Vega library for processing DICOM data required in Monte Carlo verification of radiotherapy treatment plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Locke, C.; Zavgorodni, S.; British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver Island Center, Victoria BC

2008-01-01

Monte Carlo (MC) methods provide the most accurate to-date dose calculations in heterogeneous media and complex geometries, and this spawns increasing interest in incorporating MC calculations into treatment planning quality assurance process. This involves MC dose calculations for clinically produced treatment plans. To perform these calculations, a number of treatment plan parameters specifying radiation beam

Analysis of waste treatment requirements for DOE mixed wastes: Technical basis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-02-01

The risks and costs of managing DOE wastes are a direct function of the total quantities of 3wastes that are handled at each step of the management process. As part of the analysis of the management of DOE low-level mixed wastes (LLMW), a reference scheme has been developed for the treatment of these wastes to meet EPA criteria. The treatment analysis in a limited form was also applied to one option for treatment of transuranic wastes. The treatment requirements in all cases analyzed are based on a reference flowsheet which provides high level treatment trains for all LLMW. This report explains the background and basis for that treatment scheme. Reference waste stream chemical compositions and physical properties including densities were established for each stream in the data base. These compositions are used to define the expected behavior for wastes as they pass through the treatment train. Each EPA RCRA waste code was reviewed, the properties, chemical composition, or characteristics which are of importance to waste behavior in treatment were designated. Properties that dictate treatment requirements were then used to develop the treatment trains and identify the unit operations that would be included in these trains. A table was prepared showing a correlation of the waste physical matrix and the waste treatment requirements as a guide to the treatment analysis. The analysis of waste treatment loads is done by assigning wastes to treatment steps which would achieve RCRA compliant treatment. These correlation's allow one to examine the treatment requirements in a condensed manner and to see that all wastes and contaminant sets are fully considered

Proposed rulemaking to risk-inform special treatment requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, Timothy A.; McKenna, Eileen M.

2003-01-01

This paper presents the status of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rulemaking efforts to risk-inform special treatment requirements that reside in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR Part 21, Part 50, and Part 100. The staff has prepared a proposed rulemaking to add a new section to 10 CFR Part 50 to provide an alternative set of requirements for treatment of structures, systems and components (SSCs), using a risk-informed categorization process to determine safety significance of the SSCs. These requirements can be voluntarily adopted by light-water reactor licensees and applicants. The proposed rule is based upon extensive interactions with stakeholders (including consideration of public comments on draft rule language made available on the NRC rulemaking web site), experience with pilot plants, and guidance development activities. The NRC staff expects that stakeholder input provided in response to the proposed rule issuance will be valuable and support the efforts to issue the final rule. (author)

A technique for accurate planning of stereotactic brain implants prior to head ring fixation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulin, Kenneth; Bornstein, Linda E.; Ling, Marilyn N.; Saris, Stephen; Wu, Julian K.; Curran, Bruce H.; Wazer, David E.

1997-01-01

Purpose: A two-step procedure is described for accurate planning of stereotactic brain implants prior to head-ring fixation. Methods and Materials: Approximately 2 weeks prior to implant a CT scan without the head ring is performed for treatment-planning purposes. An entry point and a reference point, both marked with barium and later tattooed, facilitate planning and permit correlation of the images with a later CT scan. A plan is generated using a conventional treatment-planning system to determine the number and activity of I-125 seeds required and the position of each catheter. I-125 seed anisotropy is taken into account by means of a modification to the treatment planning program. On the day of the implant a second CT scan is performed with the head ring affixed to the skull and with the same points marked as in the previous scan. The planned catheter coordinates are then mapped into the coordinate system of the second CT scan by means of a manual translational correction and a computer-calculated rotational correction derived from the reference point coordinates in the two scans. Results: The rotational correction algorithm was verified experimentally in a Rando phantom before it was used clinically. For analysis of the results with individual patients a third CT scan is performed 1 day following the implant and is used for calculating the final dosimetry. Conclusion: The technique that is described has two important advantages: 1) the number and activity of seeds required can be accurately determined in advance; and 2) sufficient time is allowed to derive the best possible plan

Accurate heterogeneous dose calculation for lung cancer patients without high‐resolution CT densities

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jonathan G.; Liu, Chihray; Olivier, Kenneth R.; Dempsey, James F.

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative accuracy of megavoltage photon‐beam dose calculations employing either five bulk densities or independent voxel densities determined by calibration of the CT Houndsfield number. Full‐resolution CT and bulk density treatment plans were generated for 70 lung or esophageal cancer tumors (66 cases) using a commercial treatment planning system with an adaptive convolution dose calculation algorithm (Pinnacle3, Philips Medicals Systems). Bulk densities were applied to segmented regions. Individual and population average densities were compared to the full‐resolution plan for each case. Monitor units were kept constant and no normalizations were employed. Dose volume histograms (DVH) and dose difference distributions were examined for all cases. The average densities of the segmented air, lung, fat, soft tissue, and bone for the entire set were found to be 0.14, 0.26, 0.89, 1.02, and 1.12 g/cm3, respectively. In all cases, the normal tissue DVH agreed to better than 2% in dose. In 62 of 70 DVHs of the planning target volume (PTV), agreement to better than 3% in dose was observed. Six cases demonstrated emphysema, one with bullous formations and one with a hiatus hernia having a large volume of gas. These required the additional assignment of density to the emphysemic lung and inflammatory changes to the lung, the regions of collapsed lung, the bullous formations, and the hernia gas. Bulk tissue density dose calculation provides an accurate method of heterogeneous dose calculation. However, patients with advanced emphysema may require high‐resolution CT studies for accurate treatment planning. PACS number: 87.53.Tf

Accurate overlaying for mobile augmented reality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pasman, W; van der Schaaf, A; Lagendijk, RL; Jansen, F.W.

1999-01-01

Mobile augmented reality requires accurate alignment of virtual information with objects visible in the real world. We describe a system for mobile communications to be developed to meet these strict alignment criteria using a combination of computer vision. inertial tracking and low-latency

ACE-I Angioedema: Accurate Clinical Diagnosis May Prevent Epinephrine-Induced Harm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Mason Curtis

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Upper airway angioedema is a life-threatening emergency department (ED presentation with increasing incidence. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor induced angioedema (AAE is a non-mast cell mediated etiology of angioedema. Accurate diagnosis by clinical examination can optimize patient management and reduce morbidity from inappropriate treatment with epinephrine. The aim of this study is to describe the incidence of angioedema subtypes and the management of AAE. We evaluate the appropriateness of treatments and highlight preventable iatrogenic morbidity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of consecutive angioedema patients presenting to two tertiary care EDs between July 2007 and March 2012. Results: Of 1,702 medical records screened, 527 were included. The cause of angioedema was identified in 48.8% (n=257 of cases. The most common identifiable etiology was AAE (33.1%, n=85, with a 60.0% male predominance. The most common AAE management strategies included diphenhydramine (63.5%, n=54, corticosteroids (50.6%, n=43 and ranitidine (31.8%, n=27. Epinephrine was administered in 21.2% (n=18 of AAE patients, five of whom received repeated doses. Four AAE patients required admission (4.7% and one required endotracheal intubation. Epinephrine induced morbidity in two patients, causing myocardial ischemia or dysrhythmia shortly after administration. Conclusion: AAE is the most common identifiable etiology of angioedema and can be accurately diagnosed by physical examination. It is easily confused with anaphylaxis and mismanaged with antihistamines, corticosteroids and epinephrine. There is little physiologic rationale for epinephrine use in AAE and much risk. Improved clinical differentiation of mast cell and non-mast cell mediated angioedema can optimize patient management.

Equipment upgrade - Accurate positioning of ion chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doane, Harry J.; Nelson, George W.

1990-01-01

Five adjustable clamps were made to firmly support and accurately position the ion Chambers, that provide signals to the power channels for the University of Arizona TRIGA reactor. The design requirements, fabrication procedure and installation are described

Telemedicine in radiotherapy treatment planning: requirements and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olsen, D.R.; Bruland, O.S.; Davis, B.J.

2000-01-01

Telemedicine facilitates decentralized radiotherapy services by allowing remote treatment planning and quality assurance of treatment delivery. A prerequisite is digital storage of relevant data and an efficient and reliable telecommunication system between satellite units and the main radiotherapy clinic. The requirements of a telemedicine system in radiotherapy is influenced by the level of support needed. In this paper we differentiate between three categories of telemedicine support in radiotherapy. Level 1 features video conferencing and display of radiotherapy images and dose plans. Level 2 involves replication of selected data from the radiotherapy database - facilitating remote treatment planning and evaluation. Level 3 includes real-time, remote operations, e.g. target volume delineation and treatment planning performed by the team at the satellite unit under supervision and guidance from more experienced colleagues at the main clinic. (author)

Accurate 3D Mapping Algorithm for Flexible Antennas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saed Asaly

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This work addresses the problem of performing an accurate 3D mapping of a flexible antenna surface. Consider a high-gain satellite flexible antenna; even a submillimeter change in the antenna surface may lead to a considerable loss in the antenna gain. Using a robotic subreflector, such changes can be compensated for. Yet, in order to perform such tuning, an accurate 3D mapping of the main antenna is required. This paper presents a general method for performing an accurate 3D mapping of marked surfaces such as satellite dish antennas. Motivated by the novel technology for nanosatellites with flexible high-gain antennas, we propose a new accurate mapping framework which requires a small-sized monocamera and known patterns on the antenna surface. The experimental result shows that the presented mapping method can detect changes up to 0.1-millimeter accuracy, while the camera is located 1 meter away from the dish, allowing an RF antenna optimization for Ka and Ku frequencies. Such optimization process can improve the gain of the flexible antennas and allow an adaptive beam shaping. The presented method is currently being implemented on a nanosatellite which is scheduled to be launched at the end of 2018.

[A survey carried out among Italian physicians regarding non-required clinical examinations, treatments and procedures in the current clinical practice: results and considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Vernero, Sandra; Giustetto, Guido

2017-01-01

A survey addressed to all Italian physicians regarding how they behave when a patient asks them to prescribe non-required clinical examinations, treatments and procedures has been carried out for the first time. The survey - realized during the last months of the year 2015 thanks to the collaboration between Slow Medicine and the National Federation of Associations of Doctors, Surgeons and Dentists - is based on a questionnaire given to the America physicians by the ABIM Foundation in 2014. The Italian survey results cannot be compared with the American ones because different approaches were used. 4,263 physicians started to fill in the questionnaire and 3,688 completed it. The results suggest that the physicians that answered the questions are highly aware of the over-usage of diagnostic tests and treatments, and among the main reasons they cite the need of safety and then the fear of legal consequences. Most of the physicians who answered the questions believe to be responsible for giving patients accurate information in order to avoid non-required practices, and that the physician is the right person with the most suitable role to face the problem. Among the most important and useful tools to reduce the prescription of non-required examinations and treatments, physicians indicate the possibility to have much more time available to discuss the different options with their patients, to arrange the evidence-based information material for the patients, and to explain the reform on the physician's responsibility (recently approved as law). Therefore, it stands out the opportunity to apply provisions aimed at providing the patients with more accurate information and at improving the relationship between the physician and the patient by ensuring on the one hand more availability of dedicated time and on the other hand the training of the physicians on scientific topics as well as on topics concerning communication and shared decisions. The communication can be

Benefit requirements for substance use disorder treatment in state health insurance exchanges.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran Smith, Bikki; Seaton, Kathleen; Andrews, Christina; Grogan, Colleen M; Abraham, Amanda; Pollack, Harold; Friedmann, Peter; Humphreys, Keith

2018-01-01

Established in 2014, state health insurance exchanges have greatly expanded substance use disorder (SUD) treatment coverage in the United States as qualified health plans (QHPs) within the exchanges are required to conform to parity provisions laid out by the Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). Coverage improvements, however, have not been even as states have wide discretion over how they meet these regulations. How states regulate SUD treatment benefits offered by QHPs has implications for the accessibility and quality of care. In this study, we assessed the extent to which state insurance departments regulate the types of SUD services and medications plans must provide, as well as their use of utilization controls. Data were collected as part of the National Drug Abuse Treatment System Survey, a nationally-representative, longitudinal study of substance use disorder treatment. Data were obtained from state Departments of Insurance via a 15-minute internet-based survey. States varied widely in regulations on QHPs' administration of SUD treatment benefits. Some states required plans to cover all 11 SUD treatment services and medications we assessed in the study, whereas others did not require plans to cover anything at all. Nearly all states allowed the plans to employ utilization controls, but reported little guidance regarding how they should be used. Although some states have taken full advantage of the health insurance exchanges to increase access to SUD treatment, others seem to have done the bare minimum required by the ACA. By not requiring coverage for the entire SUD continuum of care, states are hindering client access to appropriate types of care necessary for recovery.

Total inpatient treatment costs in patients with severe burns: towards a more accurate reimbursement model.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehra, Tarun; Koljonen, Virve; Seifert, Burkhardt; Volbracht, Jörk; Giovanoli, Pietro; Plock, Jan; Moos, Rudolf Maria

2015-01-01

Reimbursement systems have difficulties depicting the actual cost of burn treatment, leaving care providers with a significant financial burden. Our aim was to establish a simple and accurate reimbursement model compatible with prospective payment systems. A total of 370 966 electronic medical records of patients discharged in 2012 to 2013 from Swiss university hospitals were reviewed. A total of 828 cases of burns including 109 cases of severe burns were retained. Costs, revenues and earnings for severe and nonsevere burns were analysed and a linear regression model predicting total inpatient treatment costs was established. The median total costs per case for severe burns was tenfold higher than for nonsevere burns (179 949 CHF [167 353 EUR] vs 11 312 CHF [10 520 EUR], interquartile ranges 96 782-328 618 CHF vs 4 874-27 783 CHF, p <0.001). The median of earnings per case for nonsevere burns was 588 CHF (547 EUR) (interquartile range -6 720 - 5 354 CHF) whereas severe burns incurred a large financial loss to care providers, with median earnings of -33 178 CHF (30 856 EUR) (interquartile range -95 533 - 23 662 CHF). Differences were highly significant (p <0.001). Our linear regression model predicting total costs per case with length of stay (LOS) as independent variable had an adjusted R2 of 0.67 (p <0.001 for LOS). Severe burns are systematically underfunded within the Swiss reimbursement system. Flat-rate DRG-based refunds poorly reflect the actual treatment costs. In conclusion, we suggest a reimbursement model based on a per diem rate for treatment of severe burns.

Front Loaded Accurate Requirements Engineering (FLARE): A Requirements Analysis Concept for the 21st Century

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Leonard, Anthony

1997-01-01

This thesis focuses on ways to apply requirements engineering techniques and methods during the development and evolution of DoD software systems in an effort to reduce changes to system requirements...

The level of detail required in a deformable phantom to accurately perform quality assurance of deformable image registration

Science.gov (United States)

Saenz, Daniel L.; Kim, Hojin; Chen, Josephine; Stathakis, Sotirios; Kirby, Neil

2016-09-01

The primary purpose of the study was to determine how detailed deformable image registration (DIR) phantoms need to adequately simulate human anatomy and accurately assess the quality of DIR algorithms. In particular, how many distinct tissues are required in a phantom to simulate complex human anatomy? Pelvis and head-and-neck patient CT images were used for this study as virtual phantoms. Two data sets from each site were analyzed. The virtual phantoms were warped to create two pairs consisting of undeformed and deformed images. Otsu’s method was employed to create additional segmented image pairs of n distinct soft tissue CT number ranges (fat, muscle, etc). A realistic noise image was added to each image. Deformations were applied in MIM Software (MIM) and Velocity deformable multi-pass (DMP) and compared with the known warping. Images with more simulated tissue levels exhibit more contrast, enabling more accurate results. Deformation error (magnitude of the vector difference between known and predicted deformation) was used as a metric to evaluate how many CT number gray levels are needed for a phantom to serve as a realistic patient proxy. Stabilization of the mean deformation error was reached by three soft tissue levels for Velocity DMP and MIM, though MIM exhibited a persisting difference in accuracy between the discrete images and the unprocessed image pair. A minimum detail of three levels allows a realistic patient proxy for use with Velocity and MIM deformation algorithms.

Reducing dose calculation time for accurate iterative IMRT planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siebers, Jeffrey V.; Lauterbach, Marc; Tong, Shidong; Wu Qiuwen; Mohan, Radhe

2002-01-01

A time-consuming component of IMRT optimization is the dose computation required in each iteration for the evaluation of the objective function. Accurate superposition/convolution (SC) and Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculations are currently considered too time-consuming for iterative IMRT dose calculation. Thus, fast, but less accurate algorithms such as pencil beam (PB) algorithms are typically used in most current IMRT systems. This paper describes two hybrid methods that utilize the speed of fast PB algorithms yet achieve the accuracy of optimizing based upon SC algorithms via the application of dose correction matrices. In one method, the ratio method, an infrequently computed voxel-by-voxel dose ratio matrix (R=D SC /D PB ) is applied for each beam to the dose distributions calculated with the PB method during the optimization. That is, D PB xR is used for the dose calculation during the optimization. The optimization proceeds until both the IMRT beam intensities and the dose correction ratio matrix converge. In the second method, the correction method, a periodically computed voxel-by-voxel correction matrix for each beam, defined to be the difference between the SC and PB dose computations, is used to correct PB dose distributions. To validate the methods, IMRT treatment plans developed with the hybrid methods are compared with those obtained when the SC algorithm is used for all optimization iterations and with those obtained when PB-based optimization is followed by SC-based optimization. In the 12 patient cases studied, no clinically significant differences exist in the final treatment plans developed with each of the dose computation methodologies. However, the number of time-consuming SC iterations is reduced from 6-32 for pure SC optimization to four or less for the ratio matrix method and five or less for the correction method. Because the PB algorithm is faster at computing dose, this reduces the inverse planning optimization time for our implementation

SU-E-T-619: Planning 131I Thyroid Treatments for Patients Requiring Hemodialysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroud, D [Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Ca, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Treatment of 131I thyroid cancer patients who also require regular hemodialysis (HD) treatments requires consideration of the administered activity and the HD schedule. In this work the red bone marrow is considered the dose limiting organ and the treatment plan optimized the HD schedule with the amount of radioactivity administered. Methods: The ‘Safe’ dose was considered to be 2 Gy (200 rad) to the red bone marrow.1 131Iodine doses of 50 mCi to 100 mCi were modeled and found to require a range of HD schedules. In order to achieve the safe dose to the red marrow, more aggressive HD schedules are required. 100 mCi required an aggressive HD treatment of every 24 hours for at least one week to achieve the ‘safe’ dose and an exposure appropriate for release from the hospital. A more normal schedule of HD beginning at 18 hours then every 48 hours allowed for up to 60 mCi administered dose allowed for a safe dose and expected release after less than one week.2In addition room was equipped with video cameras cameras for monitoring the patient and their vital signs from an adjacent room during HD. In this way the dialysis nurses were able to monitor the patient closely from an adjoining room. Results: Two HD patients were administered adjusted doses of about 50 mCi. The medical and nursing staff were exposed to no more than 4 mR for the entire treatment. The residual Iodine in the patient appeared to be normal after 4 to 6 days when the patient was released. Conclusion: With careful treatment planning 131Iodine treatments can be performed safely for patients needing HD and treatments appear to be as effective as those for patients with normal renal function.

SU-E-T-619: Planning 131I Thyroid Treatments for Patients Requiring Hemodialysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroud, D

2015-01-01

Purpose: Treatment of 131I thyroid cancer patients who also require regular hemodialysis (HD) treatments requires consideration of the administered activity and the HD schedule. In this work the red bone marrow is considered the dose limiting organ and the treatment plan optimized the HD schedule with the amount of radioactivity administered. Methods: The ‘Safe’ dose was considered to be 2 Gy (200 rad) to the red bone marrow.1 131Iodine doses of 50 mCi to 100 mCi were modeled and found to require a range of HD schedules. In order to achieve the safe dose to the red marrow, more aggressive HD schedules are required. 100 mCi required an aggressive HD treatment of every 24 hours for at least one week to achieve the ‘safe’ dose and an exposure appropriate for release from the hospital. A more normal schedule of HD beginning at 18 hours then every 48 hours allowed for up to 60 mCi administered dose allowed for a safe dose and expected release after less than one week.2In addition room was equipped with video cameras cameras for monitoring the patient and their vital signs from an adjacent room during HD. In this way the dialysis nurses were able to monitor the patient closely from an adjoining room. Results: Two HD patients were administered adjusted doses of about 50 mCi. The medical and nursing staff were exposed to no more than 4 mR for the entire treatment. The residual Iodine in the patient appeared to be normal after 4 to 6 days when the patient was released. Conclusion: With careful treatment planning 131Iodine treatments can be performed safely for patients needing HD and treatments appear to be as effective as those for patients with normal renal function

78 FR 62930 - Order Providing Broker-Dealers a Temporary Exemption From the Requirements of Certain New...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-22

... accurately document their market, credit, and liquidity risk management controls under new paragraph (a)(23...)(2) to Rule 15c3-3 regarding the treatment of customers' free credit balances. Additionally, broker... incorporates certain requirements from Rule 15c3-2 (customers' free credit balances), including the requirement...

Making the Right Treatment Decision Requires Consideration of Utility and Reconsideration of Value.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Michael J; Lubowitz, James H; Brand, Jefferson C; Provencher, Matthew T

2017-02-01

To achieve a good clinical outcome, arthroscopic and related surgeons must choose the proper treatment, and the basis of this choice is accurate diagnosis. Generally, our clinical focus is on outcome, but outcome is achieved after the fact. While this seems obvious, arthroscopic and related surgeons-and our patients who participate in shared decision making-evaluate the utility, or usefulness, of potential treatments based on desired and expected benefits versus potential risks. Today, cost is frequently considered as a determinant of value in medicine and may be applied to the decision analysis, but if an individual patient perceives health to be priceless, cost becomes irrelevant. In the end, an individual patient's satisfaction is determined on a case-by-case basis. Proper choice of treatment cannot be formulaic. Copyright © 2016 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel multi-beam radiometers for accurate ocean surveillance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cappellin, C.; Pontoppidan, K.; Nielsen, P. H.

2014-01-01

Novel antenna architectures for real aperture multi-beam radiometers providing high resolution and high sensitivity for accurate sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean vector wind (OVW) measurements are investigated. On the basis of the radiometer requirements set for future SST/OVW missions...

Evaluation of new reference genes in papaya for accurate transcript normalization under different experimental conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyang Zhu

Full Text Available Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR is a preferred method for rapid and accurate quantification of gene expression studies. Appropriate application of RT-qPCR requires accurate normalization though the use of reference genes. As no single reference gene is universally suitable for all experiments, thus reference gene(s validation under different experimental conditions is crucial for RT-qPCR analysis. To date, only a few studies on reference genes have been done in other plants but none in papaya. In the present work, we selected 21 candidate reference genes, and evaluated their expression stability in 246 papaya fruit samples using three algorithms, geNorm, NormFinder and RefFinder. The samples consisted of 13 sets collected under different experimental conditions, including various tissues, different storage temperatures, different cultivars, developmental stages, postharvest ripening, modified atmosphere packaging, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP treatment, hot water treatment, biotic stress and hormone treatment. Our results demonstrated that expression stability varied greatly between reference genes and that different suitable reference gene(s or combination of reference genes for normalization should be validated according to the experimental conditions. In general, the internal reference genes EIF (Eukaryotic initiation factor 4A, TBP1 (TATA binding protein 1 and TBP2 (TATA binding protein 2 genes had a good performance under most experimental conditions, whereas the most widely present used reference genes, ACTIN (Actin 2, 18S rRNA (18S ribosomal RNA and GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were not suitable in many experimental conditions. In addition, two commonly used programs, geNorm and Normfinder, were proved sufficient for the validation. This work provides the first systematic analysis for the selection of superior reference genes for accurate transcript normalization in papaya under different experimental

On accurate determination of contact angle

Science.gov (United States)

Concus, P.; Finn, R.

1992-01-01

Methods are proposed that exploit a microgravity environment to obtain highly accurate measurement of contact angle. These methods, which are based on our earlier mathematical results, do not require detailed measurement of a liquid free-surface, as they incorporate discontinuous or nearly-discontinuous behavior of the liquid bulk in certain container geometries. Physical testing is planned in the forthcoming IML-2 space flight and in related preparatory ground-based experiments.

Treatment Planning Systems for BNCT Requirements and Peculiarities

CERN Document Server

Daquino, G G

2003-01-01

The main requirements and peculiarities expected from the BNCT-oriented treatment planning system (TPS) are summarized in this paper. The TPS is a software, which can be integrated or composed by several auxiliary programs. It plays important roles inside the whole treatment planning of the patient's organ in BNCT. However, the main goal is the simulation of the irradiation, in order to obtain the optimal configuration, in terms of neutron spectrum, patient positioning and dose distribution in the tumour and healthy tissues. The presence of neutrons increases the level of complexity, because much more nuclear reactions need to be monitored and properly calculated during the simulation of the patient's treatment. To this purposes several 3D geometry reconstruction techniques, generally based on the CT scanning data, are implemented and Monte Carlo codes are normally used. The TPSs are expected to show also the results (basically doses and fluences) in a proper format, such as isocurves (or isosurfaces) along t...

Accurate treatment of material interface dynamics in the calculation of one-dimensional two-phase flows by the integral method of characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Y.W.; Wiedermann, A.H.

1984-01-01

Accurate numerical methods for treating the junction and boundary conditions needed in the transient two-phase flows of a piping network were published earlier by us; the same methods are used to formulate the treatment of the material interface as a moving boundary. The method formulated is used in a computer program to calculate sample problems designed to test the numerical methods as to their ability and the accuracy limits for calculation of the transient two-phase flows in the piping network downstream of a PWR pressurizer. Independent exact analytical solutions for the sample problems are used as the basis of a critical evaluation of the proposed numerical methods. The evaluation revealed that the proposed boundary scheme indeed generates very accurate numerical results. However, in some extreme flow conditions, numerical difficulties were experienced that eventually led to numerical instability. This paper discusses further a special technique to overcome the difficulty

Argonne-West facility requirements for a radioactive waste treatment demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwight, C.C.; Felicione, F.S.; Black, D.B.; Kelso, R.B.; McClellan, G.C.

1995-01-01

At Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W), near Idaho Falls, Idaho, facilities that were originally constructed to support the development of liquid-metal reactor technology are being used and/or modified to meet the environmental and waste management research needs of DOE. One example is the use of an Argonne-West facility to conduct a radioactive waste treatment demonstration through a cooperative project with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company. The Plasma Hearth Process (PBP) project will utilize commercially-adapted plasma arc technology to demonstrate treatment of actual mixed waste. The demonstration on radioactive waste will be conducted at Argonne's Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT). Utilization of an existing facility for a new and different application presents a unique set of issues in meeting applicable federal state, and local requirements as well as the additional constraints imposed by DOE Orders and ANL-W site requirements. This paper briefly describes the PHP radioactive demonstrations relevant to the interfaces with the TREAT facility. Safety, environmental design, and operational considerations pertinent to the PHP radioactive demonstration are specifically addressed herein. The personnel equipment, and facility interfaces associated with a radioactive waste treatment demonstration are an important aspect of the demonstration effort. Areas requiring significant effort in preparation for the PBP Project being conducted at the TREAT facility include confinement design, waste handling features, and sampling and analysis considerations. Information about the facility in which a radioactive demonstration will be conducted, specifically Argonne's TREAT facility in the case of PHP, may be of interest to other organizations involved in developing and demonstrating technologies for mixed waste treatment

Introduction and implementation of the basic treatment equivalent in a varian-based department

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herbert, C.E.; Joseph, D.J.; Whittall, D.S.; Wilkinson, S.

2000-01-01

The increasing popularity of 3-D planning leads to procedural alterations as both workload and resource utilization increase. Although the complexity of the techniques has increased (as well as the set-up and treatment times), the workload statistics must still include the number of fields treated. It is commonly known that machine statistics of fields treated per day do not accurately represent workload because there are major differences between techniques. A mantle treatment technique and an opposed spine technique both have (statistically) two fields, although the setup requirements and treatment times are very different. A basic treatment equivalent (BTE) formula was reported in early 1999 by Delaney et al. and incorporates a large number of variables inherent in patient treatment. The formula considers different factors that affect overall treatment time, and aims to represent a more accurate treatment time indicator. The aim of introducing the BTE into the Department of Radiation Oncology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital was to create a more accurate scheduling system and even out workloads on all treatment units. Therefore the BTE formula was used to assess accuracy of treatment times in order to determine if the values could be relied upon as accurate time indicators. Patients undergoing a variety of treatment techniques were timed for the duration of their treatment procedure, and their treatment times compared to the time estimated using the BTE formula. A few minor alterations were made to the equation for treatment units with multi-leaf collimation (MLC). A trial conducted at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital found that, using the BTE formula (with a few modifications required for the MLC treatment units), of 60 patients timed for the duration of their set-up and treatment, 85% of values were in the range of ±3 min, and 95% were in the range of ± 5 min of the estimated times. Through the routine use of the BTE equation a more sensitive indication of

Streptococcus suis meningitis can require a prolonged treatment course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean Dejace

2017-12-01

Full Text Available We report a case of recrudescent Streptococcus suis meningitis requiring a prolonged treatment course. A few similar cases can be found in the burgeoning literature on what remains a relatively uncommon disease in humans, and these patients should be monitored carefully upon completion of therapy. Keywords: Meningitis, Relapse, Duration, Streptococcus suis

Translation research: from accurate diagnosis to appropriate treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pass Harvey I

2004-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract This review article focuses on the various aspects of translational research, where research on human subjects can ultimately enhance the diagnosis and treatment of future patients. While we will use specific examples relating to the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma, it should be stressed that the general approach outlined throughout this review is readily applicable to other diseases with an underlying molecular basis. Through the integration of molecular-based technologies, systematic tissue procurement and medical informatics, we now have the ability to identify clinically applicable "genotype"-"phenotype" associations across cohorts of patients that can rapidly be translated into useful diagnostic and treatment strategies. This review will touch on the various steps in the translational pipeline, and highlight some of the most essential elements as well as possible roadblocks that can impact success of the program. Critical issues with regard to Institutional Review Board (IRB and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA compliance, data standardization, sample procurement, quality control (QC, quality assurance (QA, data analysis, preclinical models and clinical trials are addressed. The various facets of the translational pipeline have been incorporated into a fully integrated computational system, appropriately named Dx2Tx. This system readily allows for the identification of new diagnostic tests, the discovery of biomarkers and drugable targets, and prediction of optimal treatments based upon the underlying molecular basis of the disease.

Projected transuranic waste loads requiring treatment, storage, and disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, K.; Kotek, T.

1996-01-01

This paper provides information on the volume of TRU waste loads requiring treatment, storage, and disposal at DOE facilities for three siting configurations. Input consisted of updated inventory and generation data from. Waste Isolation Pilot plant Transuranic Waste Baseline Inventory report. Results indicate that WIPP's design capacity is sufficient for the CH TRU waste found throughout the DOE Complex

40 CFR 63.1583 - What are the emission points and control requirements for an industrial POTW treatment plant?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... control requirements for an industrial POTW treatment plant? 63.1583 Section 63.1583 Protection of... Pollutants: Publicly Owned Treatment Works Industrial Potw Treatment Plant Description and Requirements § 63.1583 What are the emission points and control requirements for an industrial POTW treatment plant? (a...

Accurate determination of antenna directivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dich, Mikael

1997-01-01

The derivation of a formula for accurate estimation of the total radiated power from a transmitting antenna for which the radiated power density is known in a finite number of points on the far-field sphere is presented. The main application of the formula is determination of directivity from power......-pattern measurements. The derivation is based on the theory of spherical wave expansion of electromagnetic fields, which also establishes a simple criterion for the required number of samples of the power density. An array antenna consisting of Hertzian dipoles is used to test the accuracy and rate of convergence...

Emergency Treatment of Acute Asthma

OpenAIRE

Maxwell, David M.

1986-01-01

In assessing acute asthma, the physician must seek specific historical features, symptoms and physical findings. Recent work has shown, however, that while these features are associated with severity, their absence does not imply benignity. Objective measures of pulmonary function are required for accurate assessment of severity. A sequential treatment regimen using nebulized bronchodilators, vigorous rehydration, aminophylline, and corticosteroids should be employed. Status asthmaticus may r...

Motivation for Treatment as a Requirement for Success in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The case report is to demonstrate to clinicians that motivation is required at all stages of the treatment of patients with mental and behavioural disorder due to use of pentazocine in dependence. Two patients presented with pentazocine dependence. While the first patient presented following some persuasion from her ...

Stable and high order accurate difference methods for the elastic wave equation in discontinuous media

KAUST Repository

Duru, Kenneth; Virta, Kristoffer

2014-01-01

to be discontinuous. The key feature is the highly accurate and provably stable treatment of interfaces where media discontinuities arise. We discretize in space using high order accurate finite difference schemes that satisfy the summation by parts rule. Conditions

Do physiotherapy staff record treatment time accurately? An observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagley, Pam; Hudson, Mary; Green, John; Forster, Anne; Young, John

2009-09-01

To assess the reliability of duration of treatment time measured by physiotherapy staff in early-stage stroke patients. Comparison of physiotherapy staff's recording of treatment sessions and video recording. Rehabilitation stroke unit in a general hospital. Thirty-nine stroke patients without trunk control or who were unable to stand with an erect trunk without the support of two therapists recruited to a randomized trial evaluating the Oswestry Standing Frame. Twenty-six physiotherapy staff who were involved in patient treatment. Contemporaneous recording by physiotherapy staff of treatment time (in minutes) compared with video recording. Intraclass correlation with 95% confidence interval and the Bland and Altman method for assessing agreement by calculating the mean difference (standard deviation; 95% confidence interval), reliability coefficient and 95% limits of agreement for the differences between the measurements. The mean duration (standard deviation, SD) of treatment time recorded by physiotherapy staff was 32 (11) minutes compared with 25 (9) minutes as evidenced in the video recording. The mean difference (SD) was -6 (9) minutes (95% confidence interval (CI) -9 to -3). The reliability coefficient was 18 minutes and the 95% limits of agreement were -24 to 12 minutes. Intraclass correlation coefficient for agreement between the two methods was 0.50 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.73). Physiotherapy staff's recording of duration of treatment time was not reliable and was systematically greater than the video recording.

40 CFR 63.1586 - What are the emission points and control requirements for a non-industrial POTW treatment plant?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... control requirements for a non-industrial POTW treatment plant? 63.1586 Section 63.1586 Protection of... Pollutants: Publicly Owned Treatment Works Non-Industrial Potw Treatment Plant Requirements § 63.1586 What are the emission points and control requirements for a non-industrial POTW treatment plant? There are...

Fast and Accurate Residential Fire Detection Using Wireless Sensor Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bahrepour, Majid; Meratnia, Nirvana; Havinga, Paul J.M.

2010-01-01

Prompt and accurate residential fire detection is important for on-time fire extinguishing and consequently reducing damages and life losses. To detect fire sensors are needed to measure the environmental parameters and algorithms are required to decide about occurrence of fire. Recently, wireless

Refractory Graft-Versus-Host Disease-Free, Relapse-Free Survival as an Accurate and Easy-to-Calculate Endpoint to Assess the Long-Term Transplant Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamura, Koji; Nakasone, Hideki; Kurosawa, Saiko; Yoshimura, Kazuki; Misaki, Yukiko; Gomyo, Ayumi; Hayakawa, Jin; Tamaki, Masaharu; Akahoshi, Yu; Kusuda, Machiko; Kameda, Kazuaki; Wada, Hidenori; Ishihara, Yuko; Sato, Miki; Terasako-Saito, Kiriko; Kikuchi, Misato; Kimura, Shun-Ichi; Tanihara, Aki; Kako, Shinichi; Kanamori, Heiwa; Mori, Takehiko; Takahashi, Satoshi; Taniguchi, Shuichi; Atsuta, Yoshiko; Kanda, Yoshinobu

2018-02-21

The aim of this study was to develop a new composite endpoint that accurately reflects the long-term success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), as the conventional graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-free, relapse-free survival (GRFS) overestimates the impact of GVHD. First, we validated current GRFS (cGRFS), which recently was proposed as a more accurate endpoint of long-term transplant success. cGRFS was defined as survival without disease relapse/progression or active chronic GVHD at a given time after allo-HSCT, calculated using 2 distinct methods: a linear combination of a Kaplan-Meier estimates approach and a multistate modelling approach. Next, we developed a new composite endpoint, refractory GRFS (rGRFS). rGRFS was calculated similarly to conventional GRFS treating grade III to IV acute GVHD, chronic GVHD requiring systemic treatment, and disease relapse/progression as events, except that GVHD that resolved and did not require systemic treatment at the last evaluation was excluded as an event in rGRFS. The 2 cGRFS curves obtained using 2 different approaches were superimposed and both were superior to that of conventional GRFS, reflecting the proportion of patients with resolved chronic GVHD. Finally, the curves of cGRFS and rGRFS overlapped after the first 2 years of post-transplant follow-up. These results suggest that cGRFS and rGRFS more accurately reflect transplant success than conventional GRFS. Especially, rGRFS can be more easily calculated than cGRFS and analyzed with widely used statistical approaches, whereas cGRFS more accurately represents the burden of GVHD-related morbidity in the first 2 years after transplantation. Copyright © 2018 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Guideline-adherent inpatient psychiatric psychotherapeutic treatment of borderline personality disorder : Normative definition of personnel requirements].

Science.gov (United States)

Bohus, M; Schmahl, C; Herpertz, S C; Lieb, K; Berger, M; Roepke, S; Heinz, A; Gallinat, J; Lyssenko, L

2016-07-01

Borderline personality disorders (BPD) are severe mental diseases which place high pressure on the psychiatric healthcare system. Nowadays, well-tested, disorder-specific treatment concepts are available also for inpatient treatment in Germany. These show very good and long-term improvements in the psychopathology as well as posttreatment social participation; however, prerequisites for the implementation of these evidence-based inpatient psychotherapy programs are well-trained treatment teams and appropriate financing of resource expenditure. The aim was to formulate a definition of normative needs for treatment duration and intensity for a guideline-conform, empirically proven and effective inpatient treatment of borderline personality disorder as well as the derived personnel requirements in comparison to the currently available resources within the framework of the Psychiatry Personnel Act (Psych-PV). The resource requirements were established based on evaluated hospital ward models, the recommendations of the S2 guidelines and the criteria of specialist societies and compared with the personnel stipulations according to the Psych-PV. The results for a normatively established treatment program showed a pronounced deficit in the financing of the evaluated resource requirements, even when the stipulations laid down in the Psych-PV were implemented to 100 %. Disorder-specific inpatient treatment programs for borderline personality disorder have been scientifically proven to be highly effective; however, resource analyses show that the personnel requirements necessary for effective implementation of these programs are much higher than those allocated by the funding according to the Pysch-PV. The current underfunding leads to inadequate treatment outcomes with high readmission rates and as a result high direct and indirect costs of illness.

Bilateral weighted radiographs are required for accurate classification of acromioclavicular separation: an observational study of 59 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, E F; Forrest, N P; Forester, A

2015-10-01

upgrade. The accurate classification of ACJ separation requires weighted bilateral comparative views. Attempts to predict grade on a single AP radiograph result in a gross underestimation of severity. The value of bilateral weighted views is to 'unmask' a grade V injury, and it is recommended as a first-line investigation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of anatomically and dielectrically accurate breast phantoms for microwave imaging applications

Science.gov (United States)

O'Halloran, M.; Lohfeld, S.; Ruvio, G.; Browne, J.; Krewer, F.; Ribeiro, C. O.; Inacio Pita, V. C.; Conceicao, R. C.; Jones, E.; Glavin, M.

2014-05-01

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. In the United States alone, it accounts for 31% of new cancer cases, and is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of deaths in American women. More than 184,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year resulting in approximately 41,000 deaths. Early detection and intervention is one of the most significant factors in improving the survival rates and quality of life experienced by breast cancer sufferers, since this is the time when treatment is most effective. One of the most promising breast imaging modalities is microwave imaging. The physical basis of active microwave imaging is the dielectric contrast between normal and malignant breast tissue that exists at microwave frequencies. The dielectric contrast is mainly due to the increased water content present in the cancerous tissue. Microwave imaging is non-ionizing, does not require breast compression, is less invasive than X-ray mammography, and is potentially low cost. While several prototype microwave breast imaging systems are currently in various stages of development, the design and fabrication of anatomically and dielectrically representative breast phantoms to evaluate these systems is often problematic. While some existing phantoms are composed of dielectrically representative materials, they rarely accurately represent the shape and size of a typical breast. Conversely, several phantoms have been developed to accurately model the shape of the human breast, but have inappropriate dielectric properties. This study will brie y review existing phantoms before describing the development of a more accurate and practical breast phantom for the evaluation of microwave breast imaging systems.

Adjusting slash pine growth and yield for silvicultural treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Stephen R. Logan; Barry D. Shiver

2006-01-01

With intensive silvicultural treatments such as fertilization and competition control now commonplace in today's slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations, a method to adjust current growth and yield models is required to accurately account for yield increases due to these practices. Some commonly used ad-hoc methods, such as raising site...

Using an FPGA for Fast Bit Accurate SoC Simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolkotte, P.T.; Holzenspies, P.K.F.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

In this paper we describe a sequential simulation method to simulate large parallel homo- and heterogeneous systems on a single FPGA. The method is applicable for parallel systems were lengthy cycle and bit accurate simulations are required. It is particularly designed for systems that do not fit

Efficient and Accurate Computational Framework for Injector Design and Analysis, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — CFD codes used to simulate upper stage expander cycle engines are not adequately mature to support design efforts. Rapid and accurate simulations require more...

Preferences for Life-Sustaining Treatments and Associations With Accurate Prognostic Awareness and Depressive Symptoms in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients' Last Year of Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Siew Tzuh; Wen, Fur-Hsing; Hsieh, Chia-Hsun; Chou, Wen-Chi; Chang, Wen-Cheng; Chen, Jen-Shi; Chiang, Ming-Chu

2016-01-01

The stability of life-sustaining treatment (LST) preferences at end of life (EOL) has been established. However, few studies have assessed preferences more than two times. Furthermore, associations of LST preferences with modifiable variables of accurate prognostic awareness, physician-patient EOL care discussions, and depressive symptoms have been investigated in cross-sectional studies only. To explore longitudinal changes in LST preferences and their associations with accurate prognostic awareness, physician-patient EOL care discussions, and depressive symptoms in terminally ill cancer patients' last year. LST preferences (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intensive care unit [ICU] care, intubation, and mechanical ventilation) were measured approximately every two weeks. Changes in LST preferences and their associations with independent variables were examined by hierarchical generalized linear modeling with logistic regression. Participants (n = 249) predominantly rejected cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ICU care, intubation, and mechanical ventilation at EOL without significant changes as death approached. Patients with inaccurate prognostic awareness were significantly more likely than those with accurate understanding to prefer ICU care, intubation, and mechanical ventilation than to reject these LSTs. Patients with more severe depressive symptoms were less likely to prefer ICU care and to be undecided about wanting ICU care and mechanical ventilation than to reject such LSTs. LST preferences were not associated with physician-patient EOL care discussions, which were rare in our sample. LST preferences are stable in cancer patients' last year. Facilitating accurate prognostic awareness and providing adequate psychological support may counteract the increasing trend for aggressive EOL care and minimize emotional distress during EOL care decisions. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

MO-G-BRE-04: Automatic Verification of Daily Treatment Deliveries and Generation of Daily Treatment Reports for a MR Image-Guided Treatment Machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, D; Li, X; Li, H; Wooten, H; Green, O; Rodriguez, V; Mutic, S

2014-01-01

Purpose: Two aims of this work were to develop a method to automatically verify treatment delivery accuracy immediately after patient treatment and to develop a comprehensive daily treatment report to provide all required information for daily MR-IGRT review. Methods: After systematically analyzing the requirements for treatment delivery verification and understanding the available information from a novel MR-IGRT treatment machine, we designed a method to use 1) treatment plan files, 2) delivery log files, and 3) dosimetric calibration information to verify the accuracy and completeness of daily treatment deliveries. The method verifies the correctness of delivered treatment plans and beams, beam segments, and for each segment, the beam-on time and MLC leaf positions. Composite primary fluence maps are calculated from the MLC leaf positions and the beam-on time. Error statistics are calculated on the fluence difference maps between the plan and the delivery. We also designed the daily treatment delivery report by including all required information for MR-IGRT and physics weekly review - the plan and treatment fraction information, dose verification information, daily patient setup screen captures, and the treatment delivery verification results. Results: The parameters in the log files (e.g. MLC positions) were independently verified and deemed accurate and trustable. A computer program was developed to implement the automatic delivery verification and daily report generation. The program was tested and clinically commissioned with sufficient IMRT and 3D treatment delivery data. The final version has been integrated into a commercial MR-IGRT treatment delivery system. Conclusion: A method was developed to automatically verify MR-IGRT treatment deliveries and generate daily treatment reports. Already in clinical use since December 2013, the system is able to facilitate delivery error detection, and expedite physician daily IGRT review and physicist weekly chart

Ground Water Monitoring Requirements for Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

The groundwater monitoring requirements for hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs) are just one aspect of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste management strategy for protecting human health and the

Accurate quantum chemical calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Langhoff, Stephen R.; Taylor, Peter R.

