, J.E.

2006-01-01

The overall equipment effectiveness or efficiency (OEE) is a metric that has been accepted in the semiconductor industry. OEE is simple and clear, and standards and guidelines have been developed. Nonetheless, the literature indicates imperfections in applying OEE with regard to the time base and

Development of manufacturing equipment and QC equipment for DUPIC fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Myung Seung; Park, J.J.; Lee, J.W.; Kim, S.S.; Yim, S.P.; Kim, J.H.; Kim, K.H.; Na, S.H.; Kim, W.K.; Shin, J.M.; Lee, D.Y.; Cho, K.H.; Lee, Y.S.; Sohn, J.S.; Kim, M.J.

1999-05-01

In this study, DUPIC powder and pellet fabrication equipment, welding system, QC equipment, and fission gas treatment are developed to fabricate DUPIC fuel at IMEF M6 hot cell. The systems are improved to be suitable for remote operation and maintenance with the manipulator at hot cell. Powder and pellet fabrication equipment have been recently developed. The systems are under performance test to check remote operation and maintenance. Welding chamber and jigs are designed and developed to remotely weld DUPIC fuel rod with manipulators at hot cell. Remote quality control equipment are being tested for analysis and inspection of DUPIC fuel characteristics at hot cell. And trapping characteristics is analyzed for cesium and ruthenium released under oxidation/reduction and sintering processes. The design criteria and process flow diagram of fission gas treatment system are prepared incorporating the experimental results. The fission gas treatment system has been successfully manufactured. (Author). 33 refs., 14 tabs., 91 figs

Individualized Positron Emission Tomography–Based Isotoxic Accelerated Radiation Therapy Is Cost-Effective Compared With Conventional Radiation Therapy: A Model-Based Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bongers, Mathilda L., E-mail: ml.bongers@vumc.nl [Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Coupé, Veerle M.H. [Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam (Netherlands); De Ruysscher, Dirk [Radiation Oncology University Hospitals Leuven/KU Leuven, Leuven (Belgium); Department of Radiation Oncology, GROW Research Institute, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht (Netherlands); Oberije, Cary; Lambin, Philippe [Department of Radiation Oncology, GROW Research Institute, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht (Netherlands); Uyl-de Groot, Cornelia A. [Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Institute for Medical Technology Assessment, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

2015-03-15

Purpose: To evaluate long-term health effects, costs, and cost-effectiveness of positron emission tomography (PET)-based isotoxic accelerated radiation therapy treatment (PET-ART) compared with conventional fixed-dose CT-based radiation therapy treatment (CRT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and Materials: Our analysis uses a validated decision model, based on data of 200 NSCLC patients with inoperable stage I-IIIB. Clinical outcomes, resource use, costs, and utilities were obtained from the Maastro Clinic and the literature. Primary model outcomes were the difference in life-years (LYs), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, and the incremental cost-effectiveness and cost/utility ratio (ICER and ICUR) of PET-ART versus CRT. Model outcomes were obtained from averaging the predictions for 50,000 simulated patients. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis and scenario analyses were carried out. Results: The average incremental costs per patient of PET-ART were €569 (95% confidence interval [CI] €−5327-€6936) for 0.42 incremental LYs (95% CI 0.19-0.61) and 0.33 QALYs gained (95% CI 0.13-0.49). The base-case scenario resulted in an ICER of €1360 per LY gained and an ICUR of €1744 per QALY gained. The probabilistic analysis gave a 36% probability that PET-ART improves health outcomes at reduced costs and a 64% probability that PET-ART is more effective at slightly higher costs. Conclusion: On the basis of the available data, individualized PET-ART for NSCLC seems to be cost-effective compared with CRT.

E-Learning-Based Occupational Therapy Education Leads to Committed Students

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bensen, Maria; Kolbæk, Ditte

2017-01-01

students engagement in e-learning based professional bachelor educations such as Occupational Therapy (OT). The research questions in this study are: On the basis of the OT-students experiences, how can learning activities be supported in a synchronous, virtual learning environment as Adobe Connect? How do...... the results of this study to form the design of e-learning/blended learning in their programme in order to enhance students’ engagement. It also includes a modified, phenomenological way of using memory-work. This study is unique in its use of Adobe Connect in a practical education as Occupational Therapy...

Increasing efficiency and optimizing thermoelectric power plant equipment. Povyshenie effektivnosti i optimizatsiia teploenergeticheskikh ustanovok

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andriushchenko, A.I.

1981-01-01

The problems of increasing the efficiency and optimizing the operational conditions of a thermoelectric power plant and providing efficient operational conditions of the primary and auxillary equipment at a thermoelectric power plant are examined. Methodologies and designs for optimizing the primary parameters of the power-generating equipment based on economic factors are given. A number of recommendations for designing equipment based on the research results are given.

Dosimetric study of surface applicators of HDR brachytherapy GammaMed Plus equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyes-Rivera, E.; Sosa, M.; Reyes, U.; Jesús Bernal-Alvarado, José de; Córdova, T.; Gil-Villegas, A.; Monzón, E.

2014-01-01

The cone type surface applicators used in HDR brachytherapy for treatment of small skin lesions are an alternative to be used with both electron beams and orthovoltage X-ray equipment. For a good treatment planning is necessary to know the dose distribution of these applicators, which can be obtained by experimental measurement and Monte Carlo simulation as well. In this study the dose distribution of surface applicators of 3 and 3.5 cm diameter, respectively of HDR brachytherapy GammaMed Plus equipment has been estimated using the Monte Carlo method, MCNP code. The applicators simulated were placed on the surface of a water phantom of 20 × 20 × 20 cm and the dose was calculated at depths from 0 to 3 cm with increments of 0.25 mm. The dose profiles obtained at depth show the expected gradients for surface therapy

