Complexities of the storm-time characteristics of ionospheric total electron content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kane, R.P.

1982-01-01

The complexities of the storm-time variations of the ionospheric total electron content are briefly reviewed. It is suggested that large variations from storm to storm may be due to irregular flows from the auroral region towards equator. A proper study of such flows needs an elaborate network of TEC measuring instruments. The need of planning and organizing such a network is emphasized

Real-time analysis of total, elemental, and total speciated mercury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlager, R.J.; Wilson, K.G.; Sappey, A.D.

1995-01-01

ADA Technologies, Inc., is developing a continuous emissions monitoring system that measures the concentrations of mercury in flue gas. Mercury is emitted as an air pollutant from a number of industrial processes. The largest contributors of these emissions are coal and oil combustion, municipal waste combustion, medical waste combustion, and the thermal treatment of hazardous materials. It is difficult, time consuming, and expensive to measure mercury emissions using current testing methods. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that mercury is emitted from sources in several different forms, such as elemental mercury and mercuric chloride. The ADA analyzer measures these emissions in real time, thus providing a number of advantages over existing test methods: (1) it will provide a real-time measure of emission rates, (2) it will assure facility operators, regulators, and the public that emissions control systems are working at peak efficiency, and (3) it will provide information as to the nature of the emitted mercury (elemental mercury or speciated compounds). This update presents an overview of the CEM and describes features of key components of the monitoring system--the mercury detector, a mercury species converter, and the analyzer calibration system

Real-time analysis of total, elemental, and total speciated mercury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlager, R.J.; Wilson, K.G.; Sappey, A.D. [ADA Technologies, Inc., Englewood, CO (United States)

1995-11-01

ADA Technologies, Inc., is developing a continuous emissions monitoring system that measures the concentrations of mercury in flue gas. Mercury is emitted as an air pollutant from a number of industrial processes. The largest contributors of these emissions are coal and oil combustion, municipal waste combustion, medical waste combustion, and the thermal treatment of hazardous materials. It is difficult, time consuming, and expensive to measure mercury emissions using current testing methods. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that mercury is emitted from sources in several different forms, such as elemental mercury and mercuric chloride. The ADA analyzer measures these emissions in real time, thus providing a number of advantages over existing test methods: (1) it will provide a real-time measure of emission rates, (2) it will assure facility operators, regulators, and the public that emissions control systems are working at peak efficiency, and (3) it will provide information as to the nature of the emitted mercury (elemental mercury or speciated compounds). This update presents an overview of the CEM and describes features of key components of the monitoring system--the mercury detector, a mercury species converter, and the analyzer calibration system.

Analysis in measurements of gastric emptying time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Choon Ho; Lee, Man Koo

1997-01-01

Scintigraphic measurement of gastric emptying time has been reported to be influenced by the variation in depth of radionuclide within the stomach. This study was designed to clarify whether a part of the variability in gastric emptying could be ascribed to a relationship between anterior image, the total anteroposterior image and the tissue attenuation correction(geometric mean). A dual-head scintillation camera(ADAC, USA) was used to investigate effect of such changes. We were performed 16 normal subject gastric emptying studies with 99 mTC labelled scramble egg, milk and solid meal(610 Kcal, 300 g). The results are as follows; On anterior image, T 1/2 emptying time was delayed by 5 min, 6.5%(range : 3 ∼ 18 min, 5∼31.4%) compared with the geometric mean. But there was no different gastric emptying time between the total anteroposterior image and geometric mean. Therefore, if will be useful to use the method of geometric mean or the total anteroposterior image to evaluate the gastric emptying time accurately

Analysis in measurements of gastric emptying time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Choon Ho [College of Medicine, Wonkwang Univ., Iksan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Man Koo [Wonkwang Health Science College, Iksan (Korea, Republic of)

1997-02-01

Scintigraphic measurement of gastric emptying time has been reported to be influenced by the variation in depth of radionuclide within the stomach. This study was designed to clarify whether a part of the variability in gastric emptying could be ascribed to a relationship between anterior image, the total anteroposterior image and the tissue attenuation correction(geometric mean). A dual-head scintillation camera(ADAC, USA) was used to investigate effect of such changes. We were performed 16 normal subject gastric emptying studies with {sup 99}mTC labelled scramble egg, milk and solid meal(610 Kcal, 300 g). The results are as follows; On anterior image, T{sub 1/2} emptying time was delayed by 5 min, 6.5%(range : 3 {approx} 18 min, 5{approx}31.4%) compared with the geometric mean. But there was no different gastric emptying time between the total anteroposterior image and geometric mean. Therefore, if will be useful to use the method of geometric mean or the total anteroposterior image to evaluate the gastric emptying time accurately.

Comparison of Objectively Measured and Self-reported Time Spent Sitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lagersted-Olsen, Julie; Korshøj, M; Skotte, J

2014-01-01

Until recently, methods for objective quantification of sitting time have been lacking. The aim of this study was to validate self-reported measures against objectively measured total sitting time and longest continuous time with uninterrupted sitting during working hours, leisure time on workday...... a retrospective 7-day questionnaire. A generalized linear model showed the difference between the methods. No significant correlations were found between objective and self-reported sitting time (r...

Optimal distribution of integration time for intensity measurements in Stokes polarimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaobo; Liu, Tiegen; Huang, Bingjing; Song, Zhanjie; Hu, Haofeng

2015-10-19

We consider the typical Stokes polarimetry system, which performs four intensity measurements to estimate a Stokes vector. We show that if the total integration time of intensity measurements is fixed, the variance of the Stokes vector estimator depends on the distribution of the integration time at four intensity measurements. Therefore, by optimizing the distribution of integration time, the variance of the Stokes vector estimator can be decreased. In this paper, we obtain the closed-form solution of the optimal distribution of integration time by employing Lagrange multiplier method. According to the theoretical analysis and real-world experiment, it is shown that the total variance of the Stokes vector estimator can be significantly decreased about 40% in the case discussed in this paper. The method proposed in this paper can effectively decrease the measurement variance and thus statistically improves the measurement accuracy of the polarimetric system.

A new method of body habitus correction for total body potassium measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Hehir, S; Green, S; Beddoe, A H

2006-01-01

This paper describes an accurate and time-efficient method for the determination of total body potassium via a combination of measurements in the Birmingham whole body counter and the use of the Monte Carlo n-particle (MCNP) simulation code. In developing this method, MCNP has also been used to derive values for some components of the total measurement uncertainty which are difficult to quantify experimentally. A method is proposed for MCNP-assessed body habitus corrections based on a simple generic anthropomorphic model, scaled for individual height and weight. The use of this model increases patient comfort by reducing the need for comprehensive anthropomorphic measurements. The analysis shows that the total uncertainty in potassium weight determination by this whole body counting methodology for water-filled phantoms with a known amount of potassium is 2.7% (SD). The uncertainty in the method of body habitus correction (applicable also to phantom-based methods) is 1.5% (SD). It is concluded that this new strategy provides a sufficiently accurate model for routine clinical use

A new method of body habitus correction for total body potassium measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Hehir, S [University Hospital Birmingham Foundation NHS Trust, Birmingham (United Kingdom); Green, S [University Hospital Birmingham Foundation NHS Trust, Birmingham (United Kingdom); Beddoe, A H [University Hospital Birmingham Foundation NHS Trust, Birmingham (United Kingdom)

2006-09-07

This paper describes an accurate and time-efficient method for the determination of total body potassium via a combination of measurements in the Birmingham whole body counter and the use of the Monte Carlo n-particle (MCNP) simulation code. In developing this method, MCNP has also been used to derive values for some components of the total measurement uncertainty which are difficult to quantify experimentally. A method is proposed for MCNP-assessed body habitus corrections based on a simple generic anthropomorphic model, scaled for individual height and weight. The use of this model increases patient comfort by reducing the need for comprehensive anthropomorphic measurements. The analysis shows that the total uncertainty in potassium weight determination by this whole body counting methodology for water-filled phantoms with a known amount of potassium is 2.7% (SD). The uncertainty in the method of body habitus correction (applicable also to phantom-based methods) is 1.5% (SD). It is concluded that this new strategy provides a sufficiently accurate model for routine clinical use.

Novel crystal timing calibration method based on total variation

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xingjian; Isobe, Takashi; Watanabe, Mitsuo; Liu, Huafeng

2016-11-01

A novel crystal timing calibration method based on total variation (TV), abbreviated as ‘TV merge’, has been developed for a high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) system. The proposed method was developed for a system with a large number of crystals, it can provide timing calibration at the crystal level. In the proposed method, the timing calibration process was formulated as a linear problem. To robustly optimize the timing resolution, a TV constraint was added to the linear equation. Moreover, to solve the computer memory problem associated with the calculation of the timing calibration factors for systems with a large number of crystals, the merge component was used for obtaining the crystal level timing calibration values. Compared with other conventional methods, the data measured from a standard cylindrical phantom filled with a radioisotope solution was sufficient for performing a high-precision crystal-level timing calibration. In this paper, both simulation and experimental studies were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the TV merge method. We compare the timing resolutions of a 22Na point source, which was located in the field of view (FOV) of the brain PET system, with various calibration techniques. After implementing the TV merge method, the timing resolution improved from 3.34 ns at full width at half maximum (FWHM) to 2.31 ns FWHM.

Positron interactions with water–total elastic, total inelastic, and elastic differential cross section measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tattersall, Wade; Chiari, Luca; Machacek, J. R.; Anderson, Emma; Sullivan, James P.; White, Ron D.; Brunger, M. J.; Buckman, Stephen J.; Garcia, Gustavo; Blanco, Francisco

2014-01-01

Utilising a high-resolution, trap-based positron beam, we have measured both elastic and inelastic scattering of positrons from water vapour. The measurements comprise differential elastic, total elastic, and total inelastic (not including positronium formation) absolute cross sections. The energy range investigated is from 1 eV to 60 eV. Comparison with theory is made with both R-Matrix and distorted wave calculations, and with our own application of the Independent Atom Model for positron interactions

The nTOF Total Absorption Calorimeter for neutron capture measurements at CERN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerrero, C.; Abbondanno, U.; Aerts, G.; Alvarez, H.; Alvarez-Velarde, F.; Andriamonje, S.; Andrzejewski, J.; Assimakopoulos, P.; Audouin, L.; Badurek, G.; Baumann, P.; Becvar, F.; Berthoumieux, E.; Calvino, F.; Calviani, M.; Cano-Ott, D.; Capote, R.; Carrapico, C.; Cennini, P.; Chepel, V.

2009-01-01

The n T OF Collaboration has built and commissioned a high-performance detector for (n,γ) measurements called the Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC). The TAC was especially designed for measuring neutron capture cross-sections of low-mass and/or radioactive samples with the accuracy required for nuclear technology and stellar nucleosynthesis. We present a detailed description of the TAC and discuss its overall performance in terms of energy and time resolution, background discrimination, detection efficiency and neutron sensitivity.

Time-gated scintillator imaging for real-time optical surface dosimetry in total skin electron therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Bruza, Petr; Gollub, Sarah L.; Andreozzi, Jacqueline M.; Tendler, Irwin I.; Williams, Benjamin B.; Jarvis, Lesley A.; Gladstone, David J.; Pogue, Brian W.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to measure surface dose by remote time-gated imaging of plastic scintillators. A novel technique for time-gated, intensified camera imaging of scintillator emission was demonstrated, and key parameters influencing the signal were analyzed, including distance, angle and thickness. A set of scintillator samples was calibrated by using thermo-luminescence detector response as reference. Examples of use in total skin electron therapy are described. The data showed excellent room light rejection (signal-to-noise ratio of scintillation SNR  ≈  470), ideal scintillation dose response linearity, and 2% dose rate error. Individual sample scintillation response varied by 7% due to sample preparation. Inverse square distance dependence correction and lens throughput error (8% per meter) correction were needed. At scintillator-to-source angle and observation angle  <50°, the radiant energy fluence error was smaller than 1%. The achieved standard error of the scintillator cumulative dose measurement compared to the TLD dose was 5%. The results from this proof-of-concept study documented the first use of small scintillator targets for remote surface dosimetry in ambient room lighting. The measured dose accuracy renders our method to be comparable to thermo-luminescent detector dosimetry, with the ultimate realization of accuracy likely to be better than shown here. Once optimized, this approach to remote dosimetry may substantially reduce the time and effort required for surface dosimetry.

Assessment of Tandem Measurements of pH and Total Gut Transit Time in Healthy Volunteers

OpenAIRE

Mikolajczyk, Adam E; Watson, Sydeaka; Surma, Bonnie L; Rubin, David T

2015-01-01

Objectives: The variation of luminal pH and transit time in an individual is unknown, yet is necessary to interpret single measurements. This study aimed to assess the intrasubject variability of gut pH and transit time in healthy volunteers using SmartPill devices (Covidien, Minneapolis, MN). Methods: Each subject (n=10) ingested two SmartPill devices separated by 24?h. Mean pH values were calculated for 30?min after gastric emptying (AGE), before the ileocecal (BIC) valve, after the ileocec...

Validation of a simple response-time measure of listening effort

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pals, Carina; Sarampalis, Anastasios; van Rijn, Hedderik; Başkent, Deniz

This study compares two response-time measures of listening effort that can be combined with a clinical speech test for a more comprehensive evaluation of total listening experience; verbal response times to auditory stimuli (RTaud) and response times to a visual task (RTsvis) in a dual- task

Single-slice epicardial fat area measurement. Do we need to measure the total epicardial fat volume?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyama, Noriko; Goto, Daisuke; Ito, Yoichi M.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess a method for measuring epicardial fat volume (EFV) by means of a single-slice area measurement. We investigated the relation between a single-slice fat area measurement and total EFV. A series of 72 consecutive patients (ages 65±11 years; 36 men) who had undergone cardiac computed tomography (CT) on a 64-slice multidetector scanner with prospective electrocardiographic triggering were retrospectively reviewed. Pixels in the pericardium with a density range from -230 to -30 Hounsfield units were considered fat, giving the per-slice epicardial fat area (EFA). The EFV was estimated by the summation of EFAs multiplied by the slice thickness. We investigated the relation between total EFV and each EFA. EFAs measured at several anatomical landmarks - right pulmonary artery, origins of the left main coronary artery, right coronary artery, coronary sinus - all correlated with the EFV (r=0.77-0.92). The EFA at the LMCA level was highly reproducible and showed an excellent correlation with the EFV (r=0.92). The EFA is significantly correlated with the EFV. The EFA is a simple, quick method for representing the time-consuming EFV, which has been used as a predictive indicator of cardiovascular diseases. (author)

Total ozone retrieval from satellite multichannel filter radiometer measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovill, J.E.; Sullivan, T.J.; Weichel, R.L.; Ellis, J.S.; Huebel, J.G.; Korver, J.; Weidhaas, P.P.; Phelps, F.A.

1978-01-01

A total ozone retrieval model has been developed to process radiance data gathered by a satellite-mounted multichannel filter radiometer (MFR). Extensive effort went into theoretical radiative transfer modeling, a retrieval scheme was developed, and the technique was applied to the MFR radiance measurements. The high quality of the total ozone retrieval results was determined through comparisons with Dobson measurements. Included in the report are global total ozone maps for 20 days between May 12 and July 5, 1977. A comparison of MFR results for 13 days in June 1977 with Dobson spectrophotometer measurements of ozone for the same period showed good agreement: there was a root-mean-square difference of 6.2% (equivalent to 20.2 m.atm.cm). The estimated global total ozone value for June 1977 (296 m.atm.cm) was in good agreement with satellite backscatter ultraviolet data for June 1970 (304 m.atm.cm) and June 1971

Perioperative blood saving measures in total hip and knee arthroplasty

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Horstmann, W.G.

2011-01-01

This dissertation explores and discusses different aspects of blood loss and blood-saving measures in total hip and knee arthroplasty. Background: Worldwide, approximately 1 million total hip and 1 million total knee prostheses are implanted each year. Total hip arthroplasty and total

Total OH reactivity measurements using a new fast Gas Chromatographic Photo-Ionization Detector (GC-PID

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Sinha

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The primary and most important oxidant in the atmosphere is the hydroxyl radical (OH. Currently OH sinks, particularly gas phase reactions, are poorly constrained. One way to characterize the overall sink of OH is to measure directly the ambient loss rate of OH, the total OH reactivity. To date, direct measurements of total OH reactivity have been either performed using a Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF system ("pump-and-probe" or "flow reactor" or the Comparative Reactivity Method (CRM with a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS. Both techniques require large, complex and expensive detection systems. This study presents a feasibility assessment for CRM total OH reactivity measurements using a new detector, a Gas Chromatographic Photoionization Detector (GC-PID. Such a system is smaller, more portable, less power consuming and less expensive than other total OH reactivity measurement techniques.

Total OH reactivity is measured by the CRM using a competitive reaction between a reagent (here pyrrole with OH alone and in the presence of atmospheric reactive molecules. The new CRM method for total OH reactivity has been tested with parallel measurements of the GC-PID and the previously validated PTR-MS as detector for the reagent pyrrole during laboratory experiments, plant chamber and boreal field studies. Excellent agreement of both detectors was found when the GC-PID was operated under optimum conditions. Time resolution (60–70 s, sensitivity (LOD 3–6 s⁻¹ and overall uncertainty (25% in optimum conditions for total OH reactivity were similar to PTR-MS based total OH reactivity measurements. One drawback of the GC-PID system was the steady loss of sensitivity and accuracy during intensive measurements lasting several weeks, and a possible toluene interference. Generally, the GC-PID system has been shown to produce closely comparable results to the PTR-MS and thus in suitable environments (e.g. forests it

Measurement of the Total Cross Section of Uranium-Uranium Collisions at √{sNN} = 192 . 8 GeV

Science.gov (United States)

Baltz, A. J.; Fischer, W.; Blaskiewicz, M.; Gassner, D.; Drees, K. A.; Luo, Y.; Minty, M.; Thieberger, P.; Wilinski, M.; Pshenichnov, I. A.

2014-03-01

The total cross section of Uranium-Uranium at √{sNN} = 192 . 8 GeV has been measured to be 515 +/-13stat +/-22sys barn, which agrees with the calculated theoretical value of 487.3 barn within experimental error. That this total cross section is more than an order of magnitude larger than the geometric ion-ion cross section is primarily due to Bound-Free Pair Production (BFPP) and Electro-Magnetic Dissociation (EMD). Nearly all beam losses were due to geometric, BFPP and EMD collisions. This allowed the determination of the total cross section from the measured beam loss rates and luminosity. The beam loss rate is calculated from a time-dependent measurement of the total beam intensity. The luminosity is measured via the detection of neutron pairs in time-coincidence in the Zero Degree Calorimeters. Apart from a general interest in verifying the calculations experimentally, an accurate prediction of the losses created in the heavy ion collisions is of practical interest for the LHC, where collision products have the potential to quench cryogenically cooled magnets.

Neutron total cross section measurements on 249Cf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlton, R.F.; Harvey, J.A.; Hill, N.W.; Pandey, M.S.; Benjamin, R.W.

1979-01-01

Neutron total cross section measurements were performed on a sample of 249 Cf (5.65 mg total weight) with the ORELA as a source of pulsed neutrons. The sample, the inverse thickness of which was 1542 barns/atom, consisted of 85.3% 249 Cf and 14.4% 249 Bk, and was cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature. Analyses were also made of data from a thin sample (l/n = 17430) of 65% 249 Cf in the region of the large fission resonance at 0.7 eV. Fifty-five resonances in 249 Cf were observed and analyzed over the energy range 0.1 eV to 90 eV by use of an R-matrix multilevel formalism. The resonance parameters obtained were used to determine the level spacing and the s-wave neutron and fission strength functions. Thermal total cross section measurements were also performed. 5 figures, 3 tables

Observed and simulated time evolution of HCl, ClONO2, and HF total column abundances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.-M. Sinnhuber

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Time series of total column abundances of hydrogen chloride (HCl, chlorine nitrate (ClONO2, and hydrogen fluoride (HF were determined from ground-based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectra recorded at 17 sites belonging to the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC and located between 80.05° N and 77.82° S. By providing such a near-global overview on ground-based measurements of the two major stratospheric chlorine reservoir species, HCl and ClONO2, the present study is able to confirm the decrease of the atmospheric inorganic chlorine abundance during the last few years. This decrease is expected following the 1987 Montreal Protocol and its amendments and adjustments, where restrictions and a subsequent phase-out of the prominent anthropogenic chlorine source gases (solvents, chlorofluorocarbons were agreed upon to enable a stabilisation and recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer. The atmospheric fluorine content is expected to be influenced by the Montreal Protocol, too, because most of the banned anthropogenic gases also represent important fluorine sources. But many of the substitutes to the banned gases also contain fluorine so that the HF total column abundance is expected to have continued to increase during the last few years. The measurements are compared with calculations from five different models: the two-dimensional Bremen model, the two chemistry-transport models KASIMA and SLIMCAT, and the two chemistry-climate models EMAC and SOCOL. Thereby, the ability of the models to reproduce the absolute total column amounts, the seasonal cycles, and the temporal evolution found in the FTIR measurements is investigated and inter-compared. This is especially interesting because the models have different architectures. The overall agreement between the measurements and models for the total column abundances and the seasonal cycles is good. Linear trends of HCl, ClONO2, and HF are calculated from both

Measuring and managing radiologist workload: measuring radiologist reporting times using data from a Radiology Information System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cowan, Ian A.; MacDonald, Sharon L.S.; Floyd, Richard A.

2013-01-01

Historically, there has been no objective method of measuring the time required for radiologists to produce reports during normal work. We have created a technique for semi-automated measurement of radiologist reporting time, and through it produced a robust set of absolute time requirements and relative value units for consultant reporting of diagnostic examinations in our hospital. A large sample of reporting times, recorded automatically by the Radiology Information System (COMRAD, Software Innovations, Christchurch, New Zealand) along with the description of each examination being reported, was placed in a database. Analysis was confined to diagnostic reporting by consultant radiologists. A spreadsheet was produced, listing the total number and the frequency of reporting times of each distinct examination. Outliers with exceptionally long report times (more than 10min for plain radiography, 30min for ultrasound, or 60min for CT or MRI with some exceptions) were culled; this removed 9.5% of the total. Complex CTs requiring separate workstation time were assigned times by consensus. The median time for the remainder of each sample was the assigned absolute reporting time in minutes and seconds. Relative value units were calculated using the reporting time for a single view department chest X-ray of 1min 38s including verifying a report made using speech recognition software. A schedule of absolute and relative values, based on over 179,000 reports, forms Table 2 of this paper. The technique provides a schedule of reporting times with reduced subjective input, which is more robust than existing systems for measuring reporting time.

Measurements and modeling of total solar irradiance in X-class solar flares

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, Christopher Samuel; Chamberlin, Phillip Clyde; Hock, Rachel

2014-01-01

The Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) from NASA's SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment can detect changes in the total solar irradiance (TSI) to a precision of 2 ppm, allowing observations of variations due to the largest X-class solar flares for the first time. Presented here is a robust algorithm for determining the radiative output in the TIM TSI measurements, in both the impulsive and gradual phases, for the four solar flares presented in Woods et al., as well as an additional flare measured on 2006 December 6. The radiative outputs for both phases of these five flares are then compared to the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiance output from the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) in order to derive an empirical relationship between the FISM VUV model and the TIM TSI data output to estimate the TSI radiative output for eight other X-class flares. This model provides the basis for the bolometric energy estimates for the solar flares analyzed in the Emslie et al. study.

Stopped-flow technique for transit time measurement in a gas jet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rengan, K.; Lin, J.; Lim, T.; Meyer, R.A.; Harrell, J.

1985-01-01

A 'stopped-flow' technique for the measurement of transit time of reaction products in a gas jet is described. The method involved establishing the gas flow through the jet system when the reactor is operating steadily and allowing the pressure to reach equilibrium values. The gas flow is stopped by means of electrically operated valves. The transit-time measurement is achieved by opening the valves and initiating the multiscanning of total activity simultaneously. The value obtained agrees well with the transit time measured by pulsing the reactor. The 'stopped-flow' technique allows on-line measurement of transit time in any gas jet system where the physical transportation time is the major component of the transit time. This technique is especially useful for systems installed in reactors which do not have pulsing capability. (orig.)

Progress on FP13 Total Cross Section Measurements Capability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ullmann, John Leonard [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Couture, Aaron Joseph [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Koehler, Paul E. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Mocko, Michal [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Mosby, Shea Morgan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Wender, Stephen Arthur [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-09-26

An accurate knowledge of the neutron capture cross section is important for many applications. Experimental measurements are important since theoretical calculations of capture have been notoriously difficult, with the ratio of measured to calculated cross sections often a factor of 2 or more in the 10 keV to 1 MeV region. However, a direct measurement of capture cannot be made on many interesting radioactive nuclides because of their short half-life or backgrounds caused by their nuclear decay. On the other hand, neutron transmission measurements of the total cross section are feasible for a wide range of radioactive nuclides since the detectors are far from the sample, and often are less sensitive to decay radiation. The parameters extracted from a total cross section measurement, which include the average resonance spacing, the neutron strength function, and the average total radiation width, (Γ_γ), provide tight constraints on the calculation of the capture cross section, and when applied produce much more accurate results. These measurements can be made using the intense epithermal neutron flux at the Lujan Center on relatively small quantities of target material. It was the purpose of this project to investigate and develop the capability to make these measurements. A great deal of progress was made towards establishing this capability during 2016, including setting up the flight path and obtaining preliminary results, but more work remains to be done.

Brake response time is significantly impaired after total knee arthroplasty: investigation of performing an emergency stop while driving a car.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Maurice; Hofmann, Ulf-Krister; Rondak, Ina; Götze, Marco; Kluba, Torsten; Ipach, Ingmar

2015-09-01

The objective of this study was to investigate whether total knee arthroplasty (TKA) impairs the ability to perform an emergency stop. An automatic transmission brake simulator was developed to evaluate total brake response time. A prospective repeated-measures design was used. Forty patients (20 left/20 right) were measured 8 days and 6, 12, and 52 wks after surgery. Eight days postoperative total brake response time increased significantly by 30% in right TKA and insignificantly by 2% in left TKA. Brake force significantly decreased by 35% in right TKA and by 25% in left TKA during this period. Baseline values were reached at week 12 in right TKA; the impairment of outcome measures, however, was no longer significant at week 6 compared with preoperative values. Total brake response time and brake force in left TKA fell below baseline values at weeks 6 and 12. Brake force in left TKA was the only outcome measure significantly impaired 8 days postoperatively. This study highlights that categorical statements cannot be provided. This study's findings on automatic transmission driving suggest that right TKA patients may resume driving 6 wks postoperatively. Fitness to drive in left TKA is not fully recovered 8 days postoperatively. If testing is not available, patients should refrain from driving until they return from rehabilitation.

Measurement of neutron total cross-sections for {sup nat}Dy at Pohang Neutron Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, S. G.; Kye, Y. U.; Shvetsov, Valery; Cho, M. H. [POSTECH, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Namkung, W.; Cho, M. H. [Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Kim, G. N. [Kyungpook National Univ., Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Lee, M. W. [Dongnam Inst. of radiological and Medical Science, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

There are few measurements for Dy below 100 eV. Moreover, there exist discrepancies among the measurements. In the present work, the total neutron cross-sections for {sup nat}Dy were measured by using the time-of-flight (TOF) method at the Pohang Neutron Facility (PNF). The PNF consists of an electron linac, a water-cooled Ta target, and an 11-m-long TOF path. The characteristics of PNF are described elsewhere. We also briefly discuss the future plan to verify our experimental result. We have measured the total neutron cross-sections of {sup nat}Dy in the neutron energy region from 0.1 eV to 100 eV with the TOF method at the Po hang Neutron Facility. The present result is in good agreement with the previous data and the evaluated data in ENDF/B-VI. We would like to get resonance parameters by using SAMMY or REFIT codes.

Intra-Cavity Total Reflection For High Sensitivity Measurement Of Optical Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Pipino, Andrew Charles Rule

1999-11-16

An optical cavity resonator device is provided for conducting sensitive murement of optical absorption by matter in any state with diffraction-limited spatial resolution through utilization of total internal reflection within a high-Q (high quality, low loss) optical cavity. Intracavity total reflection generates an evanescent wave that decays exponentially in space at a point external to the cavity, thereby providing a localized region where absorbing materials can be sensitively probed through alteration of the Q-factor of the otherwise isolated cavity. When a laser pulse is injected into the cavity and passes through the evanescent state, an amplitude loss resulting from absorption is incurred that reduces the lifetime of the pulse in the cavity. By monitoring the decay of the injected pulse, the absorption coefficient of manner within the evanescent wave region is accurately obtained from the decay time measurement.

a locally adapted functional outcome measurement score for total

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Results and success of total hip arthroplasty are often measured using a functional outcome scoring system. Most current scores were developed in Europe and. North America (1-3). During the evaluation of a Total. Hip Replacement (THR) project in Ouagadougou,. Burkina Faso (4) it was felt that these scores were not.

Total sitting time, leisure time physical activity and risk of hospitalization due to low back pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balling, Mie; Holmberg, Teresa; Petersen, Christina B

2018-01-01

AIMS: This study aimed to test the hypotheses that a high total sitting time and vigorous physical activity in leisure time increase the risk of low back pain and herniated lumbar disc disease. METHODS: A total of 76,438 adults answered questions regarding their total sitting time and physical...... activity during leisure time in the Danish Health Examination Survey 2007-2008. Information on low back pain diagnoses up to 10 September 2015 was obtained from The National Patient Register. The mean follow-up time was 7.4 years. Data were analysed using Cox regression analysis with adjustment...... disc disease. However, moderate or vigorous physical activity, as compared to light physical activity, was associated with increased risk of low back pain (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03-1.30 and HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15-1.83). Moderate, but not vigorous physical activity was associated with increased risk...

Determination of total ozone from DMSP multichannel filter radiometer measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luther, F.M.; Weichel, R.L.

1992-01-01

The multichannel filter radiometer (MFR) infrared sensor was first flown in 1977 on a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Block 5D series satellite operated by the US Air Force. The first four satellites in this series carried MFR sensors from which total atmospheric column ozone amounts may be derived. The MFR sensor was the first cross-track scanning sensor capable of measuring ozone. MFR sensor infrared measurements are taken day and night. The satellites are in polar sun-synchronous orbits providing daily global coverage. The series of four sensors spans a data period of nearly three years. The MFR sensor measures infrared radiances for 16 channels. Total ozone amounts are determined from sets of radiance measurements using an empirical relationship that is developed using linear regression analysis. Total ozone is modeled as a linear combination of terms involving functions of the MFR radiances for four channels (1, 3, 7 and 16) and the secant of the zenith angle. The MFR scans side to side in discrete steps of 40. The MFR sensor takes infrared radiance measurements at 25 cross-track scanning locations every 32 seconds. The instrument could take a theoretical maximum of 67,500 measurements per day, although typically 35,000 - 45,000 measurements are taken per day

Total cross section measurement of radioactive isotopes with a thin beam neutron spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Razbudej, V.F.; Vertebnyj, V.P.; Padun, G.S.; Muravitskij, A.V.

1975-01-01

The method for measuring the neutron total cross sections of radioactive isotopes by a time-of-flight spectrometer with a narrow (0.17 mm in diameter) beam of thermal neutrons is described. The distinguishing feature of this method is the use of capillary samples with a small amount of substance (0.05-1.0 mg). The energy range is 0.01-0.3 eV. The total cross sections of irradiated samples of sub(153)Eu and sub(151)Eu are measured. From them are obtained the cross sections of sub(152)Eu (Tsub(1/2)=12.4 g) and of sub(154)E (Tsub(1/2)=8.6 yr); they equal 11400+-1400 and 1530+-190 barn at E=0.0253 eV. The cross section of the sub(152)Eu absorption for the thermal spectrum (T=333 K) is determined by the activation method; it is 8900+-1200 barn

Total cross-section measurements progress in nuclear physics

CERN Document Server

Giacomelli, G; Mulvey, J H

2013-01-01

Total Cross-Section Measurements discusses the cross-sectional dimensions of elementary hadron collisions. The main coverage of the book is the resonance and high energy area of the given collision. A section of the book explains in detail the characteristic of a resonance region. Another section is focused on the location of the high energy region of collision. Parts of the book define the meaning of resonance in nuclear physics. Also explained are the measurement of resonance and the identification of the area where the resonance originates. Different experimental methods to measure the tota

Total OH Reactivity Measurements in the Boreal Forest

Science.gov (United States)

Praplan, A. P.; Hellén, H.; Hakola, H.; Hatakka, J.

2015-12-01

INTRODUCTION Atmospheric total OH reactivity (Rtotal) can be measured (Kovacs and Brune, 2001; Sinha et al., 2008) or it can be calculated according to Rtotal = ∑i kOH+X_i [Xi] where kOH+X_i corresponds to the reaction rate coefficient for the reaction of OH with a given compound Xi and [Xi] its concentration. Studies suggest that in some environments a large fraction of missing reactivity, comparing calculated Rtotal with ambient total OH reactivity measurements (Di Carlo et al., 2004; Hofzumahaus et al., 2009). In this study Rtotal has been measured using the Comparative Reactivity Method (Sinha et al., 2008). Levels of the reference compound (pyrrole, C4H5N) are monitored by gas chromatography every 2 minutes and Rtotal is derived from the difference of reactivity between zero and ambient air. RESULTS Around 36 hours of preliminary total OH reactivity data (30 May until 2 June 2015) are presented in Fig. 1. Its range matches previous studies for this site (Nölscher et al., 2012; Sinha et al., 2010) and is similar to values in another pine forest (Nakashima et al., 2014). The setup used during the period presented here has been updated and more recent data will be presented, as well as a comparison with calculated OH reactivity from measured individual species. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by Academy of Finland (Academy Research Fellowship No. 275608). The authors acknowledge Juuso Raine for technical support. REFERENCES Di Carlo et al. (2004). Science 304, 722-725.Hofzumahaus et al. (2009). Science 324, 1702-1704.Kovacs and Brune (2001). J. Atmos. Chem. 39, 105-122.Nakashima et al. (2014). Atmos. Env. 85, 1-8.Nölscher et al. (2012). Atmos. Chem. Phys. 12, 8257-8270.Sinha et al. (2008). Atmos. Chem. Phys. 8, 2213-2227.Sinha et al. (2010). Environ. Sci. Technol. 44, 6614-6620.

Measurement of the residence time distribution in industrial flotation equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yianatos, Juan; Diaz, F; Rodriguez, Jorge

2003-01-01

This work presents a determination of the effective liquid and solid residence time in mechanical cell banks of primary and sweep flotation, and in cleaning flotation columns, at Codelco-Chile's Salvador Division. The determination was carried out using the residence time distribution (RTD) measurement with radioactive tracers. Br-82 was used as the trace element for the liquid. Different kinds of minerals were used to trace the solid: a) activated global tailing (non floatable), b) tailing activated by size classifications (non floatable) and c) activated floatable mineral. The residence time measurement defined effective volumes of 50-80% of the total volume in flotation cell banks, and effective volumes of 77% of the total volume of large-size flotation solids. The effective residence time of the solid (23%+212 microns) in industrial flotation cell banks was 5% below that for the liquid. The residence time of the mineral decreased with increased particle size. Thick mineral (>150 microns) showed a residence time 8% below that for thin mineral (<45 microns). The RTD of industrial mechanical cell banks is adequately represented with a number of perfect mixers in series equivalent to the number of real bank cells. The RTD of the industrial columns equals less than two perfect mixers in series and adjusts better when considering a perfect mixers in series model, but in a different size. Common operating problems could also be observed and analyzed through the RTD measurement, such as embankment of the equipment and the deficient regulation of the outflow, used to control the pulp level (Cw)

Chapter 4: Measurements of total beta-activity in the fallout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duggleby, J.C.; Johannessen, J.C.; Kotler, L.H.; Stewart, F.M.

1974-01-01

In order to provide information on fresh fission products in fallout reaching Australia from nuclear tests being conducted by France in Polynesia, measurements were made of total beta activity in daily fallout deposition of 25 Australian sampling stations covering a three month period from 25 July to 23 October 1973. The methods employed to measure the radioactivity of the samples are described and the data on total beta-activity, and the calculated external gamma radiation doses from fresh fallout are presented. (R.L.)

Single machine total completion time minimization scheduling with a time-dependent learning effect and deteriorating jobs

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ji-Bo; Wang, Ming-Zheng; Ji, Ping

2012-05-01

In this article, we consider a single machine scheduling problem with a time-dependent learning effect and deteriorating jobs. By the effects of time-dependent learning and deterioration, we mean that the job processing time is defined by a function of its starting time and total normal processing time of jobs in front of it in the sequence. The objective is to determine an optimal schedule so as to minimize the total completion time. This problem remains open for the case of -1 < a < 0, where a denotes the learning index; we show that an optimal schedule of the problem is V-shaped with respect to job normal processing times. Three heuristic algorithms utilising the V-shaped property are proposed, and computational experiments show that the last heuristic algorithm performs effectively and efficiently in obtaining near-optimal solutions.

Whole blood coagulation time, haematocrit, haemoglobin and total ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study was carried out to determine the values of whole blood coagulation time (WBCT), haematocrit (HM), haemaglobin (HB) and total protein (TP) of one hundred and eighteen apparently healthy turkeys reared under an extensive management system in Zaria. The mean values for WBCT, HM, HB and TP were 1.12 ...

Developing SyrinOX total antioxidant capacity assay for measuring antioxidants in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasetyo, Endry N; Knes, Otto; Nyanhongo, Gibson S; Guebitz, Georg M

2013-02-01

Accurate monitoring of the antioxidant status or of oxidative stress in patients is still a big challenge in clinical laboratories. This study investigates the possibility of applying a newly developed total antioxidant capacity assay method based on laccase or peroxidase oxidized syringaldazine [Tetramethoxy azobismethylene quinone (TMAMQ)] which is referred to here as SyrinOX, as a diagnostic tool for monitoring both oxidative stress and antioxidant status in patients. Attempts to adapt the Randox total antioxidant procedure [simultaneous incubation of the radical generating system (metmyoglobin and H(2) O(2) ) and antioxidant sample] for SyrinOX were abandoned after it was discovered that the H(2) O(2) reacted with enzymatically generated TMAMQ and ABTS radicals at a rate of 6.4 × 10(-2) /μM/s and 5.7 × 10(-3) /μM/s respectively. Thus this study for the first time demonstrates the negative effects of H(2) O(2) in the Randox system. This leads to erroneous results because the total antioxidant values obtained are the sum of radicals reduced by antioxidants plus those reacting with the radical generating system. Therefore they should be avoided not only for this particular method but also when using other similar methods. Consequently, SyrinOX is best applied using a three-step approach involving, production of TMAMQ, recovery and purification (free from enzyme and other impurities) and then using TMAMQ for measuring the total antioxidant capacity of samples. Using this approach, the reaction conditions for application of SyrinOX when measuring the total antioxidant capacity of plasma sample were determined to be 50% (v/v) ethanol/50 mM sodium succinate buffer pH 5.5, between 20 and 25 °C for at least 1 h. © 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Experimental Pathology © 2012 International Journal of Experimental Pathology.

Does antegrade JJ stenting affect the total operative time during laparoscopic pyeloplasty?

Science.gov (United States)

Bolat, Mustafa Suat; Çınar, Önder; Akdeniz, Ekrem

2017-12-01

We aimed to show the effect of retrograde JJ stenting and intraoperative antegrade JJ stenting techniques on operative time in patients who underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty. A total of 34 patients were retrospectively investigated (15 male and 19 female) with ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Of the patients stentized under local anesthesia preoperatively, as a part of surgery, 15 were retrogradely stentized at the beginning of the procedure (Group 1), and 19 were antegradely stentized during the procedure (Group 2). A transperitoneal dismembered pyeloplasty technique was performed in all patients. The two groups were retrospectively compared in terms of complications, the mean total operative time, and the mean stenting times. The mean ages of the patients were 31.5±15.5 and 33.2±15.5 years (p=0.09), and the mean body mass indexes were 25.8±5.6 and 26.2.3±8.4 kg/m 2 in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. The mean total operative times were 128.9±38.9 min and 112.7±21.9 min (p=0.04); the mean stenting times were 12.6±5.4 min and 3.5±2.4 min (p=0.02); and the mean rates of catheterization-to-total surgery times were 0.1 and 0.03 (p=0.01) in Group 1 and 2, respectively. The mean hospital stays and the mean anastomosis times were similar between the two groups (p>0.05). Antegrade JJ stenting during laparoscopic pyeloplasty significantly decreased the total operative time.

Associations of Total and Domain-Specific Sedentary Time With Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwanese Older Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Chun Hsueh

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in older adults has become a public health concern. We investigated the associations of total and domain-specific sedentary time with risk of type 2 diabetes in older adults. Methods: The sample comprised 1046 older people (aged ≥65 years. Analyses were performed using crosssectional data collected via computer-assisted telephone-based interviews in 2014. Data on six self-reported domains of sedentary time (Measure of Older Adults’ Sedentary Time, type 2 diabetes status, and sociodemographic variables were included in the study. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs for total and individual sedentary behavior components and likelihood of type 2 diabetes. Results: A total of 17.5% of the participants reported type 2 diabetes. No significant associations were found between total sitting time and risk of type 2 diabetes, after controlling for confounding factors. After total sedentary behavior was stratified into six domains, only watching television for more than 2 hours per day was associated with higher odds of type 2 diabetes (OR 1.56; 95% CI, 1.10–2.21, but no significant associations were found between other domains of sedentary behavior (computer use, reading, socializing, transport, and hobbies and risk of type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: These findings suggest that, among domain-specific sedentary behavior, excessive television viewing might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes among older adults more than other forms of sedentary behavior.

ATLAS-ALFA measurements on the total cross section and diffraction

CERN Document Server

Mortensen, Simon Stark; The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

The measurement of the total pp cross section at the LHC at $\\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV with the ALFA subdetector of ATLAS is presented in this talk. In a special run with $\\beta^*=90$ m beam optics corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 80 $\\text{mb}^{-1}$ the differential elastic cross section is measured in the range from $-t=0.0025\\text{ GeV}^2$ to $-t=0.38\\text{ GeV}^2$. The total cross section $\\sigma(pp\\rightarrow X)$ is extracted using the Optical Theorem by extrapolation of the differential elastic cross section to $t=0\\text{ GeV}^2$. Prospects for diffractive measurements using ALFA to detect the intact proton(s) is also discussed.

What are the important manoeuvres for beginners to minimize surgical time in primary total knee arthroplasty?

Science.gov (United States)

Harato, Kengo; Maeno, Shinichi; Tanikawa, Hidenori; Kaneda, Kazuya; Morishige, Yutaro; Nomoto, So; Niki, Yasuo

2016-08-01

It was hypothesized that surgical time of beginners would be much longer than that of experts. Our purpose was to investigate and clarify the important manoeuvres for beginners to minimize surgical time in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) as a multicentre study. A total of 300 knees in 248 patients (averaged 74.6 years) were enrolled. All TKAs were done using the same instruments and the same measured resection technique at 14 facilities by 25 orthopaedic surgeons. Surgeons were divided into three surgeon groups (four experts, nine medium-volume surgeons and 12 beginners). The surgical technique was divided into five phases. Detailed surgical time and ratio of the time in each phase to overall surgical time were recorded and compared among the groups in each phase. A total of 62, 119, and 119 TKAs were done by beginners, medium-volume surgeons, and experts, respectively. Significant differences in surgical time among the groups were seen in each phase. Concerning the ratio of the time, experts and medium-volume surgeons seemed cautious in fixation of the permanent component compared to other phases. Interestingly, even in ratio, beginners and medium-volume surgeons took more time in exposure of soft tissue compared to experts. (0.14 in beginners, 0.13 in medium-volume surgeons, 0.11 in experts, P time in exposure and closure of soft tissue compared to experts. Improvement in basic technique is essential to minimize surgical time among beginners. First of all, surgical instructors should teach basic techniques in primary TKA for beginners. Therapeutic studies, Level IV.

Measurement of the total proton-proton cross section with ATLAS at LHC

CERN Document Server

khalek, Samah Abdel

It is now nearly fifty years since total proton-proton (pp) cross sections have been found to grow with energy after it was believed for long time that they would become asymptotically constant . The uncertainties of the cosmic ray data, at high energy, do not allow to determine the exact growth with energy of the total cross section .The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva has already delivered collisions with an energy never reached in a particle accelerator. The energy in the center of mass was 7 TeV (2010 - 2011) or 8 TeV (2012) and will ultimately reached 14 TeV in the near future. Thus, this will provide a good environment for a new precise measurement of the total pp cross section at this energy.The ATLAS detector installed in one of the four LHC interaction points is used to collect the result of the pp collisions. Its sub-detector ALFA located 240 m from the interaction point, is used to track protons resulting from elastic collisions.Therefore, within special beam optics conditions, ALFA i...

Measurement of total body chlorine by prompt gamma in vivo neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beddoe, A.H.; Streat, S.J.; Hill, G.L.

1987-01-01

A method of measuring total body chlorine (TBCl) by prompt gamma in vivo neutron activation analysis is described depending on the same NaI(Tl) spectra used for determinations of total body nitrogen. Ratios of chlorine to hydrogen are derived and TBCl determined using a model of body composition depending on measured body weight, total body water (by tritium dilution) and protein (6.25 x nitrogen) as well as estimated body minerals and glycogen. The precision of the method based on scanning an anthropomorphic phantom is approximately 9% (SD), for a patient dose equivalent of less than 0.30 mSv. Spectra collected from 67 normal volunteers (32 male, 35 female) yielded mean values of TBCl of 72 +- 19 (SD) g in males and 53.6 +- 15 g in females, in broad agreement with values reported by workers using delayed gamma methods. Results are presented for two human cadavers analysed by neutron activation and conventional chemical analysis; the ratios of TBCl (neutron activation) to TBCl (chemical) were 0.980 +- 0.028 (SEM) and 0.91 +- 0.09. It is suggested that an improvement in precision will be achieved by increasing the scanning time (thereby increasing the radiation dose equivalent) and by adding two more detectors. (author)

Total variation regularization for a backward time-fractional diffusion problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Liyan; Liu, Jijun

2013-01-01

Consider a two-dimensional backward problem for a time-fractional diffusion process, which can be considered as image de-blurring where the blurring process is assumed to be slow diffusion. In order to avoid the over-smoothing effect for object image with edges and to construct a fast reconstruction scheme, the total variation regularizing term and the data residual error in the frequency domain are coupled to construct the cost functional. The well posedness of this optimization problem is studied. The minimizer is sought approximately using the iteration process for a series of optimization problems with Bregman distance as a penalty term. This iteration reconstruction scheme is essentially a new regularizing scheme with coupling parameter in the cost functional and the iteration stopping times as two regularizing parameters. We give the choice strategy for the regularizing parameters in terms of the noise level of measurement data, which yields the optimal error estimate on the iterative solution. The series optimization problems are solved by alternative iteration with explicit exact solution and therefore the amount of computation is much weakened. Numerical implementations are given to support our theoretical analysis on the convergence rate and to show the significant reconstruction improvements. (paper)

Does the brake response time of the right leg change after left total knee arthroplasty? A prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Carlos J; Barreiros, João; Cabri, Jan; Carita, Ana I; Friesecke, Christian; Loehr, Jochen F

2008-08-01

Patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty often ask when they can safely resume car driving. There is little evidence available on which physicians can rely when advising patients on this issue. In a prospective study we assessed the brake response time of 24 patients admitted to the clinic for left total knee arthroplasty preoperatively and then 10 days after surgery. On each measurement day the patients performed two tasks, a simple and a complex brake response time task in a car simulator. Ten days after left TKA the brake response time for the simple task had decreased by 3.6% (p=0.24), the reaction time by 3.1% (p=0.34) and the movement time by 6.6% (p=0.07). However, the performance improvement was not statistically significant. Task complexity increased brake response time at both time points. A 5.8% increase was significant (p=0.01) at 10 days after surgery. Based on our results, we suggest that patients who have undergone left total knee arthroplasty may resume car driving 10 days after surgery as long as they drive a car with automatic transmission.

Oil flow rate measurements using 198Au and total count technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncalves, Eduardo R.; Crispim, Verginia R.

2013-01-01

In industrial plants, oil and oil compounds are usually transported by closed pipelines with circular cross-section. The use of radiotracers in oil transport and processing industrial facilities allows calibrating flowmeters, measuring mean residence time in cracking columns, locate points of obstruction or leak in underground ducts, as well as investigating flow behavior or industrial processes such as in distillation towers. Inspection techniques using radiotracers are non-destructive, simple, economic and highly accurate. Among them, Total Count, which uses a small amount of radiotracer with known activity, is acknowledged as an absolute technique for flow rate measurement. A viscous fluid transport system, composed by four PVC pipelines with 13m length (12m horizontal and 1m vertical) and 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 2-inch gauges, respectively, interconnected by maneuvering valves was designed and assembled in order to conduct the research. This system was used to simulate different flow conditions of petroleum compounds and for experimental studies of flow profile in the horizontal and upward directions. As 198 Au presents a single photopeak (411,8 keV), it was the radioisotope chosen for oil labeling, in small amounts (6 ml) or around 200 kBq activity, and it was injected in the oil transport lines. A NaI scintillation detector 2'x 2', with well-defined geometry, was used to measure total activity, determine the calibration factor F and, positioned after a homogenization distance and interconnected to a standardized electronic set of nuclear instrumentation modules (NIM), to detect the radioactive cloud. (author)

Time-based analysis of total cost of patient episodes: a case study of hip replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Peltokorpi, Antti; Kujala, Jaakko

2006-01-01

Healthcare in the public and private sectors is facing increasing pressure to become more cost-effective. Time-based competition and work-in-progress have been used successfully to measure and improve the efficiency of industrial manufacturing. Seeks to address this issue. Presents a framework for time based management of the total cost of a patient episode and apply it to the six sigma DMAIC-process development approach. The framework is used to analyse hip replacement patient episodes in Päijät-Häme Hospital District in Finland, which has a catchment area of 210,000 inhabitants and performs an average of 230 hip replacements per year. The work-in-progress concept is applicable to healthcare--notably that the DMAIC-process development approach can be used to analyse the total cost of patient episodes. Concludes that a framework, which combines the patient-in-process and the DMAIC development approach, can be used not only to analyse the total cost of patient episode but also to improve patient process efficiency. Presents a framework that combines patient-in-process and DMAIC-process development approaches, which can be used to analyse the total cost of a patient episode in order to improve patient process efficiency.

Measurement of the helicity-dependent total cross-section for the γn→ p π-π0 reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahrens, J.; Arends, H.J.; Beck, R.; Heid, E.; Jahn, O.; Lang, M.; Martinez-Fabregate, M.; Tamas, G.; Thomas, A.; Altieri, S.; Panzeri, A.; Pinelli, T.; Annand, J.R.M.; McGeorge, J.C.; Protopopescu, D.; Rosner, G.; Blackston, M.A.; Weller, H.R.; Bradtke, C.; Dutz, H.; Klein, F.; Rohlof, C.; Braghieri, A.; Pedroni, P.; Hose, N. d'; Fix, A.; Kondratiev, R.; Lisin, V.; Meyer, W.; Reicherz, G.; Rostomyan, T.; Ryckbosch, D.