1989-01-01

An important goal of quantum chemical calculations is to provide an understanding of chemical bonding and molecular electronic structure. A second goal, the prediction of energy differences to chemical accuracy, has been much harder to attain. First, the computational resources required to achieve such accuracy are very large, and second, it is not straightforward to demonstrate that an apparently accurate result, in terms of agreement with experiment, does not result from a cancellation of errors. Recent advances in electronic structure methodology, coupled with the power of vector supercomputers, have made it possible to solve a number of electronic structure problems exactly using the full configuration interaction (FCI) method within a subspace of the complete Hilbert space. These exact results can be used to benchmark approximate techniques that are applicable to a wider range of chemical and physical problems. The methodology of many-electron quantum chemistry is reviewed. Methods are considered in detail for performing FCI calculations. The application of FCI methods to several three-electron problems in molecular physics are discussed. A number of benchmark applications of FCI wave functions are described. Atomic basis sets and the development of improved methods for handling very large basis sets are discussed: these are then applied to a number of chemical and spectroscopic problems; to transition metals; and to problems involving potential energy surfaces. Although the experiences described give considerable grounds for optimism about the general ability to perform accurate calculations, there are several problems that have proved less tractable, at least with current computer resources, and these and possible solutions are discussed.

Towards accurate performance prediction of a vertical axis wind turbine operating at different tip speed ratios

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, A.; Kalkman, I.; Blocken, B.J.E.

2017-01-01

Accurate prediction of the performance of a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) using CFD simulation requires the employment of a sufficiently fine azimuthal increment (dθ) combined with a mesh size at which essential flow characteristics can be accurately resolved. Furthermore, the domain size needs

Recommendations by NACP for accurate treatment geometry specification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaltonen, P.

1995-01-01

An investigation among the Nordic radiotherapy centres in 1991 confirmed that inconsistent use of dose and volume concepts is jeopardizing the high standard of radiation therapy. A Nordic working group was set up by NACP to standardize the concepts and quantities used throughout the whole radiation process. Now the draft report 'Specification of Dose Delivery in Radiation Therapy' is discussed with the radiotherapy community. The recent ICRU 50 report is the first step towards a uniform terminology and procedure at all radiotherapy centres. The new NACP report will be an important and more detailed addition for level 2-3 radiotherapy clinics and it will be specially adopted to the situation at the Nordic centres as well as other well equipped centres. The aim has been to recommend the use of concepts based on recent scientific development in the field of radiation therapy which are needed for the development of daily clinical practice. The terms and concepts for treatment geometry have been chosen by separating the concepts of tissues and volumes inside a patient. The tissues can be fixed in the coordinate system of the patient by adding a margin around them. This margin accounts for the movements of the tissues of interest inside the patient. The outer boundary of this margin is then encompassing the Strict Target Volume or Organ at Risk Volume which are fixed in the patient coordinate system. The set-up uncertainties of the patient in relation to the beams are considered during treatment planning by adding set-up margins to the beams

Heat Transfer Analysis of Localized Heat-Treatment for Grade 91 Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Jacob D.

Many of the projects utilizing Grade 91 steel are large in scale, therefore it is necessary to assemble on site. The assembly of the major pieces requires welding in the assembly; this drastically changes the superior mechanical properties of Grade 91 steel that it was specifically developed for. Therefore, because of the adverse effects of welding on the mechanical properties of Grade 91, it is necessary to do a localized post weld heat treatment. As with most metallic materials grade 91 steel requires a very specific heat treatment process. This process includes a specific temperature and duration at that temperature to achieve the heat treatment desired. Extensive research has been done to determine the proper temperatures and duration to provide the proper microstructure for the superior mechanical properties that are inherent to Grade 91 steel. The welded sections are typically large structures that require local heat treatments and cannot be placed in an oven. The locations of these structures vary from indoors in a controlled environment to outdoors with unpredictable environments. These environments can be controlled somewhat, however in large part the surrounding conditions are unchangeable. Therefore, there is a need to develop methods to accurately apply the surrounding conditions and geometries to a theoretical model in order to provide the proper requirements for the local heat treatment procedure. Within this requirement is the requirement to define unknowns used in the heat transfer equations so that accurate models can be produced and accurate results predicted. This study investigates experimentally and numerically the heat transfer and temperature fields of Grade 91 piping in a local heat treatment. The objective of this thesis research is to determine all of the needed heat transfer coefficients. The appropriate heat transfer coefficients are determined through the inverse heat conduction method utilizing a ceramic heat blanket. This will be done

Endoscopic laser treatment of glottic carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peretti, G.; Cappiello, J.; Renaldini, G.; Antonelli, A.R.; Villanacci, V.; Marocolo, D.

1992-01-01

Histological diagnosis of laryngeal epithelial abnormalities may range from mucosal aberration, without risk of progressing into invasive neoplasm, to in situ or invasive carcinoma. Precise identification of epithelial abnormalities of laryngeal mucosa requires biopsy and microscopic evaluation. Random biopsies are frequently inadequate, since they are not representative for the entire lesion. Excisional Biopsy, allowing removal of lesion together with a rim of healthy tissue is ideal for both diagnosis and treatment. If completely removed, the cancer should not require further treatment; if the margins are not free of disease, re-excision or radiotherapy is considered as alternative options. Laser excision represents an extension of the clinical application of endoscopy, allowing the laryngologist to perform an accurate and bloodless surgery. Endoscopic laser treatment for selected glottic SCC (squamous cell carcinoma) has been shown to provide an excellent alternative to radiotherapy or open neck surgery in terms of cure rate and functional results. Preliminary results are presented with the purpose of stressing the role of EB with CO2 laser in diagnosis and treatment of selected glottic carcinoma. (author). 16 refs

49 CFR 40.289 - Are employers required to provide SAP and treatment services to employees?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Are employers required to provide SAP and... Professionals and the Return-to-Duty Process § 40.289 Are employers required to provide SAP and treatment services to employees? (a) As an employer, you are not required to provide a SAP evaluation or any...

Simple, fast and accurate two-diode model for photovoltaic modules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishaque, Kashif; Salam, Zainal; Taheri, Hamed [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM 81310, Skudai, Johor Bahru (Malaysia)

2011-02-15

This paper proposes an improved modeling approach for the two-diode model of photovoltaic (PV) module. The main contribution of this work is the simplification of the current equation, in which only four parameters are required, compared to six or more in the previously developed two-diode models. Furthermore the values of the series and parallel resistances are computed using a simple and fast iterative method. To validate the accuracy of the proposed model, six PV modules of different types (multi-crystalline, mono-crystalline and thin-film) from various manufacturers are tested. The performance of the model is evaluated against the popular single diode models. It is found that the proposed model is superior when subjected to irradiance and temperature variations. In particular the model matches very accurately for all important points of the I-V curves, i.e. the peak power, short-circuit current and open circuit voltage. The modeling method is useful for PV power converter designers and circuit simulator developers who require simple, fast yet accurate model for the PV module. (author)

Accurate shear measurement with faint sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jun; Foucaud, Sebastien; Luo, Wentao

2015-01-01

For cosmic shear to become an accurate cosmological probe, systematic errors in the shear measurement method must be unambiguously identified and corrected for. Previous work of this series has demonstrated that cosmic shears can be measured accurately in Fourier space in the presence of background noise and finite pixel size, without assumptions on the morphologies of galaxy and PSF. The remaining major source of error is source Poisson noise, due to the finiteness of source photon number. This problem is particularly important for faint galaxies in space-based weak lensing measurements, and for ground-based images of short exposure times. In this work, we propose a simple and rigorous way of removing the shear bias from the source Poisson noise. Our noise treatment can be generalized for images made of multiple exposures through MultiDrizzle. This is demonstrated with the SDSS and COSMOS/ACS data. With a large ensemble of mock galaxy images of unrestricted morphologies, we show that our shear measurement method can achieve sub-percent level accuracy even for images of signal-to-noise ratio less than 5 in general, making it the most promising technique for cosmic shear measurement in the ongoing and upcoming large scale galaxy surveys

Accurate measurement of the electron beam polarization in JLab Hall A using Compton polarimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escoffier, S.; Bertin, P.Y.; Brossard, M.; Burtin, E.; Cavata, C.; Colombel, N.; Jager, C.W. de; Delbart, A.; Lhuillier, D.; Marie, F.; Mitchell, J.; Neyret, D.; Pussieux, T.

2005-01-01

A major advance in accurate electron beam polarization measurement has been achieved at Jlab Hall A with a Compton polarimeter based on a Fabry-Perot cavity photon beam amplifier. At an electron energy of 4.6GeV and a beam current of 40μA, a total relative uncertainty of 1.5% is typically achieved within 40min of data taking. Under the same conditions monitoring of the polarization is accurate at a level of 1%. These unprecedented results make Compton polarimetry an essential tool for modern parity-violation experiments, which require very accurate electron beam polarization measurements

SU-E-T-373: A Motorized Stage for Fast and Accurate QA of Machine Isocenter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, J; Velarde, E; Wong, J

2014-01-01

Purpose: Precision delivery of radiation dose relies on accurate knowledge of the machine isocenter under a variety of machine motions. This is typically determined by performing a Winston-Lutz test consisting of imaging a known object at multiple gantry/collimator/table angles and ensuring that the maximum offset is within specified tolerance. The first step in the Winston-Lutz test is careful placement of a ball bearing at the machine isocenter as determined by repeated imaging and shifting until accurate placement has been determined. Conventionally this is performed by adjusting a stage manually using vernier scales which carry the limitation that each adjustment must be done inside the treatment room with the risks of inaccurate adjustment of the scale and physical bumping of the table. It is proposed to use a motorized system controlled outside of the room to improve the required time and accuracy of these tests. Methods: The three dimensional vernier scales are replaced by three motors with accuracy of 1 micron and a range of 25.4mm connected via USB to a computer in the control room. Software is designed which automatically detects the motors and assigns them to proper axes and allows for small shifts to be entered and performed. Input values match calculated offsets in magnitude and sign to reduce conversion errors. Speed of setup, number of iterations to setup, and accuracy of final placement are assessed. Results: Automatic BB placement required 2.25 iterations and 13 minutes on average while manual placement required 3.76 iterations and 37.5 minutes. The average final XYZ offsets is 0.02cm, 0.01cm, 0.04cm for automatic setup and 0.04cm, 0.02cm, 0.04cm for manual setup. Conclusion: Automatic placement decreased time and repeat iterations for setup while improving placement accuracy. Automatic placement greatly reduces the time required to perform QA

The importance of accurate meteorological input fields and accurate planetary boundary layer parameterizations, tested against ETEX-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, J.; Ebel, A.; Elbern, H.; Jakobs, H.; Memmesheimer, M.; Mikkelsen, T.; Thykier-Nielsen, S.; Zlatev, Z.

1997-01-01

Atmospheric transport of air pollutants is, in principle, a well understood process. If information about the state of the atmosphere is given in all details (infinitely accurate information about wind speed, etc.) and infinitely fast computers are available then the advection equation could in principle be solved exactly. This is, however, not the case: discretization of the equations and input data introduces some uncertainties and errors in the results. Therefore many different issues have to be carefully studied in order to diminish these uncertainties and to develop an accurate transport model. Some of these are e.g. the numerical treatment of the transport equation, accuracy of the mean meteorological input fields and parameterizations of sub-grid scale phenomena (as e.g. parameterizations of the 2 nd and higher order turbulence terms in order to reach closure in the perturbation equation). A tracer model for studying transport and dispersion of air pollution caused by a single but strong source is under development. The model simulations from the first ETEX release illustrate the differences caused by using various analyzed fields directly in the tracer model or using a meteorological driver. Also different parameterizations of the mixing height and the vertical exchange are compared. (author)

An Accurate Method for Inferring Relatedness in Large Datasets of Unphased Genotypes via an Embedded Likelihood-Ratio Test

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez, Jesse M.; Batzoglou, Serafim; Bercovici, Sivan

2013-01-01

, accurate and efficient detection of hidden relatedness becomes a challenge. To enable disease-mapping studies of increasingly large cohorts, a fast and accurate method to detect IBD segments is required. We present PARENTE, a novel method for detecting

Guidance on enforcement of the requirements of the surface water treatment rule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-06-01

The document provides guidance on several specific issues relating to the enforcement of the Surface Water Treatment Rule. The guidance deals with the provisions of the Rule relating to unfiltered systems. Enforcements of the requirements relating to the filtered systems will be dealt with in a later document

How accurate are self‐reported smoking habits in patients with tuberculosis?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cope GF

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background Smoking or chewing tobacco is a global public health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in developing countries. These same countries often also have high rates of tuberculosis disease and infection. As smoking can adversely affect tuberculosis severity, response to treatment and relapse, it is therefore important that clinicians have an accurate picture of patients’ smoking habits. Self‐reported smoking habits may be unreliable and objective measurements of tobacco exposure more accurate. Objective To determine the reliability of self‐reported smoking habits in patients with tuberculosis by measurement of urinary cotinine levels, an objective measure of tobacco exposure. Methods Self‐reported tobacco use was recorded in 100 patients receiving treatment for active or latent tuberculosis using an interviewer administered ‘questionnaire. Urinary cotinine levels were measured by the SmokeScreen test 24hours after the end of treatment. Findings Of 81 reported non‐smokers, 10 had a positive test for cotinine, six of whom gave a result indicative of heavy (11‐15 cigarettes/day or very heavy (>16/day smoking. Of the 17 self‐confessed smokers and two chewers of tobacco, nine gave a result consistent with very heavy smoking although none had reported this degree of tobacco use. Conclusions Important discrepancies exist between subjective and objective smoking habits. Reliance on patient history may adversely affect response to tuberculosis treatment, and some patients will be denied appropriate intervention for smoking cessation.

A simple technique for an accurate shielding of the lungs during total body irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hana Mekdash

2017-09-01

Conclusion: This new technique succeeded in reducing the length of the overall treatment session of the conventional TBI procedure and hence reduced patient discomfort while ensuring accurate shielding of the lungs.

Accurate and precise determination of small quantity uranium by means of automatic potentiometric titration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Quanwei; Luo Zhongyan; Zhu Haiqiao; Wu Jizong

2007-01-01

For high radioactivity level of dissolved solution of spent fuel and the solution of uranium product, radioactive hazard must be considered and reduced as low as possible during accurate determination of uranium. In this work automatic potentiometric titration was applied and the sample only 10 mg of uranium contained was taken in order to reduce the harm of analyzer suffered from the radioactivity. RSD<0.06%, at the same time the result can be corrected for more reliable and accurate measurement. The determination method can effectively reduce the harm of analyzer suffered from the radioactivity, and meets the requirement of reliable accurate measurement of uranium. (authors)

Accurate Modeling of Advanced Reflectarrays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Min

to the conventional phase-only optimization technique (POT), the geometrical parameters of the array elements are directly optimized to fulfill the far-field requirements, thus maintaining a direct relation between optimization goals and optimization variables. As a result, better designs can be obtained compared...... of the incident field, the choice of basis functions, and the technique to calculate the far-field. Based on accurate reference measurements of two offset reflectarrays carried out at the DTU-ESA Spherical NearField Antenna Test Facility, it was concluded that the three latter factors are particularly important...... using the GDOT to demonstrate its capabilities. To verify the accuracy of the GDOT, two offset contoured beam reflectarrays that radiate a high-gain beam on a European coverage have been designed and manufactured, and subsequently measured at the DTU-ESA Spherical Near-Field Antenna Test Facility...

The Alzheimer's β-secretase enzyme BACE1 is required for accurate axon guidance of olfactory sensory neurons and normal glomerulus formation in the olfactory bulb

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajapaksha Tharinda W

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The β-secretase, β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1, is a prime therapeutic target for lowering cerebral β-amyloid (Aβ levels in Alzheimer's disease (AD. Clinical development of BACE1 inhibitors is being intensely pursued. However, little is known about the physiological functions of BACE1, and the possibility exists that BACE1 inhibition may cause mechanism-based side effects. Indeed, BACE1-/- mice exhibit a complex neurological phenotype. Interestingly, BACE1 co-localizes with presynaptic neuronal markers, indicating a role in axons and/or terminals. Moreover, recent studies suggest axon guidance molecules are potential BACE1 substrates. Here, we used a genetic approach to investigate the function of BACE1 in axon guidance of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs, a well-studied model of axon targeting in vivo. Results We bred BACE1-/- mice with gene-targeted mice in which GFP is expressed from the loci of two odorant-receptors (ORs, MOR23 and M72, and olfactory marker protein (OMP to produce offspring that were heterozygous for MOR23-GFP, M72-GFP, or OMP-GFP and were either BACE1+/+ or BACE1-/-. BACE1-/- mice had olfactory bulbs (OBs that were smaller and weighed less than OBs of BACE1+/+ mice. In wild-type mice, BACE1 was present in OSN axon terminals in OB glomeruli. In whole-mount preparations and tissue sections, many OB glomeruli from OMP-GFP; BACE1-/- mice were malformed compared to wild-type glomeruli. MOR23-GFP; BACE1-/- mice had an irregular MOR23 glomerulus that was innervated by randomly oriented, poorly fasciculated OSN axons compared to BACE1+/+ mice. Most importantly, M72-GFP; BACE1-/- mice exhibited M72 OSN axons that were mis-targeted to ectopic glomeruli, indicating impaired axon guidance in BACE1-/- mice. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that BACE1 is required for the accurate targeting of OSN axons and the proper formation of glomeruli in the OB, suggesting a role for BACE1 in

20 CFR 633.309 - Recordkeeping requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... data components provide federally-required records and reports that are accurate, uniform in definition... accordance with established program definitions contained in the Act and these regulations; (2) Follow..., consistent, and accurate; (5) Meet generally accepted accounting principles as prescribed in 41 CFR part 29...

Complex rectal polyps: other treatment modalities required when offering a transanal endoscopic microsurgery service.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Joyce, Myles R

2011-09-01

Complex rectal polyps may present a clinical challenge. The study aim was to assess different treatment modalities required in the management of patients referred for transanal endoscopic microsurgery.

[Guideline-conform psychiatric psychotherapeutic treatment for patients with schizophrenia : A normative evaluation of necessary personnel requirements].

Science.gov (United States)

Mehl, S; Falkai, P; Berger, M; Löhr, M; Rujescu, D; Wolff, J; Kircher, T

2016-03-01

Although national treatment guidelines and current publications of the German Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss) recommend cognitive behavior therapy for all patients with schizophrenia, the implementation of these recommendations in current inpatient and outpatient treatment is only rudimentary. The aim of this study was to systematically search randomized controlled studies (RCTs), meta-analyses and the guidelines of the German Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology (DGPPN) and the British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in order to assess the number of personnel necessary for psychiatric and therapeutic inpatient treatment in line with present guidelines. Moreover, the number of staff required was compared with the personnel resources designated by the German psychiatry personnel regulations (Psych-PV). The German and NICE guidelines, RCTs and meta-analyses were analyzed and an adequate weekly treatment plan for an inpatient unit was developed. Moreover, the number of personnel necessary to realize the treatment plan was calculated. In order to realize adequate inpatient treatment approximately 107 min extra for medical psychotherapeutic personnel per patient and week (of which 72 min for psychotherapy) and another 60 min for nursing staff per patient and week are required in addition to the current Psych-PV regulations. Thus, implementation in an open ward with 20 inpatients would require 3.62 positions for physicians, 0.7 positions in psychology and 12.85 positions for nursing staff (including management positions and night shifts). These evidence-based recommendations for precise specifications of inpatient treatment should lead to improved inpatient treatment in line with present guidelines. Moreover, outpatients and day patients could be included in this treatment model. The results should be considered in the construction of the future prospective payment system for

A method for the accurate determination of the polarization of a neutron beam using a polarized 3He spin filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greene, G.L.; Thompson, A.K.; Dewey, M.S.

1995-01-01

A new method for the accurate determination of the degree of polarization of a neutron beam which has been polarized by transmission through a spin polarized 3 He cell is given. The method does not require the use of an analyzer or spin flipper nor does it require an accurate independent determination of the 3 He polarization. The method provides a continuous on-line determination of the neutron polarization. The method may be of use in the accurate determination of correlation coefficients in neutron beta decay which provide a test of the standard model for the electroweak interaction. The method may also provide an accurate procedure for the calibration of polarized 3 He targets used in medium and high energy scattering experiments. ((orig.))

Assessing reference genes for accurate transcript normalization using quantitative real-time PCR in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L. R. Br].

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasenjit Saha

Full Text Available Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L. R.Br.], a close relative of Panicoideae food crops and bioenergy grasses, offers an ideal system to perform functional genomics studies related to C4 photosynthesis and abiotic stress tolerance. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR provides a sensitive platform to conduct such gene expression analyses. However, the lack of suitable internal control reference genes for accurate transcript normalization during qRT-PCR analysis in pearl millet is the major limitation. Here, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of 18 reference genes on 234 samples which included an array of different developmental tissues, hormone treatments and abiotic stress conditions from three genotypes to determine appropriate reference genes for accurate normalization of qRT-PCR data. Analyses of Ct values using Stability Index, BestKeeper, ΔCt, Normfinder, geNorm and RefFinder programs ranked PP2A, TIP41, UBC2, UBQ5 and ACT as the most reliable reference genes for accurate transcript normalization under different experimental conditions. Furthermore, we validated the specificity of these genes for precise quantification of relative gene expression and provided evidence that a combination of the best reference genes are required to obtain optimal expression patterns for both endogeneous genes as well as transgenes in pearl millet.

7 CFR 305.15 - Treatment requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...) Blacklight or sticky paper must be used within the cold treatment facility, and other trapping methods... type of fruit in the same type of package may be treated together in a container; no mixture of fruits... treatment technician who has been trained to initiate cold treatments for either break bulk vessels or...

Fast and accurate calculation of the properties of water and steam for simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szegi, Zs.; Gacs, A.

1990-01-01

A basic principle simulator was developed at the CRIP, Budapest, for real time simulation of the transients of WWER-440 type nuclear power plants. Its integral part is the fast and accurate calculation of the thermodynamic properties of water and steam. To eliminate successive approximations, the model system of the secondary coolant circuit requires binary forms which are known as inverse functions, countinuous when crossing the saturation line, accurate and coherent for all argument combinations. A solution which reduces the computer memory and execution time demand is reported. (author) 36 refs.; 5 figs.; 3 tabs

Research and development on groundwater dating. Part 11. The proposal of separation method of chloride and sulfate ion for accurate measurement of 36Cl/Cl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakata, Kotaro; Hasegawa, Takuma

2010-01-01

36 Cl is one of the most powerful tools to estimate the residence time of groundwater about 300-1800 thousand years. AMS(Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy) can provide accurate estimation of 36 Cl. However, estimation of 36 Cl by AMS is usually disturbed by isobar such as 36 S. Thus, separation of Cl (usually Cl - form in groundwater) and S (usually SO 4 -2 form in groundwater) is required for accurate estimation of 36 Cl. In previous studies, a methodology (BaSO 4 Method) that uses the difference in solubility between BaSO 4 and BaCl 2 , had been applied as pretreatment method for 36 Cl estimation by AMS. However BaSO 4 Method has following disadvantages; (1) Cl and SO 4 can not be separated completely, (2) accuracy of separation depends on the skills of operator, (3) it takes a long time for treatment, (4) it can not be applied to dilute solutions. Therefore, new methodology that can overcome disadvantages of BaSO 4 method is required for more accurate estimation of 36 Cl. In this study, Column Method based on column chromatography was investigated for pretreatment method for 36 Cl estimation by AMS to separate Cl and SO 4 ions. The conditions for Column Method were determined and adjusted so that Cl and SO 4 ions were separated completely and sufficient amount of Cl for 36 Cl estimation can be treated. The results of AMS measurement showed Column Method can remove SO 4 from Cl more effectively comparing with BaSO 4 method. Furthermore, Column Method was found to have following advantages over BaSO 4 Method; (1) dependence of accuracy of separation on the skills of operator is quite low, (2) treatment can be done within 6 h, (3) it can be applied to dilute solutions. (author)

Discrete sensors distribution for accurate plantar pressure analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Claverie, Laetitia; Ille, Anne; Moretto, Pierre

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of discrete sensors under the footprint for accurate plantar pressure analyses. For this purpose, two different sensor layouts have been tested and compared, to determine which was the most accurate to monitor plantar pressure with wireless devices in research and/or clinical practice. Ten healthy volunteers participated in the study (age range: 23-58 years). The barycenter of pressures (BoP) determined from the plantar pressure system (W-inshoe®) was compared to the center of pressures (CoP) determined from a force platform (AMTI) in the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions. Then, the vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) obtained from both W-inshoe® and force platform was compared for both layouts for each subject. The BoP and vGRF determined from the plantar pressure system data showed good correlation (SCC) with those determined from the force platform data, notably for the second sensor organization (ML SCC= 0.95; AP SCC=0.99; vGRF SCC=0.91). The study demonstrates that an adjusted placement of removable sensors is key to accurate plantar pressure analyses. These results are promising for a plantar pressure recording outside clinical or laboratory settings, for long time monitoring, real time feedback or for whatever activity requiring a low-cost system. Copyright © 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of time required for traditional versus virtual orthognathic surgery treatment planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Wrzosek, M K; Peacock, Z S; Laviv, A; Goldwaser, B R; Ortiz, R; Resnick, C M; Troulis, M J; Kaban, L B

2016-09-01

Virtual surgical planning (VSP) is a tool for predicting complex surgical movements in three dimensions and it may reduce preoperative laboratory time. A prospective study to compare the time required for standard preoperative planning versus VSP was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital from January 2014 through January 2015. Workflow data for bimaxillary cases planned by both standard techniques and VSP were recorded in real time. Time spent was divided into three parts: (1) obtaining impressions, face-bow mounting, and model preparation; (2) occlusal analysis and modification, model surgery, and splint fabrication; (3) online VSP session. Average times were compared between standard treatment planning (sum of parts 1 and 2) and VSP (sum of parts 1 and 3). Of 41 bimaxillary cases included, 20 were simple (symmetric) and 21 were complex (asymmetry and segmental osteotomies). Average times for parts 1, 2, and 3 were 4.43, 3.01, and 0.67h, respectively. The average time required for standard treatment planning was 7.45h and for VSP was 5.10h, a 31% time reduction (Porthognathic surgery cases. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accurate measurement of indoor radon concentration using a low-effective volume radon monitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Aya; Minami, Nodoka; Mukai, Takahiro; Yasuoka, Yumi; Iimoto, Takeshi; Omori, Yasutaka; Nagahama, Hiroyuki; Muto, Jun

2017-01-01

AlphaGUARD is a low-effective volume detector and one of the most popular portable radon monitors which is currently available. This study investigated whether AlphaGUARD can accurately measure the variable indoor radon levels. The consistency of the radon-concentration data obtained by AlphaGUARD is evaluated against simultaneous measurements by two other monitors (each ∼10 times more sensitive than AlphaGUARD). When accurately measuring radon concentration with AlphaGUARD, we found that the net counts of the AlphaGUARD were required of at least 500 counts, <25% of the relative percent difference. AlphaGUARD can provide accurate measurements of radon concentration for the world average level (∼50 Bq m -3 ) and the reference level of workplace (1000 Bq m -3 ), using integrated data over at least 3 h and 10 min, respectively. (authors)

The FLUKA code: An accurate simulation tool for particle therapy

CERN Document Server

Battistoni, Giuseppe; Böhlen, Till T; Cerutti, Francesco; Chin, Mary Pik Wai; Dos Santos Augusto, Ricardo M; Ferrari, Alfredo; Garcia Ortega, Pablo; Kozlowska, Wioletta S; Magro, Giuseppe; Mairani, Andrea; Parodi, Katia; Sala, Paola R; Schoofs, Philippe; Tessonnier, Thomas; Vlachoudis, Vasilis

2016-01-01

Monte Carlo (MC) codes are increasingly spreading in the hadrontherapy community due to their detailed description of radiation transport and interaction with matter. The suitability of a MC code for application to hadrontherapy demands accurate and reliable physical models capable of handling all components of the expected radiation field. This becomes extremely important for correctly performing not only physical but also biologically-based dose calculations, especially in cases where ions heavier than protons are involved. In addition, accurate prediction of emerging secondary radiation is of utmost importance in innovative areas of research aiming at in-vivo treatment verification. This contribution will address the recent developments of the FLUKA MC code and its practical applications in this field. Refinements of the FLUKA nuclear models in the therapeutic energy interval lead to an improved description of the mixed radiation field as shown in the presented benchmarks against experimental data with bot...

An accurate determination of the flux within a slab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganapol, B.D.; Lapenta, G.

1993-01-01

During the past decade, several articles have been written concerning accurate solutions to the monoenergetic neutron transport equation in infinite and semi-infinite geometries. The numerical formulations found in these articles were based primarily on the extensive theoretical investigations performed by the open-quotes transport greatsclose quotes such as Chandrasekhar, Busbridge, Sobolev, and Ivanov, to name a few. The development of numerical solutions in infinite and semi-infinite geometries represents an example of how mathematical transport theory can be utilized to provide highly accurate and efficient numerical transport solutions. These solutions, or analytical benchmarks, are useful as open-quotes industry standards,close quotes which provide guidance to code developers and promote learning in the classroom. The high accuracy of these benchmarks is directly attributable to the rapid advancement of the state of computing and computational methods. Transport calculations that were beyond the capability of the open-quotes supercomputersclose quotes of just a few years ago are now possible at one's desk. In this paper, we again build upon the past to tackle the slab problem, which is of the next level of difficulty in comparison to infinite media problems. The formulation is based on the monoenergetic Green's function, which is the most fundamental transport solution. This method of solution requires a fast and accurate evaluation of the Green's function, which, with today's computational power, is now readily available

Accurate estimation of dose distributions inside an eye irradiated with 106Ru plaques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brualla, L.; Sauerwein, W.; Sempau, J.; Zaragoza, F.J.; Wittig, A.

2013-01-01

Background: Irradiation of intraocular tumors requires dedicated techniques, such as brachytherapy with 106 Ru plaques. The currently available treatment planning system relies on the assumption that the eye is a homogeneous water sphere and on simplified radiation transport physics. However, accurate dose distributions and their assessment demand better models for both the eye and the physics. Methods: The Monte Carlo code PENELOPE, conveniently adapted to simulate the beta decay of 106 Ru over 106 Rh into 106 Pd, was used to simulate radiation transport based on a computerized tomography scan of a patient's eye. A detailed geometrical description of two plaques (models CCA and CCB) from the manufacturer BEBIG was embedded in the computerized tomography scan. Results: The simulations were firstly validated by comparison with experimental results in a water phantom. Dose maps were computed for three plaque locations on the eyeball. From these maps, isodose curves and cumulative dose-volume histograms in the eye and for the structures at risk were assessed. For example, it was observed that a 4-mm anterior displacement with respect to a posterior placement of a CCA plaque for treating a posterior tumor would reduce from 40 to 0% the volume of the optic disc receiving more than 80 Gy. Such a small difference in anatomical position leads to a change in the dose that is crucial for side effects, especially with respect to visual acuity. The radiation oncologist has to bring these large changes in absorbed dose in the structures at risk to the attention of the surgeon, especially when the plaque has to be positioned close to relevant tissues. Conclusion: The detailed geometry of an eye plaque in computerized and segmented tomography of a realistic patient phantom was simulated accurately. Dose-volume histograms for relevant anatomical structures of the eye and the orbit were obtained with unprecedented accuracy. This represents an important step toward an optimized

Special set-up and treatment techniques for the radiotherapy of pediatric malignancies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, A.; Donaldson, S.S.; Bagshaw, M.A.

1977-01-01

The prevention of serious and long term complications of treatment have become as important a consideration in the therapy of children with malignant disease as the goal of tumor control. This balance requires meticulous treatment planning and attention to the treatment preparation and immobilization techniques when radiotherapy is administered to children. Accurate localization of tumor volume and daily reproducibility is essential for delivering precise irradiation. Four special set-up and treatment techniques which have a specific usefulness in radiotherapy for pediatric malignancies are defined and illustrated with the aid of clinical cases. They include the three point set-up, the split beam technique, the isocentric technique, and the strinking field technique

Towards the accurate electronic structure descriptions of typical high-constant dielectrics

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ting-Ting; Sun, Qing-Qing; Li, Ye; Guo, Jiao-Jiao; Zhou, Peng; Ding, Shi-Jin; Zhang, David Wei

2011-05-01

High-constant dielectrics have gained considerable attention due to their wide applications in advanced devices, such as gate oxides in metal-oxide-semiconductor devices and insulators in high-density metal-insulator-metal capacitors. However, the theoretical investigations of these materials cannot fulfil the requirement of experimental development, especially the requirement for the accurate description of band structures. We performed first-principles calculations based on the hybrid density functionals theory to investigate several typical high-k dielectrics such as Al2O3, HfO2, ZrSiO4, HfSiO4, La2O3 and ZrO2. The band structures of these materials are well described within the framework of hybrid density functionals theory. The band gaps of Al2O3, HfO2, ZrSiO4, HfSiO4, La2O3 and ZrO2are calculated to be 8.0 eV, 5.6 eV, 6.2 eV, 7.1 eV, 5.3 eV and 5.0 eV, respectively, which are very close to the experimental values and far more accurate than those obtained by the traditional generalized gradient approximation method.

Accurate, stable and efficient Navier-Stokes solvers based on explicit treatment of the pressure term

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, Hans; Liu Jianguo

2004-01-01

We present numerical schemes for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations based on a primitive variable formulation in which the incompressibility constraint has been replaced by a pressure Poisson equation. The pressure is treated explicitly in time, completely decoupling the computation of the momentum and kinematic equations. The result is a class of extremely efficient Navier-Stokes solvers. Full time accuracy is achieved for all flow variables. The key to the schemes is a Neumann boundary condition for the pressure Poisson equation which enforces the incompressibility condition for the velocity field. Irrespective of explicit or implicit time discretization of the viscous term in the momentum equation the explicit time discretization of the pressure term does not affect the time step constraint. Indeed, we prove unconditional stability of the new formulation for the Stokes equation with explicit treatment of the pressure term and first or second order implicit treatment of the viscous term. Systematic numerical experiments for the full Navier-Stokes equations indicate that a second order implicit time discretization of the viscous term, with the pressure and convective terms treated explicitly, is stable under the standard CFL condition. Additionally, various numerical examples are presented, including both implicit and explicit time discretizations, using spectral and finite difference spatial discretizations, demonstrating the accuracy, flexibility and efficiency of this class of schemes. In particular, a Galerkin formulation is presented requiring only C 0 elements to implement

Application of an accurate thermal hydraulics solver in VTT's reactor dynamics codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajamaeki, M.; Raety, H.; Kyrki-Rajamaeki, R.; Eskola, M.

1998-01-01

VTT's reactor dynamics codes are developed further and new more detailed models are created for tasks related to increased safety requirements. For thermal hydraulics calculations an accurate general flow model based on a new solution method PLIM has been developed. It has been applied in VTT's one-dimensional TRAB and three-dimensional HEXTRAN codes. Results of a demanding international boron dilution benchmark defined by VTT are given and compared against results of other codes with original or improved boron tracking. The new PLIM method not only allows the accurate modelling of a propagating boron dilution front, but also the tracking of a temperature front, which is missed by the special boron tracking models. (orig.)

The New Aptima HBV Quant Real-Time TMA Assay Accurately Quantifies Hepatitis B Virus DNA from Genotypes A to F.

Science.gov (United States)

Chevaliez, Stéphane; Dauvillier, Claude; Dubernet, Fabienne; Poveda, Jean-Dominique; Laperche, Syria; Hézode, Christophe; Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel

2017-04-01

Sensitive and accurate hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA detection and quantification are essential to diagnose HBV infection, establish the prognosis of HBV-related liver disease, and guide the decision to treat and monitor the virological response to antiviral treatment and the emergence of resistance. Currently available HBV DNA platforms and assays are generally designed for batching multiple specimens within an individual run and require at least one full day of work to complete the analyses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the newly developed, fully automated, one-step Aptima HBV Quant assay to accurately detect and quantify HBV DNA in a large series of patients infected with different HBV genotypes. The limit of detection of the assay was estimated to be 4.5 IU/ml. The specificity of the assay was 100%. Intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation ranged from 0.29% to 5.07% and 4.90% to 6.85%, respectively. HBV DNA levels from patients infected with HBV genotypes A to F measured with the Aptima HBV Quant assay strongly correlated with those measured by two commercial real-time PCR comparators (Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HBV test, version 2.0, and Abbott RealTi m e HBV test). In conclusion, the Aptima HBV Quant assay is sensitive, specific, and reproducible and accurately quantifies HBV DNA in plasma samples from patients with chronic HBV infections of all genotypes, including patients on antiviral treatment with nucleoside or nucleotide analogues. The Aptima HBV Quant assay can thus confidently be used to detect and quantify HBV DNA in both clinical trials with new anti-HBV drugs and clinical practice. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Accurate Multisteps Traffic Flow Prediction Based on SVM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Mingheng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate traffic flow prediction is prerequisite and important for realizing intelligent traffic control and guidance, and it is also the objective requirement for intelligent traffic management. Due to the strong nonlinear, stochastic, time-varying characteristics of urban transport system, artificial intelligence methods such as support vector machine (SVM are now receiving more and more attentions in this research field. Compared with the traditional single-step prediction method, the multisteps prediction has the ability that can predict the traffic state trends over a certain period in the future. From the perspective of dynamic decision, it is far important than the current traffic condition obtained. Thus, in this paper, an accurate multi-steps traffic flow prediction model based on SVM was proposed. In which, the input vectors were comprised of actual traffic volume and four different types of input vectors were compared to verify their prediction performance with each other. Finally, the model was verified with actual data in the empirical analysis phase and the test results showed that the proposed SVM model had a good ability for traffic flow prediction and the SVM-HPT model outperformed the other three models for prediction.

Towards accurate emergency response behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sargent, T.O.

1981-01-01

Nuclear reactor operator emergency response behavior has persisted as a training problem through lack of information. The industry needs an accurate definition of operator behavior in adverse stress conditions, and training methods which will produce the desired behavior. Newly assembled information from fifty years of research into human behavior in both high and low stress provides a more accurate definition of appropriate operator response, and supports training methods which will produce the needed control room behavior. The research indicates that operator response in emergencies is divided into two modes, conditioned behavior and knowledge based behavior. Methods which assure accurate conditioned behavior, and provide for the recovery of knowledge based behavior, are described in detail

Accurate Treatment of Collisions and Water-Delivery in Models of Terrestrial Planet Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Haghighipour, Nader; Maindl, Thomas; Schaefer, Christoph

2017-10-01

It is widely accepted that collisions among solid bodies, ignited by their interactions with planetary embryos is the key process in the formation of terrestrial planets and transport of volatiles and chemical compounds to their accretion zones. Unfortunately, due to computational complexities, these collisions are often treated in a rudimentary way. Impacts are considered to be perfectly inelastic and volatiles are considered to be fully transferred from one object to the other. This perfect-merging assumption has profound effects on the mass and composition of final planetary bodies as it grossly overestimates the masses of these objects and the amounts of volatiles and chemical elements transferred to them. It also entirely neglects collisional-loss of volatiles (e.g., water) and draws an unrealistic connection between these properties and the chemical structure of the protoplanetary disk (i.e., the location of their original carriers). We have developed a new and comprehensive methodology to simulate growth of embryos to planetary bodies where we use a combination of SPH and N-body codes to accurately model collisions as well as the transport/transfer of chemical compounds. Our methodology accounts for the loss of volatiles (e.g., ice sublimation) during the orbital evolution of their careers and accurately tracks their transfer from one body to another. Results of our simulations show that traditional N-body modeling of terrestrial planet formation overestimates the amount of the mass and water contents of the final planets by over 60% implying that not only the amount of water they suggest is far from being realistic, small planets such as Mars can also form in these simulations when collisions are treated properly. We will present details of our methodology and discuss its implications for terrestrial planet formation and water delivery to Earth.

Accurate treatment of nanoelectronics through improved description of van der Waals Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kelkkanen, Kari André

, or even as broken. The hexamer experience of the criteria and effects of vdW forces can be used in interpretation of results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of ambient water, where vdW forces qualitatively result in liquid water with fewer, more distorted HBs. This is interesting...... and relevance of van der Waals (vdW) forces in molecular surface adsorption and water through density- functional theory (DFT), using the exchange-correlation functional vdW-DF [Dion et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 246401 (2004)] and developments based on it. Results are first computed for adsorption with vd...... functionals. DFT calculations are performed for water dimer and hexamer, and for liquid water. Calculations on four low-energetic isomers of the water hexamer show that the vdW-DF accurately determines the energetic trend on these small clusters. How- ever, the dissociation-energy values with the vd...