Dosimetric study of surface applicators of HDR brachytherapy GammaMed Plus equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reyes-Rivera, E., E-mail: eric-1985@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: modesto@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: uvaldoreyes@fisica.ugto.mx; Sosa, M., E-mail: eric-1985@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: modesto@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: uvaldoreyes@fisica.ugto.mx; Reyes, U., E-mail: eric-1985@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: modesto@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: uvaldoreyes@fisica.ugto.mx; Jesús Bernal-Alvarado, José de, E-mail: bernal@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: theo@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: gil@fisica.ugto.mx; Córdova, T., E-mail: bernal@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: theo@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: gil@fisica.ugto.mx; Gil-Villegas, A., E-mail: bernal@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: theo@fisica.ugto.mx, E-mail: gil@fisica.ugto.mx [División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, 37150 León, Gto. (Mexico); Monzón, E., E-mail: emonzon@imss.gob.mx [Unidad de Alta Especialidad No.1, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Léon, Gto. (Mexico)

2014-11-07

The cone type surface applicators used in HDR brachytherapy for treatment of small skin lesions are an alternative to be used with both electron beams and orthovoltage X-ray equipment. For a good treatment planning is necessary to know the dose distribution of these applicators, which can be obtained by experimental measurement and Monte Carlo simulation as well. In this study the dose distribution of surface applicators of 3 and 3.5 cm diameter, respectively of HDR brachytherapy GammaMed Plus equipment has been estimated using the Monte Carlo method, MCNP code. The applicators simulated were placed on the surface of a water phantom of 20 × 20 × 20 cm and the dose was calculated at depths from 0 to 3 cm with increments of 0.25 mm. The dose profiles obtained at depth show the expected gradients for surface therapy.

[Therapy-resistant and therapy-refractory arterial hypertension].

Science.gov (United States)

Wallbach, M; Koziolek, M J

2018-05-02

Therapy-resistant and therapy-refractory arterial hypertension differ in prevalence, pathogenesis, prognosis and therapy. In both cases, a structured approach is required, with the exclusion of pseudoresistance and, subsequently, secondary hypertension. Resistant hypertension has been reported to be more responsive to intensified diuretic therapy, whereas refractory hypertension is presumed to require sympathoinhibitory therapy. Once the general measures and the drug-based step-up therapy have been exhausted, interventional procedures are available.

Integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioural therapy for bipolar disorder with comorbid substance use.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Steven H; Barrowclough, Christine; Allott, Rory; Day, Christine; Earnshaw, Paul; Wilson, Ian

2011-01-01

Although comorbid substance use is a common problem in bipolar disorder, there has been little research into options for psychological therapy. Studies to date have concentrated on purely cognitive-behavioural approaches, which are not equipped to deal with the ambivalence to change exhibited by many towards therapy designed to change substance use. This paper provides the first report of an integrated psychological treatment approach for bipolar disorder with comorbid substance use. The intervention reported combines motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioural therapy to address ambivalence and equips individuals with strategies to address substance use. Across five individual case studies, preliminary evidence is reported to support the acceptability and the feasibility of this approach. Despite most participants not highlighting their substance use as a primary therapy target, all but one exhibited reduced use of drugs or alcohol at the end of therapy, sustained at 6 months' follow-up. There was some evidence for improvements in mood symptoms and impulsiveness, but this was less clear-cut. The impact of social and relationship issues on therapy process and outcome is discussed. The implications of the current findings for future intervention research in this area are considered. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Two years of operating experience with the Seattle clinical neutron therapy facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Risler, R.; Brossard, S.; Eenmaa, J.; Kalet, I.; Wootton, P.

1987-01-01

After five years of planning, equipment acquisition, facility construction and beam testing the Seattle Clinical Neutron Therapy facility became operational in October 1984. In the past two years nearly 300 people have been treated in clinical trials. During this time 82 % of the planned treatment sessions were performed on schedule, 3 % had to be rescheduled for patient related reasons and 15 % because of equipment problems. The facility is at present running on a 5 days/week schedule: Three ten-hour treatment days, one maintenance day and one research day (radiobiology, therapy related physics). Short runs for short lived isotopes are done between patient treatments. The isocentric gantry, capable of 360 rotation is equipped with a variable collimator with 40 independent leaves. This collimation system allows the use of complex field shapes without the necessity of handling radioactive components like collimator inserts or blocks. It has turned out to be a very essential part for the efficient operation of the facility. Major causes for equipment downtime were associated with the control system, the beryllium target system, RF and magnet systems and the treatment gantry. (author)

Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery for Therapy of Lung Cancer: Progress and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anish Babu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The last decade has witnessed enormous advances in the development and application of nanotechnology in cancer detection, diagnosis, and therapy culminating in the development of the nascent field of “cancer nanomedicine.” A nanoparticle as per the National Institutes of Health (NIH guidelines is any material that is used in the formulation of a drug resulting in a final product smaller than 1 micron in size. Nanoparticle-based therapeutic systems have gained immense popularity due to their ability to overcome biological barriers, effectively deliver hydrophobic therapies, and preferentially target disease sites. Currently, many formulations of nanocarriers are utilized including lipid-based, polymeric and branched polymeric, metal-based, magnetic, and mesoporous silica. Innovative strategies have been employed to exploit the multicomponent, three-dimensional constructs imparting multifunctional capabilities. Engineering such designs allows simultaneous drug delivery of chemotherapeutics and anticancer gene therapies to site-specific targets. In lung cancer, nanoparticle-based therapeutics is paving the way in the diagnosis, imaging, screening, and treatment of primary and metastatic tumors. However, translating such advances from the bench to the bedside has been severely hampered by challenges encountered in the areas of pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, large-scale manufacturing, and regulatory issues. This review summarizes current progress and challenges in nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, citing recent examples targeted at lung cancer treatment.

WE-D-BRB-00: Basics of Proton Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2016-06-15

The goal of this session is to review the physics of proton therapy, treatment planning techniques, and the use of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. The course material covers the physics of proton interaction with matter and physical characteristics of clinical proton beams. It will provide information on proton delivery systems and beam delivery techniques for double scattering (DS), uniform scanning (US), and pencil beam scanning (PBS). The session covers the treatment planning strategies used in DS, US, and PBS for various anatomical sites, methods to address uncertainties in proton therapy and uncertainty mitigation to generate robust treatment plans. It introduces the audience to the current status of image guided proton therapy and clinical applications of CBCT for proton therapy. It outlines the importance of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. Learning Objectives: Gain knowledge in proton therapy physics, and treatment planning for proton therapy including intensity modulated proton therapy. The current state of volumetric image guidance equipment in proton therapy. Clinical applications of CBCT and its advantage over orthogonal imaging for proton therapy. B. Teo, B.K Teo had received travel funds from IBA in 2015.