2011-01-01

The helicity dependence of the total cross-section for the γn→pπ - π 0 reaction has been measured for the first time at incident photon energies from 450 to 800MeV. The measurement was performed with the large-acceptance detector DAPHNE at the tagged photon beam facility of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz. Both the measured unpolarized and the helicity-dependent observables are not well described by the existing theoretical models. (orig.)

Studies on fission with ALADIN. Precise and simultaneous measurement of fission yields, total kinetic energy and total prompt neutron multiplicity at GSI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, Julie-Fiona; Taieb, Julien; Chatillon, Audrey; Belier, Gilbert; Boutoux, Guillaume; Ebran, Adeline; Gorbinet, Thomas; Grente, Lucie; Laurent, Benoit; Pellereau, Eric; Alvarez-Pol, Hector; Ayyad, Yassid; Benlliure, Jose; Cortina Gil, Dolores; Caamano, Manuel; Fernandez Dominguez, Beatriz; Paradela, Carlos; Ramos, Diego; Rodriguez-Sanchez, Jose-Luis; Vargas, Jossitt; Audouin, Laurent; Tassan-Got, Laurent; Aumann, Thomas; Casarejos, Enrique; Farget, Fanny; Rodriguez-Tajes, Carme; Heinz, Andreas; Jurado, Beatriz; Kelic-Heil, Aleksandra; Kurz, Nikolaus; Nociforo, Chiara; Pietri, Stephane; Rossi, Dominic; Schmidt, Karl-Heinz; Simon, Haik; Voss, Bernd; Weick, Helmut

2015-01-01

A novel technique for fission studies, based on the inverse kinematics approach, is presented. Following pioneering work in the nineties, the SOFIA Collaboration has designed and built an experimental set-up dedicated to the simultaneous measurement of isotopic yields, total kinetic energies and total prompt neutron multiplicities, by fully identifying both fission fragments in coincidence, for the very first time. This experiment, performed at GSI, permits to study the fission of a wide variety of fissioning systems, ranging from mercury to neptunium, possibly far from the valley of stability. A first experiment, performed in 2012, has provided a large array of unprecedented data regarding the nuclear fission process. An excerpt of the results is presented. With this solid starter, further improvements of the experimental set-up are considered, which are consistent with the expected developments at the GSI facility, in order to measure more fission observables in coincidence. The completeness reached in the SOFIA data, permits to scrutinize the correlations between the interesting features of fission, offering a very detailed insight in this still unraveled mechanism. (orig.)

Studies on fission with ALADIN. Precise and simultaneous measurement of fission yields, total kinetic energy and total prompt neutron multiplicity at GSI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, Julie-Fiona; Taieb, Julien; Chatillon, Audrey; Belier, Gilbert; Boutoux, Guillaume; Ebran, Adeline; Gorbinet, Thomas; Grente, Lucie; Laurent, Benoit; Pellereau, Eric [CEA DAM Bruyeres-le-Chatel, Arpajon (France); Alvarez-Pol, Hector; Ayyad, Yassid; Benlliure, Jose; Cortina Gil, Dolores; Caamano, Manuel; Fernandez Dominguez, Beatriz; Paradela, Carlos; Ramos, Diego; Rodriguez-Sanchez, Jose-Luis; Vargas, Jossitt [Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Audouin, Laurent; Tassan-Got, Laurent [CNRS/IN2P3, IPNO, Orsay (France); Aumann, Thomas [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Darmstadt (Germany); Casarejos, Enrique [Universidad de Vigo, Vigo (Spain); Farget, Fanny; Rodriguez-Tajes, Carme [CNRS/IN2P3, GANIL, Caen (France); Heinz, Andreas [Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg (Sweden); Jurado, Beatriz [CNRS/IN2P3, CENBG, Gradignan (France); Kelic-Heil, Aleksandra; Kurz, Nikolaus; Nociforo, Chiara; Pietri, Stephane; Rossi, Dominic; Schmidt, Karl-Heinz; Simon, Haik; Voss, Bernd; Weick, Helmut [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany)

2015-12-15

A novel technique for fission studies, based on the inverse kinematics approach, is presented. Following pioneering work in the nineties, the SOFIA Collaboration has designed and built an experimental set-up dedicated to the simultaneous measurement of isotopic yields, total kinetic energies and total prompt neutron multiplicities, by fully identifying both fission fragments in coincidence, for the very first time. This experiment, performed at GSI, permits to study the fission of a wide variety of fissioning systems, ranging from mercury to neptunium, possibly far from the valley of stability. A first experiment, performed in 2012, has provided a large array of unprecedented data regarding the nuclear fission process. An excerpt of the results is presented. With this solid starter, further improvements of the experimental set-up are considered, which are consistent with the expected developments at the GSI facility, in order to measure more fission observables in coincidence. The completeness reached in the SOFIA data, permits to scrutinize the correlations between the interesting features of fission, offering a very detailed insight in this still unraveled mechanism. (orig.)

Total Work, Gender and Social Norms in EU and US Time Use

OpenAIRE

Burda , Michael C; Hamermesh , Daniel S; Weil , Philippe

2008-01-01

Using time-diary data from 27 countries, we demonstrate a negative relationship between real GDP per capita and the female-male difference in total work time--the sum of work for pay and work at home. We also show that in rich non-Catholic countries on four continents men and women do the same amount of total work on average. Our survey results demonstrate that labor economists, macroeconomists, sociologists and the general public consistently believe that women perform more total work. The f...

Cross-sectional associations of total sitting and leisure screen time with cardiometabolic risk in adults. Results from the HUNT Study, Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Chau, Josephine Y; Grunseit, Anne; Midthjell, Kristian; Holmen, Jostein; Holmen, Turid L; Bauman, Adrian E; van der Ploeg, Hidde P

2014-01-01

To examine associations of total sitting time, TV-viewing and leisure-time computer use with cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in adults. Population based cross-sectional study. Waist circumference, BMI, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, non-fasting glucose, gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) and triglycerides were measured in 48,882 adults aged 20 years or older from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study 2006-2008 (HUNT3). Adjusted multiple regression models were used to test for associations between these biomarkers and self-reported total sitting time, TV-viewing and leisure-time computer use in the whole sample and by cardiometabolic disease status sub-groups. In the whole sample, reporting total sitting time ≥10 h/day was associated with poorer BMI, waist circumference, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, non-fasting glucose, GGT and triglyceride levels compared to those reporting total sitting time Leisure-time computer use ≥1 h/day was associated with poorer BMI, total cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, GGT and triglycerides compared with those reporting no leisure-time computing. Sub-group analyses by cardiometabolic disease status showed similar patterns in participants free of cardiometabolic disease, while similar albeit non-significant patterns were observed in those with cardiometabolic disease. Total sitting time, TV-viewing and leisure-time computer use are associated with poorer cardiometabolic risk profiles in adults. Reducing sedentary behaviour throughout the day and limiting TV-viewing and leisure-time computer use may have health benefits. Copyright © 2013 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PROCESS INNOVATION: HOLISTIC SCENARIOS TO REDUCE TOTAL LEAD TIME

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alin POSTEUCĂ

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The globalization of markets requires continuous development of business holistic scenarios to ensure acceptable flexibility to satisfy customers. Continuous improvement of supply chain supposes continuous improvement of materials and products lead time and flow, material stocks and finished products stocks and increasing the number of suppliers close by as possible. The contribution of our study is to present holistic scenarios of total lead time improvement and innovation by implementing supply chain policy.

Measurement of Dα sources for particle confinement time determination in TEXTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, D.S.; Boedo, J.A.; Conn, R.W.; Finken, K.H.; Mank, G.; Pospieszczyk, A.; Samm, U.

1993-01-01

An important quantity in the study of tokamak discharges is the global particle confinement time, defined for each ionic species i by the equation below, where N i is the total population of the species in the plasma and S i is the source rate (ionization rate) of the species: τ pi N i /(S i - dN i /dt). Of particular significance is the confinement time of the main plasma component, deuterium; here, in most cases of interest, the time derivative is negligible and the confinement time is given by N/S. The deuterium content N can be estimated from the electron content, measured by interferometry, if Z eff is known. A common method of estimating the fueling rate S is to measure the emission of D α light from recycling neutrals in the plasma boundary, since collisional-radiative modeling has shown that, for plasma conditions typical in the tokamak edge, the rate of ionization of D atoms and the rate of emission of D α photons are related by a factor that varies only weakly with electron density and temperature. This paper describes the use of a CCD video camera at TEXTOR for the purpose of spatially resolving the D α light in order to measure more accurately the total emission so that τ p can be determined reliably. (author) 5 refs., 5 figs

Study of calculated and measured time dependent delayed neutron yields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waldo, R.W.

1980-05-01

Time-dependent delayed neutron emission is of interest in reactor design, reactor dynamics, and nuclear physics studies. The delayed neutrons from neutron-induced fission of 232 U, 237 Np, 238 Pu, 241 Am, /sup 242m/Am, 245 Cm, and 249 Cf were studied for the first time. The delayed neutron emission from 232 Th, 233 U, 235 U, 238 U, 239 Pu, 241 Pu, and 242 Pu were measured as well. The data were used to develop an empirical expression for the total delayed neutron yield. The expression gives accurate results for a large variety of nuclides from 232 Th to 252 Cf. The data measuring the decay of delayed neutrons with time were used to derive another empirical expression predicting the delayed neutron emission with time. It was found that nuclides with similar mass-to-charge ratios have similar decay patterns. Thus the relative decay pattern of one nuclide can be established by any measured nuclide with a similar mass-to-charge ratio. A simple fission product yield model was developed and applied to delayed neutron precursors. It accurately predicts observed yield and decay characteristics. In conclusion, it is possible to not only estimate the total delayed neutron yield for a given nuclide but the time-dependent nature of the delayed neutrons as well. Reactors utilizing recycled fuel or burning actinides are likely to have inventories of fissioning nuclides that have not been studied until now. The delayed neutrons from these nuclides can now be incorporated so that their influence on the stability and control of reactors can be delineated. 8 figures, 39 tables

Total and domain-specific sitting time among employees in desk-based work settings in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennie, Jason A; Pedisic, Zeljko; Timperio, Anna; Crawford, David; Dunstan, David; Bauman, Adrian; van Uffelen, Jannique; Salmon, Jo

2015-06-01

To describe the total and domain-specific daily sitting time among a sample of Australian office-based employees. In April 2010, paper-based surveys were provided to desk-based employees (n=801) in Victoria, Australia. Total daily and domain-specific (work, leisure-time and transport-related) sitting time (minutes/day) were assessed by validated questionnaires. Differences in sitting time were examined across socio-demographic (age, sex, occupational status) and lifestyle characteristics (physical activity levels, body mass index [BMI]) using multiple linear regression analyses. The median (95% confidence interval [CI]) of total daily sitting time was 540 (531-557) minutes/day. Insufficiently active adults (median=578 minutes/day, [95%CI: 564-602]), younger adults aged 18-29 years (median=561 minutes/day, [95%CI: 540-577]) reported the highest total daily sitting times. Occupational sitting time accounted for almost 60% of total daily sitting time. In multivariate analyses, total daily sitting time was negatively associated with age (unstandardised regression coefficient [B]=-1.58, pphysical activity (minutes/week) (B=-0.03, pemployees reported that more than half of their total daily sitting time was accrued in the work setting. Given the high contribution of occupational sitting to total daily sitting time among desk-based employees, interventions should focus on the work setting. © 2014 Public Health Association of Australia.

Secondary standard neutron detector for measuring total reaction cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekharan, K.K.; Laumer, H.; Gabbard, F.

1975-01-01

A neutron detector has been constructed and calibrated for the accurate measurement of total neutron-production cross sections. The detector consists of a polyethylene sphere of 24'' diameter in which 8- 10 BF 3 counters have been installed radially. The relative efficiency of this detector has been determined for average neutron energies, from 30 keV to 1.5 MeV by counting neutrons from 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be. By adjusting the radial positions of the BF 3 counters in the polyethylene sphere the efficiency for neutron detection was made nearly constant for this energy range. Measurement of absolute efficiency for the same neutron energy range has been done by counting the neutrons from 51 V(p,n) 51 Cr and 57 Fe(p,n) 57 Co reactions and determining the absolute number of residual nuclei produced during the measurement of neutron yield. Details of absolute efficiency measurements and the use of the detector for measurement of total neutron yields from neutron producing reactions such as 23 Na(p,n) 23 Mg are given

Independent and combined associations of total sedentary time and television viewing time with food intake patterns of 9- to 11-year-old Canadian children.

Science.gov (United States)

Borghese, Michael M; Tremblay, Mark S; Leduc, Genevieve; Boyer, Charles; Bélanger, Priscilla; LeBlanc, Allana G; Francis, Claire; Chaput, Jean-Philippe

2014-08-01

The relationships among sedentary time, television viewing time, and dietary patterns in children are not fully understood. The aim of this paper was to determine which of self-reported television viewing time or objectively measured sedentary time is a better correlate of the frequency of consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods. A cross-sectional study was conducted of 9- to 11-year-old children (n = 523; 57.1% female) from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Accelerometers were used to determine total sedentary time, and questionnaires were used to determine the number of hours of television watching and the frequency of consumption of foods per week. Television viewing was negatively associated with the frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables, and green vegetables, and positively associated with the frequency of consumption of sweets, soft drinks, diet soft drinks, pastries, potato chips, French fries, fruit juices, ice cream, fried foods, and fast food. Except for diet soft drinks and fruit juices, these associations were independent of covariates, including sedentary time. Total sedentary time was negatively associated with the frequency of consumption of sports drinks, independent of covariates, including television viewing. In combined sedentary time and television viewing analyses, children watching >2 h of television per day consumed several unhealthy food items more frequently than did children watching ≤2 h of television, regardless of sedentary time. In conclusion, this paper provides evidence to suggest that television viewing time is more strongly associated with unhealthy dietary patterns than is total sedentary time. Future research should focus on reducing television viewing time, as a means of improving dietary patterns and potentially reducing childhood obesity.

Decay-time measurements on 'pure' CsI scintillators prepared by different methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keszthelyi-Landori, S.; Foeldvari, I.; Voszka, R.; Fodor, Z.; Seres, Z.

1990-05-01

The discovery of the fast decay time of the pure CsI and the various results of the measured samples led to the investigation of decay time of CsI crystals prepared by different methods. Carefully grown or prepared pure CsI behaves as fast scintillators with well or totally suppressed slow decay component. The estimated fast/slow or fast/total ratio is related to the preparation method and to the remaining built-in contamination of the samples. The fast decay of pure CsI consists of two components with decay times of ≅1 and ≅10 ns - with an intensity ratio of 0.3 and 0.65 for gamma and for alpha radiation, respectively. This new ≅1 ns component and the ≅0.8 fast/total ratio may achieve an important role in many applications where fast timing properties are needed, substituting BaF 2 . (author) 18 refs.; 8 figs.; 3 tabs

A comparison of new measurements of total monoterpene flux with improved measurements of speciated monoterpene flux

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Lee

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Many monoterpenes have been identified in forest emissions using gas chromatography (GC. Until now, it has been impossible to determine whether all monoterpenes are appropriately measured using GC techniques. We used a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS coupled with the eddy covariance (EC technique to measure mixing ratios and fluxes of total monoterpenes above a ponderosa pine plantation. We compared PTR-MS-EC results with simultaneous measurements of eight speciated monoterpenes, β-pinene, α-pinene, 3-carene, d-limonene, β-phellandrene, α-terpinene, camphene, and terpinolene, made with an automated, in situ gas chromatograph with flame ionization detectors (GC-FID, coupled to a relaxed eddy accumulation system (REA. Monoterpene mixing ratios and fluxes measured by PTR-MS averaged 30±2.3% and 31±9.2% larger than by GC-FID, with larger mixing ratio discrepancies between the two techniques at night than during the day. Two unidentified peaks that correlated with β-pinene were resolved in the chromatograms and completely accounted for the daytime difference and reduced the nighttime mixing ratio difference to 20±2.9%. Measurements of total monoterpenes by PTR-MS-EC indicated that GC-FID-REA measured the common, longer-lived monoterpenes well, but that additional terpenes were emitted from the ecosystem that represented an important contribution to the total mixing ratio above the forest at night.

Comparative study of radiometric and calorimetric methods for total hemispherical emissivity measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Monchau, Jean-Pierre; Hameury, Jacques; Ausset, Patrick; Hay, Bruno; Ibos, Laurent; Candau, Yves

2018-05-01

Accurate knowledge of infrared emissivity is important in applications such as surface temperature measurements by infrared thermography or thermal balance for building walls. A comparison of total hemispherical emissivity measurement was performed by two laboratories: the Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais (LNE) and the Centre d'Études et de Recherche en Thermique, Environnement et Systèmes (CERTES). Both laboratories performed emissivity measurements on four samples, chosen to cover a large range of emissivity values and angular reflectance behaviors. The samples were polished aluminum (highly specular, low emissivity), bulk PVC (slightly specular, high emissivity), sandblasted aluminum (diffuse surface, medium emissivity), and aluminum paint (slightly specular surface, medium emissivity). Results obtained using five measurement techniques were compared. LNE used a calorimetric method for direct total hemispherical emissivity measurement [1], an absolute reflectometric measurement method [2], and a relative reflectometric measurement method. CERTES used two total hemispherical directional reflectometric measurement methods [3, 4]. For indirect techniques by reflectance measurements, the total hemispherical emissivity values were calculated from directional hemispherical reflectance measurement results using spectral integration when required and directional to hemispherical extrapolation. Results were compared, taking into account measurement uncertainties; an added uncertainty was introduced to account for heterogeneity over the surfaces of the samples and between samples. All techniques gave large relative uncertainties for a low emissive and very specular material (polished aluminum), and results were quite scattered. All the indirect techniques by reflectance measurement gave results within ±0.01 for a high emissivity material. A commercial aluminum paint appears to be a good candidate for producing samples with medium level of emissivity

Frequency-dependent Dispersion Measures and Implications for Pulsar Timing

Science.gov (United States)

Cordes, J. M.; Shannon, R. M.; Stinebring, D. R.

2016-01-01

The dispersion measure (DM), the column density of free electrons to a pulsar, is shown to be frequency dependent because of multipath scattering from small-scale electron-density fluctuations. DMs vary between propagation paths whose transverse extent varies strongly with frequency, yielding arrival times that deviate from the high-frequency scaling expected for a cold, uniform, unmagnetized plasma (1/frequency2). Scaling laws for thin phase screens are verified with simulations; extended media are also analyzed. The rms DM difference across an octave band near 1.5 GHz is ˜ 4 × 10-5 pc cm-3 for pulsars at ˜1 kpc distance. The corresponding arrival-time variations are a few to hundreds of nanoseconds for DM ≲ 30 pc cm-3 but increase rapidly to microseconds or more for larger DMs and wider frequency ranges. Chromatic DMs introduce correlated noise into timing residuals with a power spectrum of “low pass” form. The correlation time is roughly the geometric mean of the refraction times for the highest and lowest radio frequencies used, ranging from days to years, depending on the pulsar. We discuss implications for methodologies that use large frequency separations or wide bandwidth receivers for timing measurements. Chromatic DMs are partially mitigable by including an additional chromatic term in arrival time models. Without mitigation, an additional term in the noise model for pulsar timing is implied. In combination with measurement errors from radiometer noise, an arbitrarily large increase in total frequency range (or bandwidth) will yield diminishing benefits and may be detrimental to overall timing precision.

Reconstruction of MODIS total suspended matter time series maps by DINEOF and validation with autonomous platform data

Science.gov (United States)

Nechad, Bouchra; Alvera-Azcaràte, Aida; Ruddick, Kevin; Greenwood, Naomi

2011-08-01

In situ measurements of total suspended matter (TSM) over the period 2003-2006, collected with two autonomous platforms from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Cefas) measuring the optical backscatter (OBS) in the southern North Sea, are used to assess the accuracy of TSM time series extracted from satellite data. Since there are gaps in the remote sensing (RS) data, due mainly to cloud cover, the Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions (DINEOF) is used to fill in the TSM time series and build a continuous daily "recoloured" dataset. The RS datasets consist of TSM maps derived from MODIS imagery using the bio-optical model of Nechad et al. (Rem Sens Environ 114: 854-866, 2010). In this study, the DINEOF time series are compared to the in situ OBS measured in moderately to very turbid waters respectively in West Gabbard and Warp Anchorage, in the southern North Sea. The discrepancies between instantaneous RS, DINEOF-filled RS data and Cefas data are analysed in terms of TSM algorithm uncertainties, space-time variability and DINEOF reconstruction uncertainty.

Time decay and photoluminescence measurement of PbWO4 crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baylac, M.

1997-09-01

This report presented the experimental characterization of the PbWO 4 crystals that we will be used for the photon detector of the Compton polarimeter at the Jefferson laboratory. We could draw 3 main features from this study. The transmission rate of the crystals is about 60 % in the scintillation wavelength region. From the decay time analysis, we deduced 3 decay components of the PbWO 4 , predicted by other measurements: τ 1 ∼5 ns, τ 2 ∼20 ns, τ 3 ∼100 ns, taking respectively 26 %, 30 % and 4 % of the total light amplitude emitted by the crystals. Moreover, we showed the existence of a fourth decay constant (τ 4 ∼1μs) taking 40 % of the total quantity of light which is responsible for the bad precision on the third constant determination. We could not characterize this component accurately because of the limited time range of the recordings. To improve the determination of the super-slow component, we need to perform the measurements again on a longer time scale, on the order of a few microseconds. We eventually measured the light yield of the PbWO 4 crystals. With a first analysis, we found about 3.5 photoelectrons per MeV whereas the constructors note gave about 10. We then reduced the light loss in the experimental set up by wrapping the last open end of the crystal. The results were slightly improved. Eventually, we increased the recording time, to take account the super-low decay, and found that the crystals yield about 6 photoelectrons per MeV which is still less than predicted. (author)

Measurement of the total cross section with ALFA Detector at ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Trzebinski, M; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

The main goals of the Absolute Luminosity For ATLAS (ALFA) detector is to provide an absolute luminosity and total cross section measurement. The measurement method used, the detector alignment and the quality of the collected data are discussed.

Television viewing, computer use and total screen time in Canadian youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Mark, Amy E; Boyce, William F; Janssen, Ian

2006-11-01

Research has linked excessive television viewing and computer use in children and adolescents to a variety of health and social problems. Current recommendations are that screen time in children and adolescents should be limited to no more than 2 h per day. To determine the percentage of Canadian youth meeting the screen time guideline recommendations. The representative study sample consisted of 6942 Canadian youth in grades 6 to 10 who participated in the 2001/2002 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey. Only 41% of girls and 34% of boys in grades 6 to 10 watched 2 h or less of television per day. Once the time of leisure computer use was included and total daily screen time was examined, only 18% of girls and 14% of boys met the guidelines. The prevalence of those meeting the screen time guidelines was higher in girls than boys. Fewer than 20% of Canadian youth in grades 6 to 10 met the total screen time guidelines, suggesting that increased public health interventions are needed to reduce the number of leisure time hours that Canadian youth spend watching television and using the computer.

Surgical time and complications of total transvaginal (total-NOTES, single-port laparoscopic-assisted and conventional ovariohysterectomy in bitches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.A.M. Silva

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The recently developed minimally invasive techniques of ovariohysterectomy (OVH have been studied in dogs in order to optimize their benefits and decrease risks to the patients. The purpose of this study was to compare surgical time, complications and technical difficulties of transvaginal total-NOTES, single-port laparoscopic-assisted and conventional OVH in bitches. Twelve bitches were submitted to total-NOTES (NOTES group, while 13 underwent single-port laparoscopic-assisted (SPLA group and 15 were submitted to conventional OVH (OPEN group. Intra-operative period was divided into 7 stages: (1 access to abdominal cavity; (2 pneumoperitoneum; approach to the right (3 and left (4 ovarian pedicle and uterine body (5; (6 abdominal or vaginal synthesis, performed in 6 out of 12 patients of NOTES; (7 inoperative time. Overall and stages operative times, intra and postoperative complications and technical difficulties were compared among groups. Mean overall surgical time in NOTES (25.7±6.8 minutes and SPLA (23.1±4.0 minutes groups were shorter than in the OPEN group (34.0±6.4 minutes (P<0.05. The intraoperative stage that required the longest time was the approach to the uterine body in the NOTES group and abdominal and cutaneous sutures in the OPEN group. There was no difference regarding the rates of complications. Major complications included postoperative bleeding requiring reoperation in a bitch in the OPEN group, while minor complications included mild vaginal discharge in four patients in the NOTES group and seroma in three bitches in the SPLA group. In conclusion, total-NOTES and SPLA OVH were less time-consuming then conventional OVH in bitches. All techniques presented complications, which were properly managed.

Identification of real-time diagnostic measures of visual distraction with an automatic eye-tracking system.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Harry; Smith, Matthew R H; Witt, Gerald J

2006-01-01

This study was conducted to identify eye glance measures that are diagnostic of visual distraction. Visual distraction degrades performance, but real-time diagnostic measures have not been identified. In a driving simulator, 14 participants responded to a lead vehicle braking at -2 or -2.7 m/s2 periodically while reading a varying number of words (6-15 words every 13 s) on peripheral displays (with diagonal eccentricities of 24 degrees, 43 degrees, and 75 degrees). As the number of words and display eccentricity increased, total glance duration and reaction time increased and driving performance suffered. Correlation coefficients between several glance measures and reaction time or performance variables were reliably high, indicating that these glance measures are diagnostic of visual distraction. It is predicted that for every 25% increase in total glance duration, reaction time is increased by 0.39 s and standard deviation of lane position is increased by 0.06 m. Potential applications of this research include assessing visual distraction in real time, delivering advisories to distracted drivers to reorient their attention to driving, and using distraction information to adapt forward collision and lane departure warning systems to enhance system effectiveness.

FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT DISPERSION MEASURES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PULSAR TIMING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cordes, J. M. [Astronomy Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Shannon, R. M. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); Stinebring, D. R., E-mail: cordes@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: ryan.shannon@csiro.au, E-mail: dan.stinebring@oberlin.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074 (United States)

2016-01-20

The dispersion measure (DM), the column density of free electrons to a pulsar, is shown to be frequency dependent because of multipath scattering from small-scale electron-density fluctuations. DMs vary between propagation paths whose transverse extent varies strongly with frequency, yielding arrival times that deviate from the high-frequency scaling expected for a cold, uniform, unmagnetized plasma (1/frequency{sup 2}). Scaling laws for thin phase screens are verified with simulations; extended media are also analyzed. The rms DM difference across an octave band near 1.5 GHz is ∼ 4 × 10{sup −5} pc cm{sup −3} for pulsars at ∼1 kpc distance. The corresponding arrival-time variations are a few to hundreds of nanoseconds for DM ≲ 30 pc cm{sup −3} but increase rapidly to microseconds or more for larger DMs and wider frequency ranges. Chromatic DMs introduce correlated noise into timing residuals with a power spectrum of “low pass” form. The correlation time is roughly the geometric mean of the refraction times for the highest and lowest radio frequencies used, ranging from days to years, depending on the pulsar. We discuss implications for methodologies that use large frequency separations or wide bandwidth receivers for timing measurements. Chromatic DMs are partially mitigable by including an additional chromatic term in arrival time models. Without mitigation, an additional term in the noise model for pulsar timing is implied. In combination with measurement errors from radiometer noise, an arbitrarily large increase in total frequency range (or bandwidth) will yield diminishing benefits and may be detrimental to overall timing precision.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction for total sulphur measurement in mine tailings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Adnan Hossain; Shang, Julie Q.; Alam, Raquibul

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We develop a total sulphur measuring procedure of mine tailings. ► Ultrasound is used in the sample pre-treatment process. ► Full factorial design is applied to identify the best level of effecting factors. - Abstract: A sample preparation method for percentage recovery of total sulphur (%S) in reactive mine tailings based on ultrasound-assisted digestion (USAD) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was developed. The influence of various methodological factors was screened by employing a two-level and three-factor (2 3 ) full factorial design and using KZK-1, a sericite schist certified reference material (CRM), to find the optimal combination of studied factors and %S. Factors such as the sonication time, temperature and acid combination were studied, with the best result identified as 20 min of sonication, 80 °C temperature and 1 ml of HNO 3 :1 ml of HCl, which can achieve 100% recovery for the selected CRM. Subsequently a fraction of the 2 3 full factorial design was applied to mine tailings. The percentage relative standard deviation (%RSD) for the ultrasound method is less than 3.0% for CRM and less than 6% for the mine tailings. The investigated method was verified by X-ray diffraction analysis. The USAD method compared favorably with existing methods such as hot plate assisted digestion method, X-ray fluorescence and LECO™-CNS method.

TRANC - a novel fast-response converter to measure total reactive atmospheric nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Marx, O.; Brümmer, C.; Ammann, C.; Wolff, V.; Freibauer, A.

2012-05-01

The input and loss of plant available nitrogen (reactive nitrogen: Nr) from/to the atmosphere can be an important factor for the productivity of ecosystems and thus for its carbon and greenhouse gas exchange. We present a novel converter for reactive nitrogen (TRANC: Total Reactive Atmospheric Nitrogen Converter), which offers the opportunity to quantify the sum of all airborne reactive nitrogen compounds (∑Nr) in high time resolution. The basic concept of the TRANC is the full conversion of all Nr to nitrogen monoxide (NO) within two reaction steps. Initially, reduced Nr compounds are being oxidised, and oxidised Nr compounds are thermally converted to lower oxidation states. Particulate Nr is being sublimated and oxidised or reduced afterwards. In a second step, remaining higher nitrogen oxides or those generated in the first step are catalytically converted to NO with carbon monoxide used as reduction gas. The converter is combined with a fast response chemiluminescence detector (CLD) for NO analysis and its performance was tested for the most relevant gaseous and particulate Nr species under both laboratory and field conditions. Recovery rates during laboratory tests for NH3 and NO2 were found to be 95 and 99%, respectively, and 97% when the two gases were combined. In-field longterm stability over an 11-month period was approved by a value of 91% for NO2. Effective conversion was also found for ammonium and nitrate containing particles. The recovery rate of total ambient Nr was tested against the sum of individual measurements of NH3, HNO3, HONO, NH4+, NO3-, and NOx using a combination of different well-established devices. The results show that the TRANC-CLD system precisely captures fluctuations in ∑Nr concentrations and also matches the sum of all individual Nr compounds measured by the different single techniques. The TRANC features a specific design with very short distance between the sample air inlet and the place where the thermal and catalytic

Timing of Re-Transfusion Drain Removal Following Total Knee Replacement

Science.gov (United States)

Leeman, MF; Costa, ML; Costello, E; Edwards, D

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTION The use of postoperative drains following total knee replacement (TKR) has recently been modified by the use of re-transfusion drains. The aim of our study was to investigate the optimal time for removal of re-transfusion drains following TKR. PATIENTS AND METHODS The medical records of 66 patients who had a TKR performed between October 2003 and October 2004 were reviewed; blood drained before 6 h and the total volume of blood drained was recorded. RESULTS A total of 56 patients had complete records of postoperative drainage. The mean volume of blood collected in the drain in the first 6 h was 442 ml. The mean total volume of blood in the drain was 595 ml. Therefore, of the blood drained, 78% was available for transfusion. CONCLUSION Re-transfusion drains should be removed after 6 h, when no further re-transfusion is permissible. PMID:16551400

Status report and measurement of total cross-sections at the Pohang Neutron Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, G.N.; Meaze, A.K.M.M.H.; Ahmed, H.

2004-01-01

We report the status of the Pohang Neutron Facility which consists of an electron linear accelerator, a water-cooled Ta target, and an 11-m time-of-flight path. It has been equipped with a four-position sample changer controlled remotely by a CAMAC data acquisition system, which allows simultaneous accumulation of the neutron time of flight spectra from 4 different detectors. It is possible to measure the neutron total cross-sections in the neutron energy range from 0.1 eV to 100 eV by using the neutron time of flight method. A 6 LiZnS(Ag) glass scintillator was used as a neutron detector. The neutron flight path from the water-cooled Ta target to the neutron detector was 10.81±0.02 m. The background level was determined by using notch-filters of Co, In, Ta, and Cd sheets. In order to reduce the gamma rays from Bremsstrahlung and those from neutron capture, we employed a neutron-gamma separation system based on their different pulse shapes. The present measurements are in general agreement with the evaluated data in ENDF/B-VI. The resonance parameters were extracted from the transmission data from the SAMMY fitting and compared with the previous ones. (author)

An improved reference measurement procedure for triglycerides and total glycerides in human serum by isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yizhao; Liu, Qinde; Yong, Sharon; Teo, Hui Ling; Lee, Tong Kooi

2014-01-20

Triglycerides are widely tested in clinical laboratories using enzymatic methods for lipid profiling. As enzymatic methods can be affected by interferences from biological samples, this together with the non-specific nature of triglycerides measurement makes it necessary to verify the accuracy of the test results with a reference measurement procedure. Several such measurement procedures had been published. These procedures generally involved lengthy and laborious sample preparation steps. In this paper, an improved reference measurement procedure for triglycerides and total glycerides was reported which simplifies the sample preparation steps and greatly shortens the time taken. The procedure was based on isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (IDGC-MS)with tripalmitin as the calibration standard. Serum samples were first spiked with isotope-labeled tripalmitin. For the measurement of triglycerides, the serum samples were subjected to lipid extraction followed by separation of triglycerides from diglycerides and monoglycerides. Triglycerides were then hydrolyzed to glycerol, derivatized and injected into the GC–MS for quantification. For the measurement of total glycerides, the serum samples were hydrolyzed directly and derivatized before injection into the GC-MS for quantification. All measurement results showed good precision with CV triglycerides and total glycerides were well within the certified ranges of the CRM, with deviation triglycerides and total glycerides.

Direct Measurements of Smartphone Screen-Time: Relationships with Demographics and Sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Matthew A; Bettencourt, Laura; Kaye, Leanne; Moturu, Sai T; Nguyen, Kaylin T; Olgin, Jeffrey E; Pletcher, Mark J; Marcus, Gregory M

2016-01-01

Smartphones are increasingly integrated into everyday life, but frequency of use has not yet been objectively measured and compared to demographics, health information, and in particular, sleep quality. The aim of this study was to characterize smartphone use by measuring screen-time directly, determine factors that are associated with increased screen-time, and to test the hypothesis that increased screen-time is associated with poor sleep. We performed a cross-sectional analysis in a subset of 653 participants enrolled in the Health eHeart Study, an internet-based longitudinal cohort study open to any interested adult (≥ 18 years). Smartphone screen-time (the number of minutes in each hour the screen was on) was measured continuously via smartphone application. For each participant, total and average screen-time were computed over 30-day windows. Average screen-time specifically during self-reported bedtime hours and sleeping period was also computed. Demographics, medical information, and sleep habits (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI) were obtained by survey. Linear regression was used to obtain effect estimates. Total screen-time over 30 days was a median 38.4 hours (IQR 21.4 to 61.3) and average screen-time over 30 days was a median 3.7 minutes per hour (IQR 2.2 to 5.5). Younger age, self-reported race/ethnicity of Black and "Other" were associated with longer average screen-time after adjustment for potential confounders. Longer average screen-time was associated with shorter sleep duration and worse sleep-efficiency. Longer average screen-times during bedtime and the sleeping period were associated with poor sleep quality, decreased sleep efficiency, and longer sleep onset latency. These findings on actual smartphone screen-time build upon prior work based on self-report and confirm that adults spend a substantial amount of time using their smartphones. Screen-time differs across age and race, but is similar across socio-economic strata suggesting that

Direct Measurements of Smartphone Screen-Time: Relationships with Demographics and Sleep.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew A Christensen

Full Text Available Smartphones are increasingly integrated into everyday life, but frequency of use has not yet been objectively measured and compared to demographics, health information, and in particular, sleep quality.The aim of this study was to characterize smartphone use by measuring screen-time directly, determine factors that are associated with increased screen-time, and to test the hypothesis that increased screen-time is associated with poor sleep.We performed a cross-sectional analysis in a subset of 653 participants enrolled in the Health eHeart Study, an internet-based longitudinal cohort study open to any interested adult (≥ 18 years. Smartphone screen-time (the number of minutes in each hour the screen was on was measured continuously via smartphone application. For each participant, total and average screen-time were computed over 30-day windows. Average screen-time specifically during self-reported bedtime hours and sleeping period was also computed. Demographics, medical information, and sleep habits (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI were obtained by survey. Linear regression was used to obtain effect estimates.Total screen-time over 30 days was a median 38.4 hours (IQR 21.4 to 61.3 and average screen-time over 30 days was a median 3.7 minutes per hour (IQR 2.2 to 5.5. Younger age, self-reported race/ethnicity of Black and "Other" were associated with longer average screen-time after adjustment for potential confounders. Longer average screen-time was associated with shorter sleep duration and worse sleep-efficiency. Longer average screen-times during bedtime and the sleeping period were associated with poor sleep quality, decreased sleep efficiency, and longer sleep onset latency.These findings on actual smartphone screen-time build upon prior work based on self-report and confirm that adults spend a substantial amount of time using their smartphones. Screen-time differs across age and race, but is similar across socio-economic strata

Total sleep time severely drops during adolescence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien Leger

Full Text Available UNLABELLED: Restricted sleep duration among young adults and adolescents has been shown to increase the risk of morbidities such as obesity, diabetes or accidents. However there are few epidemiological studies on normal total sleep time (TST in representative groups of teen-agers which allow to get normative data. PURPOSE: To explore perceived total sleep time on schooldays (TSTS and non schooldays (TSTN and the prevalence of sleep initiating insomnia among a nationally representative sample of teenagers. METHODS: Data from 9,251 children aged 11 to 15 years-old, 50.7% of which were boys, as part of the cross-national study 2011 HBSC were analyzed. Self-completion questionnaires were administered in classrooms. An estimate of TSTS and TSTN (week-ends and vacations was calculated based on specifically designed sleep habits report. Sleep deprivation was estimated by a TSTN - TSTS difference >2 hours. Sleep initiating nsomnia was assessed according to International classification of sleep disorders (ICSD 2. Children who reported sleeping 7 hours or less per night were considered as short sleepers. RESULTS: A serious drop of TST was observed between 11 yo and 15 yo, both during the schooldays (9 hours 26 minutes vs. 7 h 55 min.; p<0.001 and at a lesser extent during week-ends (10 h 17 min. vs. 9 h 44 min.; p<0.001. Sleep deprivation concerned 16.0% of chidren aged of 11 yo vs. 40.5% of those of 15 yo (p<0.001. Too short sleep was reported by 2.6% of the 11 yo vs. 24.6% of the 15 yo (p<0.001. CONCLUSION: Despite the obvious need for sleep in adolescence, TST drastically decreases with age among children from 11 to 15 yo which creates significant sleep debt increasing with age.

'Stutter timing' for charge decay time measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chubb, John; Harbour, John; Pavey, Ian

2011-01-01

The paper describes the approach of 'stutter timing' that has been developed to improve the accuracy of measuring charge decay times in the presence of noise in compact and portable charge decay test instrumentation. The approach involves starting and stopping the timing clock as the noisy signal rises above and falls below the target threshold voltage level.

The neutron total cross-section measurement of 56Fe and 57Fe by using Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun Ae; Shvetsov, Valery; Cho, Moo Hyun; Won, Nam Kung; Kim, Kwang Soo; Yang, Sung Chul; Lee, Man Woo; Kim, Guin Yun; Yi, Kyoung Rak; Choi, Hong Yub; Ro, Tae Ik; Mizumoto, Motoharu; Katabuchi, Tatsuya; Igashira, Masayuki

2012-01-01

The measurement of neutron cross section using Time-Of-Flight (TOF) method gives significant information for the nuclear data research. In the present work, the neutron total cross section of 56 Fe and 57 Fe has been measured in the energy range between 10 eV and 100 keV by using the neutron beam produced from 3-GeV proton synchrotron accelerator. The 3-GeV proton synchrotron accelerator is located at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) facility in Tokai village. In this study, the neutron total cross section data measured by 6 Li glass scintillator detector was compared with the evaluated values of ENDF/B-VII.0

Helium Mass Spectrometer Leak Detection: A Method to Quantify Total Measurement Uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Mather, Janice L.; Taylor, Shawn C.

2015-01-01

In applications where leak rates of components or systems are evaluated against a leak rate requirement, the uncertainty of the measured leak rate must be included in the reported result. However, in the helium mass spectrometer leak detection method, the sensitivity, or resolution, of the instrument is often the only component of the total measurement uncertainty noted when reporting results. To address this shortfall, a measurement uncertainty analysis method was developed that includes the leak detector unit's resolution, repeatability, hysteresis, and drift, along with the uncertainty associated with the calibration standard. In a step-wise process, the method identifies the bias and precision components of the calibration standard, the measurement correction factor (K-factor), and the leak detector unit. Together these individual contributions to error are combined and the total measurement uncertainty is determined using the root-sum-square method. It was found that the precision component contributes more to the total uncertainty than the bias component, but the bias component is not insignificant. For helium mass spectrometer leak rate tests where unit sensitivity alone is not enough, a thorough evaluation of the measurement uncertainty such as the one presented herein should be performed and reported along with the leak rate value.

Development of Real-Time Measurement of Effective Dose for High Dose Rate Neutron Fields

CERN Document Server

Braby, L A; Reece, W D

2003-01-01

Studies of the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation require sources of radiation which are well characterized in terms of the dose and the quality of the radiation. One of the best measures of the quality of neutron irradiation is the dose mean lineal energy. At very low dose rates this can be determined by measuring individual energy deposition events, and calculating the dose mean of the event size. However, at the dose rates that are normally required for biology experiments, the individual events can not be separated by radiation detectors. However, the total energy deposited in a specified time interval can be measured. This total energy has a random variation which depends on the size of the individual events, so the dose mean lineal energy can be calculated from the variance of repeated measurements of the energy deposited in a fixed time. We have developed a specialized charge integration circuit for the measurement of the charge produced in a small ion chamber in typical neutron irradiation exp...

Measurement of the total solar energy transmittance (g-value) for conventional glazings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duer, Karsten

1998-01-01

Three different glazings have been investigated in the Danish experimental setup METSET. (A device for calorimetric measurement of total solar energy transmittance - g-value).The purpose of the measurements is to increase the confidence in the calorimetric measurements. This is done by comparison...

Measuring total health inequality: adding individual variation to group-level differences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gakidou Emmanuela

2002-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies have revealed large variations in average health status across social, economic, and other groups. No study exists on the distribution of the risk of ill-health across individuals, either within groups or across all people in a society, and as such a crucial piece of total health inequality has been overlooked. Some of the reason for this neglect has been that the risk of death, which forms the basis for most measures, is impossible to observe directly and difficult to estimate. Methods We develop a measure of total health inequality – encompassing all inequalities among people in a society, including variation between and within groups – by adapting a beta-binomial regression model. We apply it to children under age two in 50 low- and middle-income countries. Our method has been adopted by the World Health Organization and is being implemented in surveys around the world; preliminary estimates have appeared in the World Health Report (2000. Results Countries with similar average child mortality differ considerably in total health inequality. Liberia and Mozambique have the largest inequalities in child survival, while Colombia, the Philippines and Kazakhstan have the lowest levels among the countries measured. Conclusions Total health inequality estimates should be routinely reported alongside average levels of health in populations and groups, as they reveal important policy-related information not otherwise knowable. This approach enables meaningful comparisons of inequality across countries and future analyses of the determinants of inequality.

Measurement of total-body oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon in vivo by photon activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulin, K.

1984-01-01

With the aim of assessing nutritional status, the feasibility of measuring the total body quantities of the major body elements, i.e. oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon, using the photon beam of a 45 MV betatron and a whole-body counter, has been evaluated in detail. Following photon activation a single energy γ-radiation (.511 MeV) is observed from all three elements to be measured. The half-lives of 15 O, 13 N, and 11 C, however, are sufficiently different (20.5 min, 10.0 min, and 20.4 min. respectively) to permit their measurement from an analysis of the measured decay curve. Following corrections for interfering reactions, a computer curve-fitting algorithm is used to resolve the data into 15 O, 13 N, and 11 C components. Measurements of O, N, and C have been made both in phantoms and in live and dead rats. A comparison of the body composition results from this technique with results from chemical analysis indicates that measured carbon can quite accurately predict total body fat. The comparison of the total body nitrogen measurement by photon activation with total body protein by chemical analysis was inconclusive and suggests that further work be done to verify the estimated accuracy of the nitrogen measurement

Ultrasound-assisted extraction for total sulphur measurement in mine tailings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, Adnan Hossain, E-mail: ad_li2@yahoo.com [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Western Ontario (Canada); Shang, Julie Q.; Alam, Raquibul [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Western Ontario (Canada)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We develop a total sulphur measuring procedure of mine tailings. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ultrasound is used in the sample pre-treatment process. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Full factorial design is applied to identify the best level of effecting factors. - Abstract: A sample preparation method for percentage recovery of total sulphur (%S) in reactive mine tailings based on ultrasound-assisted digestion (USAD) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was developed. The influence of various methodological factors was screened by employing a two-level and three-factor (2{sup 3}) full factorial design and using KZK-1, a sericite schist certified reference material (CRM), to find the optimal combination of studied factors and %S. Factors such as the sonication time, temperature and acid combination were studied, with the best result identified as 20 min of sonication, 80 Degree-Sign C temperature and 1 ml of HNO{sub 3}:1 ml of HCl, which can achieve 100% recovery for the selected CRM. Subsequently a fraction of the 2{sup 3} full factorial design was applied to mine tailings. The percentage relative standard deviation (%RSD) for the ultrasound method is less than 3.0% for CRM and less than 6% for the mine tailings. The investigated method was verified by X-ray diffraction analysis. The USAD method compared favorably with existing methods such as hot plate assisted digestion method, X-ray fluorescence and LECO Trade-Mark-Sign -CNS method.

Methods and results of reconstruction of 131I concentration in milk from total beta-activity measurements in Belarus after Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savkin, Mikhail; Shinkarev, Sergey; Titov, Alexey

2008-01-01

Full text: During the first few weeks following the Chernobyl accident a large scale monitoring of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs locally produced was carried out in the most contaminated areas of Belarus. Due to a lack of spectrometric instruments, radiometric devices (DP-100) were used for beta activity measurements mostly of milk and milk products. Because the intake of 131 I with milk was the main contributor of the thyroid dose for the Belarus population, it is very important to reconstruct levels of 131 I in milk for Belarus settlements. The purpose of the paper is to present the methods and results of assessing the 13I concentration in milk based on historical records of total-beta activity measurements carried out in April-June 1986 in Belarus. The results of reconstruction of the 131 I concentration in milk will be used in on-going epidemiologic studies of a cohort of Belarus children. About 20,000 total-beta activity measurements were used in the analysis; for about 50% of those, the measurement result exceeded the minimum detectable activity. Estimates of 131 I concentration in milk at the date of sampling and of time-integrated milk concentrations were reconstructed for 482 settlements in Gomel Oblast and for 100 settlements in Mogilev Oblast, the most contaminated areas in Belarus, where at least one milk measurement was available. The assessment of the 131 I concentrations in milk involved: 1) An analysis of the calibration coefficients of the detectors for radionuclides available in milk (the main radionuclides were 131 I, 132 4Cs, 137 Cs, 89 Sr, 90 Sr); and 2) An assessment of the relative activity distribution of those radionuclides in milk. Only measurements made before 21 May 1986 were considered to be reliable, as the measurements conducted late May and in June were found to be unreliable because of the decrease in 131 I concentrations and the growing influence of other radionuclides with longer half-lives. Analysis of multiple

Optimal distribution of integration time for intensity measurements in degree of linear polarization polarimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaobo; Hu, Haofeng; Liu, Tiegen; Huang, Bingjing; Song, Zhanjie

2016-04-04

We consider the degree of linear polarization (DOLP) polarimetry system, which performs two intensity measurements at orthogonal polarization states to estimate DOLP. We show that if the total integration time of intensity measurements is fixed, the variance of the DOLP estimator depends on the distribution of integration time for two intensity measurements. Therefore, by optimizing the distribution of integration time, the variance of the DOLP estimator can be decreased. In this paper, we obtain the closed-form solution of the optimal distribution of integration time in an approximate way by employing Delta method and Lagrange multiplier method. According to the theoretical analyses and real-world experiments, it is shown that the variance of the DOLP estimator can be decreased for any value of DOLP. The method proposed in this paper can effectively decrease the measurement variance and thus statistically improve the measurement accuracy of the polarimetry system.

ASIC for time-of-flight measurements with picosecond timing resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stankova, Vera; Shen, Wei; Harion, Tobias [Kirchhoff-Institute for Physics, Heidelberg Univ. (Germany)

2015-07-01

The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images are especially affected by a high level of noise. This noise affects the potential to detect and discriminate the tumor in relation to the background. Including Time-of-Flight information, with picosecond time resolution, within the conventional PET scanners will improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and in sequence the quality of the medical images. A mix-mode ASIC (STIC3) has been developed for high precision timing measurements with Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM). The STiC3 is 64-channel chip, with fully differential analog front-end for crosstalk and electronic noise immunity. It integrates Time to Digital Converters (TDC) with time binning of 50.2 ps for time and energy measurements. Measurements of the of the analog front-end show a time jitter less than 20 ps and jitter of the TDC together with the digital part is around 37 ps. Further the timing of a channel has been tested by injecting a pulse into two channels and measuring the time difference of the recorded timestamps. A Coincidence Time Resolution (CTR) of 215 ps FWHM has been obtained with 3.1 x 3.1 x 15 mm{sup 2} LYSO:Ce scintillator crystals and Hamamatsu SiPM matric (S12643-050CN(x)). Characterization measurements with the chip and its performances are presented.

Precise Measurement of the $\\bar{p}p$ Total Cross-Section in the ISR Energy Range

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

The major aim of this experiment is the precise measurement of the antiproton-proton total cross-section in the ISR energy range, using the total-rate method. The proton-proton total cross-section is remeasured with the same method and the same apparatus, and a precision of 0.5\\% is expected for both cross-sections. The total-rate method consists in the simultaneous measurement of the total interaction rate and the ISR luminosity. This is done with a set of scintillation-counter hodoscopes covering over 99.99\\% of the solid angle, which are sensitive to over 95\\% of all interactions. In addition to these detectors, small-angle drift-tube hodoscopes are used to measure the differential elastic cross-section as a function of the momentum transfert t. The total cross-section can be measured independently by extrapolating this differential cross-section to the forward direction and invoking the optical theorem. A study of the general features of charged-particle production is performed using finely divided scinti...