STATUS KESEHATAN GIGI, PERFORMED TREATMENT INDEX DAN REQUIRED TREATMENT INDEX ANAK SEKOLAH DASAR DI KABUPATEN CIANJUR, KARAWANG DAN SERANG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdarina D. Agtini

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Community dental health status for permanent teeth in determined by the DMF-T (Decayed Misssing and Filled Teeth. The DMF-T in a number of industrialized nations shows a tendency to drop while the trend in developing nations is increasing. In Indonesia dental caries is still the foremost problem in oral and dental diseases, Prevalence of dental caries is around 85%-99%. The DMF-T is varied, reflect geographic and ages variations. In three decade's the intensity of dental caries is increasing with each decade, 0,70 DMF-T in 1970 to be 2,30 DMF-T in 1980 and 2,70 DMF-Tin 1990. Goal of dental caries control for 2010 is DMF-T ≤ 1 for 12 years age group. Baseline study is therefore necessary to ascertain DMF-T, PTI (Performed Treatment Index and RTI (Required Treatment Index. The study was implemented in the districts of Cianjur, Karawang and Serang in West Java for two years. The study design was cohort. The respondents  were 1200 pupils aged 8 years, randomly selected with a signifzcantcy grade of p < 0,05 and power of 0,20. The study results showed average of DMF-T at the beginning was 1,52 ± 1,21, and after two years the DMF-T was 2.45 ± 1.51 comprise only of the decayed component, and There was significant different (p=0,000. The DMF-T was low WHO criteria, nevertheless the PTI (1,2% was very low and the RTI (98% was very high. The DMF_T average shows a tendency to increase, with D as the largest component and F (Filling the smallest one. The control of dental caries faces several problems, like the limited number of manpower and facilities, and limited supply of water and electricity incertain areas. Therefore treatment of dental caries with GIC fillings using the ART method should be taken into consideration receive the necessary attention.   Key words:  Status kesehatan gigi, Karies, Performed treatment Index (PTI,  Required Treatment  Index (RTI

Indexed variation graphs for efficient and accurate resistome profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Will P M; Winn, Martyn D

2018-05-14

Antimicrobial resistance remains a major threat to global health. Profiling the collective antimicrobial resistance genes within a metagenome (the "resistome") facilitates greater understanding of antimicrobial resistance gene diversity and dynamics. In turn, this can allow for gene surveillance, individualised treatment of bacterial infections and more sustainable use of antimicrobials. However, resistome profiling can be complicated by high similarity between reference genes, as well as the sheer volume of sequencing data and the complexity of analysis workflows. We have developed an efficient and accurate method for resistome profiling that addresses these complications and improves upon currently available tools. Our method combines a variation graph representation of gene sets with an LSH Forest indexing scheme to allow for fast classification of metagenomic sequence reads using similarity-search queries. Subsequent hierarchical local alignment of classified reads against graph traversals enables accurate reconstruction of full-length gene sequences using a scoring scheme. We provide our implementation, GROOT, and show it to be both faster and more accurate than a current reference-dependent tool for resistome profiling. GROOT runs on a laptop and can process a typical 2 gigabyte metagenome in 2 minutes using a single CPU. Our method is not restricted to resistome profiling and has the potential to improve current metagenomic workflows. GROOT is written in Go and is available at https://github.com/will-rowe/groot (MIT license). will.rowe@stfc.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

An accurate solver for forward and inverse transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monard, Francois; Bal, Guillaume

2010-01-01

This paper presents a robust and accurate way to solve steady-state linear transport (radiative transfer) equations numerically. Our main objective is to address the inverse transport problem, in which the optical parameters of a domain of interest are reconstructed from measurements performed at the domain's boundary. This inverse problem has important applications in medical and geophysical imaging, and more generally in any field involving high frequency waves or particles propagating in scattering environments. Stable solutions of the inverse transport problem require that the singularities of the measurement operator, which maps the optical parameters to the available measurements, be captured with sufficient accuracy. This in turn requires that the free propagation of particles be calculated with care, which is a difficult problem on a Cartesian grid. A standard discrete ordinates method is used for the direction of propagation of the particles. Our methodology to address spatial discretization is based on rotating the computational domain so that each direction of propagation is always aligned with one of the grid axes. Rotations are performed in the Fourier domain to achieve spectral accuracy. The numerical dispersion of the propagating particles is therefore minimal. As a result, the ballistic and single scattering components of the transport solution are calculated robustly and accurately. Physical blurring effects, such as small angular diffusion, are also incorporated into the numerical tool. Forward and inverse calculations performed in a two-dimensional setting exemplify the capabilities of the method. Although the methodology might not be the fastest way to solve transport equations, its physical accuracy provides us with a numerical tool to assess what can and cannot be reconstructed in inverse transport theory.

Stable and high order accurate difference methods for the elastic wave equation in discontinuous media

KAUST Repository

Duru, Kenneth

2014-12-01

© 2014 Elsevier Inc. In this paper, we develop a stable and systematic procedure for numerical treatment of elastic waves in discontinuous and layered media. We consider both planar and curved interfaces where media parameters are allowed to be discontinuous. The key feature is the highly accurate and provably stable treatment of interfaces where media discontinuities arise. We discretize in space using high order accurate finite difference schemes that satisfy the summation by parts rule. Conditions at layer interfaces are imposed weakly using penalties. By deriving lower bounds of the penalty strength and constructing discrete energy estimates we prove time stability. We present numerical experiments in two space dimensions to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed method for simulations involving typical interface phenomena in elastic materials. The numerical experiments verify high order accuracy and time stability.

Thermal dosimetry for bladder hyperthermia treatment. An overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Schooneveldt, Gerben; Bakker, Akke; Balidemaj, Edmond; Chopra, Rajiv; Crezee, Johannes; Geijsen, Elisabeth D; Hartmann, Josefin; Hulshof, Maarten C C M; Kok, H Petra; Paulides, Margarethus M; Sousa-Escandon, Alejandro; Stauffer, Paul R; Maccarini, Paolo F

2016-06-01

The urinary bladder is a fluid-filled organ. This makes, on the one hand, the internal surface of the bladder wall relatively easy to heat and ensures in most cases a relatively homogeneous temperature distribution; on the other hand the variable volume, organ motion, and moving fluid cause artefacts for most non-invasive thermometry methods, and require additional efforts in planning accurate thermal treatment of bladder cancer. We give an overview of the thermometry methods currently used and investigated for hyperthermia treatments of bladder cancer, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages within the context of the specific disease (muscle-invasive or non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer) and the heating technique used. The role of treatment simulation to determine the thermal dose delivered is also discussed. Generally speaking, invasive measurement methods are more accurate than non-invasive methods, but provide more limited spatial information; therefore, a combination of both is desirable, preferably supplemented by simulations. Current efforts at research and clinical centres continue to improve non-invasive thermometry methods and the reliability of treatment planning and control software. Due to the challenges in measuring temperature across the non-stationary bladder wall and surrounding tissues, more research is needed to increase our knowledge about the penetration depth and typical heating pattern of the various hyperthermia devices, in order to further improve treatments. The ability to better determine the delivered thermal dose will enable clinicians to investigate the optimal treatment parameters, and consequentially, to give better controlled, thus even more reliable and effective, thermal treatments.

Learned helplessness: effects of response requirement and interval between treatment and testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunziker, M H L; Dos Santos, C V

2007-11-01

Three experiments investigated learned helplessness in rats manipulating response requirements, shock duration, and intervals between treatment and testing. In Experiment 1, rats previously exposed to uncontrollable or no shocks were tested under one of four different contingencies of negative reinforcement: FR 1 or FR 2 escape contingency for running, and FR1 escape contingency for jumping (differing for the maximum shock duration of 10s or 30s). The results showed that the uncontrollable shocks produced a clear operant learning deficit (learned helplessness effect) only when the animals were tested under the jumping FR 1 escape contingency with 10-s max shock duration. Experiment 2 isolated of the effects of uncontrollability from shock exposure per se and showed that the escape deficit observed using the FR 1 escape jumping response (10-s shock duration) was produced by the uncontrollability of shock. Experiment 3 showed that using the FR 1 jumping escape contingency in the test, the learned helplessness effect was observed one, 14 or 28 days after treatment. These results suggest that running may not be an appropriate test for learned helplessness, and that many diverging results found in the literature might be accounted for by the confounding effects of respondent and operant contingencies present when running is required of rats.

Risk Factors for Uterine Atony/Postpartum Hemorrhage Requiring Treatment after Vaginal Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Wetta, Luisa A; Szychowski, Jeff M; Seals, Ms. Samantha; Mancuso, Melissa S; Biggio, Joseph R; Tita, Alan TN

2013-01-01

Objective To identify risk factors for uterine atony or hemorrhage. Study Design Secondary analysis of a 3-arm double-blind randomized trial of different dose-regimens of oxytocin to prevent uterine atony after vaginal delivery. The primary outcome was uterine atony or hemorrhage requiring treatment. Twenty-one potential risk factors were evaluated. Logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors using 2 complementary pre-defined model selection strategies. Results Among 1798 women randomized to 10, 40 or 80U prophylactic oxytocin after vaginal delivery, treated uterine atony occurred in 7%. Hispanic (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.3–3.4) and non-Hispanic whites (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.0–2.5), preeclampsia (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.0–4.9) and chorioamnionitis (OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.6–5.0) were consistent independent risk factors. Other risk factors based on the specified selection strategies were obesity, induction/augmentation of labor, twins, hydramnios, anemia, and arrest of descent. Amnioinfusion appeared to be protective against uterine atony (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.29–0.98). Conclusion Independent risk factors for uterine atony requiring treatment include Hispanic and non-Hispanic white ethnicity, preeclampsia and chorioamnionitis. PMID:23507549

Pink-Beam, Highly-Accurate Compact Water Cooled Slits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyndaker, Aaron; Deyhim, Alex; Jayne, Richard; Waterman, Dave; Caletka, Dave; Steadman, Paul; Dhesi, Sarnjeet

2007-01-01

Advanced Design Consulting, Inc. (ADC) has designed accurate compact slits for applications where high precision is required. The system consists of vertical and horizontal slit mechanisms, a vacuum vessel which houses them, water cooling lines with vacuum guards connected to the individual blades, stepper motors with linear encoders, limit (home position) switches and electrical connections including internal wiring for a drain current measurement system. The total slit size is adjustable from 0 to 15 mm both vertically and horizontally. Each of the four blades are individually controlled and motorized. In this paper, a summary of the design and Finite Element Analysis of the system are presented

Development of Star Tracker System for Accurate Estimation of Spacecraft Attitude

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-01

For a high- cost spacecraft with accurate pointing requirements, the use of a star tracker is the preferred method for attitude determination. The...solutions, however there are certain costs with using this algorithm. There are significantly more features a triangle can provide when compared to an...to the other. The non-rotating geocentric equatorial frame provides an inertial frame for the two-body problem of a satellite in orbit. In this

Spectrally accurate contour dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Buskirk, R.D.; Marcus, P.S.

1994-01-01

We present an exponentially accurate boundary integral method for calculation the equilibria and dynamics of piece-wise constant distributions of potential vorticity. The method represents contours of potential vorticity as a spectral sum and solves the Biot-Savart equation for the velocity by spectrally evaluating a desingularized contour integral. We use the technique in both an initial-value code and a newton continuation method. Our methods are tested by comparing the numerical solutions with known analytic results, and it is shown that for the same amount of computational work our spectral methods are more accurate than other contour dynamics methods currently in use

Heterogeneous treatment in the variational nodal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fanning, T.H.

1995-01-01

The variational nodal transport method is reduced to its diffusion form and generalized for the treatment of heterogeneous nodes while maintaining nodal balances. Adapting variational methods to heterogeneous nodes requires the ability to integrate over a node with discontinuous cross sections. In this work, integrals are evaluated using composite gaussian quadrature rules, which permit accurate integration while minimizing computing time. Allowing structure within a nodal solution scheme avoids some of the necessity of cross section homogenization, and more accurately defines the intra-nodal flux shape. Ideally, any desired heterogeneity can be constructed within the node; but in reality, the finite set of basis functions limits the practical resolution to which fine detail can be defined within the node. Preliminary comparison tests show that the heterogeneous variational nodal method provides satisfactory results even if some improvements are needed for very difficult, configurations

MRI as an accurate tool for the diagnosis and characterization of different knee joint meniscal injuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman F. Ahmed

2017-12-01

Conclusion: MRI of the knee will give the orthopedic surgeons ability to select suitable treatment and arthroscopic interference for their patients. MRI has high accuracy in meniscal tears diagnosis allowing accurate grading of them.

FASTSIM2: a second-order accurate frictional rolling contact algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Vollebregt, E. A. H.; Wilders, P.

2011-01-01

In this paper we consider the frictional (tangential) steady rolling contact problem. We confine ourselves to the simplified theory, instead of using full elastostatic theory, in order to be able to compute results fast, as needed for on-line application in vehicle system dynamics simulation packages. The FASTSIM algorithm is the leading technology in this field and is employed in all dominant railway vehicle system dynamics packages (VSD) in the world. The main contribution of this paper is a new version "FASTSIM2" of the FASTSIM algorithm, which is second-order accurate. This is relevant for VSD, because with the new algorithm 16 times less grid points are required for sufficiently accurate computations of the contact forces. The approach is based on new insights in the characteristics of the rolling contact problem when using the simplified theory, and on taking precise care of the contact conditions in the numerical integration scheme employed.

A treatment planning comparison of BPA- or BSH-based BNCT of malignant gliomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capala, J.; Coderre, J.A.; Chanana, A.D.

1996-01-01

Accurate delivery of the prescribed dose during clinical BNCT requires knowledge (or reasonably valid assumptions) about the boron concentrations in tumor and normal tissues. For conversion of physical dose (Gy) into photon-equivalent dose (Gy-Eq), relative biological effectiveness (RBE) and/or compound-adjusted biological effectiveness (CBE) factors are required for each tissue. The BNCT treatment planning software requires input of the following values: the boron concentration in blood and tumor, RBEs in brain, tumor and skin for the high-LET beam components, the CBE factors for brain, tumor, and skin, and the RBE for the gamma component

Accurate estimation of dose distributions inside an eye irradiated with {sup 106}Ru plaques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brualla, L.; Sauerwein, W. [Universitaetsklinikum Essen (Germany). NCTeam, Strahlenklinik; Sempau, J.; Zaragoza, F.J. [Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain). Inst. de Tecniques Energetiques; Wittig, A. [Marburg Univ. (Germany). Klinik fuer Strahlentherapie und Radioonkologie

2013-01-15

Background: Irradiation of intraocular tumors requires dedicated techniques, such as brachytherapy with {sup 106}Ru plaques. The currently available treatment planning system relies on the assumption that the eye is a homogeneous water sphere and on simplified radiation transport physics. However, accurate dose distributions and their assessment demand better models for both the eye and the physics. Methods: The Monte Carlo code PENELOPE, conveniently adapted to simulate the beta decay of {sup 106}Ru over {sup 106}Rh into {sup 106}Pd, was used to simulate radiation transport based on a computerized tomography scan of a patient's eye. A detailed geometrical description of two plaques (models CCA and CCB) from the manufacturer BEBIG was embedded in the computerized tomography scan. Results: The simulations were firstly validated by comparison with experimental results in a water phantom. Dose maps were computed for three plaque locations on the eyeball. From these maps, isodose curves and cumulative dose-volume histograms in the eye and for the structures at risk were assessed. For example, it was observed that a 4-mm anterior displacement with respect to a posterior placement of a CCA plaque for treating a posterior tumor would reduce from 40 to 0% the volume of the optic disc receiving more than 80 Gy. Such a small difference in anatomical position leads to a change in the dose that is crucial for side effects, especially with respect to visual acuity. The radiation oncologist has to bring these large changes in absorbed dose in the structures at risk to the attention of the surgeon, especially when the plaque has to be positioned close to relevant tissues. Conclusion: The detailed geometry of an eye plaque in computerized and segmented tomography of a realistic patient phantom was simulated accurately. Dose-volume histograms for relevant anatomical structures of the eye and the orbit were obtained with unprecedented accuracy. This represents an important step

A Machine Learned Classifier That Uses Gene Expression Data to Accurately Predict Estrogen Receptor Status

Science.gov (United States)

Bastani, Meysam; Vos, Larissa; Asgarian, Nasimeh; Deschenes, Jean; Graham, Kathryn; Mackey, John; Greiner, Russell

2013-01-01

Background Selecting the appropriate treatment for breast cancer requires accurately determining the estrogen receptor (ER) status of the tumor. However, the standard for determining this status, immunohistochemical analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples, suffers from numerous technical and reproducibility issues. Assessment of ER-status based on RNA expression can provide more objective, quantitative and reproducible test results. Methods To learn a parsimonious RNA-based classifier of hormone receptor status, we applied a machine learning tool to a training dataset of gene expression microarray data obtained from 176 frozen breast tumors, whose ER-status was determined by applying ASCO-CAP guidelines to standardized immunohistochemical testing of formalin fixed tumor. Results This produced a three-gene classifier that can predict the ER-status of a novel tumor, with a cross-validation accuracy of 93.17±2.44%. When applied to an independent validation set and to four other public databases, some on different platforms, this classifier obtained over 90% accuracy in each. In addition, we found that this prediction rule separated the patients' recurrence-free survival curves with a hazard ratio lower than the one based on the IHC analysis of ER-status. Conclusions Our efficient and parsimonious classifier lends itself to high throughput, highly accurate and low-cost RNA-based assessments of ER-status, suitable for routine high-throughput clinical use. This analytic method provides a proof-of-principle that may be applicable to developing effective RNA-based tests for other biomarkers and conditions. PMID:24312637

Accurate approximation of in-ecliptic trajectories for E-sail with constant pitch angle

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Mingying; Mengali, Giovanni; Quarta, Alessandro A.

2018-05-01

Propellantless continuous-thrust propulsion systems, such as electric solar wind sails, may be successfully used for new space missions, especially those requiring high-energy orbit transfers. When the mass-to-thrust ratio is sufficiently large, the spacecraft trajectory is characterized by long flight times with a number of revolutions around the Sun. The corresponding mission analysis, especially when addressed within an optimal context, requires a significant amount of simulation effort. Analytical trajectories are therefore useful aids in a preliminary phase of mission design, even though exact solution are very difficult to obtain. The aim of this paper is to present an accurate, analytical, approximation of the spacecraft trajectory generated by an electric solar wind sail with a constant pitch angle, using the latest mathematical model of the thrust vector. Assuming a heliocentric circular parking orbit and a two-dimensional scenario, the simulation results show that the proposed equations are able to accurately describe the actual spacecraft trajectory for a long time interval when the propulsive acceleration magnitude is sufficiently small.

Development of a setup to enable stable and accurate flow conditions for membrane biofouling studies

KAUST Repository

Bucs, Szilard; Farhat, Nadia; Siddiqui, Amber; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Radu, Andrea; Kruithof, Joop C.; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

2015-01-01

on membrane performance parameters such as feed channel pressure drop. There is a suite of available monitors to study biofouling, but systems to operate monitors have not been well designed to achieve an accurate, constant water flow required for a reliable

Toward Accurate On-Ground Attitude Determination for the Gaia Spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Samaan, Malak A.

2010-03-01

The work presented in this paper concerns the accurate On-Ground Attitude (OGA) reconstruction for the astrometry spacecraft Gaia in the presence of disturbance and of control torques acting on the spacecraft. The reconstruction of the expected environmental torques which influence the spacecraft dynamics will be also investigated. The telemetry data from the spacecraft will include the on-board real-time attitude, which is of order of several arcsec. This raw attitude is the starting point for the further attitude reconstruction. The OGA will use the inputs from the field coordinates of known stars (attitude stars) and also the field coordinate differences of objects on the Sky Mapper (SM) and Astrometric Field (AF) payload instruments to improve this raw attitude. The on-board attitude determination uses a Kalman Filter (KF) to minimize the attitude errors and produce a more accurate attitude estimation than the pure star tracker measurement. Therefore the first approach for the OGA will be an adapted version of KF. Furthermore, we will design a batch least squares algorithm to investigate how to obtain a more accurate OGA estimation. Finally, a comparison between these different attitude determination techniques in terms of accuracy, robustness, speed and memory required will be evaluated in order to choose the best attitude algorithm for the OGA. The expected resulting accuracy for the OGA determination will be on the order of milli-arcsec.

Allele-sharing models: LOD scores and accurate linkage tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, A; Cox, N J

1997-11-01

Starting with a test statistic for linkage analysis based on allele sharing, we propose an associated one-parameter model. Under general missing-data patterns, this model allows exact calculation of likelihood ratios and LOD scores and has been implemented by a simple modification of existing software. Most important, accurate linkage tests can be performed. Using an example, we show that some previously suggested approaches to handling less than perfectly informative data can be unacceptably conservative. Situations in which this model may not perform well are discussed, and an alternative model that requires additional computations is suggested.

Three-dimensional radiation treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohan, R.

1989-01-01

A major aim of radiation therapy is to deliver sufficient dose to the tumour volume to kill the cancer cells while sparing the nearby health organs to prevent complications. With the introduction of devices such as CT and MR scanners, radiation therapy treatment planners have access to full three-dimensional anatomical information to define, simulate, and evaluate treatments. There are a limited number of prototype software systems that allow 3D treatment planning currently in use. In addition, there are more advanced tools under development or still in the planning stages. They require sophisticated graphics and computation equipment, complex physical and mathematical algorithms, and new radiation treatment machines that deliver dose very precisely under computer control. Components of these systems include programs for the identification and delineation of the anatomy and tumour, the definition of radiation beams, the calculation of dose distribution patterns, the display of dose on 2D images and as three dimensional surfaces, and the generation of computer images to verify proper patient positioning in treatment. Some of these functions can be performed more quickly and accurately if artificial intelligence or expert systems techniques are employed. 28 refs., figs

Can Measured Synergy Excitations Accurately Construct Unmeasured Muscle Excitations?

Science.gov (United States)

Bianco, Nicholas A; Patten, Carolynn; Fregly, Benjamin J

2018-01-01

Accurate prediction of muscle and joint contact forces during human movement could improve treatment planning for disorders such as osteoarthritis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy. Recent studies suggest that muscle synergies, a low-dimensional representation of a large set of muscle electromyographic (EMG) signals (henceforth called "muscle excitations"), may reduce the redundancy of muscle excitation solutions predicted by optimization methods. This study explores the feasibility of using muscle synergy information extracted from eight muscle EMG signals (henceforth called "included" muscle excitations) to accurately construct muscle excitations from up to 16 additional EMG signals (henceforth called "excluded" muscle excitations). Using treadmill walking data collected at multiple speeds from two subjects (one healthy, one poststroke), we performed muscle synergy analysis on all possible subsets of eight included muscle excitations and evaluated how well the calculated time-varying synergy excitations could construct the remaining excluded muscle excitations (henceforth called "synergy extrapolation"). We found that some, but not all, eight-muscle subsets yielded synergy excitations that achieved >90% extrapolation variance accounted for (VAF). Using the top 10% of subsets, we developed muscle selection heuristics to identify included muscle combinations whose synergy excitations achieved high extrapolation accuracy. For 3, 4, and 5 synergies, these heuristics yielded extrapolation VAF values approximately 5% lower than corresponding reconstruction VAF values for each associated eight-muscle subset. These results suggest that synergy excitations obtained from experimentally measured muscle excitations can accurately construct unmeasured muscle excitations, which could help limit muscle excitations predicted by muscle force optimizations.

Optimization and real-time control for laser treatment of heterogeneous soft tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yusheng; Fuentes, David; Hawkins, Andrea; Bass, Jon M; Rylander, Marissa Nichole

2009-01-01

Predicting the outcome of thermotherapies in cancer treatment requires an accurate characterization of the bioheat transfer processes in soft tissues. Due to the biological and structural complexity of tumor (soft tissue) composition and vasculature, it is often very difficult to obtain reliable tissue properties that is one of the key factors for the accurate treatment outcome prediction. Efficient algorithms employing in vivo thermal measurements to determine heterogeneous thermal tissues properties in conjunction with a detailed sensitivity analysis can produce essential information for model development and optimal control. The goals of this paper are to present a general formulation of the bioheat transfer equation for heterogeneous soft tissues, review models and algorithms developed for cell damage, heat shock proteins, and soft tissues with nanoparticle inclusion, and demonstrate an overall computational strategy for developing a laser treatment framework with the ability to perform real-time robust calibrations and optimal control. This computational strategy can be applied to other thermotherapies using the heat source such as radio frequency or high intensity focused ultrasound.

TU-AB-303-10: KVCBCT, MVCBCT and MVCT On-Board Imaging Suitability for An Urgent Radiotherapy Treatment Workflow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Held, M; Morin, O; Pouliot, J [UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: A comparison of image quality and dose calculation accuracy to study the suitability of available on-board imaging systems for a new treatment workflow in emergency radiotherapy situations. Methods: Water and anthropomorphic phantom images were acquired on four different Linac on-board imaging systems, including kVCBCT (Varian TrueBeam and Elekta VersaHD), MVCBCT (Siemens Artiste) and MVCT (Accuray Tomotherapy). Simple treatments of single or opposed beams were planned on the respective kVCT images and copied to all CT images. Image suitability for dose planning was based on the overall mean dose differences and 3D gamma index with 3%/3mm criteria for a prescription of 100 monitor units (MU) and differences in calculated MUs per plan for dose prescriptions to mid-plane. Results: TrueBeam kVCBCT and Tomotherapy MVCT images produced most accurate dose calculation for all tested cases (γ-index >95%). MVCBCT and VersaHD kVCBCT images resulted in minimum γ-passing rates of 94% and 87%, respectively. MUs calculated from treatment plans prescribed to mid-plane were within differences of 5% relative to kVCT-based plans in all cases. However, VersaHD images showed considerable local image artifacts in the pelvis water and anthropomorphic neck phantom that complicated accurate Hounsfield unit (HU) to electron density conversion, thus causing local dose differences of more than 10% relative to kVCT-based dose distributions. Conclusion: TrueBeam kVCBCT, MVCBCT and MVCT systems provide image quality that allows for accurate simple treatment plan calculation. Prescription points should be placed away from areas found to cause local dose discrepancies, such as air cavities. Improved image filter settings and HU-to-electron density calibration adjustments may be required for the VersaHD system to obtain an overall accurate dose distribution. To evaluate a system’s overall suitability, its clinical features also require consideration, such as imaging field of view

Accurate Evaluation of Quantum Integrals

Science.gov (United States)

Galant, D. C.; Goorvitch, D.; Witteborn, Fred C. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Combining an appropriate finite difference method with Richardson's extrapolation results in a simple, highly accurate numerical method for solving a Schrodinger's equation. Important results are that error estimates are provided, and that one can extrapolate expectation values rather than the wavefunctions to obtain highly accurate expectation values. We discuss the eigenvalues, the error growth in repeated Richardson's extrapolation, and show that the expectation values calculated on a crude mesh can be extrapolated to obtain expectation values of high accuracy.

Impact of orthodontic treatment on self-esteem and quality of life of adult patients requiring oral rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

de Couto Nascimento, Vanessa; de Castro Ferreira Conti, Ana Cláudia; de Almeida Cardoso, Maurício; Valarelli, Danilo Pinelli; de Almeida-Pedrin, Renata Rodrigues

2016-09-01

To evaluate whether orthodontic treatment in adults requiring oral rehabilitation is effective for increasing patients' self-esteem and quality of life (QoL). The sample consisted of 102 adult patients (77 women and 25 men) aged between 18 and 66 years (mean, 35.1 years) requiring oral rehabilitation and orthodontic treatment simultaneously. Rosenberg's Self-Esteem (RSE) Scale and a questionnaire about QoL based on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) were used to determine self-esteem and QoL scores retrospectively. Questionnaires were carried out in two stages, T1 (start of treatment) and T2 (6 months after). To compare score changes between T1 and T2, the data obtained from the RSE Scale were evaluated with paired t tests, and data from the quality-of-life questionnaire were assessed by applying descriptive statistics. The results showed a statistically significant increase in self-esteem (P < .001) and a great improvement on patients' QoL. Orthodontic treatment causes a significant increase in self-esteem and QoL, providing psychological benefits for adult patients in need of oral rehabilitation.

Clinical considerations of Monte Carlo for electron radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faddegon, Bruce; Balogh, Judith; Mackenzie, Robert; Scora, Daryl

1998-01-01

Technical requirements for Monte Carlo based electron radiotherapy treatment planning are outlined. The targeted overall accuracy for estimate of the delivered dose is the least restrictive of 5% in dose, 5 mm in isodose position. A system based on EGS4 and capable of achieving this accuracy is described. Experience gained in system design and commissioning is summarized. The key obstacle to widespread clinical use of Monte Carlo is lack of clinically acceptable measurement based methodology for accurate commissioning

Accurate Modeling Method for Cu Interconnect

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Kenta; Kitahara, Hiroshi; Asai, Yoshihiko; Sakamoto, Hideo; Okada, Norio; Yasuda, Makoto; Oda, Noriaki; Sakurai, Michio; Hiroi, Masayuki; Takewaki, Toshiyuki; Ohnishi, Sadayuki; Iguchi, Manabu; Minda, Hiroyasu; Suzuki, Mieko

This paper proposes an accurate modeling method of the copper interconnect cross-section in which the width and thickness dependence on layout patterns and density caused by processes (CMP, etching, sputtering, lithography, and so on) are fully, incorporated and universally expressed. In addition, we have developed specific test patterns for the model parameters extraction, and an efficient extraction flow. We have extracted the model parameters for 0.15μm CMOS using this method and confirmed that 10%τpd error normally observed with conventional LPE (Layout Parameters Extraction) was completely dissolved. Moreover, it is verified that the model can be applied to more advanced technologies (90nm, 65nm and 55nm CMOS). Since the interconnect delay variations due to the processes constitute a significant part of what have conventionally been treated as random variations, use of the proposed model could enable one to greatly narrow the guardbands required to guarantee a desired yield, thereby facilitating design closure.

Approaching system equilibrium with accurate or not accurate feedback information in a two-route system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiao-mei; Xie, Dong-fan; Li, Qi

2015-02-01

With the development of intelligent transport system, advanced information feedback strategies have been developed to reduce traffic congestion and enhance the capacity. However, previous strategies provide accurate information to travelers and our simulation results show that accurate information brings negative effects, especially in delay case. Because travelers prefer to the best condition route with accurate information, and delayed information cannot reflect current traffic condition but past. Then travelers make wrong routing decisions, causing the decrease of the capacity and the increase of oscillations and the system deviating from the equilibrium. To avoid the negative effect, bounded rationality is taken into account by introducing a boundedly rational threshold BR. When difference between two routes is less than the BR, routes have equal probability to be chosen. The bounded rationality is helpful to improve the efficiency in terms of capacity, oscillation and the gap deviating from the system equilibrium.

Robust design requirements specification: a quantitative method for requirements development using quality loss functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Søren Nygaard; Christensen, Martin Ebro; Howard, Thomas J.

2016-01-01

Product requirements serve many purposes in the product development process. Most importantly, they are meant to capture and facilitate product goals and acceptance criteria, as defined by stakeholders. Accurately communicating stakeholder goals and acceptance criteria can be challenging and more...

Optimization of extracranial stereotactic radiation therapy of small lung lesions using accurate dose calculation algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobler, Barbara; Walter, Cornelia; Knopf, Antje; Fabri, Daniella; Loeschel, Rainer; Polednik, Martin; Schneider, Frank; Wenz, Frederik; Lohr, Frank

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare and to validate different dose calculation algorithms for the use in radiation therapy of small lung lesions and to optimize the treatment planning using accurate dose calculation algorithms. A 9-field conformal treatment plan was generated on an inhomogeneous phantom with lung mimics and a soft tissue equivalent insert, mimicking a lung tumor. The dose distribution was calculated with the Pencil Beam and Collapsed Cone algorithms implemented in Masterplan (Nucletron) and the Monte Carlo system XVMC and validated using Gafchromic EBT films. Differences in dose distribution were evaluated. The plans were then optimized by adding segments to the outer shell of the target in order to increase the dose near the interface to the lung. The Pencil Beam algorithm overestimated the dose by up to 15% compared to the measurements. Collapsed Cone and Monte Carlo predicted the dose more accurately with a maximum difference of -8% and -3% respectively compared to the film. Plan optimization by adding small segments to the peripheral parts of the target, creating a 2-step fluence modulation, allowed to increase target coverage and homogeneity as compared to the uncorrected 9 field plan. The use of forward 2-step fluence modulation in radiotherapy of small lung lesions allows the improvement of tumor coverage and dose homogeneity as compared to non-modulated treatment plans and may thus help to increase the local tumor control probability. While the Collapsed Cone algorithm is closer to measurements than the Pencil Beam algorithm, both algorithms are limited at tissue/lung interfaces, leaving Monte-Carlo the most accurate algorithm for dose prediction

Clipping of tumour resection margins allows accurate target volume delineation in head and neck cancer adjuvant radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittermann, Gido; Wiedenmann, Nicole; Bunea, Andrei; Schwarz, Steffen J.; Grosu, Anca-L.; Schmelzeisen, Rainer; Metzger, Marc C.

2015-01-01

Background: Accurate tumour bed localisation is a key requirement for adjuvant radiotherapy. A new procedure is described for head and neck cancer treatment that improves tumour bed localisation using titanium clips. Materials and methods: Following complete local excision of the primary tumour, the tumour bed was marked with titanium clips. Preoperative gross target volume (GTV) and postoperative tumour bed were examined and the distances between the centres of gravity were evaluated. Results: 49 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent tumour resection, neck lymph node dissection and defect reconstruction in one stage. During surgery, 7–49 clips were placed in the resection cavity. Surgical clip insertion was successful in 88% (n = 43). Clip identification and tumour bed delineation was successful in all 43 patients. The overall distance between the centres of gravity of the preoperative tumour extension to the tumour bed was 0.9 cm. A significant relationship between the preoperative tumour extension and the postoperative tumour bed volume could be demonstrated. Conclusion: We demonstrate a precise delineation of the former tumour cavity. Improvements in tumour bed delineation allow an increase of accuracy for adjuvant treatment

Demonstration of New Technologies Required for the Treatment of Mixed Waste Contaminated with {ge}260 ppm Mercury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morris, M.I.

2002-02-06

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) defines several categories of mercury wastes, each of which has a defined technology or concentration-based treatment standard, or universal treatment standard (UTS). RCRA defines mercury hazardous wastes as any waste that has a TCLP value for mercury of 0.2 mg/L or greater. Three of these categories, all nonwastewaters, fall within the scope of this report on new technologies to treat mercury-contaminated wastes: wastes as elemental mercury; hazardous wastes with less than 260 mg/kg [parts per million (ppm)] mercury; and hazardous wastes with 260 ppm or more of mercury. While this report deals specifically with the last category--hazardous wastes with 260 ppm or more of mercury--the other two categories will be discussed briefly so that the full range of mercury treatment challenges can be understood. The treatment methods for these three categories are as follows: Waste as elemental mercury--RCRA identifies amalgamation (AMLGM) as the treatment standard for radioactive elemental mercury. However, radioactive mercury condensates from retorting (RMERC) processes also require amalgamation. In addition, incineration (IMERC) and RMERC processes that produce residues with >260 ppm of radioactive mercury contamination and that fail the RCRA toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) limit for mercury (0.20 mg/L) require RMERC, followed by AMLGM of the condensate. Waste with <260 ppm mercury--No specific treatment method is specified for hazardous wastes containing <260 ppm. However, RCRA regulations require that such wastes (other than RMERC residues) that exceed a TCLP mercury concentration of 0.20 mg/L be treated by a suitable method to meet the TCLP limit for mercury of 0.025 mg/L. RMERC residues must meet the TCLP value of {ge}0.20 mg/L, or be stabilized and meet the {ge}0.025 mg/L limit. Waste with {ge}260 ppm mercury--For hazardous wastes with mercury contaminant concentrations {ge}260 ppm and RCRA

Accurate density-functional calculations on large systems: Fullerenes and magnetic clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunlap, B.I.

1996-01-01

Efforts to accurately compute all-electron density-functional energies for large molecules and clusters using Gaussian basis sets will be reviewed. The foundation of this effort, variational fitting, will be described and followed by three applications of the method. The first application concerns fullerenes. When first discovered, C 60 is quite unstable relative to the higher fullerenes. In addition, to raising questions about the relative abundance of the various fullerenes, this work conflicted with the then state-of-the art density-funcitonal calculations on crystalline graphite. Now high accuracy molecular and band structure calculations are in fairly good agreement. Second, we have used these methods to design transition metal clusters having the highest magnetic moment by maximizing the symmetry-required degeneracy of the one-electron orbitals. Most recently, we have developed accurate, variational generalized-gradient approximation (GGA) forces for use in geometry optimization of clusters and in molecular-dynamics simulations of friction. The GGA optimized geometries of a number of large clusters will be given

Two reactions method for accurate analysis by irradiation with charged particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, K.; Sastri, C.S.; Valladon, M.; Borderie, B.; Debrun, J.L.

1978-01-01

In the average stopping power method the formula error itself was negligible but systematic errors could be introduced by the stopping power data used in this formula. A method directly derived from the average stopping power method, but based on the use of two nuclear reactions, is described here. This method has a negligible formula error and does not require the use of any stopping power or range data: accurate and 'self-consistent' analysis by irradiation with charged particles is then possible. (Auth.)

A nutrition mathematical model to account for dietary supply and requirements of energy and nutrients for domesticated small ruminants: the development and evaluation of the Small Ruminant Nutrition System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Orlindo Tedeschi

2008-07-01

Full Text Available A mechanistic model that predicts nutrient requirements and biological values of feeds for sheep (Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System; CNCPS-S was expanded to include goats and the name was changed to the Small Ruminant Nutrition System (SRNS. The SRNS uses animal and environmental factors to predict metabolizable energy (ME and protein, and Ca and P requirements. Requirements for goats in the SRNS are predicted based on the equations developed for CNCPS-S, modified to account for specific requirements of goats, including maintenance, lactation, and pregnancy requirements, and body reserves. Feed biological values are predicted based on carbohydrate and protein fractions and their ruminal fermentation rates, forage, concentrate and liquid passage rates, and microbial growth. The evaluation of the SRNS for sheep using published papers (19 treatment means indicated no mean bias (MB; 1.1 g/100 g and low root mean square prediction error (RMSPE; 3.6 g/100g when predicting dietary organic matter digestibility for diets not deficient in ruminal nitrogen. The SRNS accurately predicted gains and losses of shrunk body weight (SBW of adult sheep (15 treatment means; MB = 5.8 g/d and RMSPE = 30 g/d when diets were not deficient in ruminal nitrogen. The SRNS for sheep had MB varying from -34 to 1 g/d and RSME varying from 37 to 56 g/d when predicting average daily gain (ADG of growing lambs (42 treatment means. The evaluation of the SRNS for goats based on literature data showed accurate predictions for ADG of kids (31 treatment means; RMSEP = 32.5 g/d; r2= 0.85; concordance correlation coefficient, CCC, = 0.91, daily ME intake (21 treatment means; RMSEP = 0.24 Mcal/d g/d; r2 = 0.99; CCC = 0.99, and energy balance (21 treatment means; RMSEP = 0.20 Mcal/d g/d; r2 = 0.87; CCC = 0.90 of goats. In conclusion, the SRNS for sheep can accurately predict dietary organic matter digestibility, ADG of growing lambs and changes in SBW of mature sheep. The SRNS

Sample size requirements for studies of treatment effects on beta-cell function in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachin, John M; McGee, Paula L; Greenbaum, Carla J; Palmer, Jerry; Pescovitz, Mark D; Gottlieb, Peter; Skyler, Jay

2011-01-01

Preservation of β-cell function as measured by stimulated C-peptide has recently been accepted as a therapeutic target for subjects with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. In recently completed studies conducted by the Type 1 Diabetes Trial Network (TrialNet), repeated 2-hour Mixed Meal Tolerance Tests (MMTT) were obtained for up to 24 months from 156 subjects with up to 3 months duration of type 1 diabetes at the time of study enrollment. These data provide the information needed to more accurately determine the sample size needed for future studies of the effects of new agents on the 2-hour area under the curve (AUC) of the C-peptide values. The natural log(x), log(x+1) and square-root (√x) transformations of the AUC were assessed. In general, a transformation of the data is needed to better satisfy the normality assumptions for commonly used statistical tests. Statistical analysis of the raw and transformed data are provided to estimate the mean levels over time and the residual variation in untreated subjects that allow sample size calculations for future studies at either 12 or 24 months of follow-up and among children 8-12 years of age, adolescents (13-17 years) and adults (18+ years). The sample size needed to detect a given relative (percentage) difference with treatment versus control is greater at 24 months than at 12 months of follow-up, and differs among age categories. Owing to greater residual variation among those 13-17 years of age, a larger sample size is required for this age group. Methods are also described for assessment of sample size for mixtures of subjects among the age categories. Statistical expressions are presented for the presentation of analyses of log(x+1) and √x transformed values in terms of the original units of measurement (pmol/ml). Analyses using different transformations are described for the TrialNet study of masked anti-CD20 (rituximab) versus masked placebo. These results provide the information needed to accurately

Sample size requirements for studies of treatment effects on beta-cell function in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M Lachin

Full Text Available Preservation of β-cell function as measured by stimulated C-peptide has recently been accepted as a therapeutic target for subjects with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. In recently completed studies conducted by the Type 1 Diabetes Trial Network (TrialNet, repeated 2-hour Mixed Meal Tolerance Tests (MMTT were obtained for up to 24 months from 156 subjects with up to 3 months duration of type 1 diabetes at the time of study enrollment. These data provide the information needed to more accurately determine the sample size needed for future studies of the effects of new agents on the 2-hour area under the curve (AUC of the C-peptide values. The natural log(x, log(x+1 and square-root (√x transformations of the AUC were assessed. In general, a transformation of the data is needed to better satisfy the normality assumptions for commonly used statistical tests. Statistical analysis of the raw and transformed data are provided to estimate the mean levels over time and the residual variation in untreated subjects that allow sample size calculations for future studies at either 12 or 24 months of follow-up and among children 8-12 years of age, adolescents (13-17 years and adults (18+ years. The sample size needed to detect a given relative (percentage difference with treatment versus control is greater at 24 months than at 12 months of follow-up, and differs among age categories. Owing to greater residual variation among those 13-17 years of age, a larger sample size is required for this age group. Methods are also described for assessment of sample size for mixtures of subjects among the age categories. Statistical expressions are presented for the presentation of analyses of log(x+1 and √x transformed values in terms of the original units of measurement (pmol/ml. Analyses using different transformations are described for the TrialNet study of masked anti-CD20 (rituximab versus masked placebo. These results provide the information needed to

Accurate detection of carcinoma cells by use of a cell microarray chip.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shohei Yamamura

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Accurate detection and analysis of circulating tumor cells plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic cancer treatment. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A cell microarray chip was used to detect spiked carcinoma cells among leukocytes. The chip, with 20,944 microchambers (105 µm width and 50 µm depth, was made from polystyrene; and the formation of monolayers of leukocytes in the microchambers was observed. Cultured human T lymphoblastoid leukemia (CCRF-CEM cells were used to examine the potential of the cell microarray chip for the detection of spiked carcinoma cells. A T lymphoblastoid leukemia suspension was dispersed on the chip surface, followed by 15 min standing to allow the leukocytes to settle down into the microchambers. Approximately 29 leukocytes were found in each microchamber when about 600,000 leukocytes in total were dispersed onto a cell microarray chip. Similarly, when leukocytes isolated from human whole blood were used, approximately 89 leukocytes entered each microchamber when about 1,800,000 leukocytes in total were placed onto the cell microarray chip. After washing the chip surface, PE-labeled anti-cytokeratin monoclonal antibody and APC-labeled anti-CD326 (EpCAM monoclonal antibody solution were dispersed onto the chip surface and allowed to react for 15 min; and then a microarray scanner was employed to detect any fluorescence-positive cells within 20 min. In the experiments using spiked carcinoma cells (NCI-H1650, 0.01 to 0.0001%, accurate detection of carcinoma cells was achieved with PE-labeled anti-cytokeratin monoclonal antibody. Furthermore, verification of carcinoma cells in the microchambers was performed by double staining with the above monoclonal antibodies. CONCLUSION: The potential application of the cell microarray chip for the detection of CTCs was shown, thus demonstrating accurate detection by double staining for cytokeratin and EpCAM at the single carcinoma cell level.

Virtual Reality Based Accurate Radioactive Source Representation and Dosimetry for Training Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molto-Caracena, T.; Vendrell Vidal, E.; Goncalves, J.G.M.; Peerani, P.; )

2015-01-01

Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have much potential for training applications. Success relies on the capacity to provide a real-time immersive effect to a trainee. For a training application to be an effective/meaningful tool, 3D realistic scenarios are not enough. Indeed, it is paramount having sufficiently accurate models of the behaviour of the instruments to be used by a trainee. This will enable the required level of user's interactivity. Specifically, when dealing with simulation of radioactive sources, a VR model based application must compute the dose rate with equivalent accuracy and in about the same time as a real instrument. A conflicting requirement is the need to provide a smooth visual rendering enabling spatial interactivity and interaction. This paper presents a VR based prototype which accurately computes the dose rate of radioactive and nuclear sources that can be selected from a wide library. Dose measurements reflect local conditions, i.e., presence of (a) shielding materials with any shape and type and (b) sources with any shape and dimension. Due to a novel way of representing radiation sources, the system is fast enough to grant the necessary user interactivity. The paper discusses the application of this new method and its advantages in terms of time setting, cost and logistics. (author)

A machine learned classifier that uses gene expression data to accurately predict estrogen receptor status.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meysam Bastani

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Selecting the appropriate treatment for breast cancer requires accurately determining the estrogen receptor (ER status of the tumor. However, the standard for determining this status, immunohistochemical analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples, suffers from numerous technical and reproducibility issues. Assessment of ER-status based on RNA expression can provide more objective, quantitative and reproducible test results. METHODS: To learn a parsimonious RNA-based classifier of hormone receptor status, we applied a machine learning tool to a training dataset of gene expression microarray data obtained from 176 frozen breast tumors, whose ER-status was determined by applying ASCO-CAP guidelines to standardized immunohistochemical testing of formalin fixed tumor. RESULTS: This produced a three-gene classifier that can predict the ER-status of a novel tumor, with a cross-validation accuracy of 93.17±2.44%. When applied to an independent validation set and to four other public databases, some on different platforms, this classifier obtained over 90% accuracy in each. In addition, we found that this prediction rule separated the patients' recurrence-free survival curves with a hazard ratio lower than the one based on the IHC analysis of ER-status. CONCLUSIONS: Our efficient and parsimonious classifier lends itself to high throughput, highly accurate and low-cost RNA-based assessments of ER-status, suitable for routine high-throughput clinical use. This analytic method provides a proof-of-principle that may be applicable to developing effective RNA-based tests for other biomarkers and conditions.