WE-D-BRB-00: Basics of Proton Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

The goal of this session is to review the physics of proton therapy, treatment planning techniques, and the use of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. The course material covers the physics of proton interaction with matter and physical characteristics of clinical proton beams. It will provide information on proton delivery systems and beam delivery techniques for double scattering (DS), uniform scanning (US), and pencil beam scanning (PBS). The session covers the treatment planning strategies used in DS, US, and PBS for various anatomical sites, methods to address uncertainties in proton therapy and uncertainty mitigation to generate robust treatment plans. It introduces the audience to the current status of image guided proton therapy and clinical applications of CBCT for proton therapy. It outlines the importance of volumetric imaging in proton therapy. Learning Objectives: Gain knowledge in proton therapy physics, and treatment planning for proton therapy including intensity modulated proton therapy. The current state of volumetric image guidance equipment in proton therapy. Clinical applications of CBCT and its advantage over orthogonal imaging for proton therapy. B. Teo, B.K Teo had received travel funds from IBA in 2015.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Based Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-01

Montero-Menei, C.; Menei, P. Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Cellular Vehicles for Delivery of Nanoparticles to Brain Tumors. Biomaterials 2010, 31, 8393... Stem Cells : Considerations for Regenerative Medicine Approaches. Tissue Eng. Part B. Rev. 2010, 16, 159–168. 55. Ellem, S. J.; Taylor, R. a.; Furic, L...Award Number: W81XWH-13-1-0304 TITLE: Mesenchymal Stem Cell -Based Therapy for Prostate Cancer PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: John Isaacs CONTRACTING

45 CFR 1174.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use... requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or... original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no longer needed for the original...

45 CFR 1157.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use... requirements. Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or... original or replacement equipment acquired under a grant or subgrant is no longer needed for the original...

Neutron therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riesler, Rudi

1995-01-01

Standard radiotherapy uses Xrays or electrons which have low LET (linear energy transfer); in contrast, particles such as neutrons with high LET have different radiobiological responses. In the late 1960s, clinical trials by Mary Catterall at the Hammersmith Hospital in London indicated that fast neutron radiation had clinical advantages for certain malignant tumours. Following these early clinical trials, several cyclotron facilities were built in the 1980s for fast neutron therapy, for example at the University of Washington, Seattle, and at UCLA. Most of these newer machines use extracted cyclotron proton beams in the range 42 to 66 MeV with beam intensities of 15 to 60 microamps. The proton beams are transported to dedicated therapy rooms, where neutrons are produced from beryllium targets. Second-generation clinical trials showed that accurate neutron beam delivery to the tumour site is more critical than for photon therapy. In order to achieve precise beam geometries, the extracted proton beams have to be transported through a gantry which can rotate around the patient and deliver beams from any angle; also the neutron beam outline (''field shape'') must be adjusted to extremely irregular shapes using a flexible collimation system. A therapy procedure has to be appropriately organized, with physicians, radiotherapists, nurses, medical physicists and other staff in attendance; other specialized equipment, such as CT or MRI scanners and radiation simulators must be made available. Neutron therapy is usually performed only in radiation oncology departments of major medical centres

Calibration and qualification of equipment in the pharmaceutical industry: emphasis on radiopharmaceuticals production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melero, Laura T.U.H.; Silva, Katia S. da S.; Zanette, Camila; Araujo, Elaine B. de; Mengatti, Jair

2011-01-01

The calibration and qualification of equipment are listed items in RDC number 17 of 2010 which refers about the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) of medicaments and RDC number 63 of 2009 which refers about GMP of Radiopharmaceuticals. Both are essential requirements since they are involved in process control to attend the regulatory criteria and are a key part of the validation process. The aim of this work is presenting the importance of calibration and qualification, and the routine use of equipment and facilities in industrial scale production of radiopharmaceuticals in the IPEN/CNEN. The radiopharmacy of IPEN is a pharmaceutical industry that produces radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy. It was the pioneer institute in production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil. Currently, 38 products are distributed to the nuclear medicine centers, including primary radioisotopes, labeled molecules and lyophilized reagents for labeling with technetium-99m. To fulfill the GMP requirements for quality assurance of products, several factors must be considered including infrastructure, equipment and raw materials beyond, obviously, the whole production process should be controlled until the release of the final product. Therefore, the calibration and verification of equipment, instruments and other appliances used in the production and quality control should be performed. A program of calibration, qualification and requalification of equipment used in production and quality control of radiopharmaceuticals is necessary for the validation of production processes and analytical methods, and should be established for quality assurance of produced radiopharmaceuticals. (author)

Calibration and qualification of equipment in the pharmaceutical industry: emphasis on radiopharmaceuticals production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melero, Laura T.U.H.; Silva, Katia S. da S.; Zanette, Camila; Araujo, Elaine B. de; Mengatti, Jair [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2011-07-01

The calibration and qualification of equipment are listed items in RDC number 17 of 2010 which refers about the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) of medicaments and RDC number 63 of 2009 which refers about GMP of Radiopharmaceuticals. Both are essential requirements since they are involved in process control to attend the regulatory criteria and are a key part of the validation process. The aim of this work is presenting the importance of calibration and qualification, and the routine use of equipment and facilities in industrial scale production of radiopharmaceuticals in the IPEN/CNEN. The radiopharmacy of IPEN is a pharmaceutical industry that produces radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy. It was the pioneer institute in production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil. Currently, 38 products are distributed to the nuclear medicine centers, including primary radioisotopes, labeled molecules and lyophilized reagents for labeling with technetium-99m. To fulfill the GMP requirements for quality assurance of products, several factors must be considered including infrastructure, equipment and raw materials beyond, obviously, the whole production process should be controlled until the release of the final product. Therefore, the calibration and verification of equipment, instruments and other appliances used in the production and quality control should be performed. A program of calibration, qualification and requalification of equipment used in production and quality control of radiopharmaceuticals is necessary for the validation of production processes and analytical methods, and should be established for quality assurance of produced radiopharmaceuticals. (author)

Shaking table testing of electrical equipment in Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmona, J.S.; Zabala, F.; Santalucia, J.; Sisterna, C.; Magrini, M.; Oldecop, L.