[Determination of total and segmental colonic transit time in constipated children].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shu-cheng; Wang, Wei-lin; Bai, Yu-zuo; Yuan, Zheng-wei; Wang, Wei

2003-03-01

To determine the total and segmental colonic transit time of normal Chinese children and to explore its value in constipation in children. The subjects involved in this study were divided into 2 groups. One group was control, which had 33 healthy children (21 males and 12 females) aged 2 - 13 years (mean 5 years). The other was constipation group, which had 25 patients (15 males and 10 females) aged 3 - 14 years (mean 7 years) with constipation according to Benninga's criteria. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of each subject. In this study the simplified method of radio opaque markers was used to determine the total gastrointestinal transit time and segmental colonic transit time of the normal and constipated children, and in part of these patients X-ray defecography was also used. The total gastrointestinal transit time (TGITT), right colonic transit time (RCTT), left colonic transit time (LCTT) and rectosigmoid colonic transit time (RSTT) of the normal children were 28.7 +/- 7.7 h, 7.5 +/- 3.2 h, 6.5 +/- 3.8 h and 13.4 +/- 5.6 h, respectively. In the constipated children, the TGITT, LCTT and RSTT were significantly longer than those in controls (92.2 +/- 55.5 h vs 28.7 +/- 7.7 h, P < 0.001; 16.9 +/- 12.6 h vs 6.5 +/- 3.8 h, P < 0.01; 61.5 +/- 29.0 h vs 13.4 +/- 5.6 h, P < 0.001), while the RCTT had no significant difference. X-ray defecography demonstrated one rectocele, one perineal descent syndrome and one puborectal muscle syndrome, respectively. The TGITT, RCTT, LCTT and RSTT of the normal children were 28.7 +/- 7.7 h, 7.5 +/- 3.2 h, 6.5 +/- 3.8 h and 13.4 +/- 5.6 h, respectively. With the segmental colonic transit time, constipation can be divided into four types: slow-transit constipation, outlet obstruction, mixed type and normal transit constipation. X-ray defecography can demonstrate the anatomical or dynamic abnormalities within the anorectal area, with which constipation can be further divided into different subtypes, and

Feasibility study of helical tomotherapy for total body or total marrow irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hui, Susanta K.; Kapatoes, Jeff; Fowler, Jack; Henderson, Douglas; Olivera, Gustavo; Manon, Rafael R.; Gerbi, Bruce; Mackie, T. R.; Welsh, James S.

2005-01-01

Total body radiation (TBI) has been used for many years as a preconditioning agent before bone marrow transplantation. Many side effects still plague its use. We investigated the planning and delivery of total body irradiation (TBI) and selective total marrow irradiation (TMI) and a reduced radiation dose to sensitive structures using image-guided helical tomotherapy. To assess the feasibility of using helical tomotherapy (A) we studied variations in pitch, field width, and modulation factor on total body and total marrow helical tomotherapy treatments. We varied these parameters to provide a uniform dose along with a treatment times similar to conventional TBI (15-30 min). (B) We also investigated limited (head, chest, and pelvis) megavoltage CT (MVCT) scanning for the dimensional pretreatment setup verification rather than total body MVCT scanning to shorten the overall treatment time per treatment fraction. (C) We placed thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) inside a Rando phantom to measure the dose at seven anatomical sites, including the lungs. A simulated TBI treatment showed homogeneous dose coverage (±10%) to the whole body. Doses to the sensitive organs were reduced by 35%-70% of the target dose. TLD measurements on Rando showed an accurate dose delivery (±7%) to the target and critical organs. In the TMI study, the dose was delivered conformally to the bone marrow only. The TBI and TMI treatment delivery time was reduced (by 50%) by increasing the field width from 2.5 to 5.0 cm in the inferior-superior direction. A limited MVCT reduced the target localization time 60% compared to whole body MVCT. MVCT image-guided helical tomotherapy offers a novel method to deliver a precise, homogeneous radiation dose to the whole body target while reducing the dose significantly to all critical organs. A judicious selection of pitch, modulation factor, and field size is required to produce a homogeneous dose distribution along with an acceptable treatment time. In

Comparison of total protein concentration in skeletal muscle as measured by the Bradford and Lowry assays.

Science.gov (United States)

Seevaratnam, Rajini; Patel, Barkha P; Hamadeh, Mazen J

2009-06-01

The Lowry and Bradford assays are the most commonly used methods of total protein quantification, yet vary in several aspects. To date, no comparisons have been made in skeletal muscle. We compared total protein concentrations of mouse red and white gastrocnemius, reagent stability, protein stability and range of linearity using both assays. The Lowry averaged protein concentrations 15% higher than the Bradford with a moderate correlation (r = 0.36, P = 0.01). However, Bland-Altman analysis revealed considerable bias (15.8 +/- 29.7%). Both Lowry reagents and its protein-reagent interactions were less stable over time than the Bradford. The linear range of concentration was smaller for the Lowry (0.05-0.50 mg/ml) than the Bradford (0-2.0 mg/ml). We conclude that the Bradford and Lowry measures of total protein concentration in skeletal muscle are not interchangeable. The Bradford and Lowry assays have various strengths and weaknesses in terms of substance interference and protein size. However, the Bradford provides greater reagent stability, protein-reagent stability and range of linearity, and requires less time to analyse compared to the Lowry assay.

Time-resolved measurements of luminescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collier, Bradley B. [Department of Biomedical Engineering, 408 Mechanical Engineering Office Building, Spence Street, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); McShane, Michael J., E-mail: mcshane@tamu.edu [Department of Biomedical Engineering, 408 Mechanical Engineering Office Building, Spence Street, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Materials Science and Engineering Program, 408 Mechanical Engineering Office Building, Spence Street, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States)

2013-12-15

Luminescence sensing and imaging has become more widespread in recent years in a variety of industries including the biomedical and environmental fields. Measurements of luminescence lifetime hold inherent advantages over intensity-based response measurements, and advances in both technology and methods have enabled their use in a broader spectrum of applications including real-time medical diagnostics. This review will focus on recent advances in analytical methods, particularly calculation techniques, including time- and frequency-domain lifetime approaches as well as other time-resolved measurements of luminescence. -- Highlights: • Developments in technology have led to widespread use of luminescence lifetime. • Growing interest for sensing and imaging applications. • Recent advances in approaches to lifetime calculations are reviewed. • Advantages and disadvantages of various methods are weighed. • Other methods for measurement of luminescence lifetime also described.

Time-resolved measurements of luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, Bradley B.; McShane, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Luminescence sensing and imaging has become more widespread in recent years in a variety of industries including the biomedical and environmental fields. Measurements of luminescence lifetime hold inherent advantages over intensity-based response measurements, and advances in both technology and methods have enabled their use in a broader spectrum of applications including real-time medical diagnostics. This review will focus on recent advances in analytical methods, particularly calculation techniques, including time- and frequency-domain lifetime approaches as well as other time-resolved measurements of luminescence. -- Highlights: • Developments in technology have led to widespread use of luminescence lifetime. • Growing interest for sensing and imaging applications. • Recent advances in approaches to lifetime calculations are reviewed. • Advantages and disadvantages of various methods are weighed. • Other methods for measurement of luminescence lifetime also described

A gravimetric method for the measurement of total spontaneous activity in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Biesiadecki, B J; Brand, P H; Koch, L G; Britton, S L

1999-10-01

Currently available methods for the measurement of spontaneous activity of laboratory animals require expensive, specialized equipment and may not be suitable for use in low light conditions with nocturnal species. We developed a gravimetric method that uses common laboratory equipment to quantify the total spontaneous activity of rats and is suitable for use in the dark. The rat in its home cage is placed on a top-loading electronic balance interfaced to a computer. Movements are recorded by the balance as changes in weight and transmitted to the computer at 10 Hz. Data are analyzed on-line to derive the absolute value of the difference in weight between consecutive samples, and the one-second average of the absolute values is calculated. The averages are written to file for off-line analysis and summed over the desired observation period to provide a measure of total spontaneous activity. The results of in vitro experiments demonstrated that: 1) recorded weight changes were not influenced by position of the weight on the bottom of the cage, 2) values recorded from a series of weight changes were not significantly different from the calculated values, 3) the constantly decreasing force exerted by a swinging pendulum placed on the balance was accurately recorded, 4) the measurement of activity was not influenced by the evaporation of a fluid such as urine, and 5) the method can detect differences in the activity of sleeping and waking rats over a 10-min period, as well as during 4-hr intervals recorded during active (night-time) and inactive (daytime) periods. These results demonstrate that this method provides an inexpensive, accurate, and noninvasive method to quantitate the spontaneous activity of small animals.

Towards a Total Cross Section Measurement with the ALFA Detector at ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Trzebiński, Maciej

2013-01-01

The main goals of the Absolute Luminosity For ATLAS (ALFA) detector is to provide an absolute luminosity and total cross section measurement. The measurement method used, the detector alignment and the quality of the collected data are discussed.

The measurement of ultraviolet radiation and sunburn time over southern Ontario

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, W. F. J.

1994-01-01

Studies of the depletion of ozone which have been conducted from the TOMS instrument on the NIMBUS 7 satellite indicate that total ozone has declined by 5 percent over the last 12 years at most mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere typical of southern Ontario. The measurement of the actual resultant increases in UVB is now important. A monitoring program of UVB (biologically active solar ultraviolet radiation) has been conducted for the last 24 months at a site near Bolton, Ontario. The sunburn time varies from less than 17 minutes in late July, to over 4 hours in December on clear days. The levels depend on solar insolation and total ozone column. The ultraviolet levels are strongly affected by cloud and sky conditions. The implications of present and future depletion on the sunburn time are discussed.

Total uncertainty of low velocity thermal anemometers for measurement of indoor air movements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, F.; Popiolek, Z.; Melikov, Arsen Krikor

2004-01-01

For a specific thermal anemometer with omnidirectional velocity sensor the expanded total uncertainty in measured mean velocity Û(Vmean) and the expanded total uncertainty in measured turbulence intensity Û(Tu) due to different error sources are estimated. The values are based on a previously...... developed mathematical model of the anemometer in combination with a large database of representative room flows measured with a 3-D Laser Doppler anemometer (LDA). A direct comparison between measurements with a thermal anemometer and a 3-D LDA in flows of varying velocity and turbulence intensity shows...... good agreement not only between the two instruments but also between the thermal anemometer and its mathematical model. The differences in the measurements performed with the two instruments are all well within the measurement uncertainty of both anemometers....

Is direct measurement of time possible?

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Thomas

2017-08-01

Is direct measurement of time possible? The answer to this question may depend upon how one understands time. Is time an essential constituent of physical reality? Or is what scientists are talking about when they use the symbol ‘t’ or the word ‘time’ an human cultural construct, as the Chief of the USA NIST Divisions of Time and Frequency and of Quantum Physics has suggested. Few aspects of physics do not reference activity to time, but many discussions within either view of time seem to use one same, largely traditional, language of time. Briefly considering the question of measurement, including from a formal measure-theoretic point of view, clarifies the situation.

Measurements of the total neutron cross-sections of U and UO2 below 2 eV at different temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adib, M.; Maayouf, R.M.A.; Abdel-Kawy, A.; Ashry, A.; Abbas, Y.; Abu-Zahra, A.; Hamouda, I.

1982-11-01

The total neutron cross-sections of natural uranium and its oxide are measured using two time of flight spectrometers, installed in front of two of the ET-RR-1 reactor horizontal channels, and also by a neutron diffraction spectrometer. The measurements were carried out at room temperature in the energy range from 2 eV-0.002 eV and at 210 deg. C, for neutron energies below 0.005 eV. The coherent scattering cross-section of U was deduced both from the Bragg cut-offs observed in the behaviour of the total neutron cross-section of both U and UO 2 at cold neutron energies and the neutron diffraction pattern obtained at room temperature. (author)

Development of an immunoradiometric method for the measurement of total PSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatesh, M.; Korde, A.; Bapat, K.; Shukla, A.; Pillai, M.R.A.

1999-01-01

Development of an IRMA for total-PSA was taken up in our laboratories (Isotope Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India) and efforts were made to obtain monoclonals for PSA at our laboratory. Following the guidelines laid at the first meeting of this CRP we have used the reagents supplied by the Agency as well as our inhouse reagents, and attempted to develop assay procedures for measuring total-PSA in human sera

In vivo measurement of total body carbon using 238Pu/Be neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutcliffe, J.F.; Mitra, S.; Hill, G.L.

1990-01-01

Total body carbon has been measured by in vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNAA) in 278 surgical gastroenterological patients and 29 normal volunteers. This is based on the inelastic scattering reaction { 12 C(n,n') 12 C*} for neutrons with energy above 4.8MeV, producing 4.43 MeV gamma rays. Since only part of the body is scanned, total body carbon is estimated as the ratio of the gamma ray emission from carbon to the emission from hydrogen, using hydrogen as the internal standard. The precision of the estimate is ±1.6kg for a whole body dose of 0.3mSv. There is a significant difference between the estimates of total body water from IVNAA measurements of carbon and nitrogen and measurements of body water in these subjects by tritium dilution (t=3.1, p < 0.005). (author)

Timing of urinary catheter removal after uncomplicated total abdominal hysterectomy: a prospective randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Magdy R; Sayed Ahmed, Waleed A; Atwa, Khaled A; Metwally, Lobna

2014-05-01

To assess whether immediate (0h), intermediate (after 6h) or delayed (after 24h) removal of an indwelling urinary catheter after uncomplicated abdominal hysterectomy can affect the rate of re-catheterization due to urinary retention, rate of urinary tract infection, ambulation time and length of hospital stay. Prospective randomized controlled trial conducted at Suez Canal University Hospital, Egypt. Two hundred and twenty-one women underwent total abdominal hysterectomy for benign gynecological diseases and were randomly allocated into three groups. Women in group A (73 patients) had their urinary catheter removed immediately after surgery. Group B (81 patients) had the catheter removed 6h post-operatively while in group C (67 patients) the catheter was removed after 24h. The main outcome measures were the frequency of urinary retention, urinary tract infections, ambulation time and length of hospital stay. There was a significantly higher number of urinary retention episodes requiring re-catheterization in the immediate removal group compared to the intermediate and delayed removal groups (16.4% versus 2.5% and 0% respectively). Delayed urinary catheter removal was associated with a higher incidence of urinary tract infections (15%), delayed ambulation time (10.3h) and longer hospital stay (5.6 days) compared to the early (1.4%, 4.1h and 3.2 days respectively) and intermediate (3.7%, 6.8h and 3.4 days respectively) removal groups. Removal of the urinary catheter 6h postoperatively appears to be more advantageous than early or late removal in cases of uncomplicated total abdominal hysterectomy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Argon intermolecular potential from a measurement of the total scattering cross-section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, Y.W.

1975-01-01

An inversion method to obtain accurate intermolecular potentials from experimental total cross section measurements is presented. This method is based on the high energy Massey--Smith approximation. The attractive portion of the potential is represented by a multi-parameter spline function and the repulsive part by a Morse function. The best fit potential is obtained by a least squares minimization based on comparison of experimental cross sections with those obtained by a Fourier transform of the reduced Massey--Smith phase shift curve. An experimental method was developed to obtain the total cross sections needed for the above inversion procedure. In this technique, integral cross sections are measured at various resolutions and the total cross section is obtained by extrapolating to infinite resolution. Experimental results obtained for the Ar--Ar system are in excellent agreement with total cross sections calculated using the Barker-Fisher-Watts potential. Inversion of the data to obtain a potential distinguishable from the BFW-potential requires an extension of the method based on the Massey--Smith approximation to permit use of JWKB phase shifts and was not attempted

Measurement of the helicity-dependent total cross-section for the {gamma}n{yields} p {pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup 0} reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahrens, J.; Arends, H.J.; Beck, R.; Heid, E.; Jahn, O.; Lang, M.; Martinez-Fabregate, M.; Tamas, G.; Thomas, A. [Universitaet Mainz, Institut fuer Kernphysik, Mainz (Germany); Altieri, S.; Panzeri, A.; Pinelli, T. [INFN, Sezione di Pavia, Pavia (Italy); Universita di Pavia, Dipartimento di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica, Pavia (Italy); Annand, J.R.M.; McGeorge, J.C.; Protopopescu, D.; Rosner, G. [University of Glasgow, SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Blackston, M.A.; Weller, H.R. [Duke University, Department of Physics, Durham, NC (United States); Bradtke, C.; Dutz, H.; Klein, F.; Rohlof, C. [Universitaet Bonn, Physikalisches Institut, Bonn (Germany); Braghieri, A.; Pedroni, P. [INFN, Sezione di Pavia, Pavia (Italy); Hose, N. d' [DSM/DAPNIA/SPhN, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Fix, A. [Tomsk Polytechnic University, Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Kondratiev, R.; Lisin, V. [Academy of Science, INR, Moscow (Russian Federation); Meyer, W.; Reicherz, G. [Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Insitut fuer Experimentalphysik, Bochum (Germany); Rostomyan, T. [Universiteit Gent, Subatomaire en Stralingsfysica, Gent (Belgium); INFN, Sezione di Pavia, Pavia (Italy); Ryckbosch, D. [Universiteit Gent, Subatomaire en Stralingsfysica, Gent (Belgium)

2011-03-15

The helicity dependence of the total cross-section for the {gamma}n{yields}p{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup 0} reaction has been measured for the first time at incident photon energies from 450 to 800MeV. The measurement was performed with the large-acceptance detector DAPHNE at the tagged photon beam facility of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz. Both the measured unpolarized and the helicity-dependent observables are not well described by the existing theoretical models. (orig.)

Outdoor time, physical activity, sedentary time, and health indicators at ages 7 to 14: 2012/2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Larouche, Richard; Garriguet, Didier; Gunnell, Katie E; Goldfield, Gary S; Tremblay, Mark S

2016-09-21

International data show that the majority of children and youth are not sufficiently active. According to recent research, children who spend more time outdoors accumulate more daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and engage in less sedentary behaviour. However, the generalizability of these findings is uncertain, and few studies investigated whether outdoor time is associated with other physical and psychosocial health indicators. This study examined associations between outdoor time and measures of physical activity, sedentary time, and physical and psychosocial health in a nationally representative sample of 7-to-14-year-olds (n = 1,159) who participated in the 2012/2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Physical activity and sedentary time were measured with Actical accelerometers. Direct measures of height, weight, waist circumference, grip strength, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glycohemoglobin were obtained. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial health. Relationships between outdoor time and physical health measures were examined with multi-variable linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, parental education, and household income. Logistic regression models controlling for the same variables were used for psychosocial health. Each additional hour spent outdoors per day was associated with 7.0 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, 762 more steps, and 13 fewer minutes of sedentary time. As well, each hour outdoors was associated with lower odds of negative psychosocial outcomes (specifically, peer relationship problems and total difficulties score). Outdoor time was not associated with any of the measures of physical health. Children reporting more time outdoors are more active, less sedentary, and less likely to have peer relationship problems, compared with those who spend less time outdoors.

Measuring device for control rod driving time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Kazuhiko; Hanabusa, Masatoshi.

1993-01-01

The present invention concerns a measuring device for control driving time having a function capable of measuring a selected control rod driving time and measuring an entire control rod driving time simultaneously. A calculation means and a store means for the selected rod control rod driving time, and a calculation means and a store means for the entire control rod driving time are disposed individually. Each of them measures the driving time and stores the data independent of each other based on a selected control rod insert ion signal and an entire control rod insertion signal. Even if insertion of selected and entire control rods overlaps, each of the control rod driving times can be measured reliably to provide an advantageous effect capable of more accurately conducting safety evaluation for the nuclear reactor based on the result of the measurement. (N.H.)

Fast neutron measurements at the nELBE time-of-flight facility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junghansa A. R.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The compact neutron-time-of-flight facility nELBE at the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf has been rebuilt. A new enlarged experimental hall with a flight path of up to 10 m is available for neutron time-of-flight experiments in the fast energy range from about 50 keV to 10 MeV. nELBE is intended to deliver nuclear data of fast neutron nuclear interactions e.g. for the transmutation of nuclear waste and improvement of neutron physical simulations of innovative nuclear systems. The experimental programme consists of transmission measurements of neutron total cross sections, elastic and inelastic scattering cross section measurements, and neutron induced fission cross sections. The inelastic scattering to the first few excited states in 56Fe was investigated by measuring the gamma production cross section with an HPGe detector. The neutron induced fission of 242Pu was studied using fast ionisation chambers with large homogeneous actinide deposits.

Fluoro-luminometric real-time measurement of bacterial viability and killing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehtinen, Janne; Virta, Marko; Lilius, Esa Matti

2003-10-01

The viability and killing of Escherichia coli was measured on a real-time basis using a fluoro-luminometric device, which allows successive measurements of fluorescence and bioluminescence without user intervention. Bacteria were made fluorescent and bioluminescent by expression of gfp and insect luciferase (lucFF) genes. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a highly fluorescent, extremely stable protein, which accumulates in cells during growth, and therefore the measured fluorescence signal was proportional to the total number of cells. The luciferase reaction is dependent of ATP produced by living cells, so that the bioluminescence level was a direct measure of the viable cells. In contrast to the bacterial luciferase, the insect luciferase uses a water-soluble and nonvolatile substrate, which makes automated multi-well microplate assay possible. For the validation of the assay, the proportion of living and dead cell populations was experimentally modified by incubating E. coli cells in the presence of various ethanol concentrations. Bacterial viability and killing measured by a fluoro-luminometric assay correlated fairly well with the reference methods: conventional plate counting, optical density measurement and various flow cytometric analyses. The real-time assay described here allows following the changes in bacterial cultures and assessing the bactericidal and other effects of various chemical, immunological and physical agents simultaneously in large numbers of samples.

Measurement of the total antioxidant response using a novel automated method in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Horoz, Mehmet; Bolukbas, Cengiz; Bolukbas, Fusun F; Sabuncu, Tevfik; Aslan, Mehmet; Sarifakiogullari, Serpil; Gunaydin, Necla; Erel, Ozcan

2005-11-11

Oxidative stress, an increase in oxidants and/or a decrease in antioxidant capacity, is one of the potential biochemical mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. We aimed to investigate the total antioxidant response using a novel automated method in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis subjects. As a reciprocal measure, we also aimed to determine total peroxide level in the same plasma samples. Twenty-two subjects with biopsy proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and 22 healthy controls were enrolled. Total antioxidant response and total peroxide level measurements were done in all participants. The ratio percentage of total peroxide level to total antioxidant response was regarded as oxidative stress index. Total antioxidant response of subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was significantly lower than controls (p total peroxide level and mean oxidative stress index were higher (all p total peroxide level, total antioxidant response and oxidative stress index (p 0.05). Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is associated with increased oxidant capacity, especially in the presence of liver fibrosis. The novel automated assay is a reliable and easily applicable method for total plasma antioxidant response measurement in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Real-time, in vivo measurement of radiation dose during radioimmunotherapy in mice using a miniature MOSFET dosimeter probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladstone, D.J.; Chin, L.M.

1995-01-01

This report presents the first real-time measurement of absorbed radiation dose during radioimmunotherapy in mice. Dose rate and total dose at the center of the tumor were measured after administration of 90 Y-labeled antibodies using a miniature metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor radiation dosimeter probe which was inserted into the center of the tumor volume. Continuous real-time measurements were made for as long as 23 h after injection of the radiolabeled antibodies. Comparison of the real-time dose-rate measurements with estimates based on the MIRD formalism indicates good agreement. The real-time measurements are further compared to measurements made in a second experiment in which groups of mice were sacrificed at individual times after injection of the same radiolabeled antibodies. The real-time measurements agree well with the measurements in excised tumors. The real-time measurements have greater time resolution and are much more efficient than traditional uptake measurements. 17 refs., 2 figs

Total and segmental colon transit time in constipated children assessed by scintigraphy with 111In-DTPA given orally.

Science.gov (United States)

Vattimo, A; Burroni, L; Bertelli, P; Messina, M; Meucci, D; Tota, G

1993-12-01

Serial colon scintigraphy using 111In-DTPA (2 MBq) given orally was performed in 39 children referred for constipation, and the total and segmental colon transit times were measured. The bowel movements during the study were recorded and the intervals between defecations (ID) were calculated. This method proved able to identify children with normal colon morphology (no. = 32) and those with dolichocolon (no. = 7). Normal children were not included for ethical reasons and we used the normal range determined by others using x-ray methods (29 +/- 4 hours). Total and segmental colon transit times were found to be prolonged in all children with dolichocolon (TC: 113.55 +/- 41.20 hours; RC: 39.85 +/- 26.39 hours; LC: 43.05 +/- 18.30 hours; RS: 30.66 +/- 26.89 hours). In the group of children with a normal colon shape, 13 presented total and segmental colon transit times within the referred normal value (TC: 27.79 +/- 4.10 hours; RC: 9.11 +/- 2.53 hours; LC: 9.80 +/- 3.50 hours; RS: 8.88 +/- 4.09 hours) and normal bowel function (ID: 23.37 +/- 5.93 hours). In the remaining children, 5 presented prolonged retention in the rectum (RS: 53.36 +/- 29.66 hours), and 14 a prolonged transit time in all segments. A good correlation was found between the transit time and bowel function. From the point of view of radiation dosimetry, the most heavily irradiated organs were the lower large intestine and the ovaries, and the level of radiation burden depended on the colon transit time. We can conclude that the described method results safe, accurate and fully diagnostic.

Increased Total Anesthetic Time Leads to Higher Rates of Surgical Site Infections in Spinal Fusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Puffer, Ross C; Murphy, Meghan; Maloney, Patrick; Kor, Daryl; Nassr, Ahmad; Freedman, Brett; Fogelson, Jeremy; Bydon, Mohamad

2017-06-01

A retrospective review of a consecutive series of spinal fusions comparing patient and procedural characteristics of patients who developed surgical site infections (SSIs) after spinal fusion. It is known that increased surgical time (incision to closure) is associated with a higher rate of postoperative SSIs. We sought to determine whether increased total anesthetic time (intubation to extubation) is a factor in the development of SSIs as well. In spine surgery for deformity and degenerative disease, SSI has been associated with operative time, revealing a nearly 10-fold increase in SSI rates in prolonged surgery. Surgical time is associated with infections in other surgical disciplines as well. No studies have reported whether total anesthetic time (intubation to extubation) has an association with SSIs. Surgical records were searched in a retrospective fashion to identify all spine fusion procedures performed between January 2010 and July 2012. All SSIs during that timeframe were recorded and compared with the list of cases performed between 2010 and 2012 in a case-control design. There were 20 (1.7%) SSIs in this fusion cohort. On univariate analyses of operative factors, there was a significant association between total anesthetic time (Infection 7.6 ± 0.5 hrs vs. no infection -6.0 ± 0.1 hrs, P operative time (infection 5.5 ± 0.4 hrs vs. no infection - 4.4 ± 0.06 hrs, P infections, whereas level of pathology and emergent surgery were not significant. On multivariate logistic analysis, BMI and total anesthetic time remained independent predictors of SSI whereas ASA status and operative time did not. Increasing BMI and total anesthetic time were independent predictors of SSIs in this cohort of over 1000 consecutive spinal fusions. 3.

Quantitation of the degree of osteoporosis by measure of total-body calcium employing neutron activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohn, S.H.; Zanzi, I.; Vaswani, A.; Wallach, S.; Aloia, J.; Ellis, K.J.

1975-01-01

Two techniques for measuring the amount of Ca in the total skeleton were employed: total-body neutron activation analysis (TBNAA) and the determination of the mineral content of a bone of the appendicular skeleton (absorptiometric measurement of the radius, BMC). (U.S.)

To Measure Probable Physical Changes On The Earth During Total Solar Eclipse Using Geophysical Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gocmen, C.

2007-01-01

When the total solar eclipse came into question, people connected the eclipse with the earthquake dated 17.08.1999. We thought if any physical parameters change during total solar eclipse on the earth, we could measure this changing and we did the project 'To Measure Probable Physical Changes On The Earth During Total Solar Eclipse Using Geophysical Methods' We did gravity, magnetic and self-potential measurements at Konya and Ankara during total solar eclipse (29, March, 2006) and the day before eclipse and the day after eclipse. The measurements went on three days continuously twenty-four hours at Konya and daytime in Ankara. Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory gave us magnetic values in Istanbul and we compare the values with our magnetic values. Turkish State Meteorological Service sent us temperature and air pressure observations during three days, in Konya and Ankara. We interpreted all of them

Six years of total ozone column measurements from SCIAMACHY nadir observations

Science.gov (United States)

Lerot, C.; van Roozendael, M.; van Geffen, J.; van Gent, J.; Fayt, C.; Spurr, R.; Lichtenberg, G.; von Bargen, A.

2009-04-01

Total O3 columns have been retrieved from six years of SCIAMACHY nadir UV radiance measurements using SDOAS, an adaptation of the GDOAS algorithm previously developed at BIRA-IASB for the GOME instrument. GDOAS and SDOAS have been implemented by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the version 4 of the GOME Data Processor (GDP) and in version 3 of the SCIAMACHY Ground Processor (SGP), respectively. The processors are being run at the DLR processing centre on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). We first focus on the description of the SDOAS algorithm with particular attention to the impact of uncertainties on the reference O3 absorption cross-sections. Second, the resulting SCIAMACHY total ozone data set is globally evaluated through large-scale comparisons with results from GOME and OMI as well as with ground-based correlative measurements. The various total ozone data sets are found to agree within 2% on average. However, a negative trend of 0.2-0.4%/year has been identified in the SCIAMACHY O3 columns; this probably originates from instrumental degradation effects that have not yet been fully characterized.

Six years of total ozone column measurements from SCIAMACHY nadir observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Lichtenberg

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Total O₃ columns have been retrieved from six years of SCIAMACHY nadir UV radiance measurements using SDOAS, an adaptation of the GDOAS algorithm previously developed at BIRA-IASB for the GOME instrument. GDOAS and SDOAS have been implemented by the German Aerospace Center (DLR in the version 4 of the GOME Data Processor (GDP and in version 3 of the SCIAMACHY Ground Processor (SGP, respectively. The processors are being run at the DLR processing centre on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA. We first focus on the description of the SDOAS algorithm with particular attention to the impact of uncertainties on the reference O₃ absorption cross-sections. Second, the resulting SCIAMACHY total ozone data set is globally evaluated through large-scale comparisons with results from GOME and OMI as well as with ground-based correlative measurements. The various total ozone data sets are found to agree within 2% on average. However, a negative trend of 0.2–0.4%/year has been identified in the SCIAMACHY O₃ columns; this probably originates from instrumental degradation effects that have not yet been fully characterized.

Gap-Balancing versus Measured Resection Technique in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Comparison Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Churchill, Jessica L; Khlopas, Anton; Sultan, Assem A; Harwin, Steven F; Mont, Michael A

2018-01-01

Proper femoral component alignment in the axial plane during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) depends on accurate bone cuts and soft tissue balancing. Two methods that are used to achieve this are "measured resection" and "gap balancing." However, a controversy exists as to which method is more accurate and leads to better outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate: (1) implant survivorship, (2) patient outcomes, (3) complications, and (4) radiographic analysis comparing patients who underwent TKA with either gap-balancing or measured resection techniques. A total of 214 consecutive patients (221 knees) underwent primary TKA by a single surgeon between 2011 and 2012. Component alignment was achieved by using measured resection in 116 knees and gap balancing was used in 105 knees. The patients had a mean age of 66 years (range, 44-86 years) and a mean body mass index of 32 kg/m 2 (range, 22-52 kg/m 2 ). Patient range-of-motion (ROM) and Knee Society (KS) function and pain scores, and radiographic assessment, were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at ∼6 weeks, 3 months, 1 year, and then annually. The mean follow-up time was 3 years. A Kaplan-Meier's analysis was performed to calculate the survivorship. The aseptic survivorship was 98% in both the measured resection and gap-balancing groups. The mean ROM was not significantly different between the measured resection and gap-balancing groups (123 vs. 123 degrees, p  = 0.990). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the KS function scores (86 vs. 85 points, p  = 0.829) or the KS pain scores (93 vs. 92 points, p  = 0.425). Otherwise, the radiographic evaluation at latest follow-up did not demonstrate any evidence of progressive radiolucencies or loosening, of any prosthesis. The results of this study found that at a mean follow-up of 3 years, both the measured resection and gap-balancing techniques achieved excellent survivorship and

Measurement of the total antioxidant response in preeclampsia with a novel automated method.

Science.gov (United States)

Harma, Mehmet; Harma, Muge; Erel, Ozcan

2005-01-10

Preeclampsia is one of the most serious complications of pregnancy. Free radical damage has been implicated in the pathophysiology of this condition. In this study, we aimed to measure the antioxidant capacity in plasma samples from normotensive and preeclamptic pregnant women to evaluate their antioxidant status using a more recently developed automated measurement method. Our study group contained 42 women, 24 of whom had preeclampsia, while 18 had normotensive pregnancies. We measured the total plasma antioxidant capacity for all patients, as well as the levels of four major individual plasma antioxidant components; albumin, uric acid, ascorbic acid and bilirubin, and as a reciprocal measure, their total plasma peroxide levels. Statistically significant differences (determined using Student's t-test) were noted between the normotensive and the preeclamptic groups for their total antioxidant responses and their vitamin C levels (1.31 +/- 0.12 mmol versus 1.06 +/- 0.41 mmol Trolox eq./L; 30.2 +/- 17.83 micromol/L versus 18.1 +/- 11.37 micromol/L, respectively), which were both considerably reduced in the preeclamptic patients. In contrast, the total plasma peroxide levels were significantly elevated in this group (49.8 +/- 14.3 micromol/L versus 38.8 +/- 9.6 micromol/L). We found a decreased total antioxidant response in preeclamptic patients using a simple, rapid and reliable automated colorimetric assay, which may suitable for use in any routine clinical biochemistry laboratory, and considerably facilitates the assessment of this useful clinical parameter. We suggest that this novel method may be used as a routine test to evaluate and follow up of the levels of oxidative stress in preeclampsia.

Utility of noninvasive transcutaneous measurement of postoperative hemoglobin in total joint arthroplasty patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoesz, Michael; Wood, Kristin; Clark, Wesley; Kwon, Young-Min; Freiberg, Andrew A

2014-11-01

This study prospectively evaluated the clinical utility of a noninvasive transcutaneous device for postoperative hemoglobin measurement in 100 total hip and knee arthroplasty patients. A protocol to measure hemoglobin noninvasively, prior to venipuncture, successfully avoided venipuncture in 73% of patients. In the remaining 27 patients, there were a total of 48 venipunctures performed during the postoperative hospitalization period due to reasons including transcutaneous hemoglobin measurement less than or equal to 9 g/dL (19), inability to obtain a transcutaneous hemoglobin measurement (8), clinical signs of anemia (3), and noncompliance with the study protocol (18). Such screening protocols may provide a convenient and cost-effective alternative to routine venipuncture for identifying patients at risk for blood transfusion after elective joint arthroplasty. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring and understanding total dissolved gas pressure in groundwater

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, C.; Roy, J. W.; Randell, J.; Castellon, L.

2009-05-01

Since dissolved gases are important to a number of aspects of groundwater (e.g. age dating, active or passive bioremediation, greenhouse gas fluxes, understanding biogeochemical processes involving gases, assessing potential impacts of coal bed methane activities), accurate concentration measurements, and understanding of their subsurface behaviour are important. Researchers have recently begun using total dissolved gas pressure (TGP) sensor measurements, more commonly applied for surface water monitoring, in concert with gas composition analyses to estimate more accurate groundwater gas concentrations in wells. We have used hydraulic packers to isolate the well screens where TDP is being measured, and pump tests to indicate that in-well degassing may reduce TDG below background groundwater levels. Thus, in gas-charged groundwater zones, TGPs can be considerably underestimated in the absence of pumping or screen isolation. We have also observed transient decreased TGPs during pumping that are thought to result from ebullition induced when the water table or water level in the well is lowered below a critical hydrostatic pressure.

TRANC – a novel fast-response converter to measure total reactive atmospheric nitrogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Wolff

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The input and loss of plant available nitrogen (reactive nitrogen: Nr from/to the atmosphere can be an important factor for the productivity of ecosystems and thus for its carbon and greenhouse gas exchange. We present a novel converter for reactive nitrogen (TRANC: Total Reactive Atmospheric Nitrogen Converter, which offers the opportunity to quantify the sum of all airborne reactive nitrogen compounds (∑Nr in high time resolution. The basic concept of the TRANC is the full conversion of all Nr to nitrogen monoxide (NO within two reaction steps. Initially, reduced Nr compounds are being oxidised, and oxidised Nr compounds are thermally converted to lower oxidation states. Particulate Nr is being sublimated and oxidised or reduced afterwards. In a second step, remaining higher nitrogen oxides or those generated in the first step are catalytically converted to NO with carbon monoxide used as reduction gas. The converter is combined with a fast response chemiluminescence detector (CLD for NO analysis and its performance was tested for the most relevant gaseous and particulate Nr species under both laboratory and field conditions. Recovery rates during laboratory tests for NH3 and NO2 were found to be 95 and 99%, respectively, and 97% when the two gases were combined. In-field longterm stability over an 11-month period was approved by a value of 91% for NO2. Effective conversion was also found for ammonium and nitrate containing particles. The recovery rate of total ambient Nr was tested against the sum of individual measurements of NH3, HNO3, HONO, NH4+, NO3−, and NOx using a combination of different well-established devices. The results show that the TRANC-CLD system precisely captures fluctuations in ∑Nr concentrations and also matches the sum of all individual Nr compounds measured by the different single techniques. The TRANC features a specific design with very short distance between the sample air inlet and the place where the thermal

Additive measures of travel time variability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelson, Leonid; Fosgerau, Mogens

2011-01-01

This paper derives a measure of travel time variability for travellers equipped with scheduling preferences defined in terms of time-varying utility rates, and who choose departure time optimally. The corresponding value of travel time variability is a constant that depends only on preference...... parameters. The measure is unique in being additive with respect to independent parts of a trip. It has the variance of travel time as a special case. Extension is provided to the case of travellers who use a scheduled service with fixed headway....

The Time Course of Knee Swelling Post Total Knee Arthroplasty and Its Associations with Quadriceps Strength and Gait Speed.

Science.gov (United States)

Pua, Yong-Hao

2015-07-01

This study examines the time course of knee swelling post total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and its associations with quadriceps strength and gait speed. Eighty-five patients with unilateral TKA participated. Preoperatively and on post-operative days (PODs) 1, 4, 14, and 90, knee swelling was measured using bioimpedance spectrometry. Preoperatively and on PODs 14 and 90, quadriceps strength was measured using isokinetic dynamometry while fast gait speed was measured using the timed 10-meter walk. On POD1, knee swelling increased ~35% from preoperative levels after which, knee swelling reduced but remained at ~11% above preoperative levels on POD90. In longitudinal, multivariable analyses, knee swelling was associated with quadriceps weakness (P<0.01) and slower gait speed (P=0.03). Interventions to reduce post-TKA knee swelling may be indicated to improve quadriceps strength and gait speed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Key Performance Indicators to Measure Improvement After Implementation of Total Laboratory Automation Abbott Accelerator a3600.

Science.gov (United States)

Miler, Marijana; Nikolac Gabaj, Nora; Dukic, Lora; Simundic, Ana-Maria

2017-12-27

The aim of the study was to estimate improvement of work efficiency in the laboratory after implementation of total laboratory automation (TLA) by Abbott Accelerator a3600 in the laboratory with measuring different key performance indicators (KPIs) before and after TLA implementation. The objective was also to recommend steps for defining KPIs in other laboratories. For evaluation of improvement 10 organizational and/or technical KPIs were defined for all phases of laboratory work and measured before (November 2013) and after (from 2015 to 2017) TLA implementation. Out of 10 defined KPIs, 9 were successfully measured and significantly improved. Waiting time for registration of samples in the LIS was significantly reduced from 16 (9-28) to 9 (6-16) minutes after TLA (P performed at core biochemistry analyzers which significantly reduced walking distance for sample management (for more than 800 m per worker) and number of tube touches (for almost 50%). Analyzers downtime and engagement time for analyzers maintenance was reduced for 50 h and 28 h per month, respectively. TLA eliminated manual dilution of samples with extreme results with sigma values increment from 3.4 to >6 after TLA. Although median turnaround time TAT for potassium and troponin was higher (for approximately 20 min), number of outliers with TAT >60 min expressed as sigma values were satisfying (>3). Implementation of the TLA improved the most of the processes in our laboratory with 9 out of 10 properly defined and measured KPIs. With proper planning and defining of KPIs, every laboratory could measure changes in daily workflow.

Measuring multiscaling in financial time-series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buonocore, R.J.; Aste, T.; Di Matteo, T.

2016-01-01

We discuss the origin of multiscaling in financial time-series and investigate how to best quantify it. Our methodology consists in separating the different sources of measured multifractality by analyzing the multi/uni-scaling behavior of synthetic time-series with known properties. We use the results from the synthetic time-series to interpret the measure of multifractality of real log-returns time-series. The main finding is that the aggregation horizon of the returns can introduce a strong bias effect on the measure of multifractality. This effect can become especially important when returns distributions have power law tails with exponents in the range (2, 5). We discuss the right aggregation horizon to mitigate this bias.

An USB-based time measurement system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Xi; Liu Shubin; An Qi

2010-01-01

In this paper,we report the electronics of a timing measurement system of PTB(portable TDC board), which is a handy tool based on USB interface, customized for high precision time measurements without any crates. The time digitization is based on the High Performance TDC Chip (HPTDC). The real-time compensation for HPTDC outputs and the USB master logic are implemented in an ALTERA's Cyclone FPGA. The architecture design and logic design are described in detail. Test of the system showed a time resolution of 13.3 ps. (authors)

Total hemispherical emittance measured at high temperatures by the calorimetric method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiFilippo, F.; Mirtich, M.J.; Banks, B.A.; Stidham, C.; Kussmaul, M.

1994-01-01

A calorimetric vacuum emissometer (CVE) capable of measuring total hemispherical emittance of surfaces at elevated temperatures was designed, built, and tested. Several materials with a wide range of emittances were measured in the CVE between 773 to 923 K. These results were compared to values calculated from spectral emittance curves measured in a room temperature Hohlraum reflectometer and in an open-air elevated temperature emissometer. The results differed by as much as 0.2 for some materials but were in closer agreement for the more highly-emitting, diffuse-reflecting samples. The differences were attributed to temperature, atmospheric, and directional effects, and errors in the Hohlraum and emissometer measurements (± 5 percent). The probable error of the CVE measurements was typically less than 1 percent

Measurement of the total antioxidant response using a novel automated method in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarifakiogullari Serpil

2005-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Oxidative stress, an increase in oxidants and/or a decrease in antioxidant capacity, is one of the potential biochemical mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. We aimed to investigate the total antioxidant response using a novel automated method in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis subjects. As a reciprocal measure, we also aimed to determine total peroxide level in the same plasma samples. Methods Twenty-two subjects with biopsy proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and 22 healthy controls were enrolled. Total antioxidant response and total peroxide level measurements were done in all participants. The ratio percentage of total peroxide level to total antioxidant response was regarded as oxidative stress index. Results Total antioxidant response of subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was significantly lower than controls (p In subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis score was significantly correlated with total peroxide level, total antioxidant response and oxidative stress index (p 0.05. Conclusion Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is associated with increased oxidant capacity, especially in the presence of liver fibrosis. The novel automated assay is a reliable and easily applicable method for total plasma antioxidant response measurement in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Radioimmunological measurements of total LH in sheep pituitary cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McIntosh, R.P.; McIntosh, J.E.A.

1983-01-01

Procedures commonly used to extract LH from pituitary cells in order to measure total cell content were compared in four cell preparations. It was shown in 81 samples of cells suspended in 1 mM EDTA or 50 mM NaHCO 3 that after freezing and thawing folloqwed by any of a variety of treatments, there were no significant differences in the amounts of LH measured by RIA relative to the arbitrarily chosen reference treatment of vigorous pipetting. The additional treatments were multiple freezing and thawing, homogenisation, sonication, homogenisation in 25-100 mM Na 2 CO 3 folloqwed by rapid neutralisation, or none. The consistency of the results suggested that the same cellular pools of LH were being made accessible for measurement with all treatments. However, use of the more vigorous conditions of 1-2.5 M urea, 1% Triton X-100, or sonication on ice in 100 mM Na 2 CO 3 decreased the amount of measurable hormone presumably due to its modification. In two cell preparations, homogenisation of cells in 100 mM Na 2 CO 3 produced and additional 45% of measurable LH not accessible using other treatments nor from the source material in two other preparations. (author)

The neutron total cross-section measurement of {sup 56}Fe and {sup 57}Fe by using Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Eun Ae; Shvetsov, Valery; Cho, Moo Hyun [Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Won, Nam Kung [Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kwang Soo; Yang, Sung Chul; Lee, Man Woo; Kim, Guin Yun [Kyungpook National University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Kyoung Rak; Choi, Hong Yub; Ro, Tae Ik [Dong-A University, Pusan (Korea, Republic of); Mizumoto, Motoharu; Katabuchi, Tatsuya; Igashira, Masayuki [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo (Japan)

2012-05-15

The measurement of neutron cross section using Time-Of-Flight (TOF) method gives significant information for the nuclear data research. In the present work, the neutron total cross section of {sup 56}Fe and {sup 57}Fe has been measured in the energy range between 10 eV and 100 keV by using the neutron beam produced from 3-GeV proton synchrotron accelerator. The 3-GeV proton synchrotron accelerator is located at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) facility in Tokai village. In this study, the neutron total cross section data measured by {sup 6}Li glass scintillator detector was compared with the evaluated values of ENDF/B-VII.0

Decreasing Postanesthesia Care Unit to Floor Transfer Times to Facilitate Short Stay Total Joint Replacements.

Science.gov (United States)

Sibia, Udai S; Grover, Jennifer; Turcotte, Justin J; Seanger, Michelle L; England, Kimberly A; King, Jennifer L; King, Paul J

2018-04-01

We describe a process for studying and improving baseline postanesthesia care unit (PACU)-to-floor transfer times after total joint replacements. Quality improvement project using lean methodology. Phase I of the investigational process involved collection of baseline data. Phase II involved developing targeted solutions to improve throughput. Phase III involved measured project sustainability. Phase I investigations revealed that patients spent an additional 62 minutes waiting in the PACU after being designated ready for transfer. Five to 16 telephone calls were needed between the PACU and the unit to facilitate each patient transfer. The most common reason for delay was unavailability of the unit nurse who was attending to another patient (58%). Phase II interventions resulted in transfer times decreasing to 13 minutes (79% reduction, P care at other institutions. Copyright © 2016 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of Neutron Total Cross Sections in Support of the APT Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abfalterer, W.P.; Haight, R.C.; Morgan, G.L.; Bateman, F.B.; Dietrich, F.S.; Finlay, R.W.

1998-01-01

The authors have completed a new set of total cross section measurements of 37 samples spanning the periodic table. The authors employed the same technique as in a previous measurement, with refinements intended to allow measurements on separated isotopes, and with improved systematic error control. The goal of the new measurement was 1% statistical accuracy in 1% energy bins with systematic errors less than 1%. This was achieved for all but the smallest samples, for which the statistical accuracy was as large as 2% in 1% bins

Associations Between Sedentary Time, Physical Activity, and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Measures of Total Body, Android, and Gynoid Fat Mass in Children.

Science.gov (United States)

McCormack, Lacey; Meendering, Jessica; Specker, Bonny; Binkley, Teresa

2016-01-01

Negative health outcomes are associated with excess body fat, low levels of physical activity (PA), and high sedentary time (ST). Relationships between PA, ST, and body fat distribution, including android and gynoid fat, assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) have not been measured in children. The purpose of this study was to test associations between levels of activity and body composition in children and to evaluate if levels of activity predict body composition by DXA and by body mass index percentile in a similar manner. PA, ST, and body composition from 87 children (8.8-11.8 yr, grades 3-5, 44 boys) were used to test the association among study variables. Accelerometers measured PA and ST. Body composition measured by DXA included bone mineral content (BMC) and fat and lean mass of the total body (TB, less head), android, and gynoid regions. ST (range: 409-685 min/wk) was positively associated with TB percent fat (0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.00-0.05) and android fat mass (1.5 g, 95% CI: 0.4-3.0), and inversely associated with the lean mass of the TB (-10.7 g, 95% CI: -20.8 to -0.63) and gynoid regions (-2.2 g, 95% CI: -4.3 to -0.2), and with BMC (-0.43 g, 95% CI: 0.77-0.09). Moderate-to-vigorous PA was associated with lower TB (-53 g, 95% CI: -87 to -18), android (-5 g, 95% CI: -8 to -2]), and gynoid fat (-6 g, 95% CI: -11 to -0.5). Vigorous activity results were similar. Light PA was associated with increased TB (17.1 g, 95% CI: 3.0-31.3) and gynoid lean mass (3.9 g, 95% CI: 1.0-6.8) and BMC (0.59 g, 95% CI: 0.10-1.07). In boys, there were significant associations between activity and DXA percent body fat measures that were not found with the body mass index percentile. Objective measures of PA were inversely associated with TB, android, and gynoid fat, whereas ST was directly associated with TB percent fat and, in particular, android fat. Activity levels predict body composition measures by DXA and, in

Comparison of biuret and refractometry methods for the serum total proteins measurement in ruminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Katsoulos, Panagiotis D; Athanasiou, Labrini V; Karatzia, Maria A; Giadinis, Nektarios; Karatzias, Harilaos; Boscos, Constantin; Polizopoulou, Zoe S

2017-12-01

Determination of serum total protein concentration is commonly performed by the biuret method. Refractometric measurement is a faster and less expensive alternative but its accuracy has not been determined in ruminants. The purpose of the study was to compare the serum total protein concentrations in cattle, sheep, and goats measured by the biuret method with those obtained by refractometry. Serum total protein concentration was determined in 120 cattle, 67 sheep, and 58 goat blood samples refractometrically and with the biuret method. The data were analyzed with a paired samples t-test, and Passing and Bablok regression equations and Bland and Altman plots were generated. There was a strong linear relationship between the total protein values determined with the refractometer and the biuret method in cattle, sheep, and goats. The statistical accuracy, which represents a bias correction factor that measures the deviation of the best-fit line from the 45° line through the origin, was 90.63% for cattle, 93.05% for sheep, and 91.76% for goats. The mean protein values determined with the refractometer were significantly lower than those measured with the biuret method in cattle and goats (P  .05). The evaluated refractometer was sufficiently accurate for the determination of serum total proteins in cattle, sheep, and goats, although it cannot be used interchangeably with the biuret method. The RIs should be corrected for negative bias based on the created equations. © 2017 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Total sleep time, alcohol consumption, and the duration and severity of alcohol hangover

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Schrojenstein Lantman, Marith; Mackus, Marlou; Roth, Thomas; Verster, Joris C|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/241442702

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: An evening of alcohol consumption often occurs at the expense of sleep time. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between total sleep time and the duration and severity of the alcohol hangover. METHODS: A survey was conducted among Dutch University students to

The influence of tourniquet use and operative time on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in total knee arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Arnaldo José; Almeida, Adriano Marques de; Fávaro, Edmar; Sguizzato, Guilherme Turola

2012-09-01

To evaluate the association between tourniquet and total operative time during total knee arthroplasty and the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis. Seventy-eight consecutive patients from our institution underwent cemented total knee arthroplasty for degenerative knee disorders. The pneumatic tourniquet time and total operative time were recorded in minutes. Four categories were established for total tourniquet time: 120 minutes. Three categories were defined for operative time: 150 minutes. Between 7 and 12 days after surgery, the patients underwent ascending venography to evaluate the presence of distal or proximal deep vein thrombosis. We evaluated the association between the tourniquet time and total operative time and the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty. In total, 33 cases (42.3%) were positive for deep vein thrombosis; 13 (16.7%) cases involved the proximal type. We found no statistically significant difference in tourniquet time or operative time between patients with or without deep vein thrombosis. We did observe a higher frequency of proximal deep vein thrombosis in patients who underwent surgery lasting longer than 120 minutes. The mean total operative time was also higher in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis. The tourniquet time did not significantly differ in these patients. We concluded that surgery lasting longer than 120 minutes increases the risk of proximal deep vein thrombosis.