An update to the HIV-TRePS system: the development of new computational models that do not require a genotype to predict HIV treatment outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Revell, Andrew D; Wang, Dechao; Wood, Robin; Morrow, Carl; Tempelman, Hugo; Hamers, Raph; Alvarez-Uria, Gerardo; Streinu-Cercel, Adrian; Ene, Luminita; Wensing, Annemarie; Reiss, Peter; van Sighem, Ard I; Nelson, Mark; Emery, Sean; Montaner, Julio S G; Lane, H Clifford; Larder, Brendan A

2014-04-01

The optimal individualized selection of antiretroviral drugs in resource-limited settings is challenging because of the limited availability of drugs and genotyping. Here we describe the development of the latest computational models to predict the response to combination antiretroviral therapy without a genotype, for potential use in such settings. Random forest models were trained to predict the probability of a virological response to therapy (HIV RNA/mL) following virological failure using the following data from 22,567 treatment-change episodes including 1090 from southern Africa: baseline viral load and CD4 cell count, treatment history, drugs in the new regimen, time to follow-up and follow-up viral load. The models were assessed during cross-validation and with an independent global test set of 1000 cases including 100 from southern Africa. The models' accuracy [area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC)] was evaluated and compared with genotyping using rules-based interpretation systems for those cases with genotypes available. The models achieved AUCs of 0.79-0.84 (mean 0.82) during cross-validation, 0.80 with the global test set and 0.78 with the southern African subset. The AUCs were significantly lower (0.56-0.57) for genotyping. The models predicted virological response to HIV therapy without a genotype as accurately as previous models that included a genotype. They were accurate for cases from southern Africa and significantly more accurate than genotyping. These models will be accessible via the online treatment support tool HIV-TRePS and have the potential to help optimize antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings where genotyping is not generally available.

Accurate and reproducible measurements of RhoA activation in small samples of primary cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Nini, Lylia; Dagnino, Lina

2010-03-01

Rho GTPase activation is essential in a wide variety of cellular processes. Measurement of Rho GTPase activation is difficult with limited material, such as tissues or primary cells that exhibit stringent culture requirements for growth and survival. We defined parameters to accurately and reproducibly measure RhoA activation (i.e., RhoA-GTP) in cultured primary keratinocytes in response to serum and growth factor stimulation using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based G-LISA assays. We also established conditions that minimize RhoA-GTP in unstimulated cells without affecting viability, allowing accurate measurements of RhoA activation on stimulation or induction of exogenous GTPase expression. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accurate anisotropic material modelling using only tensile tests for hot and cold forming

Science.gov (United States)

Abspoel, M.; Scholting, M. E.; Lansbergen, M.; Neelis, B. M.

2017-09-01

Accurate material data for simulations require a lot of effort. Advanced yield loci require many different kinds of tests and a Forming Limit Curve (FLC) needs a large amount of samples. Many people use simple material models to reduce the effort of testing, however some models are either not accurate enough (i.e. Hill’48), or do not describe new types of materials (i.e. Keeler). Advanced yield loci describe the anisotropic materials behaviour accurately, but are not widely adopted because of the specialized tests, and data post-processing is a hurdle for many. To overcome these issues, correlations between the advanced yield locus points (biaxial, plane strain and shear) and mechanical properties have been investigated. This resulted in accurate prediction of the advanced stress points using only Rm, Ag and r-values in three directions from which a Vegter yield locus can be constructed with low effort. FLC’s can be predicted with the equations of Abspoel & Scholting depending on total elongation A80, r-value and thickness. Both predictive methods are initially developed for steel, aluminium and stainless steel (BCC and FCC materials). The validity of the predicted Vegter yield locus is investigated with simulation and measurements on both hot and cold formed parts and compared with Hill’48. An adapted specimen geometry, to ensure a homogeneous temperature distribution in the Gleeble hot tensile test, was used to measure the mechanical properties needed to predict a hot Vegter yield locus. Since for hot material, testing of stress states other than uniaxial is really challenging, the prediction for the yield locus adds a lot of value. For the hot FLC an A80 sample with a homogeneous temperature distribution is needed which is due to size limitations not possible in the Gleeble tensile tester. Heating the sample in an industrial type furnace and tensile testing it in a dedicated device is a good alternative to determine the necessary parameters for the FLC

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of grey water for reuse requirements and treatment alternatives: the case of Jordan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghunmi, Lina Abu; Zeeman, Grietje; van Lier, Jules; Fayyed, Manar

2008-01-01

The objective of this work is to assess the potentials and requirements for grey water reuse in Jordan. The results revealed that urban, rural and dormitory grey water production rate and concentration of TS, BOD(5), COD and pathogens varied between 18-66 L cap(-1)d(-1), 848-1,919, 200-1,056, and 560-2,568 mg L(-1) and 6.9E2-2.7E5 CFU mL(-1), respectively. The grey water compromises 64 to 85% of the total water flow in the rural and urban areas. Storing grey water is inevitable to meet reuse requirements in terms of volume and timing. All the studied grey waters need treatment, in terms of solids, BOD(5), COD and pathogens, before storage and reuse. Storage and physical treatment, as a pretreatment step should be avoided, since it produces unstable effluents and non-stabilized sludge. However, extensive biological treatment can combine storage and physical treatments. Furthermore, a batch-fed biological treatment system combining anaerobic and aerobic processes copes with the fluctuations in the hydrographs and pollutographs as well as the present nutrients. The inorganic content of grey water in Jordan is about drinking water quality and does not need treatment. Moreover, the grey water SAR values were 3-7, revealing that the concentrations of monovalent and divalent cations comply with agricultural demand in Jordan. The observed patterns in the hydrographs and pollutographs showed that the hydraulic load could be used for the design of both physical and biological treatment units for dormitories and hotels. For family houses the hydraulic load was identified as the key design parameter for physical treatment units and the organic load is the key design parameter for biological treatment units. Copyright IWA Publishing 2008.

Evaluation Of Supplemental Pre-Treatment Development Requirements To Meet TRL 6: Rotary Microfiltration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, H.J.

2011-01-01

In spring 2011, the Technology Maturation Plan (TMP) for the Supplemental Treatment Project (RPP-PLAN-49827, Rev. 0), Technology Maturation Plan for the Treatment Project (T4S01) was developed. This plan contains all identified actions required to reach technical maturity for a field-deployable waste feed pretreatment system. The supplemental pretreatment system has a filtration and a Cs-removal component. Subsequent to issuance of the TMP, rotary microfiltration (RMF) has been identified as the prime filtration technology for this application. The prime Cs-removal technology is small column ion exchange (ScIX) using spherical resorcinol formaldehyde (sRF) as the exchange resin. During fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) some of the tasks identified in the TMP have been completed. As of September 2011, the conceptual design package has been submitted to DOE as part of the critical decision (CD-1) process. This document describes the remaining tasks identified in the TMP to reach technical maturity and evaluates the validity of the proposed tests to fill the gaps as previously identified in the TMP. The potential vulnerabilities are presented and the completed list of criteria for the DOE guide DOE G 413.3-4 different technology readiness levels are added in an attachment. This evaluation has been conducted from a technology development perspective - all programmatic and manufacturing aspects were excluded from this exercise. Compliance with the DOE G 413.3-4 programmatic and manufacturing requirements will be addressed directly by the Treatment Project during the course of engineering design. The results of this evaluation show that completion of the proposed development tasks in the TMP are sufficient to reach TRL 6 from a technological point of view. The tasks involve actual waste tests using the current baseline configuration (2nd generation disks, 40 psi differential pressure, 30 C feed temperature) and three different simulants - the PEP, an AP-Farm and an S

Development of a setup to enable stable and accurate flow conditions for membrane biofouling studies

KAUST Repository

Bucs, Szilard

2015-07-10

Systematic laboratory studies on membrane biofouling require experimental conditions that are well defined and representative for practice. Hydrodynamics and flow rate variations affect biofilm formation, morphology, and detachment and impacts on membrane performance parameters such as feed channel pressure drop. There is a suite of available monitors to study biofouling, but systems to operate monitors have not been well designed to achieve an accurate, constant water flow required for a reliable determination of biomass accumulation and feed channel pressure drop increase. Studies were done with membrane fouling simulators operated in parallel with manual and automated flow control, with and without dosage of a biodegradable substrate to the feedwater to enhance biofouling rate. High flow rate variations were observed for the manual water flow system (up to ≈9%) compared to the automatic flow control system (<1%). The flow rate variation in the manual system was strongly increased by biofilm accumulation, while the automatic system maintained an accurate and constant water flow in the monitor. The flow rate influences the biofilm accumulation and the impact of accumulated biofilm on membrane performance. The effect of the same amount of accumulated biomass on the pressure drop increase was related to the linear flow velocity. Stable and accurate feedwater flow rates are essential for biofouling studies in well-defined conditions in membrane systems. © 2015 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Conformal radiation therapy with or without intensity modulation in the treatment of localized prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maingon, P.; Truc, G.; Bosset, M.; Peignaux, K.; Ammor, A.; Bolla, M.

2005-01-01

Conformal radiation therapy has now to be considered as a standard treatment of localized prostatic adenocarcinomas. Using conformational methods and intensity modulated radiation therapy requires a rigorous approach for their implementation in routine, focused on the reproducibility of the treatment, target volume definitions, dosimetry, quality control, setup positioning. In order to offer to the largest number of patients high-dose treatment, the clinicians must integrate as prognostic factors accurate definition of microscopic extension as well as the tolerance threshold of critical organs. High-dose delivery is expected to be most efficient in intermediary risks and locally advanced diseases. Intensity modulated radiation therapy is specifically dedicated to dose escalation. Perfect knowledge of classical constraints of conformal radiation therapy is required. Using such an approach in routine needs a learning curve including the physicists and a specific quality assurance program. (author)

Efficient statistically accurate algorithms for the Fokker-Planck equation in large dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Nan; Majda, Andrew J.

2018-02-01

Solving the Fokker-Planck equation for high-dimensional complex turbulent dynamical systems is an important and practical issue. However, most traditional methods suffer from the curse of dimensionality and have difficulties in capturing the fat tailed highly intermittent probability density functions (PDFs) of complex systems in turbulence, neuroscience and excitable media. In this article, efficient statistically accurate algorithms are developed for solving both the transient and the equilibrium solutions of Fokker-Planck equations associated with high-dimensional nonlinear turbulent dynamical systems with conditional Gaussian structures. The algorithms involve a hybrid strategy that requires only a small number of ensembles. Here, a conditional Gaussian mixture in a high-dimensional subspace via an extremely efficient parametric method is combined with a judicious non-parametric Gaussian kernel density estimation in the remaining low-dimensional subspace. Particularly, the parametric method provides closed analytical formulae for determining the conditional Gaussian distributions in the high-dimensional subspace and is therefore computationally efficient and accurate. The full non-Gaussian PDF of the system is then given by a Gaussian mixture. Different from traditional particle methods, each conditional Gaussian distribution here covers a significant portion of the high-dimensional PDF. Therefore a small number of ensembles is sufficient to recover the full PDF, which overcomes the curse of dimensionality. Notably, the mixture distribution has significant skill in capturing the transient behavior with fat tails of the high-dimensional non-Gaussian PDFs, and this facilitates the algorithms in accurately describing the intermittency and extreme events in complex turbulent systems. It is shown in a stringent set of test problems that the method only requires an order of O (100) ensembles to successfully recover the highly non-Gaussian transient PDFs in up to 6

"What-Where-Which" Episodic Retrieval Requires Conscious Recollection and Is Promoted by Semantic Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Saive, Anne-Lise; Royet, Jean-Pierre; Garcia, Samuel; Thévenet, Marc; Plailly, Jane

2015-01-01

Episodic memory is defined as the conscious retrieval of specific past events. Whether accurate episodic retrieval requires a recollective experience or if a feeling of knowing is sufficient remains unresolved. We recently devised an ecological approach to investigate the controlled cued-retrieval of episodes composed of unnamable odors (What) located spatially (Where) within a visual context (Which context). By combining the Remember/Know procedure with our laboratory-ecological approach in an original way, the present study demonstrated that the accurate odor-evoked retrieval of complex and multimodal episodes overwhelmingly required conscious recollection. A feeling of knowing, even when associated with a high level of confidence, was not sufficient to generate accurate episodic retrieval. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the recollection of accurate episodic memories was promoted by odor retrieval-cue familiarity and describability. In conclusion, our study suggested that semantic knowledge about retrieval-cues increased the recollection which is the state of awareness required for the accurate retrieval of complex episodic memories. PMID:26630170

"What-Where-Which" Episodic Retrieval Requires Conscious Recollection and Is Promoted by Semantic Knowledge.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne-Lise Saive

Full Text Available Episodic memory is defined as the conscious retrieval of specific past events. Whether accurate episodic retrieval requires a recollective experience or if a feeling of knowing is sufficient remains unresolved. We recently devised an ecological approach to investigate the controlled cued-retrieval of episodes composed of unnamable odors (What located spatially (Where within a visual context (Which context. By combining the Remember/Know procedure with our laboratory-ecological approach in an original way, the present study demonstrated that the accurate odor-evoked retrieval of complex and multimodal episodes overwhelmingly required conscious recollection. A feeling of knowing, even when associated with a high level of confidence, was not sufficient to generate accurate episodic retrieval. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the recollection of accurate episodic memories was promoted by odor retrieval-cue familiarity and describability. In conclusion, our study suggested that semantic knowledge about retrieval-cues increased the recollection which is the state of awareness required for the accurate retrieval of complex episodic memories.

"What-Where-Which" Episodic Retrieval Requires Conscious Recollection and Is Promoted by Semantic Knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Saive, Anne-Lise; Royet, Jean-Pierre; Garcia, Samuel; Thévenet, Marc; Plailly, Jane

2015-01-01

Episodic memory is defined as the conscious retrieval of specific past events. Whether accurate episodic retrieval requires a recollective experience or if a feeling of knowing is sufficient remains unresolved. We recently devised an ecological approach to investigate the controlled cued-retrieval of episodes composed of unnamable odors (What) located spatially (Where) within a visual context (Which context). By combining the Remember/Know procedure with our laboratory-ecological approach in an original way, the present study demonstrated that the accurate odor-evoked retrieval of complex and multimodal episodes overwhelmingly required conscious recollection. A feeling of knowing, even when associated with a high level of confidence, was not sufficient to generate accurate episodic retrieval. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the recollection of accurate episodic memories was promoted by odor retrieval-cue familiarity and describability. In conclusion, our study suggested that semantic knowledge about retrieval-cues increased the recollection which is the state of awareness required for the accurate retrieval of complex episodic memories.

Variational mode decomposition based approach for accurate classification of color fundus images with hemorrhages

Science.gov (United States)

Lahmiri, Salim; Shmuel, Amir

2017-11-01

Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that can cause a loss of vision. An early and accurate diagnosis helps to improve treatment of the disease and prognosis. One of the earliest characteristics of diabetic retinopathy is the appearance of retinal hemorrhages. The purpose of this study is to design a fully automated system for the detection of hemorrhages in a retinal image. In the first stage of our proposed system, a retinal image is processed with variational mode decomposition (VMD) to obtain the first variational mode, which captures the high frequency components of the original image. In the second stage, four texture descriptors are extracted from the first variational mode. Finally, a classifier trained with all computed texture descriptors is used to distinguish between images of healthy and unhealthy retinas with hemorrhages. Experimental results showed evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed system for detection of hemorrhages in the retina, since a perfect detection rate was achieved. Our proposed system for detecting diabetic retinopathy is simple and easy to implement. It requires only short processing time, and it yields higher accuracy in comparison with previously proposed methods for detecting diabetic retinopathy.

Canadian uranium mines and mills evolution of regulatory expectations and requirements for effluent treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LeClair, J.; Ashley, F.

2006-01-01

The regulation of uranium mining in Canada has changed over time as our understanding and concern for impacts on both human and non-human biota has evolved. Since the mid-1970s and early 1980s, new uranium mine and mill developments have been the subject of environmental assessments to assess and determine the significance of environmental effects throughout the project life cycle including the post-decommissioning phase. Water treatment systems have subsequently been improved to limit potential effects by reducing the concentration of radiological and non-radiological contaminants in the effluent discharge and the total loadings to the environment. This paper examines current regulatory requirements and expectations and how these impact uranium mining/milling practices. It also reviews current water management and effluent treatment practices and performance. Finally, it examines the issues and challenges for existing effluent treatment systems and identifies factors to be considered in optimizing current facilities and future facility designs. (author)

Novel navigation technique for the endodontic treatment of a molar with pulp canal calcification and apical pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Xilin; Zhao, Shiyong; Wang, Weidong; Jiang, Qianzhou; Yang, Xuechao

2018-04-01

Apical periodontitis, the inflammation of periapical tissue, commonly requires root canal treatment to achieve apical healing. However, if it is accompanied by pulp canal calcification, the treatment becomes complicated, and locating the root canal can be challenging. This case report describes a novel approach for treating a molar with pulp canal calcification and apical pathology. Due to the risk of perforation during treatment, a digitally printed template was used to assist in accurately locating the root canal. After six months, the patient was asymptomatic and the periradicular radiolucency was gradually reducing in size. © 2017 Australian Society of Endodontology Inc.

WE-F-16A-04: Micro-Irradiator Treatment Verification with High-Resolution 3D-Printed Rodent-Morphic Dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bache, S; Belley, M; Benning, R; Adamovics, J; Stanton, I; Therien, M; Yoshizumi, T; Oldham, M

2014-01-01

Purpose: Pre-clinical micro-radiation therapy studies often utilize very small beams (∼0.5-5mm), and require accurate dose delivery in order to effectively investigate treatment efficacy. Here we present a novel high-resolution absolute 3D dosimetry procedure, capable of ∼100-micron isotopic dosimetry in anatomically accurate rodent-morphic phantoms Methods: Anatomically accurate rat-shaped 3D dosimeters were made using 3D printing techniques from outer body contours and spinal contours outlined on CT. The dosimeters were made from a radiochromic plastic material PRESAGE, and incorporated high-Z PRESASGE inserts mimicking the spine. A simulated 180-degree spinal arc treatment was delivered through a 2 step process: (i) cone-beam-CT image-guided positioning was performed to precisely position the rat-dosimeter for treatment on the XRad225 small animal irradiator, then (ii) treatment was delivered with a simulated spine-treatment with a 180-degree arc with 20mm x 10mm cone at 225 kVp. Dose distribution was determined from the optical density change using a high-resolution in-house optical-CT system. Absolute dosimetry was enabled through calibration against a novel nano-particle scintillation detector positioned in a channel in the center of the distribution. Results: Sufficient contrast between regular PRESAGE (tissue equivalent) and high-Z PRESAGE (spinal insert) was observed to enable highly accurate image-guided alignment and targeting. The PRESAGE was found to have linear optical density (OD) change sensitivity with respect to dose (R 2 = 0.9993). Absolute dose for 360-second irradiation at isocenter was found to be 9.21Gy when measured with OD change, and 9.4Gy with nano-particle detector- an agreement within 2%. The 3D dose distribution was measured at 500-micron resolution Conclusion: This work demonstrates for the first time, the feasibility of accurate absolute 3D dose measurement in anatomically accurate rat phantoms containing variable density PRESAGE

ETIOLOGY CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT NEEDS (TN FOR ORAL MALODOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anton Raharjo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Oral malodor, a generic descriptor term for foul smells emanating from the mouth can be classified as either pathological or physiological halitosis. Some problems are often confounded by the clinician's mismanagement. Objective: This paper reviews the etiology of classification and determination of treatment needs (TN for oral malodor. Literature review and discussion: In the majority of cases the problem has been shown to originate in the oral cavity. Although oral malodor cases are often related to physiological aspects, sometimes they can be related to extra oral sources and psychological aspects. Classification methods of oral malodor with corresponding treatment needs (TN have already been established. Although PTC & tongue brushing and appropriate mouthrinses are both important and basic treatment measures for halitosis, other dental treatments are sometimes required. Conclusion: Accurate screening and diagnosis of halitosis followed by appropriate TN may give better results and consequently reduce the risk of mismanagement.

Waste management and treatment or disguised disposal?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drum, D.A.; Lauber, J.

1992-01-01

A number of political action groups, environmental groups, and waste management industries have purposely used medical waste data and municipal solid waste test results to mislead public officials and communities. Waste management schemes and waste treatment technologies must be measured and compared by the same test criteria. For example, anti-incineration groups often use the toxic dioxin/furan data and/or toxic metal arguments to oppose waste-to-energy incineration technologies. Comparable test data on waste management techniques such as waste composting, autoclaving, and landfilling are either nonexistent or often inappropriately applied. Integrated waste management systems require technologically accurate and complete data, environmentally-appropriate designed systems, and fiscal responsibility. The primary emphasis of waste management and treatment practices must be directed toward minimization, reuse, destruction, and detoxification of municipal solid wastes and medical wastes. The issues and alternatives will be examined

MILITARY PERSONNEL: Reserve Components Need Guidance to Accurately and Consistently Account for Volunteers on Active Duty for Operational Support

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stewart, Derek B

2006-01-01

The reserve components have not consistently or accurately identified the number of reservists serving in an operational support capacity since this monthly reporting requirement was adopted in fiscal year 2005...

Accurately tracking single-cell movement trajectories in microfluidic cell sorting devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Jenny; Frohberg, Nicholas J; Zhou, Enlu; Sulchek, Todd; Qiu, Peng

2018-01-01

Microfluidics are routinely used to study cellular properties, including the efficient quantification of single-cell biomechanics and label-free cell sorting based on the biomechanical properties, such as elasticity, viscosity, stiffness, and adhesion. Both quantification and sorting applications require optimal design of the microfluidic devices and mathematical modeling of the interactions between cells, fluid, and the channel of the device. As a first step toward building such a mathematical model, we collected video recordings of cells moving through a ridged microfluidic channel designed to compress and redirect cells according to cell biomechanics. We developed an efficient algorithm that automatically and accurately tracked the cell trajectories in the recordings. We tested the algorithm on recordings of cells with different stiffness, and showed the correlation between cell stiffness and the tracked trajectories. Moreover, the tracking algorithm successfully picked up subtle differences of cell motion when passing through consecutive ridges. The algorithm for accurately tracking cell trajectories paves the way for future efforts of modeling the flow, forces, and dynamics of cell properties in microfluidics applications.

Accurately tracking single-cell movement trajectories in microfluidic cell sorting devices.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Jeong

Full Text Available Microfluidics are routinely used to study cellular properties, including the efficient quantification of single-cell biomechanics and label-free cell sorting based on the biomechanical properties, such as elasticity, viscosity, stiffness, and adhesion. Both quantification and sorting applications require optimal design of the microfluidic devices and mathematical modeling of the interactions between cells, fluid, and the channel of the device. As a first step toward building such a mathematical model, we collected video recordings of cells moving through a ridged microfluidic channel designed to compress and redirect cells according to cell biomechanics. We developed an efficient algorithm that automatically and accurately tracked the cell trajectories in the recordings. We tested the algorithm on recordings of cells with different stiffness, and showed the correlation between cell stiffness and the tracked trajectories. Moreover, the tracking algorithm successfully picked up subtle differences of cell motion when passing through consecutive ridges. The algorithm for accurately tracking cell trajectories paves the way for future efforts of modeling the flow, forces, and dynamics of cell properties in microfluidics applications.

Accurate and efficient calculation of response times for groundwater flow

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Elliot J.; Simpson, Matthew J.

2018-03-01

We study measures of the amount of time required for transient flow in heterogeneous porous media to effectively reach steady state, also known as the response time. Here, we develop a new approach that extends the concept of mean action time. Previous applications of the theory of mean action time to estimate the response time use the first two central moments of the probability density function associated with the transition from the initial condition, at t = 0, to the steady state condition that arises in the long time limit, as t → ∞ . This previous approach leads to a computationally convenient estimation of the response time, but the accuracy can be poor. Here, we outline a powerful extension using the first k raw moments, showing how to produce an extremely accurate estimate by making use of asymptotic properties of the cumulative distribution function. Results are validated using an existing laboratory-scale data set describing flow in a homogeneous porous medium. In addition, we demonstrate how the results also apply to flow in heterogeneous porous media. Overall, the new method is: (i) extremely accurate; and (ii) computationally inexpensive. In fact, the computational cost of the new method is orders of magnitude less than the computational effort required to study the response time by solving the transient flow equation. Furthermore, the approach provides a rigorous mathematical connection with the heuristic argument that the response time for flow in a homogeneous porous medium is proportional to L2 / D , where L is a relevant length scale, and D is the aquifer diffusivity. Here, we extend such heuristic arguments by providing a clear mathematical definition of the proportionality constant.

Implicit time accurate simulation of unsteady flow

Science.gov (United States)

van Buuren, René; Kuerten, Hans; Geurts, Bernard J.

2001-03-01

Implicit time integration was studied in the context of unsteady shock-boundary layer interaction flow. With an explicit second-order Runge-Kutta scheme, a reference solution to compare with the implicit second-order Crank-Nicolson scheme was determined. The time step in the explicit scheme is restricted by both temporal accuracy as well as stability requirements, whereas in the A-stable implicit scheme, the time step has to obey temporal resolution requirements and numerical convergence conditions. The non-linear discrete equations for each time step are solved iteratively by adding a pseudo-time derivative. The quasi-Newton approach is adopted and the linear systems that arise are approximately solved with a symmetric block Gauss-Seidel solver. As a guiding principle for properly setting numerical time integration parameters that yield an efficient time accurate capturing of the solution, the global error caused by the temporal integration is compared with the error resulting from the spatial discretization. Focus is on the sensitivity of properties of the solution in relation to the time step. Numerical simulations show that the time step needed for acceptable accuracy can be considerably larger than the explicit stability time step; typical ratios range from 20 to 80. At large time steps, convergence problems that are closely related to a highly complex structure of the basins of attraction of the iterative method may occur. Copyright

Geodetic analysis of disputed accurate qibla direction

Science.gov (United States)

Saksono, Tono; Fulazzaky, Mohamad Ali; Sari, Zamah

2018-04-01

Muslims perform the prayers facing towards the correct qibla direction would be the only one of the practical issues in linking theoretical studies with practice. The concept of facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca during the prayers has long been the source of controversy among the muslim communities to not only in poor and developing countries but also in developed countries. The aims of this study were to analyse the geodetic azimuths of qibla calculated using three different models of the Earth. The use of ellipsoidal model of the Earth could be the best method for determining the accurate direction of Kaaba from anywhere on the Earth's surface. A muslim cannot direct himself towards the qibla correctly if he cannot see the Kaaba due to setting out process and certain motions during the prayer this can significantly shift the qibla direction from the actual position of the Kaaba. The requirement of muslim prayed facing towards the Kaaba is more as spiritual prerequisite rather than physical evidence.

Characterization of 3D PET systems for accurate quantification of myocardial blood flow

OpenAIRE

Renaud, Jennifer M.; Yip, Kathy; Guimond, Jean; Trottier, Mikaël; Pibarot, Philippe; Turcotte, Éric; Maguire, Conor; Lalonde, Lucille; Gulenchyn, Karen; Farncombe, Troy; Wisenberg, Gerald; Moody, Jonathan; Lee, Benjamin; Port, Steven C.; Turkington, Timothy G

2016-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) mode imaging is the current standard for positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) systems. Dynamic imaging for quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) with short-lived tracers, such as Rb-82- chloride (Rb-82), requires accuracy to be maintained over a wide range of isotope activities and scanner count-rates. We propose new performance standard measurements to characterize the dynamic range of PET systems for accurate quantitative...

Multidisciplinary treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayabuchi, Naofumi; Jingu, Kenichi; Matsuura, Keiichi

1985-01-01

Multidisciplinary treatment for malignant lymphoma is reported in terms of indication, current status, and outcome of this approach to Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NLH). HD is considered to be most successfully managed with multidisciplinary treatment. Success of treatment of HD in European countries and the US, which has resulted from accurate staging of HD and developments in radiotherapy and chemotherapy, is reviewed in the literature. Problems in the treatment of HD in Japan are presented. A treatment policy for NHL is discussed according to the original site, i.e. lymph nodes, Waldeyer's ring or other sites of tumor involvement. (Namekawa, K.)

Treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) expressing SMT 90Y and 177Lu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliva González, Juan P.; Baum, Richard

2016-01-01

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a relatively rare and extremely heterogeneous group, essentially characterized by a different metabolism and endocrine histologically pattern. NETs are a challenge for physicians not only for diagnosis but also for early treatment. In addition to this, QT or RT treatments that require a high rate of cell proliferation to be effective, they are not in these tumors as slow growth. The primary treatment of NETs is surgery, either with a curative intent or tumor shrinkage. Peptide Receptors Radiotherapy (RTPR) consists of the administration for therapeutic purposes of Radiolabeled Synthetic Peptides that bind specifically and with high affinity to receptors of tumor cells. The RTPR of TNE with SMT analogues is effective for handling or metastizados inoperable patients. The Conference gives an accurate picture of the treatment of these tumors both 90 Y as 177 Lu. (author)

The Crowd in Requirements Engineering: The Landscape and Challenges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groen, Eduard C.; Seyff, Norbert; Ali, Raian; Dalpiaz, Fabiano; Doerr, Joerg; Guzman, Emitza; Hosseini, Mahmood; Marco, Jordi; Oriol, Marc; Perini, Anna; Stade, Melanie

2017-01-01

Crowd-based requirements engineering (CrowdRE) could significantly change RE. Performing RE activities such as elicitation with the crowd of stakeholders turns RE into a participatory effort, leads to more accurate requirements, and ultimately boosts software quality. Although any stakeholder in the

A new on-board imaging treatment technique for palliative and emergency treatments in radiation oncology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Held, Mareike

2016-01-01

This dissertation focuses on the use of on-board imaging systems as the basis for treatment planning, presenting an additional application for on-board images. A clinical workflow is developed to simulate, plan, and deliver a simple radiation oncology treatment rapidly, using 3D patient scans. The work focuses on an on-line dose planning and delivery process based on on-board images entirely performed with the patient set up on the treatment couch of the linear accelerator. This potentially reduces the time between patient simulation and treatment to about 30 minutes. The basis for correct dose calculation is the accurate image gray scale to tissue density calibration. The gray scale, which is defined in CT Numbers, is dependent on the energy spectrum of the beam. Therefore, an understanding of the physics characteristics of each on-board system is required to evaluate the impact on image quality, especially regarding the underlying cause of image noise, contrast, and non-uniformity. Modern on-board imaging systems, including kV and megavoltage (MV) cone beam (CB) CT as well as MV CT, are characterized in terms of image quality and stability. A library of phantom and patient CT images is used to evaluate the dose calculation accuracy for the on-board images. The dose calculation objective is to stay within 5% local dose differences compared to standard kV CT dose planning. The objective is met in many treatment cases. However, dose calculation accuracy depends on the anatomical treatment site. While on-board CT-based treatments of the head and extremities are predictable within 5% on all systems, lung tissue and air cavities may create local dose discrepancies of more than 5%. The image quality varies between the tested units. Consequently, the CT number-to-density calibration is defined independently for each system. In case of some imaging systems, the CT numbers of the images are dependent on the protocol used for on-board imaging, which defines the imaging dose

A new on-board imaging treatment technique for palliative and emergency treatments in radiation oncology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Held, Mareike

2016-03-23

This dissertation focuses on the use of on-board imaging systems as the basis for treatment planning, presenting an additional application for on-board images. A clinical workflow is developed to simulate, plan, and deliver a simple radiation oncology treatment rapidly, using 3D patient scans. The work focuses on an on-line dose planning and delivery process based on on-board images entirely performed with the patient set up on the treatment couch of the linear accelerator. This potentially reduces the time between patient simulation and treatment to about 30 minutes. The basis for correct dose calculation is the accurate image gray scale to tissue density calibration. The gray scale, which is defined in CT Numbers, is dependent on the energy spectrum of the beam. Therefore, an understanding of the physics characteristics of each on-board system is required to evaluate the impact on image quality, especially regarding the underlying cause of image noise, contrast, and non-uniformity. Modern on-board imaging systems, including kV and megavoltage (MV) cone beam (CB) CT as well as MV CT, are characterized in terms of image quality and stability. A library of phantom and patient CT images is used to evaluate the dose calculation accuracy for the on-board images. The dose calculation objective is to stay within 5% local dose differences compared to standard kV CT dose planning. The objective is met in many treatment cases. However, dose calculation accuracy depends on the anatomical treatment site. While on-board CT-based treatments of the head and extremities are predictable within 5% on all systems, lung tissue and air cavities may create local dose discrepancies of more than 5%. The image quality varies between the tested units. Consequently, the CT number-to-density calibration is defined independently for each system. In case of some imaging systems, the CT numbers of the images are dependent on the protocol used for on-board imaging, which defines the imaging dose

Use of Monte Carlo computation in benchmarking radiotherapy treatment planning system algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, R.D.; Ryde, S.J.S.; Seaby, A.W.; Hancock, D.A.; Evans, C.J.

2000-01-01

Radiotherapy treatments are becoming more complex, often requiring the dose to be calculated in three dimensions and sometimes involving the application of non-coplanar beams. The ability of treatment planning systems to accurately calculate dose under a range of these and other irradiation conditions requires evaluation. Practical assessment of such arrangements can be problematical, especially when a heterogeneous medium is used. This work describes the use of Monte Carlo computation as a benchmarking tool to assess the dose distribution of external photon beam plans obtained in a simple heterogeneous phantom by several commercially available 3D and 2D treatment planning system algorithms. For comparison, practical measurements were undertaken using film dosimetry. The dose distributions were calculated for a variety of irradiation conditions designed to show the effects of surface obliquity, inhomogeneities and missing tissue above tangential beams. The results show maximum dose differences of 47% between some planning algorithms and film at a point 1 mm below a tangentially irradiated surface. Overall, the dose distribution obtained from film was most faithfully reproduced by the Monte Carlo N-Particle results illustrating the potential of Monte Carlo computation in evaluating treatment planning system algorithms. (author)

When does treatment plan optimization require inverse planning?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sherouse, George W.

1995-01-01

Increasing maturity of image-based computer-aided design of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy has recently sparked a great deal of work in the area of treatment plan optimization. Optimization of a conformal photon beam treatment plan is that exercise through which a set of intensity-modulated static beams or arcs is specified such that, when the plan is executed, 1) a region of homogeneous dose is produced in the patient with a shape which geometrically conforms (within a specified tolerance) to the three-dimensional shape of a designated target volume and 2) acceptably low incidental dose is delivered to non-target tissues. Interest in conformal radiotherapy arise from a fundamental assumption that there is significant value to be gained from aggressive customization of the treatment for each individual patient In our efforts to design optimal treatments, however, it is important to remember that, given the biological and economic realities of clinical radiotherapy, mathematical optimization of dose distribution metrics with respect to some minimal constraint set is not a necessary or even sufficient condition for design of a clinically optimal treatment. There is wide variation in the complexity of the clinical situations encountered in practice and there are a number of non-physical criteria to be considered in planning. There is also a complementary variety of computational and engineering means for achieving optimization. To date, the scientific dialogue regarding these techniques has concentrated on development of solutions to worst-case scenarios, largely in the absence of consideration of appropriate matching of solution complexity to problem complexity. It is the aim of this presentation to propose a provisional stratification of treatment planning problems, stratified by relative complexity, and to identify a corresponding stratification of necessary treatment planning techniques. It is asserted that the subset of clinical radiotherapy cases for

Ozonation for source treatment of pharmaceuticals in hospital wastewater - ozone lifetime and required ozone dose

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Kamilla Marie Speht; Spiliotopoulou, Aikaterini; Chhetri, Ravi Kumar

2016-01-01

Ozonation aimed at removing pharmaceuticals was studied in an effluent from an experimental pilot system using staged moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) tanks for the optimal biological treatment of wastewater from a medical care unit of Aarhus University Hospital. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC......) and pH in samples varied considerably, and the effect of these two parameters on ozone lifetime and the efficiency of ozone in removing pharmaceuticals were determined. The pH in the effluent varied from 5.0 to 9.0 resulting in approximately a doubling of the required ozone dose at the highest p......H for each pharmaceutical. DOC varied from 6 to 20 mg-DOC/L. The ozone required for removing each pharmaceutical, varied linearly with DOC and thus, ozone doses normalized to DOC (specific ozone dose) agreed between water samples (typically within 15%). At neutral pH the specific ozone dose required...

Study on Factors for Accurate Open Circuit Voltage Characterizations in Mn-Type Li-Ion Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natthawuth Somakettarin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Open circuit voltage (OCV of lithium batteries has been of interest since the battery management system (BMS requires an accurate knowledge of the voltage characteristics of any Li-ion batteries. This article presents an OCV characteristic for lithium manganese oxide (LMO batteries under several experimental operating conditions, and discusses factors for accurate OCV determination. A test system is developed for OCV characterization based on the OCV pulse test method. Various factors for the OCV behavior, such as resting period, step-size of the pulse test, testing current amplitude, hysteresis phenomena, and terminal voltage relationship, are investigated and evaluated. To this end, a general OCV model based on state of charge (SOC tracking is developed and validated with satisfactory results.

The NLC Software Requirements Methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shoaee, Hamid

2002-08-20

We describe the software requirements and development methodology developed for the NLC control system. Given the longevity of that project, and the likely geographical distribution of the collaborating engineers, the planned requirements management process is somewhat more formal than the norm in high energy physics projects. The short term goals of the requirements process are to accurately estimate costs, to decompose the problem, and to determine likely technologies. The long term goal is to enable a smooth transition from high level functional requirements to specific subsystem and component requirements for individual programmers, and to support distributed development. The methodology covers both ends of that life cycle. It covers both the analytical and documentary tools for software engineering, and project management support. This paper introduces the methodology, which is fully described in [1].

Machine learning of parameters for accurate semiempirical quantum chemical calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dral, Pavlo O.; Lilienfeld, O. Anatole von; Thiel, Walter

2015-01-01

We investigate possible improvements in the accuracy of semiempirical quantum chemistry (SQC) methods through the use of machine learning (ML) models for the parameters. For a given class of compounds, ML techniques require sufficiently large training sets to develop ML models that can be used for adapting SQC parameters to reflect changes in molecular composition and geometry. The ML-SQC approach allows the automatic tuning of SQC parameters for individual molecules, thereby improving the accuracy without deteriorating transferability to molecules with molecular descriptors very different from those in the training set. The performance of this approach is demonstrated for the semiempirical OM2 method using a set of 6095 constitutional isomers C 7 H 10 O 2 , for which accurate ab initio atomization enthalpies are available. The ML-OM2 results show improved average accuracy and a much reduced error range compared with those of standard OM2 results, with mean absolute errors in atomization enthalpies dropping from 6.3 to 1.7 kcal/mol. They are also found to be superior to the results from specific OM2 reparameterizations (rOM2) for the same set of isomers. The ML-SQC approach thus holds promise for fast and reasonably accurate high-throughput screening of materials and molecules

A deep learning approach to estimate stress distribution: a fast and accurate surrogate of finite-element analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Liang; Liu, Minliang; Martin, Caitlin; Sun, Wei

2018-01-01

Structural finite-element analysis (FEA) has been widely used to study the biomechanics of human tissues and organs, as well as tissue-medical device interactions, and treatment strategies. However, patient-specific FEA models usually require complex procedures to set up and long computing times to obtain final simulation results, preventing prompt feedback to clinicians in time-sensitive clinical applications. In this study, by using machine learning techniques, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to directly estimate the stress distributions of the aorta. The DL model was designed and trained to take the input of FEA and directly output the aortic wall stress distributions, bypassing the FEA calculation process. The trained DL model is capable of predicting the stress distributions with average errors of 0.492% and 0.891% in the Von Mises stress distribution and peak Von Mises stress, respectively. This study marks, to our knowledge, the first study that demonstrates the feasibility and great potential of using the DL technique as a fast and accurate surrogate of FEA for stress analysis. © 2018 The Author(s).

Statistical methods for accurately determining criticality code bias

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trumble, E.F.; Kimball, K.D.

1997-01-01

A system of statistically treating validation calculations for the purpose of determining computer code bias is provided in this paper. The following statistical treatments are described: weighted regression analysis, lower tolerance limit, lower tolerance band, and lower confidence band. These methods meet the criticality code validation requirements of ANS 8.1. 8 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs

Analysis of diplopia associated with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy requiring surgical treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Funaki, Chika; Yamazaki, Sei; Maeda, Toshine; Inoue, Yoichi [Olympia Eye Hospital, Tokyo (Japan)

2003-03-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze diplopia associated with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy requiring surgical treatment. Five hundred patients operated upon for diplopia by a single surgeon were included in this study. Stretching of extraocular muscles was evaluated by orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). Ocular motility was evaluated in 9 positions of gaze using the Hess chart and field of fixation and duction test. Surgical treatment for diplopia was placement of an adjustable suture. Two hundred-twenty-four patients were male (mean age 53.9 years) and 276 patients were female (mean age 52.1 years). Three hundred-seventy patients (70%) had unilateral ocular motility dysfunction and 130 patients had bilateral dysfunction. In patients with unilateral dysfunction, the frequency of each direction of gaze dysfunction was as follows: upward gaze, 63.2%; outward, 6.8%; downward, 16.5%; inward, 0.8%; and complex, 12.7%. In patients with bilateral dysfunction, the frequency of each direction of gaze dysfunction was as follows: 11.5%, 41.5%, 5.4%, 0%, and 41.5% respectively. The majority of patients in this study had unilateral ocular motility. The most frequent direction of gaze restriction was upward in those with unilateral diplopia and outward and complex in those with bilateral diplopia. Stretching of the lateral or medial rectus muscle alone occurred very rarely in this population. (author)

7 CFR 735.101 - Financial records and reporting requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Financial records and reporting requirements. 735.101... Warehouse Licensing § 735.101 Financial records and reporting requirements. (a) Warehouse operators must maintain complete, accurate, and current financial records that must be available to DACO for review or...

A hybrid solution using computational prediction and measured data to accurately determine process corrections with reduced overlay sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Noyes, Ben F.; Mokaberi, Babak; Mandoy, Ram; Pate, Alex; Huijgen, Ralph; McBurney, Mike; Chen, Owen

2017-03-01

Reducing overlay error via an accurate APC feedback system is one of the main challenges in high volume production of the current and future nodes in the semiconductor industry. The overlay feedback system directly affects the number of dies meeting overlay specification and the number of layers requiring dedicated exposure tools through the fabrication flow. Increasing the former number and reducing the latter number is beneficial for the overall efficiency and yield of the fabrication process. An overlay feedback system requires accurate determination of the overlay error, or fingerprint, on exposed wafers in order to determine corrections to be automatically and dynamically applied to the exposure of future wafers. Since current and future nodes require correction per exposure (CPE), the resolution of the overlay fingerprint must be high enough to accommodate CPE in the overlay feedback system, or overlay control module (OCM). Determining a high resolution fingerprint from measured data requires extremely dense overlay sampling that takes a significant amount of measurement time. For static corrections this is acceptable, but in an automated dynamic correction system this method creates extreme bottlenecks for the throughput of said system as new lots have to wait until the previous lot is measured. One solution is using a less dense overlay sampling scheme and employing computationally up-sampled data to a dense fingerprint. That method uses a global fingerprint model over the entire wafer; measured localized overlay errors are therefore not always represented in its up-sampled output. This paper will discuss a hybrid system shown in Fig. 1 that combines a computationally up-sampled fingerprint with the measured data to more accurately capture the actual fingerprint, including local overlay errors. Such a hybrid system is shown to result in reduced modelled residuals while determining the fingerprint, and better on-product overlay performance.

More accurate fitting of 125I and 103Pd radial dose functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, R. E. P.; Rogers, D. W. O.