1995-01-01

This paper describes the testing facility, the methodology applied and the results obtained in the seismic qualification tests of different types of electric equipment. These tests were carried out on a shaking table that was developed and built at the Earthquake Research Institute of the National University of San Juan, Argentine. The equipment tested consist of 500 KV and 132 KV current transformers, a 500 KV voltage transformer, a 145 KV disconnecter and a relay cabinet. The acceleration response of the tested equipment was measured at several locations distributed along its height, and strains were measured at critical points by strain gauges cemented on the base of the porcelain insulator. All the information was recorded with a data acquisition system at a sampling rate of 200 times per second in each channel. The facility developed at this Institute is the largest one in operation in Argentina at present and the equipment tested is the highest, heaviest and more slender one which has been seismically qualified on a shaking table in this country. These tests have been a valuable experience in the field of structural dynamic testing applied to equipment of hydroelectric and nuclear power plants. (author)

Similarity principles for equipment qualification by experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kana, D.D.; Pomerening, D.J.

1988-07-01

A methodology is developed for seismic qualification of nuclear plant equipment by applying similarity principles to existing experience data. Experience data are available from previous qualifications by analysis or testing, or from actual earthquake events. Similarity principles are defined in terms of excitation, equipment physical characteristics, and equipment response. Physical similarity is further defined in terms of a critical transfer function for response at a location on a primary structure, whose response can be assumed directly related to ultimate fragility of the item under elevated levels of excitation. Procedures are developed for combining experience data into composite specifications for qualification of equipment that can be shown to be physically similar to the reference equipment. Other procedures are developed for extending qualifications beyond the original specifications under certain conditions. Some examples for application of the procedures and verification of them are given for certain cases that can be approximated by a two degree of freedom simple primary/secondary system. Other examples are based on use of actual test data available from previous qualifications. Relationships of the developments with other previously-published methods are discussed. The developments are intended to elaborate on the rather broad revised guidelines developed by the IEEE 344 Standards Committee for equipment qualification in new nuclear plants. However, the results also contribute to filling a gap that exists between the IEEE 344 methodology and that previously developed by the Seismic Qualification Utilities Group. The relationship of the results to safety margin methodology is also discussed. (author)

Optical system for UV-laser technological equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Fedosov, Yuri V.; Romanova, Galina E.; Afanasev, Maxim Ya.

2017-09-01

Recently there has been an intensive development of intelligent industrial equipment that is highly automated and can be rapidly adjusted for certain details. This equipment can be robotics systems, automatic wrappers and markers, CNC machines and 3D printers. The work equipment considered is the system for selective curing of photopolymers using a UV-laser and UV-radiation in such equipment that leads to additional technical difficulties. In many cases for transporting the radiation from the laser to the point processed, a multi-mirror system is used: however, such systems are usually difficult to adjust. Additionally, such multi-mirror systems are usually used as a part of the equipment for laser cutting of metals using high-power IR-lasers. For the UV-lasers, using many mirrors leads to crucial radiation losses because of many reflections. Therefore, during the development of the optical system for technological equipment using UV-laser we need to solve two main problems: to transfer the radiation for the working point with minimum losses and to include the system for controlling/handling the radiation spot position. We introduce a system for working with UV-lasers with 450mW of power and a wavelength of 0.45 μm based on a fiber system. In our modelling and design, we achieve spot sizes of about 300 μm, and the designed optical and mechanical systems (prototypes) were manufactured and assembled. In this paper, we present the layout of the technological unit, the results of the theoretical modelling of some parts of the system and some experimental results.

Lesson learned - CGID based on the Method 1 and Method 2 for digital equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Wonil; Sohn, Kwang Young; Cho, Chang Hwan; Kim, Sung Jong

2015-01-01

The acceptance methods associated with commercial-grade dedication are the following: 1) Special tests and inspection (Method 1) 2) Commercial-grade surveys (Method 2) 3) Source verification (Method 3) 4) An acceptable item and supplier performance record (Method 4) Special tests and inspections, often referred to as Method 1, are performed by the dedicating entity after the item is received to verify selected critical characteristics. Conducting a commercial-grade survey of a supplier is often referred to as Method 2. Supplier audits to verify compliance with a nuclear QA program do not meet the intent of a commercial-grade survey. Source verification, often referred to as Method 3, entails verification of critical characteristics during manufacture and testing of the item being procured. The performance history (good or bad) of the item and supplier is a consideration when determining the use of the other acceptance methods and the rigor with which they are used on a case-by-case basis. Some digital equipment system has the delivery reference and its operating history for Nuclear Power Plant as far as surveyed. However it was found that there is difficulty in collecting this of supporting data sheet, so that supplier usually decide to conduct the CGID based on the Method-1 and Method-2 based on the initial qualification likely. It is conceived that the Method-4 might be a better approach for CGID(Commercial Grade Item Dedication) even if there are some difficulties in data package for justifying CGID from the vendor and operating organization. This paper present the lesson learned from the consulting for Method-1 and 2 for digital equipment dedication. Considering all the information above, there are a couple of issues to remind in order to perform the CGID for Method-2. In doing commercial grade survey based on Method 2, quality personnel as well as technical engineer shall be involved for integral dedication. Other than this, the review of critical

The evaluation of equipment and Instrumentation Reliability Factors on Power Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Supriatna, Piping; Karlina, Itjeu; Widagdo, Suharyo; Santosa, Kussigit; Darlis; Sudiyono, Bambang; Yuniyanta, Sasongko; Sudarmin