A new technique for online measurement of total and water-soluble copper (Cu) in coarse particulate matter (PM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Dongbin; Shafer, Martin M.; Schauer, James J.; Sioutas, Constantinos

2015-01-01

This study presents a novel system for online, field measurement of copper (Cu) in ambient coarse (2.5–10 μm) particulate matter (PM). This new system utilizes two virtual impactors combined with a modified liquid impinger (BioSampler) to collect coarse PM directly as concentrated slurry samples. The total and water-soluble Cu concentrations are subsequently measured by a copper Ion Selective Electrode (ISE). Laboratory evaluation results indicated excellent collection efficiency (over 85%) for particles in the coarse PM size ranges. In the field evaluations, very good agreements for both total and water-soluble Cu concentrations were obtained between online ISE-based monitor measurements and those analyzed by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Moreover, the field tests indicated that the Cu monitor could achieve near-continuous operation for at least 6 consecutive days (a time resolution of 2–4 h) without obvious shortcomings. - Highlights: • A novel only PM sampling and Cu measuring technology is developed. • Very good particle collection efficiency for coarse PM is observed. • Excellent agreement is obtained between Cu ISE and offline ICP-MS measurements. • The new system can be continuously operated for at least 6 consecutive days. - A new technique for online measurements of Cu in coarse PM is described

Double threshold discriminator for timing measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frolov, A.R.; Oslopova, T.V.; Pestov, Yu.N.

1995-01-01

The new type of a discriminator is based on the idea of simultaneous time measurements at two different thresholds for each pulse. Instead of using two independent electronic TDC channels this discriminator produces an output pulse with the timing taking into account the information from two time measurements ''on-line''. The operation principle, analytical calculations and experimental results are presented. The time walk of the discriminator at the level of 10 ps in the range of the input pulse height of 0.2-1.5 V has been obtained. ((orig.))

'Stutter timing' for charge decay time measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chubb, John [Infostatic, 2 Monica Drive, Pittville, Cheltenham, GL50 4NQ (United Kingdom); Harbour, John [Hawthorne Technical Design, The Hawthornes, Startley, Chippenham, SN15 5HG,UK (United Kingdom); Pavey, Ian, E-mail: jchubb@infostatic.co.uk [Chilworth Technology Ltd, Beta House, Southampton Science Park, Southampton, SO16 7NS (United Kingdom)

2011-06-23

The paper describes the approach of 'stutter timing' that has been developed to improve the accuracy of measuring charge decay times in the presence of noise in compact and portable charge decay test instrumentation. The approach involves starting and stopping the timing clock as the noisy signal rises above and falls below the target threshold voltage level.

Asymptotic behavior of total times For jobs that must start over if a failure occurs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asmussen, Søren; Fiorini, Pierre; Lipsky, Lester

the ready queue, or it may restart the task. The behavior of systems under the first two scenarios is well documented, but the third (RESTART) has resisted detailed analysis. In this paper we derive tight asymptotic relations between the distribution of task times without failures to the total time when...... including failures, for any failure distribution. In particular, we show that if the task time distribution has an unbounded support then the total time distribution H is always heavy-tailed. Asymptotic expressions are given for the tail of H in various scenarios. The key ingredients of the analysis...

Asymptotic behaviour of total times for jobs that must start over if a failure occurs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asmussen, Søren; Fiorini, Pierre; Lipsky, Lester

2008-01-01

the ready queue, or it may restart the task. The behavior of systems under the first two scenarios is well documented, but the third (RESTART) has resisted detailed analysis. In this paper we derive tight asymptotic relations between the distribution of task times without failures and the total time when...... including failures, for any failure distribution. In particular, we show that if the task-time distribution has an unbounded support, then the total-time distribution H is always heavy tailed. Asymptotic expressions are given for the tail of H in various scenarios. The key ingredients of the analysis...

Measurement of the real time fill-pattern at the Australian Synchrotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peake, D.J.; Boland, M.J.; LeBlanc, G.S.; Rassool, R.P.

2008-01-01

This article describes the development, commissioning and operation of a Fill-Pattern Monitor (FPM) for the Australian Synchrotron that measures the real-time intensity distribution of the electron bunches in the storage ring. Using a combination of an ultra-fast photodiode and a high-speed digitiser, real-time measurement of the fill-pattern at bunch-by-bunch resolution was achieved. The results compare very well with current methods of measuring the fill-pattern, such as a pick-up style detector. In addition, the FPM is fully integrated into the EPICS control system. The data provided by the FPM gives accurate RF bucket position and relative bunch currents over a wide range of stored beam currents, from 0.01 mA in a single bunch to 200 mA total beam current. The FPM monitors the success of an injection attempt into the storage ring and is used in a feedback loop to determine where to target the next injection. Using the FPM a beam top-up mode was successfully tested, resulting in a near constant beam current by periodic targeted injections over an 8 h shift. Results are presented for dynamically topped up real-time injection, where the beam pattern was squared using an intensity-dependent injection algorithm

Measurement of the polarized neutron---polarized 3He total cross section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keith, C.D.; Gould, C.R.; Haase, D.G.; Seely, M.L.; Huffman, P.R.; Roberson, N.R.; Tornow, W.; Wilburn, W.S.

1995-01-01

The first measurements of polarized neutron--polarized 3 He scattering in the few MeV energy region are reported. The total cross section difference Δσ T for transversely polarized target and beam has been measured for neutron energies between 1.9 and 7.5 MeV. Comparison is made to predictions of Δσ T using various descriptions of the 4 He continuum. A brute-force polarized target of solid 3 He has been developed for these measurements. The target is 4.3x10 22 atoms/cm 2 thick and is polarized to 38% at 7 Telsa and 12 mK. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Measurement of Voice Onset Time in Maxillectomy Patients

OpenAIRE

Hattori, Mariko; Sumita, Yuka I.; Taniguchi, Hisashi

2014-01-01

Objective speech evaluation using acoustic measurement is needed for the proper rehabilitation of maxillectomy patients. For digital evaluation of consonants, measurement of voice onset time is one option. However, voice onset time has not been measured in maxillectomy patients as their consonant sound spectra exhibit unique characteristics that make the measurement of voice onset time challenging. In this study, we established criteria for measuring voice onset time in maxillectomy patients ...

Measurement of voice onset time in maxillectomy patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Hattori, Mariko; Sumita, Yuka I; Taniguchi, Hisashi

2014-01-01

Objective speech evaluation using acoustic measurement is needed for the proper rehabilitation of maxillectomy patients. For digital evaluation of consonants, measurement of voice onset time is one option. However, voice onset time has not been measured in maxillectomy patients as their consonant sound spectra exhibit unique characteristics that make the measurement of voice onset time challenging. In this study, we established criteria for measuring voice onset time in maxillectomy patients for objective speech evaluation. We examined voice onset time for /ka/ and /ta/ in 13 maxillectomy patients by calculating the number of valid measurements of voice onset time out of three trials for each syllable. Wilcoxon's signed rank test showed that voice onset time measurements were more successful for /ka/ and /ta/ when a prosthesis was used (Z = -2.232, P = 0.026 and Z = -2.401, P = 0.016, resp.) than when a prosthesis was not used. These results indicate a prosthesis affected voice onset measurement in these patients. Although more research in this area is needed, measurement of voice onset time has the potential to be used to evaluate consonant production in maxillectomy patients wearing a prosthesis.

Measurement of Voice Onset Time in Maxillectomy Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariko Hattori

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective speech evaluation using acoustic measurement is needed for the proper rehabilitation of maxillectomy patients. For digital evaluation of consonants, measurement of voice onset time is one option. However, voice onset time has not been measured in maxillectomy patients as their consonant sound spectra exhibit unique characteristics that make the measurement of voice onset time challenging. In this study, we established criteria for measuring voice onset time in maxillectomy patients for objective speech evaluation. We examined voice onset time for /ka/ and /ta/ in 13 maxillectomy patients by calculating the number of valid measurements of voice onset time out of three trials for each syllable. Wilcoxon’s signed rank test showed that voice onset time measurements were more successful for /ka/ and /ta/ when a prosthesis was used (Z=−2.232, P=0.026 and Z=−2.401, P=0.016, resp. than when a prosthesis was not used. These results indicate a prosthesis affected voice onset measurement in these patients. Although more research in this area is needed, measurement of voice onset time has the potential to be used to evaluate consonant production in maxillectomy patients wearing a prosthesis.

Total donor ischemic time: relationship to early hemodynamics and intensive care morbidity in pediatric cardiac transplant recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Warren; Carr, Michelle; Ridout, Deborah; Carter, Katherine; Hulme, Sara Louise; Simmonds, Jacob; Elliott, Martin; Hoskote, Aparna; Burch, Michael; Brown, Kate L

2011-11-01

Single-center studies have failed to link modest increases in total donor ischemic time to mortality after pediatric orthotopic heart transplant. We aimed to investigate whether prolonged total donor ischemic time is linked to pediatric intensive care morbidity after orthotopic heart transplant. Retrospective cohort review. Tertiary pediatric transplant center in the United Kingdom. Ninety-three pediatric orthotopic heart transplants between 2002 and 2006. Total donor ischemic time was investigated for association with early post-orthotopic heart transplant hemodynamics and intensive care unit morbidities. Of 43 males and 50 females with median age 7.2 (interquartile range 2.2, 13.0) yrs, 62 (68%) had dilated cardiomyopathy, 20 (22%) had congenital heart disease, and nine (10%) had restrictive cardiomyopathy. The mean total donor ischemic time was 225.9 (sd 65.6) mins. In the first 24 hrs after orthotopic heart transplant, age-adjusted mean arterial blood pressure increased (p total donor ischemic time was significantly associated with lower mean arterial blood pressure (p care unit (p = .004), and longer post-orthotopic heart transplant stay in hospital (p = .02). Total donor ischemic time was not related to levels of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (p = .62), left atrial pressure (p = .38), or central venous pressure (p = .76) early after orthotopic heart transplant. Prolonged total donor ischemic time has an adverse effect on the donor organ, contributing to lower mean arterial blood pressure, as well as more prolonged ventilation and intensive care unit and hospital stays post-orthotopic heart transplant, reflecting increased morbidity.

Patient-reported outcome measures versus inertial performance-based outcome measures: A prospective study in patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolink, S A A N; Grimm, B; Heyligers, I C

2015-12-01

Outcome assessment of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) by subjective patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) may not fully capture the functional (dis-)abilities of relevance. Objective performance-based outcome measures could provide distinct information. An ambulant inertial measurement unit (IMU) allows kinematic assessment of physical performance and could potentially be used for routine follow-up. To investigate the responsiveness of IMU measures in patients following TKA and compare outcomes with conventional PROMs. Patients with end stage knee OA (n=20, m/f=7/13; age=67.4 standard deviation 7.7 years) were measured preoperatively and one year postoperatively. IMU measures were derived during gait, sit-stand transfers and block step-up transfers. PROMs were assessed by using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Knee Society Score (KSS). Responsiveness was calculated by the effect size, correlations were calculated with Spearman's rho correlation coefficient. One year after TKA, patients performed significantly better at gait, sit-to-stand transfers and block step-up transfers. Measures of time and kinematic IMU measures demonstrated significant improvements postoperatively for each performance-based test. The largest improvement was found in block step-up transfers (effect size=0.56-1.20). WOMAC function score and KSS function score demonstrated moderate correlations (Spearman's rho=0.45-0.74) with some of the physical performance-based measures pre- and postoperatively. To characterize the changes in physical function after TKA, PROMs could be supplemented by performance-based measures, assessing function during different activities and allowing kinematic characterization with an ambulant IMU. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flow analysis methods for the direct ultra-violet spectrophotometric measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gentle, Brady S.; Ellis, Peter S.; Grace, Michael R. [Water Studies Centre, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia); McKelvie, Ian D., E-mail: iandm@unimelb.edu.au [School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2011-10-17

Highlights: {yields} Second derivative UV spectrophotometry has been used to determine nitrate and total N using flow analysis techniques. {yields} A simple flow system with a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the UV measurement of nitrate. {yields} Total N was determined after on-line UV photooxidation with alkaline peroxodisulfate. {yields} Analyses carried out using the developed flow systems show a high degree of agreement with comparative analyses. {yields} This method requires no colorimetric reagents and eliminates the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column. - Abstract: Second derivative ultra-violet spectrophotometric methods are described for the measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters using flow analysis techniques. A simple flow system consisting of a peristaltic pump and a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the measurement of nitrate. Quantification of total nitrogen using alkaline peroxodisulfate photo-digestion was achieved by incorporating an ultra-violet photo-reactor, a hollow-fibre filter and a debubbler into the flow system. The nitrate system featured a limit of detection of 0.04 mg N L{sup -1}, 0.4%RSD (1 mg N L{sup -1} as nitrate, n = 10), a coefficient of determination (R{sup 2}) of 0.9995 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L{sup -1}, and a data acquisition time of 1.5 s per spectrum. The total nitrogen system featured a limit of detection of 0.05 mg N L{sup -1}, 1%RSD (1 mg N L{sup -1} as ammonium chloride, n = 10), a coefficient of determination of 0.9989 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L{sup -1}, and a throughput of 5 sample h{sup -1} measured in triplicate. Digestions of five model nitrogen compounds returned recoveries of >88%. Determinations carried out using the developed systems show a high degree of agreement with data obtained using reference methods. These methods require no colorimetric reagents and eliminate the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column

Flow analysis methods for the direct ultra-violet spectrophotometric measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gentle, Brady S.; Ellis, Peter S.; Grace, Michael R.; McKelvie, Ian D.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Second derivative UV spectrophotometry has been used to determine nitrate and total N using flow analysis techniques. → A simple flow system with a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the UV measurement of nitrate. → Total N was determined after on-line UV photooxidation with alkaline peroxodisulfate. → Analyses carried out using the developed flow systems show a high degree of agreement with comparative analyses. → This method requires no colorimetric reagents and eliminates the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column. - Abstract: Second derivative ultra-violet spectrophotometric methods are described for the measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters using flow analysis techniques. A simple flow system consisting of a peristaltic pump and a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the measurement of nitrate. Quantification of total nitrogen using alkaline peroxodisulfate photo-digestion was achieved by incorporating an ultra-violet photo-reactor, a hollow-fibre filter and a debubbler into the flow system. The nitrate system featured a limit of detection of 0.04 mg N L -1 , 0.4%RSD (1 mg N L -1 as nitrate, n = 10), a coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of 0.9995 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L -1 , and a data acquisition time of 1.5 s per spectrum. The total nitrogen system featured a limit of detection of 0.05 mg N L -1 , 1%RSD (1 mg N L -1 as ammonium chloride, n = 10), a coefficient of determination of 0.9989 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L -1 , and a throughput of 5 sample h -1 measured in triplicate. Digestions of five model nitrogen compounds returned recoveries of >88%. Determinations carried out using the developed systems show a high degree of agreement with data obtained using reference methods. These methods require no colorimetric reagents and eliminate the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column. The overlap of chloride and nitrate spectra in seawater is

Precise turnaround time measurement of laboratory processes using radiofrequency identification technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Horst; Brümmer, Jens; Brinkmann, Thomas

2011-01-01

To implement Lean Six Sigma in our central laboratory we conducted a project to measure single pre-analytical steps influencing turnaround time (TAT) of emergency department (ED) serum samples. The traditional approach of extracting data from the Laboratory Information System (LIS) for a retrospective calculation of a mean TAT is not suitable. Therefore, we used radiofrequency identification (RFID) chips for real time tracking of individual samples at any pre-analytical step. 1,200 serum tubes were labelled with RFID chips and were provided to the emergency department. 3 RFID receivers were installed in the laboratory: at the outlet of the pneumatic tube system, at the centrifuge, and in the analyser area. In addition, time stamps of sample entry at the automated sample distributor and communication of results from the analyser were collected from LIS. 1,023 labelled serum tubes arrived at our laboratory. 899 RFID tags were used for TAT calculation. The following transfer times were determined (median 95th percentile in min:sec): pneumatic tube system --> centrifuge (01:25/04:48), centrifuge --> sample distributor (14:06/5:33), sample distributor --> analysis system zone (02:39/15:07), analysis system zone --> result communication (12:42/22:21). Total TAT was calculated at 33:19/57:40 min:sec. Manual processes around centrifugation were identified as a major part of TAT with 44%/60% (median/95th percentile). RFID is a robust, easy to use, and error-free technology and not susceptible to interferences in the laboratory environment. With this study design we were able to measure significant variations in a single manual sample transfer process. We showed that TAT is mainly influenced by manual steps around the centrifugation process and we concluded that centrifugation should be integrated in solutions for total laboratory automation.

Incorporation of Time Delayed Measurements in a Discrete-time Kalman Filter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Thomas Dall; Andersen, Nils Axel; Ravn, Ole

1998-01-01

In many practical systems there is a delay in some of the sensor devices, for instance vision measurements that may have a long processing time. How to fuse these measurements in a Kalman filter is not a trivial problem if the computational delay is critical. Depending on how much time...... using past and present estimates of the Kalman filter and calculating an optimal gain for this extrapolated measurement...... there is at hand, the designer has to make trade offs between optimality and computational burden of the filter. In this paper various methods in the literature along with a new method proposed by the authors will be presented and compared. The new method is based on “extrapolating” the measurement to present time...

The IPERMOB System for Effective Real-Time Road Travel Time Measurement and Prediction

OpenAIRE

Martelli, Francesca; Renda, Maria Elena; Santi, Paolo

2010-01-01

Accurate, real-time measurement and estimation of road travel time is considered a central problem in the design of advanced Intelligent Transportation Systems. In particular, whether eective, real-time collection of travel time measurements in a urban area is possible is, to the best of our knowledge, still an open problem. In this paper, we introduce the IPERMOB system for efficient, real-time collection of travel time measurements in urban areas through vehicular networks. We demonstrate t...

Clinical Outcomes of Gap Balancing vs Measured Resection in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Involving 2259 Subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shuxiang; Luo, Xiaomin; Wang, Peng; Sun, Han; Wang, Kun; Sun, Xiaoliang

2018-03-17

The argument on the clinical effects between gap balancing (GB) and measured resection (MR) in total knee arthroplasty remains to be resolved. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate which technique in total knee arthroplasty has better clinical effect. A total of 20 studies involving 2259 cases were included in the meta-analysis. The primary outcome measure was Knee Society Score (KSS), whereas the secondary outcomes included other function assessment systems (eg, range of motion, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index), radiological outcomes (eg, femoral component rotation, total outliers), revision rate, complications (eg, infection, loosening, instability), and surgical time. The GB technique was associated with statistically significant increases in the primary outcomes of KSS-function in 1 year. However, a mean difference of 2.12 points was below the minimal clinically important difference of 6 points. No differences were found in the analyses of KSS-knee and KSS-function in any other follow-up periods. Secondary outcome assessments showed significant decreased surgical time (mean difference, 16.18; P < .00001) for MR. Although statistically significant difference in favor of GB was identified in total outliers (risk ratio, 1.72, P = .0004), the 2 techniques were comparable in range of motion, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, femoral component rotation, complications, and revision rate. We conclude that both techniques can result in equivalent results when done properly, and each surgeon must understand the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of total lung capacity : a comparison of spiral CT and spirometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Kyung Il; Park, Kyung Ju; Lee, Eh Hyung; Yune, Heun Young; Suh, Jung Ho; Choe, Kyu Ok; Lim, Tae Hwan; Chung, In Hyuk

1996-01-01

To determine the potential of spiral CT as a functional imaging modality of the lung aside from its proven value in morphological depiction. Spiral CT scan was performed in ten normal female and nine normal male adults (mean age: 39, height: 163 cm, weight: 62 kg ) after single full breath-holding. Three dimensional lung images were reconstructed(minimal threshold value: -1,000HU, maximal threshold values: -150, 250, -350, -450 HU) to obtain total lung volume(TLV) on a histogram. Total lung volume measured by spiral CT was compared with TLV obtained by spirometry. Mean TLV measured by spirometry was 5.62L and TLV measured by CT at maximal threshold values of -150, -250, -350, and -450 HU was 5.53, 5.33, 5.15, and 4.98L, respectively. Mean absolute differences between the modalities of 0.17L(3%), 0.32L(5.6%), 0.48L(8.5%), 0.65L(11.5%) were statistically significant(p<0.001). Linear regression coefficients between the modalities were 0.99, 0.97, 095, and 0.94 and no statistically significant differences in accuracy of threshold levels in the estimation of lung volume(r=0.99, standard error=0.034L in all) were seen. TLV measured by spiral CT closely approximated that measured by spirometry. Spiral CT may be useful as a means of evaluating lung function

Discriminative ability of total body bone-mineral measured by dual photon absorptiometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gotfredsen, A.; Poedenphant, J.; Nilas, L.; Christiansen, C.

1989-01-01

We investigated the descriminative ability of total body bone-mineral expressed as the total body bone-density (TBBD) measured by dual photon absorptiometry (DPA) in 79 healthy premenopausal women, 27 healthy postmenopausal women, and 120 female osteoporotic fracture patients presenting with either Colles' fracture, vertebral fracture or femoral neck-fracture. TBBD was compared to the bone-mineral density of the lumbar spine (BMD spine ) also measured by DPA, and to the bone-mineral content of the forearms (BMC forearm ) measured by single photon absorptiometry (SPA). TBBD, BMD spine and BMC forearm showed that all the fracture patient groups had significantly reduced bone-mass. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, we found that TBBD had a tendency towards better discriminative ability than BMD spine or BMC forearm with regard to the discrimination between healthy premenopausal women and the three types of osteoporotic fractures. BMC forearm had an intermediate position, whereas BMD spine had the smallest discriminative ability. TBBD also discriminated better between healthy postmenopausal women and hip-fracture patients than BMD spine or BMC forearm , whereas there was no significant difference between the three methods regarding the discrimination between the healthy postmenopausal women and the Colles' and spinal fracture patients. We conclude that the TBBD measurement by DPA has a discriminative potential which is better than the local spine or forearm measurements. (author)

Comparison of Travel-Time and Amplitude Measurements for Deep-Focusing Time-Distance Helioseismology

Science.gov (United States)

Pourabdian, Majid; Fournier, Damien; Gizon, Laurent

2018-04-01

The purpose of deep-focusing time-distance helioseismology is to construct seismic measurements that have a high sensitivity to the physical conditions at a desired target point in the solar interior. With this technique, pairs of points on the solar surface are chosen such that acoustic ray paths intersect at this target (focus) point. Considering acoustic waves in a homogeneous medium, we compare travel-time and amplitude measurements extracted from the deep-focusing cross-covariance functions. Using a single-scattering approximation, we find that the spatial sensitivity of deep-focusing travel times to sound-speed perturbations is zero at the target location and maximum in a surrounding shell. This is unlike the deep-focusing amplitude measurements, which have maximum sensitivity at the target point. We compare the signal-to-noise ratio for travel-time and amplitude measurements for different types of sound-speed perturbations, under the assumption that noise is solely due to the random excitation of the waves. We find that, for highly localized perturbations in sound speed, the signal-to-noise ratio is higher for amplitude measurements than for travel-time measurements. We conclude that amplitude measurements are a useful complement to travel-time measurements in time-distance helioseismology.

Expected total counts for the Self-Interrogation Neutron Resonance Densitometry measurements of spent nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rossa, Riccardo [Belgian nuclear research centre SCK.CEN (Belgium); Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium); Borella, Alessandro; Van der Meer, Klaas [Belgian nuclear research centre SCK.CEN. Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Labeau, Pierre-Etienne; Pauly, Nicolas [Universite Libre de Bruxelles. Av. F. D. Roosevelt 50, B1050 Brussels (Belgium)

2015-07-01

The Self-Interrogation Neutron Resonance Densitometry (SINRD) is a passive neutron technique that aims at a direct quantification of {sup 239}Pu in spent fuel assemblies by measuring the attenuation of the neutron flux in the energy region close to the 0.3 eV resonance of {sup 239}Pu. The {sup 239}Pu mass is estimated by calculating the SINRD signature, that is the ratio between the neutron counts in the fast energy region and around the 0.3 eV resonance region. The SINRD measurement approach in this study consisted in introducing a small neutron detector in the central guide tube of a PWR 17x17 fuel assembly. In order to measure the neutron flux in the energy regions defined in the SINRD signature, different detector types were used. The response of a bare {sup 238}U fission chamber is considered for the determination of the fast neutron flux, while other thermal-epithermal detectors wrapped in neutron absorbers are envisaged to measure the neutron flux around the resonance region. This paper provides an estimation of the total neutron counts that can be achieved with the detector types proposed for the SINRD measurement. In the first section a set of detectors are evaluated in terms of total neutron counts and sensitivity to the {sup 239}Pu content, in order to identify the optimal measurement configuration for each detector type. Then a study is performed to increase the total neutron counts by increasing the detector size. The study shows that the highest total neutron counts are achieved by using either {sup 3}He or {sup 10}B proportional counters because of the high neutron efficiency of these detectors. However, the calculations indicate that the biggest contribution to the measurement uncertainty is due to the measurement of the fast neutron flux. Finally, similar sensitivity to the {sup 239}Pu content is obtained by using the different detector types for the measurement of the neutron flux close to the resonance region. Therefore, the total neutron counts

ISOL yield predictions from holdup-time measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spejewski, Eugene H.; Carter, H Kennon; Mervin, Brenden T.; Prettyman, Emily S.; Kronenberg, Andreas; Stracener, Daniel W

2008-01-01

A formalism based on a simple model is derived to predict ISOL yields for all isotopes of a given element based on a holdup-time measurement of a single isotope of that element. Model predictions, based on parameters obtained from holdup-time measurements, are compared to independently-measured experimental values

Total sitting time, leisure time physical activity and risk of hospitalization due to low back pain: The Danish Health Examination Survey cohort 2007-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Balling, Mie; Holmberg, Teresa; Petersen, Christina B; Aadahl, Mette; Meyrowitsch, Dan W; Tolstrup, Janne S

2018-02-01

This study aimed to test the hypotheses that a high total sitting time and vigorous physical activity in leisure time increase the risk of low back pain and herniated lumbar disc disease. A total of 76,438 adults answered questions regarding their total sitting time and physical activity during leisure time in the Danish Health Examination Survey 2007-2008. Information on low back pain diagnoses up to 10 September 2015 was obtained from The National Patient Register. The mean follow-up time was 7.4 years. Data were analysed using Cox regression analysis with adjustment for potential confounders. Multiple imputations were performed for missing values. During the follow-up period, 1796 individuals were diagnosed with low back pain, of whom 479 were diagnosed with herniated lumbar disc disease. Total sitting time was not associated with low back pain or herniated lumbar disc disease. However, moderate or vigorous physical activity, as compared to light physical activity, was associated with increased risk of low back pain (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03-1.30 and HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15-1.83). Moderate, but not vigorous physical activity was associated with increased risk of herniated lumbar disc disease. The results suggest that total sitting time is not associated with low back pain, but moderate and vigorous physical activity is associated with increased risk of low back pain compared with light physical activity.

Accuracy of total oxidant measurement as obtained by the phenolphthalin method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Louw, C W; Halliday, E C

1963-01-01

The phenolphthalin method of Haagen-Smit and Brunelle (1958) was chosen for a preliminary survey of total oxidant level in Pretoria air, because of its sensitivity. Difficulty, however, was encountered in obtaining reliable standard curves. Some improvement was obtained when conducting all operations except photometer measurements at the temperature of melting ice. It was also found that when the sequence of adding the reagents was changed, so as to simulate conditions during actual sampling, a standard curve approximating a straight line and differing considerably from that of McCabe (1953) was obtained. It follows that values of total oxidant obtained by any experimentor will depend to a certain extent upon the method of standard curve preparation he uses, and when comparisons are made between measurements by experimentors in different towns or countries this factor should be taken into consideration. The accuracy (95% confidence) obtained by the phenolphthalin method, using the mean of three successive samples, was shown to be in the region of 30% for very low amounts of oxidant.

Lot-Order Assignment Applying Priority Rules for the Single-Machine Total Tardiness Scheduling with Nonnegative Time-Dependent Processing Times

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Gon Kim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Lot-order assignment is to assign items in lots being processed to orders to fulfill the orders. It is usually performed periodically for meeting the due dates of orders especially in a manufacturing industry with a long production cycle time such as the semiconductor manufacturing industry. In this paper, we consider the lot-order assignment problem (LOAP with the objective of minimizing the total tardiness of the orders with distinct due dates. We show that we can solve the LOAP optimally by finding an optimal sequence for the single-machine total tardiness scheduling problem with nonnegative time-dependent processing times (SMTTSP-NNTDPT. Also, we address how the priority rules for the SMTTSP can be modified to those for the SMTTSP-NNTDPT to solve the LOAP. In computational experiments, we discuss the performances of the suggested priority rules and show the result of the proposed approach outperforms that of the commercial optimization software package.

Total-factor energy efficiency in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xingping; Cheng Xiaomei; Yuan Jiahai; Gao Xiaojun

2011-01-01

This paper uses a total-factor framework to investigate energy efficiency in 23 developing countries during the period of 1980-2005. We explore the total-factor energy efficiency and change trends by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) window, which is capable of measuring efficiency in cross-sectional and time-varying data. The empirical results indicate that Botswana, Mexico and Panama perform the best in terms of energy efficiency, whereas Kenya, Sri Lanka, Syria and the Philippines perform the worst during the entire research period. Seven countries show little change in energy efficiency over time. Eleven countries experienced continuous decreases in energy efficiency. Among five countries witnessing continuous increase in total-factor energy efficiency, China experienced the most rapid rise. Practice in China indicates that effective energy policies play a crucial role in improving energy efficiency. Tobit regression analysis indicates that a U-shaped relationship exists between total-factor energy efficiency and income per capita. - Research Highlights: → To measure the total-factor energy efficiency using DEA window analysis. → Focus on an application area of developing countries in the period of 1980-2005. → A U-shaped relationship was found between total-factor energy efficiency and income.

Identification of key outcome measures when using the instrumented timed up and go and/or posturography for fall screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Sample, Renee Beach; Kinney, Allison L; Jackson, Kurt; Diestelkamp, Wiebke; Bigelow, Kimberly Edginton

2017-09-01

The Timed Up and Go (TUG) has been commonly used for fall risk assessment. The instrumented Timed Up and Go (iTUG) adds wearable sensors to capture sub-movements and may be more sensitive. Posturography assessments have also been used for determining fall risk. This study used stepwise logistic regression models to identify key outcome measures for the iTUG and posturography protocols. The effectiveness of the models containing these measures in differentiating fallers from non-fallers were then compared for each: iTUG total time duration only, iTUG, posturography, and combined iTUG and posturography assessments. One hundred and fifty older adults participated in this study. The iTUG measures were calculated utilizing APDM Inc.'s Mobility Lab software. Traditional and non-linear posturography measures were calculated from center of pressure during quiet-standing. The key outcome measures incorporated in the iTUG assessment model (sit-to-stand lean angle and height) resulted in a model sensitivity of 48.1% and max re-scaled R 2 value of 0.19. This was a higher sensitivity, indicating better differentiation, compared to the model only including total time duration (outcome of the traditional TUG), which had a sensitivity of 18.2%. When the key outcome measures of the iTUG and the posturography assessments were combined into a single model, the sensitivity was approximately the same as the iTUG model alone. Overall the findings of this study support that the iTUG demonstrates greater sensitivity than the total time duration, but that carrying out both iTUG and posturography does not greatly improve sensitivity when used as a fall risk screening tool. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurements of total cross sections between 23 and 280 GeV/c

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, P.F.M.

1975-01-01

The high precision measurements of the total cross sections for π/sup +-/, K/sup +-/, p, and anti p scattering from H 2 and D 2 were continued with an extension of the energy range from 23 to 280 GeV/c

A new automated colorimetric method for measuring total oxidant status.

Science.gov (United States)

Erel, Ozcan

2005-12-01

To develop a new, colorimetric and automated method for measuring total oxidation status (TOS). The assay is based on the oxidation of ferrous ion to ferric ion in the presence of various oxidant species in acidic medium and the measurement of the ferric ion by xylenol orange. The oxidation reaction of the assay was enhanced and precipitation of proteins was prevented. In addition, autoxidation of ferrous ion present in the reagent was prevented during storage. The method was applied to an automated analyzer, which was calibrated with hydrogen peroxide and the analytical performance characteristics of the assay were determined. There were important correlations with hydrogen peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide solutions (r=0.99, Ptotal antioxidant capacity (TAC) (r=-0.66 Ptotal oxidant status.

Total quality management in orthodontic practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Atta, A E

1999-12-01

Quality is the buzz word for the new Millennium. Patients demand it, and we must serve it. Yet one must identify it. Quality is not imaging or public relations; it is a business process. This short article presents quality as a balance of three critical notions: core clinical competence, perceived values that our patients seek and want, and the cost of quality. Customer satisfaction is a variable that must be identified for each practice. In my practice, patients perceive quality as communication and time, be it treatment or waiting time. Time is a value and cost that must be managed effectively. Total quality management is a business function; it involves diagnosis, design, implementation, and measurement of the process, the people, and the service. Kazien is a function that reduces value services, eliminates waste, and manages time and cost in the process. Total quality management is a total commitment for continuous improvement.

Measurement of total risk of spontaneous abortion: the virtue of conditional risk estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Modvig, J; Schmidt, L; Damsgaard, M T

1990-01-01

The concepts, methods, and problems of measuring spontaneous abortion risk are reviewed. The problems touched on include the process of pregnancy verification, the changes in risk by gestational age and maternal age, and the presence of induced abortions. Methods used in studies of spontaneous...... abortion risk include biochemical assays as well as life table technique, although the latter appears in two different forms. The consequences of using either of these are discussed. It is concluded that no study design so far is appropriate for measuring the total risk of spontaneous abortion from early...... conception to the end of the 27th week. It is proposed that pregnancy may be considered to consist of two or three specific periods and that different study designs should concentrate on measuring the conditional risk within each period. A careful estimate using this principle leads to an estimate of total...

Hydrogen production by the iodine-sulphur thermochemical cycle. Total and partial pressure measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D Doizi; V Dauvois; J L Roujou; V Delanne; P Fauvet; B Larousse; O Hercher; P Carles; C Moulin

2006-01-01

The iodine sulphur thermochemical cycle appears to be one of the most promising candidate for the massive production of hydrogen using nuclear energy. The key step in this cycle is the HI distillation section which must be optimized to get a good efficiency of the overall cycle. The concept of reactive versus extractive distillation of HI has been proposed because of its potentiality. The design and the optimization of the reactive distillation column requires the knowledge of the liquid vapour equilibrium over the ternary HI-I 2 -H 2 O mixtures up to 300 C and 100 bars. A general methodology based on three experimental devices imposed by the very corrosive and concentrated media will be described: 1) I1 for the total pressure measurement versus different ternary compositions. 2) I2 for the partial and total pressure measurements around 130 C and 2 bars to validate the choice of the analytical optical 'online' techniques we have proposed. 3) I3 for the partial and total pressures measurements in the process domain. The results obtained on pure samples, binary mixtures HI-H 2 O and ternary mixtures using an experimental design analysis in the experimental device I2 will be discussed. (authors)

On the Laws of Total Local Times for -Paths and Bridges of Symmetric Lévy Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masafumi Hayashi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The joint law of the total local times at two levels for -paths of symmetric Lévy processes is shown to admit an explicit representation in terms of the laws of the squared Bessel processes of dimensions two and zero. The law of the total local time at a single level for bridges is also discussed.

Superresolution confocal technology for displacement measurements based on total internal reflection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuang Cuifang; Hao Xiang; Wang Tingting; Liu Xu; Ali, M. Yakut

2010-01-01

In order to achieve a higher axial resolution for displacement measurement, a novel method is proposed based on total internal reflection filter and confocal microscope principle. A theoretical analysis of the basic measurement principles is presented. The analysis reveals that the proposed confocal detection scheme is effective in enhancing the resolution of nonlinearity of the reflectance curve greatly. In addition, a simple prototype system has been developed based on the theoretical analysis and a series of experiments have been performed under laboratory conditions to verify the system feasibility, accuracy, and stability. The experimental results demonstrate that the axial resolution in displacement measurements is better than 1 nm in a range of 200 nm which is threefold better than that can be achieved using the plane reflector.

Superresolution confocal technology for displacement measurements based on total internal reflection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuang, Cuifang; Ali, M Yakut; Hao, Xiang; Wang, Tingting; Liu, Xu

2010-10-01

In order to achieve a higher axial resolution for displacement measurement, a novel method is proposed based on total internal reflection filter and confocal microscope principle. A theoretical analysis of the basic measurement principles is presented. The analysis reveals that the proposed confocal detection scheme is effective in enhancing the resolution of nonlinearity of the reflectance curve greatly. In addition, a simple prototype system has been developed based on the theoretical analysis and a series of experiments have been performed under laboratory conditions to verify the system feasibility, accuracy, and stability. The experimental results demonstrate that the axial resolution in displacement measurements is better than 1 nm in a range of 200 nm which is threefold better than that can be achieved using the plane reflector.

Neutron total cross section measurements of gold and tantalum at the nELBE photoneutron source

CERN Document Server

Hannaske, Roland; Beyer, Roland; Junghans, Arnd; Bemmerer, Daniel; Birgersson, Evert; Ferrari, Anna; Grosse, Eckart; Kempe, Mathias; Kögler, Toni; Marta, Michele; Massarczyk, Ralph; Matic, Andrija; Schramm, Georg; Schwengner, Ronald; Wagner, Andreas

2014-01-01

Neutron total cross sections of 197 Au and nat Ta have been measured at the nELBE photoneutron source in the energy range from 0.1 - 10 MeV with a statistical uncertainty of up to 2 % and a total systematic uncertainty of 1 %. This facility is optimized for the fast neutron energy range and combines an excellent t ime structure of the neutron pulses (electron bunch width 5 ps) with a short flight path of 7 m. Because of the low instantaneous neutron flux transmission measurements of neutron total cross sections are possible, that exhibit very different beam and back ground conditions than found at other neutron sources.

Total antioxidants in plasma of hemodialysed patients and healthy controls measured by two commercial assays

OpenAIRE

Ruskovska, Tatjana; Jansen, Eugene

2012-01-01

Introduction: As a result of an increased interest in oxidative stress research, in both basic and clinical studies, numerous commercial test kits became available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results for total antioxidants measured by two commercial assays in a complex clinical condition such as single hemodialysis session in patients on chronic hemodialysis treatment, in comparison to healthy controls. Methods: The level of plasma total antioxidants was measured by BAP ...

Total body-calcium measurements: comparison of two delayed-gamma neutron activation facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, R.; Ellis, K.J.; Shypailo, R.J.; Pierson, R.N. Jr.

1999-01-01

This study compares two independently calibrated delayed-gamma neutron activation (DGNA) facilities, one at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York, and the other at the Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), Houston, Texas that measure total body calcium (TBCa). A set of BNL phantoms was sent to CNRC for neutron activation analysis, and a set of CNRC phantoms was measured at BNL. Both facilities showed high precision (<2%), and the results were in good agreement, within 5%. (author)

Measurement of total reaction cross sections of exotic neutron rich nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mittig, W.; Chouvel, J.M.; Wen Long, Z.

1987-01-01

Total reaction cross-sections of neutron rich nuclei from C to Mg in a thick Si-target have been measured using the detection of the associated γ-rays in a 4Π-geometry. This cross-section strongly increases with neutron excess, indicating an increase of as much as 15% of the reduced strong absorption radius with respect to stable nuclei

Measurement of the elastic, total and diffraction cross sections at tevatron energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belforte, S.

1993-11-01

The CDF collaboration has measured the differential elastic cross section dσ el /dt, the single diffraction dissociation double differential cross section d 2 σ sd /dM 2 dt and the total inelastic cross section for antiproton-proton collisions at center of mass energies √s = 546 and 1,800 GeV. Data for this measurement have been collected in short dedicated runs during the 1988--1989 data taking period of CDF. The elastic scattering slope is 15.28 ± 0.58 (16.98 ± 0.25) GeV -2 at √s = 546 (1,800) GeV. Using the luminosity independent method (1 + ρ 2 )σ T is measured to be 62.64 ± 0.95 (81.83 ± 2.29) mb at √s = 546 (1,800) GeV. Assuming ρ = 0.15 the elastic, total and single diffraction cross sections are σ el = 12.87 ± 0.30, σ T = 61.26 ± 0.93 and σ sd = 7.89 ± 0.33 mb (σ el = 19.70 ± 0.85, σ T = 80.03 ± 2.24 and σ sd = 9.46 ± 0.44 mb) at √s = 546 (1,800) GeV

Changes in body chemical composition with age measured by total-body neutron activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohn, S.H.; Vaswani, A.; Zanzi, I.; Aloia, J.F.; Roginsky, M.S.; Ellis, K.J.

1976-01-01

Total-body levels of calcium and phosphorus (reflecting skeletal mass) and total-body levels of potassium (reflecting muscle mass) were measured by neutron activation analysis in 39 men and 40 women ages 30 to 90 yr. In order to intercompare the total body calcium (TBCa) values in a heterogeneous population, such as this, it was necessary to normalize the data for skeletal size. The normalization consisted of dividing the absolute calcium level by the predicted calcium level for each individual matched to a set of critical parameters. The parameter used in the computation of normal values were age, sex, muscle mass, i.e., total body potassium (TBK) and height. For the calcium data of the women, it was necessary to add an age correction factor after the age of 55 yr. The calcium ratio (mean ratio of the predicted to measured TBCa) in men was 1.000 +- 7.8 percent and in women 0.996 +- 7.1 percent. The TBCa of normal males and females can thus be predicted to +-13 percent (at the 90 percent confidence level). An exception to this was found in males (70 to 90 yr) who exhibited a mean calcium ratio greater than 1.13

Radiologic total lung capacity measurement. Development and evaluation of a computer-based system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seeley, G.W.; Mazzeo, J.; Borgstrom, M.; Hunter, T.B.; Newell, J.D.; Bjelland, J.C.

1986-11-01

The development of a computer-based radiologic total lung capacity (TLC) measurement system designed to be used by non-physician personnel is detailed. Four operators tested the reliability and validity of the system by measuring inspiratory PA and lateral pediatric chest radiographs with a Graf spark pen interfaced to a DEC VAX 11/780 computer. First results suggest that the ultimate goal of developing an accurate and easy to use TLC measurement system for non-physician personnel is attainable.

Correlates of occupational, leisure and total sitting time in working adults: results from the Singapore multi-ethnic cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Uijtdewilligen, Léonie; Yin, Jason Dean-Chen; van der Ploeg, Hidde P; Müller-Riemenschneider, Falk

2017-12-13

Evidence on the health risks of sitting is accumulating. However, research identifying factors influencing sitting time in adults is limited, especially in Asian populations. This study aimed to identify socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates of occupational, leisure and total sitting time in a sample of Singapore working adults. Data were collected between 2004 and 2010 from participants of the Singapore Multi Ethnic Cohort (MEC). Medical exclusion criteria for cohort participation were cancer, heart disease, stroke, renal failure and serious mental illness. Participants who were not working over the past 12 months and without data on sitting time were excluded from the analyses. Multivariable regression analyses were used to examine cross-sectional associations of self-reported age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, smoking, caloric intake and moderate-to-vigorous leisure time physical activity (LTPA) with self-reported occupational, leisure and total sitting time. Correlates were also studied separately for Chinese, Malays and Indians. The final sample comprised 9384 participants (54.8% male): 50.5% were Chinese, 24.0% Malay, and 25.5% Indian. For the total sample, mean occupational sitting time was 2.71 h/day, mean leisure sitting time was 2.77 h/day and mean total sitting time was 5.48 h/day. Sitting time in all domains was highest among Chinese. Age, gender, education, and caloric intake were associated with higher occupational sitting time, while ethnicity, marital status and smoking were associated with lower occupational sitting time. Marital status, smoking, caloric intake and LTPA were associated with higher leisure sitting time, while age, gender and ethnicity were associated with lower leisure sitting time. Gender, marital status, education, caloric intake and LTPA were associated with higher total sitting time, while ethnicity was associated with lower total sitting time. Stratified analyses revealed different associations within

Measurement of the Slowing-Down and Thermalization Time of Neutrons in Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moeller, E [AB Atomenergi, Nykoeping (Sweden); Sjoestrand, N G [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden)

1963-11-15

The experimental equipment for the study of the time behaviour of neutrons during slowing-down and thermalization in a moderator by the use of a pulsed van de Graaff accelerator as a neutron source is described. Information on the change with time of the neutron spectrum is obtained from its reaction with spectrum indicators, the reaction rate being observed by the detection of capture gamma rays. The time resolution may be chosen in the range 0.01 to 5 {mu}s. Measurements have been made for water with cadmium, gadolinium and samarium as indicators dissolved in the medium. A slowing- down time to 0.2 eV of 2.7 {+-} 0.4 {mu}s and a total thermalization time of 25 - 30 {mu}s were obtained. From 9 {mu}s after the injection, the results are well described by the assumption of the flux as a Maxwell distribution cooling down to the moderator temperature with a thermalization time constant of 4.1 {+-} 0.4 {mu}s.

Drift-time measurement electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pernicka, M.

1978-01-01

The aim of the construction was to improve the time resolution without using the facility of time stretching, to have a fast read-out possibility, and to be still cheaper in price in comparison to other systems. A possibility was thus foreseen for using the firm Fairchild. These integrated circuits (IC) have, for example, a propagation delay of 0.75 ns for a gate. One can expect therefore less time jitter and less time difference between the different inputs. Furthermore this IC offers a greater flexibility and therefore the number of ICs decreases and distances become smaller. Working with clock frequencies up to 166.6 MHz is easily possible without running into timing problems. On the other hand, to make full use of the advantages of this IC, it was necessary to build the print as a multilayer. The only risk could be in the use of a completely new product. A further aim was to build for this system a second type of drift-time module with a short time range for measuring drift time and pulse length in rotated multiwire proportional chambers. A brief outline of the specifications of the different modules is given in table 1. (Auth.)

Minimizing Total Completion Time For Preemptive Scheduling With Release Dates And Deadline Constraints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Cheng

2014-02-01

Full Text Available It is known that the single machine preemptive scheduling problem of minimizing total completion time with release date and deadline constraints is NP- hard. Du and Leung solved some special cases by the generalized Baker's algorithm and the generalized Smith's algorithm in O(n2 time. In this paper we give an O(n2 algorithm for the special case where the processing times and deadlines are agreeable. Moreover, for the case where the processing times and deadlines are disagreeable, we present two properties which could enable us to reduce the range of the enumeration algorithm

Time measurements for thermalequilibrium in spodumene crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, A.T.; Isotani, S.

1982-01-01

Experiments for measurement of time taken to reach thermal equilibrium in Spodumene crystals - 2mm to 5,4mm thick - in the temperature range 100 0 to 250 0 C are described. The measurements indicate a linear relationship between time and thickenes for heating as well as for cooling. Difference in thermal equilibrium time for heating and for cooling is about of 20 seconds. (author) [pt

Quantitative measurement of total cerebral blood flow using 2D phase-contrast MRI and doppler ultrasound

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seo, Keum Soo; Choi, Sun Seob; Lee, Young Il [Dong-A Univ., College of Medicine, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2001-12-01

To compare of quantitative measurement of the total cerebral blood flow using two-dimensional phase-contrast MR imaging and Doppler ultrasound. In 16 volunteers (mean age, 26 years; mean body weight, 66 kg) without abnormal medical histories, two-dimensional phase-contrast MR imaging was performed at the level of the C2-3 inter vertebral disc for flow measurement of the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries. Volume flow measurements using Doppler ultrasound were also performed at the internal carotid arteries 2cm above the carotid bifurcation, and at the vertebral arteries at the level of the upper pole of the thyroid gland. Flows in the four vessels measured by the two methods were compared using Wilcoxon's correlation analysis and the median score. Total cerebral blood flows were calculated by summing these four vessel flows, and mean values for the 16 volunteers were calculated. Cerebral blood flows measured by 2-D phase-contrast MR imaging and Doppler ultrasounds were 233 and 239 ml/min in the right internal carotid artery, 250 and 248 ml/min in the left internal carotid artery, 62 and 56 ml/min in the right vertebral artery, and 83 and 68 ml/min in the left vertebral artery. Correlation coefficients of the blood flows determined by the two methods were 0.48, 0.54, 0.49, and 0.62 in each vessel, while total cerebral blood flows were 628{+-}68 (range, 517 to 779) ml/min and 612{+-}79 (range, 482 to 804)ml/min, respectively. Total cerebral blood flow was easily measured using 2-D phase-contrast MR imaging and Doppler ultrasound, and the two noninvasive methods can therefore be used clinically for the measurement of total cerebral blood flow.

Dead time effects in laser Doppler anemometry measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Velte, Clara Marika; Buchhave, Preben; George, William K.

2014-01-01

frequency range, starting around the cutoff frequency due to the finite size of the MV. Using computer-generated data mimicking the LDA data, these effects have previously been shown to appear due to the effect of dead time, i.e., the finite time during which the system is not able to acquire new...... measurements. These dead times can be traced back to the fact that the burst-mode LDA cannot measure more than one signal burst at a time. Since the dead time is approximately equal to the residence time for a particle traversing a measurement volume, we are dealing with widely varying dead times, which...