2008-01-01

In this study an improved functional form for fitting the radial dose functions, g(r), of 125 I and 103 Pd brachytherapy seeds is presented. The new function is capable of accurately fitting radial dose functions over ranges as large as 0.05 cm≤r≤10 cm for 125 I seeds and 0.10 cm≤r≤10 cm for 103 Pd seeds. The average discrepancies between fit and calculated data are less than 0.5% over the full range of fit and maximum discrepancies are 2% or less. The fitting function is also capable of accounting for the sharp increase in g(r) (upturn) seen for some sources for r 125 I seeds and 9 103 Pd seeds using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo user-code BrachyDose. Fitting coefficients of the new function are tabulated for all 27 seeds. Extrapolation characteristics of the function are also investigated. The new functional form is an improvement over currently used fitting functions with its main strength being the ability to accurately fit the rapidly varying radial dose function at small distances. The new function is an excellent candidate for fitting the radial dose function of all 103 Pd and 125 I brachytherapy seeds and will increase the accuracy of dose distributions calculated around brachytherapy seeds using the TG-43 protocol over a wider range of data. More accurate values of g(r) for r<0.5 cm may be particularly important in the treatment of ocular melanoma

Assessing Requirements Quality through Requirements Coverage

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Ajitha; Heimdahl, Mats; Woodham, Kurt

2008-01-01

In model-based development, the development effort is centered around a formal description of the proposed software system the model. This model is derived from some high-level requirements describing the expected behavior of the software. For validation and verification purposes, this model can then be subjected to various types of analysis, for example, completeness and consistency analysis [6], model checking [3], theorem proving [1], and test-case generation [4, 7]. This development paradigm is making rapid inroads in certain industries, e.g., automotive, avionics, space applications, and medical technology. This shift towards model-based development naturally leads to changes in the verification and validation (V&V) process. The model validation problem determining that the model accurately captures the customer's high-level requirements has received little attention and the sufficiency of the validation activities has been largely determined through ad-hoc methods. Since the model serves as the central artifact, its correctness with respect to the users needs is absolutely crucial. In our investigation, we attempt to answer the following two questions with respect to validation (1) Are the requirements sufficiently defined for the system? and (2) How well does the model implement the behaviors specified by the requirements? The second question can be addressed using formal verification. Nevertheless, the size and complexity of many industrial systems make formal verification infeasible even if we have a formal model and formalized requirements. Thus, presently, there is no objective way of answering these two questions. To this end, we propose an approach based on testing that, when given a set of formal requirements, explores the relationship between requirements-based structural test-adequacy coverage and model-based structural test-adequacy coverage. The proposed technique uses requirements coverage metrics defined in [9] on formal high-level software

Chemical techniques to extract organic fractions from fossil bones for accurate 14C dating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Masayo; Muto, Hiroo; Nakamura, Toshio

2004-01-01

We examined different concentrations of HCl, such as 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 M, for decalcification of fossil bones and different times of 0.1 M NaOH treatment on collagens to determine the best conditions for purifying collagen through extraction of humic contaminants, and compared the alkali treatment method with the XAD-2 treatment method for several types of fossils. The yield of acid-insoluble bone fractions did not change over the range from 0.4 to 1.0 M HCl and decreased suddenly with 1.2 M HCl on decalcification, and the 14 C ages of the extracted gelatins from the five decalcified fractions were unchanged, suggesting that 14 C ages as those of the XAD-purified hydrolysates. The NaOH-treatment time should be less than several hours to avoid a loss of collagen. The fossil bones used are relatively well-preserved, but the alkali treatment could bring about a lot of loss of organic bone proteins for poorly-preserved bones. The XAD-2 treatment method is effective for accurate radiocarbon dating of fossil bones, if the XAD-2 resin is completely pre-cleaned

Diagnosis and treatment of ampullary tumors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YIN Tao

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Ampullary tumors mainly manifest as obstructive jaundice and ampullary mass in clinical practice and are difficult to be identified in early stage due to a complex structure of the anatomical site, a deep location, and hidden symptoms. Sometimes a qualitative diagnosis cannot be made. Based on the experience in the treatment of ampullary tumors for many years in our center, this article summarizes the features of ampullary tumors from the aspects of clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, especially the issues regarding imaging evaluation of ampullary tumors, selection of surgical procedure, and prognosis. An early diagnosis is the key to the treatment of ampullary tumors, and early identification and treatment of lesions have great impacts on patients′ prognosis. Accurate preoperative imaging evaluation, a professional diagnosis and treatment team, accurate preoperative and intraoperative pathological analysis, and implementation of reasonable therapeutic strategy are the key to patients′ recovery.

Accurate determination of rates from non-uniformly sampled relaxation data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stetz, Matthew A.; Wand, A. Joshua, E-mail: wand@upenn.edu [University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Johnson Research Foundation and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics (United States)

2016-08-15

The application of non-uniform sampling (NUS) to relaxation experiments traditionally used to characterize the fast internal motion of proteins is quantitatively examined. Experimentally acquired Poisson-gap sampled data reconstructed with iterative soft thresholding are compared to regular sequentially sampled (RSS) data. Using ubiquitin as a model system, it is shown that 25 % sampling is sufficient for the determination of quantitatively accurate relaxation rates. When the sampling density is fixed at 25 %, the accuracy of rates is shown to increase sharply with the total number of sampled points until eventually converging near the inherent reproducibility of the experiment. Perhaps contrary to some expectations, it is found that accurate peak height reconstruction is not required for the determination of accurate rates. Instead, inaccuracies in rates arise from inconsistencies in reconstruction across the relaxation series that primarily manifest as a non-linearity in the recovered peak height. This indicates that the performance of an NUS relaxation experiment cannot be predicted from comparison of peak heights using a single RSS reference spectrum. The generality of these findings was assessed using three alternative reconstruction algorithms, eight different relaxation measurements, and three additional proteins that exhibit varying degrees of spectral complexity. From these data, it is revealed that non-linearity in peak height reconstruction across the relaxation series is strongly correlated with errors in NUS-derived relaxation rates. Importantly, it is shown that this correlation can be exploited to reliably predict the performance of an NUS-relaxation experiment by using three or more RSS reference planes from the relaxation series. The RSS reference time points can also serve to provide estimates of the uncertainty of the sampled intensity, which for a typical relaxation times series incurs no penalty in total acquisition time.

Private dentists assess treatment required as more extensive, demanding and costly, than public sector dentists.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuominen, Risto; Eriksson, Anna-Leena; Vahlberg, Tero

2012-08-01

The aim was to evaluate whether contracted private practitioners assess required treatment more extensive, demanding and economically more rewarding than mainly salaried public sector dentists and to estimate the cost consequences of using these alternative providers. All dental services included in comprehensive treatments funded by the city of Turku and provided to adult patients during the year 2009 were recorded. Patients were distributed randomly without any determination of treatment needs before appointing them to different dentists. Treatment courses for 7432 patients in public clinics included 63 906 procedures and for 2932 patients assigned to treatment by contracted private practitioners included 21 194 procedures. Public sector dentists were mainly salaried with production incentives, and private practitioners worked purely on a fee-for-service basis. The cost estimates were based on the distributions of competence classifications recorded by the providers, which also formed the basis for reimbursement. For each studied treatment category with more than one competence classification, private contractors were less likely than their public sector counterparts to give an assessment of simple or less demanding: 8% versus 29% of examinations, 46% versus 69% of periodontal treatments, 63% versus 85% of extractions, 31% versus 46% of fillings, 18% versus 35% of root canals. The excess cost to society varied from 7.0% for root canal treatments to 21.3% for extractions, causing on average 14.4% higher cost level from use of private practitioners compared with public sector dentists. Private practitioners systematically classified the treatment procedures they provided as more demanding, and therefore more economically rewarding, than their public sector counterparts. The findings indicate that the costs of publicly funded dental care may be increased by the use of private dental contractors. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

40 CFR Appendix J to Part 122 - NPDES Permit Testing Requirements for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (§ 122.21(j))

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Publicly Owned Treatment Works (§ 122.21(j)) J Appendix J to Part 122 Protection of Environment... POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Pt. 122, App. J Appendix J to Part 122—NPDES Permit Testing Requirements for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (§ 122.21(j)) Table 1A—Effluent Parameters for All POTWS...

Automatic tissue segmentation of head and neck MR images for hyperthermia treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fortunati, Valerio; Niessen, Wiro J; Veenland, Jifke F; Van Walsum, Theo; Verhaart, René F; Paulides, Margarethus M

2015-01-01

A hyperthermia treatment requires accurate, patient-specific treatment planning. This planning is based on 3D anatomical models which are generally derived from computed tomography. Because of its superior soft tissue contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) information can be introduced to improve the quality of these 3D patient models and therefore the treatment planning itself. Thus, we present here an automatic atlas-based segmentation algorithm for MR images of the head and neck.Our method combines multiatlas local weighting fusion with intensity modelling. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using a leave-one-out cross validation experiment over a set of 11 patients for which manual delineation were available.The accuracy of the proposed method was high both in terms of the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the 95th percentile Hausdorff surface distance (HSD) with median DSC higher than 0.8 for all tissues except sclera. For all tissues, except the spine tissues, the accuracy was approaching the interobserver agreement/variability both in terms of DSC and HSD. The positive effect of adding the intensity modelling to the multiatlas fusion decreased when a more accurate atlas fusion method was used.Using the proposed approach we improved the performance of the approach previously presented for H and N hyperthermia treatment planning, making the method suitable for clinical application. (paper)

Automatic tissue segmentation of head and neck MR images for hyperthermia treatment planning

Science.gov (United States)

Fortunati, Valerio; Verhaart, René F.; Niessen, Wiro J.; Veenland, Jifke F.; Paulides, Margarethus M.; van Walsum, Theo

2015-08-01

A hyperthermia treatment requires accurate, patient-specific treatment planning. This planning is based on 3D anatomical models which are generally derived from computed tomography. Because of its superior soft tissue contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) information can be introduced to improve the quality of these 3D patient models and therefore the treatment planning itself. Thus, we present here an automatic atlas-based segmentation algorithm for MR images of the head and neck. Our method combines multiatlas local weighting fusion with intensity modelling. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using a leave-one-out cross validation experiment over a set of 11 patients for which manual delineation were available. The accuracy of the proposed method was high both in terms of the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the 95th percentile Hausdorff surface distance (HSD) with median DSC higher than 0.8 for all tissues except sclera. For all tissues, except the spine tissues, the accuracy was approaching the interobserver agreement/variability both in terms of DSC and HSD. The positive effect of adding the intensity modelling to the multiatlas fusion decreased when a more accurate atlas fusion method was used. Using the proposed approach we improved the performance of the approach previously presented for H&N hyperthermia treatment planning, making the method suitable for clinical application.

Accurate protein structure modeling using sparse NMR data and homologous structure information.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, James M; Sgourakis, Nikolaos G; Liu, Gaohua; Rossi, Paolo; Tang, Yuefeng; Mills, Jeffrey L; Szyperski, Thomas; Montelione, Gaetano T; Baker, David

2012-06-19

While information from homologous structures plays a central role in X-ray structure determination by molecular replacement, such information is rarely used in NMR structure determination because it can be incorrect, both locally and globally, when evolutionary relationships are inferred incorrectly or there has been considerable evolutionary structural divergence. Here we describe a method that allows robust modeling of protein structures of up to 225 residues by combining (1)H(N), (13)C, and (15)N backbone and (13)Cβ chemical shift data, distance restraints derived from homologous structures, and a physically realistic all-atom energy function. Accurate models are distinguished from inaccurate models generated using incorrect sequence alignments by requiring that (i) the all-atom energies of models generated using the restraints are lower than models generated in unrestrained calculations and (ii) the low-energy structures converge to within 2.0 Å backbone rmsd over 75% of the protein. Benchmark calculations on known structures and blind targets show that the method can accurately model protein structures, even with very remote homology information, to a backbone rmsd of 1.2-1.9 Å relative to the conventional determined NMR ensembles and of 0.9-1.6 Å relative to X-ray structures for well-defined regions of the protein structures. This approach facilitates the accurate modeling of protein structures using backbone chemical shift data without need for side-chain resonance assignments and extensive analysis of NOESY cross-peak assignments.

Improving treatment outcome assessment in a mouse tuberculosis model.

Science.gov (United States)

Mourik, Bas C; Svensson, Robin J; de Knegt, Gerjo J; Bax, Hannelore I; Verbon, Annelies; Simonsson, Ulrika S H; de Steenwinkel, Jurriaan E M

2018-04-09

Preclinical treatment outcome evaluation of tuberculosis (TB) occurs primarily in mice. Current designs compare relapse rates of different regimens at selected time points, but lack information about the correlation between treatment length and treatment outcome, which is required to efficiently estimate a regimens' treatment-shortening potential. Therefore we developed a new approach. BALB/c mice were infected with a Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype strain and were treated with rifapentine-pyrazinamide-isoniazid-ethambutol (R p ZHE), rifampicin-pyrazinamide-moxifloxacin-ethambutol (RZME) or rifampicin-pyrazinamide-moxifloxacin-isoniazid (RZMH). Treatment outcome was assessed in n = 3 mice after 9 different treatment lengths between 2-6 months. Next, we created a mathematical model that best fitted the observational data and used this for inter-regimen comparison. The observed data were best described by a sigmoidal E max model in favor over linear or conventional E max models. Estimating regimen-specific parameters showed significantly higher curative potentials for RZME and R p ZHE compared to RZMH. In conclusion, we provide a new design for treatment outcome evaluation in a mouse TB model, which (i) provides accurate tools for assessment of the relationship between treatment length and predicted cure, (ii) allows for efficient comparison between regimens and (iii) adheres to the reduction and refinement principles of laboratory animal use.

Accurate modeling and evaluation of microstructures in complex materials

Science.gov (United States)

Tahmasebi, Pejman

2018-02-01

Accurate characterization of heterogeneous materials is of great importance for different fields of science and engineering. Such a goal can be achieved through imaging. Acquiring three- or two-dimensional images under different conditions is not, however, always plausible. On the other hand, accurate characterization of complex and multiphase materials requires various digital images (I) under different conditions. An ensemble method is presented that can take one single (or a set of) I(s) and stochastically produce several similar models of the given disordered material. The method is based on a successive calculating of a conditional probability by which the initial stochastic models are produced. Then, a graph formulation is utilized for removing unrealistic structures. A distance transform function for the Is with highly connected microstructure and long-range features is considered which results in a new I that is more informative. Reproduction of the I is also considered through a histogram matching approach in an iterative framework. Such an iterative algorithm avoids reproduction of unrealistic structures. Furthermore, a multiscale approach, based on pyramid representation of the large Is, is presented that can produce materials with millions of pixels in a matter of seconds. Finally, the nonstationary systems—those for which the distribution of data varies spatially—are studied using two different methods. The method is tested on several complex and large examples of microstructures. The produced results are all in excellent agreement with the utilized Is and the similarities are quantified using various correlation functions.

Accurate and Simple Calibration of DLP Projector Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilm, Jakob; Olesen, Oline Vinter; Larsen, Rasmus

2014-01-01

does not rely on an initial camera calibration, and so does not carry over the error into projector calibration. A radial interpolation scheme is used to convert features coordinates into projector space, thereby allowing for a very accurate procedure. This allows for highly accurate determination...

20 CFR 404.1536 - Treatment required for individuals whose drug addiction or alcoholism is a contributing factor...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Treatment required for individuals whose drug addiction or alcoholism is a contributing factor material to the determination of disability. 404.1536 Section 404.1536 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- ) Determining...

Obtaining accurate amounts of mercury from mercury compounds via electrolytic methods

Science.gov (United States)

Grossman, M.W.; George, W.A.

1987-07-07

A process is described for obtaining pre-determined, accurate rate amounts of mercury. In one embodiment, predetermined, precise amounts of Hg are separated from HgO and plated onto a cathode wire. The method for doing this involves dissolving a precise amount of HgO which corresponds to a pre-determined amount of Hg desired in an electrolyte solution comprised of glacial acetic acid and H[sub 2]O. The mercuric ions are then electrolytically reduced and plated onto a cathode producing the required pre-determined quantity of Hg. In another embodiment, pre-determined, precise amounts of Hg are obtained from Hg[sub 2]Cl[sub 2]. The method for doing this involves dissolving a precise amount of Hg[sub 2]Cl[sub 2] in an electrolyte solution comprised of concentrated HCl and H[sub 2]O. The mercurous ions in solution are then electrolytically reduced and plated onto a cathode wire producing the required, pre-determined quantity of Hg. 1 fig.

Examination and Treatment of Hamstring Related Injuries

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Context: There is a wide spectrum of hamstring-related injuries that can occur in the athlete. Accurate diagnosis is imperative to prevent delayed return to sport, injury recurrence, and accurate clinical decision making regarding the most efficacious treatment. Evidence Acquisition: This review highlights current evidence related to the diagnosis and treatment of hamstring-related injuries in athletes. Data sources were limited to peer-reviewed publications indexed in MEDLINE from 1988 through May 2011. Results: An accurate diagnostic process for athletes with posterior thigh–related complaints should include a detailed and discriminative history, followed by a thorough clinical examination. Diagnostic imaging should be utilized when considering hamstring avulsion or ischial apophyseal avulsion. Diagnostic imaging may also be needed to further define the cause of referred posterior thigh pain. Conclusions: Differentiating acute hamstring strains, hamstring tendon avulsions, ischial apophyseal avulsions, proximal hamstring tendinopathies, and referred posterior thigh pain is critical in determining the most appropriate treatment and expediting safe return to play. PMID:23016076

13 CFR 123.12 - Are books and records required?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Are books and records required... PROGRAM Overview § 123.12 Are books and records required? You must retain complete records of all... disaster business or economic injury loan, you must also maintain current and accurate books of account...

Highly accurate surface maps from profilometer measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Medicus, Kate M.; Nelson, Jessica D.; Mandina, Mike P.

2013-04-01

Many aspheres and free-form optical surfaces are measured using a single line trace profilometer which is limiting because accurate 3D corrections are not possible with the single trace. We show a method to produce an accurate fully 2.5D surface height map when measuring a surface with a profilometer using only 6 traces and without expensive hardware. The 6 traces are taken at varying angular positions of the lens, rotating the part between each trace. The output height map contains low form error only, the first 36 Zernikes. The accuracy of the height map is ±10% of the actual Zernike values and within ±3% of the actual peak to valley number. The calculated Zernike values are affected by errors in the angular positioning, by the centering of the lens, and to a small effect, choices made in the processing algorithm. We have found that the angular positioning of the part should be better than 1?, which is achievable with typical hardware. The centering of the lens is essential to achieving accurate measurements. The part must be centered to within 0.5% of the diameter to achieve accurate results. This value is achievable with care, with an indicator, but the part must be edged to a clean diameter.

Endoscopic root canal treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Moshonov, Joshua; Michaeli, Eli; Nahlieli, Oded

2009-10-01

To describe an innovative endoscopic technique for root canal treatment. Root canal treatment was performed on 12 patients (15 teeth), using a newly developed endoscope (Sialotechnology), which combines an endoscope, irrigation, and a surgical microinstrument channel. Endoscopic root canal treatment of all 15 teeth was successful with complete resolution of all symptoms (6-month follow-up). The novel endoscope used in this study accurately identified all microstructures and simplified root canal treatment. The endoscope may be considered for use not only for preoperative observation and diagnosis but also for active endodontic treatment.

FULLY AUTOMATED GENERATION OF ACCURATE DIGITAL SURFACE MODELS WITH SUB-METER RESOLUTION FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Wohlfeil

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Modern pixel-wise image matching algorithms like Semi-Global Matching (SGM are able to compute high resolution digital surface models from airborne and spaceborne stereo imagery. Although image matching itself can be performed automatically, there are prerequisites, like high geometric accuracy, which are essential for ensuring the high quality of resulting surface models. Especially for line cameras, these prerequisites currently require laborious manual interaction using standard tools, which is a growing problem due to continually increasing demand for such surface models. The tedious work includes partly or fully manual selection of tie- and/or ground control points for ensuring the required accuracy of the relative orientation of images for stereo matching. It also includes masking of large water areas that seriously reduce the quality of the results. Furthermore, a good estimate of the depth range is required, since accurate estimates can seriously reduce the processing time for stereo matching. In this paper an approach is presented that allows performing all these steps fully automated. It includes very robust and precise tie point selection, enabling the accurate calculation of the images’ relative orientation via bundle adjustment. It is also shown how water masking and elevation range estimation can be performed automatically on the base of freely available SRTM data. Extensive tests with a large number of different satellite images from QuickBird and WorldView are presented as proof of the robustness and reliability of the proposed method.

Fast sweeping algorithm for accurate solution of the TTI eikonal equation using factorization

KAUST Repository

bin Waheed, Umair

2017-06-10

Traveltime computation is essential for many seismic data processing applications and velocity analysis tools. High-resolution seismic imaging requires eikonal solvers to account for anisotropy whenever it significantly affects the seismic wave kinematics. Moreover, computation of auxiliary quantities, such as amplitude and take-off angle, rely on highly accurate traveltime solutions. However, the finite-difference based eikonal solution for a point-source initial condition has an upwind source-singularity at the source position, since the wavefront curvature is large near the source point. Therefore, all finite-difference solvers, even the high-order ones, show inaccuracies since the errors due to source-singularity spread from the source point to the whole computational domain. We address the source-singularity problem for tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) eikonal solvers using factorization. We solve a sequence of factored tilted elliptically anisotropic (TEA) eikonal equations iteratively, each time by updating the right hand side function. At each iteration, we factor the unknown TEA traveltime into two factors. One of the factors is specified analytically, such that the other factor is smooth in the source neighborhood. Therefore, through the iterative procedure we obtain accurate solution to the TTI eikonal equation. Numerical tests show significant improvement in accuracy due to factorization. The idea can be easily extended to compute accurate traveltimes for models with lower anisotropic symmetries, such as orthorhombic, monoclinic or even triclinic media.

Methods for Efficiently and Accurately Computing Quantum Mechanical Free Energies for Enzyme Catalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kearns, F L; Hudson, P S; Boresch, S; Woodcock, H L

2016-01-01

Enzyme activity is inherently linked to free energies of transition states, ligand binding, protonation/deprotonation, etc.; these free energies, and thus enzyme function, can be affected by residue mutations, allosterically induced conformational changes, and much more. Therefore, being able to predict free energies associated with enzymatic processes is critical to understanding and predicting their function. Free energy simulation (FES) has historically been a computational challenge as it requires both the accurate description of inter- and intramolecular interactions and adequate sampling of all relevant conformational degrees of freedom. The hybrid quantum mechanical molecular mechanical (QM/MM) framework is the current tool of choice when accurate computations of macromolecular systems are essential. Unfortunately, robust and efficient approaches that employ the high levels of computational theory needed to accurately describe many reactive processes (ie, ab initio, DFT), while also including explicit solvation effects and accounting for extensive conformational sampling are essentially nonexistent. In this chapter, we will give a brief overview of two recently developed methods that mitigate several major challenges associated with QM/MM FES: the QM non-Boltzmann Bennett's acceptance ratio method and the QM nonequilibrium work method. We will also describe usage of these methods to calculate free energies associated with (1) relative properties and (2) along reaction paths, using simple test cases with relevance to enzymes examples. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

20 CFR 416.936 - Treatment required for individuals whose drug addiction or alcoholism is a contributing factor...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Treatment required for individuals whose drug addiction or alcoholism is a contributing factor material to the determination of disability. 416.936 Section 416.936 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Determining...

Extension of the Accurate Voltage-Sag Fault Location Method in Electrical Power Distribution Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youssef Menchafou

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Accurate Fault location in an Electric Power Distribution System (EPDS is important in maintaining system reliability. Several methods have been proposed in the past. However, the performances of these methods either show to be inefficient or are a function of the fault type (Fault Classification, because they require the use of an appropriate algorithm for each fault type. In contrast to traditional approaches, an accurate impedance-based Fault Location (FL method is presented in this paper. It is based on the voltage-sag calculation between two measurement points chosen carefully from the available strategic measurement points of the line, network topology and current measurements at substation. The effectiveness and the accuracy of the proposed technique are demonstrated for different fault types using a radial power flow system. The test results are achieved from the numerical simulation using the data of a distribution line recognized in the literature.

Vessel calibration for accurate material accountancy at RRP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Yuu; Ono, Sawako; Iwamoto, Tomonori

2004-01-01

RRP has a 800t·Upr capacity a year to re-process, where would be handled a large amount of nuclear materials as solution. A large scale plant like RRP will require accurate materials accountancy system, so that the vessel calibration with high-precision is very important as initial vessel calibration before operation. In order to obtain the calibration curve, it is needed well-known each the increment volume related with liquid height. Then we performed at least 2 or 3 times run with water for vessel calibration and careful evaluation for the calibration data should be needed. We performed vessel calibration overall 210 vessels, and the calibration of 81 vessels including IAT and OAT were held under presence of JSGO and IAEA inspectors taking into account importance on the material accountancy. This paper describes outline of the initial vessel calibration and calibration results based on back pressure measurement with dip tubes. (author)

An Integrative Approach to Accurate Vehicle Logo Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Pan

2013-01-01

required for many applications in intelligent transportation systems and automatic surveillance. The task is challenging considering the small target of logos and the wide range of variability in shape, color, and illumination. A fast and reliable vehicle logo detection approach is proposed following visual attention mechanism from the human vision. Two prelogo detection steps, that is, vehicle region detection and a small RoI segmentation, rapidly focalize a small logo target. An enhanced Adaboost algorithm, together with two types of features of Haar and HOG, is proposed to detect vehicles. An RoI that covers logos is segmented based on our prior knowledge about the logos’ position relative to license plates, which can be accurately localized from frontal vehicle images. A two-stage cascade classier proceeds with the segmented RoI, using a hybrid of Gentle Adaboost and Support Vector Machine (SVM, resulting in precise logo positioning. Extensive experiments were conducted to verify the efficiency of the proposed scheme.

Requirements Elicitation in a Telemedicine Pain-treatment Trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Widya, I.A.; Bults, Richard G.A.; van Beijnum, Bernhard J.F.; Sandsjö, L.; Schaake, L.; Huis in 't Veld, M.H.A.; Jones, Valerie M.; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Ryan, K.; Robinson, W.

2009-01-01

This paper presents the early phase requirements elicitation for a work-related neck-shoulder pain teletreatment trial and the assessment of those requirements in respect of their importance to the trial and the feasibility of the needed software adaptations of the telemedicine system within the

Requirements to MRI and MRS data to be applicable for radiation treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torresin, A.; Brambilla, M.; Colombo, P.; Minella, M.; Monti, A.; Moscato, A.

2012-01-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) use for Radiotherapy planning began in the 1980 and is still developing today. MRI is now an important morphological and functional imaging able to open new diagnostic and planning scenario. As new technologies become more complex, their best clinical application often becomes very difficult. The intent of this paper is to highlight methods and requirements necessary to apply MRI in radiation treatments. The concept of image is still in progress, following the evolution of human body knowledge. Many different methods to get diagnostic information of a tumour will be acquired; MRI images will be more and more important in the next future. The combination of information from complementary imaging modalities is expected to have a great benefit in cancer treatment. This fact is particularly relevant for target definition, which remains, one of the most important sources of error in Radiotherapy. Anatomical imaging with CT and MRI produces different gross tumour volumes. Functional imaging with modalities such as MRI and PET will generally reveal an even different volume. Thus a decision has to be taken about how to combine such information in clinical applications. The solutions of these new problems are 'in progress' and a lot of researches in clinical applications are in discussion

A flexible and accurate digital volume correlation method applicable to high-resolution volumetric images

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Bing; Wang, Bo

2017-10-01

Digital volume correlation (DVC) is a powerful technique for quantifying interior deformation within solid opaque materials and biological tissues. In the last two decades, great efforts have been made to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the DVC algorithm. However, there is still a lack of a flexible, robust and accurate version that can be efficiently implemented in personal computers with limited RAM. This paper proposes an advanced DVC method that can realize accurate full-field internal deformation measurement applicable to high-resolution volume images with up to billions of voxels. Specifically, a novel layer-wise reliability-guided displacement tracking strategy combined with dynamic data management is presented to guide the DVC computation from slice to slice. The displacements at specified calculation points in each layer are computed using the advanced 3D inverse-compositional Gauss-Newton algorithm with the complete initial guess of the deformation vector accurately predicted from the computed calculation points. Since only limited slices of interest in the reference and deformed volume images rather than the whole volume images are required, the DVC calculation can thus be efficiently implemented on personal computers. The flexibility, accuracy and efficiency of the presented DVC approach are demonstrated by analyzing computer-simulated and experimentally obtained high-resolution volume images.

When Is Network Lasso Accurate?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Jung

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The “least absolute shrinkage and selection operator” (Lasso method has been adapted recently for network-structured datasets. In particular, this network Lasso method allows to learn graph signals from a small number of noisy signal samples by using the total variation of a graph signal for regularization. While efficient and scalable implementations of the network Lasso are available, only little is known about the conditions on the underlying network structure which ensure network Lasso to be accurate. By leveraging concepts of compressed sensing, we address this gap and derive precise conditions on the underlying network topology and sampling set which guarantee the network Lasso for a particular loss function to deliver an accurate estimate of the entire underlying graph signal. We also quantify the error incurred by network Lasso in terms of two constants which reflect the connectivity of the sampled nodes.

Serial fusion of Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches for accurate heart-rate estimation using face videos.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Puneet; Bhowmick, Brojeshwar; Pal, Arpan

2017-07-01

Camera-equipped devices are ubiquitous and proliferating in the day-to-day life. Accurate heart rate (HR) estimation from the face videos acquired from the low cost cameras in a non-contact manner, can be used in many real-world scenarios and hence, require rigorous exploration. This paper has presented an accurate and near real-time HR estimation system using these face videos. It is based on the phenomenon that the color and motion variations in the face video are closely related to the heart beat. The variations also contain the noise due to facial expressions, respiration, eye blinking and environmental factors which are handled by the proposed system. Neither Eulerian nor Lagrangian temporal signals can provide accurate HR in all the cases. The cases where Eulerian temporal signals perform spuriously are determined using a novel poorness measure and then both the Eulerian and Lagrangian temporal signals are employed for better HR estimation. Such a fusion is referred as serial fusion. Experimental results reveal that the error introduced in the proposed algorithm is 1.8±3.6 which is significantly lower than the existing well known systems.

Neurodevelopmental long-term outcome in children with hydrocephalus requiring neonatal surgical treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Melot, A; Labarre, A; Vanhulle, C; Rondeau, S; Brasseur, M; Gilard, V; Castel, H; Marret, S; Proust, F

2016-04-01

To assess long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in children with hydrocephalus requiring neurosurgical treatment during the neonatal period. This prospective longitudinal population-based study included 43 children with neonatal shunted hydrocephalus. The 43 children were prospectively reviewed in the presence of their parents at the outpatient clinic. Cognitive and motor outcomes were assessed respectively using different Wechsler scales according to age and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Postoperative MRI was routinely performed. The mean gestational age at birth of the 43 consecutive children with neonatal hydrocephalus (sex ratio M/F: 1.39) was 34.5±5.4 weeks of gestation. At mean follow-up of 10.4±4 years, mean total IQ was 73±27.7, with equivalent results in mean verbal and mean performance IQ. Of the 33 children with IQ evaluation, 18 presented an IQ≥85 (41.9%). Efficiency in walking without a mobility device (GMFCS≤2) was obtained in 37 children (86%). Only severity of postoperative ventricular dilation was significantly associated with unfavorable outcome (Evans index>0.37; odds ratio: 0.16, P=0.03). This information could be provided to those families concerned who often experience anxiety when multi-disciplinary management of neonatal hydrocephalus is required. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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

CERN Document Server

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

2013-01-01

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

3D dosimetry on Ru-106 plaque for ocular melanoma treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gueli, A.M.; Mannino, G.; Troja, S.O.; Asero, G.; Burrafato, G.; De Vincolis, R.; Greco, C.; Longhitano, N.; Occhipinti, A.

2011-01-01

For a few years at the Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria “Policlinico - Vittorio Emanuele” of Catania (Italy), ocular melanoma brachytherapic treatments with Ru-106 plaques have been made. This type of treatment is planned using the specific Treatment Planning System (TPS) BEBIG “Plaque Simulator” software that simulates the delivered dose distribution from the source used on the eye tissue. Improving dosimetry for ophthalmic therapeutic applications is worthwhile. Accurate dose measurements require detectors of adequate dimensions with respect to small distances involved. The main objective of the work is the improvement of dosimetry accuracy with a high sensitivity and spatial resolution system such as EBT2 Gafchromic ® film. The relative depth dose, the 2D and 3D distributions, the source uniformity and asymmetry were obtained using custom tissue equivalent phantom. Experimental results were compared with manufacturer’s calibration certificate data, TPS calculated values and Monte Carlo simulation results.

17 CFR 248.5 - Annual privacy notice to customers required.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... customers required. 248.5 Section 248.5 Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE... Safeguarding Personal Information Privacy and Opt Out Notices § 248.5 Annual privacy notice to customers required. (a)(1) General rule. You must provide a clear and conspicuous notice to customers that accurately...

17 CFR 160.5 - Annual privacy notice to customers required.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... customers required. 160.5 Section 160.5 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING... notice to customers required. (a)(1) General rule. You must provide a clear and conspicuous notice to customers that accurately reflects your privacy policies and practices not less than annually during the...

High resolution X-ray fluorescence imaging for a microbeam radiation therapy treatment planning system

Science.gov (United States)

Chtcheprov, Pavel; Inscoe, Christina; Burk, Laurel; Ger, Rachel; Yuan, Hong; Lu, Jianping; Chang, Sha; Zhou, Otto

2014-03-01

Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) uses an array of high-dose, narrow (~100 μm) beams separated by a fraction of a millimeter to treat various radio-resistant, deep-seated tumors. MRT has been shown to spare normal tissue up to 1000 Gy of entrance dose while still being highly tumoricidal. Current methods of tumor localization for our MRT treatments require MRI and X-ray imaging with subject motion and image registration that contribute to the measurement error. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel form of imaging to quickly and accurately assist in high resolution target positioning for MRT treatments using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The key to this method is using the microbeam to both treat and image. High Z contrast media is injected into the phantom or blood pool of the subject prior to imaging. Using a collimated spectrum analyzer, the region of interest is scanned through the MRT beam and the fluorescence signal is recorded for each slice. The signal can be processed to show vascular differences in the tissue and isolate tumor regions. Using the radiation therapy source as the imaging source, repositioning and registration errors are eliminated. A phantom study showed that a spatial resolution of a fraction of microbeam width can be achieved by precision translation of the mouse stage. Preliminary results from an animal study showed accurate iodine profusion, confirmed by CT. The proposed image guidance method, using XRF to locate and ablate tumors, can be used as a fast and accurate MRT treatment planning system.

The role of unfinished root canal treatment in odontogenic maxillofacial infections requiring hospital care.

Science.gov (United States)

Grönholm, L; Lemberg, K K; Tjäderhane, L; Lauhio, A; Lindqvist, C; Rautemaa-Richardson, R

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and radiological findings and the role of periapical infection and antecedent dental treatment of infected focus teeth in odontogenic maxillofacial abscesses requiring hospital care. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated medical records and panoramic radiographs during the hospital stay of patients (n = 60) admitted due to odontogenic maxillofacial infection originating from periapical periodontitis. Twenty-three (38 %) patients had received endodontic treatment and ten (17 %) other acute dental treatment. Twenty-seven (45 %) had not visited the dentist in the near past. Median age of the patients was 45 (range 20-88) years and 60 % were males. Unfinished root canal treatment (RCT) was the major risk factor for hospitalisation in 16 (27 %) of the 60 cases (p = .0065). Completed RCT was the source only in 7 (12 %) of the 60 cases. Two of these RCTs were adequate and five inadequate. The initiation of inadequate or incomplete primary RCT of acute periapical periodontitis appears to open a risk window for locally invasive spread of infection with local abscess formation and systemic symptoms. Thereafter, the quality of the completed RCT appears to have minor impact. However, a considerable proportion of the patients had not received any dental treatment confirming the importance of good dental health. Thus, thorough canal debridement during the first session is essential for minimising the risk for spread of infection in addition to incision and drainage of the abscess. If this cannot be achieved, tooth extraction should be considered. Incomplete or inadequate canal debridement and drainage of the abscess may increase the risk for spread of endodontic infection.

Environmental Requirements Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cusack, Laura J.; Bramson, Jeffrey E.; Archuleta, Jose A.; Frey, Jeffrey A.

2015-01-08

CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M HILL) is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) prime contractor responsible for the environmental cleanup of the Hanford Site Central Plateau. As part of this responsibility, the CH2M HILL is faced with the task of complying with thousands of environmental requirements which originate from over 200 federal, state, and local laws and regulations, DOE Orders, waste management and effluent discharge permits, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) response and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action documents, and official regulatory agency correspondence. The challenge is to manage this vast number of requirements to ensure they are appropriately and effectively integrated into CH2M HILL operations. Ensuring compliance with a large number of environmental requirements relies on an organization’s ability to identify, evaluate, communicate, and verify those requirements. To ensure that compliance is maintained, all changes need to be tracked. The CH2M HILL identified that the existing system used to manage environmental requirements was difficult to maintain and that improvements should be made to increase functionality. CH2M HILL established an environmental requirements management procedure and tools to assure that all environmental requirements are effectively and efficiently managed. Having a complete and accurate set of environmental requirements applicable to CH2M HILL operations will promote a more efficient approach to: • Communicating requirements • Planning work • Maintaining work controls • Maintaining compliance

Accuracy requirements in radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzdar, S. A.; Afzal, M.; Nazir, A.; Gadhi, M. A.

2013-01-01

Radiation therapy attempts to deliver ionizing radiation to the tumour and can improve the survival chances and/or quality of life of patients. There are chances of errors and uncertainties in the entire process of radiotherapy that may affect the accuracy and precision of treatment management and decrease degree of conformation. All expected inaccuracies, like radiation dose determination, volume calculation, complete evaluation of the full extent of the tumour, biological behaviour of specific tumour types, organ motion during radiotherapy, imaging, biological/molecular uncertainties, sub-clinical diseases, microscopic spread of the disease, uncertainty in normal tissue responses and radiation morbidity need sound appreciation. Conformity can be increased by reduction of such inaccuracies. With the yearly increase in computing speed and advancement in other technologies the future will provide the opportunity to optimize a greater number of variables and reduce the errors in the treatment planning process. In multi-disciplined task of radiotherapy, efforts are needed to overcome the errors and uncertainty, not only by the physicists but also by radiologists, pathologists and oncologists to reduce molecular and biological uncertainties. The radiation therapy physics is advancing towards an optimal goal that is definitely to improve accuracy where necessary and to reduce uncertainty where possible. (author)

Accurate external localization of the left frontal cortex in dogs by using pointer based frameless neuronavigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robrecht Dockx

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background In humans, non-stereotactic frameless neuronavigation systems are used as a topographical tool for non-invasive brain stimulation methods such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS. TMS studies in dogs may provide treatment modalities for several neuropsychological disorders in dogs. Nevertheless, an accurate non-invasive localization of a stimulation target has not yet been performed in this species. Hypothesis This study was primarily put forward to externally locate the left frontal cortex in 18 healthy dogs by means of a human non-stereotactic neuronavigation system. Secondly, the accuracy of the external localization was assessed. Animals A total of 18 healthy dogs, drawn at random from the research colony present at the faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Ghent University, were used. Methods Two sets of coordinates (X, Y, Z and X″, Y″, Z″ were compared on each dog their tomographical dataset. Results The non-stereotactic neuronavigation system was able to externally locate the frontal cortex in dogs with accuracy comparable with human studies. Conclusion and clinical importance This result indicates that a non-stereotactic neuronavigation system can accurately externally locate the left frontal cortex and paves the way to use guided non-invasive brain stimulation methods as an alternative treatment procedure for neurological and behavioral disorders in dogs. This technique could, in analogy with human guided non-invasive brain stimulation, provide a better treatment outcome for dogs suffering from anxiety disorders when compared to its non-guided alternative.

A stiffly accurate integrator for elastodynamic problems

KAUST Repository

Michels, Dominik L.

2017-07-21

We present a new integration algorithm for the accurate and efficient solution of stiff elastodynamic problems governed by the second-order ordinary differential equations of structural mechanics. Current methods have the shortcoming that their performance is highly dependent on the numerical stiffness of the underlying system that often leads to unrealistic behavior or a significant loss of efficiency. To overcome these limitations, we present a new integration method which is based on a mathematical reformulation of the underlying differential equations, an exponential treatment of the full nonlinear forcing operator as opposed to more standard partially implicit or exponential approaches, and the utilization of the concept of stiff accuracy which ensures that the efficiency of the simulations is significantly less sensitive to increased stiffness. As a consequence, we are able to tremendously accelerate the simulation of stiff systems compared to established integrators and significantly increase the overall accuracy. The advantageous behavior of this approach is demonstrated on a broad spectrum of complex examples like deformable bodies, textiles, bristles, and human hair. Our easily parallelizable integrator enables more complex and realistic models to be explored in visual computing without compromising efficiency.

A new, accurate predictive model for incident hypertension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Völzke, Henry; Fung, Glenn; Ittermann, Till

2013-01-01

Data mining represents an alternative approach to identify new predictors of multifactorial diseases. This work aimed at building an accurate predictive model for incident hypertension using data mining procedures.......Data mining represents an alternative approach to identify new predictors of multifactorial diseases. This work aimed at building an accurate predictive model for incident hypertension using data mining procedures....

The development and organizational format of a radiotherapy patient treatment chart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bynum, S.; McMurry, H.

1989-01-01

An important and time consuming responsibility of the Dosimetrist is to ensure and supervise accurate recording of delivered dose and treatment methods. With the rapidly growing complexity of technology, data, treatment protocol regimens and treatment methods, the need for accurate recording in a clearly arranged fashion has become imperative not only for daily patient treatment, but also for legal purposes. This paper describes the process of designing a patient treatment chart based on a review of charts already in use in various departments and aided by the input of all members of the Radiation Oncology treatment team at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

COMBINATION THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THERAFLEX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L I Alekseeva

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Osteoarthritis (OA is the most common form of joint damage and a major cause of morbidity and disability. The significant increase in the incidence is due to the rapid aging of the population and the pandemic of obesity. The main clinical symptoms of OA are pain and deformation of joints, leading to functional impairment. OA treatment requires not only accurate diagnosis, but also estimation of the prevalence and severity of articular damage, the general health status of the patient and the presence of comorbid conditions for the correct choice of treatment, and possibly a combination thereof. Proven effectiveness of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride alone, created the preconditions for the development of complex products. The effectiveness of this combination is supported by experimental and clinical data.

[Accurate 3D free-form registration between fan-beam CT and cone-beam CT].

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Yueqiang; Xu, Hongbing; Li, Baosheng; Li, Hongsheng; Yang, Fujun

2012-06-01

Because the X-ray scatters, the CT numbers in cone-beam CT cannot exactly correspond to the electron densities. This, therefore, results in registration error when the intensity-based registration algorithm is used to register planning fan-beam CT and cone-beam CT. In order to reduce the registration error, we have developed an accurate gradient-based registration algorithm. The gradient-based deformable registration problem is described as a minimization of energy functional. Through the calculus of variations and Gauss-Seidel finite difference method, we derived the iterative formula of the deformable registration. The algorithm was implemented by GPU through OpenCL framework, with which the registration time was greatly reduced. Our experimental results showed that the proposed gradient-based registration algorithm could register more accurately the clinical cone-beam CT and fan-beam CT images compared with the intensity-based algorithm. The GPU-accelerated algorithm meets the real-time requirement in the online adaptive radiotherapy.