1999-01-01

Equipment and instrumentation reliability on type power reactor control room was determined by its pattern and design. the principle of ergonomy applied on equipment and instrumentation layout in this ABWR type reactor are geometric pattern appropriate with economic body motion, average anthropometry data of operator especially operator hand-reach, range of vision, angle of vision, lighting, color arrangement and harmony as will as operator case in operating the equipment system. Limitation criteria of the parameter mentioned above are based on EPRI NP-3659, NURG 0700, and NUREG/CR-3331 documents. Besides that, the (working) physical environment parameter factor of the control room must be designed in order to fulfil the standard criteria of ergonomic condition based on NUREG-0800. The reliability evaluation of equipment and instrumentation system also occurs observed from man machine interaction side which happen between operator and equipment and instrumentation in the ABWR type power reactor control room. From the MMI analysis can be known the working failure possibility which is caused by the operator. The evaluation result of equipment and instrumentation reliability on ABWR type power reactor control room showed that the design of this ABWR control room is good and fulfils the ergonomy standard criteria have been determined

Specific developed phantoms and software to assess radiological equipment image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verdu, G.; Rodenas, F.

2011-01-01

The use of radiographic phantoms specifically designed to evaluate the operation of the radiographic equipment lets the study of the image quality obtained by this equipment in an objective way. In digital radiographic equipment, the analysis of the image quality can be automatized because the acquisition of the image is possible in different technologies that are, computerized radiography or phosphor plate and direct radiography or detector. In this work we have shown an application to assess automatically the constancy quality image in the image chain of the radiographic equipment. This application is integrated by designed radiographic phantoms which are adapted to conventional, dental equipment and specific developed software for the automatic evaluation of the phantom image quality. The software is based on digital image processing techniques that let the automatic detection of the different phantom tests by edge detector, morphological operators, threshold histogram techniques, etc. The utility developed is enough sensitive to the radiographic equipment of operating conditions of voltage (kV) and charge (mAs). It is a friendly user programme connected with a data base of the hospital or clinic where it has been used. After the phantom image processing the user can obtain an inform with a resume of the imaging system state with accepting and constancy results. (author)

Specific developed phantoms and software to assess radiological equipment image quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verdu, G., E-mail: gverdu@iqn.upv.es [Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Spain). Dept. de Ingenieria Quimica y Nuclear; Mayo, P., E-mail: p.mayo@titaniast.com [TITANIA Servicios Teconologicos, Valencia (Spain); Rodenas, F., E-mail: frodenas@mat.upv.es [Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Spain). Dept. de Matematica Aplicada; Campayo, J.M., E-mail: j.campayo@lainsa.com [Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales S.A.U (LAINSA), Valencia (Spain)

2011-07-01

The use of radiographic phantoms specifically designed to evaluate the operation of the radiographic equipment lets the study of the image quality obtained by this equipment in an objective way. In digital radiographic equipment, the analysis of the image quality can be automatized because the acquisition of the image is possible in different technologies that are, computerized radiography or phosphor plate and direct radiography or detector. In this work we have shown an application to assess automatically the constancy quality image in the image chain of the radiographic equipment. This application is integrated by designed radiographic phantoms which are adapted to conventional, dental equipment and specific developed software for the automatic evaluation of the phantom image quality. The software is based on digital image processing techniques that let the automatic detection of the different phantom tests by edge detector, morphological operators, threshold histogram techniques, etc. The utility developed is enough sensitive to the radiographic equipment of operating conditions of voltage (kV) and charge (mAs). It is a friendly user programme connected with a data base of the hospital or clinic where it has been used. After the phantom image processing the user can obtain an inform with a resume of the imaging system state with accepting and constancy results. (author)

Quality assessment of ultrasonographic equipment using an ATS-539 multipurpose phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Pyo Nyun; Lim, Joo Won; Kim, Hyun Cheol; Yoon, Young Cheol; Sung, Deuk Je; Moon, Min Hoan; Kim, Jeong Sook; Kim, Jong Chan

2008-01-01

To determine the rate of congruence and to standardize assessment of US (ultrasound) phantom images with the use of an ATS-539 multipurpose phantom for US equipment currently utilized in Korea. US phantom images were scanned with a 3.0-5.0 MHz convex transducer and were digitized by use of an analogue-digital converter. Members of a committee with consent evaluated the US phantom images from 108 types of ultrasound equipment. The dead zone, vertical and horizontal measurement, axial/lateral resolution, focal zone, sensitivity, functional resolution and gray scale/dynamic range were evaluated. Congruence or incongruence of ultrasound equipment was determined based on the results of dead zone, axial/lateral resolution and gray scale/dynamic range measurements. Other factors were evaluated for the possibility as criteria with the use of the Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The dead zone, axial/lateral resolution and gray scale/dynamic range were 91.7%, 94.4% and 76.9%, respectively, for suitable US equipment. Considering all three factors, 78 types of ultrasound equipment were passed. The congruence rate of focal zone and functional resolution were 62.4% and 69.3% of the US equipment, respectively. Of the US equipment, 72.2% of the equipment was acceptable based on the dead zone, axial/lateral resolution, and gray scale/dynamic range measurement as determined with the use of an ATS-539 phantom. Focal zone and 8 mm-functional resolution can be useful as a standard in the assessment of a US phantom image

GPU-based high-performance computing for radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Xun; Jiang, Steve B; Ziegenhein, Peter

2014-01-01

Recent developments in radiotherapy therapy demand high computation powers to solve challenging problems in a timely fashion in a clinical environment. The graphics processing unit (GPU), as an emerging high-performance computing platform, has been introduced to radiotherapy. It is particularly attractive due to its high computational power, small size, and low cost for facility deployment and maintenance. Over the past few years, GPU-based high-performance computing in radiotherapy has experienced rapid developments. A tremendous amount of study has been conducted, in which large acceleration factors compared with the conventional CPU platform have been observed. In this paper, we will first give a brief introduction to the GPU hardware structure and programming model. We will then review the current applications of GPU in major imaging-related and therapy-related problems encountered in radiotherapy. A comparison of GPU with other platforms will also be presented. (topical review)