Real-Time Measurement of Machine Efficiency during Inertia Friction Welding.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tung, Daniel Joseph [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Mahaffey, David [Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States); Senkov, Oleg [Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States); Semiatin, Sheldon [Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States); Zhang, Wei [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)

2017-12-01

Process efficiency is a crucial parameter for inertia friction welding (IFW) that is largely unknown at the present time. A new method has been developed to determine the transient profile of the IFW process efficiency by comparing the workpiece torque used to heat and deform the joint region to the total torque. Particularly, the former is measured by a torque load cell attached to the non-rotating workpiece while the latter is calculated from the deceleration rate of flywheel rotation. The experimentally-measured process efficiency for IFW of AISI 1018 steel rods is validated independently by the upset length estimated from an analytical equation of heat balance and the flash profile calculated from a finite element based thermal stress model. The transient behaviors of torque and efficiency during IFW are discussed based on the energy loss to machine bearings and the bond formation at the joint interface.

Measurement of total body calcium in osteoporotic patients treated with salmon calcitonin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zanzi, I.; Thompson, K.; Cohn, S.H.

1981-01-01

In the past, the evaluation of therapies for osteoporosis has been limited by the lack of a suitable quantitative end point. The introduction of the technique of in vivo total body neutron activation analysis (TBNAA) has made possible the precise and accurate measurement of total body calcium (TBCa). Since almost 99 percent of TBCa is in the skeleton, TBNAA gives a direct measurement of skeletal mass. Thus, changes in skeletal mass serve as an objective criterion in the evaluation of the efficacy of the therapy in osteoporosis. Studies performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory and elsewhere have reported the use of calcitonin (CT) in the treatment of primary osteoporosis and related conditions in a limited number of patients. The physiological effects of CT as an inhibitor of bone resorption has been the rationale of its use. The results of a randomized, controlled, 2 year therapeutical trial of CT in a group of postmenopausal osteoporotic women are presented in this report

Nanosecond time measurements of single pulse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xing Jingyuan; Cheng Shiyuan

1986-01-01

This report mainly describes the principle specification of circuit design and time-interval calibrations of model SHS 500 time-to-digital converter. Its range is 12 to 500 ns, with six ranges: 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 ns. The precision of measured time-interval is 0.3% of full scale and time resolution is 0.1% of full scale

Time-series MODIS image-based retrieval and distribution analysis of total suspended matter concentrations in Lake Taihu (China).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuchao; Lin, Shan; Liu, Jianping; Qian, Xin; Ge, Yi

2010-09-01

Although there has been considerable effort to use remotely sensed images to provide synoptic maps of total suspended matter (TSM), there are limited studies on universal TSM retrieval models. In this paper, we have developed a TSM retrieval model for Lake Taihu using TSM concentrations measured in situ and a time series of quasi-synchronous MODIS 250 m images from 2005. After simple geometric and atmospheric correction, we found a significant relationship (R = 0.8736, N = 166) between in situ measured TSM concentrations and MODIS band normalization difference of band 3 and band 1. From this, we retrieved TSM concentrations in eight regions of Lake Taihu in 2007 and analyzed the characteristic distribution and variation of TSM. Synoptic maps of model-estimated TSM of 2007 showed clear geographical and seasonal variations. TSM in Central Lake and Southern Lakeshore were consistently higher than in other regions, while TSM in East Taihu was generally the lowest among the regions throughout the year. Furthermore, a wide range of TSM concentrations appeared from winter to summer. TSM in winter could be several times that in summer.

Elastic Scattering and Total Cross-Section in p+p reactions measured by the LHC Experiment TOTEM at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

OpenAIRE

Collaboration, T. Csörgő for the TOTEM; :; Antchev, G.; Aspell, P.; Atanassov, I.; Avati, V.; Baechler, J.; Berardi, V.; Berretti, M.; Bossini, E.; Bozzo, M.; Brogi, P.; Brücken, E.; Buzzo, A.; Cafagna, F. S.

2012-01-01

Proton-proton elastic scattering has been measured by the TOTEM experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at $\\sqrt{s} = 7 $ TeV in special runs with the Roman Pot detectors placed as close to the outgoing beam as seven times the transverse beam size. The differential cross-section measurements are reported in the |t|-range of 0.36 to 2.5 GeV^2. Extending the range of data to low t values from 0.02 to 0.33 GeV^2,and utilizing the luminosity measurements of CMS, the total proton-proton cros...

A polynomial time algorithm for checking regularity of totally normed process algebra

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yang, F.; Huang, H.

2015-01-01

A polynomial algorithm for the regularity problem of weak and branching bisimilarity on totally normed process algebra (PA) processes is given. Its time complexity is O(n 3 +mn) O(n3+mn), where n is the number of transition rules and m is the maximal length of the rules. The algorithm works for

Study of fission time scale from measurement of pre-scission light particle and γ-ray multiplicities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramachandran, K.; Chatterjee, A.; Navin, A.

2014-01-01

This work presents the result of a simultaneous measurement of pre-scission multiplicities and analysis using the statistical model code JOANNE2 which includes deformation effects. Evaporation residue cross-sections has also been measured for the same system and analyzed in a consistent manner. The neutron, charged particle, GDR γ-ray and ER data could be explained consistently. The emission of neutrons seems to be favored towards larger deformation as compared to charged particles. The pre-scission time scale is deduced as 0-2 x 10 -21 s whereas the saddle-to-scission time scale is 36-39 x 10 -21 s. The total fission time scale is deduced as 36-41 x 10 -21 s

Measuring Total Column Water Vapor by Pointing an Infrared Thermometer at the Sky

Science.gov (United States)

Mims, Forrest M., III; Chambers, Lin H.; Brooks, David R.

2011-01-01

A 2-year study affirms that the temperature (Tz) indicated by an inexpensive ($20 to $60) IR thermometer pointed at the cloud-free zenith sky provides an approximate indication of the total column water vapor (precipitable water or PW). PW was measured by a MICROTOPS II sun photometer. The coefficient of correlation (r2) of the PW and Tz was 0.90, and the rms difference was 3.2 mm. A comparison of the Tz data with the PW provided by a GPS site 31 km NNE yielded an r2 of 0.79, and an rms difference of 5.8 mm. An expanded study compared Tz from eight IR thermometers with PW at various times during the day and night from 17 May to 18 October 2010, mainly at the Texas site and 10 days at Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO). The best results of this comparison were provided by two IR thermometers models that yielded an r2 of 0.96 and an rms difference with the PW of 2.7 mm. The results of both the ongoing 2-year study and the 5-month instrument comparison show that IR thermometers can measure PW with an accuracy (rms difference/mean PW) approaching 10%, the accuracy typically ascribed to sun photometers.

A neutron detector for measurement of total neutron production cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekharan, K.K.; Laumer, H.; Kern, B.D.; Gabbard, F.

1976-01-01

A neutron detector has been constructed and calibrated for the accurate measurement of total neutron production cross sections. The detector consists of a polyethylene sphere of 60 cm diameter in which eight 10 BF 3 counters have been installed radially. The relative efficiency of this detector has been determined for average neutron energies from 30 keV to 1.5 MeV by counting neutrons from 7 Li(p, n) 7 Be. By adjusting the radial positions of the BF 3 counters in the polyethylene sphere the efficiency for neutron detection was made nearly constant for this energy range. Measurement of absolute efficiency for the same neutron energy range has been done by counting the neutrons from 51 V(p, n) 51 Cr and 57 Fe(p, n) 57 Co reactions and determining the absolute number of residual nuclei produced during the measurement of neutron yield. Details of absolute efficiency measurements and the use of the detector for determination of neutron production cross sections are given. (Auth.)

An Energy-Based Similarity Measure for Time Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre Brunagel

2007-11-01

Full Text Available A new similarity measure, called SimilB, for time series analysis, based on the cross-ΨB-energy operator (2004, is introduced. ΨB is a nonlinear measure which quantifies the interaction between two time series. Compared to Euclidean distance (ED or the Pearson correlation coefficient (CC, SimilB includes the temporal information and relative changes of the time series using the first and second derivatives of the time series. SimilB is well suited for both nonstationary and stationary time series and particularly those presenting discontinuities. Some new properties of ΨB are presented. Particularly, we show that ΨB as similarity measure is robust to both scale and time shift. SimilB is illustrated with synthetic time series and an artificial dataset and compared to the CC and the ED measures.

Geometric measure of quantum discord and total quantum correlations in an N-partite quantum state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, Ali Saif M; Joag, Pramod S

2012-01-01

Quantum discord, as introduced by Ollivier and Zurek (2001 Phys. Rev. Lett. 88 017901), is a measure of the discrepancy between quantum versions of two classically equivalent expressions for mutual information and is found to be useful in quantification and application of quantum correlations in mixed states. It is viewed as a key resource present in certain quantum communication tasks and quantum computational models without containing much entanglement. An early step toward the quantification of quantum discord in a quantum state was by Dakic et al (2010 Phys. Rev. Lett. 105 190502) who introduced a geometric measure of quantum discord and derived an explicit formula for any two-qubit state. Recently, Luo and Fu (2010 Phys. Rev. A 82 034302) introduced a generic form of the geometric measure of quantum discord for a bipartite quantum state. We extend these results and find generic forms of the geometric measure of quantum discord and total quantum correlations in a general N-partite quantum state. Further, we obtain computable exact formulas for the geometric measure of quantum discord and total quantum correlations in an N-qubit quantum state. The exact formulas for the N-qubit quantum state can be used to get experimental estimates of the quantum discord and the total quantum correlation. (paper)

Just In Time Value Chain Total Quality Management Part Of Technical Strategic Management Accounting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesi Hertati

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This article aims to determine Just In Time Value Chain Total Quality Management tqm as a technique in management accounting stategis.Tujuan Just In Time value chain or value chain Total Quality Management TQM is strategic for customer satisfaction in the long term obtained from the information. Quality information is the way to continuous improvement in order to increase the companys financial performance in the long term to increase competitive advantage. Strategic Management Accounting process gather competitor information explore opportunities to reduce costs integrate accounting with emphasis on the strategic position of the competition is a great plan. An overall strategic plan interrelated and serves as the basis for achieving targets or goals ahead.

First passage times in homogeneous nucleation: Dependence on the total number of particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yvinec, Romain; Bernard, Samuel; Pujo-Menjouet, Laurent; Hingant, Erwan

2016-01-01

Motivated by nucleation and molecular aggregation in physical, chemical, and biological settings, we present an extension to a thorough analysis of the stochastic self-assembly of a fixed number of identical particles in a finite volume. We study the statistics of times required for maximal clusters to be completed, starting from a pure-monomeric particle configuration. For finite volumes, we extend previous analytical approaches to the case of arbitrary size-dependent aggregation and fragmentation kinetic rates. For larger volumes, we develop a scaling framework to study the first assembly time behavior as a function of the total quantity of particles. We find that the mean time to first completion of a maximum-sized cluster may have a surprisingly weak dependence on the total number of particles. We highlight how higher statistics (variance, distribution) of the first passage time may nevertheless help to infer key parameters, such as the size of the maximum cluster. Finally, we present a framework to quantify formation of macroscopic sized clusters, which are (asymptotically) very unlikely and occur as a large deviation phenomenon from the mean-field limit. We argue that this framework is suitable to describe phase transition phenomena, as inherent infrequent stochastic processes, in contrast to classical nucleation theory

A new type industrial total station based on target automatic collimation

Science.gov (United States)

Lao, Dabao; Zhou, Weihu; Ji, Rongyi; Dong, Dengfeng; Xiong, Zhi; Wei, Jiang

2018-01-01

In the case of industrial field measurement, the present measuring instruments work with manual operation and collimation, which give rise to low efficiency for field measurement. In order to solve the problem, a new type industrial total station is presented in this paper. The new instrument can identify and trace cooperative target automatically, in the mean time, coordinate of the target is measured in real time. For realizing the system, key technology including high precision absolutely distance measurement, small high accuracy angle measurement, target automatic collimation with vision, and quick precise controlling should be worked out. After customized system assemblage and adjustment, the new type industrial total station will be established. As the experiments demonstrated, the coordinate accuracy of the instrument is under 15ppm in the distance of 60m, which proved that the measuring system is feasible. The result showed that the total station can satisfy most industrial field measurement requirements.

Core journals in library and information science: measuring the level of specialization over time

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nicolaisen, J.; Frandsen, T. F.

2013-01-01

years. The method is applied to a selection of core journals in library and information science (1990-2012). The reference lists of each journal are compared year by year, and the percentage of re-citations is calculated by dividing the number of re-citations with the total number of citations each year......Introduction. Specialization in science is a process that occurs over time. The present paper presents a bibliometric method for measuring the degree of specialization over time. Methods. The method is based on bibliographic coupling, and counts the percentage of recitations given in subsequent...

Batch Scheduling for Hybrid Assembly Differentiation Flow Shop to Minimize Total Actual Flow Time

Science.gov (United States)

Maulidya, R.; Suprayogi; Wangsaputra, R.; Halim, A. H.

2018-03-01

A hybrid assembly differentiation flow shop is a three-stage flow shop consisting of Machining, Assembly and Differentiation Stages and producing different types of products. In the machining stage, parts are processed in batches on different (unrelated) machines. In the assembly stage, each part of the different parts is assembled into an assembly product. Finally, the assembled products will further be processed into different types of final products in the differentiation stage. In this paper, we develop a batch scheduling model for a hybrid assembly differentiation flow shop to minimize the total actual flow time defined as the total times part spent in the shop floor from the arrival times until its due date. We also proposed a heuristic algorithm for solving the problems. The proposed algorithm is tested using a set of hypothetic data. The solution shows that the algorithm can solve the problems effectively.

Tropical intercontinental optical measurement network of aerosol, precipitable water and total column ozone

Science.gov (United States)

Holben, B. N.; Tanre, D.; Reagan, J. A.; Eck, T. F.; Setzer, A.; Kaufman, Y. A.; Vermote, E.; Vassiliou, G. D.; Lavenu, F.

1992-01-01

A new generation of automatic sunphotometers is used to systematically monitor clear sky total column aerosol concentration and optical properties, precipitable water and total column ozone diurnally and annually in West Africa and South America. The instruments are designed to measure direct beam sun, solar aureole and sky radiances in nine narrow spectral bands from the UV to the near infrared on an hourly basis. The instrumentation and the algorithms required to reduce the data for subsequent analysis are described.

Measurement of Elastic Scattering and of Total Cross-Section at the CERN $\\bar{p}p$ Collider

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

The aim of the experiment is to measure elastic scattering and the total cross-section at the $\\bar{p}p$ collider. \\\\ \\\\ Up to 1983 the experimental apparatus was composed of two parts : \\item 1) Telescopes of high accuracy drift and proportional chambers and counters inserted into vertically moveable sections of the vacuum chamber ('Roman pots'), detect elastic scattering in the angular region from .5 mrad up to about 3 mrad. \\item 2) The total inelastic rate is measured with a forward/backward system of drift chambers and counter hodoscopes and the UA2 central detector covering together @= 4@p solid angle. \\end{enumerate}\\\\ \\\\ With these two set-ups, the measured value of the total cross-section confirms extrapolation with (ln s)|2 behaviour. Elastic scattering and diffraction dissociation were measured in the range .03~$<$~-t~$<$~1.6~GeV|2. \\\\ \\\\ From 1984 on, six horizontally moveable ``Roman Pots'' have been installed farther away from the intersection region (up to 100~m). Using an especially desi...

Value of a simple technique for the measurement of total renal function and each kidney functions without requiring blood or urine samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyers, A.; Chachati, A.; Godon, J.P.; Rigo, P.

1985-01-01

The determination of renal uptake of 99m Tc DTPA and of 131 I Hippuran (as a percentage of the administred dose) at a time interval 1-3 minutes after tracer injection, is a rapid, accurate method for the measurement of total renal function and each kidney functions. Its clinical validity has been confirmed [fr

Iodide-assisted total lead measurement and determination of different lead fractions in drinking water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuanyuan; Ng, Ding-Quan; Lin, Yi-Pin

2012-07-01

Lead and its compounds are toxic and can harm human health, especially the intelligence development in children. Accurate measurement of total lead present in drinking water is crucial in determining the extent of lead contamination and human exposure due to drinking water consumption. The USEPA method for total lead measurement (no. 200.8) is often used to analyze lead levels in drinking water. However, in the presence of high concentration of the tetravalent lead corrosion product PbO(2), the USEPA method was not able to fully recover particulate lead due to incomplete dissolution of PbO(2) particles during strong acid digestion. In this study, a new procedure that integrates membrane separation, iodometric PbO(2) measurement, strong acid digestion and ICP-MS measurement was proposed and evaluated for accurate total lead measurement and quantification of different lead fractions including soluble Pb(2+), particulate Pb(II) carbonate and PbO(2) in drinking water samples. The proposed procedure was evaluated using drinking water reconstituted with spiked Pb(2+), spiked particulate Pb(II) carbonate and in situ formed or spiked PbO(2). Recovery tests showed that the proposed procedure and the USEPA method can achieve 93-112% and 86-103% recoveries respectively for samples containing low PbO(2) concentrations (0.018-0.076 mg Pb per L). For samples containing higher concentrations of PbO(2) (0.089-1.316 mg Pb per L), the USEPA method failed to meet the recovery requirement for total lead (85-115%) while the proposed method can achieve satisfactory recoveries (91-111%) and differentiate the soluble Pb(2+), particulate Pb(II) carbonate and PbO(2).

Estimation of total bacteria by real-time PCR in patients with periodontal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Brajović, Gavrilo; Popović, Branka; Puletić, Miljan; Kostić, Marija; Milasin, Jelena

2016-01-01

Periodontal diseases are associated with the presence of elevated levels of bacteria within the gingival crevice. The aim of this study was to evaluate a total amount of bacteria in subgingival plaque samples in patients with a periodontal disease. A quantitative evaluation of total bacteria amount using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed on 20 samples of patients with ulceronecrotic periodontitis and on 10 samples of healthy subjects. The estimation of total bacterial amount was based on gene copy number for 16S rRNA that was determined by comparing to Ct values/gene copy number of the standard curve. A statistically significant difference between average gene copy number of total bacteria in periodontal patients (2.55 x 10⁷) and healthy control (2.37 x 10⁶) was found (p = 0.01). Also, a trend of higher numbers of the gene copy in deeper periodontal lesions (> 7 mm) was confirmed by a positive value of coefficient of correlation (r = 0.073). The quantitative estimation of total bacteria based on gene copy number could be an important additional tool in diagnosing periodontitis.

Characteristics of Lightning within Electrified Snowfall Events using Total Lightning Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, C. J.; Bruning, E. C.; Lang, T. J.; Kuhlman, K. M.

2015-12-01

Lightning within heavy snowfall indicates the presence of heavy snowfall rates. Most studies within the literature examine this phenomenon using ground based networks that are primarily designed for identifying cloud to ground flashes. Thus, very little study of the three dimensional structure of the lightning flashes within heavy snowfall has been accomplished. Herein, total lightning mapping arrays, interferometers and ground based networks like the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) are utilized to document the characteristics of these flashes, including flash size, polarity, flash initiation location and inferred charge structure. A total of six events are examined, resulting in a total of approximately 80 flashes. Both individual case studies and overall population statistics will be used to characterize flashes within this winter environment. Many of these flashes are found to initiate from tall objects like television and radio communication towers, and come to ground in multiple locations along their path, resulting in one LMA derived flash containing multiple NLDN identified flashes. Cloud-to-ground flashes of both polarities are noted within the 80 flash sample. In one case, 3 separate flashes which resulted in ground flashes of both polarities were observed coming out of the same overall charge structure. This structure exhibited a highly sloped nature in the LMA data from east to west, and both +IC and -IC components of flashes were observed by the NLDN in the same region where the flashes initiated. A decrease in flash size is noted with time in at least three of these events due to weaker updraft (compared to their summertime thunderstorm counter parts) and smaller available of supercooled liquid water as inferred through trends in radar observations. These limiting factors are hypothesized to result in slower charging rates, and smaller flash sizes with time. Several flashes also exhibit sloped structures that match reflectivity

[A new measurement method of time-resolved spectrum].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Zhi-gang; Huang, Shi-hua; Liang, Chun-jun; Lei, Quan-sheng

2007-02-01

A new method for measuring time-resolved spectrum (TRS) is brought forward. Programming with assemble language controlled the micro-control-processor (AT89C51), and a kind of peripheral circuit constituted the drive circuit, which drived the stepping motor to run the monochromator. So the light of different kinds of expected wavelength could be obtained. The optical signal was transformed to electrical signal by optical-to-electrical transform with the help of photomultiplier tube (Hamamatsu 1P28). The electrical signal of spectrum data was transmitted to the oscillograph. Connecting the two serial interfaces of RS232 between the oscillograph and computer, the electrical signal of spectrum data could be transmitted to computer for programming to draw the attenuation curve and time-resolved spectrum (TRS) of the swatch. The method for measuring time-resolved spectrum (TRS) features parallel measurement in time scale but serial measurement in wavelength scale. Time-resolved spectrum (TRS) and integrated emission spectrum of Tb3+ in swatch Tb(o-BBA)3 phen were measured using this method. Compared with the real time-resolved spectrum (TRS). It was validated to be feasible, credible and convenient. The 3D spectra of fluorescence intensity-wavelength-time, and the integrated spectrum of the swatch Tb(o-BBA)3 phen are given.

Development of Real-Time Measurement of Effective Dose for High Dose Rate Neutron Fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braby, L. A.; Reece, W. D.; Hsu, W. H.

2003-01-01

Studies of the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation require sources of radiation which are well characterized in terms of the dose and the quality of the radiation. One of the best measures of the quality of neutron irradiation is the dose mean lineal energy. At very low dose rates this can be determined by measuring individual energy deposition events, and calculating the dose mean of the event size. However, at the dose rates that are normally required for biology experiments, the individual events can not be separated by radiation detectors. However, the total energy deposited in a specified time interval can be measured. This total energy has a random variation which depends on the size of the individual events, so the dose mean lineal energy can be calculated from the variance of repeated measurements of the energy deposited in a fixed time. We have developed a specialized charge integration circuit for the measurement of the charge produced in a small ion chamber in typical neutron irradiation experiments. We have also developed 4.3 mm diameter ion chambers with both tissue equivalent and carbon walls for the purpose of measuring dose mean lineal energy due to all radiations and due to all radiations except neutrons, respectively. By adjusting the gas pressure in the ion chamber, it can be made to simulate tissue volumes from a few nanometers to a few millimeters in diameter. The charge is integrated for 0.1 seconds, and the resulting pulse height is recorded by a multi channel analyzer. The system has been used in a variety of photon and neutron radiation fields, and measured values of dose and dose mean lineal energy are consistent with values extrapolated from measurements made by other techniques at much lower dose rates. It is expected that this technique will prove to be much more reliable than extrapolations from measurements made at low dose rates because these low dose rate exposures generally do not accurately reproduce the attenuation and

Total protein

Science.gov (United States)

... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003483.htm Total protein To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. The total protein test measures the total amount of two classes ...

A neutron detector for measurement of total neutron production cross sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sekharan, K K; Laumer, H; Kern, B D; Gabbard, F [Kentucky Univ., Lexington (USA). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

1976-03-01

A neutron detector has been constructed and calibrated for the accurate measurement of total neutron production cross sections. The detector consists of a polyethylene sphere of 60 cm diameter in which eight /sup 10/BF/sub 3/ counters have been installed radially. The relative efficiency of this detector has been determined for average neutron energies from 30 keV to 1.5 MeV by counting neutrons from /sup 7/Li(p, n)/sup 7/Be. By adjusting the radial positions of the BF/sub 3/ counters in the polyethylene sphere the efficiency for neutron detection was made nearly constant for this energy range. Measurement of absolute efficiency for the same neutron energy range has been done by counting the neutrons from /sup 51/V(p, n)/sup 51/Cr and /sup 57/Fe(p, n)/sup 57/Co reactions and determining the absolute number of residual nuclei produced during the measurement of neutron yield. Details of absolute efficiency measurements and the use of the detector for determination of neutron production cross sections are given.

Can pre-season fitness measures predict time to injury in varsity athletes?: a retrospective case control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kennedy Michael D

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ability to determine athletic performance in varsity athletes using preseason measures has been established. The ability of pre-season performance measures and athlete’s exposure to predict the incidence of injuries is unclear. Thus our purpose was to determine the ability of pre-season measures of athletic performance to predict time to injury in varsity athletes. Methods Male and female varsity athletes competing in basketball, volleyball and ice hockey participated in this study. The main outcome measures were injury prevalence, time to injury (based on calculated exposure and pre-season fitness measures as predictors of time to injury. Fitness measures were Apley’s range of motion, push-up, curl-ups, vertical jump, modified Illinois agility, and sit-and-reach. Cox regression models were used to identify which baseline fitness measures were predictors of time to injury. Results Seventy-six percent of the athletes reported 1 or more injuries. Mean times to initial injury were significantly different for females and males (40.6% and 66.1% of the total season (p , respectively. A significant univariate correlation was observed between push-up performance and time to injury (Pearson’s r = 0.332, p . No preseason fitness measure impacted the hazard of injury. Regardless of sport, female athletes had significantly shorter time to injury than males (Hazard Ratio = 2.2, p . Athletes playing volleyball had significantly shorter time to injury (Hazard Ratio = 4.2, p  compared to those playing hockey or basketball. Conclusions When accounting for exposure, gender, sport and fitness measures, prediction of time to injury was influenced most heavily by gender and sport.

Picosecond time measurement using ultra fast analog memories

OpenAIRE

Breton, D.; Delagnes, E.; Maalmi, J.

2009-01-01

International audience; The currently existing electronics dedicated to precise time measurement is mainly based on the use of constant fraction discriminators (CFD) associated with Time to Digital Converters (TDC). The constant fraction technique minimizes the time walk effect (dependency of timing on the pulse amplitude). Several attempts have been made to integrate CFD in multi-channel ASICs. But the time resolution measured on the most advanced one is of the order of 30 ps rms. Two main t...

Physiotherapy Exercise After Fast-Track Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Time for Reconsideration?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandholm, Thomas; Kehlet, Henrik

2012-01-01

Bandholm T, Kehlet H. Physiotherapy exercise after fast-track total hip and knee arthroplasty: time for reconsideration? Major surgery, including total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), is followed by a convalescence period, during which the loss of muscle strength......-track methodology or enhanced recovery programs. It is the nature of this methodology to systematically and scientifically optimize all perioperative care components, with the overall goal of enhancing recovery. This is also the case for the care component "physiotherapy exercise" after THA and TKA. The 2 latest...... meta-analyses on the effectiveness of physiotherapy exercise after THA and TKA generally conclude that physiotherapy exercise after THA and TKA either does not work or is not very effective. The reason for this may be that the "pill" of physiotherapy exercise typically offered after THA and TKA does...

Comparison of 3 Types of Readmission Rates for Measuring Hospital and Surgeon Performance After Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Bottle, Alex; Loeffler, Mark D; Aylin, Paul; Ali, Adam M

2018-02-26

All-cause 30-day hospital readmission is in widespread use for monitoring and incentivizing hospital performance for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, little is known on the extent to which all-cause readmission is influenced by hospital or surgeon performance and whether alternative measures may be more valid. This is an observational study using multilevel modeling on English administrative data to determine the interhospital and intersurgeon variation for 3 readmission metrics: all-cause, surgical, and return-to-theater. Power calculations estimated the likelihood of identifying whether the readmission rate for a surgeon or hospital differed from the national average by a factor of 1.25, 1.5, 2, or 3 times, for both average and high-volume providers. 259,980 THAs and 311,033 TKAs were analyzed. Variations by both surgeons and hospitals were smaller for the all-cause measure than for the surgical or return-to-theater metrics, although statistical power to detect differences was higher. Statistical power to detect surgeon-level rates of 1.25 or 1.5 times the average was consistently low. However, at the hospital level, the surgical readmission measure showed more variation by hospital while maintaining excellent power to detect differences in rates between hospitals performing the average number of THA or TKA cases per year in England. In practice, more outliers than expected from purely random variation were found for all-cause and surgical readmissions, especially at hospital level. The 30-day surgical readmission rate should be considered as an adjunctive measure to 30-day all-cause readmission rate when assessing hospital performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Joint association of physical activity in leisure and total sitting time with metabolic syndrome amongst 15,235 Danish adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Christina Bjørk; Nielsen, Asser Jon; Bauman, Adrian

2014-01-01

and total daily sitting time were assessed by self-report in 15,235 men and women in the Danish Health Examination Survey 2007-2008. Associations between leisure time physical activity, total sitting time and metabolic syndrome were investigated in logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Adjusted odds ratios......BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that physical inactivity as well as sitting time are associated with metabolic syndrome. Our aim was to examine joint associations of leisure time physical activity and total daily sitting time with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Leisure time physical activity...... (OR) for metabolic syndrome were 2.14 (95% CI: 1.88-2.43) amongst participants who were inactive in leisure time compared to the most active, and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.26-1.61) amongst those who sat for ≥10h/day compared to physical activity, sitting time...

Application of combined TLD and CR-39 PNTD method for measurement of total dose and dose equivalent on ISS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benton, E.R.; Deme, S.; Apathy, I.

2006-01-01

To date, no single passive detector has been found that measures dose equivalent from ionizing radiation exposure in low-Earth orbit. We have developed the I.S.S. Passive Dosimetry System (P.D.S.), utilizing a combination of TLD in the form of the self-contained Pille TLD system and stacks of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detector (P.N.T.D.) oriented in three mutually orthogonal directions, to measure total dose and dose equivalent aboard the International Space Station (I.S.S.). The Pille TLD system, consisting on an on board reader and a large number of Ca 2 SO 4 :Dy TLD cells, is used to measure absorbed dose. The Pille TLD cells are read out and annealed by the I.S.S. crew on orbit, such that dose information for any time period or condition, e.g. for E.V.A. or following a solar particle event, is immediately available. Near-tissue equivalent CR-39 P.N.T.D. provides Let spectrum, dose, and dose equivalent from charged particles of LET ∞ H 2 O ≥ 10 keV/μm, including the secondaries produced in interactions with high-energy neutrons. Dose information from CR-39 P.N.T.D. is used to correct the absorbed dose component ≥ 10 keV/μm measured in TLD to obtain total dose. Dose equivalent from CR-39 P.N.T.D. is combined with the dose component <10 keV/μm measured in TLD to obtain total dose equivalent. Dose rates ranging from 165 to 250 μGy/day and dose equivalent rates ranging from 340 to 450 μSv/day were measured aboard I.S.S. during the Expedition 2 mission in 2001. Results from the P.D.S. are consistent with those from other passive detectors tested as part of the ground-based I.C.C.H.I.B.A.N. intercomparison of space radiation dosimeters. (authors)

Total Measurement Uncertainty for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Segmented Gamma Scan Assay System

CERN Document Server

Fazzari, D M

2001-01-01

This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Total Measurement Uncertainty (TMU) for the Canberra manufactured Segmented Gamma Scanner Assay System (SGSAS) as employed at the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). In this document, TMU embodies the combined uncertainties due to all of the individual random and systematic sources of measurement uncertainty. It includes uncertainties arising from corrections and factors applied to the analysis of transuranic waste to compensate for inhomogeneities and interferences from the waste matrix and radioactive components. These include uncertainty components for any assumptions contained in the calibration of the system or computation of the data. Uncertainties are propagated at 1 sigma. The final total measurement uncertainty value is reported at the 95% confidence level. The SGSAS is a gamma assay system that is used to assay plutonium and uranium waste. The SGSAS system can be used in a stand-alone mode to perform the NDA characterization of a containe...

Total luminous flux measurement for flexible surface sources with an integrating sphere photometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Hsueh-Ling; Liu, Wen-Chun

2014-01-01

Applying an integrating sphere photometer for total luminous flux measurement is a widely used method. However, the measurement accuracy depends on the spatial uniformity of the integrating sphere, especially when the test sample has a different light distribution from that of the standard source. Therefore, spatial correction is needed to eliminate the effect caused by non-uniformity. To reduce the inconvenience of spatial correction but retain the measurement accuracy, a new type of working standard is designed for flexible and curved surface sources. Applying this new type standard source, the measurement deviation due to different orientations is reduced by an order of magnitude compared with using a naked incandescent lamp as the standard source. (paper)

A new fully automated FTIR system for total column measurements of greenhouse gases

Science.gov (United States)

Geibel, M. C.; Gerbig, C.; Feist, D. G.

2010-10-01

This article introduces a new fully automated FTIR system that is part of the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). It will provide continuous ground-based measurements of column-averaged volume mixing ratio for CO2, CH4 and several other greenhouse gases in the tropics. Housed in a 20-foot shipping container it was developed as a transportable system that could be deployed almost anywhere in the world. We describe the automation concept which relies on three autonomous subsystems and their interaction. Crucial components like a sturdy and reliable solar tracker dome are described in detail. The automation software employs a new approach relying on multiple processes, database logging and web-based remote control. First results of total column measurements at Jena, Germany show that the instrument works well and can provide parts of the diurnal as well as seasonal cycle for CO2. Instrument line shape measurements with an HCl cell suggest that the instrument stays well-aligned over several months. After a short test campaign for side by side intercomaprison with an existing TCCON instrument in Australia, the system will be transported to its final destination Ascension Island.

Friction in total hip joint prosthesis measured in vivo during walking.

Science.gov (United States)

Damm, Philipp; Dymke, Joern; Ackermann, Robert; Bender, Alwina; Graichen, Friedmar; Halder, Andreas; Beier, Alexander; Bergmann, Georg

2013-01-01

Friction-induced moments and subsequent cup loosening can be the reason for total hip joint replacement failure. The aim of this study was to measure the in vivo contact forces and friction moments during walking. Instrumented hip implants with Al2O3 ceramic head and an XPE inlay were used. In vivo measurements were taken 3 months post operatively in 8 subjects. The coefficient of friction was calculated in 3D throughout the whole gait cycle, and average values of the friction-induced power dissipation in the joint were determined. On average, peak contact forces of 248% of the bodyweight and peak friction moments of 0.26% bodyweight times meter were determined. However, contact forces and friction moments varied greatly between individuals. The friction moment increased during the extension phase of the joint. The average coefficient of friction also increased during this period, from 0.04 (0.03 to 0.06) at contralateral toe off to 0.06 (0.04 to 0.08) at contralateral heel strike. During the flexion phase, the coefficient of friction increased further to 0.14 (0.09 to 0.23) at toe off. The average friction-induced power throughout the whole gait cycle was 2.3 W (1.4 W to 3.8 W). Although more parameters than only the synovia determine the friction, the wide ranges of friction coefficients and power dissipation indicate that the lubricating properties of synovia are individually very different. However, such differences may also exist in natural joints and may influence the progression of arthrosis. Furthermore, subjects with very high power dissipation may be at risk of thermally induced implant loosening. The large increase of the friction coefficient during each step could be caused by the synovia being squeezed out under load.

Friction in total hip joint prosthesis measured in vivo during walking.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philipp Damm

Full Text Available Friction-induced moments and subsequent cup loosening can be the reason for total hip joint replacement failure. The aim of this study was to measure the in vivo contact forces and friction moments during walking. Instrumented hip implants with Al2O3 ceramic head and an XPE inlay were used. In vivo measurements were taken 3 months post operatively in 8 subjects. The coefficient of friction was calculated in 3D throughout the whole gait cycle, and average values of the friction-induced power dissipation in the joint were determined. On average, peak contact forces of 248% of the bodyweight and peak friction moments of 0.26% bodyweight times meter were determined. However, contact forces and friction moments varied greatly between individuals. The friction moment increased during the extension phase of the joint. The average coefficient of friction also increased during this period, from 0.04 (0.03 to 0.06 at contralateral toe off to 0.06 (0.04 to 0.08 at contralateral heel strike. During the flexion phase, the coefficient of friction increased further to 0.14 (0.09 to 0.23 at toe off. The average friction-induced power throughout the whole gait cycle was 2.3 W (1.4 W to 3.8 W. Although more parameters than only the synovia determine the friction, the wide ranges of friction coefficients and power dissipation indicate that the lubricating properties of synovia are individually very different. However, such differences may also exist in natural joints and may influence the progression of arthrosis. Furthermore, subjects with very high power dissipation may be at risk of thermally induced implant loosening. The large increase of the friction coefficient during each step could be caused by the synovia being squeezed out under load.

A combined time-of-flight and depth-of-interaction detector for total-body positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, Eric, E-mail: eberg@ucdavis.edu; Roncali, Emilie; Du, Junwei; Cherry, Simon R. [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616 (United States); Kapusta, Maciej [Molecular Imaging, Siemens Healthcare, Knoxville, Tennessee 37932 (United States)

2016-02-15

Purpose: In support of a project to build a total-body PET scanner with an axial field-of-view of 2 m, the authors are developing simple, cost-effective block detectors with combined time-of-flight (TOF) and depth-of-interaction (DOI) capabilities. Methods: This work focuses on investigating the potential of phosphor-coated crystals with conventional PMT-based block detector readout to provide DOI information while preserving timing resolution. The authors explored a variety of phosphor-coating configurations with single crystals and crystal arrays. Several pulse shape discrimination techniques were investigated, including decay time, delayed charge integration (DCI), and average signal shapes. Results: Pulse shape discrimination based on DCI provided the lowest DOI positioning error: 2 mm DOI positioning error was obtained with single phosphor-coated crystals while 3–3.5 mm DOI error was measured with the block detector module. Minimal timing resolution degradation was observed with single phosphor-coated crystals compared to uncoated crystals, and a timing resolution of 442 ps was obtained with phosphor-coated crystals in the block detector compared to 404 ps without phosphor coating. Flood maps showed a slight degradation in crystal resolvability with phosphor-coated crystals; however, all crystals could be resolved. Energy resolution was degraded by 3%–7% with phosphor-coated crystals compared to uncoated crystals. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining TOF–DOI capabilities with simple block detector readout using phosphor-coated crystals.

A combined time-of-flight and depth-of-interaction detector for total-body positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, Eric; Roncali, Emilie; Du, Junwei; Cherry, Simon R.; Kapusta, Maciej

2016-01-01

Purpose: In support of a project to build a total-body PET scanner with an axial field-of-view of 2 m, the authors are developing simple, cost-effective block detectors with combined time-of-flight (TOF) and depth-of-interaction (DOI) capabilities. Methods: This work focuses on investigating the potential of phosphor-coated crystals with conventional PMT-based block detector readout to provide DOI information while preserving timing resolution. The authors explored a variety of phosphor-coating configurations with single crystals and crystal arrays. Several pulse shape discrimination techniques were investigated, including decay time, delayed charge integration (DCI), and average signal shapes. Results: Pulse shape discrimination based on DCI provided the lowest DOI positioning error: 2 mm DOI positioning error was obtained with single phosphor-coated crystals while 3–3.5 mm DOI error was measured with the block detector module. Minimal timing resolution degradation was observed with single phosphor-coated crystals compared to uncoated crystals, and a timing resolution of 442 ps was obtained with phosphor-coated crystals in the block detector compared to 404 ps without phosphor coating. Flood maps showed a slight degradation in crystal resolvability with phosphor-coated crystals; however, all crystals could be resolved. Energy resolution was degraded by 3%–7% with phosphor-coated crystals compared to uncoated crystals. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining TOF–DOI capabilities with simple block detector readout using phosphor-coated crystals

Measurement Properties of Performance-Specific Pain Ratings of Patients Awaiting Total Joint Arthroplasty as a Consequence of Osteoarthritis

Science.gov (United States)

Stratford, Paul W.; Kennedy, Deborah M.; Woodhouse, Linda J.; Spadoni, Gregory

2008-01-01

Purpose: To estimate the test–retest reliability of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain sub-scale and performance-specific assessments of pain, as well as the association between these measures for patients awaiting primary total hip or knee arthroplasty as a consequence of osteoarthritis. Methods: A total of 164 patients awaiting unilateral primary hip or knee arthroplasty completed four performance measures (self-paced walk, timed up and go, stair test, six-minute walk) and the WOMAC. Scores for 22 of these patients provided test–retest reliability data. Estimates of test–retest reliability (Type 2,1 intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] and standard error of measurement [SEM]) and the association between measures were examined. Results: ICC values for individual performance-specific pain ratings were between 0.70 and 0.86; SEM values were between 0.97 and 1.33 pain points. ICC estimates for the four-item performance pain ratings and the WOMAC pain sub-scale were 0.82 and 0.57 respectively. The correlation between the sum of the pain scores for the four performance measures and the WOMAC pain sub-scale was 0.62. Conclusion: Reliability estimates for the performance-specific assessments of pain using the numeric pain rating scale were consistent with values reported for patients with a spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions. The reliability estimate for the WOMAC pain sub-scale was lower than typically reported in the literature. The level of association between the WOMAC pain sub-scale and the various performance-specific pain scales suggests that the scores can be used interchangeably when applied to groups but not for individual patients. PMID:20145758

Can a surgery-first orthognathic approach reduce the total treatment time?

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Woo Shik; Choi, Jong Woo; Kim, Do Yeon; Lee, Jang Yeol; Kwon, Soon Man

2017-04-01

Although pre-surgical orthodontic treatment has been accepted as a necessary process for stable orthognathic correction in the traditional orthognathic approach, recent advances in the application of miniscrews and in the pre-surgical simulation of orthodontic management using dental models have shown that it is possible to perform a surgery-first orthognathic approach without pre-surgical orthodontic treatment. This prospective study investigated the surgical outcomes of patients with diagnosed skeletal class III dentofacial deformities who underwent orthognathic surgery between December 2007 and December 2014. Cephalometric landmark data for patients undergoing the surgery-first approach were analyzed in terms of postoperative changes in vertical and horizontal skeletal pattern, dental pattern, and soft tissue profile. Forty-five consecutive Asian patients with skeletal class III dentofacial deformities who underwent surgery-first orthognathic surgery and 52 patients who underwent conventional two-jaw orthognathic surgery were included. The analysis revealed that the total treatment period for the surgery-first approach averaged 14.6 months, compared with 22.0 months for the orthodontics-first approach. Comparisons between the immediate postoperative and preoperative and between the postoperative and immediate postoperative cephalometric data revealed factors that correlated with the total treatment duration. The surgery-first orthognathic approach can dramatically reduce the total treatment time, with no major complications. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison between two methods of measuring total fat in the Iranian soldiers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Rahmani

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Constant checkup and control of body fat mass is an important parameter for the health and efficiency of individuals in any society. This parameter is especially crucial in army soldiers since physical fitness is a key role in reaching high physical performance, health, and survival in war. Objective: This study was designed to compare two methods of measuring fat, the method of circumference-based military equations (CBEs to estimate body fat mass compared to the method of skinfold thickness-based equation (SBE in Iranian soldiers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 246 Iranian soldiers were recruited in Tehran (2016. Height, waist, and neck circumference were measured and the total body fat mass was calculated using CBEs. Then, the results of using Pierson’s correlation and Bland-Altman methods were compared with Jackson and Pollock’s skinfold thickness measurement. Findings: The total body fat mass of the soldiers using CBEs was 18.94±6.30% and using Jakson and Pollock’s skinfold thickness formula was 17.43±4.45%. The correlation between the two methods was r=0.984 and SEE was 1.1% (P<0.001. Conclusion: The more body fat makes the error waist circumference greater. The error is so much that don’t use this method to measure fat.

Optimizing Ship Speed to Minimize Total Fuel Consumption with Multiple Time Windows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Gon Kim

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We study the ship speed optimization problem with the objective of minimizing the total fuel consumption. We consider multiple time windows for each port call as constraints and formulate the problem as a nonlinear mixed integer program. We derive intrinsic properties of the problem and develop an exact algorithm based on the properties. Computational experiments show that the suggested algorithm is very efficient in finding an optimal solution.

Reduced Operating Time but Not Blood Loss With Cruciate Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty

Science.gov (United States)

Vermesan, Dinu; Trocan, Ilie; Prejbeanu, Radu; Poenaru, Dan V; Haragus, Horia; Gratian, Damian; Marrelli, Massimo; Inchingolo, Francesco; Caprio, Monica; Cagiano, Raffaele; Tatullo, Marco

2015-01-01

Background There is no consensus regarding the use of retaining or replacing cruciate implants for patients with limited deformity who undergo a total knee replacement. Scope of this paper is to evaluate whether a cruciate sparing total knee replacement could have a reduced operating time compared to a posterior stabilized implant. Methods For this purpose, we performed a randomized study on 50 subjects. All procedures were performed by a single surgeon in the same conditions to minimize bias and only knees with a less than 20 varus deviation and/or maximum 15° fixed flexion contracture were included. Results Surgery time was significantly shorter with the cruciate retaining implant (P = 0.0037). The mean duration for the Vanguard implant was 68.9 (14.7) and for the NexGen II Legacy was 80.2 (11.3). A higher range of motion, but no significant Knee Society Scores at 6 months follow-up, was used as controls. Conclusions In conclusion, both implants had the potential to assure great outcomes. However, if a decision has to be made, choosing a cruciate retaining procedure could significantly reduce the surgical time. When performed under tourniquet, this gain does not lead to reduced blood loss. PMID:25584102

Characterizing the hydration state of L-threonine in solution using terahertz time-domain attenuated total reflection spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Huachuan; Liu, Qiao; Zhu, Liguo; Li, Zeren

2018-01-01

The hydration of biomolecules is closely related to the dynamic process of their functional expression, therefore, characterizing hydration phenomena is a subject of keen interest. However, direct measurements on the global hydration state of biomolecules couldn't have been acquired using traditional techniques such as thermodynamics, ultrasound, microwave spectroscopy or viscosity, etc. In order to realize global hydration characterization of amino acid such as L-threonine, terahertz time-domain attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (THz-TDS-ATR) was adopted in this paper. By measuring the complex permittivity of L-threonine solutions with various concentrations in the THz region, the hydration state and its concentration dependence were obtained, indicating that the number of hydrous water decreased with the increase of concentration. The hydration number was evaluated to be 17.8 when the molar concentration of L-threonine was 0.34 mol/L, and dropped to 13.2 when the molar concentration increased to 0.84 mol/L, when global hydration was taken into account. According to the proposed direct measurements, it is believed that the THz-TDS-ATR technique is a powerful tool for studying the picosecond molecular dynamics of amino acid solutions.

Measurement of the Dead-Time in a Multichannel Analyser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, L.; Olsen, J.

1973-01-01

By means of two simple measurements three different dead-times are determined: the normal dead-time, a dead-time coming from the pile-up, and a dead-time due to the finite width of the timing pulses.......By means of two simple measurements three different dead-times are determined: the normal dead-time, a dead-time coming from the pile-up, and a dead-time due to the finite width of the timing pulses....

Measurements of effective total macroscopic cross sections and effective energy of continuum beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobayashi, Hisao [Rikkyo Univ., Yokosuka, Kanagawa (Japan). Inst. for Atomic Energy

1998-03-01

Two practically useful quantities are introduced in this study to characterize a continuum neutron beam and to describe transmission phenomena of the beam in field of quantitative neutron radiography: an effective energy instead of a peak energy or a mean energy of the spectrum and an effective total macroscopic (ETM) cross section instead of a total macroscopic (TM) cross section defined at the monochromatic energy. The effective energy was evaluated by means of energy dependence of ETM cross section. To realize the method a beam quality indicator (BQI) has been proposed recently. Several effective energies were measured for non-filtered, filtered neutron beams, and outputs of neutron guide tubes in world by the BQI. A thermal neutron beam and three beams modulated by Pb filters with different thicknesses are studied to measure ETM cross sections for various materials and summarized in a table. Validity of the effective energy determined by the BQI is discussed relating with ETM cross sections of materials. (author)

Evaluation of trace organic contaminants in ultra-pure water production processes by measuring total organic halogen formation potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urano, Kohei; Iwase, Yoko

1984-01-01

A new procedure for the determination of organic substances in water with high accuracy and high sensitivity was proposed, in which a hypochlorite is added to water, and the resultant total amount of organic halogen compounds (TOX formation potential) was measured, and it was applied to the evaluation of trace organic contaminants in ultra-pure water production process. In this investigation, the TOX formation potential of the raw water which was to be used for the ultra-pure water production process, intermediately treated water and ultra-pure water was measured to clarify the behavior of organic substances in the ultra-pure water production process and to demonstrate the usefulness of this procedure to evaluate trace organic contaminants in water. The measurement of TOX formation potential requires no specific technical skill, and only a short time, and gives accurate results, therefore, it is expected that the water quality control in the ultra-pure water production process can be performed more exactly by applying this procedure. (Yoshitake, I.)

Time response measurements of Rosemount Pressure Transmitters (model 3154) of Angra-1 power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Roberto Carlos dos; Pereira, Iraci Martinez; Justino, Marcelo C.; Silva, Marcos C.

2017-01-01

This paper shows the Response of time five Rosemount model 3154N pressure transmitter from the Angra I Nuclear Power Plant. The tests were performed using the Hydraulic Ramp and Pressure Step Generator from the Sensor Response Time Measurement laboratory of CEN - Nuclear Engineering Center of IPEN. For each transmitter, damping was adjusted so that the time constant was less than or equal to 500 ms. This value has been determined so that the total value of the protection chain response time does not exceed the established maximum value of 2 seconds. For each transmitter ten tests were performed, obtaining mean values of time constant of 499.7 ms, 464.1 ms, 473.8 ms, 484.7 ms and 511.5 ms, with mean deviations 0.85%, 0.24%, 0.97%, 1.26% and 0.64% respectively. (author)

Time response measurements of Rosemount Pressure Transmitters (model 3154) of Angra-1 power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Roberto Carlos dos; Pereira, Iraci Martinez [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Justino, Marcelo C.; Silva, Marcos C., E-mail: rcsantos@ipen.br, E-mail: justino@eletronuclear.gov.br [Eletrobrás Termonuclear S.A. (ELETRONUCLEAR), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2017-07-01

This paper shows the Response of time five Rosemount model 3154N pressure transmitter from the Angra I Nuclear Power Plant. The tests were performed using the Hydraulic Ramp and Pressure Step Generator from the Sensor Response Time Measurement laboratory of CEN - Nuclear Engineering Center of IPEN. For each transmitter, damping was adjusted so that the time constant was less than or equal to 500 ms. This value has been determined so that the total value of the protection chain response time does not exceed the established maximum value of 2 seconds. For each transmitter ten tests were performed, obtaining mean values of time constant of 499.7 ms, 464.1 ms, 473.8 ms, 484.7 ms and 511.5 ms, with mean deviations 0.85%, 0.24%, 0.97%, 1.26% and 0.64% respectively. (author)

Accelerometer-measured dose-response for physical activity, sedentary time, and mortality in US adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Matthews, Charles E; Keadle, S. K.; Troiano, Richard P

2016-01-01

Background: Moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity is recommended to maintain and improve health, but the mortality benefits of light activity and risk for sedentary time remain uncertain. Objectives: Using accelerometer-based measures, we 1) described the mortality dose-response...... for sedentary time and light-and moderateto-vigorous-intensity activity using restricted cubic splines, and 2) estimated the mortality benefits associated with replacing sedentary time with physical activity, accounting for total activity. Design: US adults (n = 4840) from NHANES (2003-2006) wore...... an accelerometer for #7 d and were followed prospectively for mortality. Proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted HRs and 95% CIs for mortality associations with time spent sedentary and in light-and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity. Splines were used to graphically present...