Oil sands naphthenic acids: a review of properties, measurement, and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Lisa D; Ulrich, Ania C

2015-05-01

The Alberta oil sands contain one of the world's largest reserves of oil - over 169 billion barrels of bitumen are economically recoverable with current extraction technologies. Surface mining and subsequent hot water extraction of bitumen from the ore generates about nine cubic meters of raw tailings per cubic meter of oil. Oil sands facilities are required to operate under a policy of zero water discharge, resulting in ponds containing more than one billion cubic meters of tailings, a mixture of sand, fines and process-affected water. Process-affected water contains numerous organic compounds, including naphthenic acids (NAs), which have been identified as the primary source of acute toxicity of process-affected water. Developments in analytical techniques, aerobic biodegradability, and treatment via chemical oxidation (ozone) of NAs are reviewed. The field continues to be challenged by the lack of a cost-effective, accurate analytical technique for NAs or an understanding of all the organic constituents in process-affected water that may be contributing to observed toxicity and thus requiring treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cytology-based treatment decision in primary lung cancer: is it accurate enough?

Science.gov (United States)

Sakr, Lama; Roll, Patrice; Payan, Marie-José; Liprandi, Agnès; Dutau, Hervé; Astoul, Philippe; Robaglia-Schlupp, Andrée; Loundou, Anderson; Barlesi, Fabrice

2012-03-01

Accurate distinction of lung cancer types has become increasingly important as recent trials have shown differential response to chemotherapy among non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) subtypes. Cytological procedures are frequently used but their diagnostic accuracy has been previously questioned. However, new endoscopic and cytological techniques might have improved cytological accuracy in comparison with prior findings. The aim of this study was to reassess cytological accuracy for diagnosis of lung cancer subtypes. A retrospective chart review of subjects who underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) for suspicion of lung cancer in 2007-2008, was undertaken. Reports of bronchoscopically derived cytological specimens were compared to those of histological material. Endoscopic findings and specific investigational techniques were taken into account. A total of 467 FOB with both cytological and histological diagnostic techniques were performed in 449 subjects. Patients consisted of 345 men and 104 women (median age, 65 yrs). Cytology proved malignancy in 157 patients. Cytologically diagnosed carcinomas were classified into squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) in 56, adenocarcinoma (ADC) in 6, small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) in 12, non-small cell lung carcinoma not otherwise specified (NSCLC-NOS) in 71, and unclassified carcinoma in 12. Cytology correlated fairly with biopsy specimens, as agreement was observed in 83% of SCLC, 100% of ADC, 74% of SqCC and 8% of NSCLC-NOS. Interestingly, 61% of cytologically identified NSCLC-NOS were classified as ADC by histology. Cytological accuracy improved in case of an endobronchial lesion, mainly for SqCC. These results indicate that cytological accuracy remains fair with regard to diagnosis of squamous and non-squamous lung cancer subtypes. Improvement of cytological accuracy is expected however with novel diagnostic strategies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accurate, fully-automated NMR spectral profiling for metabolomics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siamak Ravanbakhsh

Full Text Available Many diseases cause significant changes to the concentrations of small molecules (a.k.a. metabolites that appear in a person's biofluids, which means such diseases can often be readily detected from a person's "metabolic profile"-i.e., the list of concentrations of those metabolites. This information can be extracted from a biofluids Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR spectrum. However, due to its complexity, NMR spectral profiling has remained manual, resulting in slow, expensive and error-prone procedures that have hindered clinical and industrial adoption of metabolomics via NMR. This paper presents a system, BAYESIL, which can quickly, accurately, and autonomously produce a person's metabolic profile. Given a 1D 1H NMR spectrum of a complex biofluid (specifically serum or cerebrospinal fluid, BAYESIL can automatically determine the metabolic profile. This requires first performing several spectral processing steps, then matching the resulting spectrum against a reference compound library, which contains the "signatures" of each relevant metabolite. BAYESIL views spectral matching as an inference problem within a probabilistic graphical model that rapidly approximates the most probable metabolic profile. Our extensive studies on a diverse set of complex mixtures including real biological samples (serum and CSF, defined mixtures and realistic computer generated spectra; involving > 50 compounds, show that BAYESIL can autonomously find the concentration of NMR-detectable metabolites accurately (~ 90% correct identification and ~ 10% quantification error, in less than 5 minutes on a single CPU. These results demonstrate that BAYESIL is the first fully-automatic publicly-accessible system that provides quantitative NMR spectral profiling effectively-with an accuracy on these biofluids that meets or exceeds the performance of trained experts. We anticipate this tool will usher in high-throughput metabolomics and enable a wealth of new applications of

How Accurate Are Our Processed ENDF Cross Sections?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, Dermott E.

2014-05-01

Let me start by reassuring you that currently our nuclear data processing codes are very accurate in the calculations that they perform INSIDE COMNPUTERS. However, most of them drop the ball in what should be a trivial final step to output their results into the ENDF format. This is obviously a very important step, because without accurately outputting their results we would not be able to confidently use their results in our applications. This is indeed a very important step, but unfortunately it is one that is not given the attention it deserves; hence we come to the purpose of this paper. Here I document first the state of a number of nuclear data processing codes as of February 2012, when this comparison began, and then the current state, November 2013, of the same codes. I have delayed publishing results until now to give participants time to distribute updated codes and data. The codes compared include, in alphabetical order: AMPX, NJOY, PREPRO, and SAMMY/SAMRML. During this time we have seen considerable improvement in output results, and as a direct result of this study we now have four codes that produce high precision results, but this is still a long way from ensuring that all codes that handle nuclear data are maintaining the accuracy that we require today. In the first part of this report I consider the precision of our tabulated energies; here we see obvious flaws when less-precise output is used. In the second part I consider the precision of our cross sections; here we see more subtle flaws. The important point to stress is that once these flaws are recognized it is relatively easy to eliminate them and produce high precision energies and cross sections.

Fast and accurate methods for phylogenomic analyses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Warnow Tandy

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Species phylogenies are not estimated directly, but rather through phylogenetic analyses of different gene datasets. However, true gene trees can differ from the true species tree (and hence from one another due to biological processes such as horizontal gene transfer, incomplete lineage sorting, and gene duplication and loss, so that no single gene tree is a reliable estimate of the species tree. Several methods have been developed to estimate species trees from estimated gene trees, differing according to the specific algorithmic technique used and the biological model used to explain differences between species and gene trees. Relatively little is known about the relative performance of these methods. Results We report on a study evaluating several different methods for estimating species trees from sequence datasets, simulating sequence evolution under a complex model including indels (insertions and deletions, substitutions, and incomplete lineage sorting. The most important finding of our study is that some fast and simple methods are nearly as accurate as the most accurate methods, which employ sophisticated statistical methods and are computationally quite intensive. We also observe that methods that explicitly consider errors in the estimated gene trees produce more accurate trees than methods that assume the estimated gene trees are correct. Conclusions Our study shows that highly accurate estimations of species trees are achievable, even when gene trees differ from each other and from the species tree, and that these estimations can be obtained using fairly simple and computationally tractable methods.

Spectrally accurate initial data in numerical relativity

Science.gov (United States)

Battista, Nicholas A.

Einstein's theory of general relativity has radically altered the way in which we perceive the universe. His breakthrough was to realize that the fabric of space is deformable in the presence of mass, and that space and time are linked into a continuum. Much evidence has been gathered in support of general relativity over the decades. Some of the indirect evidence for GR includes the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, the anomalous perihelion of mercury, and the gravitational redshift. One of the most striking predictions of GR, that has not yet been confirmed, is the existence of gravitational waves. The primary source of gravitational waves in the universe is thought to be produced during the merger of binary black hole systems, or by binary neutron stars. The starting point for computer simulations of black hole mergers requires highly accurate initial data for the space-time metric and for the curvature. The equations describing the initial space-time around the black hole(s) are non-linear, elliptic partial differential equations (PDE). We will discuss how to use a pseudo-spectral (collocation) method to calculate the initial puncture data corresponding to single black hole and binary black hole systems.

Accurate path integration in continuous attractor network models of grid cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Burak, Yoram; Fiete, Ila R

2009-02-01

Grid cells in the rat entorhinal cortex display strikingly regular firing responses to the animal's position in 2-D space and have been hypothesized to form the neural substrate for dead-reckoning. However, errors accumulate rapidly when velocity inputs are integrated in existing models of grid cell activity. To produce grid-cell-like responses, these models would require frequent resets triggered by external sensory cues. Such inadequacies, shared by various models, cast doubt on the dead-reckoning potential of the grid cell system. Here we focus on the question of accurate path integration, specifically in continuous attractor models of grid cell activity. We show, in contrast to previous models, that continuous attractor models can generate regular triangular grid responses, based on inputs that encode only the rat's velocity and heading direction. We consider the role of the network boundary in the integration performance of the network and show that both periodic and aperiodic networks are capable of accurate path integration, despite important differences in their attractor manifolds. We quantify the rate at which errors in the velocity integration accumulate as a function of network size and intrinsic noise within the network. With a plausible range of parameters and the inclusion of spike variability, our model networks can accurately integrate velocity inputs over a maximum of approximately 10-100 meters and approximately 1-10 minutes. These findings form a proof-of-concept that continuous attractor dynamics may underlie velocity integration in the dorsolateral medial entorhinal cortex. The simulations also generate pertinent upper bounds on the accuracy of integration that may be achieved by continuous attractor dynamics in the grid cell network. We suggest experiments to test the continuous attractor model and differentiate it from models in which single cells establish their responses independently of each other.

Fast and accurate automated cell boundary determination for fluorescence microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Arce, Stephen Hugo; Wu, Pei-Hsun; Tseng, Yiider

2013-07-01

Detailed measurement of cell phenotype information from digital fluorescence images has the potential to greatly advance biomedicine in various disciplines such as patient diagnostics or drug screening. Yet, the complexity of cell conformations presents a major barrier preventing effective determination of cell boundaries, and introduces measurement error that propagates throughout subsequent assessment of cellular parameters and statistical analysis. State-of-the-art image segmentation techniques that require user-interaction, prolonged computation time and specialized training cannot adequately provide the support for high content platforms, which often sacrifice resolution to foster the speedy collection of massive amounts of cellular data. This work introduces a strategy that allows us to rapidly obtain accurate cell boundaries from digital fluorescent images in an automated format. Hence, this new method has broad applicability to promote biotechnology.

Dynamic Computational Model of Symptomatic Bacteremia to Inform Bacterial Separation Treatment Requirements.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinead E Miller

Full Text Available The rise of multi-drug resistance has decreased the effectiveness of antibiotics, which has led to increased mortality rates associated with symptomatic bacteremia, or bacterial sepsis. To combat decreasing antibiotic effectiveness, extracorporeal bacterial separation approaches have been proposed to capture and separate bacteria from blood. However, bacteremia is dynamic and involves host-pathogen interactions across various anatomical sites. We developed a mathematical model that quantitatively describes the kinetics of pathogenesis and progression of symptomatic bacteremia under various conditions, including bacterial separation therapy, to better understand disease mechanisms and quantitatively assess the biological impact of bacterial separation therapy. Model validity was tested against experimental data from published studies. This is the first multi-compartment model of symptomatic bacteremia in mammals that includes extracorporeal bacterial separation and antibiotic treatment, separately and in combination. The addition of an extracorporeal bacterial separation circuit reduced the predicted time of total bacteria clearance from the blood of an immunocompromised rodent by 49%, compared to antibiotic treatment alone. Implementation of bacterial separation therapy resulted in predicted multi-drug resistant bacterial clearance from the blood of a human in 97% less time than antibiotic treatment alone. The model also proposes a quantitative correlation between time-dependent bacterial load among tissues and bacteremia severity, analogous to the well-known 'area under the curve' for characterization of drug efficacy. The engineering-based mathematical model developed may be useful for informing the design of extracorporeal bacterial separation devices. This work enables the quantitative identification of the characteristics required of an extracorporeal bacteria separation device to provide biological benefit. These devices will potentially

Accurate x-ray spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deslattes, R.D.

1987-01-01

Heavy ion accelerators are the most flexible and readily accessible sources of highly charged ions. These having only one or two remaining electrons have spectra whose accurate measurement is of considerable theoretical significance. Certain features of ion production by accelerators tend to limit the accuracy which can be realized in measurement of these spectra. This report aims to provide background about spectroscopic limitations and discuss how accelerator operations may be selected to permit attaining intrinsically limited data

[Inhaled treatments in cystic fibrosis: what's new in 2013?].

Science.gov (United States)

Dubus, J-C; Bassinet, L; Chedevergne, F; Delaisi, B; Desmazes-Dufeu, N; Reychler, G; Vecellio, L

2014-04-01

In the past few years some new inhaled drugs and inhalation devices have been proposed for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Breath-controlled nebulizers allow increased pulmonary deposition, with a lower variability and a shorter delivery time. The new dry powder formulations of tobramycin, colistine and mannitol require a change in the inhalation technique which must be slow and deep. In the field of the inhaled mucolytic drugs, hypertonic saline and mannitol have an indication in some patients. With regard to antibiotics, dry-powder tobramycin and colistine can be substituted for the same drug delivered by nebulization. Nebulized aztreonam needs more studies to determine its place. These new treatments represent a definite advance for cystic fibrosis patients and need to be known by all practitioners. Their position in our therapeutic arsenal remains to be accurately defined. Copyright © 2013 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Unified treatment for accurate and fast evaluation of the Fermi–Dirac functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guseinov, I. I.; Mamedov, B. A.

2010-01-01

A new analytical approach to the computation of the Fermi-Dirac (FD) functions is presented, which was suggested by previous experience with various algorithms. Using the binomial expansion theorem, these functions are expressed through the binomial coefficients and familiar incomplete Gamma functions. This simplification and the use of the memory of the computer for the calculation of binomial coefficients may extend the limits to large arguments for users and result in speedier calculation, should such limits be required in practice. Some numerical results are presented for significant mapping examples and they are briefly discussed. (general)

Calculating Electrical Requirements for Direct Current Electric Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-29

equation 1. The moment of inertia must be a composite value of all rotating masses including the load, actuator components, and the motor rotor . Both...to the torque required to accelerate, there is a load torque, TL. The load torque is a composite value representing the torque required to overcome...values can typically be incorporated into a conservative composite efficiency value that provides reasonably accurate results. Since this report

Design and study of ultrasound-based automatic patient movement monitoring device for quantifying the intrafraction motion during teletherapy treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Senthilkumar, S; Vinothraj, R

2012-11-08

The aim of the present study is to fabricate indigenously ultrasonic-based automatic patient's movement monitoring device (UPMMD) that immediately halts teletherapy treatment if a patient moves, claiming accurate field treatment. The device consists of circuit board, magnetic attachment device, LED indicator, speaker, and ultrasonic emitter and receiver, which are placed on either side of the treatment table. The ultrasonic emitter produces the ultrasound waves and the receiver accepts the signal from the patient. When the patient moves, the receiver activates the circuit, an audible warning sound will be produced in the treatment console room alerting the technologist to stop treatment. Simultaneously, the electrical circuit to the teletherapy machine will be interrupted and radiation will be halted. The device and alarm system can detect patient movements with a sensitivity of about 1 mm. Our results indicate that, in spite of its low-cost, low-power, high-precision, nonintrusive, light weight, reusable and simplicity features, UPMMD is highly sensitive and offers accurate measurements. Furthermore, UPMMD is patient-friendly and requires minimal user training. This study revealed that the device can prevent the patient's normal tissues from unnecessary radiation exposure, and also it is helpful to deliver the radiation to the correct tumor location. Using this alarming system the patient can be repositioned after interrupting the treatment machine manually. It also enables the technologists to do their work more efficiently.

Accurately fitting advanced training. Flexible simulator training by modular training course concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sickora, Katrin; Cremer, Hans-Peter

2010-01-01

Every employee of a power plant contributes with his individual expertise to the success of the enterprise. Certainly personal skills of employees differ from each other as well as power plants are different. With respect to effective simulator training this means that no two simulator training courses can be identical. To exactly meet the requirements of our customers KWS has developed modules for simulation training courses. Each module represents either a technical subject or addresses a topic in the field of soft skills. An accurately fitting combination of several of these modules to the needs of our customers allows for most efficient simulator training courses. (orig.)

19 CFR 143.5 - System performance requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false System performance requirements. 143.5 Section 143.5 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF... must demonstrate that his system can interface directly with the Customs computer and ensure accurate...

Implementation of three dimensional treatment planning system for external radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Major, Tibor; Kurup, P.G.G.; Stumpf, Janos

1997-01-01

A three dimensional (3D) treatment planning system was installed at Apollo Cancer Hospital, Chennai, India in 1995. This paper gives a short description of the system including hardware components, calculation algorithm, measured data requirements and specific three dimensional features. The concept and the structure of the system are shortly described. The first impressions along with critical opinions and the experiences are gained during the data acquisition are mentioned. Some improvements in the user interface are suggested. It is emphasized that although a 3D system offers more detailed and accurate dose distributions compared to a 2D system, it also introduces a greatly increased workload for the planning staff. (author)

What accuracy is required and can be achieved in radiation therapy (review of radiobiological and clinical data)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wambersie, A.

2001-01-01

An attempt is made to formulate the requirements for the accuracy in the delivery of absorbed dose to a patient during radiation therapy. These requirements are mainly based on the relative steepness and separation of the dose-effect curves for local tumour control and normal tissue damage. The curves for normal tissue complications in general may be steeper than those for local tumour control. From these data, a standard requirement of 3.5% is proposed for the combined uncertainty of type A (random) and type B (systematic), given as one relative standard deviation in the absorbed dose delivery. However, it is recognized that, in many cases, larger uncertainties are acceptable (palliative treatments). This value of 3.5% applies to the absorbed dose at the specification point for curative treatments. As far as the dose accuracy requirements at other points in the planning target volume are concerned, a value of 5% (one standard deviation) seems more appropriate. This required accuracy in the delivery of the absorbed dose cannot always be completely achieved in photon therapy even for simple treatment conditions. All the clinical data which were reviewed, including some results from the 'Patterns of Care Study', indicate a close correlation between the outcomes of therapy (control rates, complications) and dose level, inaccuracy or errors in dosimetry and patient-machine positioning. This has been reported for external beam therapy as well as for brachytherapy. Only the clinical results will allow us to select the optimal treatment conditions (e.g. selection and definition of the planning target volumes, dose levels and beam arrangement), but they could be interpreted correctly only to the extent that the treatment execution would be correct. This result strongly endorses the Quality Assurance Programmes, in which the clinicians and physicists should be fully involved. Lastly, the outcome of a treatment can only be interpreted meaningfully if the parameters of the

Leveraging Two Kinect Sensors for Accurate Full-Body Motion Capture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiquan Gao

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Accurate motion capture plays an important role in sports analysis, the medical field and virtual reality. Current methods for motion capture often suffer from occlusions, which limits the accuracy of their pose estimation. In this paper, we propose a complete system to measure the pose parameters of the human body accurately. Different from previous monocular depth camera systems, we leverage two Kinect sensors to acquire more information about human movements, which ensures that we can still get an accurate estimation even when significant occlusion occurs. Because human motion is temporally constant, we adopt a learning analysis to mine the temporal information across the posture variations. Using this information, we estimate human pose parameters accurately, regardless of rapid movement. Our experimental results show that our system can perform an accurate pose estimation of the human body with the constraint of information from the temporal domain.

The Role of Rotavirus Infection Requiring Treatment in a Hospital in Children with Diarrheal Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu.Yu. Stepanova

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to investigate the prognostic and diagnostic value of some clinical and biological factors in the development of acute intestinal rotavirus infection in children. We observed 161 children aged 1 month to 6 years. 81 children were diagnosed with rotavirus infection, and 80 — with secretory diarrhea of unknown origin. Treatment of children was carried out in a hospital. Analysis of clinical and anamnestic data enabled to choose the most prognostically and diagnostically important predictors out of 117 studied risk factors. The authors investigated the association of clinical and biological factors with the severity of rotavirus infection, which would highlight the groups of children with high risk of rotavirus infection, which requires treatment in a hospital. The practical application of the results of this work should be the optimization of early diagnostics of rotavirus infections and timeliness of preventive measures.

Accurate stereochemistry for two related 22,26-epiminocholestene derivatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega-Baez, José Luis; Sandoval-Ramírez, Jesús; Meza-Reyes, Socorro; Montiel-Smith, Sara; Gómez-Calvario, Victor; Bernès, Sylvain

2008-01-01

Regioselective opening of ring E of solasodine under various conditions afforded (25R)-22,26-epimino@@cholesta-5,22(N)-di@@ene-3β,16β-diyl diacetate (previously known as 3,16-diacetyl pseudosolasodine B), C 31 H 47 NO 4 , or (22S,25R)-16β-hydr@@oxy-22,26-epimino@@cholesta-5-en-3β-yl acetate (a derivative of the naturally occurring alkaloid oblonginine), C 29 H 47 NO 3 . In both cases, the reactions are carried out with retention of chirality at the C16, C20 and C25 stereogenic centers, which are found to be S, S and R, respectively. Although pseudosolasodine was synthesized 50 years ago, these accurate assignments clarify some controversial points about the actual stereochemistry for these alkaloids. This is of particular importance in the case of oblonginine, since this compound is currently under consideration for the treatment of aphasia arising from apoplexy; the present study defines a diastereoisomerically pure compound for pharmacological studies

[Surgical treatment of Marfan syndrome; analysis of the patients required multiple surgical interventions].

Science.gov (United States)

Yamazaki, F; Shimamoto, M; Fujita, S; Nakai, M; Aoyama, A; Chen, F; Nakata, T; Yamada, T

2002-07-01

Without treatment, the life expectancy of patients with Marfan syndrome is reduced by the associated cardiovascular abnormalities. In this study, we reviewed our experience of the patients with Marfan syndrome who required multiple surgical interventions to identify the optimal treatment for these patients. Between January 1986 and December 2000, 44 patients with Marfan syndrome were operated on at Shizuoka City Hospital (SCH). Among them, 10 patients (22.7%) underwent multiple surgical interventions. There were 5 male and 5 female patients with a mean age of 40.6 +/- 16.1 years at the initial surgery. Only one patient was operated on at another hospital for his first, second, and third operations. His fourth operation was carried out at SCH. The remaining 9 patients underwent a total of 14 additional surgical procedures at SCH. Computed tomography (CT) scans were taken every 6 months postoperatively, and aortic diameter greater than 60 mm was considered as the indication for the additional surgery. There were no early death and one late death. The causes of additional surgery were enlargement of true aneurysm in 6, enlargement of residual dissection in 4, new dissection in 4, false aneurysm at the coronary anastomosis of Bentall procedure in 1. In 9 patients, both ascending and descending aorta were replaced. Among these 9 patients, only 3 patients underwent total arch replacement, and remaining 6 patients had their arch left in place with or without dissection. Our current strategy of the treatment of Marfan patients with acute type A dissection is total arch replacement with an elephant trunk at the initial emergent surgery.

Accurate halo-galaxy mocks from automatic bias estimation and particle mesh gravity solvers

Science.gov (United States)

Vakili, Mohammadjavad; Kitaura, Francisco-Shu; Feng, Yu; Yepes, Gustavo; Zhao, Cheng; Chuang, Chia-Hsun; Hahn, ChangHoon

2017-12-01

Reliable extraction of cosmological information from clustering measurements of galaxy surveys requires estimation of the error covariance matrices of observables. The accuracy of covariance matrices is limited by our ability to generate sufficiently large number of independent mock catalogues that can describe the physics of galaxy clustering across a wide range of scales. Furthermore, galaxy mock catalogues are required to study systematics in galaxy surveys and to test analysis tools. In this investigation, we present a fast and accurate approach for generation of mock catalogues for the upcoming galaxy surveys. Our method relies on low-resolution approximate gravity solvers to simulate the large-scale dark matter field, which we then populate with haloes according to a flexible non-linear and stochastic bias model. In particular, we extend the PATCHY code with an efficient particle mesh algorithm to simulate the dark matter field (the FASTPM code), and with a robust MCMC method relying on the EMCEE code for constraining the parameters of the bias model. Using the haloes in the BigMultiDark high-resolution N-body simulation as a reference catalogue, we demonstrate that our technique can model the bivariate probability distribution function (counts-in-cells), power spectrum and bispectrum of haloes in the reference catalogue. Specifically, we show that the new ingredients permit us to reach percentage accuracy in the power spectrum up to k ∼ 0.4 h Mpc-1 (within 5 per cent up to k ∼ 0.6 h Mpc-1) with accurate bispectra improving previous results based on Lagrangian perturbation theory.

Accurately bearing measurement in non-cooperative passive location system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Zhiqiang; Ma Hongguang; Yang Lifeng

2007-01-01

The system of non-cooperative passive location based on array is proposed. In the system, target is detected by beamforming and Doppler matched filtering; and bearing is measured by a long-base-ling interferometer which is composed of long distance sub-arrays. For the interferometer with long-base-line, the bearing is measured accurately but ambiguously. To realize unambiguous accurately bearing measurement, beam width and multiple constraint adoptive beamforming technique is used to resolve azimuth ambiguous. Theory and simulation result shows this method is effective to realize accurately bearing measurement in no-cooperate passive location system. (authors)

Accurate radiotherapy positioning system investigation based on video

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao Shengxiang; Wu Yican

2006-01-01

This paper introduces the newest research production on patient positioning method in accurate radiotherapy brought by Accurate Radiotherapy Treating System (ARTS) research team of Institute of Plasma Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, such as the positioning system based on binocular vision, the position-measuring system based on contour matching and the breath gate controlling system for positioning. Their basic principle, the application occasion and the prospects are briefly depicted. (authors)

Accurate orbital-dependent correlation and exchange-correlation potentials from non-iterative ab initio dft calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Grabowski, Ireneusz; Lotrich, Victor

2005-08-01

A new approximate non-iterative procedure to obtain accurate correlation and exchange-correlation potentials of Kohn-Sham (KS) density functional theory (DFT) is presented. By carrying out only one step of the correlated optimized effective potential (OEP) iterations following the standard iterative exchange-only OEP, one can recover accurate correlation potentials corresponding to the orbital-dependent second-order many-body perturbation theory [MBPT(2)] energy functional that are hardly discernible from those obtained by the more expensive, fully iterative procedure. This new 'one-step' OEP-MBPT(2) algorithm reflects the non-iterative, perturbative algorithm of standard, canonical MBPT(2) of ab initio wave function theory, while it allows the correlation potentials to readjust and include the majority of the MBPT(2) correlation effect. It is also flexible in the treatment of exchange and the Hartree-Fock orbitals may be used in lieu of the exchange-only OEP orbitals, when the correlation or exchange-correlation potential is of interest.

Technical Safety Requirements for the B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, H L

2007-01-01

This document contains Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Division's B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TSRs constitute requirements regarding the safe operation of the B695 Segment of the DWTF. The TSRs are derived from the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the B695 Segment of the DWTF (LLNL 2004). The analysis presented there determined that the B695 Segment of the DWTF is a low-chemical hazard, Hazard Category 3, nonreactor nuclear facility. The TSRs consist primarily of inventory limits as well as controls to preserve the underlying assumptions in the hazard analyses. Furthermore, appropriate commitments to safety programs are presented in the administrative controls section of the TSRs. The B695 Segment of the DWTF (B695 and the west portion of B696) is a waste treatment and storage facility located in the northeast quadrant of the LLNL main site. The approximate area and boundary of the B695 Segment of the DWTF are shown in the B695 Segment of the DWTF DSA. Activities typically conducted in the B695 Segment of the DWTF include container storage, lab-packing, repacking, overpacking, bulking, sampling, waste transfer, and waste treatment. B695 is used to store and treat radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste, and it also contains equipment used in conjunction with waste processing operations to treat various liquid and solid wastes. The portion of the building called Building 696 Solid Waste Processing Area (SWPA), also referred to as B696S in this report, is used primarily to manage solid radioactive waste. Operations specific to the SWPA include sorting and segregating low-level waste (LLW) and transuranic (TRU) waste, lab-packing, sampling, and crushing empty drums that previously contained LLW. A permit modification for B696S was submitted to DTSC in January 2004 to store and treat hazardous and mixed

Patient-related risk factors for requiring surgical intervention following a failed injection for the treatment of medial and lateral epicondylitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Degen, Ryan M; Cancienne, Jourdan M; Camp, Christopher L; Altchek, David W; Dines, Joshua S; Werner, Brian C

2017-11-01

To identify risk factors for failure of a therapeutic injection leading to operative management of both medial and lateral epicondylitis. A national database was used to query Medicare Standard Analytic Files from 2005-2012 for patients treated with therapeutic injections for medial or lateral epicondylitis using CPT codes for injections associated with corresponding ICD-9 diagnostic codes (726.31 and 726.32, respectively). Those who subsequently underwent surgical treatment following injection were identified. A multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis was utilized to evaluate patient-related risk factors for requiring surgery within 2 years after therapeutic injection. 1,837 patients received therapeutic injections for medial epicondylitis. 52 (2.8%) required ipsilateral surgery at a mean of 429 ± 28 days post-injection. Risk factors for requiring surgical intervention included age lateral epicondylitis. 201 (3.1%) required subsequent surgery at a mean of 383 ± 128 days' post-injection. Risk factors included age lateral epicondylitis is low (~3%). Risk factors for failing a therapeutic injection include age  30) for medial epicondylitis and age lateral epicondylitis. Patients with these identified risk factors presenting with medial or lateral epicondylitis should be cautioned that they carry a higher risk of subsequent surgical treatment. Therapeutic, III.

Bicipitoradial Bursitis: A Review of Clinical Presentation and Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsz-Lung Choi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The bicipitoradial bursa lies at the insertion of the biceps tendon on the radial tuberosity. It is an unusual site for chronic bursitis and most often results from repetitive mechanical trauma or overuse. Other causes include tuberculosis, immunological complications of rheumatological disease and synovial chondromatosis. Accurate diagnosis requires imaging studies and sometimes histological study. It can be treated conservatively with aspiration and steroid injection. Surgical excision of the bursa is indicated in the case of infection cause, failed conservative treatment with recurrence of the enlarged bursa and pain after aspiration, presence of nerve compression with neurological impairment, mechanical limitation to flexion, and extension of the elbow or biceps tendon degeneration and/or functional impairment.

SEISMIC DESIGN REQUIREMENTS SELECTION METHODOLOGY FOR THE SLUDGE TREATMENT and M-91 SOLID WASTE PROCESSING FACILITIES PROJECTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

RYAN GW

2008-01-01

In complying with direction from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL) (07-KBC-0055, 'Direction Associated with Implementation of DOE-STD-1189 for the Sludge Treatment Project,' and 08-SED-0063, 'RL Action on the Safety Design Strategy (SDS) for Obtaining Additional Solid Waste Processing Capabilities (M-91 Project) and Use of Draft DOE-STD-I 189-YR'), it has been determined that the seismic design requirements currently in the Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) will be modified by DOE-STD-1189, Integration of Safety into the Design Process (March 2007 draft), for these two key PHMC projects. Seismic design requirements for other PHMC facilities and projects will remain unchanged. Considering the current early Critical Decision (CD) phases of both the Sludge Treatment Project (STP) and the Solid Waste Processing Facilities (M-91) Project and a strong intent to avoid potentially costly re-work of both engineering and nuclear safety analyses, this document describes how Fluor Hanford, Inc. (FH) will maintain compliance with the PHMC by considering both the current seismic standards referenced by DOE 0 420.1 B, Facility Safety, and draft DOE-STD-1189 (i.e., ASCE/SEI 43-05, Seismic Design Criteria for Structures, Systems, and Components in Nuclear Facilities, and ANSI ANS 2.26-2004, Categorization of Nuclear Facility Structures, Systems and Components for Seismic Design, as modified by draft DOE-STD-1189) to choose the criteria that will result in the most conservative seismic design categorization and engineering design. Following the process described in this document will result in a conservative seismic design categorization and design products. This approach is expected to resolve discrepancies between the existing and new requirements and reduce the risk that project designs and analyses will require revision when the draft DOE-STD-1189 is finalized

Accurate determination of light elements by charged particle activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shikano, K.; Shigematsu, T.

1989-01-01

To develop accurate determination of light elements by CPAA, accurate and practical standardization methods and uniform chemical etching are studied based on determination of carbon in gallium arsenide using the 12 C(d,n) 13 N reaction and the following results are obtained: (1)Average stopping power method with thick target yield is useful as an accurate and practical standardization method. (2)Front surface of sample has to be etched for accurate estimate of incident energy. (3)CPAA is utilized for calibration of light element analysis by physical method. (4)Calibration factor of carbon analysis in gallium arsenide using the IR method is determined to be (9.2±0.3) x 10 15 cm -1 . (author)

Accurate characterisation of hole size and location by projected fringe profilometry

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuxiang; Dantanarayana, Harshana G.; Yue, Huimin; Huntley, Jonathan M.

2018-06-01

The ability to accurately estimate the location and geometry of holes is often required in the field of quality control and automated assembly. Projected fringe profilometry is a potentially attractive technique on account of being non-contacting, of lower cost, and orders of magnitude faster than the traditional coordinate measuring machine. However, we demonstrate in this paper that fringe projection is susceptible to significant (hundreds of µm) measurement artefacts in the neighbourhood of hole edges, which give rise to errors of a similar magnitude in the estimated hole geometry. A mechanism for the phenomenon is identified based on the finite size of the imaging system’s point spread function and the resulting bias produced near to sample discontinuities in geometry and reflectivity. A mathematical model is proposed, from which a post-processing compensation algorithm is developed to suppress such errors around the holes. The algorithm includes a robust and accurate sub-pixel edge detection method based on a Fourier descriptor of the hole contour. The proposed algorithm was found to reduce significantly the measurement artefacts near the hole edges. As a result, the errors in estimated hole radius were reduced by up to one order of magnitude, to a few tens of µm for hole radii in the range 2–15 mm, compared to those from the uncompensated measurements.

Dosimetric evaluation in heterogeneous tissue of anterior electron beam irradiation for treatment of retinoblastoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirsner, S.M.; Hogstrom, K.R.; Kurup, R.G.; Moyers, M.F.

1987-01-01

A dosimetric study of anterior electron beam irradiation for treatment of retinoblastoma was performed to evaluate the influence of tissue heterogeneities on the dose distribution within the eye and the accuracy of the dose calculated by a pencil beam algorithm. Film measurements were made in a variety of polystyrene phantoms and in a removable polystyrene eye incorporated into a tissue substitute phantom constructed from a human skull. Measurements in polystyrene phantoms were used to demonstrate the algorithm's ability to predict the effect of a lens block placed in the beam, as well as the eye's irregular surface shape. The eye phantom was used to measure dose distributions within the eye in both the sagittal and transverse planes in order to test the algorithm's ability to predict the dose distribution when bony heterogeneities are present. Results show (1) that previous treatment planning conclusions based on flat, uniform phantoms for central-axis depth dose are adequate; (2) that a three-dimensional heterogeneity correction is required for accurate dose calculations; and (3) that if only a two-dimensional heterogeneity correction is used in calculating the dose, it is more accurate for the sagittal than the transverse plane

Consensus-based Distributed Control for Accurate Reactive, Harmonic and Imbalance Power Sharing in Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Jianguo; Kim, Sunghyok; Zhang, Huaguang

2018-01-01

This paper investigates the issue of accurate reactive, harmonic and imbalance power sharing in a microgrid. Harmonic and imbalance droop controllers are developed to proportionally share the harmonic power and the imbalance power among distributed generation (DG) units and improve the voltage...... voltage. With the proposed methods, the microgrid system reliability and flexibility can be enhanced and the knowledge of the line impedance is not required. And the reactive, harmonic and imbalance power can be proportionally shared among the DG units. Moreover, the quality of the voltage at PCC can...

An efficient discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for highly accurate solution of maxwell equations

KAUST Repository

Liu, Meilin

2012-08-01

A discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DG-FEM) with a highly accurate time integration scheme for solving Maxwell equations is presented. The new time integration scheme is in the form of traditional predictor-corrector algorithms, PE CE m, but it uses coefficients that are obtained using a numerical scheme with fully controllable accuracy. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed DG-FEM uses larger time steps than DG-FEM with classical PE CE) m schemes when high accuracy, which could be obtained using high-order spatial discretization, is required. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

An efficient discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for highly accurate solution of maxwell equations

KAUST Repository

Liu, Meilin; Sirenko, Kostyantyn; Bagci, Hakan

2012-01-01

A discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DG-FEM) with a highly accurate time integration scheme for solving Maxwell equations is presented. The new time integration scheme is in the form of traditional predictor-corrector algorithms, PE CE m, but it uses coefficients that are obtained using a numerical scheme with fully controllable accuracy. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed DG-FEM uses larger time steps than DG-FEM with classical PE CE) m schemes when high accuracy, which could be obtained using high-order spatial discretization, is required. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

Mental models accurately predict emotion transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, Mark A; Tamir, Diana I

2017-06-06

Successful social interactions depend on people's ability to predict others' future actions and emotions. People possess many mechanisms for perceiving others' current emotional states, but how might they use this information to predict others' future states? We hypothesized that people might capitalize on an overlooked aspect of affective experience: current emotions predict future emotions. By attending to regularities in emotion transitions, perceivers might develop accurate mental models of others' emotional dynamics. People could then use these mental models of emotion transitions to predict others' future emotions from currently observable emotions. To test this hypothesis, studies 1-3 used data from three extant experience-sampling datasets to establish the actual rates of emotional transitions. We then collected three parallel datasets in which participants rated the transition likelihoods between the same set of emotions. Participants' ratings of emotion transitions predicted others' experienced transitional likelihoods with high accuracy. Study 4 demonstrated that four conceptual dimensions of mental state representation-valence, social impact, rationality, and human mind-inform participants' mental models. Study 5 used 2 million emotion reports on the Experience Project to replicate both of these findings: again people reported accurate models of emotion transitions, and these models were informed by the same four conceptual dimensions. Importantly, neither these conceptual dimensions nor holistic similarity could fully explain participants' accuracy, suggesting that their mental models contain accurate information about emotion dynamics above and beyond what might be predicted by static emotion knowledge alone.

Mental models accurately predict emotion transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, Mark A.; Tamir, Diana I.

2017-01-01

Successful social interactions depend on people’s ability to predict others’ future actions and emotions. People possess many mechanisms for perceiving others’ current emotional states, but how might they use this information to predict others’ future states? We hypothesized that people might capitalize on an overlooked aspect of affective experience: current emotions predict future emotions. By attending to regularities in emotion transitions, perceivers might develop accurate mental models of others’ emotional dynamics. People could then use these mental models of emotion transitions to predict others’ future emotions from currently observable emotions. To test this hypothesis, studies 1–3 used data from three extant experience-sampling datasets to establish the actual rates of emotional transitions. We then collected three parallel datasets in which participants rated the transition likelihoods between the same set of emotions. Participants’ ratings of emotion transitions predicted others’ experienced transitional likelihoods with high accuracy. Study 4 demonstrated that four conceptual dimensions of mental state representation—valence, social impact, rationality, and human mind—inform participants’ mental models. Study 5 used 2 million emotion reports on the Experience Project to replicate both of these findings: again people reported accurate models of emotion transitions, and these models were informed by the same four conceptual dimensions. Importantly, neither these conceptual dimensions nor holistic similarity could fully explain participants’ accuracy, suggesting that their mental models contain accurate information about emotion dynamics above and beyond what might be predicted by static emotion knowledge alone. PMID:28533373

4-13 kA DC current transducers enabling accurate in-situ calibration for a new particle accelerator project, LHC

CERN Document Server

Hudson, G

2005-01-01

CERN's next generation particle accelerator, the large hadron collider (LHC) requires accurate current measurement up to 13 kA to enable current tracking between individual power converters. DC current transducers (DCCTs) have been developed to allow in-situ calibrations to 10/sup -6/ uncertainty. This paper describes the principle, design and initial evaluations.

40 CFR 141.82 - Description of corrosion control treatment requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... adversely affected other water treatment processes when used by another water system with comparable water... the effect of the chemicals used for corrosion control treatment on other water quality treatment... compound is used); (viii) Silicate (when an inhibitor containing a silicate compound is used); (ix) Water...

Accurate estimation of indoor travel times

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prentow, Thor Siiger; Blunck, Henrik; Stisen, Allan

2014-01-01

The ability to accurately estimate indoor travel times is crucial for enabling improvements within application areas such as indoor navigation, logistics for mobile workers, and facility management. In this paper, we study the challenges inherent in indoor travel time estimation, and we propose...... the InTraTime method for accurately estimating indoor travel times via mining of historical and real-time indoor position traces. The method learns during operation both travel routes, travel times and their respective likelihood---both for routes traveled as well as for sub-routes thereof. InTraTime...... allows to specify temporal and other query parameters, such as time-of-day, day-of-week or the identity of the traveling individual. As input the method is designed to take generic position traces and is thus interoperable with a variety of indoor positioning systems. The method's advantages include...

PET-CT offers accurate assessment of tumour length in oesophageal malignancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rollins, K.E.; Lucas, E.; Tewari, N.; James, E.; Hughes, S.; Catton, J.A.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We examine the accuracy of staging modalities in estimating tumour length of oesophageal malignancy. • PET CT correlates most strongly with histopathological length of resected specimen. • Better measure than EUS with OGD correlating poorly. • Potential impact in radiotherapy and surgical resection planning. - Abstract: Introduction: Radiotherapy is increasingly used for both curative and palliative treatment of oesophageal malignancy. Accurate treatment depends on determining tumour location and length. This study assessed the value of PET-CT versus other staging modalities in determining tumour length. Materials and methods: Oesophageal cancer patients who underwent staging with PET/CT and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in addition to their diagnostic upper GI endoscopy and subsequent surgical resection were assessed. PET/CT length was obtained retrospectively by using Hermes Hybrid Viewer™ with a 1–5 Standardised Uptake Value grey scale. An SUV of 5 was used as the cut off for determining length. Direct measurement by EUS and OGD were determined. Results: 53 patients underwent PET-CT, EUS, OGD and surgical resection for oesophageal cancer. Overall the correlation between PET-CT and histopathological length was strongest (Pearson r = 0.5977, 95% CI 0.390–0.747) versus EUS (Pearson R = 0.5365, 95% CI 0.311–0.705) and OGD (Pearson r = 0.1574, 95% CI −0.118 to 0.410). After excluding tumours with a significant chemotherapy response, PET-CT length correlated significantly with histopathological length (R = 0.5651, p = 0.0005). In comparison, the correlation between histological length and EUS (R = 0.4637, p = 0.0057) measurement was less significant and this did not correlate with OGD (R = −0.1084, p = 0.5417). Conclusion: Tumour length estimated by PET-CT correlated most strongly with histopathological length of oesophageal malignancy and is the most accurate determinant of tumour length of all the staging modalities. This suggests a

PET-CT offers accurate assessment of tumour length in oesophageal malignancy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rollins, K.E., E-mail: james.catton@nuh.nhs.uk [Department of Oesophago-Gastric Surgery, Nottingham University Hospitals, Hucknall Road, Nottingham (United Kingdom); Lucas, E. [University of Nottingham, Derby Road, Nottingham (United Kingdom); Tewari, N. [Department of Oesophago-Gastric Surgery, Nottingham University Hospitals, Hucknall Road, Nottingham (United Kingdom); James, E. [Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Hucknall Road, Nottingham (United Kingdom); Hughes, S. [Department of Radiology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Hucknall Road, Nottingham (United Kingdom); Catton, J.A. [Department of Oesophago-Gastric Surgery, Nottingham University Hospitals, Hucknall Road, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • We examine the accuracy of staging modalities in estimating tumour length of oesophageal malignancy. • PET CT correlates most strongly with histopathological length of resected specimen. • Better measure than EUS with OGD correlating poorly. • Potential impact in radiotherapy and surgical resection planning. - Abstract: Introduction: Radiotherapy is increasingly used for both curative and palliative treatment of oesophageal malignancy. Accurate treatment depends on determining tumour location and length. This study assessed the value of PET-CT versus other staging modalities in determining tumour length. Materials and methods: Oesophageal cancer patients who underwent staging with PET/CT and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in addition to their diagnostic upper GI endoscopy and subsequent surgical resection were assessed. PET/CT length was obtained retrospectively by using Hermes Hybrid Viewer™ with a 1–5 Standardised Uptake Value grey scale. An SUV of 5 was used as the cut off for determining length. Direct measurement by EUS and OGD were determined. Results: 53 patients underwent PET-CT, EUS, OGD and surgical resection for oesophageal cancer. Overall the correlation between PET-CT and histopathological length was strongest (Pearson r = 0.5977, 95% CI 0.390–0.747) versus EUS (Pearson R = 0.5365, 95% CI 0.311–0.705) and OGD (Pearson r = 0.1574, 95% CI −0.118 to 0.410). After excluding tumours with a significant chemotherapy response, PET-CT length correlated significantly with histopathological length (R = 0.5651, p = 0.0005). In comparison, the correlation between histological length and EUS (R = 0.4637, p = 0.0057) measurement was less significant and this did not correlate with OGD (R = −0.1084, p = 0.5417). Conclusion: Tumour length estimated by PET-CT correlated most strongly with histopathological length of oesophageal malignancy and is the most accurate determinant of tumour length of all the staging modalities. This suggests a

Proton radiography to improve proton therapy treatment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Takatsu, J.; van der Graaf, E. R.; van Goethem, Marc-Jan; van Beuzekom, M.; Klaver, T.; Visser, Jan; Brandenburg, S.; Biegun, A. K.