Non-genetic engineering of cells for drug delivery and cell-based therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qun; Cheng, Hao; Peng, Haisheng; Zhou, Hao; Li, Peter Y; Langer, Robert

2015-08-30

Cell-based therapy is a promising modality to address many unmet medical needs. In addition to genetic engineering, material-based, biochemical, and physical science-based approaches have emerged as novel approaches to modify cells. Non-genetic engineering of cells has been applied in delivering therapeutics to tissues, homing of cells to the bone marrow or inflammatory tissues, cancer imaging, immunotherapy, and remotely controlling cellular functions. This new strategy has unique advantages in disease therapy and is complementary to existing gene-based cell engineering approaches. A better understanding of cellular systems and different engineering methods will allow us to better exploit engineered cells in biomedicine. Here, we review non-genetic cell engineering techniques and applications of engineered cells, discuss the pros and cons of different methods, and provide our perspectives on future research directions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PROBLEMS PERTAINING TO DIVERSIFICATION OF CIVIL EQUIPMENT IN EQUIPMENT OF MILITARY PURPOSE

OpenAIRE

A. I. Kotlabay; V. A. Korobkin; V. F. Tamelo; I. V. Kostko; S. V. Kondratiev

2009-01-01

Study of directions concerning development of military equipment, its modernization with the purpose to improve its military efficiency is an actual problem for the Armed Forces, military science, designers and researchers.The paper analyzes and estimates possibilities to use civil equipment for military purpose. Problems pertaining to technologies of double application, diversification of civil equipment in military engineering machinery are considered in the paper.

20 CFR 437.32 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... contemplated by Federal statute. (4) When acquiring replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use.... Procedures for managing equipment (including replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Equipment. 437.32 Section 437.32 Employees...

Quality control of diagnostic x-ray equipment and film processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

According to the section 40 of the Radiation Act (592/92), the licensee is required in Finland to make the arrangements to control the function of the radiation equipment and related facilities used for medical procedures. The guide explains how quality control can be organized for diagnostic x-ray equipment. It also gives recommendations for constancy tests for conventional x-ray radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment and for film processing. The recommendations are based on the publications and statements of the International Committee for Radiation Protection (ICRP) and standardization organizations. The intention is that the operators of x-ray equipment or the maintenance personnel are able to perform the quality control tests presented in the guide

Data-Driven Scenario Generation for Enhanced Realism of Equipment Training Simulators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vahdatikhaki, Faridaddin; Hammad, Amin; olde Scholtenhuis, Léon Luc; Miller, Seirgei Rosario; Makarov, Denis

2017-01-01

Improving the training of heavy equipment operators can make a significant contribution to improving the safety of construction sites. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR)-based simulators have gained increased popularity for the use in equipment training programs. While VR training simulators for

Electroconvulsive Therapy Practice in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Mark Wilkinson; Morrison, John; Jones, Paul Anthony

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to describe the contemporary practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in New Zealand. A 53-item questionnaire was sent to all services providing ECT as of December 2015. Electroconvulsive therapy was provided by 16 services covering 15 district health boards funded by the New Zealand government. No private facilities provided ECT. All services providing ECT responded to an online survey questionnaire. Rates of ECT utilization were low relative to similar countries. Survey results indicated ECT was practiced to an overall good standard. Several resource and logistical issues potentially contributing to low ECT utilization were identified. Electroconvulsive therapy in New Zealand is provided using modern equipment and practices. However, overall rates of utilization remain low, perhaps as a result of controversy surrounding ECT and some resourcing issues.

[Family-Based Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Three Siblings of a Refugee Family].

Science.gov (United States)

Bohnacker, Isabelle; Goldbeck, Lutz

2017-10-01

Family-Based Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Three Siblings of a Refugee Family The possibility and relevance of a joint trauma-therapy with siblings has yet received little attention in research and clinical practice. The following case study presents a joint family-based trauma-focused therapy process with a refugee family. All three siblings suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before treatment. The treatment followed the manual of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT; Cohen, Mannarino, Deblinger, 2009). Measures were the short version of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS 7-17), as well as the Teacher's Report Form (TRF). After 18 treatment sessions together with the mother, all three children did no longer meet PTSD criteria. Benefits of the joint therapy were for all three siblings to be sharing and imitating each other's coping strategies. Furthermore, the protective factor of social support after experiencing a traumatic event became evident. The apprehension of the therapist not being sufficiently neutral towards all three siblings was not observed.

Free-world microelectronic manufacturing equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Kilby, J. S.; Arnold, W. H.; Booth, W. T.; Cunningham, J. A.; Hutcheson, J. D.; Owen, R. W.; Runyan, W. R.; McKenney, Barbara L.; McGrain, Moira; Taub, Renee G.

1988-12-01

Equipment is examined and evaluated for the manufacture of microelectronic integrated circuit devices and sources for that equipment within the Free World. Equipment suitable for the following are examined: single-crystal silicon slice manufacturing and processing; required lithographic processes; wafer processing; device packaging; and test of digital integrated circuits. Availability of the equipment is also discussed, now and in the near future. Very adequate equipment for most stages of the integrated circuit manufacturing process is available from several sources, in different countries, although the best and most widely used versions of most manufacturing equipment are made in the United States or Japan. There is also an active market in used equipment, suitable for manufacture of capable integrated circuits with performance somewhat short of the present state of the art.

34 CFR 74.34 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... as program income. (e) When acquiring replacement equipment, the recipient may use the equipment to... replacement equipment subject to the approval of the Secretary. (f) The recipient's property management... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Equipment. 74.34 Section 74.34 Education Office of the...

45 CFR 2541.320 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... replacement equipment, the grantee or subgrantee may use the equipment to be replaced as a trade-in or sell... replacement equipment), whether acquired in whole or in part with grant funds, until disposition takes place... ensure the highest possible return. (e) Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired...