Uniqueness in time measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenzen, P.

1981-01-01

According to P. Janich a clock is defined as an apparatus in which a point ( hand ) is moving uniformly on a straight line ( path ). For the definition of uniformly first the scaling (as a constant ratio of velocities) is defined without clocks. Thereafter the uniqueness of the time measurement can be proved using the prove of scaling of all clocks. But the uniqueness can be defined without scaling, as it is pointed out here. (orig.) [de

Improving the Prediction of Total Surgical Procedure Time Using Linear Regression Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric R. Edelman

2017-06-01

Full Text Available For efficient utilization of operating rooms (ORs, accurate schedules of assigned block time and sequences of patient cases need to be made. The quality of these planning tools is dependent on the accurate prediction of total procedure time (TPT per case. In this paper, we attempt to improve the accuracy of TPT predictions by using linear regression models based on estimated surgeon-controlled time (eSCT and other variables relevant to TPT. We extracted data from a Dutch benchmarking database of all surgeries performed in six academic hospitals in The Netherlands from 2012 till 2016. The final dataset consisted of 79,983 records, describing 199,772 h of total OR time. Potential predictors of TPT that were included in the subsequent analysis were eSCT, patient age, type of operation, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA physical status classification, and type of anesthesia used. First, we computed the predicted TPT based on a previously described fixed ratio model for each record, multiplying eSCT by 1.33. This number is based on the research performed by van Veen-Berkx et al., which showed that 33% of SCT is generally a good approximation of anesthesia-controlled time (ACT. We then systematically tested all possible linear regression models to predict TPT using eSCT in combination with the other available independent variables. In addition, all regression models were again tested without eSCT as a predictor to predict ACT separately (which leads to TPT by adding SCT. TPT was most accurately predicted using a linear regression model based on the independent variables eSCT, type of operation, ASA classification, and type of anesthesia. This model performed significantly better than the fixed ratio model and the method of predicting ACT separately. Making use of these more accurate predictions in planning and sequencing algorithms may enable an increase in utilization of ORs, leading to significant financial and productivity related

Improving the Prediction of Total Surgical Procedure Time Using Linear Regression Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Edelman, Eric R; van Kuijk, Sander M J; Hamaekers, Ankie E W; de Korte, Marcel J M; van Merode, Godefridus G; Buhre, Wolfgang F F A

2017-01-01

For efficient utilization of operating rooms (ORs), accurate schedules of assigned block time and sequences of patient cases need to be made. The quality of these planning tools is dependent on the accurate prediction of total procedure time (TPT) per case. In this paper, we attempt to improve the accuracy of TPT predictions by using linear regression models based on estimated surgeon-controlled time (eSCT) and other variables relevant to TPT. We extracted data from a Dutch benchmarking database of all surgeries performed in six academic hospitals in The Netherlands from 2012 till 2016. The final dataset consisted of 79,983 records, describing 199,772 h of total OR time. Potential predictors of TPT that were included in the subsequent analysis were eSCT, patient age, type of operation, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification, and type of anesthesia used. First, we computed the predicted TPT based on a previously described fixed ratio model for each record, multiplying eSCT by 1.33. This number is based on the research performed by van Veen-Berkx et al., which showed that 33% of SCT is generally a good approximation of anesthesia-controlled time (ACT). We then systematically tested all possible linear regression models to predict TPT using eSCT in combination with the other available independent variables. In addition, all regression models were again tested without eSCT as a predictor to predict ACT separately (which leads to TPT by adding SCT). TPT was most accurately predicted using a linear regression model based on the independent variables eSCT, type of operation, ASA classification, and type of anesthesia. This model performed significantly better than the fixed ratio model and the method of predicting ACT separately. Making use of these more accurate predictions in planning and sequencing algorithms may enable an increase in utilization of ORs, leading to significant financial and productivity related benefits.

Total pion cross section measurements. Annual progress report, 1 January 1977--31 December 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakobson, M.J.; Jeppesen, R.H.

1978-01-01

The pion-nucleus total cross section runs were completed. The principal effort for the past year has been devoted to data analysis. The experiment was primarily designed to provide an accurate measurement of total cross section differences for pairs of isotopes. Data were published on neutron radii of calcium isotopes and on pion cross section measurements for aligned holmium. The π+- data to be published include targets and energies for 4 He, 23 → 90 MeV; 12 C, 13 C, 23 → 240 MeV; 6 Li, 7 Li, 9 Be, 10 B, 11 B, 43 → 215 MeV; 16 O, 18 O, 40 Ca, 44 Ca, 48 Ca, 43 → 240 MeV; 45 Sc, 51 V, Al, Cu, Sn, Ho, Pb, 60 → 215 MeV

Measurement of total and free docetaxel concentration in human plasma by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigo-Bonnin, Raül; Cobo-Sacristán, Sara; Gonzalo-Diego, Núria; Colom, Helena; Muñoz-Sánchez, Carmen; Urruticoechea, Ander; Falo, Catalina; Alía, Pedro

2016-01-05

Docetaxel is a semi-synthetic taxane with cytotoxic anti-neoplastic activity and, currently used as anticancer agent in several types of cancer. Docetaxel is highly bound to plasma proteins, and this significantly determines its clearance and activity. Therefore, measurement of free docetaxel in plasma is pharmacologically important when pharmacokinetics is investigated. We developed and validated chromatographic methods by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to measure total and free docetaxel concentration in human plasma. The final validated methods involved liquid-liquid extraction followed by dryness under nitrogen evaporation. To measure free docetaxel concentration, sample preparation was preceded by ultrafiltration. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an Acquity(®) UPLC(®) BEH™ (2.1×100 mm id, 1.7 μm) reverse-phase C18 column at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min, using isocratic elution mode containing ammonium acetate/formic acid in water/methanol (30:70 v/v) as mobile phase. Docetaxel and its internal standard (paclitaxel) were detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode using mass-to-charge (m/z) transitions of 808.3→527.0 (quantifier) and 808.3→509.0 (qualifier); and 854.3→569.0 (quantifier) and 854,3→509,0 (qualifier), respectively. The run time per sample was 3.5 min. The limits of quantification were 1,95 and 0.42 μg/L and linearity was observed between 1.95 and 1000 and 0.42-100 μg/L for total and free docetaxel, respectively. Coefficients of variation and absolute relative biases were less than 13.8% and 10.0%. Recovery values were greater than 79.4%. Evaluation of the matrix effect showed ion suppression and no carry-over was observed. The validated methods could be useful for both therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies. They could be applied to daily clinical laboratory practice to measure the concentration of total and free

Selection criteria for oxidation method in total organic carbon measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, GeunSeok; Park, Sang-Min; Yang, Heuiwon; Tsang, Daniel C W; Alessi, Daniel S; Baek, Kitae

2018-05-01

During the measurement of total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon is converted into CO 2 by using high temperature combustion (HTC) or wet chemical oxidation (WCO). However, the criteria for selecting the oxidation methods are not clear. In this study, the chemical structures of organic material were considered as a key factor to select the oxidation method used. Most non-degradable organic compounds showed a similar oxidation efficiency in both methods, including natural organic compounds, dyes, and pharmaceuticals, and thus both methods are appropriate to measure TOC in waters containing these compounds. However, only a fraction of the carbon in the halogenated compounds (perfluorooctanoic acid and trifluoroacetic acid) were oxidized using WCO, resulting in measured TOC values that are considerably lower than those determined by HTC. This result is likely due to the electronegativity of halogen elements which inhibits the approach of electron-rich sulfate radicals in the WCO, and the higher bond strength of carbon-halogen pairs as compared to carbon-hydrogen bonds, which results in a lower degree of oxidation of the compounds. Our results indicate that WCO could be used to oxidize most organic compounds, but may not be appropriate to quantify TOC in organic carbon pools that contain certain halogenated compounds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modulation of Total Sleep Time by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Frase, Lukas; Piosczyk, Hannah; Zittel, Sulamith; Jahn, Friederike; Selhausen, Peter; Krone, Lukas; Feige, Bernd; Mainberger, Florian; Maier, Jonathan G; Kuhn, Marion; Klöppel, Stefan; Normann, Claus; Sterr, Annette; Spiegelhalder, Kai; Riemann, Dieter; Nitsche, Michael A; Nissen, Christoph

2016-09-01

Arousal and sleep are fundamental physiological processes, and their modulation is of high clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that total sleep time (TST) in humans can be modulated by the non-invasive brain stimulation technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting a 'top-down' cortico-thalamic pathway of sleep-wake regulation. Nineteen healthy participants underwent a within-subject, repeated-measures protocol across five nights in the sleep laboratory with polysomnographic monitoring (adaptation, baseline, three experimental nights). tDCS was delivered via bi-frontal target electrodes and bi-parietal return electrodes before sleep (anodal 'activation', cathodal 'deactivation', and sham stimulation). Bi-frontal anodal stimulation significantly decreased TST, compared with cathodal and sham stimulation. This effect was location specific. Bi-frontal cathodal stimulation did not significantly increase TST, potentially due to ceiling effects in good sleepers. Exploratory resting-state EEG analyses before and after the tDCS protocols were consistent with the notion of increased cortical arousal after anodal stimulation and decreased cortical arousal after cathodal stimulation. The study provides proof-of-concept that TST can be decreased by non-invasive bi-frontal anodal tDCS in healthy humans. Further elucidating the 'top-down' pathway of sleep-wake regulation is expected to increase knowledge on the fundamentals of sleep-wake regulation and to contribute to the development of novel treatments for clinical conditions of disturbed arousal and sleep.

Near-real-time Estimation and Forecast of Total Precipitable Water in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Bartholy, J.; Kern, A.; Barcza, Z.; Pongracz, R.; Ihasz, I.; Kovacs, R.; Ferencz, C.

2013-12-01

Information about the amount and spatial distribution of atmospheric water vapor (or total precipitable water) is essential for understanding weather and the environment including the greenhouse effect, the climate system with its feedbacks and the hydrological cycle. Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models need accurate estimations of water vapor content to provide realistic forecasts including representation of clouds and precipitation. In the present study we introduce our research activity for the estimation and forecast of atmospheric water vapor in Central Europe using both observations and models. The Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) operates a polar orbiting satellite receiving station in Budapest since 2002. This station receives Earth observation data from polar orbiting satellites including MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Direct Broadcast (DB) data stream from satellites Terra and Aqua. The received DB MODIS data are automatically processed using freely distributed software packages. Using the IMAPP Level2 software total precipitable water is calculated operationally using two different methods. Quality of the TPW estimations is a crucial question for further application of the results, thus validation of the remotely sensed total precipitable water fields is presented using radiosonde data. In a current research project in Hungary we aim to compare different estimations of atmospheric water vapor content. Within the frame of the project we use a NWP model (DBCRAS; Direct Broadcast CIMSS Regional Assimilation System numerical weather prediction software developed by the University of Wisconsin, Madison) to forecast TPW. DBCRAS uses near real time Level2 products from the MODIS data processing chain. From the wide range of the derived Level2 products the MODIS TPW parameter found within the so-called mod07 results (Atmospheric Profiles Product) and the cloud top pressure and cloud effective emissivity parameters from the so

Parallel algorithm of real-time infrared image restoration based on total variation theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Ran; Li, Miao; Long, Yunli; Zeng, Yaoyuan; An, Wei

2015-10-01

Image restoration is a necessary preprocessing step for infrared remote sensing applications. Traditional methods allow us to remove the noise but penalize too much the gradients corresponding to edges. Image restoration techniques based on variational approaches can solve this over-smoothing problem for the merits of their well-defined mathematical modeling of the restore procedure. The total variation (TV) of infrared image is introduced as a L1 regularization term added to the objective energy functional. It converts the restoration process to an optimization problem of functional involving a fidelity term to the image data plus a regularization term. Infrared image restoration technology with TV-L1 model exploits the remote sensing data obtained sufficiently and preserves information at edges caused by clouds. Numerical implementation algorithm is presented in detail. Analysis indicates that the structure of this algorithm can be easily implemented in parallelization. Therefore a parallel implementation of the TV-L1 filter based on multicore architecture with shared memory is proposed for infrared real-time remote sensing systems. Massive computation of image data is performed in parallel by cooperating threads running simultaneously on multiple cores. Several groups of synthetic infrared image data are used to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed parallel algorithm. Quantitative analysis of measuring the restored image quality compared to input image is presented. Experiment results show that the TV-L1 filter can restore the varying background image reasonably, and that its performance can achieve the requirement of real-time image processing.

Perceptions of Community College Presidents: Total Quality Management Performance Measures at Their Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Riccardi, Mark T.

2009-01-01

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) measures such as Total Quality Management (TQM), Strategic Planning, Six Sigma, and the Balanced Scorecard are often met with skepticism among leaders of higher education. This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature regarding the study of relationships among specific variables, or building blocks,…

Comprehensive measurement of total nondigestible carbohydrates in foods by enzymatic-gravimetric method and liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishibata, Toyohide; Tashiro, Kouichi; Kanahori, Sumiko; Hashizume, Chieko; Kitagawa, Machiko; Okuma, Kazuhiro; Gordon, Dennis T

2009-09-09

Total nondigestible carbohydrate (NDC) in foods was determined by combining, not modifications, AOAC Official Methods 991.43, 2001.03, and 2002.02. Total NDC included insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) + high-molecular-weight soluble dietary fiber (HMWSDF), nondigestible oligosaccharides (NDO) not precipitated in ethanol solution, and resistant starch (RS). Eight sources of NDC (cellulose, wheat bran, gum arabic, resistant maltodextrin, polydextrose, fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharides, and RS) were incorporated in different combinations into standard formula bread samples. All of the NDC sources and bread samples were analyzed for their (1) IDF + HMWSDF content with corrections for residual RS amount using AOAC Official Method 991.43, (2) NDO by liquid chromatography (LC) in AOAC Official Method 2001.03, and (3) RS by AOAC Official Method 2002.02. The correlation coefficient (R(2)) comparing calculated amounts versus measured amounts of total NDC in 11 bread samples was 0.92. Analysis of commercial food samples was also well matched with the DF + NDO value on their nutritional label. Consequently, we confirmed a single measurement of LC can determine all NDO in foods, and total NDC in foods can be determined by unifying existing AOAC Official Methods.

The cost of travel time variability: three measures with properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelson, Leonid; Fosgerau, Mogens

2016-01-01

This paper explores the relationships between three types of measures of the cost of travel time variability: measures based on scheduling preferences and implicit departure time choice, Bernoulli type measures based on a univariate function of travel time, and mean-dispersion measures. We...

Measuring health inequalities over time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Bergonzoli

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Background: several methodologies have been used to measure health inequalities. Most of them do so in a cross- sectional fashion, causing significant loss of information. None of them measure health inequalities in social territories over time. Methods: this article presents two approaches measure health inequalities: one approach consists of a refinement of cross-sectional study, by using the analysis of ANOVA variance (ANOVA procedure to explore whether the gap between social territories is real or due to chance. Several adjustments were made to limit errors inevitably found in multiple comparisons. Polynomial procedures were then applied to identify and evaluate any trends. The second sociales se utilizó approach measures the health gap between social territories or strata (as defined in this study over time using the Poisson regression. These approaches were applied using life expectancy and maternal mortality data from Venezuela. Results: a positive relationship between tendenterritories and life expectancy was found, with a significant cia linal trend. The relation between maternal mortality and materna y territorios sociales fue cuadrática. La medición desocial territories was quadratic. The measurement of the la brecha, gap between least developed social territory and the most, a developed territory showed a gap reduction from the first to the second decade, mainly because of an increase of territorio social maternal mortality in the more developed area, rather than a real improvement in the least developed. Conclusions: study helps to clarify the impact that public policies and interventions have in reducing the health gap. Knowledge that a health gap between social territories can decrease without showing improvement in the least developed sector , is an important finding for monitoring and evaluating health interventions for improving living and health conditions in the population.

Influence of overall treatment time in a fractionated total lymphoid irradiation as an immunosuppressive therapy in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waer, M.; Ang, K.K.; Vandeputte, M.; Van der Schueren, E.

1982-01-01

Three groups of C 57 /BL/Ka mice received total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) in a total dose of 34 Gy in three different fractionation schedules. The tolerance of all different schedules was excellent. No difference in the peripheral white blood cell and lymphocyte counts nor the degree of immunosuppression as measured by phytohaemaglutinin or concanavalin A induced blastogenesis and mixed lymphocyte reaction were observed at the end of the treatment and up to 200 days. When bone marrow transplantation was performed one day after the end of each schedule, chimerism without signs of graft versus host disease was induced in all the groups. However, from the results in a limited number of animals it seems that concentrated schedules were less effective for chimerism induction. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to reduce drastically the overall treatment time for TLI before bone marrow transplantation. Further investigations are necessary in order to determine the optimal time-dose-fractionation factors and the different perameters involved in the transplantation

Are anomalously short tunnelling times measurable?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delgado, V.; Muga, J.G.

1996-01-01

Low and Mende have analyzed the conditions that would make possible an actual measurement of an anomalously short traversal time through a potential barrier concluding that such a measurement cannot be made because it is not possible to describe the tunnelling of a wave packet initially close to the barrier by the open-quote open-quote usual wave packet space time analysis close-quote close-quote. We complement this work in several ways: It is argued that the described failure of the usual formalism occurs under a set of too restrictive conditions, some of them not physically motivated, so it does not necessarily imply the impossibility of such a measurement. However, by retaining only conditions well motivated on physical grounds we have performed a systematic numerical check which shows that the conclusion by Low and Mende is indeed generally valid. It is shown that, as speculated by Low and Mende, the process is dominated by over the barrier transmission. Copyright copyright 1996 Academic Press, Inc

Measurement of the Antiproton-Proton Total Cross-Section at the CERN ISR

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

This experiment is a measurement of small angle scattering of antiprotons on protons and of protons on protons at 15/15, 22/22, 26/26 and 31/31 GeV, with the aim of obtaining data on the total cross-section for the scattering of protons on protons, and of determining the ratio of the real to the imaginary scattering amplitude at zero momentum transfer for antiprotons on protons. The measurement is divided into two parts: \\item 1) The measurement of @s^t^o^t(@*p) and @s^t^o^t(pp), using hodoscopes placed at small angles, outside the vacuum pipe, at approximately 9 metres from the intersection point. \\item 2) The measurement of the region in !t!, the momentum transfer squared, around the value !t^c!, where Coulomb and nuclear scattering are equal, in order to deduce the quantity @r = Re f(t=0)/Im f(t=0). This latter measurement is done by employi in earlier @s^t(pp) and @r experiments at the ISR. \\end{enumerate} In both set-ups the measurements are made by recording coincidences between collinear counters in th...

A new fully automated FTIR system for total column measurements of greenhouse gases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. C. Geibel

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This article introduces a new fully automated FTIR system that is part of the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON. It will provide continuous ground-based measurements of column-averaged volume mixing ratio for CO₂, CH₄ and several other greenhouse gases in the tropics.

Housed in a 20-foot shipping container it was developed as a transportable system that could be deployed almost anywhere in the world. We describe the automation concept which relies on three autonomous subsystems and their interaction. Crucial components like a sturdy and reliable solar tracker dome are described in detail. The automation software employs a new approach relying on multiple processes, database logging and web-based remote control.

First results of total column measurements at Jena, Germany show that the instrument works well and can provide parts of the diurnal as well as seasonal cycle for CO₂. Instrument line shape measurements with an HCl cell suggest that the instrument stays well-aligned over several months.

After a short test campaign for side by side intercomaprison with an existing TCCON instrument in Australia, the system will be transported to its final destination Ascension Island.

Uncertainties for pressure-time efficiency measurements

OpenAIRE

Ramdal, Jørgen; Jonsson, Pontus; Dahlhaug, Ole Gunnar; Nielsen, Torbjørn; Cervantes, Michel

2010-01-01

 In connection with the pressure-time project at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Luleå University of Technology, a number of tests with the pressure-time method have been performed at the Waterpower Laboratory in Trondheim, Norway. The aim is to lower the uncertainty and improve usability of the method. Also a field test at the Anundsjoe power plant in Sweden has been performed. The pressure-time measurement is affected by random uncertainty. To minimize the effect of t...

Time-dependent density functional theory description of total photoabsorption cross sections

Science.gov (United States)

Tenorio, Bruno Nunes Cabral; Nascimento, Marco Antonio Chaer; Rocha, Alexandre Braga

2018-02-01

The time-dependent version of the density functional theory (TDDFT) has been used to calculate the total photoabsorption cross section of a number of molecules, namely, benzene, pyridine, furan, pyrrole, thiophene, phenol, naphthalene, and anthracene. The discrete electronic pseudo-spectra, obtained in a L2 basis set calculation were used in an analytic continuation procedure to obtain the photoabsorption cross sections. The ammonia molecule was chosen as a model system to compare the results obtained with TDDFT to those obtained with the linear response coupled cluster approach in order to make a link with our previous work and establish benchmarks.

Measurement of thyroid volume, iodine concentration and total iodine content by CT and its clinical significance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakaji, Shunsuke; Imanishi, Yoshimasa; Okamoto, Kyouko; Shinagawa, Toshihito

2007-01-01

Recently, Imanishi et al have developed new CT software for quantitative in vivo measurement of thyroid iodine. Using a CT system with the software, we measured volume, iodine concentration and total iodine content of thyroids in 63 controls and 435 patients with various diffuse thyroid diseases and thyroid nodules. In controls, all of them showed no difference between the sexes. Although the iodine concentration of the thyroid showed no difference among children, adults and seniles, the volume and total iodine content of the thyroid appeared smaller in children and seniles than in adults. In addition, although the volume and iodine concentration of the thyroid had two peaks in distribution, the total iodine content had almost normal distribution. Normal range of volume, iodine concentration and total iodine content in adults were 5.2-15.5 cm 3 , 0.28831-0.85919 mg/cm 3 and 2.35-11.69 mg, respectively. In thyroid nodule, there is no significant difference in volume, iodine concentration and total iodine content between benign and malignant nodules. All nodules with iodine concentration of less than 0.00007 mg/cm 3 were benign. No thyroid was higher in iodine concentration than the normal range although the thyroid was lower in 78.7% of patients with diffuse thyroid diseases. In all thyroids with increasing iodine concentration and total iodine content in medication course, thyroidal symptoms and signs were uncontrollable by the medication. In 43.8% of patients with long-period systemic diseases, the thyroid showed abnormality in any of the three. We concluded that quantitative in vivo measurement of thyroid iodine by CT could assist the diagnosis of thyroid diseases and decision of therapeutic methods. (author)

Determination of total solutes in synfuel wastewaters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wallace, J.R.; Bonomo, F.S.

1984-03-01

Efforts to investigate both lyophilization and the measurement of colligative properties as an indication of total solute content are described. The objective of the work described is to develop a method for measuring total dissolved material in retort wastewaters which is simple and rugged enough to be performed in a field laboratory in support of pollution control tests. The analysis should also be rapid enough to provide timely and pertinent data to the pollution control plant operator. To be of most value, the technique developed also should be applicable to other synfuel wastewaters, most of which contain similar major components as oil shale retort waters. 4 references, 1 table.

THE TOTAL SOLAR IRRADIANCE CLIMATE DATA RECORD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dewitte, Steven; Nevens, Stijn [Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Ringlaan 3, B-1180 Brussels (Belgium)

2016-10-10

We present the composite measurements of total solar irradiance (TSI) as measured by an ensemble of space instruments. The measurements of the individual instruments are put on a common absolute scale, and their quality is assessed by intercomparison. The composite time series is the average of all available measurements. From 1984 April to the present the TSI shows a variation in phase with the 11 yr solar cycle and no significant changes of the quiet-Sun level in between the three covered solar minima.

Total gamma activity measurements for determining the radioactivity of residual materials from nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auler, I.; Meyer, M.; Stickelmann, J.

1995-01-01

Large amounts of residual materials from retrofitting measures and from decommissioning of nuclear power stations shows such a weak level of radioactivity that they could be released after decision measurements. Expenses incurred with complex geometry cannot be taken with common methods. NIS developed a Release Measurement Facility (RMF) based on total gamma activity measurements especially for these kind of residual materials. The RMF has been applied for decision measurements in different nuclear power plants. Altogether about 2,000 Mg of various types of materials have been measured up to now. More than 90 % of these materials could be released 0 without any restriction after decision measurements

Qualità totale e mobilità totale Total Quality and Total Mobility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Trieste

2010-05-01

Full Text Available FIABA ONLUS (Italian Fund for Elimination of Architectural Barriers was founded in 2000 with the aim of promoting a culture of equal opportunities and, above all, it has as its main goal to involve public and private institutions to create a really accessible and usable environment for everyone. Total accessibility, Total usability and Total mobility are key indicators to define quality of life within cities. A supportive environment that is free of architectural, cultural and psychological barriers allows everyone to live with ease and universality. In fact, people who access to goods and services in the urban context can use to their advantage time and space, so they can do their activities and can maintain relationships that are deemed significant for their social life. The main aim of urban accessibility is to raise the comfort of space for citizens, eliminating all barriers that discriminate people, and prevent from an equality of opportunity. “FIABA FUND - City of ... for the removal of architectural barriers” is an idea of FIABA that has already affected many regions of Italy as Lazio, Lombardy, Campania, Abruzzi and Calabria. It is a National project which provides for opening a bank account in the cities of referring, in which for the first time, all together, individuals and private and public institutions can make a donation to fund initiatives for the removal of architectural barriers within its own territory for a real and effective total accessibility. Last February the fund was launched in Rome with the aim of achieving a Capital without barriers and a Town European model of accessibility and usability. Urban mobility is a prerequisite to access to goods and services, and to organize activities related to daily life. FIABA promotes the concept of sustainable mobility for all, supported by the European Commission’s White Paper. We need a cultural change in management and organization of public means, which might focus on

Water Quality Time Series, Aggregate values, and Related Aggregate Risk Measures

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The excel file contains time series data of flow rates, concentrations of alachlor , atrazine, ammonia, total phosphorus, and total suspended solids observed in two...

Empirical forecast of quiet time ionospheric Total Electron Content maps over Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Badeke, Ronny; Borries, Claudia; Hoque, Mainul M.; Minkwitz, David

2018-06-01

An accurate forecast of the atmospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) is helpful to investigate space weather influences on the ionosphere and technical applications like satellite-receiver radio links. The purpose of this work is to compare four empirical methods for a 24-h forecast of vertical TEC maps over Europe under geomagnetically quiet conditions. TEC map data are obtained from the Space Weather Application Center Ionosphere (SWACI) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). The time-series methods Standard Persistence Model (SPM), a 27 day median model (MediMod) and a Fourier Series Expansion are compared to maps for the entire year of 2015. As a representative of the climatological coefficient models the forecast performance of the Global Neustrelitz TEC model (NTCM-GL) is also investigated. Time periods of magnetic storms, which are identified with the Dst index, are excluded from the validation. By calculating the TEC values with the most recent maps, the time-series methods perform slightly better than the coefficient model NTCM-GL. The benefit of NTCM-GL is its independence on observational TEC data. Amongst the time-series methods mentioned, MediMod delivers the best overall performance regarding accuracy and data gap handling. Quiet-time SWACI maps can be forecasted accurately and in real-time by the MediMod time-series approach.

SHORT COMMUNICATION: Time measurement device with four femtosecond stability

Science.gov (United States)

Panek, Petr; Prochazka, Ivan; Kodet, Jan

2010-10-01

We present the experimental results of extremely precise timing in the sense of time-of-arrival measurements in a local time scale. The timing device designed and constructed in our laboratory is based on a new concept using a surface acoustic wave filter as a time interpolator. Construction of the device is briefly described. The experiments described were focused on evaluating the timing precision and stability. Low-jitter test pulses with a repetition frequency of 763 Hz were generated synchronously to the local time base and their times of arrival were measured. The resulting precision of a single measurement was typically 900 fs RMS, and a timing stability TDEV of 4 fs was achieved for time intervals in the range from 300 s to 2 h. To our knowledge this is the best value reported to date for the stability of a timing device. The experimental results are discussed and possible improvements are proposed.

Measurement time and statistics for a noise thermometer with a synthetic-noise reference

Science.gov (United States)

White, D. R.; Benz, S. P.; Labenski, J. R.; Nam, S. W.; Qu, J. F.; Rogalla, H.; Tew, W. L.

2008-08-01

This paper describes methods for reducing the statistical uncertainty in measurements made by noise thermometers using digital cross-correlators and, in particular, for thermometers using pseudo-random noise for the reference signal. First, a discrete-frequency expression for the correlation bandwidth for conventional noise thermometers is derived. It is shown how an alternative frequency-domain computation can be used to eliminate the spectral response of the correlator and increase the correlation bandwidth. The corresponding expressions for the uncertainty in the measurement of pseudo-random noise in the presence of uncorrelated thermal noise are then derived. The measurement uncertainty in this case is less than that for true thermal-noise measurements. For pseudo-random sources generating a frequency comb, an additional small reduction in uncertainty is possible, but at the cost of increasing the thermometer's sensitivity to non-linearity errors. A procedure is described for allocating integration times to further reduce the total uncertainty in temperature measurements. Finally, an important systematic error arising from the calculation of ratios of statistical variables is described.

Measurement of parity nonconservation in the proton-proton total cross section at 800 MeV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, J.D.

1986-01-01

A report is made of a measurement of parity nonconservation in the transmission of 800-MeV longitudinally polarized protons through an unpolarized, 1-m liquid-hydrogen target. The dependence of transmission on beam properties was studied to measure and to correct for systematic errors. The measured longitudinal asymmetry in the total cross section is A/sub L/ = [+2.4 +- 1.1 (statistical) +- 0.1 (systematic)] x 10 -7 . 25 refs., 2 figs

Elastic Scattering and Total Cross-Section in p+p reactions as measured by the LHC Experiment TOTEM at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV

CERN Document Server

Csörgö, Tamás; Aspell, P; Atanassov, I; Avati, V; Baechler, J; Berardi, V; Berretti, M; Bossini, E; Bozzo, M; Brogi, P; Brücken, E; Buzzo, A; Cafagna, F S; Calicchio, M; Catanesi, M G; Covault, C; Csanád, M; Deile, M; Dimovasili, E; Doubek, M; Eggert, K; Eremin, V; Ferretti, R; Ferro, F; Fiergolski, A; Garcia, F; Giani, S; Greco, V; Grzanka, L; Heino, J; Hilden, T; Intonti, M R; Janda, M; Kaspar, J; Kopal, J; Kundrát, V; Kurvinen, K; Lami, S; Latino, G; Lauhakangas, R; Leszko, T; Lippmaa, E; Lokajícek, M; Lo Vetere, M; Lucas Rodríguez, F; Macrí, M; Magaletti, L; Magazzù, G; Mercadante, A; Meucci, M; Minutoli, S; Nemes, F; Niewiadomski, H; Noschis, E; Novák, T; Oliveri, E; Oljemark, F; Orava, R; Oriunno, M; Österberg, K; Palazzi, P; Perrot, A-L; Pedreschi, E; Petäjäjärvi, J; Procházka, J; Quinto, M; Radermacher, E; Radicioni, E; Ravotti, F; Robutti, E; Ropelewski, L; Ruggiero, G; Saarikko, H; Sanguinetti, G; Santroni, A; Scribano, A; Sette, G; Snoeys, W; Spinella, F; Sziklai, J; Taylor, C; Turini, N; Vacek, V; Vítek, M; Welti, J; Whitmore, J

2012-01-01

Proton-proton elastic scattering has been measured by the TOTEM experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at $\\sqrt{s} = 7 $ TeV in special runs with the Roman Pot detectors placed as close to the outgoing beam as seven times the transverse beam size. The differential cross-section measurements are reported in the |t|-range of 0.36 to 2.5 GeV$^2$. Extending the range of data to low t values from 0.02 to 0.33 GeV$^2$,and utilizing the luminosity measurements of CMS, the total proton-proton cross section at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV is measured to be $(98.3 \\pm 0.2^{stat} \\pm 2.8^{syst})$ mb.

Elastic Scattering and Total Cross-Section in p+p Reactions --As Measured by the LHC Experiment TOTEM at √{s} = 7 TeV--

Science.gov (United States)

Csörgő, T.; Antchev, G.; Aspell, P.; Atanassov, I.; Avati, V.; Baechler, J.; Berardi, V.; Berretti, M.; Bossini, E.; Bozzo, M.; Brogi, P.; Brücken, E.; Buzzo, A.; Cafagna, F. S.; Calicchio, M.; Catanesi, M. G.; Covault, C.; Csanád, M.; Deile, M.; Dimovasili, E.; Doubek, M.; Eggert, K.; Eremin, V.; Ferretti, R.; Ferro, F.; Fiergolski, A.; Garcia, F.; Giani, S.; Greco, V.; Grzanka, L.; Heino, J.; Hilden, T.; Intonti, M. R.; Janda, M.; Kašpar, J.; Kopal, J.; Kundrát, V.; Kurvinen, K.; Lami, S.; Latino, G.; Lauhakangas, R.; Leszko, T.; Lippmaa, E.; Lokajíček, M.; Lo Vetere, M.; Lucas Rodríguez, F.; Macrí, M.; Magaletti, L.; Magazzù, G.; Mercadante, A.; Meucci, M.; Minutoli, S.; Nemes, F.; Niewiadomski, H.; Noschis, E.; Novák, T.; Oliveri, E.; Oljemark, F.; Orava, R.; Oriunno, M.; Österberg, K.; Palazzi, P.; Perrot, A.-L.; Pedreschi, E.; PetäJäjärvi, J.; Procházka, J.; Quinto, M.; Radermacher, E.; Radicioni, E.; Ravotti, F.; Robutti, E.; Ropelewski, L.; Ruggiero, G.; Saarikko, H.; Sanguinetti, G.; Santroni, A.; Scribano, A.; Sette, G.; Snoeys, W.; Spinella, F.; Sziklai, J.; Taylor, C.; Turini, N.; Vacek, V.; Vítek, M.; Welti, J.; Whitmore, J.; Totem Collaboration

Proton-proton elastic scattering has been measured by the TOTEMexperiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at √{s} = 7 TeV in special runs with the Roman Pot detectors placed as close to the outgoing beam as seven times the transverse beam size. The differential cross-section measurements are reported in the |t|-range of 0.36 to 2.5 GeV^{2}. Extending the range of data to low t values from 0.02 to 0.33 GeV^2, and utilizing the luminosity measurements of CMS, the total proton-proton cross section at √{s} = 7 TeV is measured to be (98.3 ± 0.2^{stat} ± 2.8^{syst}) mb.

Total cross section measurement of muon neutrinos on isoscalar target. Exact determination of the electroweak mixing parameter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pain, R.

1987-09-01

The work presented in this thesis is concerned with high energy muon-neutrino nucleon interactions. The experiment was performed at CERN in 1984 using the CHARM marble target-calorimeter exposed to the 160 GeV narrow band beam. The experimental analysis is based on an event-by-event classification of neutral currents (NC) and charged currents (CC) interactions and on precise measurements of neutrinos and antineutrinos fluxes. This leads to precise measurements of CC total cross-sections of neutrinos and antineutrinos between 10 and 160 GeV and of NC to CC ratios of total cross-sections of events with hadron energy greater than 4 GeV: R n eutrino and R a ntineutrino. From the measurements of R n eutrino and of the ratio of CC total cross-sections of antineutrinos and neutrinos, we obtain a high precision value of the electroweak mixing angle. Comparison of this result with those obtained in proton-antiproton collisions make it possible to derive a measurement of electroweak radiative corrections and a precise determination of ρ [fr

Time-resolved triton burnup measurement using the scintillating fiber detector in the Large Helical Device

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, K.; Isobe, M.; Nishitani, T.; Murakami, S.; Seki, R.; Nakata, M.; Takada, E.; Kawase, H.; Pu, N.; LHD Experiment Group

2018-03-01

Time-resolved measurement of triton burnup is performed with a scintillating fiber detector system in the deuterium operation of the large helical device. The scintillating fiber detector system is composed of the detector head consisting of 109 scintillating fibers having a diameter of 1 mm and a length of 100 mm embedded in the aluminum substrate, the magnetic registrant photomultiplier tube, and the data acquisition system equipped with 1 GHz sampling rate analogies to digital converter and the field programmable gate array. The discrimination level of 150 mV was set to extract the pulse signal induced by 14 MeV neutrons according to the pulse height spectra obtained in the experiment. The decay time of 14 MeV neutron emission rate after neutral beam is turned off measured by the scintillating fiber detector. The decay time is consistent with the decay time of total neutron emission rate corresponding to the 14 MeV neutrons measured by the neutron flux monitor as expected. Evaluation of the diffusion coefficient is conducted using a simple classical slowing-down model FBURN code. It is found that the diffusion coefficient of triton is evaluated to be less than 0.2 m2 s-1.

When is it safe to resume driving after total hip and total knee arthroplasty? a meta-analysis of literature on post-operative brake reaction times.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Velden, C A; Tolk, J J; Janssen, R P A; Reijman, M

2017-05-01

The aim of this study was to assess the current available evidence about when patients might resume driving after elective, primary total hip (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) undertaken for osteoarthritis (OA). In February 2016, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, PubMed Publisher, CINAHL, EBSCO and Google Scholar were searched for clinical studies reporting on 'THA', 'TKA', 'car driving', 'reaction time' and 'brake response time'. Two researchers (CAV and JJT) independently screened the titles and abstracts for eligibility and assessed the risk of bias. Both fixed and random effects were used to pool data and calculate mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between pre- and post-operative total brake response time (TBRT). A total of 19 studies were included. The assessment of the risk of bias showed that one study was at high risk, six studies at moderate risk and 12 studies at low risk. Meta-analysis of TBRT showed a MD decrease of 25.54 ms (95% CI -32.02 to 83.09) two weeks after right-sided THA, and of 18.19 ms (95% CI -6.13 to 42.50) four weeks after a right-sided TKA, when compared with the pre-operative value. The TBRT returned to baseline two weeks after a right-sided THA and four weeks after a right-sided TKA. These results may serve as guidelines for orthopaedic surgeons when advising patients when to resume driving. However, the advice should be individualised. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:566-76. ©2017 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Measurements of the total neutron cross-section of cerium and thulium in the energy range from 1.8 MeV to 1.8 eV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adib, M.; Maayouf, R.M.A.; Abdel-Kawy, A.; Abu-Elnour, F.; Hamouda, I.

1979-01-01

Total neutron cross-section measurements have been carried out for cerium and thulium in the energy range from 1.8 meV to 1.8 eV. The measurements were performed using the time-of-flight spectrometer installed in front of one of the horizontal channels of the ET-RR-1 reactor. The obtained total neutron cross-sections were analyzed using the single level Breit-Wigner formula and the magnetic form factor. The potential scattering cross-section of Ce was found to be (3.14 +- 0.3) barns. Its coherent scattering amplitude was determined from the Bragg reflections observed in the total neutron cross-section of CeO 2 and found to be (4,8 +- 0.2) fm. The potential scattering and absorption cross-sections of Tm, at E = 0.025 eV, were found to be (7.5 +- 0.7) barns and (89.1 +- 4.1) barns respectively. (orig.) [de

Perceived Time as a Measure of Mental Workload

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hertzum, Morten; Holmegaard, Kristin Due

2013-01-01

The mental workload imposed by systems is important to their operation and usability. Consequently, researchers and practitioners need reliable, valid, and easy-to-administer methods for measuring mental workload. The ratio of perceived time to clock time appears to be such a method, yet mental...... is a performance-related rather than task-related dimension of mental workload. We find a higher perceived time ratio for timed than untimed tasks. According to subjective workload ratings and pupil-diameter measurements the timed tasks impose higher mental workload. This finding contradicts the prospective...... paradigm, which asserts that perceived time decreases with increasing mental workload. We also find a higher perceived time ratio for solved than unsolved tasks, while subjective workload ratings indicate lower mental workload for the solved tasks. This finding shows that the relationship between...

Use of Response Time for Measuring Cognitive Ability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick C. Kyllonen

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to review some of the key literature on response time as it has played a role in cognitive ability measurement, providing a historical perspective as well as covering current research. We discuss the speed-level distinction, dimensions of speed and level in cognitive abilities frameworks, speed–accuracy tradeoff, approaches to addressing speed–accuracy tradeoff, analysis methods, particularly item response theory-based, response time models from cognitive psychology (ex-Gaussian function, and the diffusion model, and other uses of response time in testing besides ability measurement. We discuss several new methods that can be used to provide greater insight into the speed and level aspects of cognitive ability and speed–accuracy tradeoff decisions. These include item-level time limits, the use of feedback (e.g., CUSUMs, explicit scoring rules that combine speed and accuracy information (e.g., count down timing, and cognitive psychology models. We also review some of the key psychometric advances in modeling speed and level, which combine speed and ability measurement, address speed–accuracy tradeoff, allow for distinctions between response times on items responded to correctly and incorrectly, and integrate psychometrics with information-processing modeling. We suggest that the application of these models and tools is likely to advance both the science and measurement of human abilities for theory and applications.

Holdup time measurement by radioactive tracers in pulp production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roetzer, H.; Donhoffer, D.

1988-12-01

A batch of pulp was to be labelled before passing two bleaching towers of a pulp plant. Activated glass fibres were used as a tracer, which contained 24-Na with a half-life of 15 hours. It was shown in laboratory tests, that the glass fibres were suitable for transport studies of wood pulp. For use in the tests the fibres were activated and suspended in water. Due to the small diameter of the fibres (2-5 micrometers) this suspension shows physical properties very similar to the pulp. For detection six scintillation probes were mounted at different positions outside the bleaching tower. Radiation protection during the test was very easy due to the low total activity of the tracer material. Residence time distributions for both towers were measured. The successful tracer experiments show, that the method of labelling is suited for investigations of material transport in the pulp and paper industry. 3 figs., 11 refs., 2 tabs. (Author)

Time Resolved Deposition Measurements in NSTX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, C.H.; Kugel, H.; Roquemore, A.L.; Hogan, J.; Wampler, W.R.

2004-01-01

Time-resolved measurements of deposition in current tokamaks are crucial to gain a predictive understanding of deposition with a view to mitigating tritium retention and deposition on diagnostic mirrors expected in next-step devices. Two quartz crystal microbalances have been installed on NSTX at a location 0.77m outside the last closed flux surface. This configuration mimics a typical diagnostic window or mirror. The deposits were analyzed ex-situ and found to be dominantly carbon, oxygen, and deuterium. A rear facing quartz crystal recorded deposition of lower sticking probability molecules at 10% of the rate of the front facing one. Time resolved measurements over a 4-week period with 497 discharges, recorded 29.2 (micro)g/cm 2 of deposition, however surprisingly, 15.9 (micro)g/cm 2 of material loss occurred at 7 discharges. The net deposited mass of 13.3 (micro)g/cm 2 matched the mass of 13.5 (micro)g/cm 2 measured independently by ion beam analysis. Monte Carlo modeling suggests that transient processes are likely to dominate the deposition

Measurements of the Total, Elastic, Inelastic and Diffractive Cross Sections with the ATLAS Detector

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00237700; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The main results of the total, elastic and inelastic cross sections measurements performed by the ATLAS ALFA detectors are presented. The independent inelastic cross section measurement done using Minimum Bias Trigger Scintillators is also shown. Next, the single diffractive di-jet production and gap survival probability are briefly described. After the event selection, it was found that the diffractive component is needed for a more complete description of data. Finally, the exclusive lepton pair production analysis in electron and muon channels is also described. The measured cross sections were found to be consistent with the theory prediction.

Proportional wire chamber system for beam definition in precision total cross section measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carroll, A.S.; Chiang, I.H.; Kycia, T.F.

1978-03-01

A PWC system was developed and extensively used in precision measurements of total cross sections at low momenta (0.4 to 1.1 GeV/c) and at high momenta (23 to 370 GeV/c). This ''electronic collimator'' operated simultaneously in a fast (250 nsec) decision making mode, and a slower (0.5 msec) readout mode. The decision making mode utilized adjustable hard-wired logic to define acceptable incident beam trajectories and reject multiple beam tracks. A sample of the events were read into an on-line computer for beam tuning, for chamber diagnostics, and for study of the effect of small angle scattering to verify the total cross section extrapolation procedure

Total error vs. measurement uncertainty: revolution or evolution?

Science.gov (United States)

Oosterhuis, Wytze P; Theodorsson, Elvar

2016-02-01

The first strategic EFLM conference "Defining analytical performance goals, 15 years after the Stockholm Conference" was held in the autumn of 2014 in Milan. It maintained the Stockholm 1999 hierarchy of performance goals but rearranged them and established five task and finish groups to work on topics related to analytical performance goals including one on the "total error" theory. Jim Westgard recently wrote a comprehensive overview of performance goals and of the total error theory critical of the results and intentions of the Milan 2014 conference. The "total error" theory originated by Jim Westgard and co-workers has a dominating influence on the theory and practice of clinical chemistry but is not accepted in other fields of metrology. The generally accepted uncertainty theory, however, suffers from complex mathematics and conceived impracticability in clinical chemistry. The pros and cons of the total error theory need to be debated, making way for methods that can incorporate all relevant causes of uncertainty when making medical diagnoses and monitoring treatment effects. This development should preferably proceed not as a revolution but as an evolution.

TORCH: A Large-Area Detector for Precision Time-of-Flight Measurements at LHCb

CERN Document Server

Harnew, N

2012-01-01

The TORCH (Time Of internally Reflected CHerenkov light) is an innovative high-precision time-of-flight detector which is suitable for large areas, up to tens of square metres, and is being developed for the upgraded LHCb experiment. The TORCH provides a time-of-flight measurement from the imaging of photons emitted in a 1 cm thick quartz radiator, based on the Cherenkov principle. The photons propagate by total internal reflection to the edge of the quartz plane and are then focused onto an array of Micro-Channel Plate (MCP) photon detectors at the periphery of the detector. The goal is to achieve a timing resolution of 15 ps per particle over a flight distance of 10 m. This will allow particle identification in the challenging momentum region up to 20 GeV/c. Commercial MCPs have been tested in the laboratory and demonstrate the required timing precision. An electronics readout system based on the NINO and HPTDC chipset is being developed to evaluate an 8×8 channel TORCH prototype. The simulated performance...

Outcomes of total knee arthroplasty in relation to preoperative patient-reported and radiographic measures: data from the osteoarthritis initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Timothy L; Soheili, Aydin; Schwarzkopf, Ran

2013-12-01

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the preferred surgical treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis. However, substantial numbers of patients still experience poor outcomes. Consequently, it is important to identify which patient characteristics are predictive of outcomes in order to guide clinical decisions. Our hypothesis is that preoperative patient-reported outcome measures and radiographic measures may help to predict TKA outcomes. Using cohort data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, we studied 172 patients who underwent TKA. For each patient, we compiled pre- and postoperative Western Ontario and McMaster University Arthritis Index (WOMAC) scores. Radiographs were measured for knee joint angles, femorotibial angles, anatomical lateral distal femoral angles, and anatomical medial proximal tibial angles; Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grades were assigned to each compartment of the knee. All studied measurements were compared to WOMAC outcomes. Preoperative WOMAC disability, pain, and total scores were positively associated with postoperative WOMAC total scores (P = .010, P = .010, and P = .009, respectively) and were associated with improvement in WOMAC total scores (P < .001, P < .001, and P < .001, respectively). For radiographic measurements, preoperative joint angles were positively associated with improvements in postoperative WOMAC total scores (P = .044). Combined KL grades (medial and lateral compartments) were negatively correlated with postoperative WOMAC disability and pain scores (P = .045 and P = .044) and were positively correlated with improvements in WOMAC total scores (P = .001). All preoperative WOMAC scores demonstrated positive associations with postoperative WOMAC scores, while among the preoperative radiographic measurements only combined KL grades and joint angles showed any correlation with postoperative WOMAC scores. Higher preoperative KL grades and joint angles were associated with better (lower) postoperative WOMAC scores, demonstrating an

Different but Equal: Total Work, Gender and Social Norms in EU and US Time Use

OpenAIRE

Daniel S Hamermesh; Michael C Burda; Philippe Weil

2008-01-01

Using time-diary data from 27 countries, we demonstrate a negative relationship between real GDP per capita and the female-male difference in total work time—the sum of work for pay and work at home. We also show that in rich non-Catholic countries on four continents men and women do the same amount of total work on average. Our survey results demonstrate that labor economists, macroeconomists, sociologists and the general public consistently believe that women perform more tot...

The use of adaptive equipment following total knee replacement

OpenAIRE

McNaught, Jamie; Paul, Lorna

2015-01-01

Introduction: This study evaluates the need for adaptive equipment following total knee replacement. There are no recent studies to guide occupational therapists in the optimum time adaptive equipment is required following total knee replacement.\\ud \\ud Method: A non-experimental, concurrent mixed methods approach was used. The study population was patients attending for total knee replacement at a large general hospital. Outcome measures were the Oxford Knee Score, the United Kingdom Functio...

Dissociated time course between peak torque and total work recovery following bench press training in resistance trained men.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Diogo V; Gentil, Paulo; Ferreira-Junior, João B; Soares, Saulo R S; Brown, Lee E; Bottaro, Martim

2017-10-01

To evaluate the time course of peak torque and total work recovery after a resistance training session involving the bench press exercise. Repeated measures with a within subject design. Twenty-six resistance-trained men (age: 23.7±3.7years; height: 176.0±5.7cm; mass: 79.65±7.61kg) performed one session involving eight sets of the bench press exercise performed to momentary muscle failure with 2-min rest between sets. Shoulder horizontal adductors peak torque (PT), total work (TW), delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and subjective physical fitness were measured pre, immediately post, 24, 48, 72 and 96h following exercise. The exercise protocol resulted in significant pectoralis major DOMS that lasted for 72h. Immediately after exercise, the reduction in shoulder horizontal adductors TW (25%) was greater than PT (17%). TW, as a percentage of baseline values, was also less than PT at 24, 48 and 96h after exercise. Additionally, PT returned to baseline at 96h, while TW did not. Resistance trained men presented dissimilar PT and TW recovery following free weight bench press exercise. This indicates that recovery of maximal voluntary contraction does not reflect the capability to perform multiple contractions. Strength and conditioning professionals should be cautious when evaluating muscle recovery by peak torque, since it can lead to the repetition of a training session sooner than recommended. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Measurement of total occlusal convergence of 3 different tooth preparations in 4 different planes by dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Stephan S; Cheong, Chan; Preisser, John; Jun, Sangho; Chang, Brian M; Wright, Robert F

2014-08-01

Total occlusal convergence of crown preparation is an important didactic and clinical concept in dental education. The purpose of this study was to compare the discrepancy between the total occlusal convergence of dental students' typodont crown preparations and the ideal range (4 to 10 degrees) in 3 different regions of the mouth and in 4 different planes of the teeth. The dental students of the Class of 2012 at Harvard School of Dental Medicine were asked to prepare typodont teeth for crowns on 3 different teeth, the maxillary left central incisor (ceramic), mandibular left first molar (complete metal), and mandibular left first premolar (metal ceramic), during their third year preclinical summative examination and the Comprehensive Clinical Examination in their fourth year. Eighteen students prepared 3 teeth in their third and fourth years, whereas 19 students participated only in their fourth year, for a total of 55 sets of 3 teeth. By using custom fit die bases to reproduce the position, a novel procedure of measuring each tooth was accomplished in 4 different planes: the faciolingual, mesiodistal, mesiofacial-distolingual, and mesiolingual-distofacial. The total occlusal convergence of each image was measured with a computer screen protractor. The gingival 2 mm of the axial wall was used to determine the taper of each wall. Linear mixed model analysis was used to estimate and compare the total occlusal convergences of different teeth and planes (α=.05). Bonferroni corrections were used to adjust for post hoc multiple comparisons. The mean total occlusal convergence varied by tooth and plane (2-way interaction; Pplanes; the model-predicted 99% CIs for the total occlusal convergence were as follows: faciolingual (12.7, 19.4), mesiodistal (14.0, 19.3), mesiofacial-distolingual (13,4, 19.4), and mesiolingual-distofacial (13.7, 19.1). For the central incisor, 99% CIs for the total occlusal convergence were (15.9, 24.4) for the faciolingual measurement, providing

Time related total lactic acid bacteria population diversity and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The total lactic acid bacterial community involved in the spontaneous fermentation of malted cowpea fortified cereal weaning food was investigated by phenotypically and cultivation independent method. A total of 74 out of the isolated 178 strains were Lactobacillus plantarum, 32 were Pediococcus acidilactici and over 60% ...