The quality of cancer treatment with protons critically depends on an accurate prediction of the proton stopping powers for the tissues traversed by the protons. Today, treatment planning in proton radiotherapy is based on stopping power calculations from densities of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT)

DNA barcode data accurately assign higher spider taxa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan A. Coddington

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The use of unique DNA sequences as a method for taxonomic identification is no longer fundamentally controversial, even though debate continues on the best markers, methods, and technology to use. Although both existing databanks such as GenBank and BOLD, as well as reference taxonomies, are imperfect, in best case scenarios “barcodes” (whether single or multiple, organelle or nuclear, loci clearly are an increasingly fast and inexpensive method of identification, especially as compared to manual identification of unknowns by increasingly rare expert taxonomists. Because most species on Earth are undescribed, a complete reference database at the species level is impractical in the near term. The question therefore arises whether unidentified species can, using DNA barcodes, be accurately assigned to more inclusive groups such as genera and families—taxonomic ranks of putatively monophyletic groups for which the global inventory is more complete and stable. We used a carefully chosen test library of CO1 sequences from 49 families, 313 genera, and 816 species of spiders to assess the accuracy of genus and family-level assignment. We used BLAST queries of each sequence against the entire library and got the top ten hits. The percent sequence identity was reported from these hits (PIdent, range 75–100%. Accurate assignment of higher taxa (PIdent above which errors totaled less than 5% occurred for genera at PIdent values >95 and families at PIdent values ≥ 91, suggesting these as heuristic thresholds for accurate generic and familial identifications in spiders. Accuracy of identification increases with numbers of species/genus and genera/family in the library; above five genera per family and fifteen species per genus all higher taxon assignments were correct. We propose that using percent sequence identity between conventional barcode sequences may be a feasible and reasonably accurate method to identify animals to family/genus. However

Accurate alpha sticking fractions from improved calculations relevant for muon catalyzed fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szalewicz, K.

1990-05-01

Recent experiments have shown that under proper conditions a single muon may catalyze almost two hundred fusions in its lifetime. This process proceeds through formation of muonic molecular ions. Properties of these ions are central to the understanding of the phenomenon. Our work included the most accurate calculations of the energy levels and Coulombic sticking fractions for tdμ and other muonic molecular ions, calculations of Auger transition rates, calculations of corrections to the energy levels due to interactions with the most molecule, and calculation of the reactivation of muons from α particles. The majority of our effort has been devoted to the theory and computation of the influence of the strong nuclear forces on fusion rates and sticking fractions. We have calculated fusion rates for tdμ including the effects of nuclear forces on the molecular wave functions. We have also shown that these results can be reproduced to almost four digit accuracy by using a very simple quasifactorizable expression which does not require modifications of the molecular wave functions. Our sticking fractions are more accurate than any other theoretical values. We have used a more sophisticated theory than any other work and our numerical calculations have converged to at least three significant digits

Malaria prevention and treatment

African Journals Online (AJOL)

to allow prompt and accurate treatment of malaria in areas out .... It is essential to seek medical advice promptly if ... Not ideal for machine operators, drivers or those that work at heights .... with food that contains oil e.g. chips, bread and butter.

Transition plan: Project C-018H, 200-E Area Effluent Treatment Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connor, M.D.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this transition plan is to ensure an orderly transfer of project information to operations to satisfy Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) operational requirements and objectives, and ensure safe and efficient operation of Project C-018H, the 200-E Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). This plan identifies the deliverables for Project C-018H upon completion of construction and turnover to WHC for operations, and includes acceptance criteria to objectively assess the adequacy of the contract deliverables in relation to present requirements. The scope of this plan includes a general discussion of the need for complete and accurate design basis documentation and design documents as project deliverables. This plan also proposes that a configuration management plan be prepared to protect and control the transferred design documents and reconstitute the design basis and design requirements, in the event that the deliverables and project documentation received from the contractor are less than adequate at turnover

Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of stress fractures in the lower extremity in runners

Science.gov (United States)

Kahanov, Leamor; Eberman, Lindsey E; Games, Kenneth E; Wasik, Mitch

2015-01-01

Stress fractures account for between 1% and 20% of athletic injuries, with 80% of stress fractures in the lower extremity. Stress fractures of the lower extremity are common injuries among individuals who participate in endurance, high load-bearing activities such as running, military and aerobic exercise and therefore require practitioner expertise in diagnosis and management. Accurate diagnosis for stress fractures is dependent on the anatomical area. Anatomical regions such as the pelvis, sacrum, and metatarsals offer challenges due to difficulty differentiating pathologies with common symptoms. Special tests and treatment regimes, however, are similar among most stress fractures with resolution between 4 weeks to a year. The most difficult aspect of stress fracture treatment entails mitigating internal and external risk factors. Practitioners should address ongoing risk factors to minimize recurrence. PMID:25848327

An Accurate Method for Inferring Relatedness in Large Datasets of Unphased Genotypes via an Embedded Likelihood-Ratio Test

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez, Jesse M.

2013-01-01

Studies that map disease genes rely on accurate annotations that indicate whether individuals in the studied cohorts are related to each other or not. For example, in genome-wide association studies, the cohort members are assumed to be unrelated to one another. Investigators can correct for individuals in a cohort with previously-unknown shared familial descent by detecting genomic segments that are shared between them, which are considered to be identical by descent (IBD). Alternatively, elevated frequencies of IBD segments near a particular locus among affected individuals can be indicative of a disease-associated gene. As genotyping studies grow to use increasingly large sample sizes and meta-analyses begin to include many data sets, accurate and efficient detection of hidden relatedness becomes a challenge. To enable disease-mapping studies of increasingly large cohorts, a fast and accurate method to detect IBD segments is required. We present PARENTE, a novel method for detecting related pairs of individuals and shared haplotypic segments within these pairs. PARENTE is a computationally-efficient method based on an embedded likelihood ratio test. As demonstrated by the results of our simulations, our method exhibits better accuracy than the current state of the art, and can be used for the analysis of large genotyped cohorts. PARENTE\\'s higher accuracy becomes even more significant in more challenging scenarios, such as detecting shorter IBD segments or when an extremely low false-positive rate is required. PARENTE is publicly and freely available at http://parente.stanford.edu/. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

Accurate formulas for the penalty caused by interferometric crosstalk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Christian Jørgen; Liu, Fenghai; Jeppesen, Palle

2000-01-01

New simple formulas for the penalty caused by interferometric crosstalk in PIN receiver systems and optically preamplified receiver systems are presented. They are more accurate than existing formulas.......New simple formulas for the penalty caused by interferometric crosstalk in PIN receiver systems and optically preamplified receiver systems are presented. They are more accurate than existing formulas....

Accurate Compton scattering measurements for N{sub 2} molecules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobayashi, Kohjiro [Advanced Technology Research Center, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Itou, Masayoshi; Tsuji, Naruki; Sakurai, Yoshiharu [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Hosoya, Tetsuo; Sakurai, Hiroshi, E-mail: sakuraih@gunma-u.ac.jp [Department of Production Science and Technology, Gunma University, 29-1 Hon-cho, Ota, Gunma 373-0057 (Japan)

2011-06-14

The accurate Compton profiles of N{sub 2} gas were measured using 121.7 keV synchrotron x-rays. The present accurate measurement proves the better agreement of the CI (configuration interaction) calculation than the Hartree-Fock calculation and suggests the importance of multi-excitation in the CI calculations for the accuracy of wavefunctions in ground states.

Nonrigid Image Registration for Head and Neck Cancer Radiotherapy Treatment Planning With PET/CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ireland, Rob H.; Dyker, Karen E.; Barber, David C.; Wood, Steven M.; Hanney, Michael B.; Tindale, Wendy B.; Woodhouse, Neil; Hoggard, Nigel; Conway, John; Robinson, Martin H.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Head and neck radiotherapy planning with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) requires the images to be reliably registered with treatment planning CT. Acquiring PET/CT in treatment position is problematic, and in practice for some patients it may be beneficial to use diagnostic PET/CT for radiotherapy planning. Therefore, the aim of this study was first to quantify the image registration accuracy of PET/CT to radiotherapy CT and, second, to assess whether PET/CT acquired in diagnostic position can be registered to planning CT. Methods and Materials: Positron emission tomography/CT acquired in diagnostic and treatment position for five patients with head and neck cancer was registered to radiotherapy planning CT using both rigid and nonrigid image registration. The root mean squared error for each method was calculated from a set of anatomic landmarks marked by four independent observers. Results: Nonrigid and rigid registration errors for treatment position PET/CT to planning CT were 2.77 ± 0.80 mm and 4.96 ± 2.38 mm, respectively, p = 0.001. Applying the nonrigid registration to diagnostic position PET/CT produced a more accurate match to the planning CT than rigid registration of treatment position PET/CT (3.20 ± 1.22 mm and 4.96 ± 2.38 mm, respectively, p = 0.012). Conclusions: Nonrigid registration provides a more accurate registration of head and neck PET/CT to treatment planning CT than rigid registration. In addition, nonrigid registration of PET/CT acquired with patients in a standardized, diagnostic position can provide images registered to planning CT with greater accuracy than a rigid registration of PET/CT images acquired in treatment position. This may allow greater flexibility in the timing of PET/CT for head and neck cancer patients due to undergo radiotherapy

Shielding requirements for the transport of nuclear warhead components under decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, L.F.

1994-09-01

The requirements to carry out accurate shielding calculations involved with the safe off-site transportation of packages containing nuclear warhead components, special assemblies and radioactive materials are discussed. The need for (a) detailed information on the geometry and material composition of the packaging and radioactive load, (b) accurate representation of the differential energy spectra (dN/dE) for the neutron and gamma spectra emitted by the radioactive materials enclosed in the packaging, (c) well-tested neutron and photon cross section libraries, (d) and accurate three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport codes are illustrated. A brief discussion of the need for reliable dose measurements is presented

Technical Safety Requirements for the B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larson, H L

2007-09-07

This document contains Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Division's B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TSRs constitute requirements regarding the safe operation of the B695 Segment of the DWTF. The TSRs are derived from the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the B695 Segment of the DWTF (LLNL 2004). The analysis presented there determined that the B695 Segment of the DWTF is a low-chemical hazard, Hazard Category 3, nonreactor nuclear facility. The TSRs consist primarily of inventory limits as well as controls to preserve the underlying assumptions in the hazard analyses. Furthermore, appropriate commitments to safety programs are presented in the administrative controls section of the TSRs. The B695 Segment of the DWTF (B695 and the west portion of B696) is a waste treatment and storage facility located in the northeast quadrant of the LLNL main site. The approximate area and boundary of the B695 Segment of the DWTF are shown in the B695 Segment of the DWTF DSA. Activities typically conducted in the B695 Segment of the DWTF include container storage, lab-packing, repacking, overpacking, bulking, sampling, waste transfer, and waste treatment. B695 is used to store and treat radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste, and it also contains equipment used in conjunction with waste processing operations to treat various liquid and solid wastes. The portion of the building called Building 696 Solid Waste Processing Area (SWPA), also referred to as B696S in this report, is used primarily to manage solid radioactive waste. Operations specific to the SWPA include sorting and segregating low-level waste (LLW) and transuranic (TRU) waste, lab-packing, sampling, and crushing empty drums that previously contained LLW. A permit modification for B696S was submitted to DTSC in January 2004 to store and treat hazardous and

The development of accurate data for the desing of fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossouw, P.A.

1976-04-01

The proposed use of nuclear power in the generation of electricity in South Africa and the use of fast reactors in the country's nuclear porgram, requires a method for fast reactor evluation. The availability of accurate neutron data and neutronics computation techniques for fast reactors are required for such an evaluation. The reacotr physics and reactor parameters of importance in the evaluation of fast reacotrs are discussed, and computer programs for the computation of reactor spectra and reacotr parameters from differential nuclear data are presented in this treatise. In endeavouring to increase the accuracy in fast reactor design, two methods for the improvement of differential nuclear data were developed and are discussed in detail. The computer programs which were developed for this purpose are also given. The neutron data of the most important fissionable and breeding nuclei (U 235 x U 238 x Pu 239 and Pu 240 ) are adjusted using both methods and the improved neutron data are tested by computation with an advanced neutronics computer program. The improved and orginal neutron data are compared and the use of the improved data in fast reactor design is discussed

Energy requirements for waste water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Svardal, K; Kroiss, H

2011-01-01

The actual mathematical models describing global climate closely link the detected increase in global temperature to anthropogenic activity. The only energy source we can rely on in a long perspective is solar irradiation which is in the order of 10,000 kW/inhabitant. The actual primary power consumption (mainly based on fossil resources) in the developed countries is in the range of 5 to 10 kW/inhabitant. The total power contained in our nutrition is in the range of 0.11 kW/inhabitant. The organic pollution of domestic waste water corresponds to approximately 0.018 kW/inhabitant. The nutrients contained in the waste water can also be converted into energy equivalents replacing market fertiliser production. This energy equivalent is in the range of 0.009 kW/inhabitant. Hence waste water will never be a relevant source of energy as long as our primary energy consumption is in the range of several kW/inhabitant. The annual mean primary power demand of conventional municipal waste water treatment with nutrient removal is in the range of 0.003-0.015 kW/inhabitant. In principle it is already possible to reduce this value for external energy supply to zero. Such plants should be connected to an electrical grid in order to keep investment costs low. Peak energy demand will be supported from the grid and surplus electric energy from the plant can be is fed to the grid. Zero 'carbon footprint' will not be affected by this solution. Energy minimisation must never negatively affect treatment efficiency because water quality conservation is more important for sustainable development than the possible reduction in energy demand. This argument is strongly supported by economical considerations as the fixed costs for waste water infrastructure are dominant.

Spanish-Language Community-Based Mental Health Treatment Programs, Policy-Required Language-Assistance Programming, and Mental Health Treatment Access Among Spanish-Speaking Clients

Science.gov (United States)

McClellan, Sean R.

2013-01-01

Objectives. We investigated the extent to which implementing language assistance programming through contracting with community-based organizations improved the accessibility of mental health care under Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency, and whether it reduced language-based treatment access disparities. Methods. Using a time series nonequivalent control group design, we studied county-level penetration of language assistance programming over 10 years (1997–2006) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency covered under Medi-Cal. We used linear regression with county fixed effects to control for ongoing trends and other influences. Results. When county mental health plans contracted with community-based organizations, those implementing language assistance programming increased penetration rates of Spanish-language mental health services under Medi-Cal more than other plans (0.28 percentage points, a 25% increase on average; P language-related disparities. Conclusions. Mental health treatment programs operated by community-based organizations may have moderately improved access after implementing required language assistance programming, but the programming did not reduce entrenched disparities in the accessibility of mental health services. PMID:23865663

Spanish-language community-based mental health treatment programs, policy-required language-assistance programming, and mental health treatment access among Spanish-speaking clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Snowden, Lonnie R; McClellan, Sean R

2013-09-01

We investigated the extent to which implementing language assistance programming through contracting with community-based organizations improved the accessibility of mental health care under Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency, and whether it reduced language-based treatment access disparities. Using a time series nonequivalent control group design, we studied county-level penetration of language assistance programming over 10 years (1997-2006) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency covered under Medi-Cal. We used linear regression with county fixed effects to control for ongoing trends and other influences. When county mental health plans contracted with community-based organizations, those implementing language assistance programming increased penetration rates of Spanish-language mental health services under Medi-Cal more than other plans (0.28 percentage points, a 25% increase on average; P language-related disparities. Mental health treatment programs operated by community-based organizations may have moderately improved access after implementing required language assistance programming, but the programming did not reduce entrenched disparities in the accessibility of mental health services.

Expectation requires treatment to boost pain relief: an fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Lieven A; Sprenger, Christian; Geuter, Stephan; Büchel, Christian

2014-01-01

We investigated the effect of a possible interaction between topical analgesic treatment and treatment expectation on pain at the behavioral and neuronal level by combining topical lidocaine/prilocaine treatment with an expectancy manipulation in a 2 by 2 within-subject design (open treatment, hidden treatment, placebo, control). Thirty-two healthy subjects received heat pain stimuli on capsaicin-pretreated skin and rated their experienced pain during functional magnetic resonance imaging. This allowed us to separate drug- and expectancy-related effects at the behavioral and neuronal levels and to test whether they interact during the processing of painful stimuli. Pain ratings were reduced during active treatment and were associated with reduced activity in the anterior insular cortex. Pain ratings were lower in open treatment compared with hidden treatment and were related to reduced activity in the anterior insular cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the secondary somatosensory cortex, and the thalamus. Testing for an interaction revealed that the expectation effect was significantly larger in the active treatment conditions compared with the no-treatment conditions and was associated with signal changes in the anterior insular cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the ventral striatum. In conclusion, this study shows that even in the case of a topical analgesic, expectation interacts with treatment at the level of pain ratings and neuronal responses in placebo-related brain regions. Our results are highly relevant in the clinical context as they show (i) that expectation can boost treatment and (ii) that expectation and treatment are not necessarily additive as assumed in placebo-controlled clinical trials. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OSM-Classic : An optical imaging technique for accurately determining strain

Science.gov (United States)

Aldrich, Daniel R.; Ayranci, Cagri; Nobes, David S.

OSM-Classic is a program designed in MATLAB® to provide a method of accurately determining strain in a test sample using an optical imaging technique. Measuring strain for the mechanical characterization of materials is most commonly performed with extensometers, LVDT (linear variable differential transistors), and strain gauges; however, these strain measurement methods suffer from their fragile nature and it is not particularly easy to attach these devices to the material for testing. To alleviate these potential problems, an optical approach that does not require contact with the specimen can be implemented to measure the strain. OSM-Classic is a software that interrogates a series of images to determine elongation in a test sample and hence, strain of the specimen. It was designed to provide a graphical user interface that includes image processing with a dynamic region of interest. Additionally, the stain is calculated directly while providing active feedback during the processing.

The contribution of an asthma diagnostic consultation service in obtaining an accurate asthma diagnosis for primary care patients: results of a real-life study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, R M E; van Litsenburg, W; van Balkom, R H; Muris, J W; Smeenk, F W

2017-05-19

help general practitioners more accurately diagnose asthma and select the appropriate treatments for their patients. Researchers in The Netherlands, led by Frank Smeenk from Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, describe an asthma diagnostic consultation service they created to support GPs in their diagnostic process for patients suspected of having asthma. Over a four-year period, the service received a total of 659 referrals and only confirmed the diagnosis of asthma in 275 cases. Another 20 patients had asthma overlapping with chronic obstructive pulmonary syndrome. The service also picked up other diseases, such as rhinitis, that general practitioners had missed. Overall, because of the consultation service and its revised diagnoses, more than half of all patients adjusted their medications. Most patients required only a single consultation and could then be referred back to their physicians.

New ventures require accurate risk analyses and adjustments.

Science.gov (United States)

Eastaugh, S R

2000-01-01

For new business ventures to succeed, healthcare executives need to conduct robust risk analyses and develop new approaches to balance risk and return. Risk analysis involves examination of objective risks and harder-to-quantify subjective risks. Mathematical principles applied to investment portfolios also can be applied to a portfolio of departments or strategic business units within an organization. The ideal business investment would have a high expected return and a low standard deviation. Nonetheless, both conservative and speculative strategies should be considered in determining an organization's optimal service line and helping the organization manage risk.

20 CFR 416.1725 - Effect of your failure to comply with treatment requirements for your drug addiction or alcoholism.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Effect of your failure to comply with treatment requirements for your drug addiction or alcoholism. 416.1725 Section 416.1725 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Referral of Persons Eligible for Supplemental Security...

Accurate stereochemistry for two related 22,26-epiminocholestene derivatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vega-Baez, José Luis; Sandoval-Ramírez, Jesús; Meza-Reyes, Socorro; Montiel-Smith, Sara; Gómez-Calvario, Victor [Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, San Manuel, 72000 Puebla, Pue. (Mexico); Bernès, Sylvain, E-mail: sylvain-bernes@hotmail.com [DEP Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, UANL, Guerrero y Progreso S/N, Col. Treviño, 64570 Monterrey, NL (Mexico); Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, San Manuel, 72000 Puebla, Pue. (Mexico)

2008-04-01

Regioselective opening of ring E of solasodine under various conditions afforded (25R)-22,26-epimino@@cholesta-5,22(N)-di@@ene-3β,16β-diyl diacetate (previously known as 3,16-diacetyl pseudosolasodine B), C{sub 31}H{sub 47}NO{sub 4}, or (22S,25R)-16β-hydr@@oxy-22,26-epimino@@cholesta-5-en-3β-yl acetate (a derivative of the naturally occurring alkaloid oblonginine), C{sub 29}H{sub 47}NO{sub 3}. In both cases, the reactions are carried out with retention of chirality at the C16, C20 and C25 stereogenic centers, which are found to be S, S and R, respectively. Although pseudosolasodine was synthesized 50 years ago, these accurate assignments clarify some controversial points about the actual stereochemistry for these alkaloids. This is of particular importance in the case of oblonginine, since this compound is currently under consideration for the treatment of aphasia arising from apoplexy; the present study defines a diastereoisomerically pure compound for pharmacological studies.

Development of fast and accurate Monte Carlo code MVP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Takamasa

2001-01-01

The development work of fast and accurate Monte Carlo code MVP has started at JAERI in late 80s. From the beginning, the code was designed to utilize vector supercomputers and achieved higher computation speed by a factor of 10 or more compared with conventional codes. In 1994, the first version of MVP was released together with cross section libraries based on JENDL-3.1 and JENDL-3.2. In 1996, minor revision was made by adding several functions such as treatments of ENDF-B6 file 6 data, time dependent problem, and so on. Since 1996, several works have been carried out for the next version of MVP. The main works are (1) the development of continuous energy Monte Carlo burn-up calculation code MVP-BURN, (2) the development of a system to generate cross section libraries at arbitrary temperature, and (3) the study on error estimations and their biases in Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations. This paper summarizes the main features of MVP, results of recent studies and future plans for MVP. (author)

If additional shielding required for the linear accelerator room when modern treatment techniques are intensively used

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, Albert V.; Atkocius, Vydmantas; Aleknavicius, Eduardas

2001-01-01

are different and should be considered separately. Additionally, in theory, the workloads for all energies in use have to be calculated. In practice, however, the shielding calculation needs to be performed only for the highest energy used for the particular technique. In our case it was 25 MV X-rays. Results - The primary barrier thickness is calculated with the use of direct workload value. Direct workload in our case is the sum of conventional workload, conformal workload and TBI workload. For the secondary barrier thickness calculation the leakage and scatter workloads are used. Leakage workload is determined as total number of monitor units accumulated per week. For the conventional treatment leakage workload the factor of 1cGy/MU is used to convert from direct workload. For conformal technique, however, additional factor of approximately 2 is required. This factor is about 10 for our TBI technique. Scatter workload we found less or equal to the direct workload. Further, we assumed about 40% of patients receive conformal therapy on the accelerator and in average one patient per week receive TBI. The leakage workload in this situation will be 1.6 of the direct workload. It will increase the secondary barrier thickness by approximately 0.18 of tenth value layer. Conclusion - When intensive use of conformal therapy and TBI is planned on linear accelerator one should consider increasing secondary barrier thickness for the treatment room. The calculation procedure is quite simple and does not require any additional data or measurements. (author)

When myasthenia gravis is deemed refractory: clinical signposts and treatment strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Mantegazza, Renato; Antozzi, Carlo

2018-01-01

The prognosis for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) has improved significantly over the past half century, including substantial reductions in mortality and morbidity. However, approximately 10% of patients fails to respond adequately to current therapies and are considered treatment refractory, or treatment intolerant, and up to 80% have disease that fails to achieve complete stable remission. Although patients with autoantibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (anti-MuSK positive) are more likely to become treatment refractory than those with autoantibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (anti-AChR positive), each of these serotypes is substantially represented in the refractory MG population. Other risk factors for becoming treatment refractory include history of thymoma or thymectomy and female sex. A modified treatment algorithm for MG is proposed: patients who have disease that fails to respond to the stepwise approach to therapy, are treatment intolerant, or who require chronic rescue measures despite ongoing therapy, should be considered treatment refractory and emerging therapies should be considered. Three emerging monoclonal antibody-based therapies are discussed: the anti-B-cell agent rituximab; the terminal complement activation inhibitor eculizumab; and belimumab, which targets B-cell activating factor. Increased understanding of molecular pathophysiology and accurate antibody subtyping in MG should lead to the use of new therapeutic agents and successful management of treatment-refractory patients. PMID:29403543

Accurate forced-choice recognition without awareness of memory retrieval

OpenAIRE

Voss, Joel L.; Baym, Carol L.; Paller, Ken A.

2008-01-01

Recognition confidence and the explicit awareness of memory retrieval commonly accompany accurate responding in recognition tests. Memory performance in recognition tests is widely assumed to measure explicit memory, but the generality of this assumption is questionable. Indeed, whether recognition in nonhumans is always supported by explicit memory is highly controversial. Here we identified circumstances wherein highly accurate recognition was unaccompanied by hallmark features of explicit ...

Two Simple Rules for Improving the Accuracy of Empiric Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Urinary Tract Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Linsenmeyer, Katherine; Strymish, Judith; Gupta, Kalpana

2015-12-01

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) uropathogens is making the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) more challenging. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of empiric therapy for MDR UTIs and the utility of prior culture data in improving the accuracy of the therapy chosen. The electronic health records from three U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities were retrospectively reviewed for the treatments used for MDR UTIs over 4 years. An MDR UTI was defined as an infection caused by a uropathogen resistant to three or more classes of drugs and identified by a clinician to require therapy. Previous data on culture results, antimicrobial use, and outcomes were captured from records from inpatient and outpatient settings. Among 126 patient episodes of MDR UTIs, the choices of empiric therapy against the index pathogen were accurate in 66 (52%) episodes. For the 95 patient episodes for which prior microbiologic data were available, when empiric therapy was concordant with the prior microbiologic data, the rate of accuracy of the treatment against the uropathogen improved from 32% to 76% (odds ratio, 6.9; 95% confidence interval, 2.7 to 17.1; P tract (GU)-directed agents (nitrofurantoin or sulfa agents) were equally as likely as broad-spectrum agents to be accurate (P = 0.3). Choosing an agent concordant with previous microbiologic data significantly increased the chance of accuracy of therapy for MDR UTIs, even if the previous uropathogen was a different species. Also, GU-directed or broad-spectrum therapy choices were equally likely to be accurate. The accuracy of empiric therapy could be improved by the use of these simple rules. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Accurate Particle Tracer Code

OpenAIRE

Wang, Yulei; Liu, Jian; Qin, Hong; Yu, Zhi

2016-01-01

The Accurate Particle Tracer (APT) code is designed for large-scale particle simulations on dynamical systems. Based on a large variety of advanced geometric algorithms, APT possesses long-term numerical accuracy and stability, which are critical for solving multi-scale and non-linear problems. Under the well-designed integrated and modularized framework, APT serves as a universal platform for researchers from different fields, such as plasma physics, accelerator physics, space science, fusio...

Glutathione modulation in cancer treatment: will it work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, J.B.; Cook, J.A.; DeGraff, W.; Glatstein, E.; Russo, A.

1989-01-01

Glutathione (GSH) assumes a pivotal role in numerous cellular functions including bioreductive reactions, maintenance of enzyme activity, amino acid transport, protection from harmful oxidative species, and detoxification of xenobiotics. The importance of GSH in modifying the cellular response to several anti-cancer treatment modalities has become better appreciated with the introduction of agents which can either decrease or elevate GSH levels in cells and tissues. In general, GSH depletion has been demonstrated to further enhance the cytotoxicity of several chemotherapy drugs and nitroimidazole hypoxic cell radiosensitizers. Conversely, GSH elevation affords varying degrees of protection. Whether or not GSH modulating agents will be useful as an adjuvant to selected cancer treatment modalities will depend on whether differential levels of GSH can be achieved in tumor versus normal tissues. Accurate GSH measurements in tumor and normal tissues will be required to adequately use and interpret the results of clinical studies where GSH modulating agents are employed. Precise tumor GSH measurements pose a considerable challenge due to the complicated cellular makeup of tumors.44 references

A facile electrode preparation method for accurate electrochemical measurements of double-side-coated electrode from commercial Li-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ge; Wang, Qiyu; Wang, Shuo; Ling, Shigang; Zheng, Jieyun; Yu, Xiqian; Li, Hong

2018-04-01

The post mortem electrochemical analysis, including charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements, are critical steps for revealing the failure mechanisms of commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). These post measurements usually require the reassembling of coin-cell with electrode which is often double-side-coated in commercial LIBs. It is difficult to use such double-side-coated electrode to perform accurate electrochemical measurements because the back side of the electrode is coated with active materials, rather than single-side-coated electrode that is often used in coin-cell measurements. In this study, we report a facile tape-covering sample preparation method, which can effectively suppress the influence of back side of the double-side-coated electrodes on capacity and EIS measurements in coin-cells. By tape-covering the unwanted side, the areal capacity of the desired investigated side of the electrode has been accurately measured with an experimental error of about 0.5% at various current densities, and accurate EIS measurements and analysis have been conducted as well.

Highly accurate symplectic element based on two variational principles

Science.gov (United States)

Qing, Guanghui; Tian, Jia

2018-02-01

For the stability requirement of numerical resultants, the mathematical theory of classical mixed methods are relatively complex. However, generalized mixed methods are automatically stable, and their building process is simple and straightforward. In this paper, based on the seminal idea of the generalized mixed methods, a simple, stable, and highly accurate 8-node noncompatible symplectic element (NCSE8) was developed by the combination of the modified Hellinger-Reissner mixed variational principle and the minimum energy principle. To ensure the accuracy of in-plane stress results, a simultaneous equation approach was also suggested. Numerical experimentation shows that the accuracy of stress results of NCSE8 are nearly the same as that of displacement methods, and they are in good agreement with the exact solutions when the mesh is relatively fine. NCSE8 has advantages of the clearing concept, easy calculation by a finite element computer program, higher accuracy and wide applicability for various linear elasticity compressible and nearly incompressible material problems. It is possible that NCSE8 becomes even more advantageous for the fracture problems due to its better accuracy of stresses.

Smart and accurate state-of-charge indication in portable applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pop, V.; Bergveld, H.J.; Notten, P.H.L.; Regtien, P.P.L.

2005-01-01

Accurate state-of-charge (SoC) and remaining run-time indication for portable devices is important for the user-convenience and to prolong the lifetime of batteries. However, the known methods of SoC indication in portable applications are not accurate enough under all practical conditions. The

Smart and accurate State-of-Charge indication in Portable Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pop, V.; Bergveld, H.J.; Notten, P.H.L.; Regtien, Paulus P.L.

2006-01-01

Accurate state-of-charge (SoC) and remaining run-time indication for portable devices is important for the user-convenience and to prolong the lifetime of batteries. However, the known methods of SoC indication in portable applications are not accurate enough under all practical conditions. The

Model for peace support operations: an overview of the ICT and interoperability requirements

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Leenen, L

2009-03-01

Full Text Available requires a reciprocal interdependence among these various elements, and this necessitates complex coordination and a great demand for ongoing and accurate communication (Chisholm 1986). Higher technological complexity requires higher levels... interoperability requirements thereof. Such methods, when fully developed, give the military planner the ability to rapidly assess the requirements as circumstances change. From interviews with SANDF staff (Ross 2007), we gathered that the SANDF planning...

Exploring the relationship between sequence similarity and accurate phylogenetic trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantarel, Brandi L; Morrison, Hilary G; Pearson, William

2006-11-01

We have characterized the relationship between accurate phylogenetic reconstruction and sequence similarity, testing whether high levels of sequence similarity can consistently produce accurate evolutionary trees. We generated protein families with known phylogenies using a modified version of the PAML/EVOLVER program that produces insertions and deletions as well as substitutions. Protein families were evolved over a range of 100-400 point accepted mutations; at these distances 63% of the families shared significant sequence similarity. Protein families were evolved using balanced and unbalanced trees, with ancient or recent radiations. In families sharing statistically significant similarity, about 60% of multiple sequence alignments were 95% identical to true alignments. To compare recovered topologies with true topologies, we used a score that reflects the fraction of clades that were correctly clustered. As expected, the accuracy of the phylogenies was greatest in the least divergent families. About 88% of phylogenies clustered over 80% of clades in families that shared significant sequence similarity, using Bayesian, parsimony, distance, and maximum likelihood methods. However, for protein families with short ancient branches (ancient radiation), only 30% of the most divergent (but statistically significant) families produced accurate phylogenies, and only about 70% of the second most highly conserved families, with median expectation values better than 10(-60), produced accurate trees. These values represent upper bounds on expected tree accuracy for sequences with a simple divergence history; proteins from 700 Giardia families, with a similar range of sequence similarities but considerably more gaps, produced much less accurate trees. For our simulated insertions and deletions, correct multiple sequence alignments did not perform much better than those produced by T-COFFEE, and including sequences with expressed sequence tag-like sequencing errors did not

An Accurate and Efficient Design Tool for Large Contoured Beam Reflectarrays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Min; Sørensen, Stig B.; Jørgensen, Erik

2012-01-01

An accurate and efficient tool for the design of contoured beam reflectarrays is presented. It is based on the Spectral Domain Method of Moments, the Local Periodicity approach, and a minimax optimization algorithm. Contrary to the conventional phase-only optimization techniques, the geometrical...... parameters of the array elements are directly optimized to fulfill the far-field requirements. The design tool can be used to optimize reflectarrays based on a regular grid as well as an irregular grid. Both coand cross-polar radiation can be optimized for multiple frequencies, polarizations, and feed...... illuminations. Two offset contoured beam reflectarrays that radiate a highgain beam on an European coverage have been designed, manufactured, and measured at the DTU-ESA Spherical Near-Field Antenna Test Facility. An excellent agreement is obtained for the simulated and measured patterns. To show the design...

Dose attenuation by a carbon fiber linac couch and modeling with a treatment planning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez Galiano, P.; Garcia Sancho, J.M.; Crelgo, D.; Pamos, M.; Fernandez, J.; Vivanco, J.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this work is to investigate the attenuation caused by a carbon fiber linac treatment couch and the ability of a commercial radiotherapy treatment planning system to simulate it. The attenuation caused by an Exact treatment couch in a Varian Clinac 2100 C/D was characterized in detail. Both 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams were studied. The treatment couch was modeled and incorporated to Elekta XiO treatment planning system. Measured and computed attenuation values were compared. As a result we found that the attenuation caused by this complex treatment couch is strongly dependent on the incidence angle of the beam. The measured attenuation values reach 16% for 6 MV and 10% for 18 MV. The model incorporated to the treatment planning software allows reducing the differences between measured and calculated data below 2.5% and 2.0% for 6 MV and 18 MV respectively. In conclusion, it is strongly recommended accounting for the perturbation caused by this carbon fiber treatment couch when the beam intersects it. The treatment planning system studied can simulate this treatment couch accurately. Clinical implementation of the described method requires a reliable procedure to reproduce the same patient geometry in the treatment delivery and planning. (Author).

From requirements to Java in a snap model-driven requirements engineering in practice

CERN Document Server

Smialek, Michal

2015-01-01

This book provides a coherent methodology for Model-Driven Requirements Engineering which stresses the systematic treatment of requirements within the realm of modelling and model transformations. The underlying basic assumption is that detailed requirements models are used as first-class artefacts playing a direct role in constructing software. To this end, the book presents the Requirements Specification Language (RSL) that allows precision and formality, which eventually permits automation of the process of turning requirements into a working system by applying model transformations and co

Eddy covariance observations of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Towards more accurate estimates from ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroon, P.S.

2010-09-01

About 30% of the increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are related to land use changes and agricultural activities. In order to select effective measures, knowledge is required about GHG emissions from these ecosystems and how these emissions are influenced by management and meteorological conditions. Accurate emission values are therefore needed for all three GHGs to compile the full GHG balance. However, the current annual estimates of CH4 and N2O emissions from ecosystems have significant uncertainties, even larger than 50%. The present study showed that an advanced technique, micrometeorological eddy covariance flux technique, could obtain more accurate estimates with uncertainties even smaller than 10%. The current regional and global trace gas flux estimates of CH4 and N2O are possibly seriously underestimated due to incorrect measurement procedures. Accurate measurements of both gases are really important since they could even contribute for more than two-third to the total GHG emission. For example: the total GHG emission of a dairy farm site was estimated at 16.10 3 kg ha -1 yr -1 in CO2-equivalents from which 25% and 45% was contributed by CH4 and N2O, respectively. About 60% of the CH4 emission was emitted by ditches and their bordering edges. These emissions are not yet included in the national inventory reports. We recommend including these emissions in coming reports.

Sample size requirements for separating out the effects of combination treatments: randomised controlled trials of combination therapy vs. standard treatment compared to factorial designs for patients with tuberculous meningitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolbers, Marcel; Heemskerk, Dorothee; Chau, Tran Thi Hong; Yen, Nguyen Thi Bich; Caws, Maxine; Farrar, Jeremy; Day, Jeremy

2011-02-02

In certain diseases clinical experts may judge that the intervention with the best prospects is the addition of two treatments to the standard of care. This can either be tested with a simple randomized trial of combination versus standard treatment or with a 2 x 2 factorial design. We compared the two approaches using the design of a new trial in tuberculous meningitis as an example. In that trial the combination of 2 drugs added to standard treatment is assumed to reduce the hazard of death by 30% and the sample size of the combination trial to achieve 80% power is 750 patients. We calculated the power of corresponding factorial designs with one- to sixteen-fold the sample size of the combination trial depending on the contribution of each individual drug to the combination treatment effect and the strength of an interaction between the two. In the absence of an interaction, an eight-fold increase in sample size for the factorial design as compared to the combination trial is required to get 80% power to jointly detect effects of both drugs if the contribution of the less potent treatment to the total effect is at least 35%. An eight-fold sample size increase also provides a power of 76% to detect a qualitative interaction at the one-sided 10% significance level if the individual effects of both drugs are equal. Factorial designs with a lower sample size have a high chance to be underpowered, to show significance of only one drug even if both are equally effective, and to miss important interactions. Pragmatic combination trials of multiple interventions versus standard therapy are valuable in diseases with a limited patient pool if all interventions test the same treatment concept, it is considered likely that either both or none of the individual interventions are effective, and only moderate drug interactions are suspected. An adequately powered 2 x 2 factorial design to detect effects of individual drugs would require at least 8-fold the sample size of the

Fast and accurate computation of projected two-point functions

Science.gov (United States)

Grasshorn Gebhardt, Henry S.; Jeong, Donghui

2018-01-01

We present the two-point function from the fast and accurate spherical Bessel transformation (2-FAST) algorithm1Our code is available at https://github.com/hsgg/twoFAST. for a fast and accurate computation of integrals involving one or two spherical Bessel functions. These types of integrals occur when projecting the galaxy power spectrum P (k ) onto the configuration space, ξℓν(r ), or spherical harmonic space, Cℓ(χ ,χ'). First, we employ the FFTLog transformation of the power spectrum to divide the calculation into P (k )-dependent coefficients and P (k )-independent integrations of basis functions multiplied by spherical Bessel functions. We find analytical expressions for the latter integrals in terms of special functions, for which recursion provides a fast and accurate evaluation. The algorithm, therefore, circumvents direct integration of highly oscillating spherical Bessel functions.

Easy Leaf Area: Automated digital image analysis for rapid and accurate measurement of leaf area.

Science.gov (United States)

Easlon, Hsien Ming; Bloom, Arnold J

2014-07-01

Measurement of leaf areas from digital photographs has traditionally required significant user input unless backgrounds are carefully masked. Easy Leaf Area was developed to batch process hundreds of Arabidopsis rosette images in minutes, removing background artifacts and saving results to a spreadsheet-ready CSV file. • Easy Leaf Area uses the color ratios of each pixel to distinguish leaves and calibration areas from their background and compares leaf pixel counts to a red calibration area to eliminate the need for camera distance calculations or manual ruler scale measurement that other software methods typically require. Leaf areas estimated by this software from images taken with a camera phone were more accurate than ImageJ estimates from flatbed scanner images. • Easy Leaf Area provides an easy-to-use method for rapid measurement of leaf area and nondestructive estimation of canopy area from digital images.

Shear-wave elastography contributes to accurate tumour size estimation when assessing small breast cancers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullen, R.; Thompson, J.M.; Moussa, O.; Vinnicombe, S.; Evans, A.

2014-01-01

Aim: To assess whether the size of peritumoural stiffness (PTS) on shear-wave elastography (SWE) for small primary breast cancers (≤15 mm) was associated with size discrepancies between grey-scale ultrasound (GSUS) and final histological size and whether the addition of PTS size to GSUS size might result in more accurate tumour size estimation when compared to final histological size. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of 86 consecutive patients between August 2011 and February 2013 who underwent breast-conserving surgery for tumours of size ≤15 mm at ultrasound was carried out. The size of PTS stiffness was compared to mean GSUS size, mean histological size, and the extent of size discrepancy between GSUS and histology. PTS size and GSUS were combined and compared to the final histological size. Results: PTS of >3 mm was associated with a larger mean final histological size (16 versus 11.3 mm, p < 0.001). PTS size of >3 mm was associated with a higher frequency of underestimation of final histological size by GSUS of >5 mm (63% versus 18%, p < 0.001). The combination of PTS and GSUS size led to accurate estimation of the final histological size (p = 0.03). The size of PTS was not associated with margin involvement (p = 0.27). Conclusion: PTS extending beyond 3 mm from the grey-scale abnormality is significantly associated with underestimation of tumour size of >5 mm for small invasive breast cancers. Taking into account the size of PTS also led to accurate estimation of the final histological size. Further studies are required to assess the relationship of the extent of SWE stiffness and margin status. - Highlights: • Peritumoural stiffness of greater than 3 mm was associated with larger tumour size. • Underestimation of tumour size by ultrasound was associated with peri-tumoural stiffness size. • Combining peri-tumoural stiffness size to ultrasound produced accurate tumour size estimation

Energy stable and high-order-accurate finite difference methods on staggered grids

Science.gov (United States)

O'Reilly, Ossian; Lundquist, Tomas; Dunham, Eric M.; Nordström, Jan

2017-10-01

For wave propagation over distances of many wavelengths, high-order finite difference methods on staggered grids are widely used due to their excellent dispersion properties. However, the enforcement of boundary conditions in a stable manner and treatment of interface problems with discontinuous coefficients usually pose many challenges. In this work, we construct a provably stable and high-order-accurate finite difference method on staggered grids that can be applied to a broad class of boundary and interface problems. The staggered grid difference operators are in summation-by-parts form and when combined with a weak enforcement of the boundary conditions, lead to an energy stable method on multiblock grids. The general applicability of the method is demonstrated by simulating an explosive acoustic source, generating waves reflecting against a free surface and material discontinuity.