Instrumentation qualification. Seismic qualification of C-E instrumentation equipment. Part One

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-05-01

A summary of the C-E seismic qualification program utilized to demonstrate the seismic design adequacy of the instrumentation and control equipment used in C-E supplied Nuclear Steam Supply Systems (NSSS) is presented. The report is divided into two parts. Part One includes the equipment seismic requirements and a description of the qualification methods. Part Two lists the specific equipment by nuclear station in which it is used and the equipment test results are summarized in a standard data sheet format to facilitate review. The seismic requirements are based on individual contract commitments with C-E customers and the NRC Standard Review Plan, Section 3.10 ''Seismic Qualification of Category I Instrumentation and Electrical Equipment.'' Equipment is qualified for use in a seismic environment where damage potential to the equipment is less than or equal to that simulated seismic environment to which it has been qualified. The anticipated Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) environment at the inservice location of equipment should be confirmed by each applicant as not exceeding that to which it is qualified

Visual communication and terminal equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Cheol Hui

1988-06-01

This book is divided two parts about visual communication and terminal equipment. The first part introduces visual communication, which deals with foundation of visual communication, technique of visual communication, equipment of visual communication, a facsimile and pictorial image system. The second part contains terminal equipment such as telephone, terminal equipment for data transmission on constitution and constituent of terminal equipment for data transmission, input device and output device, terminal device and up-to-date terminal device.

Visual communication and terminal equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Cheol Hui

1988-06-15

This book is divided two parts about visual communication and terminal equipment. The first part introduces visual communication, which deals with foundation of visual communication, technique of visual communication, equipment of visual communication, a facsimile and pictorial image system. The second part contains terminal equipment such as telephone, terminal equipment for data transmission on constitution and constituent of terminal equipment for data transmission, input device and output device, terminal device and up-to-date terminal device.

Study and development of equipment supervision technique system and its management software for nuclear electricity production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Liying; Zou Pingguo; Zhu Chenghu; Lu Haoliang; Wu Jie

2008-01-01

The equipment supervision technique system, which standardized the behavior of supervision organizations in planning and implementing of equipment supervision, is built up based on equipment supervision technique documents, such as Quality Supervision Classifications, Special Supervision Plans and Supervision Guides. Furthermore, based on the research, the equipment supervision management information system is developed by Object Oriented Programming, which consists of supervision information, supervision technique, supervision implementation, quality statistics and analysis module. (authors)

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as a Treatment for Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OpenAIRE

McKenna, L.; Marks, E. M.; Hallsworth, C. A.; Schaette, R.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is experienced by up to 15% of the population and can lead to significant disability and distress. There is rarely a medical or surgical target and psychological therapies are recommended. We investigated whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could offer an effective new therapy for tinnitus. METHODS: This single-site randomized controlled trial compared MBCT to intensive relaxation training (RT) for chronic, distressing tinnitus in adults. Both treatments in...

Equipment design guidance document for flammable gas waste storage tank new equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smet, D.B.

1996-01-01

This document is intended to be used as guidance for design engineers who are involved in design of new equipment slated for use in Flammable Gas Waste Storage Tanks. The purpose of this document is to provide design guidance for all new equipment intended for application into those Hanford storage tanks in which flammable gas controls are required to be addressed as part of the equipment design. These design criteria are to be used as guidance. The design of each specific piece of new equipment shall be required, as a minimum to be reviewed by qualified Unreviewed Safety Question evaluators as an integral part of the final design approval. Further Safety Assessment may be also needed. This guidance is intended to be used in conjunction with the Operating Specifications Documents (OSDs) established for defining work controls in the waste storage tanks. The criteria set forth should be reviewed for applicability if the equipment will be required to operate in locations containing unacceptable concentrations of flammable gas

Quality of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy for malaria found in Ghanaian markets and public health implications of their use.

Science.gov (United States)

Tivura, Mathilda; Asante, Isaac; van Wyk, Albert; Gyaase, Stephaney; Malik, Naiela; Mahama, Emmanuel; Hostetler, Dana M; Fernandez, Facundo M; Asante, Kwaku Poku; Kaur, Harparkash; Owusu-Agyei, Seth

2016-10-28

Ghana changed their antimalarial drug policy from monotherapies to Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies in 2004 in order to provide more efficacious medicines for treatment of malaria. The policy change can be eroded if poor quality Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies are allowed to remain on the Ghanaian market unchecked by regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies. The presence and prevalence of substandard and counterfeit Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies need to be determined on open markets in Ghana; a review of the current policy; identifying any gaps and making recommendations on actions to be taken in addressing gaps identified are essential as the data provided and recommendations made will help in ensuring effective control of malaria in Ghana. A field survey of antimalarial drugs was conducted in the central part of Ghana. The amount of active pharmaceutical ingredient in each Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy sample identified in the survey was measured using high performance liquid chromatographic analyses. Active pharmaceutical ingredient within the range of 85-115 % was considered as standard and active pharmaceutical ingredient results out of the range were considered as substandard. All samples were screened to confirm stated active pharmaceutical ingredient presence using mass spectrometry. A total of 256 Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies were purchased from known medicine outlets, including market stalls, hospitals/clinics, pharmacies, drug stores. Artemether lumefantrine (52.5 %) and artesunate amodiaquine (43.2 %) were the predominant Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies purchased. Of the 256 Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies purchased, 254 were tested, excluding two samples of Artesunate-SP. About 35 % of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies were found to be substandard. Nine percent of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies purchased were past their expiry date; no counterfeit (falsified) medicine

Environmental/dynamic mechanical equipment qualification and dynamic electrical equipment qualification program (EDQP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, J.A.