Think the way to measure the Earth Radiation Budget and the Total Solar Irradiance with a small satellites constellation

Science.gov (United States)

Meftah, M.; Keckhut, P.; Damé, L.; Bekki, S.; Sarkissian, A.; Hauchecorne, A.

2018-05-01

Within the past decade, satellites constellations have become possible and practical. One of the interest to use a satellites constellation is to measure the true Earth Radiation Imbalance, which is a crucial quantity for testing climate models and for predicting the future course of global warming. This measurement presents a high interest because the 2001-2010 decade has not shown the accelerating pace of global warming that most models predict, despite the fact that the greenhouse-gas radiative forcing continues to rise. All estimates (ocean heat content and top of atmosphere) show that over the past decade the Earth radiation imbalance ranges between 0.5 to 1W-2. Up to now, the Earth radiation imbalance has not been measured directly. The only way to measure the imbalance with sufficient accuracy is to measure both the incoming solar radiations (total solar irradiance) and the outgoing terrestrial radiations (top of atmosphere outgoing longwave radiations and shortwave radiations) onboard the same satellite, and ideally, with the same instrument. The incoming solar radiations and the outgoing terrestrial radiations are of nearly equal magnitude of the order of 340.5W-2. The objective is to measure these quantities over time by using differential Sun-Earth measurements (to counter calibration errors) with an accuracy better than 0.05Wm-2 at 1σ. It is also necessary to have redundant instruments to track aging in space in order to measure during a decade and to measure the global diurnal cycle with a dozen satellites. Solar irradiance and Earth Radiation Budget (SERB) is a potential first in orbit demonstration satellite. The SERB nano-satellite aims to measure on the same platform the different components of the Earth radiation budget and the total solar irradiance. Instrumental payloads (solar radiometer and Earth radiometers) can acquire the technical maturity for the future large missions (constellation that insure global measurement cover) by flying in a

Real time refractive index measurement by ESPI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torroba, R.; Joenathan, C.

1991-01-01

In this paper a method to measure refractive index variations in real time is reported. A technique to introduce reference fringes in real time is discussed. Both the theoretical and experimental results are presented and an example with phase shifting is given. (author). 8 refs, 5 figs

Simultaneous measurement of milk intake and total energy expenditure in mixed-fed infants: Methodological approach and prediction of total body water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, J.C.K.; Davies, P.S.W.; Coward, W.A.

2000-01-01

Evaluation of the energy metabolism that underlies the new WHO breast-fed growth reference requires simultaneous measurements of milk volume intake (MVI) and total energy expenditure (TEE) by stable isotope methodologies. In young infants, such data is collected without difficulty using the dose-to-the-infant method. In older infants, where breast-milk is supplemented with non-milk foods, MVI must be measured by dosing the mother instead of the infant. This procedure would interfere with a simple measurement of infant TEE using the standard dose-to-the-infant method. Theoretically, this difficulty can be resolved by dosing the mother with deuterium and the infant with 18-oxygen, and using curve-peeling methods to calculate the infant deuterium kinetics. We propose to ascertain whether such an approach is viable in practice, such that MVI, TEE and body composition could all be measured simultaneously in mixed-fed infants. Where MVI in older infants is measured on its own, there is a need to predict infant body water in order to estimate the deuterium dilution space. Using a database of 234 infants aged 1.5 to 12 months, we provide new predictive equations by which such values may be obtained. (author)

Timely resolved measurements on CdSe nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holt, B.E. von

2006-01-01

By means of infrared spectroscopy the influence of the organic cover on structure and dynamics of CdSe nanoparticles was studied. First a procedure was developed, which allows to get from the static infrared spectrum informations on the quality of the organic cover and the binding behaviour of the ligands. On qualitatively high-grade and well characterized samples thereafter the dynamics of the lowest-energy electron level 1S e was time-resolvedly meausred in thew visible range. As reference served CdSe TOPO, which was supplemented by samples with the ligands octanthiole, octanic acid, octylamine, naphthoquinone, benzoquinone, and pyridine. The studied nanoparticles had a diameter of 4.86 nm. By means of the excitation-scanning or pump=probe procedure first measurements in the picosecond range were performed. The excitation wavelengths were thereby spectrally confined and so chosen that selectively the transitions 1S 3/2 -1S-e and 1P 3/2 -1P e but not the intermediately lyingt transition 2S 3/2 -1S e were excited. The excitation energies were kept so low that the excitation of several excitons in one crystal could be avoided. The scanning wavelength in the infrared corresponded to the energy difference between the electron levels 1S e and 1P e . The transients in the picosecond range are marked by a steep increasement of the signal, on which a multi-exponential decay follows. The increasement, which reproduces the popiulation of the excited state, isa inependent on the choice of the ligands. The influence of the organic cover is first visible in the different decay times of the excited electron levels. the decay of the measurement signal of CdSe TOPO can be approximatively described by three time constants: a decay constant in the early picosecond region, a time constant around hundert picoseconds, and a time constant of some nanoseconds. At increasing scanning wavelength the decay constants become longer. By directed excitation of the 1S 3/2 -1S e and the 1P 3

Real-time database for high resolution neutron monitor measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steigies, Christian T.; Rother, Oliver M.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; Heber, Bernd [IEAP, Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel (Germany)

2008-07-01

The worldwide network of standardised neutron monitors is, after 50 years, still the state-of-the-art instrumentation to measure spectral variations of the primary cosmic ray component. These measurements are an ideal complement to space based cosmic ray measurements. Data from the approximately 50 IGY and NM64 neutron monitors is stored locally but also available through data collections sites like the World Data Center (WDC) or the IZMIRAN ftp server. The data from the WDC is in a standard format, but only hourly values are available. IZMIRAN collects the data in the best available time resolution, but the data arrives on the ftp server only hours, sometimes days, after the measurements. Also, the high time-resolution measurements of the different stations do not have a common format, a conversion routine for each station is needed before they can be used for scientific analysis. Supported by the 7th framework program of the European Commission, we are setting up a real-time database where high resolution cosmic ray measurements will be stored and accessible immediately after the measurement. Stations that do not have 1-minute resolution measurements will be upgraded to 1-minute or better resolution with an affordable standard registration system, that will submit the measurements to the database via the internet in real-time.

The Impact of Total Ischemic Time, Donor Age and the Pathway of Donor Death on Graft Outcomes After Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Germaine; Teixeira-Pinto, Armando; Chapman, Jeremy R; Craig, Jonathan C; Pleass, Henry; McDonald, Stephen; Lim, Wai H

2017-06-01

Prolonged ischemia is a known risk factor for delayed graft function (DGF) and its interaction with donor characteristics, the pathways of donor death, and graft outcomes may have important implications for allocation policies. Using data from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant registry (1994-2013), we examined the relationship between total ischemic time with graft outcomes among recipients who received their first deceased donor kidney transplants. Total ischemic time (in hours) was defined as the time of the donor renal artery interruption or aortic clamp, until the time of release of the clamp on the renal artery in the recipient. A total of 7542 recipients were followed up over a median follow-up time of 5.3 years (interquartile range of 8.2 years). Of these, 1823 (24.6%) experienced DGF and 2553 (33.9%) experienced allograft loss. Recipients with total ischemic time of 14 hours or longer experienced an increased odd of DGF compared with those with total ischemic time less than 14 hours. This effect was most marked among those with older donors (P value for interaction = 0.01). There was a significant interaction between total ischemic time, donor age, and graft loss (P value for interaction = 0.03). There was on average, a 9% increase in the overall risk of graft loss per hour increase in the total ischemic time (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.18; P = 0.02) in recipients with older donation after circulatory death grafts. There is a clinically important interaction between donor age, the pathway of donor death, and total ischemic time on graft outcomes, such that the duration of ischemic time has the greatest impact on graft survival in recipients with older donation after circulatory death kidneys.

Smoking is associated with earlier time to revision of total knee arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Chin Tat; Goodman, Stuart B; Huddleston, James I; Harris, Alex H S; Bhowmick, Subhrojyoti; Maloney, William J; Amanatullah, Derek F

2017-10-01

Smoking is associated with early postoperative complications, increased length of hospital stay, and an increased risk of revision after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the effect of smoking on time to revision TKA is unknown. A total of 619 primary TKAs referred to an academic tertiary center for revision TKA were retrospectively stratified according to the patient smoking status. Smoking status was then analyzed for associations with time to revision TKA using a Chi square test. The association was also analyzed according to the indication for revision TKA. Smokers (37/41, 90%) have an increased risk of earlier revision for any reason compared to non-smokers (274/357, 77%, p=0.031). Smokers (37/41, 90%) have an increased risk of earlier revision for any reason compared to ex-smokers (168/221, 76%, p=0.028). Subgroup analysis did not reveal a difference in indication for revision TKA (p>0.05). Smokers are at increased risk of earlier revision TKA when compared to non-smokers and ex-smokers. The risk for ex-smokers was similar to that of non-smokers. Smoking appears to have an all-or-none effect on earlier revision TKA as patients who smoked more did not have higher risk of early revision TKA. These results highlight the need for clinicians to urge patients not to begin smoking and encourage smokers to quit smoking prior to primary TKA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Total neutron cross section for 181Ta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schilling K.-D.

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The neutron time of flight facility nELBE, produces fast neutrons in the energy range from 0.1 MeV to 10 MeV by impinging a pulsed relativistic electron beam on a liquid lead circuit [1]. The short beam pulses (∼10 ps and a small radiator volume give an energy resolution better than 1% at 1 MeV using a short flight path of about 6 m, for neutron TOF measurements. The present neutron source provides 2 ⋅ 104  n/cm2s at the target position using an electron charge of 77 pC and 100 kHz pulse repetition rate. This neutron intensity enables to measure neutron total cross section with a 2%–5% statistical uncertainty within a few days. In February 2008, neutron radiator, plastic detector [2] and data acquisition system were tested by measurements of the neutron total cross section for 181Ta and 27Al. Measurement of 181Ta was chosen because lack of high quality data in an anergy region below 700 keV. The total neutron cross – section for 27Al was measured as a control target, since there exists data for 27Al with high resolution and low statistical error [3].

Between-centre variability versus variability over time in DXA whole body measurements evaluated using a whole body phantom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Louis, Olivia [Department of Radiology, AZ-VUB, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussel (Belgium)]. E-mail: olivia.louis@az.vub.ac.be; Verlinde, Siska [Belgian Study Group for Pediatric Endocrinology (Belgium); Thomas, Muriel [Belgian Study Group for Pediatric Endocrinology (Belgium); De Schepper, Jean [Department of Pediatrics, AZ-VUB, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussel (Belgium)

2006-06-15

This study aimed to compare the variability of whole body measurements, using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), among geographically distinct centres versus that over time in a given centre. A Hologic-designed 28 kg modular whole body phantom was used, including high density polyethylene, gray polyvinylchloride and aluminium. It was scanned on seven Hologic QDR 4500 DXA devices, located in seven centres and was also repeatedly (n = 18) scanned in the reference centre, over a time span of 5 months. The mean between-centre coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 2.0 (lean mass) to 5.6% (fat mass) while the mean within-centre CV ranged from 0.3 (total mass) to 4.7% (total area). Between-centre variability compared well with within-centre variability for total area, bone mineral content and bone mineral density, but was significantly higher for fat (p < 0.001), lean (p < 0.005) and total mass (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that, even when using the same device, the between-centre variability remains a matter of concern, particularly where body composition is concerned.

First measurement of the total proton-proton cross section at the LHC energy of √s =7 TeV

CERN Document Server

Antchev, G.; Atanassov, I.; Avati, V.; Baechler, J.; Berardi, V.; Berretti, M.; Bossini, E.; Bozzo, M.; Brogi, P.; Brücken, E.; Buzzo, A.; Cafagna, F.; Calicchio, M.; Catanesi, M.G.; Covault, C.; Csörgõ, T.; Deile, M.; Eggert, K.; Eremin, V.; Ferretti, R.; Ferro, F.; Fiergolski, A.; Garcia, F.; Giani, S.; Greco, V.; Grzanka, L.; Heino, J.; Hilden, T.; Intonti, M.R.; Kaspar, J.; Kopal, J.; Kundrát, V.; Kurvinen, K.; Lami, S.; Latino, G.; Lauhakangas, R.; Leszko, T.; Lippmaa, E.; Lokajícek, M.; Lo Vetere, M.; Lucas Rodríguez, F.; Macrí, M.; Magaletti, L.; Mercadante, A.; Minutoli, S.; Nemes, F.; Niewiadomski, H.; Oliveri, E.; Oljemark, F.; Orava, R.; Oriunno, M.; Österberg, K.; Palazzi, P.; Procházka, J.; Quinto, M.; Radermacher, E.; Radicioni, E.; Ravotti, F.; Robutti, E.; Ropelewski, L.; Ruggiero, G.; Saarikko, H.; Sanguinetti, G.; Santroni, A.; Scribano, A.; Snoeys, W.; Sziklai, J.; Taylor, C.; Turini, N.; Vacek, V.; Vítek, M.; Welti, J.; Whitmore, J.

2011-01-01

TOTEM has measured the differential cross-section for elastic proton-proton scattering at the LHC energy of √s = 7TeV analyzing data from a short run with dedicated large Beta∗ optics. A single exponential fit with B = 20.1GeV**−2 (all errors are given in the text) describes the lowest range of the squared four-momentum transfer |t| from 0.02 to 0.3GeV**2. After the extrapolation to |t| = 0, a total elastic scattering cross-section of 24.8mb was obtained. Applying the Optical Theorem and using the luminosity measurement from CMS, a total proton-proton cross-section of 98.3mb was deduced which is in good agreement with the expectation from the overall fit of previously measured data over a large range of energies. From the total and elastic pp cross-section measurements, an inelastic pp cross-section of (73:5{\\pm}0:6stat +1:8 -1:3 syst) mb was inferred. PACS 13.60.Hb: Total and inclusive cross sections

Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Generalized Geometry Holdup Calculations and Total Measurement Uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keele, B.D.

2005-01-01

A collimated portable gamma-ray detector will be used to quantify the plutonium content of items that can be approximated as a point, line, or area geometry with respect to the detector. These items can include ducts, piping, glove boxes, isolated equipment inside of gloveboxes, and HEPA filters. The Generalized Geometry Holdup (GGH) model is used for the reduction of counting data. This document specifies the calculations to reduce counting data into contained plutonium and the associated total measurement uncertainty.

Discrete time interval measurement system: fundamentals, resolution and errors in the measurement of angular vibrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gómez de León, F C; Meroño Pérez, P A

2010-01-01

The traditional method for measuring the velocity and the angular vibration in the shaft of rotating machines using incremental encoders is based on counting the pulses at given time intervals. This method is generically called the time interval measurement system (TIMS). A variant of this method that we have developed in this work consists of measuring the corresponding time of each pulse from the encoder and sampling the signal by means of an A/D converter as if it were an analog signal, that is to say, in discrete time. For this reason, we have denominated this method as the discrete time interval measurement system (DTIMS). This measurement system provides a substantial improvement in the precision and frequency resolution compared with the traditional method of counting pulses. In addition, this method permits modification of the width of some pulses in order to obtain a mark-phase on every lap. This paper explains the theoretical fundamentals of the DTIMS and its application for measuring the angular vibrations of rotating machines. It also displays the required relationship between the sampling rate of the signal, the number of pulses of the encoder and the rotating velocity in order to obtain the required resolution and to delimit the methodological errors in the measurement

Determinantal Representation of the Time-Dependent Stationary Correlation Function for the Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolay M. Bogoliubov

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The basic model of the non-equilibrium low dimensional physics the so-called totally asymmetric exclusion process is related to the 'crystalline limit' (q → ∞ of the SU_q(2 quantum algebra. Using the quantum inverse scattering method we obtain the exact expression for the time-dependent stationary correlation function of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process on a one dimensional lattice with the periodic boundary conditions.

Preoperative management of surgical patients by "shortened fasting time": a study on the amount of total body water by multi-frequency impedance method.

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, Hideki; Sasaki, Toshio; Fujita, Hisae

2012-01-01

Preoperative fasting is an established procedure to be practiced for patients before surgery, but optimal preoperative fasting time still remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of "shortened preoperative fasting time" on the change in the amount of total body water (TBW) in elective surgical patients. TBW was measured by multi-frequency impedance method. The patients, who were scheduled to undergo surgery for stomach cancer, were divided into two groups of 15 patients each. Before surgery, patients in the control group were managed with conventional preoperative fasting time, while patients in the "enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)" group were managed with "shortened preoperative fasting time" and "reduced laxative medication." TBW was measured on the day before surgery and the day of surgery before entering the operating room. Defecation times and anesthesia-related vomiting and aspiration were monitored. TBW values on the day of surgery showed changes in both groups as compared with those on the day before surgery, but the rate of change was smaller in the ERAS group than in the control group (2.4±6.8% [12 patients] vs. -10.6±4.6% [14 patients], pfasting time" and "reduced administration of laxatives" is effective in the maintenance of TBW in elective surgical patients.

Relationships between Personal Measurements of 'Total' Dust, Respirable, Thoracic, and Inhalable Aerosol Fractions in the Cement Production Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Notø, Hilde P; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Eduard, Wijnand

2016-05-01

The aims of this study were to examine the relationships and establish conversion factors between 'total' dust, respirable, thoracic, and inhalable aerosol fractions measured by parallel personal sampling on workers from the production departments of cement plants. 'Total' dust in this study refers to aerosol sampled by the closed face 37-mm Millipore filter cassette. Side-by-side personal measurements of 'total' dust and respirable, thoracic, and inhalable aerosol fractions were performed on workers in 17 European and Turkish cement plants. Simple linear and mixed model regressions were used to model the associations between the samplers. The total number of personal samples collected on 141 workers was 512. Of these 8.4% were excluded leaving 469 for statistical analysis. The different aerosol fractions contained from 90 to 130 measurements and-side-by side measurements of all four aerosol fractions were collected on 72 workers.The median ratios between observed results of the respirable, 'total' dust, and inhalable fractions relative to the thoracic aerosol fractions were 0.51, 2.4, and 5.9 respectively. The ratios between the samplers were not constant over the measured concentration range and were best described by regression models. Job type, position of samplers on left or right shoulder and plant had no substantial effect on the ratios. The ratios between aerosol fractions changed with different air concentrations. Conversion models for estimation of the fractions were established. These models explained a high proportion of the variance (74-91%) indicating that they are useful for the estimation of concentrations based on measurements of a different aerosol fraction. The calculated uncertainties at most observed concentrations were below 30% which is acceptable for comparison with limit values (EN 482, 2012). The cement industry will therefore be able to predict the health related aerosol fractions from their former or future measurements of one of the

On the compatibility of Brewer total column ozone measurements in two adjacent valleys (Arosa and Davos in the Swiss Alps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Stübi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The Arosa site is well known in the ozone community for its continuous total ozone column observations that have been recorded since 1926. Originally based on Dobson sun spectrophotometers, the site has been gradually complemented by three automatic Brewer instruments, in operation since 1998. To secure the long-term ozone monitoring in this Alpine region and to benefit from synergies with the World Radiation Center, the feasibility of moving this activity to the nearby site at Davos (aerial distance of 13 km has been explored. Concerns about a possible rupture of the 90-year-long record has motivated a careful comparison of the two sites, since great attention to the data continuity and quality has always been central to the operations of the observatory at Arosa. To this end, one element of the Arosa Brewer triad has been set up at the Davos site since November 2011 to realize a campaign of parallel measurements and to study the deviations between the three Brewer instruments. The analysis of the coincident measurement shows that the differences between Arosa and Davos remain within the range of the long-term stability of the Brewer instruments. A nonsignificant seasonal cycle is observed, which could possibly be induced by a stray-light bias and the altitude difference between the two sites. These differences are shown to be lower than the short-term variability of the time series and the overall uncertainty from individual Brewer instruments and therefore are not statistically significant. It is therefore concluded that the world's longest time series of the total ozone column obtained at Arosa site could be safely extended and continued with measurements taken from instruments located at the nearby Davos site without introducing a bias to this unique record.

Boltzmann babies in the proper time measure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bousso, Raphael; Bousso, Raphael; Freivogel, Ben; Yang, I-Sheng

2007-12-20

After commenting briefly on the role of the typicality assumption in science, we advocate a phenomenological approach to the cosmological measure problem. Like any other theory, a measure should be simple, general, well defined, and consistent with observation. This allows us to proceed by elimination. As an example, we consider the proper time cutoff on a geodesic congruence. It predicts that typical observers are quantum fluctuations in the early universe, or Boltzmann babies. We sharpen this well-known youngness problem by taking into account the expansion and open spatial geometry of pocket universes. Moreover, we relate the youngness problem directly to the probability distribution for observables, such as the temperature of the cosmic background radiation. We consider a number of modifications of the proper time measure, but find none that would make it compatible with observation.

A close-form solution to predict the total melting time of an ablating slab in contact with a plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, F.-B.

2007-01-01

An exact melt-through time is derived for a one-dimensional heated slab in contact with a plasma when the melted material is immediately removed. The plasma is composed of a collisionless presheath and sheath on a slab, which partially reflects and secondarily emits ions and electrons. The energy transport from plasma to the surface accounting for the presheath and sheath is determined from the kinetic analysis. This work proposes a semi-analytical model to calculate the total melting time of a slab based on a direct integration of the unsteady heat conduction equation, and provides quantitative results applicable to control the total melting time of the slab. The total melting time as a function of plasma parameters and thermophysical properties of the slab are obtained. The predicted energy transmission factor as a function of dimensionless wall potential agrees well with the experimental data. The effects of reflectivities of the ions and electrons on the wall, electron-to-ion source temperature ratio at the presheath edge, charge number, ion-to-electron mass ratio, ionization energy, plasma flow work-to-heat conduction ratios, Stefan number, melting temperature, Biot number and bias voltage on the total melting time of the slab are quantitatively provided in this work

Total vaginectomy and urethral lengthening at time of neourethral prelamination in transgender men.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Carlos A; Fein, Lydia A; Salgado, Christopher J

2017-11-29

For transgender men (TGM), gender-affirmation surgery (GAS) is often the final stage of their gender transition. GAS involves creating a neophallus, typically using tissue remote from the genital region, such as radial forearm free-flap phalloplasty. Essential to this process is vaginectomy. Complexity of vaginal fascial attachments, atrophy due to testosterone use, and need to preserve integrity of the vaginal epithelium for tissue rearrangement add to the intricacy of the procedure during GAS. We designed the technique presented here to minimize complications and contribute to overall success of the phalloplasty procedure. After obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board, our transgender (TG) database at the University of Miami Hospital was reviewed to identify cases with vaginectomy and urethral elongation performed at the time of radial forearm free-flap phalloplasty prelamination. Surgical technique for posterior vaginectomy and anterior vaginal wall-flap harvest with subsequent urethral lengthening is detailed. Six patients underwent total vaginectomy and urethral elongation at the time of radial forearm free-flap phalloplasty prelamination. Mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 290 ± 199.4 ml for the vaginectomy and urethral elongation, and no one required transfusion. There were no intraoperative complications (cystotomy, ureteral obstruction, enterotomy, proctotomy, or neurological injury). One patient had a urologic complication (urethral stricture) in the neobulbar urethra. Total vaginectomy and urethral lengthening procedures at the time of GAS are relatively safe procedures, and using the described technique provides excellent tissue for urethral prelamination and a low complication rate in both the short and long term.

Measuring Time in Sporting Competitions with the Domain-Specific Language EasyTime

OpenAIRE

Fister Jr., Iztok; Fister, Iztok

2012-01-01

Measuring time in mass sporting competitions is unthinkable manually today because of their long duration and unreliability. Besides, automatic timing devices based on the RFID technology have become cheaper. However, these devices cannot operate stand-alone. To work efficiently, they need a computer timing system for monitoring results. Such system should be capable of processing the incoming events, encoding and assigning results to a individual competitor, sorting results according to the ...

Effects of barium concentration on oropharyngeal swallow timing measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Stokely, Shauna L; Molfenter, Sonja M; Steele, Catriona M

2014-02-01

Videofluoroscopy is commonly used for evaluating oropharyngeal swallowing but requires radiopaque contrast (typically barium). Prior studies suggest that some aspects of swallowing, including timing measures of oral and pharyngeal bolus transit, vary depending on barium concentration. The aim of our study was to identify timing differences in healthy swallowing between "thin" (40 % w/v concentration) and "ultrathin" (22 % w/v concentration) barium solutions. Twenty healthy adults (Ten women; mean age = 31 years) each performed a series of three noncued 5-ml swallows each of ultrathin and thin liquid barium solutions in videofluoroscopy. Timing measures were compared between barium concentrations using a mixed-model ANOVA. The measures of interest were stage transition duration, pharyngeal transit time, and duration of upper esophageal sphincter opening. Significant differences were observed in the timing measures of swallowing with respect to barium concentration. In all cases, longer durations were seen with the higher barium concentration. Barium concentration influences timing parameters in healthy swallowing, even between ultrathin and thin concentrations. Clinicians need to understand and control for the impact of different barium stimuli on swallowing physiology.

Tunneling Time and Weak Measurement in Strong Field Ionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, Tomáš; Mishra, Siddhartha; Doran, Brent R; Gordon, Daniel F; Landsman, Alexandra S

2016-06-10

Tunneling delays represent a hotly debated topic, with many conflicting definitions and little consensus on when and if such definitions accurately describe the physical observables. Here, we relate these different definitions to distinct experimental observables in strong field ionization, finding that two definitions, Larmor time and Bohmian time, are compatible with the attoclock observable and the resonance lifetime of a bound state, respectively. Both of these definitions are closely connected to the theory of weak measurement, with Larmor time being the weak measurement value of tunneling time and Bohmian trajectory corresponding to the average particle trajectory, which has been recently reconstructed using weak measurement in a two-slit experiment [S. Kocsis, B. Braverman, S. Ravets, M. J. Stevens, R. P. Mirin, L. K. Shalm, and A. M. Steinberg, Science 332, 1170 (2011)]. We demonstrate a big discrepancy in strong field ionization between the Bohmian and weak measurement values of tunneling time, and we suggest this arises because the tunneling time is calculated for a small probability postselected ensemble of electrons. Our results have important implications for the interpretation of experiments in attosecond science, suggesting that tunneling is unlikely to be an instantaneous process.

Timing jitter measurements at the SLC electron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sodja, J.; Browne, M.J.; Clendenin, J.E.

1989-03-01

The SLC thermionic gun and electron source produce a beam of up to 15 /times/ 10 10 /sub e//minus/ in a single S-band bunch. A 170 keV, 2 ns FWHM pulse out of the gun is compressed by means of two subharmonic buncher cavities followed by an S-band buncher and a standard SLAC accelerating section. Ceramic gaps in the beam pipe at the output of the gun allow a measure of the beam intensity and timing. A measurement at these gaps of the timing jitter, with a resolution of <10 ps, is described. 3 refs., 5 figs

Time-of-Flight Measurements as a Possible Method to Observe Anyonic Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Umucalılar, R. O.; Macaluso, E.; Comparin, T.; Carusotto, I.

2018-06-01

We propose a standard time-of-flight experiment as a method for observing the anyonic statistics of quasiholes in a fractional quantum Hall state of ultracold atoms. The quasihole states can be stably prepared by pinning the quasiholes with localized potentials and a measurement of the mean square radius of the freely expanding cloud, which is related to the average total angular momentum of the initial state, offers direct signatures of the statistical phase. Our proposed method is validated by Monte Carlo calculations for ν =1 /2 and 1 /3 fractional quantum Hall liquids containing a realistic number of particles. Extensions to quantum Hall liquids of light and to non-Abelian anyons are briefly discussed.

Measuring performance improvement: total organizational commitment or clinical specialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Caron, Aleece; Jones, Paul; Neuhauser, Duncan; Aron, David C

2004-01-01

Resources for hospitals are limited when they are faced with multiple publicly reported performance measures as tools to assess quality. The leadership in these organizations may choose to focus on 1 or 2 of these outcomes. An alternative approach is that the leadership may commit resources or create conditions that result in improved quality over a broad range of measures. We used aggregated data on mortality, length of stay, and obstetrical outcomes from Greater Cleveland Health Quality Choice data to test these theories. We used Pearson correlation analysis to determine of outcomes were correlated with one another. We used repeated-measures ANOVA to determine if an association existed between outcome and time and outcome and hospital. All of the outcomes across all hospitals demonstrate a trend of overall improvement. Both the Pearson and ANOVA result support the hypothesis for the organization-wide approach to quality improvement. Hospital that make improvements in one clinical area trend to make improvements in others. Hospitals that produce improvements in limited clinical or administrative areas may not have completely adopted CQI into their culture or may not have yet realized the benefits of their organizational commitments, but use some of the concepts to improve quality outcomes.

Active method of neutron time correlation coincidence measurement to authenticate mass and enrichment of uranium metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Songbai; Wu Jun; Zhu Jianyu; Tian Dongfeng; Xie Dong

2011-01-01

The active methodology of time correlation coincidence measurement of neutron is an effective verification means to authenticate uranium metal. A collimated 252 Cf neutron source was used to investigate mass and enrichment of uranium metal through the neutron transport simulation for different enrichments and different masses of uranium metal, then time correlation coincidence counts of them were obtained. By analyzing the characteristic of time correlation coincidence counts, the monotone relationships were founded between FWTH of time correlation coincidence and multiplication factor, between the total coincidence counts in FWTH for time correlation coincidence and mass of 235 U multiplied by multiplication factor, and between the ratio of neutron source penetration and mass of uranium metal. Thus the methodology to authenticate mass and enrichment of uranium metal was established with time correlation coincidence by active neutron investigation. (authors)

Effect of surface plasmon polaritons on the sensitivity of refractive index measurement using total internal reflection method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roshan Entezar, S.

2015-01-01

The phase difference between two p-polarized and s-polarized plane waves which are reflected under total internal reflection from the base of a prism with a thin metal coating is studied. Typically such a quantity can be used to measure the refractive index of a test material using the total internal reflection method. It is shown that due to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the interface between the tested dielectric material and the thin metal layer, the p-polarized light experiences a large phase shift which enlarges the phase difference between the p-polarized and the s-polarized waves. As a result, the sensitivity of refractive index measurement increases and the error in determining the refractive index decreases. - Highlights: • Phase difference of totally internally reflected p and s polarized beams is studied. • Excitation of the surface wave increases the phase shift of the p-polarized light. • The sensitivity of refractive index measurement increases by using a coated prism. • The error in determining the refractive index decreases using the coated prism

NOTE ON TRAVEL TIME SHIFTS DUE TO AMPLITUDE MODULATION IN TIME-DISTANCE HELIOSEISMOLOGY MEASUREMENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nigam, R.; Kosovichev, A. G.

2010-01-01

Correct interpretation of acoustic travel times measured by time-distance helioseismology is essential to get an accurate understanding of the solar properties that are inferred from them. It has long been observed that sunspots suppress p-mode amplitude, but its implications on travel times have not been fully investigated so far. It has been found in test measurements using a 'masking' procedure, in which the solar Doppler signal in a localized quiet region of the Sun is artificially suppressed by a spatial function, and using numerical simulations that the amplitude modulations in combination with the phase-speed filtering may cause systematic shifts of acoustic travel times. To understand the properties of this procedure, we derive an analytical expression for the cross-covariance of a signal that has been modulated locally by a spatial function that has azimuthal symmetry and then filtered by a phase-speed filter typically used in time-distance helioseismology. Comparing this expression to the Gabor wavelet fitting formula without this effect, we find that there is a shift in the travel times that is introduced by the amplitude modulation. The analytical model presented in this paper can be useful also for interpretation of travel time measurements for the non-uniform distribution of oscillation amplitude due to observational effects.

Measurement of total-body cobalt-57 vitamin B12 absorption with a gamma camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardarelli, J.A.; Slingerland, D.W.; Burrows, B.A.; Miller, A.

1985-01-01

Previously described techniques for the measurement of the absorption of [ 57 Co]vitamin B 12 by total-body counting have required an iron room equipped with scanning or multiple detectors. The present study uses simplifying modifications which make the technique more available and include the use of static geometry, the measurement of body thickness to correct for attenuation, a simple formula to convert the capsule-in-air count to a 100% absorption count, and finally the use of an adequately shielded gamma camera obviating the need of an iron room

Measurements of total and tropospheric ozone from IASI: comparison with correlative satellite, ground-based and ozonesonde observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Boynard

2009-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present measurements of total and tropospheric ozone, retrieved from infrared radiance spectra recorded by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI, which was launched on board the MetOp-A European satellite in October 2006. We compare IASI total ozone columns to Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2 observations and ground-based measurements from the Dobson and Brewer network for one full year of observations (2008. The IASI total ozone columns are shown to be in good agreement with both GOME-2 and ground-based data, with correlation coefficients of about 0.9 and 0.85, respectively. On average, IASI ozone retrievals exhibit a positive bias of about 9 DU (3.3% compared to both GOME-2 and ground-based measurements. In addition to total ozone columns, the good spectral resolution of IASI enables the retrieval of tropospheric ozone concentrations. Comparisons of IASI tropospheric columns to 490 collocated ozone soundings available from several stations around the globe have been performed for the period of June 2007–August 2008. IASI tropospheric ozone columns compare well with sonde observations, with correlation coefficients of 0.95 and 0.77 for the [surface–6 km] and [surface–12 km] partial columns, respectively. IASI retrievals tend to overestimate the tropospheric ozone columns in comparison with ozonesonde measurements. Positive average biases of 0.15 DU (1.2% and 3 DU (11% are found for the [surface–6 km] and for the [surface–12 km] partial columns respectively.

Development and calibration of an accurate 6-degree-of-freedom measurement system with total station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Yang; Lin, Jiarui; Yang, Linghui; Zhu, Jigui

2016-01-01

To meet the demand of high-accuracy, long-range and portable use in large-scale metrology for pose measurement, this paper develops a 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) measurement system based on total station by utilizing its advantages of long range and relative high accuracy. The cooperative target sensor, which is mainly composed of a pinhole prism, an industrial lens, a camera and a biaxial inclinometer, is designed to be portable in use. Subsequently, a precise mathematical model is proposed from the input variables observed by total station, imaging system and inclinometer to the output six pose variables. The model must be calibrated in two levels: the intrinsic parameters of imaging system, and the rotation matrix between coordinate systems of the camera and the inclinometer. Then corresponding approaches are presented. For the first level, we introduce a precise two-axis rotary table as a calibration reference. And for the second level, we propose a calibration method by varying the pose of a rigid body with the target sensor and a reference prism on it. Finally, through simulations and various experiments, the feasibilities of the measurement model and calibration methods are validated, and the measurement accuracy of the system is evaluated. (paper)

Correlates of objectively measured sedentary time and self-reported screen time in Canadian children.

Science.gov (United States)

LeBlanc, Allana G; Broyles, Stephanie T; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Leduc, Geneviève; Boyer, Charles; Borghese, Michael M; Tremblay, Mark S

2015-03-18

Demographic, family, and home characteristics play an important role in determining childhood sedentary behaviour. The objective of this paper was to identify correlates of total sedentary time (SED) and correlates of self-reported screen time (ST) in Canadian children. Child- and parent-reported household, socio-demographic, behavioural, and diet related data were collected; directly measured anthropometric and accelerometer data were also collected for each child. Participants with complete demographic, anthropometric, and either SED (n=524, 41% boys) or ST (n=567, 42% boys) data from the Canadian site of the International Study of Childhood Obesity Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) were included in analysis. Sixteen potential correlates of SED and ST were examined using multilevel general linear models, adjusting for sex, ethnicity, number of siblings, and socio-economic status. All explanatory variables moderately associated (peducation, and unhealthy eating pattern score and negatively associated with healthy eating pattern score, and weekend breakfast consumption. Few common correlates existed between boys and girls. Several factors were identified as correlates of SED and/or of ST in Canadian children; however, few correlates were common for both SED and ST, and for both boys and girls. This suggests that a single strategy to reduce SED and ST is unlikely to be effective. Future work should examine a variety of other, non-screen based sedentary behaviours and their potential correlates in the hopes of creating tailored public health messages to reduce SED and ST in both boys, and girls.

Total-ozone and nitrogen-dioxide measurements at the Molodezhnaya and Mirnyi Antarctic stations during spring 1987-autumn 1988

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elokhov, A.S.; Gruzdev, A.N. (AN SSSR, Institut Fiziki Atmosfery, Moscow, (USSR))

1991-09-01

Results of measurements of the total-ozone and NO2 content during November-December (Molodezhnaya) and February-April 1988 (Mirnyi) are reported. During the November-December period an irregular total ozone increase was observed, which characterized the filling up of the ozone hole. Stratospheric warming and the total NO2 increase occurred simultaneously. During the summer-autumn period the total NO2 content decreased gradually. The evening total NO2 content was systematically greater than the morning one, which reflects changes in the NO2 abundance from day to night. 12 refs.

Progress in the development of the DTMROC time measurement chip for the ATLAS transition radiation tracker (TRT)

CERN Document Server

Alexander, C; Dressnandt, N; Ekenberg, T; Farthouat, Philippe; Keener, P T; Lam, N; La Marra, D; Mann, J; Newcomer, F M; Ryzhov, V; Söderberg, M; Szczygiel, R; Van Berg, R; Williams, H H

2001-01-01

A 16-channel digital time-measurement readout chip (DTMROC) has been fabricated in the TEMIC/DM1LL left bracket 1 right bracket BI- CMOS radiation-hard process for the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) Transition Radiation Tracker (ATLAS/TRT) at CERN left bracket 2 right bracket . The chip receives discriminated straw-drift-tube signals from bipolar amplifier-shaper-discriminator chips (ASDBLR). measures the arrival time in 3.125 ns increments ( plus or minus 1 ns), and stores the data in a pipeline for 3.3mus. A trigger signal (L1A) causes the data to be tagged with a time stamp and stored for readout- Up to 13 events may be stored in an on-chip buffer while data is being clocked out in a 40 MHz serial stream. The chip has been designed to function after exposure to 1x10**1**4 protons/cm**2 and 1 Mrad total dose. System beam-tests have demonstrated measurement of track positions with a resolution of 165mum and 85% efficiency at rates up to 18MHz. 6 Refs.

Measurement of the total antioxidant response using a novel automated method in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

OpenAIRE

Horoz, Mehmet; Bolukbas, Cengiz; Bolukbas, Fusun F; Sabuncu, Tevfik; Aslan, Mehmet; Sarifakiogullari, Serpil; Gunaydin, Necla; Erel, Ozcan

2005-01-01

Abstract Background Oxidative stress, an increase in oxidants and/or a decrease in antioxidant capacity, is one of the potential biochemical mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. We aimed to investigate the total antioxidant response using a novel automated method in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis subjects. As a reciprocal measure, we also aimed to determine total peroxide level in the same plasma samples. Methods Twenty-two subjects with biopsy proven nonalco...

Real-time diamagnetic flux measurements on ASDEX Upgrade.

Science.gov (United States)

Giannone, L; Geiger, B; Bilato, R; Maraschek, M; Odstrčil, T; Fischer, R; Fuchs, J C; McCarthy, P J; Mertens, V; Schuhbeck, K H

2016-05-01

Real-time diamagnetic flux measurements are now available on ASDEX Upgrade. In contrast to the majority of diamagnetic flux measurements on other tokamaks, no analog summation of signals is necessary for measuring the change in toroidal flux or for removing contributions arising from unwanted coupling to the plasma and poloidal field coil currents. To achieve the highest possible sensitivity, the diamagnetic measurement and compensation coil integrators are triggered shortly before plasma initiation when the toroidal field coil current is close to its maximum. In this way, the integration time can be chosen to measure only the small changes in flux due to the presence of plasma. Two identical plasma discharges with positive and negative magnetic field have shown that the alignment error with respect to the plasma current is negligible. The measured diamagnetic flux is compared to that predicted by TRANSP simulations. The poloidal beta inferred from the diamagnetic flux measurement is compared to the values calculated from magnetic equilibrium reconstruction codes. The diamagnetic flux measurement and TRANSP simulation can be used together to estimate the coupled power in discharges with dominant ion cyclotron resonance heating.

Measurement-theoretic foundations of time discounting in economics

OpenAIRE

Conrad Heilmann

2008-01-01

In economics, the concept of time discounting introduces weights on future goods to make these less valuable. Yet, both the conceptual motivation for time discounting and its specic functional form remain contested. To address these problems, this paper provides a measurement-theoretic framework of representation for time discounting. The representation theorem characterises time discounting factors by representations of time dierences. This general result can be interpreted with existing the...

Effects of holding time and measurement error on culturing Legionella in environmental water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Flanders, W Dana; Kirkland, Kimberly H; Shelton, Brian G

2014-10-01

Outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease require environmental testing of water samples from potentially implicated building water systems to identify the source of exposure. A previous study reports a large impact on Legionella sample results due to shipping and delays in sample processing. Specifically, this same study, without accounting for measurement error, reports more than half of shipped samples tested had Legionella levels that arbitrarily changed up or down by one or more logs, and the authors attribute this result to shipping time. Accordingly, we conducted a study to determine the effects of sample holding/shipping time on Legionella sample results while taking into account measurement error, which has previously not been addressed. We analyzed 159 samples, each split into 16 aliquots, of which one-half (8) were processed promptly after collection. The remaining half (8) were processed the following day to assess impact of holding/shipping time. A total of 2544 samples were analyzed including replicates. After accounting for inherent measurement error, we found that the effect of holding time on observed Legionella counts was small and should have no practical impact on interpretation of results. Holding samples increased the root mean squared error by only about 3-8%. Notably, for only one of 159 samples, did the average of the 8 replicate counts change by 1 log. Thus, our findings do not support the hypothesis of frequent, significant (≥= 1 log10 unit) Legionella colony count changes due to holding. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A Real Time PCR Platform for the Simultaneous Quantification of Total and Extrachromosomal HIV DNA Forms in Blood of HIV-1 Infected Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Canovari, Benedetta; Scotti, Maddalena; Acetoso, Marcello; Valentini, Massimo; Petrelli, Enzo; Magnani, Mauro

2014-01-01

Background The quantitative measurement of various HIV-1 DNA forms including total, unintegrated and integrated provirus play an increasingly important role in HIV-1 infection monitoring and treatment-related research. We report the development and validation of a SYBR Green real time PCR (TotUFsys platform) for the simultaneous quantification of total and extrachromosomal HIV-1 DNA forms in patients. This innovative technique makes it possible to obtain both measurements in a single PCR run starting from frozen blood employing the same primers and standard curve. Moreover, due to identical amplification efficiency, it allows indirect estimation of integrated level. To specifically detect 2-LTR a qPCR method was also developed. Methodology/Findings Primers used for total HIV-1 DNA quantification spanning a highly conserved region were selected and found to detect all HIV-1 clades of group M and the unintegrated forms of the same. A total of 195 samples from HIV-1 patients in a wide range of clinical conditions were analyzed with a 100% success rate, even in patients with suppressed plasma viremia, regardless of CD4+ or therapy. No significant correlation was observed between the two current prognostic markers, CD4+ and plasma viremia, while a moderate or high inverse correlation was found between CD4+ and total HIV DNA, with strong values for unintegrated HIV DNA. Conclusions/Significance Taken together, the results support the use of HIV DNA as another tool, in addition to traditional assays, which can be used to estimate the state of viral infection, the risk of disease progression and to monitor the effects of ART. The TotUFsys platform allowed us to obtain a final result, expressed as the total and unintegrated HIV DNA copy number per microgram of DNA or 104 CD4+, for 12 patients within two working days. PMID:25364909

Time-resolved brightness measurements by streaking

Science.gov (United States)

Torrance, Joshua S.; Speirs, Rory W.; McCulloch, Andrew J.; Scholten, Robert E.

2018-03-01

Brightness is a key figure of merit for charged particle beams, and time-resolved brightness measurements can elucidate the processes involved in beam creation and manipulation. Here we report on a simple, robust, and widely applicable method for the measurement of beam brightness with temporal resolution by streaking one-dimensional pepperpots, and demonstrate the technique to characterize electron bunches produced from a cold-atom electron source. We demonstrate brightness measurements with 145 ps temporal resolution and a minimum resolvable emittance of 40 nm rad. This technique provides an efficient method of exploring source parameters and will prove useful for examining the efficacy of techniques to counter space-charge expansion, a critical hurdle to achieving single-shot imaging of atomic scale targets.

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Levels and Patterns of Objectively Measured Sedentary Time in Adolescent Females

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Harrington, Deirdre M.

2011-10-28

Abstract Background Adolescent females have been highlighted as a particularly sedentary population and the possible negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle are being uncovered. However, much of the past sedentary research is based on self-report or uses indirect methods to quantity sedentary time. Total time spent sedentary and the possible intricate sedentary patterns of adolescent females have not been described using objective and direct measure of body inclination. The objectives of this article are to examine the sedentary levels and patterns of a group of adolescent females using the ActivPAL™ and to highlight possible differences in sedentary levels and patterns across the week and within the school day. A full methodological description of how the data was analyzed is also presented. Methods One hundred and eleven adolescent females, age 15-18 yrs, were recruited from urban and rural areas in the Republic of Ireland. Participants wore an ActivPAL physical activity monitor for a 7.5 day period. The ActivPAL directly reports total time spent sitting\\/lying every 15 seconds and accumulation (frequency and duration) of sedentary activity was examined using a customized MATLAB ® computer software programme. Results While no significant difference was found in the total time spent sitting\\/lying over the full 24 hour day between weekday and weekend day (18.8 vs. 18.9 hours; p = .911), significantly more sedentary bouts of 1 to 5 minutes and 21 to 40 minutes in duration were accumulated on weekdays compared to weekend days (p < .001). The mean length of each sedentary bout was also longer (9.8 vs. 8.8 minutes; p < .001). When school hours (9 am-3 pm) and after school hours (4 pm-10 pm) were compared, there was no difference in total time spent sedentary (3.9 hours; p = .796) but the pattern of accumulation of the sedentary time differed. There were a greater number of bouts of > 20 minutes duration during school hours than after school hours (4.7 vs. 3

Time-resolved absorption measurements on OMEGA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaanimagi, P.A.; DaSilva, L.; Delettrez, J.; Gregory, G.G.; Richardson, M.C.

1986-01-01

Time-resolved measurements of the incident laser light that is scattered and/or refracted from targets irradiated by the 24 uv-beam OMEGA laser at LLE, have provided some interesting features related to time-resolved absorption. The decrease in laser absorption characteristic of irradiating a target that implodes during the laser pulse has been observed. The increase in absorption expected as the critical density surface moves from a low to a high Z material in the target has also been noted. The detailed interpretation of these results is made through comparisons with simulation using the code LILAC, as well as with streak data from time-resolved x-ray imaging and spectroscopy. In addition, time and space-resolved imaging of the scattered light yields information on laser irradiation uniformity conditions on the target. The report consists of viewgraphs

Measurement with total scatter calibrate factor at different depths in the calculation of prescription dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Lijun; Zhu Haijun; Zhang Xinzhong; Li Feizhou; Song Hongyu

2004-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the method of measurement of total scatter calibrate factor (Sc, p). Methods: To measure the Sc, p at different depths on central axis of 6MV, 15MV photon beams through different ways. Results: It was found that the measured data of Sc, p changed with the different depths to a range of 1% - 7%. Using the direct method, the Sc, p measured depth should be the same as the depth in dose normalization point of the prescription dose. If the Sc, p (fsz, d) was measured at the other depths, it could be obtained indirectly by the calculation formula. Conclusions: The Sc, p in the prescription dose can be obtained either by the direct measure method or the indirect calculation formula. But emphasis should be laid on the proper measure depth. (authors)

Cross-sectional associations of total sitting and leisure screen time with cardiometabolic risk in adults. Results from the HUNT Study, Norway

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chau, J.Y.; Grunseit, A.; Midthjell, K.; Holmen, J.; Holmen, T.L.; Bauman, A.E.; van der Ploeg, H.P.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To examine associations of total sitting time, TV-viewing and leisure-time computer use with cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in adults. Design: Population based cross-sectional study. Methods: Waist circumference, BMI, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, non-fasting

Direct measurement of the total decay width of the top quark.

Science.gov (United States)

Aaltonen, T; Amerio, S; Amidei, D; Anastassov, A; Annovi, A; Antos, J; Apollinari, G; Appel, J A; Arisawa, T; Artikov, A; Asaadi, J; Ashmanskas, W; Auerbach, B; Aurisano, A; Azfar, F; Badgett, W; Bae, T; Barbaro-Galtieri, A; Barnes, V E; Barnett, B A; Barria, P; Bartos, P; Bauce, M; Bedeschi, F; Behari, S; Bellettini, G; Bellinger, J; Benjamin, D; Beretvas, A; Bhatti, A; Bland, K R; Blumenfeld, B; Bocci, A; Bodek, A; Bortoletto, D; Boudreau, J; Boveia, A; Brigliadori, L; Bromberg, C; Brucken, E; Budagov, J; Budd, H S; Burkett, K; Busetto, G; Bussey, P; Butti, P; Buzatu, A; Calamba, A; Camarda, S; Campanelli, M; Canelli, F; Carls, B; Carlsmith, D; Carosi, R; Carrillo, S; Casal, B; Casarsa, M; Castro, A; Catastini, P; Cauz, D; Cavaliere, V; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Chen, Y C; Chertok, M; Chiarelli, G; Chlachidze, G; Cho, K; Chokheli, D; Clark, A; Clarke, C; Convery, M E; Conway, J; Corbo, M; Cordelli, M; Cox, C A; Cox, D J; Cremonesi, M; Cruz, D; Cuevas, J; Culbertson, R; d'Ascenzo, N; Datta, M; de Barbaro, P; Demortier, L; Deninno, M; D'Errico, M; Devoto, F; Di Canto, A; Di Ruzza, B; Dittmann, J R; Donati, S; D'Onofrio, M; Dorigo, M; Driutti, A; Ebina, K; Edgar, R; Elagin, A; Erbacher, R; Errede, S; Esham, B; Farrington, S; Fernández Ramos, J P; Field, R; Flanagan, G; Forrest, R; Franklin, M; Freeman, J C; Frisch, H; Funakoshi, Y; Galloni, C; Garfinkel, A F; Garosi, P; Gerberich, H; Gerchtein, E; Giagu, S; Giakoumopoulou, V; Gibson, K; Ginsburg, C M; Giokaris, N; Giromini, P; Giurgiu, G; Glagolev, V; Glenzinski, D; Gold, M; Goldin, D; Golossanov, A; Gomez, G; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Goncharov, M; González López, O; Gorelov, I; Goshaw, A T; Goulianos, K; Gramellini, E; Grinstein, S; Grosso-Pilcher, C; Group, R C; Guimaraes da Costa, J; Hahn, S R; Han, J Y; Happacher, F; Hara, K; Hare, M; Harr, R F; Harrington-Taber, T; Hatakeyama, K; Hays, C; Heinrich, J; Herndon, M; Hocker, A; Hong, Z; Hopkins, W; Hou, S; Hughes, R E; Husemann, U; Hussein, M; Huston, J; Introzzi, G; Iori, M; Ivanov, A; James, E; Jang, D; Jayatilaka, B; Jeon, E J; Jindariani, S; Jones, M; Joo, K K; Jun, S Y; Junk, T R; Kambeitz, M; Kamon, T; Karchin, P E; Kasmi, A; Kato, Y; Ketchum, W; Keung, J; Kilminster, B; Kim, D H; Kim, H S; Kim, J E; Kim, M J; Kim, S H; Kim, S B; Kim, Y J; Kim, Y K; Kimura, N; Kirby, M; Knoepfel, K; Kondo, K; Kong, D J; Konigsberg, J; Kotwal, A V; Kreps, M; Kroll, J; Kruse, M; Kuhr, T; Kurata, M; Laasanen, A T; Lammel, S; Lancaster, M; Lannon, K; Latino, G; Lee, H S; Lee, J S; Leo, S; Leone, S; Lewis, J D; Limosani, A; Lipeles, E; Lister, A; Liu, H; Liu, Q; Liu, T; Lockwitz, S; Loginov, A; Lucchesi, D; Lucà, A; Lueck, J; Lujan, P; Lukens, P; Lungu, G; Lys, J; Lysak, R; Madrak, R; Maestro, P; Malik, S; Manca, G; Manousakis-Katsikakis, A; Marchese, L; Margaroli, F; Marino, P; Martínez, M; Matera, K; Mattson, M E; Mazzacane, A; Mazzanti, P; McNulty, R; Mehta, A; Mehtala, P; Mesropian, C; Miao, T; Mietlicki, D; Mitra, A; Miyake, H; Moed, S; Moggi, N; Moon, C S; Moore, R; Morello, M J; Mukherjee, A; Muller, Th; Murat, P; Mussini, M; Nachtman, J; Nagai, Y; Naganoma, J; Nakano, I; Napier, A; Nett, J; Neu, C; Nigmanov, T; Nodulman, L; Noh, S Y; Norniella, O; Oakes, L; Oh, S H; Oh, Y D; Oksuzian, I; Okusawa, T; Orava, R; Ortolan, L; Pagliarone, C; Palencia, E; Palni, P; Papadimitriou, V; Parker, W; Pauletta, G; Paulini, M; Paus, C; Phillips, T J; Piacentino, G; Pianori, E; Pilot, J; Pitts, K; Plager, C; Pondrom, L; Poprocki, S; Potamianos, K; Pranko, A; Prokoshin, F; Ptohos, F; Punzi, G; Ranjan, N; Redondo Fernández, I; Renton, P; Rescigno, M; Rimondi, F; Ristori, L; Robson, A; Rodriguez, T; Rolli, S; Ronzani, M; Roser, R; Rosner, J L; Ruffini, F; Ruiz, A; Russ, J; Rusu, V; Sakumoto, W K; Sakurai, Y; Santi, L; Sato, K; Saveliev, V; Savoy-Navarro, A; Schlabach, P; Schmidt, E E; Schwarz, T; Scodellaro, L; Scuri, F; Seidel, S; Seiya, Y; Semenov, A; Sforza, F; Shalhout, S Z; Shears, T; Shepard, P F; Shimojima, M; Shochet, M; Shreyber-Tecker, I; Simonenko, A; Sliwa, K; Smith, J R; Snider, F D; Song, H; Sorin, V; St Denis, R; Stancari, M; Stentz, D; Strologas, J; Sudo, Y; Sukhanov, A; Suslov, I; Takemasa, K; Takeuchi, Y; Tang, J; Tecchio, M; Teng, P K; Thom, J; Thomson, E; Thukral, V; Toback, D; Tokar, S; Tollefson, K; Tomura, T; Tonelli, D; Torre, S; Torretta, D; Totaro, P; Trovato, M; Ukegawa, F; Uozumi, S; Vázquez, F; Velev, G; Vellidis, C; Vernieri, C; Vidal, M; Vilar, R; Vizán, J; Vogel, M; Volpi, G; Wagner, P; Wallny, R; Wang, S M; Waters, D; Wester, W C; Whiteson, D; Wicklund, A B; Wilbur, S; Williams, H H; Wilson, J S; Wilson, P; Winer, B L; Wittich, P; Wolbers, S; Wolfe, H; Wright, T; Wu, X; Wu, Z; Yamamoto, K; Yamato, D; Yang, T; Yang, U K; Yang, Y C; Yao, W-M; Yeh, G P; Yi, K; Yoh, J; Yorita, K; Yoshida, T; Yu, G B; Yu, I; Zanetti, A M; Zeng, Y; Zhou, C; Zucchelli, S

2013-11-15

We present a measurement of the total decay width of the top quark using events with top-antitop quark pair candidates reconstructed in the final state with one charged lepton and four or more hadronic jets. We use the full Tevatron run II data set of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV proton-antiproton collisions recorded by the CDF II detector. The top quark mass and the mass of the hadronically decaying W boson are reconstructed for each event and compared with distributions derived from simulated signal and background samples to extract the top quark width (Γtop) and the energy scale of the calorimeter jets with in situ calibration. For a top quark mass Mtop=172.5  GeV/c2, we find 1.10<Γtop<4.05  GeV at 68% confidence level, which is in agreement with the standard model expectation of 1.3 GeV and is the most precise direct measurement of the top quark width to date.

Observers' measurements in premetric electrodynamics: Time and radar length

Science.gov (United States)

Gürlebeck, Norman; Pfeifer, Christian

2018-04-01

The description of an observer's measurement in general relativity and the standard model of particle physics is closely related to the spacetime metric. In order to understand and interpret measurements, which test the metric structure of the spacetime, like the classical Michelson-Morley, Ives-Stilwell, Kennedy-Thorndike experiments or frequency comparison experiments in general, it is necessary to describe them in theories, which go beyond the Lorentzian metric structure. However, this requires a description of an observer's measurement without relying on a metric. We provide such a description of an observer's measurement of the fundamental quantities time and length derived from a premetric perturbation of Maxwell's electrodynamics and a discussion on how these measurements influence classical relativistic observables like time dilation and length contraction. Most importantly, we find that the modification of electrodynamics influences the measurements at two instances: the propagation of light is altered as well as the observer's proper time normalization. When interpreting the results of a specific experiment, both effects cannot be disentangled, in general, and have to be taken into account.

Measurement of the Rise-Time in a Single Sided Ladder Detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, C.E.

1997-01-01

In this note we report on the measurement of the preamplifier output rise time for a SVXII chip mounted on a D0 single sided ladder. The measurements were performed on the ladder 001-883-L, using the laser test stand of Lab D. The rise time was measured for different values of the response (or bandwidth) of the preamplifier. As a bigger bandwidth results in longer rise times and therefore in less noise, the largest possible bandwidth consistent with the time between bunch crossings should be chosen to operate the detectors. The rise time is defined as the time elapsed between 10% and 90% of the charge is collected. It is also interesting to measure the time for full charge collection and the percentage of charge collected in 132 ns and 396 ns. The results are shown in table 1, for bandwidths between 2 and 63 (binary numbers). The uncertainty on the time measurement is considered to be ∼ 10 ns. Figure 1 schematically defines the four quantities measured: rise time, time of full charge collection, and percentage of charge collected in 132 ns and 396 ns. Figures 2 to 8 are the actual measurements for bandwidths of 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 32 and 63. Figure 9 is a second measurement for BW=24, used as a consistency check of the system and the time measurement performed on the plots. The data indicate that the single sided ladders can be operated at BW=63 for 396 ns and BW=12 for 132 ns, achieving full charge collection. This will result in smaller noise than originally anticipated.

Material Classification Using Raw Time-of-Flight Measurements

KAUST Repository

Su, Shuochen; Heide, Felix; Swanson, Robin J.; Klein, Jonathan; Callenberg, Clara; Hullin, Matthias; Heidrich, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

We propose a material classification method using raw time-of-flight (ToF) measurements. ToF cameras capture the correlation between a reference signal and the temporal response of material to incident illumination. Such measurements encode unique

Luminosity-Independent Measurement of the Proton-Proton Total Cross Section at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV

CERN Document Server

Antchev, G; Atanassov, I; Avati, V; Baechler, J.; Berardi, V; Berretti, M; Bossini, E; Bozzo, M; Bottigli, U; Brucken, E; Buzzo, A; Cafagna, F S; Calicchio, M; Catanesi, M G; Covault, C; Csanad, M; Csorgo, T; Deile, M; Doubek, M; Eggert, K; Eremin, V; Ferretti, R; Ferro, F; Fiergolski, A; Garcia, F; Giani, S; Greco, V; Grzanka, L; Heino, J; Hilden, T; Intonti, R A; Kavspar, J; Kopal, J; Kundrat, V; Kurvinen, K; Lami, S; Latino, G; Lauhakangas, R; Leszko, T; Lippmaa, E; Lokajivcek, M; Lo Vetere, M; Lucas-Rodriguez, F; Macri, M.; Maki, T; Mercadante, A; Minafra, N; Minutoli, S; Nemes, F; Niewiadomski, H; Oliveri, E; Oljemark, F; Orava, R; Oriunno, M; Osterberg, K; Palazzi, P; Prochazka, J; Quinto, M; Radermacher, E; Radicioni, E; Ravotti, F; Robutti, E; Ropelewski, L; Ruggiero, G; Saarikko, H; Santroni, A; Scribano, A; Smajek, J; Snoeys, W; Sziklai, J; Taylor, C; Turini, N; Vacek, V; Vitek, M; Welti, J; Whitmore, J; Wyszkowski, P

2013-01-01

TOTEM has measured the proton-proton total cross-section at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV using a luminosity independent method. In LHC fills with dedicated beam optics, the Roman Pots have been inserted very close to the beam allowing the detection of 90% of the nuclear elastic scattering events. Simultaneously the inelastic scattering rate has been measured by the T1 and T2 Telescopes. By applying the optical theorem, the total proton-proton cross-section of (101.7 $\\pm$ 2.9)mb is determined, well in agreement with the extrapolation from lower energies. This method allows also to derive the luminosity-independent elastic and inelastic cross-sections: $\\sigma_{el}$ = (27.1 $\\pm$ 1.4)mb; $\\sigma_{inel}$ = (74.7 $\\pm$ 1.7)mb.

Potential barrier classification by short-time measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Granot, Er'el; Marchewka, Avi

2006-01-01

We investigate the short-time dynamics of a delta-function potential barrier on an initially confined wave packet. There are mainly two conclusions: (A) At short times the probability density of the first particles that passed through the barrier is unaffected by it. (B) When the barrier is absorptive (i.e., its potential is imaginary) it affects the transmitted wave function at shorter times than a real potential barrier. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between an imaginary and a real potential barrier by measuring its effect at short times only on the transmitting wave function

Potential barrier classification by short-time measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Granot, Er'El; Marchewka, Avi

2006-03-01

We investigate the short-time dynamics of a delta-function potential barrier on an initially confined wave packet. There are mainly two conclusions: (A) At short times the probability density of the first particles that passed through the barrier is unaffected by it. (B) When the barrier is absorptive (i.e., its potential is imaginary) it affects the transmitted wave function at shorter times than a real potential barrier. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between an imaginary and a real potential barrier by measuring its effect at short times only on the transmitting wave function.

The associations of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time with cognitive functions in school-aged children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heidi J Syväoja

Full Text Available Low levels of physical activity among children have raised concerns over the effects of a physically inactive lifestyle, not only on physical health but also on cognitive prerequisites of learning. This study examined how objectively measured and self-reported physical activity and sedentary behavior are associated with cognitive functions in school-aged children. The study population consisted of 224 children from five schools in the Jyväskylä school district in Finland (mean age 12.2 years; 56% girls, who participated in the study in the spring of 2011. Physical activity and sedentary time were measured objectively for seven consecutive days using the ActiGraph GT1M/GT3X accelerometer. Self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA and screen time were evaluated with the questions used in the "WHO Health Behavior in School-aged Children" study. Cognitive functions including visual memory, executive functions and attention were evaluated with a computerized Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery by using five different tests. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine how objectively measured and self-reported MVPA and sedentary behavior were associated with cognitive functions. High levels of objectively measured MVPA were associated with good performance in the reaction time test. High levels of objectively measured sedentary time were associated with good performance in the sustained attention test. Objectively measured MVPA and sedentary time were not associated with other measures of cognitive functions. High amount of self-reported computer/video game play was associated with weaker performance in working memory test, whereas high amount of computer use was associated with weaker performance in test measuring shifting and flexibility of attention. Self-reported physical activity and total screen time were not associated with any measures of cognitive functions. The results of the present study propose

Measurement of time processing ability and daily time management in children with disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Janeslätt, Gunnel; Granlund, Mats; Kottorp, Anders

2009-01-01

Improvement is needed in methods for planning and evaluating interventions designed to facilitate daily time management for children with intellectual disability, Asperger syndrome, or other developmental disorders. The aim of this study was to empirically investigate the hypothesized relation between children's time processing ability (TPA), daily time management, and self-rated autonomy. Such a relationship between daily time management and TPA may support the idea that TPA is important for daily time management and that children with difficulties in TPA might benefit from intervention aimed at improving daily time management. Participants were children aged 6 to 11 years with dysfunctions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, or physical or intellectual disabilities (N = 118). TPA was measured with the instrument KaTid. All data were transformed to interval measures using applications of Rasch models and then further analysed with correlation and regression analysis. The results demonstrate a moderate significant relation between the parents' ratings of daily time management and TPA of the children, and between the self-rating of autonomy and TPA. There was also a significant relation between self-ratings of autonomy and the parents' rating of the children's daily time management. Parents' ratings of their children's daily time management explain 25% of the variation in TPA, age of the children explains 22%, while the child's self-rating of autonomy can explain 9% of the variation in TPA. The three variables together explain 38% of the variation in TPA. The results indicate the viability of the instrument for assessing TPA also in children with disabilities and that the ability measured by KaTid is relevant for daily time management. TPA seems to be a factor for children's daily time management that needs to be taken into consideration when planning and evaluating interventions designed to facilitate everyday functioning for children with

Total cross section measurements with π- , Σ- and protons on nuclei and nucleons around 600 GeV/c

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dersch, U.; Akchurin, N.; Andreev, V.A.; Atamantchouk, A.G.; Aykac, M.; Balatz, M.Y.; Bondar, N.F.; Bravar, A.; Cooper, P.S.; Dauwe, L.J.; Davidenko, G.V.; Dirkes, G.; Dolgolenko, A.G.; Dreossi, D.; Dzyubenko, G.B.; Edelstein, R.; Emediato, L.; Endler, A.M.F.; Engelfried, J.; Eschrich, I.; Escobar, C.O.; Evdokimov, A.V.; Filimonov, I.S.; Garcia, F.G.; Gaspero, M.; Gerzon, S.; Giller, I.; Golovtsov, V.L.; Goncharenko, Y.M.; Gottschalk, E.; Gouffon, P.; Grachov, O.A.; Guelmez, E.; Kangling, He; Iori, M.; Jun, S.Y.; Kamenskii, A.D.; Kaya, M.; Kilmer, J.; Kim, V.T.; Kochenda, L.M.; Koenigsmann, K.; Konorov, I.; Kozhevnikov, A.P.; Krivshich, A.G.; Krueger, H.; Kubantsev, M.A.; Kubarovsky, V.P.; Kulyavtsev, A.I.; Kuropatkin, N.P.; Kurshetsov, V.F.; Kushnirenko, A.; Kwan, S.; Lach, J.; Lamberto, A.; Landsberg, L.G.; Larin, I.; Leikin, E.M.; Yunshan, Li; Zhigang, Li; Luksys, M.; Lungov, T.; Magarrel, D.; Maleev, V.P.; Mao, D.; Chensheng, Mao; Zhenlin, Mao; Masciocchi, S.; Mathew, P.; Mattson, M.; Matveev, V.; McCliment, E.; McKenna, S.L.; Moinester, M.A.; Molchanov, V.V.; Morelos, A.; Mukhin, V.A.; Nelson, K.D.; Nemitkin, A.V.; Neoustroev, P.V.; Newsom, C.; Nilov, A.P.; Nurushev, S.B.; Ocherashvili, A.; Oleynik, G.; Onel, Y.; Ozel, E.; Ozkorucuklu, S.; Patrichev, S.; Penzo, A.; Petrenko, S.I.; Pogodin, P.; Povh, B.; Procario, M.; Prutskoi, V.A.; Ramberg, E.; Rapazzo, G.F.; Razmyslovich, B.V.; Rud, V.I.; Russ, J.; Scheglov, Y.; Schiavon, P.; Semyatchkin, V.K.; Simon, J.; Sitnikov, A.I.; Skow, D.; Smith, V.J.; Srivastava, M.; Steiner, V.; Stepanov, V.; Stutte, L.; Svoiski, M.; Terentyev, N.K.; Thomas, G.P.; Uvarov, L.N.; Vasiliev, A.N.; Vavilov, D.V.; Verebryusov, V.S.; Victorov, V.A.; Vishnyakov, V.E.; Vorobyov, A.A.; Vorwalter, K.; You, J.; Wenheng, Zhao; Shuchen, Zheng; Zukanovich-Funchal, R.

2000-01-01

Total cross sections for Σ - and π - on beryllium, carbon, polyethylene and copper as well as total cross sections for protons on beryllium and carbon have been measured in a broad momentum range around 600 GeV/c . These measurements were performed with a transmission technique in the SELEX hyperon-beam experiment at Fermilab. We report on results obtained for hadron-nucleus cross sections and on results for σ tot (Σ - N) and σ tot (π - N) , which were deduced from nuclear cross sections

Effect of hip braces on brake response time: Repeated measures designed study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dammerer, Dietmar; Waidmann, Cornelia; Huber, Dennis G; Krismer, Martin; Haid, Christian; Liebensteiner, Michael C

2017-08-01

The question whether or not a patient with a hip brace should drive a car is of obvious importance because the advice given to patients to resume driving is often anecdotal as few scientific data are available on this specific subject. To assess driving ability (brake response time) with commonly used hip braces. Repeated measures design. Brake response time was assessed under six conditions: (1) without a brace (control), (2) with a typical postoperative hip brace with adjustable range of motion and the settings: unrestricted, (3) flexion limited to 70°, (4) extension blocked at 20° hip flexion, (5) both flexion and extension limited (20°/70°) and (6) an elastic hip bandage. Brake response time was assessed using a custom-made driving simulator as used in previous studies. The participants were a convenience sample of able-bodied participants. A total of 70 participants (35 women and 35 men) participated in our study. Mean age was 31.1 (standard deviation: 10.6; range: 21.7-66.4) years. A significant within-subject effect for brake response time was found ( p = 0.009), but subsequent post hoc analyses revealed no significant differences between control and the other settings. Based on our findings, it does not seem mandatory to recommend driving abstinence for patients wearing a hip orthosis. We suggest that our results be interpreted with caution, because (1) an underlying pathological hip condition needs to be considered, (2) the ability to drive a car safely is multifactorial and brake response time is only one component thereof and (3) brake response time measurements were performed only with healthy participants. Clinical relevance Hip braces are used in the context of joint-preserving and prosthetic surgery of the hip. Therefore, clinicians are confronted with the question whether to allow driving a car with the respective hip brace or not. Our data suggest that hip braces do not impair brake response time.

A proportional wire chamber system for beam definition in precision total cross section measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carroll, A.S.; Chiang, I.-H.; Kycia, T.F.; Li, K.K.; Mazur, P.O.; Michael, D.N.; Mockett, P.M.; Rahm, D.C.; Rubinstein, R.; Eartly, D.P.; Wehmann, A.A.

1978-01-01

The authors have developed and extensively used a PWC system in precision measurements of total cross sections at low momenta (0.4-1.1 GeV/c) and at high momenta (23-370 GeV/c). This 'electronic collimator' operated simultaneously in a fast (250 ns) decision making mode, and a slower (0.5 ms) readout mode. The decision making mode utilized adjustable hardwired logic to define acceptable incident beam trajectories and reject multiple beam tracks. A sample of the events was read into an on-line computer for beam tuning, for chamber diagnostics, and for study of the effect of small angle scattering to verify the total cross section extrapolation procedure. (Auth.)

Measurement of the $Z/A$ dependence of neutrino charged-current total cross-sections

CERN Document Server

Kayis-Topaksu, A; Van Dantzig, R; De Jong, M; Konijn, J; Melzer, O; Oldeman, R G C; Pesen, E; Van der Poel, C A F J; Spada, F R; Visschers, J L; Güler, M; Serin-Zeyrek, M; Kama, S; Sever, R; Tolun, P; Zeyrek, M T; Armenise, N; Catanesi, M G; De Serio, M; Ieva, M; Muciaccia, M T; Radicioni, E; Simone, S; Bülte, A; Winter, Klaus; El-Aidi, R; Van de Vyver, B; Vilian, P; Wilquet, G; Saitta, B; Di Capua, E; Ogawa, S; Shibuya, H; Artamonov, A V; Brunner, J; Chizhov, M; Cussans, D G; Doucet, M; Fabre, Jean-Paul; Hristova, I R; Kawamura, T; Kolev, D; Litmaath, M; Meinhard, H; Panman, J; Papadopoulos, I M; Ricciardi, S; Rozanov, A; Saltzberg, D; Tsenov, R V; Uiterwijk, J W E; Zucchelli, P; Goldberg, J; Chikawa, M; Arik, E; Song, J S; Yoon, C S; Kodama, K; Ushida, N; Aoki, S; Hara, T; Delbar, T; Favart, D; Grégoire, G; Kalinin, S; Makhlyoueva, I V; Gorbunov, P; Khovanskii, V D; Shamanov, V V; Tsukerman, I; Bruski, N; Frekers, D; Rondeshagen, D; Wolff, T; Hoshino, K; Kawada, J; Komatsu, M; Miyanishi, M; Nakamura, M; Nakano, T; Narita, K; Niu, K; Niwa, K; Nonaka, N; Sato, O; Toshito, T; Buontempo, S; Cocco, A G; D'Ambrosio, N; De Lellis, G; De Rosa, G; Di Capua, F; Ereditato, A; Fiorillo, G; Marotta, A; Messina, M; Migliozzi, P; Pistillo, C; Santorelli, R; Scotto-Lavina, L; Strolin, P; Tioukov, V; Nakamura, K; Okusawa, T; Dore, U; Loverre, P F; Ludovici, L; Maslennikov, A L; Righini, P; Rosa, G; Santacesaria, R; Satta, A; Barbuto, E; Bozza, C; Grella, G; Romano, G; Sirignano, C; Sorrentino, S; Sato, Y; Tezuka, I

2003-01-01

A relative measurement of total cross-sections is reported for polyethylene, marble, iron, and lead targets for the inclusive charged-current reaction nu_mu + N -> mu^- + X. The targets, passive blocks of ~100kg each, were exposed simultaneously to the CERN SPS wide-band muon-neutrino beam over a period of 18 weeks. Systematics effects due to differences in the neutrino flux and detector efficiency for the different target locations were minimised by changing the position of the four targets on their support about every two weeks. The relative neutrino fluxes on the targets were monitored within the same experiment using charged-current interactions in the calorimeter positioned directly downstream of the four targets. From a fit to the Z/A dependence of the total cross-sections a value is deduced for the effective neutron-to-proton cross-section ratio.

Using RADFET for the real-time measurement of gamma radiation dose rate

Science.gov (United States)

Andjelković, Marko S.; Ristić, Goran S.; Jakšić, Aleksandar B.

2015-02-01

RADFETs (RADiation sensitive Field Effect Transistors) are integrating ionizing radiation dosimeters operating on the principle of conversion of radiation-induced threshold voltage shift into absorbed dose. However, one of the major drawbacks of RADFETs is the inability to provide the information on the dose rate in real-time using the conventional absorbed dose measurement technique. The real-time monitoring of dose rate and absorbed dose can be achieved with the current mode dosimeters such as PN and PIN diodes/photodiodes, but these dosimeters have some limitations as absorbed dose meters and hence they are often not a suitable replacement for RADFETs. In that sense, this paper investigates the possibility of using the RADFET as a real-time dose rate meter so that it could be applied for simultaneous online measurement of the dose rate and absorbed dose. A RADFET sample, manufactured by Tyndall National Institute, Cork, Ireland, was tested as a dose rate meter under gamma irradiation from a Co-60 source. The RADFET was configured as a PN junction, such that the drain, gate and source terminals were grounded, while the radiation-induced current was measured at the bulk terminal, whereby the bulk was successively biased with 0 , 10 , 20  and 30 V. In zero-bias mode the radiation-induced current was unstable, but in the biased mode the current response was stable for the investigated dose rates from 0.65  to 32.1 Gy h-1 and up to the total absorbed dose of 25 Gy. The current increased with the dose rate in accordance with the power law, whereas the sensitivity of the current read-out was linear with respect to the applied bias voltage. Comparison with previously analyzed PIN photodiodes has shown that the investigated RADFET is competitive with PIN photodiodes as a gamma radiation dose rate meter and therefore has the potential to be employed for the real-time monitoring of the dose rate and absorbed dose.

Using RADFET for the real-time measurement of gamma radiation dose rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andjelković, Marko S; Ristić, Goran S; Jakšić, Aleksandar B

2015-01-01

RADFETs (RADiation sensitive Field Effect Transistors) are integrating ionizing radiation dosimeters operating on the principle of conversion of radiation-induced threshold voltage shift into absorbed dose. However, one of the major drawbacks of RADFETs is the inability to provide the information on the dose rate in real-time using the conventional absorbed dose measurement technique. The real-time monitoring of dose rate and absorbed dose can be achieved with the current mode dosimeters such as PN and PIN diodes/photodiodes, but these dosimeters have some limitations as absorbed dose meters and hence they are often not a suitable replacement for RADFETs. In that sense, this paper investigates the possibility of using the RADFET as a real-time dose rate meter so that it could be applied for simultaneous online measurement of the dose rate and absorbed dose. A RADFET sample, manufactured by Tyndall National Institute, Cork, Ireland, was tested as a dose rate meter under gamma irradiation from a Co-60 source. The RADFET was configured as a PN junction, such that the drain, gate and source terminals were grounded, while the radiation-induced current was measured at the bulk terminal, whereby the bulk was successively biased with 0 , 10 , 20  and 30 V. In zero-bias mode the radiation-induced current was unstable, but in the biased mode the current response was stable for the investigated dose rates from 0.65  to 32.1 Gy h −1 and up to the total absorbed dose of 25 Gy. The current increased with the dose rate in accordance with the power law, whereas the sensitivity of the current read-out was linear with respect to the applied bias voltage. Comparison with previously analyzed PIN photodiodes has shown that the investigated RADFET is competitive with PIN photodiodes as a gamma radiation dose rate meter and therefore has the potential to be employed for the real-time monitoring of the dose rate and absorbed dose. (paper)

Measurements of the n vector p vector total cross section differences for pure helicity states at 1.20, 2.50 and 3.66 GeV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharov, V.I.; Zaporozhets, S.A.; Ad''yasevich, B.P.

1996-01-01

The quantity Δσ L (n vector p vector), the difference of n vector p vector total cross sections for antiparallel and parallel longitudinal (L) spin states, has been measured for the first time in an energy region of several GeV using a free polarized neutron beam and a polarized proton target. The new data are discussed together with existing results and modern theoretical predictions. This is the first of a planned series of measurements of Δσ L,T (n vector p vector) in this new energy region. 28 refs., 3 figs

Comparison of planar, PET and well-counter measurements of total tumor radioactivity in a mouse xenograft model.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Michael V; Seidel, Jurgen; Williams, Mark R; Wong, Karen J; Ton, Anita; Basuli, Falguni; Choyke, Peter L; Jagoda, Elaine M

2017-10-01

Quantitative small animal radionuclide imaging studies are often carried out with the intention of estimating the total radioactivity content of various tissues such as the radioactivity content of mouse xenograft tumors exposed to putative diagnostic or therapeutic agents. We show that for at least one specific application, positron projection imaging (PPI) and PET yield comparable estimates of absolute total tumor activity and that both of these estimates are highly correlated with direct well-counting of these same tumors. These findings further suggest that in this particular application, PPI is a far more efficient data acquisition and processing methodology than PET. Forty-one athymic mice were implanted with PC3 human prostate cancer cells transfected with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA (+)) and one additional animal (for a total of 42) with a control blank vector (PSMA (-)). All animals were injected with [ 18 F] DCFPyl, a ligand for PSMA, and imaged for total tumor radioactivity with PET and PPI. The tumors were then removed, assayed by well counting for total radioactivity and the values between these methods intercompared. PET, PPI and well-counter estimates of total tumor radioactivity were highly correlated (R 2 >0.98) with regression line slopes near unity (0.95radioactivity can be measured with PET or PPI with an accuracy comparable to well counting if certain experimental and pharmacokinetic conditions are met. In this particular application, PPI is significantly more efficient than PET in making these measurements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-Accuracy Measurements of Total Column Water Vapor From the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Robert R.; Crisp, David; Ott, Lesley E.; O'Dell, Christopher W.

2016-01-01

Accurate knowledge of the distribution of water vapor in Earth's atmosphere is of critical importance to both weather and climate studies. Here we report on measurements of total column water vapor (TCWV) from hyperspectral observations of near-infrared reflected sunlight over land and ocean surfaces from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2). These measurements are an ancillary product of the retrieval algorithm used to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, with information coming from three highly resolved spectral bands. Comparisons to high-accuracy validation data, including ground-based GPS and microwave radiometer data, demonstrate that OCO-2 TCWV measurements have maximum root-mean-square deviations of 0.9-1.3mm. Our results indicate that OCO-2 is the first space-based sensor to accurately and precisely measure the two most important greenhouse gases, water vapor and carbon dioxide, at high spatial resolution [1.3 x 2.3 km(exp. 2)] and that OCO-2 TCWV measurements may be useful in improving numerical weather predictions and reanalysis products.

Time-to-code converter with selection of time intervals on duration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atanasov, I.Kh.; Rusanov, I.R.; )

2001-01-01

Identification of elementary particles on the basis of time-of-flight represents the important approach of the preliminary selection procedure. Paper describes a time-to-code converter with preliminary selection of the measured time intervals as to duration. It consists of a time-to-amplitude converter, an analog-to-digital converter, a unit of selection of time intervals as to duration, a unit of total reset and CAMAC command decoder. The time-to-code converter enables to measure time intervals with 100 ns accuracy within 0-100 ns range. Output code capacity is of 10. Selection time constitutes 50 ns [ru

Measuring work-life balance using time diary data

OpenAIRE

Kimberly Fisher; Richard Layte

2004-01-01

This paper examines how time diaries facilitate the study of work-life balance. We first compare aggregate time spent in paid work, unpaid work, attending to personal needs, and free time across seven countries using the Multinational Time Use Study. We then measure the overlap of work with other activities in two ways. First, we map the timing of episodes of work over the day, and overlay these maps onto maps of leisure time. A social group can be said to have a work-life balance if their pe...

SF-36 total score as a single measure of health-related quality of life: Scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lins, Liliane; Carvalho, Fernando Martins

2016-01-01

According to the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire developers, a global measure of health-related quality of life such as the "SF-36 Total/Global/Overall Score" cannot be generated from the questionnaire. However, studies keep on reporting such measure. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and to describe some characteristics of articles reporting the SF-36 Total/Global/Overall Score in the scientific literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method was adapted to a scoping review. We performed searches in PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, BVS, and Cochrane Library databases for articles using such scores. We found 172 articles published between 1997 and 2015; 110 (64.0%) of them were published from 2010 onwards; 30.0% appeared in journals with Impact Factor 3.00 or greater. Overall, 129 (75.0%) out of the 172 studies did not specify the method for calculating the "SF-36 Total Score"; 13 studies did not specify their methods but referred to the SF-36 developers' studies or others; and 30 articles used different strategies for calculating such score, the most frequent being arithmetic averaging of the eight SF-36 domains scores. We concluded that the "SF-36 Total/Global/Overall Score" has been increasingly reported in the scientific literature. Researchers should be aware of this procedure and of its possible impacts upon human health.

Time-resolved beam energy measurements at LAMPF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudgings, D.W.; Clark, D.A.; Bryant, H.C.

1979-01-01

A narrow atomic photodetachment resonance is used to measure the LAMPF beam energy. Energy and time resolution are adequate to permit the use of this method in studying transient changes in accelerated beam energy

Objective vs. self-reported physical activity and sedentary time: effects of measurement method on relationships with risk biomarkers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos A Celis-Morales

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Imprecise measurement of physical activity variables might attenuate estimates of the beneficial effects of activity on health-related outcomes. We aimed to compare the cardiometabolic risk factor dose-response relationships for physical activity and sedentary behaviour between accelerometer- and questionnaire-based activity measures. METHODS: Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were assessed in 317 adults by 7-day accelerometry and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ. Fasting blood was taken to determine insulin, glucose, triglyceride and total, LDL and HDL cholesterol concentrations and homeostasis model-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA(IR. Waist circumference, BMI, body fat percentage and blood pressure were also measured. RESULTS: For both accelerometer-derived sedentary time (50% lower for the IPAQ-reported compared to the accelerometer-derived measure (p<0.0001 for both interactions. The relationships for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA and risk factors were less strong than those observed for sedentary behaviours, but significant negative relationships were observed for both accelerometer and IPAQ MVPA measures with glucose, and insulin and HOMA(IR values (all p<0.05. For accelerometer-derived MVPA only, additional negative relationships were seen with triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations, BMI, waist circumference and percentage body fat, and a positive relationship was evident with HDL cholesterol (p = 0.0002. Regression coefficients for HOMA(IR, insulin and triglyceride were 43-50% lower for the IPAQ-reported compared to the accelerometer-derived MVPA measure (all p≤0.01. CONCLUSION: Using the IPAQ to determine sitting time and MVPA reveals some, but not all, relationships between these activity measures and metabolic and vascular disease risk factors. Using this self-report method to quantify activity can therefore underestimate the strength of some

Measurement of the Z/A dependence of neutrino charged-current total cross-sections

CERN Document Server

Kayis-Topasku, A; Dantzig, R V

2003-01-01

A relative measurement of total cross-sections is reported for polyethylene, marble, iron, and lead targets for the inclusive charged-current reaction nu submu + N -> mu sup - + X. The targets, passive blocks of propor to 100 kg each, were exposed simultaneously to the CERN SPS wide-band muon-neutrino beam over a period of 18 weeks. Systematic effects due to differences in the neutrino flux and detector efficiency for the different target locations were minimised by changing the position of the four targets on their support about every two weeks. The relative neutrino fluxes on the targets were monitored within the same experiment using charged-current interactions in the calorimeter positioned directly downstream of the four targets. From a fit to the Z/A dependence of the total cross-sections a value is deduced for the effective neutron-to-proton cross-section ratio. (orig.)

Comparison of planar, PET and well-counter measurements of total tumor radioactivity in a mouse xenograft model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Michael V.; Seidel, Jurgen; Williams, Mark R.; Wong, Karen J.; Ton, Anita; Basuli, Falguni; Choyke, Peter L.; Jagoda, Elaine M.

2017-01-01

Introduction: Quantitative small animal radionuclide imaging studies are often carried out with the intention of estimating the total radioactivity content of various tissues such as the radioactivity content of mouse xenograft tumors exposed to putative diagnostic or therapeutic agents. We show that for at least one specific application, positron projection imaging (PPI) and PET yield comparable estimates of absolute total tumor activity and that both of these estimates are highly correlated with direct well-counting of these same tumors. These findings further suggest that in this particular application, PPI is a far more efficient data acquisition and processing methodology than PET. Methods: Forty-one athymic mice were implanted with PC3 human prostate cancer cells transfected with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA (+)) and one additional animal (for a total of 42) with a control blank vector (PSMA (−)). All animals were injected with [ 18 F] DCFPyl, a ligand for PSMA, and imaged for total tumor radioactivity with PET and PPI. The tumors were then removed, assayed by well counting for total radioactivity and the values between these methods intercompared. Results: PET, PPI and well-counter estimates of total tumor radioactivity were highly correlated (R 2 > 0.98) with regression line slopes near unity (0.95 < slope ≤ 1.02) and intercepts near zero (−0.001 MBq ≤ intercept ≤0.004 MBq). Conclusion: Total mouse xenograft tumor radioactivity can be measured with PET or PPI with an accuracy comparable to well counting if certain experimental and pharmacokinetic conditions are met. In this particular application, PPI is significantly more efficient than PET in making these measurements.

Larmor time and proper time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kudaka, Shoju [Department of Physics, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0129 (Japan); Matsumoto, Shuichi, E-mail: shuichi@edu.u-ryukyu.ac.jp [Department of Mathematics, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0129 (Japan)

2012-10-01

The idea of a Larmor clock is reexamined in the relativistic regime. We propose a concept of proper time for quantum theoretical particles. The Larmor clock can measure, under some relevant conditions, the proper time that passes while the particle stays in a space region. Our approach to Larmor clock is different than those of other researchers in the following two aspects: our concept of Larmor clock does not distinguish whether the particle is transmitted or reflected at the end of its stay, and pointer of our Larmor clock is not the spin but the total angular momentum. -- Highlights: ► The idea of a Larmor clock is reexamined in the relativistic regime. ► We propose a concept of proper time for quantum theoretical particles. ► The Larmor clock measures the passage of this quantum theoretical proper time.

Development of meteorological parameters and total ozone during the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Winkler

2001-05-01

Full Text Available During the total eclipse of August 11, 1999 frequent showers occurred due to a unstable stratification of the air mass. At different observation sites, meteorological effects from the eclipse (99.4% coverage at Hohenpeißenberg and from showers were superimposed making it partly difficult to unambiguously interpret the observations. The weather radar at Hohenpeißenberg observatory provided a general overview of the distribution of clouds and precipitation in this area (200 km diameter. From the Garching site in the zone of totality (100% temperature and wind data taken on a 50 m mast were evaluated. By selecting periods with relatively low cloud cover it was possible to approximately follow the development of the vertical temperature and wind profiles during the eclipse. The minimum temperature at Hohenpeißenberg (about 450 m above the altitude of Garching during the eclipse was comparable to that during the previous night, the corresponding value measured at Garching remained about 2 K above the minimum observed during clear sky conditions in the previous night. Showers before, during or after the eclipse may have induced vertical exchange of air parcels. Temperatures during a shower change towards the same direction at all altitudes, thus no inversion forms. Additionally, air parcels with relatively lower concentrations of trace constituents were transported down from aloft for time periods of 10–15 minutes. These mixing processes significantly determined the temporal variations of various trace substances measured during the eclipse. Total ozone measurements at Hohenpeißenberg were performed with both DOBSON and BREWER spectrophotometers and at another site within the zone of totality by using a portable Microtops II filter instrument. Different results were obtained for both sites. These differences can be to a large extend, but not exclusively, attributed to eclipse induced shifts (limb darkening and straylight effects in the atmosphere

Time Synchronized Wireless Sensor Network for Vibration Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Uchimura, Yutaka; Nasu, Tadashi; Takahashi, Motoichi

Network based wireless sensing has become an important area of research and various new applications for remote sensing are expected to emerge. One of the promising applications is structural health monitoring of building or civil engineering structure and it often requires vibration measurement. For the vibration measurement via wireless network, time synchronization is indispensable. In this paper, we introduce a newly developed time synchronized wireless sensor network system. The system employs IEEE 802.11 standard based TSF counter and sends the measured data with the counter value. TSF based synchronization enables consistency on common clock among different wireless nodes. We consider the scale effect on the synchronization accuracy and the effect is evaluated by stochastic analysis and simulation studies. A new wireless sensing system is developed and the hardware and software specifications are shown. The experiments are conducted in a reinforced concrete building and results show good performance enough for vibration measurement purpose.

Stability of continuous-time quantum filters with measurement imperfections

Science.gov (United States)

Amini, H.; Pellegrini, C.; Rouchon, P.

2014-07-01

The fidelity between the state of a continuously observed quantum system and the state of its associated quantum filter, is shown to be always a submartingale. The observed system is assumed to be governed by a continuous-time Stochastic Master Equation (SME), driven simultaneously by Wiener and Poisson processes and that takes into account incompleteness and errors in measurements. This stability result is the continuous-time counterpart of a similar stability result already established for discrete-time quantum systems and where the measurement imperfections are modelled by a left stochastic matrix.

Vitamin D metabolites in captivity? Should we measure free or total 25(OH)D to assess vitamin D status?

Science.gov (United States)

Bikle, Daniel; Bouillon, Roger; Thadhani, Ravi; Schoenmakers, Inez

2017-10-01

There is general consensus that serum 25(OH)D is the best biochemical marker for nutritional vitamin D status. Whether free 25(OH)D would be a better marker than total 25(OH)D is so far unclear. Free 25(OH)D can either be calculated based on the measurement of the serum concentrations of total 25(OH)D, vitamin D-binding protein (DBP), albumin, and the affinity between 25(OH)D and its binding proteins in physiological situations. Free 25(OH)D can also be measured directly by equilibrium dialysis, ultrafitration or immunoassays. During the vitamin D workshop held in Boston in March 2016, a debate was organized about the measurements and clinical value of free 25(OH)D, and this debate is summarized in the present manuscript. Overall there is consensus that most cells apart from the renal tubular cells are exposed to free rather than to total 25(OH)D. Therefore free 25(OH)D may be highly relevant for the local production and action of 1,25(OH) 2 D. During the debate it became clear that there is a need for standardization of measurements of serum DBP and of direct measurements of free 25(OH)D. There seems to be very limited genetic or racial differences in DBP concentrations or (probably) in the affinity of DBP for its major ligands. Therefore, free 25(OH)D is strongly correlated to total 25(OH)D in most normal populations. Appropriate studies are needed to define the clinical implications of free rather than total 25(OH)D in normal subjects and in disease states. Special attention is needed for such studies in cases of abnormal DBP concentrations or when one could expect changes in its affinity for its ligands. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Demographic correlates of screen time and objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity among toddlers: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valerie Carson

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Determining the most important demographic correlates of sedentary behavior and physical activity will help identify the groups of children that are most in need of intervention. Little is known in regards to the demographic correlates of sedentary behavior and physical activity in toddlers (aged 12–35 months, where long-term behavioral patterns may initially be formed. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the associations between demographic correlates and specific types of sedentary behavior and physical activity in this age group. Methods Findings are based on 149 toddlers (19.0 ± 1.9 months and their parents (33.7 ± 4.7 years recruited from immunization clinics in Edmonton, Canada as part of the Parents’ Role in Establishing healthy Physical activity and Sedentary behavior habits (PREPS project. Toddlers’ and parental demographic characteristics and toddlers’ television viewing, video/computer games, and overall screen time were measured via the PREPS parental questionnaire. Toddlers’ objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity (light, moderate to vigorous, and total were accelerometer-derived using Actigraph wGT3X-BT monitors. Simple and multiple linear regression models were conducted to examine associations. Results In the multiple linear regression models, toddlers’ age, toddlers’ sex (female versus male, toddlers’ race/ethnicity (other versus European-Canadian/Caucasian, and household income ($50,001 to $100,000 versus > $100,000 were significantly positively associated, and main type of child care (child care center versus parental care was significantly negatively associated with screen time. Similar findings were observed with television viewing, except null associations were observed for toddlers’ sex. Toddlers’ race/ethnicity (other versus European-Canadian/Caucasian was significantly positively associated and main type of child care (child care

Effect of temperature, time, and milling process on yield, flavonoid, and total phenolic content of Zingiber officinale water extract

Science.gov (United States)

Andriyani, R.; Kosasih, W.; Ningrum, D. R.; Pudjiraharti, S.

2017-03-01

Several parameters such as temperature, time of extraction, and size of simplicia play significant role in medicinal herb extraction. This study aimed to investigate the effect of those parameters on yield extract, flavonoid, and total phenolic content in water extract of Zingiber officinale. The temperatures used were 50, 70 and 90°C and the extraction times were 30, 60 and 90 min. Z. officinale in the form of powder and chips were used to study the effect of milling treatment. The correlation among those variables was analysed using ANOVA two-way factors without replication. The result showed that time and temperature did not influence the yield of extract of Powder simplicia. However, time of extraction influenced the extract of simplicia treated without milling process. On the other hand, flavonoid and total phenolic content were not influenced by temperature, time, and milling treatment.

Do Standard Bibliometric Measures Correlate with Academic Rank of Full-Time Pediatric Dentistry Faculty Members?

Science.gov (United States)

Susarla, Harlyn K; Dhar, Vineet; Karimbux, Nadeem Y; Tinanoff, Norman

2017-04-01

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between quantitative measures of research productivity and academic rank for full-time pediatric dentistry faculty members in accredited U.S. and Canadian residency programs. For each pediatric dentist in the study group, academic rank and bibliometric factors derived from publicly available databases were recorded. Academic ranks were lecturer/instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. Bibliometric factors were mean total number of publications, mean total number of citations, maximum number of citations for a single work, and h-index (a measure of the impact of publications, determined by total number of publications h that had at least h citations each). The study sample was comprised of 267 pediatric dentists: 4% were lecturers/instructors, 44% were assistant professors, 30% were associate professors, and 22% were professors. The mean number of publications for the sample was 15.4±27.8. The mean number of citations was 218.4±482.0. The mean h-index was 4.9±6.6. The h-index was strongly correlated with academic rank (r=0.60, p=0.001). For this sample, an h-index of ≥3 was identified as a threshold for promotion to associate professor, and an h-index of ≥6 was identified as a threshold for promotion to professor. The h-index was strongly correlated with the academic rank of these pediatric dental faculty members, suggesting that this index may be considered a measure for promotion, along with a faculty member's quality and quantity of research, teaching, service, and clinical activities.

Time-driven Activity-based Cost of Fast-Track Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreasen, Signe E; Holm, Henriette B; Jørgensen, Mira

2017-01-01

this between 2 departments with different logistical set-ups. METHODS: Prospective data collection was analyzed using the time-driven activity-based costing method (TDABC) on time consumed by different staff members involved in patient treatment in the perioperative period of fast-track THA and TKA in 2 Danish...... orthopedic departments with standardized fast-track settings, but different logistical set-ups. RESULTS: Length of stay was median 2 days in both departments. TDABC revealed minor differences in the perioperative settings between departments, but the total cost excluding the prosthesis was similar at USD......-track methodology, the result could be a more cost-effective pathway altogether. As THA and TKA are potentially costly procedures and the numbers are increasing in an economical limited environment, the aim of this study is to present baseline detailed economical calculations of fast-track THA and TKA and compare...

Antineutron-proton total cross section from 50 to 400 MeV/c

CERN Document Server

Iazzi, F; Agnello, M; Astrua, M; Botta, E; Bressani, Tullio; Calvo, D; Costa, S; D'Isep, F; Filippi, A; Marcello, S; Minetti, B; Mirfakhraee, N; Balestra, F; Bussa, M P; Busso, L; Cerello, P G; Denisov, O Yu; Ferrero, L; Garfagnini, R; Maggiora, A; Panzarasa, A; Panzieri, D; Tosello, F; Bertin, A; Bruschi, M; Capponi, M; De Castro, S; Donà, R; Galli, D; Giacobbe, B; Marconi, U; Massa, I; Piccinini, M; Poli, M; Semprini-Cesari, N; Spighi, R; Vagnoni, V M; Vecchi, S; Villa, M; Vitale, A; Zoccoli, A; Bianconi, A; Bonomi, G; Lodi-Rizzini, E; Venturelli, L; Zenoni, A; Cicalò, C; Masoni, A; Mauro, S; Puddu, G; Serci, S; Usai, G L; Gorchakov, O E; Prakhov, S N; Rozhdestvensky, A M; Tretyak, V I; Gianotti, P; Guaraldo, C; Lanaro, A; Lucherini, V; Petrascu, C; Lombardi, M; Ricci, R A; Vannucci, Luigi; Bendiscioli, G; Fontana, A; Montagna, P; Rotondi, A; Salvini, P; Tessaro, S

2000-01-01

The antineutron-proton total cross section has been measured in the low momentum range 50-400 MeV/c (below 100 MeV/c for the first time). The measurement was performed at LEAR (CERN) by the OBELIX experiment, thanks to its unique antineutron beam facility. A thick target transmission technique has been used. The measured total cross section shows an anomalous behaviour below 100 MeV/c. A dominance of the isospin I=0 channel over the I=1 one at low energy is clearly deduced. (28 refs).

Seasonal variation in objectively measured physical activity, sedentary time, cardio-respiratory fitness and sleep duration among 8–11 year-old Danish children: a repeated-measures study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjorth, Mads F.; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Michaelsen, Kim

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Understanding fluctuations in lifestyle indicators is important to identify relevant time periods to intervene in order to promote a healthy lifestyle; however, objective assessment of multiple lifestyle indicators has never been done using a repeated-measures design. The primary aim...... was, therefore, to examine between-season and within-week variation in physical activity, sedentary behaviour, cardio-respiratory fitness and sleep duration among 8–11 year-old children. METHODS: A total of 1021 children from nine Danish schools were invited to participate and 834 accepted. Due...... to missing data, 730 children were included in the current analytical sample. An accelerometer was worn for 7 days and 8 nights during autumn, winter and spring, from which physical activity, sedentary time and sleep duration were measured. Cardio-respiratory fitness was assessed using a 10-min intermittent...