1984-01-01

Equipment qualification research is being conducted to investigate acceptable criteria, requirements, and methodologies for the dynamic (including seismic) and environmental qualification of mechanical equipment and for the dynamic (including seismic) qualification of electrical equipment. The program is organized into three elements: (1) General Research, (2) Environmental Research, and (3) Dynamic Research. This paper presents the highlights of the results to date in these three elements of the program

A Delphi study on research priorities in radiation therapy: The Australian perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, Jennifer; Halkett, Georgia; Anderson, Claudia; Heard, Robert

2010-01-01

Radiation therapists (RTs) need to engage more in research to establish an evidence base for their daily practice. However, RTs world-wide conduct little research themselves, although positive moves have been made in some countries. This project is the second stage of a Delphi process aimed at prioritising RT areas of research interest. A questionnaire was constructed using responses to a previous questionnaire which identified the research interests of Australian RTs. Fifty-three Research Areas were identified from these responses and grouped into 12 categories such as 'imaging in radiation therapy', 'symptom management', 'accuracy of patient positioning' and 'techniques/equipment'. The survey was sent to all Australian departments of radiation oncology, and RTs were asked to form interest groups to discuss and prioritise the Research Areas. There was a 50% response rate (18 of 36 departments surveyed). The highest ranked research Category was 'imaging in radiation therapy'. Six of the top 10 ranked Research Areas were within Central RT practice ('imaging in radiation therapy'; 'symptom management'; 'accuracy of patient positioning' and 'techniques/equipment') and the other four were within broader RT practice ('diversification, recognition and other professional issues'; and 'management and staff issues'). Patient Care was also considered to be an area requiring more research. This prioritization of Research Areas and categories provides a useful list of future research for RTs, which will enable them to decide whether their research ideas are a high priority, and spend less time deciding on a relevant research topic that needs investigation in their own workplaces.

Use of Equipment Information System (EQUIS) to determine priority for purchasing safeguards equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silberberg, S.

1988-01-01

To manage its large world-wide inventory of safeguards equipment, the IAEA Safeguards department uses a computerized Equipment Information System (EQUIS). EQUIS data have been analyzed using Queueing Theory to determine if inventory is adequate to meet inspector demands and in those cases where it is inadequate, to indicate how many additional units should be procured. Results are tabulated for various types of non-destructive analysis (NDA) equipment. For equipment where there is a high turnover and hence a large amount of data, the analysis provides a powerful tool for assisting procurement decisions

Equipment reliability improvement process; implementation in Almaraz NPP and Trillo NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Risquez Bailon, Aranzazu; Gutierrez Fernandez, Eduardo

2010-01-01

The Equipment Reliability Improvement Process (INPO AP-913) is a non-regulatory process developed by the US Nuclear Industry for improving Plants Availability. This Process integrates and coordinates a broad range of equipment reliability activities into one process, performed by the Plant in a non-centralized way. The integration and coordination of these activities will allow plant personnel to evaluate the trends of important station equipment, develop and implement long-term equipment health plans, monitor equipment performance and condition, and make adjustments to preventive maintenance tasks and frequencies based on equipment operating experience, if necessary, arbitrating operational and design improvements, to reach a Failure-free Operation. This paper describes the methodology of Equipment Reliability Improvement Process, being focused on main aspects of the implementation process, relating to the scope and establishment of an Equipment Reliability Monitoring Plan, which should include and complement the existing mechanisms and organizations in the Plant to monitor the condition and performance of the equipments, with the common aim of achieving an operation free of failures. The paper will describe the tools that Iberdrola Ingenieria has developed to support the implementation and monitoring of the Equipment Reliability Improvement Process, as well as the results and lessons learned from its implementation in Almaraz NPP and Trillo NPP. (authors)

Timing criteria for supplemental BWR emergency response equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bickel, John H.

2015-01-01

The Great Tohuku Earthquake and subsequent Tsunami represented a double failure event which destroyed offsite power connections to Fukushima-Daiichi site and then destroyed on-site electrical systems needed to run decay heat removal systems. The accident could have been mitigated had there been supplemental portable battery chargers, supplemental pumps, and in-place piping connections to provide alternate decay heat removal. In response to this event in the USA, two national response centers, one in Memphis, Tennessee, and another in Phoenix, Arizona, will begin operation. They will be able to dispatch supplemental emergency response equipment to any nuclear plant in the U.S. within 24 hours. In order to define requirements for supplemental nuclear power plant emergency response equipment maintained onsite vs. in a regional support center it is necessary to confirm: (a) the earliest time such equipment might be needed depending on the specific scenario, (b) the nominal time to move the equipment from a storage location either on-site or within the region of a nuclear power plant, and (c) the time required to connect in the supplemental equipment to use it. This paper describes an evaluation process for a BWR-4 with a Mark I Containment starting with: (a) severe accident simulation to define best estimate times available for recovery based on the specific scenario, (b) identify the key supplemental response equipment needed at specific times to accomplish recovery of key safety functions, and (c) evaluate what types of equipment should be warehoused on-site vs. in regional response centers. (authors)

[Development and evaluation of a dance-based exercise therapy for patients with haemophilia].

Science.gov (United States)

Czepa, D; van Ravenstein, S; Stäuber, F; Hilberg, T

2013-01-01

So far, the use of methods derived from creative arts has not been considered in the haemophilia treatment. The AIM was to investigate the expectations for a dance-based exercise therapy for patients with haemophilia and the extent of its acceptance. The one-hour dance-based exercise therapy was offered to 30 haemophilia patients (HI30) (49 ± 11, 30-67 years). For the evaluation of expectations, questionnaires were created and filled out by participants before and after the intervention. Additionally, 19 haemophilia patients (HF) and 20 controls without haemophilia (KF) who did not participate in the intervention were also questioned. The RESULTS show that haemophilia patients have more experience in dance than controls (HI30:62%, HF:74%, KF:45%). In contrast, the proportion of those who are currently dancing is higher in controls without haemophilia (HI30: 17%, HF: 10%, KF:26%). The termination of dance activity in patients with haemophilia who were part of the intervention was mainly due to pain (HI30: 40%, HF: 29%, KF: 0%), whereby controls without intervention terminated the dance activity mainly due to lack of time (HI30: 30%, HF: 57%, KF: 56%). Ultimately, 24 out of 30 patients with haemophilia (HI24) completed the intervention. All HI24 met their expectations. 38% felt limited by haemophilia while carrying out the exercises. The majority of the participants were able to follow the exercises well (96%) and were did not overstrain physically (92%) nor mentally (87%), also 79% did not have pain. 23 of HI24 (96%) can envision a continuation of the dance-based exercise therapy. The experience with the dance-based exercise therapy was predominantly positive. It represents an alternative sports therapy programme for patients with haemophilia. Further studies are needed in order to make statements concerning the long-term use of such training.