Communication: a density functional with accurate fractional-charge and fractional-spin behaviour for s-electrons.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Erin R; Contreras-García, Julia

2011-08-28

We develop a new density-functional approach combining physical insight from chemical structure with treatment of multi-reference character by real-space modeling of the exchange-correlation hole. We are able to recover, for the first time, correct fractional-charge and fractional-spin behaviour for atoms of groups 1 and 2. Based on Becke's non-dynamical correlation functional [A. D. Becke, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 2972 (2003)] and explicitly accounting for core-valence separation and pairing effects, this method is able to accurately describe dissociation and strong correlation in s-shell many-electron systems. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Accurate Solution of Multi-Region Continuum Biomolecule Electrostatic Problems Using the Linearized Poisson-Boltzmann Equation with Curved Boundary Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Altman, Michael D.; Bardhan, Jaydeep P.; White, Jacob K.; Tidor, Bruce

2009-01-01

We present a boundary-element method (BEM) implementation for accurately solving problems in biomolecular electrostatics using the linearized Poisson–Boltzmann equation. Motivating this implementation is the desire to create a solver capable of precisely describing the geometries and topologies prevalent in continuum models of biological molecules. This implementation is enabled by the synthesis of four technologies developed or implemented specifically for this work. First, molecular and accessible surfaces used to describe dielectric and ion-exclusion boundaries were discretized with curved boundary elements that faithfully reproduce molecular geometries. Second, we avoided explicitly forming the dense BEM matrices and instead solved the linear systems with a preconditioned iterative method (GMRES), using a matrix compression algorithm (FFTSVD) to accelerate matrix-vector multiplication. Third, robust numerical integration methods were employed to accurately evaluate singular and near-singular integrals over the curved boundary elements. Finally, we present a general boundary-integral approach capable of modeling an arbitrary number of embedded homogeneous dielectric regions with differing dielectric constants, possible salt treatment, and point charges. A comparison of the presented BEM implementation and standard finite-difference techniques demonstrates that for certain classes of electrostatic calculations, such as determining absolute electrostatic solvation and rigid-binding free energies, the improved convergence properties of the BEM approach can have a significant impact on computed energetics. We also demonstrate that the improved accuracy offered by the curved-element BEM is important when more sophisticated techniques, such as non-rigid-binding models, are used to compute the relative electrostatic effects of molecular modifications. In addition, we show that electrostatic calculations requiring multiple solves using the same molecular geometry

Custom-made micro applicators for high-dose-rate brachytherapy treatment of chronic psoriasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan M. Buzurovic

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: In this study, we present the treatment of the psoriatic nail beds of patients refractory to standard therapies using high-dose-rate (HDR brachytherapy. The custom-made micro applicators (CMMA were designed and constructed for radiation dose delivery to small curvy targets with complicated topology. The role of the HDR brachytherapy treatment was to stimulate the T cells for an increased immune response. Material and methods: The patient diagnosed with psoriatic nail beds refractory to standard therapies received monthly subunguinal injections that caused significant pain and discomfort in both hands. The clinical target was defined as the length from the fingertip to the distal interphalangeal joint. For the accurate and reproducible setup in the multi-fractional treatment delivery, the CMMAs were designed. Five needles were embedded into the dense plastic mesh and covered with 5 mm bolus material for each micro applicator. Five CMMAs were designed, resulting in the usage of 25 catheters in total. Results: The prescription dose was planned to the depth of the anterior surface of the distal phalanx, allowing for the sparing of the surrounding tissue. The total number of the active dwell positions was 145 with step size of 5 mm. The total treatment time was 115 seconds with a 7.36 Ci activity of the 192Ir source. The treatment resulted in good pain control. The patient did not require further injections to the nail bed. After this initial treatment, additional two patients with similar symptoms received HDR brachytherapy. The treatment outcome was favorable in all cases. Conclusions : The first HDR brachytherapy treatment of psoriasis of the nail bed is presented. The initial experience revealed that brachytherapy treatment was well-tolerated and resulted in adequate control of the disease. A larger cohort of patients will be required for additional conclusions related to the long-term clinical benefits.

Conversion Disorder, Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder, and Chronic Pain: Comorbidity, Assessment, and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, Patricia; Deptula, Andrew; Yuan, Derek Y

2017-06-01

This paper examines the overlap of conversion disorder with chronic pain conditions, describes ways to assess for conversion disorder, and provides an overview of evidence-based treatments for conversion disorder and chronic pain, with a focus on conversion symptoms. Conversion disorder is a significant problem that warrants further study, given that there are not many well-established guidelines. Accurate and timely assessment should help move treatment in a more fruitful direction and avoid unnecessary medical interventions. Advances in neuroimaging may also help further our understanding of conversion disorder. Creating a supportive environment and a collaborative treatment relationship and improving understanding of conversion symptoms appear to help individuals diagnosed with conversion disorder engage in appropriate treatments. Novel uses of earlier treatments, such as hypnosis and psychodynamic approaches, could potentially be beneficial and require a more vigorous and systematic study. There are treatments that produce significant improvements in functioning and reduction of physical symptoms from conversion disorder even for very severe cases. Hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and inpatient multidisciplinary treatment with intensive physiotherapy for severe cases have the most evidence to support reduction of symptoms. Components of treatment for conversion disorder overlap with treatments for chronic pain and can be used together to produce therapeutic effects for both conditions. Treatment needs to be tailored for each individual's specific symptoms.

BolA Is Required for the Accurate Regulation of c-di-GMP, a Central Player in Biofilm Formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreira, Ricardo N; Dressaire, Clémentine; Barahona, Susana; Galego, Lisete; Kaever, Volkhard; Jenal, Urs; Arraiano, Cecília M

2017-09-19

The bacterial second messenger cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) is a nearly ubiquitous intracellular signaling molecule involved in the transition from the motile to the sessile/biofilm state in bacteria. C-di-GMP regulates various cellular processes, including biofilm formation, motility, and virulence. BolA is a transcription factor that promotes survival in different stresses and is also involved in biofilm formation. Both BolA and c-di-GMP participate in the regulation of motility mechanisms leading to similar phenotypes. Here, we establish the importance of the balance between these two factors for accurate regulation of the transition between the planktonic and sessile lifestyles. This balance is achieved by negative-feedback regulation of BolA and c-di-GMP. BolA not only contributes directly to the motility of bacteria but also regulates the expression of diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases. This expression modulation influences the synthesis and degradation of c-di-GMP, while this signaling metabolite has a negative influence in bolA mRNA transcription. Finally, we present evidence of the dominant role of BolA in biofilm, showing that, even in the presence of elevated c-di-GMP levels, biofilm formation is reduced in the absence of BolA. C-di-GMP is one of the most important bacterial second messengers involved in several cellular processes, including virulence, cell cycle regulation, biofilm formation, and flagellar synthesis. In this study, we unravelled a direct connection between the bolA morphogene and the c-di-GMP signaling molecule. We show the important cross-talk that occurs between these two molecular regulators during the transition between the motile/planktonic and adhesive/sessile lifestyles in Escherichia coli This work provides important clues that can be helpful in the development of new strategies, and the results can be applied to other organisms with relevance for human health. IMPORTANCE Bacterial cells have evolved several

Characterization of 3-Dimensional PET Systems for Accurate Quantification of Myocardial Blood Flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Renaud, Jennifer M; Yip, Kathy; Guimond, Jean; Trottier, Mikaël; Pibarot, Philippe; Turcotte, Eric; Maguire, Conor; Lalonde, Lucille; Gulenchyn, Karen; Farncombe, Troy; Wisenberg, Gerald; Moody, Jonathan; Lee, Benjamin; Port, Steven C; Turkington, Timothy G; Beanlands, Rob S; deKemp, Robert A

2017-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) mode imaging is the current standard for PET/CT systems. Dynamic imaging for quantification of myocardial blood flow with short-lived tracers, such as 82 Rb-chloride, requires accuracy to be maintained over a wide range of isotope activities and scanner counting rates. We proposed new performance standard measurements to characterize the dynamic range of PET systems for accurate quantitative imaging. 82 Rb or 13 N-ammonia (1,100-3,000 MBq) was injected into the heart wall insert of an anthropomorphic torso phantom. A decaying isotope scan was obtained over 5 half-lives on 9 different 3D PET/CT systems and 1 3D/2-dimensional PET-only system. Dynamic images (28 × 15 s) were reconstructed using iterative algorithms with all corrections enabled. Dynamic range was defined as the maximum activity in the myocardial wall with less than 10% bias, from which corresponding dead-time, counting rates, and/or injected activity limits were established for each scanner. Scatter correction residual bias was estimated as the maximum cavity blood-to-myocardium activity ratio. Image quality was assessed via the coefficient of variation measuring nonuniformity of the left ventricular myocardium activity distribution. Maximum recommended injected activity/body weight, peak dead-time correction factor, counting rates, and residual scatter bias for accurate cardiac myocardial blood flow imaging were 3-14 MBq/kg, 1.5-4.0, 22-64 Mcps singles and 4-14 Mcps prompt coincidence counting rates, and 2%-10% on the investigated scanners. Nonuniformity of the myocardial activity distribution varied from 3% to 16%. Accurate dynamic imaging is possible on the 10 3D PET systems if the maximum injected MBq/kg values are respected to limit peak dead-time losses during the bolus first-pass transit. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Accurate diagnosis and treatment of Vibrio vulnificus infection: a retrospective study of 12 cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshinori Matsuoka

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Vibrio vulnificus causes an infectious disease that has extremely poor convalescence and leads to necrotic fasciitis. In this study, we sought to define the characteristic epidemiology of V. vulnificus infection and clarify its diagnosis at the global level. METHODS: Over a period of 10 years, we investigated the appearance of symptoms, underlying conditions, treatment, and mortality in 12 patients (eight men, four women; >50 years old; average age, 66 years, infected with V. vulnificus. RESULTS: The development of symptoms occurred primarily between June and September, a period during which seawater temperature rises and the prevalence of V. vulnificus increases. All patients had underlying diseases, and seven patients reported a history of consuming fresh fish and uncooked shellfish. The patients developed sepsis and fever with sharp pain in the limbs. Limb abnormalities were observed on visual examination. All patients underwent debridement; however, in the survival group, the involved limb was amputated early in 80% patients. The mortality rate was 58.3%. CONCLUSION: Recognition of the characteristic epidemiology and clinical features of this disease is important, and positive debridement should be performed on suspicion. When the illness reaches an advanced stage, however, amputation should be the immediate treatment of choice.

Accurate diagnosis and treatment of Vibrio vulnificus infection: a retrospective study of 12 cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshinori Matsuoka

2013-02-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Vibrio vulnificus causes an infectious disease that has extremely poor convalescence and leads to necrotic fasciitis. In this study, we sought to define the characteristic epidemiology of V. vulnificus infection and clarify its diagnosis at the global level. METHODS: Over a period of 10 years, we investigated the appearance of symptoms, underlying conditions, treatment, and mortality in 12 patients (eight men, four women; >50 years old; average age, 66 years, infected with V. vulnificus. RESULTS: The development of symptoms occurred primarily between June and September, a period during which seawater temperature rises and the prevalence of V. vulnificus increases. All patients had underlying diseases, and seven patients reported a history of consuming fresh fish and uncooked shellfish. The patients developed sepsis and fever with sharp pain in the limbs. Limb abnormalities were observed on visual examination. All patients underwent debridement; however, in the survival group, the involved limb was amputated early in 80% patients. The mortality rate was 58.3%. CONCLUSION: Recognition of the characteristic epidemiology and clinical features of this disease is important, and positive debridement should be performed on suspicion. When the illness reaches an advanced stage, however, amputation should be the immediate treatment of choice.

ROLAIDS-CPM: A code for accurate resonance absorption calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruijf, W.J.M. de.

1993-08-01

ROLAIDS is used to calculate group-averaged cross sections for specific zones in a one-dimensional geometry. This report describes ROLAIDS-CPM which is an extended version of ROLAIDS. The main extension in ROLAIDS-CPM is the possibility to use the collision probability method for a slab- or cylinder-geometry instead of the less accurate interface-currents method. In this way accurate resonance absorption calculations can be performed with ROLAIDS-CPM. ROLAIDS-CPM has been developed at ECN. (orig.)

Symptoms and Treatment of Depression

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Funded Science on EurekAlert EEG signals accurately predict autism as early as 3 months of age Researchers identify 44 genomic variants associated with depression Brain activity can predict success of depression treatment More News From the Field... Contact Us The ...

Frequency of streamflow measurements required to determine forest treatment effects

Science.gov (United States)

Kenneth G. Reinhart

1964-01-01

Most of the stream-discharge records for our experimental watersheds are taken by continuous measurements. But the question arises: are continuous measurements necessary to determine effects of forest treatments? Or could treatment effects be determined by measurement of discharge at intervals, say, once a day or once a week?

The description of a method for accurately estimating creatinine clearance in acute kidney injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Mellas, John

2016-05-01

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious condition encountered in hospitalized patients. The severity of kidney injury is defined by the RIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO criteria which attempt to establish the degree of renal impairment. The KDIGO guidelines state that the creatinine clearance should be measured whenever possible in AKI and that the serum creatinine concentration and creatinine clearance remain the best clinical indicators of renal function. Neither the RIFLE, AKIN, nor KDIGO criteria estimate actual creatinine clearance. Furthermore there are no accepted methods for accurately estimating creatinine clearance (K) in AKI. The present study describes a unique method for estimating K in AKI using urine creatinine excretion over an established time interval (E), an estimate of creatinine production over the same time interval (P), and the estimated static glomerular filtration rate (sGFR), at time zero, utilizing the CKD-EPI formula. Using these variables estimated creatinine clearance (Ke)=E/P * sGFR. The method was tested for validity using simulated patients where actual creatinine clearance (Ka) was compared to Ke in several patients, both male and female, and of various ages, body weights, and degrees of renal impairment. These measurements were made at several serum creatinine concentrations in an attempt to determine the accuracy of this method in the non-steady state. In addition E/P and Ke was calculated in hospitalized patients, with AKI, and seen in nephrology consultation by the author. In these patients the accuracy of the method was determined by looking at the following metrics; E/P>1, E/P1 and 0.907 (0.841, 0.973) for 0.95 ml/min accurately predicted the ability to terminate renal replacement therapy in AKI. Include the need to measure urine volume accurately. Furthermore the precision of the method requires accurate estimates of sGFR, while a reasonable measure of P is crucial to estimating Ke. The present study provides the

Transforming Multidisciplinary Customer Requirements to Product Design Specifications

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiao-Jie; Ding, Guo-Fu; Qin, Sheng-Feng; Li, Rong; Yan, Kai-Yin; Xiao, Shou-Ne; Yang, Guang-Wu

2017-09-01

With the increasing of complexity of complex mechatronic products, it is necessary to involve multidisciplinary design teams, thus, the traditional customer requirements modeling for a single discipline team becomes difficult to be applied in a multidisciplinary team and project since team members with various disciplinary backgrounds may have different interpretations of the customers' requirements. A new synthesized multidisciplinary customer requirements modeling method is provided for obtaining and describing the common understanding of customer requirements (CRs) and more importantly transferring them into a detailed and accurate product design specifications (PDS) to interact with different team members effectively. A case study of designing a high speed train verifies the rationality and feasibility of the proposed multidisciplinary requirement modeling method for complex mechatronic product development. This proposed research offersthe instruction to realize the customer-driven personalized customization of complex mechatronic product.

Accurate simulation of ionisation chamber response with the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sempau, Josep; Andreo, Pedro

2011-01-01

Ionisation chambers (IC) are routinely used in hospitals for the dosimetry of the photon and electron beams used for radiotherapy treatments. The determination of absorbed dose to water from the absorbed dose to the air filling the cavity requires the introduction of stopping power ratios and perturbation factors, which account for the disturbance caused by the presence of the chamber. Although this may seem a problem readily amenable to Monte Carlo simulation, the fact is that the accurate determination of IC response has been, for various decades, one of the most important challenges of the simulation of electromagnetic showers. The main difficulty stems from the use of condensed history techniques for electron and positron transport. This approach, which involves grouping a large number of interactions into a single artificial event, is known to produce the so-called interface effects when particles travel across surfaces separating different media. These effects can be sizeable when the electron step length is not negligible compared to the size of the region being crossed, as it is the case with the cavity of an IC. The artefact, which becomes apparent when the chamber response shows a marked dependence on the adopted step size, can be palliated with the use of sophisticated electron transport algorithms. These topics are discussed in the context of the transport model implemented in the PENELOPE code. The degree of violation of the Fano theorem for a simple, planar geometry, is used as a measure of the stability of the algorithm with respect to variations of the electron step length, thus assessing the 'quality' of its condensed history scheme. It is shown that, with a suitable choice of transport parameters, PENELOPE simulates IC response with an accuracy of the order of 0.1%.

Accurate simulation of ionization chamber response with the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sempau, Josep

2010-01-01

Full text. Ionization chambers (IC) are routinely used in hospitals for the dosimetry of the photon and electron beams used for radiotherapy treatments. The determination of absorbed dose to water from the absorbed dose to the air filling the cavity requires the introduction of stopping power ratios and perturbation factors, which account for the disturbance caused by the presence of the chamber. Although this may seem a problem readily amenable to Monte Carlo simulation, the fact is that the accurate determination of IC response has been, during the last 20 years, one of the most important challenges of the simulation of electromagnetic showers. The main difficulty stems from the use of condensed history techniques for electron and positron transport. This approach, which involves grouping a large number of interactions into a single artificial event, is known to produce the so-called interface effects when particles travel across surfaces separating different media. These effects are extremely important when the electron step length is not negligible compared to the size of the region being crossed, as it is the case with the cavity of an IC. The artifact, which becomes apparent when the chamber response shows a marked dependence on the adopted step size, can be palliated with the use of sophisticated electron transport algorithms. These topics will be discussed in the context of the transport model implemented in the Penelope code. The degree of violation of the Fano theorem for a simple, planar geometry, will be used as a measure of the stability of the algorithm with respect to variations of the electron step length, thus assessing the 'quality' of its condensed history scheme. It will be shown that, with a suitable choice of transport parameters, Penelope can simulate IC response with an accuracy of the order of 0.1%. (author)

40 CFR 141.70 - General requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Filtration and Disinfection § 141.70 General requirements. (a... regulations establish criteria under which filtration is required as a treatment technique for public water... filtration requirements in § 141.73 and the disinfection requirements in § 141.72(b). (c) Each public water...

LocARNA-P: Accurate boundary prediction and improved detection of structural RNAs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Will, Sebastian; Joshi, Tejal; Hofacker, Ivo L.

2012-01-01

Current genomic screens for noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) predict a large number of genomic regions containing potential structural ncRNAs. The analysis of these data requires highly accurate prediction of ncRNA boundaries and discrimination of promising candidate ncRNAs from weak predictions. Existing...... methods struggle with these goals because they rely on sequence-based multiple sequence alignments, which regularly misalign RNA structure and therefore do not support identification of structural similarities. To overcome this limitation, we compute columnwise and global reliabilities of alignments based...... on sequence and structure similarity; we refer to these structure-based alignment reliabilities as STARs. The columnwise STARs of alignments, or STAR profiles, provide a versatile tool for the manual and automatic analysis of ncRNAs. In particular, we improve the boundary prediction of the widely used nc...

Description of the resonance treatment in WIMS-AECL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donnelly, J V

1993-05-01

The Stamm`ler resonance treatment as applied within the WIMS-AECL lattice cell code is described. The validation work demonstrating the accuracy of the resonance treatment is reviewed and indicates that the methods used will be accurate for the current range of application within AECL. (author). 22 refs., 6 tabs.

Accurate Calculations of Rotationally Inelastic Scattering Cross Sections Using Mixed Quantum/Classical Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Semenov, Alexander; Babikov, Dmitri

2014-01-16

For computational treatment of rotationally inelastic scattering of molecules, we propose to use the mixed quantum/classical theory, MQCT. The old idea of treating translational motion classically, while quantum mechanics is used for rotational degrees of freedom, is developed to the new level and is applied to Na + N2 collisions in a broad range of energies. Comparison with full-quantum calculations shows that MQCT accurately reproduces all, even minor, features of energy dependence of cross sections, except scattering resonances at very low energies. The remarkable success of MQCT opens up wide opportunities for computational predictions of inelastic scattering cross sections at higher temperatures and/or for polyatomic molecules and heavier quenchers, which is computationally close to impossible within the full-quantum framework.

3D printed facial laser scans for the production of localised radiotherapy treatment masks - A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Matthew; Clements, Helen; Wynne, Neil; Rennie, Allan; Kellett, Darren

This study investigates the use of 3D printing for patients that require localised radiotherapy treatment to the face. The current process involves producing a lead mask in order to protect the healthy tissue from the effects of the radiotherapy. The mask is produced by applying a thermoplastic sheet to the patient's face and allowing to set hard. This can then be used as a mould to create a plaster impression of the patient's face. A sheet of lead is then hammered on to the plaster to create a bespoke fitted face mask. This process can be distressing for patients and can be problematic when the patient is required to remain motionless for a prolonged time while the thermoplastic sets. In this study, a 1:1 scale 3D print of a patient's face was generated using a laser scanner. The lead was hammered directly on to the surface of the 3D print in order to create a bespoke fitted treatment mask. This eliminated the thermoplastic moulding stage and significantly reduced the time needed for the patient to be in clinic. The higher definition impression of the the face resulted in a more accurate, better fitting treatment mask.

An accurate metric for the spacetime around neutron stars

OpenAIRE

Pappas, George

2016-01-01

The problem of having an accurate description of the spacetime around neutron stars is of great astrophysical interest. For astrophysical applications, one needs to have a metric that captures all the properties of the spacetime around a neutron star. Furthermore, an accurate appropriately parameterised metric, i.e., a metric that is given in terms of parameters that are directly related to the physical structure of the neutron star, could be used to solve the inverse problem, which is to inf...

An accurate segmentation method for volumetry of brain tumor in 3D MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiahui; Li, Qiang; Hirai, Toshinori; Katsuragawa, Shigehiko; Li, Feng; Doi, Kunio

2008-03-01

Accurate volumetry of brain tumors in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important for evaluating the interval changes in tumor volumes during and after treatment, and also for planning of radiation therapy. In this study, an automated volumetry method for brain tumors in MRI was developed by use of a new three-dimensional (3-D) image segmentation technique. First, the central location of a tumor was identified by a radiologist, and then a volume of interest (VOI) was determined automatically. To substantially simplify tumor segmentation, we transformed the 3-D image of the tumor into a two-dimensional (2-D) image by use of a "spiral-scanning" technique, in which a radial line originating from the center of the tumor scanned the 3-D image spirally from the "north pole" to the "south pole". The voxels scanned by the radial line provided a transformed 2-D image. We employed dynamic programming to delineate an "optimal" outline of the tumor in the transformed 2-D image. We then transformed the optimal outline back into 3-D image space to determine the volume of the tumor. The volumetry method was trained and evaluated by use of 16 cases with 35 brain tumors. The agreement between tumor volumes provided by computer and a radiologist was employed as a performance metric. Our method provided relatively accurate results with a mean agreement value of 88%.

Analysis of clinical data to determine the minimum number of sensors required for adequate skin temperature monitoring of superficial hyperthermia treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakker, Akke; Holman, Rebecca; Rodrigues, Dario B; Dobšíček Trefná, Hana; Stauffer, Paul R; van Tienhoven, Geertjan; Rasch, Coen R N; Crezee, Hans

2018-04-27

Tumor response and treatment toxicity are related to minimum and maximum tissue temperatures during hyperthermia, respectively. Using a large set of clinical data, we analyzed the number of sensors required to adequately monitor skin temperature during superficial hyperthermia treatment of breast cancer patients. Hyperthermia treatments monitored with >60 stationary temperature sensors were selected from a database of patients with recurrent breast cancer treated with re-irradiation (23 × 2 Gy) and hyperthermia using single 434 MHz applicators (effective field size 351-396 cm 2 ). Reduced temperature monitoring schemes involved randomly selected subsets of stationary skin sensors, and another subset simulating continuous thermal mapping of the skin. Temperature differences (ΔT) between subsets and complete sets of sensors were evaluated in terms of overall minimum (T min ) and maximum (T max ) temperature, as well as T90 and T10. Eighty patients were included yielding a total of 400 hyperthermia sessions. Median ΔT was 50 sensors were used. Subsets of sensors result in underestimation of T max up to -2.1 °C (ΔT 95%CI), which decreased to -0.5 °C when >50 sensors were used. Thermal profiles (8-21 probes) yielded a median ΔT 50 stationary sensors or thermal profiles. Adequate coverage of the skin temperature distribution during superficial hyperthermia treatment requires the use of >50 stationary sensors per 400 cm 2 applicator. Thermal mapping is a valid alternative.

Optimization of tissue physical parameters for accurate temperature estimation from finite-element simulation of radiofrequency ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, Swetha; Mast, T Douglas

2015-01-01

Computational finite element models are commonly used for the simulation of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatments. However, the accuracy of these simulations is limited by the lack of precise knowledge of tissue parameters. In this technical note, an inverse solver based on the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is proposed to optimize values for specific heat, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity resulting in accurately simulated temperature elevations. A total of 15 RFA treatments were performed on ex vivo bovine liver tissue. For each RFA treatment, 15 finite-element simulations were performed using a set of deterministically chosen tissue parameters to estimate the mean and variance of the resulting tissue ablation. The UKF was implemented as an inverse solver to recover the specific heat, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity corresponding to the measured area of the ablated tissue region, as determined from gross tissue histology. These tissue parameters were then employed in the finite element model to simulate the position- and time-dependent tissue temperature. Results show good agreement between simulated and measured temperature. (note)

Optimization of tissue physical parameters for accurate temperature estimation from finite-element simulation of radiofrequency ablation.

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, Swetha; Mast, T Douglas

2015-10-07

Computational finite element models are commonly used for the simulation of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatments. However, the accuracy of these simulations is limited by the lack of precise knowledge of tissue parameters. In this technical note, an inverse solver based on the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is proposed to optimize values for specific heat, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity resulting in accurately simulated temperature elevations. A total of 15 RFA treatments were performed on ex vivo bovine liver tissue. For each RFA treatment, 15 finite-element simulations were performed using a set of deterministically chosen tissue parameters to estimate the mean and variance of the resulting tissue ablation. The UKF was implemented as an inverse solver to recover the specific heat, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity corresponding to the measured area of the ablated tissue region, as determined from gross tissue histology. These tissue parameters were then employed in the finite element model to simulate the position- and time-dependent tissue temperature. Results show good agreement between simulated and measured temperature.

Analytical method comparisons for the accurate determination of PCBs in sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Numata, M.; Yarita, T.; Aoyagi, Y.; Yamazaki, M.; Takatsu, A. [National Metrology Institute of Japan, Tsukuba (Japan)

2004-09-15

National Metrology Institute of Japan in National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NMIJ/AIST) has been developing several matrix reference materials, for example, sediments, water and biological tissues, for the determinations of heavy metals and organometallic compounds. The matrix compositions of those certified reference materials (CRMs) are similar to compositions of actual samples, and those are useful for validating analytical procedures. ''Primary methods of measurements'' are essential to obtain accurate and SI-traceable certified values in the reference materials, because the methods have the highest quality of measurement. However, inappropriate analytical operations, such as incomplete extraction of analytes or crosscontamination during analytical procedures, will cause error of analytical results, even if one of the primary methods, isotope-dilution, is utilized. To avoid possible procedural bias for the certification of reference materials, we employ more than two analytical methods which have been optimized beforehand. Because the accurate determination of trace POPs in the environment is important to evaluate their risk, reliable CRMs are required by environmental chemists. Therefore, we have also been preparing matrix CRMs for the determination of POPs. To establish accurate analytical procedures for the certification of POPs, extraction is one of the critical steps as described above. In general, conventional extraction techniques for the determination of POPs, such as Soxhlet extraction (SOX) and saponification (SAP), have been characterized well, and introduced as official methods for environmental analysis. On the other hand, emerging techniques, such as microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), give higher recovery yields of analytes with relatively short extraction time and small amount of solvent, by reasons of the high

48 CFR 19.202-5 - Data collection and reporting requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... requirements. Agencies must measure the extent of small business participation in their acquisition programs by... business, small disadvantaged business, or women-owned small business concern (see the provision at 52.219-1, Small Business Program Representations). (b) Accurately measure the extent of participation by...

Accurate reporting of adherence to inhaled therapies in adults with cystic fibrosis: methods to calculate normative adherence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoo ZH

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Zhe Hui Hoo,1,2 Rachael Curley,1,2 Michael J Campbell,1 Stephen J Walters,1 Daniel Hind,3 Martin J Wildman1,2 1School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR, University of Sheffield, 2Sheffield Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Northern General Hospital, 3Sheffield Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Background: Preventative inhaled treatments in cystic fibrosis will only be effective in maintaining lung health if used appropriately. An accurate adherence index should therefore reflect treatment effectiveness, but the standard method of reporting adherence, that is, as a percentage of the agreed regimen between clinicians and people with cystic fibrosis, does not account for the appropriateness of the treatment regimen. We describe two different indices of inhaled therapy adherence for adults with cystic fibrosis which take into account effectiveness, that is, “simple” and “sophisticated” normative adherence. Methods to calculate normative adherence: Denominator adjustment involves fixing a minimum appropriate value based on the recommended therapy given a person’s characteristics. For simple normative adherence, the denominator is determined by the person’s Pseudomonas status. For sophisticated normative adherence, the denominator is determined by the person’s Pseudomonas status and history of pulmonary exacerbations over the previous year. Numerator adjustment involves capping the daily maximum inhaled therapy use at 100% so that medication overuse does not artificially inflate the adherence level. Three illustrative cases: Case A is an example of inhaled therapy under prescription based on Pseudomonas status resulting in lower simple normative adherence compared to unadjusted adherence. Case B is an example of inhaled therapy under-prescription based on previous exacerbation history resulting in lower sophisticated normative adherence compared to unadjusted adherence and simple normative adherence

STELLAR LOCUS REGRESSION: ACCURATE COLOR CALIBRATION AND THE REAL-TIME DETERMINATION OF GALAXY CLUSTER PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High, F. William; Stubbs, Christopher W.; Rest, Armin; Stalder, Brian; Challis, Peter

2009-01-01

We present stellar locus regression (SLR), a method of directly adjusting the instrumental broadband optical colors of stars to bring them into accord with a universal stellar color-color locus, producing accurately calibrated colors for both stars and galaxies. This is achieved without first establishing individual zero points for each passband, and can be performed in real-time at the telescope. We demonstrate how SLR naturally makes one wholesale correction for differences in instrumental response, for atmospheric transparency, for atmospheric extinction, and for Galactic extinction. We perform an example SLR treatment of Sloan Digital Sky Survey data over a wide range of Galactic dust values and independently recover the direction and magnitude of the canonical Galactic reddening vector with 14-18 mmag rms uncertainties. We then isolate the effect of atmospheric extinction, showing that SLR accounts for this and returns precise colors over a wide range of air mass, with 5-14 mmag rms residuals. We demonstrate that SLR-corrected colors are sufficiently accurate to allow photometric redshift estimates for galaxy clusters (using red sequence galaxies) with an uncertainty σ(z)/(1 + z) = 0.6% per cluster for redshifts 0.09 < z < 0.25. Finally, we identify our objects in the 2MASS all-sky catalog, and produce i-band zero points typically accurate to 18 mmag using only SLR. We offer open-source access to our IDL routines, validated and verified for the implementation of this technique, at http://stellar-locus-regression.googlecode.com.

Gene expression signatures of radiation response are specific, durable and accurate in mice and humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah K Meadows

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Previous work has demonstrated the potential for peripheral blood (PB gene expression profiling for the detection of disease or environmental exposures.We have sought to determine the impact of several variables on the PB gene expression profile of an environmental exposure, ionizing radiation, and to determine the specificity of the PB signature of radiation versus other genotoxic stresses. Neither genotype differences nor the time of PB sampling caused any lessening of the accuracy of PB signatures to predict radiation exposure, but sex difference did influence the accuracy of the prediction of radiation exposure at the lowest level (50 cGy. A PB signature of sepsis was also generated and both the PB signature of radiation and the PB signature of sepsis were found to be 100% specific at distinguishing irradiated from septic animals. We also identified human PB signatures of radiation exposure and chemotherapy treatment which distinguished irradiated patients and chemotherapy-treated individuals within a heterogeneous population with accuracies of 90% and 81%, respectively.We conclude that PB gene expression profiles can be identified in mice and humans that are accurate in predicting medical conditions, are specific to each condition and remain highly accurate over time.

Accurate assessment of adherence: self-report and clinician report vs electronic monitoring of nebulizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Tracey; Goodacre, Lynne; Sutton, Chris; Pollard, Kim; Conway, Steven; Peckham, Daniel

2011-08-01

People with cystic fibrosis have a high treatment burden. While uncertainty remains about individual patient level of adherence to medication, treatment regimens are difficult to tailor, and interventions are difficult to evaluate. Self- and clinician-reported measures are routinely used despite criticism that they overestimate adherence. This study assessed agreement between rates of adherence to prescribed nebulizer treatments when measured by self-report, clinician report, and electronic monitoring suitable for long-term use. Seventy-eight adults with cystic fibrosis were questioned about their adherence to prescribed nebulizer treatments over the previous 3 months. Self-report was compared with clinician report and stored adherence data downloaded from the I-Neb nebulizer system. Adherence measures were expressed as a percentage of the prescribed regimen, bias was estimated by the paired difference in mean (95% CI) patient and clinician reported and actual adherence. Agreement between adherence measures was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (95% CI), and disagreements for individuals were displayed using Bland-Altman plots. Patient-identified prescriptions matched the medical record prescription. Median self-reported adherence was 80% (interquartile range, 60%-95%), whereas median adherence measured by nebulizer download was 36% (interquartile range, 5%-84.5%). Nine participants overmedicated and underreported adherence. Median clinician report ranged from 50% to 60%, depending on profession. Extensive discrepancies between self-report and clinician report compared with nebulizer download were identified for individuals. Self- and clinician-reporting of adherence does not provide accurate measurement of adherence when compared with electronic monitoring. Using inaccurate measures has implications for treatment burden, clinician prescribing practices, cost, and accuracy of trial data.

Requirements Identification Towards a Design of Adaptive ICTs for Supporting Bipolar Disorder Treatment in Different Healthcare Contexts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Torri

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents patient and caregiver perspective on ICTs supporting bipolar disorder management in multinational healthcare provisioning contexts. The envisioned mHealth solutions should adopt general requirements that could be instantiated into different clinical settings. Engagement of users in designing new technologies for mental health is crucial to ensure empowerment and patient-centeredness of services. We performed focus groups to understand user needs, attitudes and experiences towards the supportive ICTs in two target regions where the expected solutions will operate. The survey offered valuable inputs for the construction of the clinical requirements used to produce a trans-national call for tender on mobile health solutions aimed at supporting bipolar disorders treatment among public purchasers in different European countries. The study was part of the NYMHPA-MD (Next Generation Mobile Platform for Health in Mental Disorders project, co-funded by the European Commission.

Headache and facial pain: differential diagnosis and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernstein, Jonathan A; Fox, Roger W; Martin, Vincent T; Lockey, Richard F

2013-01-01

Headaches affect 90% of the population sometime during their life. Most are benign and fleeting, some are serious and life-threatening, and others require ongoing medical consultation and treatment. A careful history and physical is necessary to establish a differential diagnosis and to guide the choice of testing to make an accurate diagnosis. The most common types of headaches are discussed in this review. They are divided into primary and secondary headache disorders as classified by the International Headache Society. Primary headache disorders include migraine without and with aura, cluster and tension-type headaches. Secondary headaches are those that occur as a result of some other disorder and include brain tumors, rhinosinusitis, diseases of intracranial and extracranial vasculature, and temporomandibular joint disease. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Artificial intelligence based model for optimization of COD removal efficiency of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor in the saline wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Picos-Benítez, Alain R; López-Hincapié, Juan D; Chávez-Ramírez, Abraham U; Rodríguez-García, Adrián

2017-03-01

The complex non-linear behavior presented in the biological treatment of wastewater requires an accurate model to predict the system performance. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an artificial intelligence (AI) model, based on the combination of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and genetic algorithms (GAs), to find the optimum performance of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) for saline wastewater treatment. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was predicted using conductivity, organic loading rate (OLR) and temperature as input variables. The ANN model was built from experimental data and performance was assessed through the maximum mean absolute percentage error (= 9.226%) computed from the measured and model predicted values of the COD. Accordingly, the ANN model was used as a fitness function in a GA to find the best operational condition. In the worst case scenario (low energy requirements, high OLR usage and high salinity) this model guaranteed COD removal efficiency values above 70%. This result is consistent and was validated experimentally, confirming that this ANN-GA model can be used as a tool to achieve the best performance of a UASB reactor with the minimum requirement of energy for saline wastewater treatment.

Optimal Cluster Mill Pass Scheduling With an Accurate and Rapid New Strip Crown Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malik, Arif S.; Grandhi, Ramana V.; Zipf, Mark E.

2007-01-01

Besides the requirement to roll coiled sheet at high levels of productivity, the optimal pass scheduling of cluster-type reversing cold mills presents the added challenge of assigning mill parameters that facilitate the best possible strip flatness. The pressures of intense global competition, and the requirements for increasingly thinner, higher quality specialty sheet products that are more difficult to roll, continue to force metal producers to commission innovative flatness-control technologies. This means that during the on-line computerized set-up of rolling mills, the mathematical model should not only determine the minimum total number of passes and maximum rolling speed, it should simultaneously optimize the pass-schedule so that desired flatness is assured, either by manual or automated means. In many cases today, however, on-line prediction of strip crown and corresponding flatness for the complex cluster-type rolling mills is typically addressed either by trial and error, by approximate deflection models for equivalent vertical roll-stacks, or by non-physical pattern recognition style models. The abundance of the aforementioned methods is largely due to the complexity of cluster-type mill configurations and the lack of deflection models with sufficient accuracy and speed for on-line use. Without adequate assignment of the pass-schedule set-up parameters, it may be difficult or impossible to achieve the required strip flatness. In this paper, we demonstrate optimization of cluster mill pass-schedules using a new accurate and rapid strip crown model. This pass-schedule optimization includes computations of the predicted strip thickness profile to validate mathematical constraints. In contrast to many of the existing methods for on-line prediction of strip crown and flatness on cluster mills, the demonstrated method requires minimal prior tuning and no extensive training with collected mill data. To rapidly and accurately solve the multi-contact problem

Accurate fluid force measurement based on control surface integration

Science.gov (United States)

Lentink, David

2018-01-01

Nonintrusive 3D fluid force measurements are still challenging to conduct accurately for freely moving animals, vehicles, and deforming objects. Two techniques, 3D particle image velocimetry (PIV) and a new technique, the aerodynamic force platform (AFP), address this. Both rely on the control volume integral for momentum; whereas PIV requires numerical integration of flow fields, the AFP performs the integration mechanically based on rigid walls that form the control surface. The accuracy of both PIV and AFP measurements based on the control surface integration is thought to hinge on determining the unsteady body force associated with the acceleration of the volume of displaced fluid. Here, I introduce a set of non-dimensional error ratios to show which fluid and body parameters make the error negligible. The unsteady body force is insignificant in all conditions where the average density of the body is much greater than the density of the fluid, e.g., in gas. Whenever a strongly deforming body experiences significant buoyancy and acceleration, the error is significant. Remarkably, this error can be entirely corrected for with an exact factor provided that the body has a sufficiently homogenous density or acceleration distribution, which is common in liquids. The correction factor for omitting the unsteady body force, {{{ {ρ f}} {1 - {ρ f} ( {{ρ b}+{ρ f}} )}.{( {{{{ρ }}b}+{ρ f}} )}}} , depends only on the fluid, {ρ f}, and body, {{ρ }}b, density. Whereas these straightforward solutions work even at the liquid-gas interface in a significant number of cases, they do not work for generalized bodies undergoing buoyancy in combination with appreciable body density inhomogeneity, volume change (PIV), or volume rate-of-change (PIV and AFP). In these less common cases, the 3D body shape needs to be measured and resolved in time and space to estimate the unsteady body force. The analysis shows that accounting for the unsteady body force is straightforward to non

Treatment of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in special populations: a summary of evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Saboia Fontenele e Silva

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We aimed to assess and synthesize the information available in the literature regarding the treatment of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in special populations. We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, SciELO, Scopus, Cochrane Library and mRCT databases to identify clinical trials and observational studies that assessed the pharmacological treatment of the following groups of patients: pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, the elderly, individuals with chronic diseases and individuals with suppressed immune systems. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE approach. The available evidence suggests that the treatments of choice for each population or disease entity are as follows: nursing mothers and children (meglumine antimoniate or pentamidine, patients with renal disease (amphotericin B or miltefosine, patients with heart disease (amphotericin B, miltefosine or pentamidine, immunosuppressed patients (liposomal amphotericin, the elderly (meglumine antimoniate, pregnant women (amphotericin B and patients with liver disease (no evidence available. The quality of evidence is low or very low for all groups. Accurate controlled studies are required to fill in the gaps in evidence for treatment in special populations. Post-marketing surveillance programs could also collect relevant information to guide treatment decision-making.

A new accurate curvature matching and optimal tool based five-axis machining algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Than; Lee, Jae Woo; Bohez, Erik L. J.

2009-01-01

Free-form surfaces are widely used in CAD systems to describe the part surface. Today, the most advanced machining of free from surfaces is done in five-axis machining using a flat end mill cutter. However, five-axis machining requires complex algorithms for gouging avoidance, collision detection and powerful computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems to support various operations. An accurate and efficient method is proposed for five-axis CNC machining of free-form surfaces. The proposed algorithm selects the best tool and plans the tool path autonomously using curvature matching and integrated inverse kinematics of the machine tool. The new algorithm uses the real cutter contact tool path generated by the inverse kinematics and not the linearized piecewise real cutter location tool path

The place of highly accurate methods by RNAA in metrology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dybczynski, R.; Danko, B.; Polkowska-Motrenko, H.; Samczynski, Z.

2006-01-01

With the introduction of physical metrological concepts to chemical analysis which require that the result should be accompanied by uncertainty statement written down in terms of Sl units, several researchers started to consider lD-MS as the only method fulfilling this requirement. However, recent publications revealed that in certain cases also some expert laboratories using lD-MS and analyzing the same material, produced results for which their uncertainty statements did not overlap, what theoretically should not have taken place. This shows that no monopoly is good in science and it would be desirable to widen the set of methods acknowledged as primary in inorganic trace analysis. Moreover, lD-MS cannot be used for monoisotopic elements. The need for searching for other methods having similar metrological quality as the lD-MS seems obvious. In this paper, our long-time experience on devising highly accurate ('definitive') methods by RNAA for the determination of selected trace elements in biological materials is reviewed. The general idea of definitive methods based on combination of neutron activation with the highly selective and quantitative isolation of the indicator radionuclide by column chromatography followed by gamma spectrometric measurement is reminded and illustrated by examples of the performance of such methods when determining Cd, Co, Mo, etc. lt is demonstrated that such methods are able to provide very reliable results with very low levels of uncertainty traceable to Sl units

The value of computed tomography (CT) in the treatment of lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Striggaris, K.; Gouliamos, A.; Garmatis, C.; Kaklamanis, N.; Vlahos, L.; Pontifex, G.

1982-01-01

The extensive recent literature on computed tomography (CT) includes several reports demonstrating the usefulness of body scanners in radiotherapy treatment planning. This followed earlier experience indicating the potential application of the technique in chest disease. The fast scan-times, possible with newer CT systems, eliminate motion degradation and provide accurate localization of thoracic tumors. This paper reports the authors' experience with CT in treatment planning of 38 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma after pretherapy evaluation by CT. They conclude that the availability of CT-scan data helps to define accurately the target volume and provides the information needed for treatment planning computers in order to estimate the desired dose. (Auth.)

Cross sections required for FMIT dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gold, R.; McElroy, W.N.; Lippincott, E.P.; Mann, F.M.; Oberg, D.L.; Roberts, J.H.; Ruddy, F.H.

1980-01-01

The Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) facility, currently under construction, is designed to produce a high flux of high energy neutrons for irradiation effects experiments on fusion reactor materials. Characterization of the flux-fluence-spectrum in this rapidly varying neutron field requires adaptation and extension of currently available dosimetry techniques. This characterization will be carried out by a combination of active, passive, and calculational dosimetry. The goal is to provide the experimenter with accurate neutron flux-fluence-spectra at all positions in the test cell. Plans have been completed for a number of experimental dosimetry stations and provision for these facilities has been incorporated into the FMIT design. Overall needs of the FMIT irradiation damage program delineate goal accuracies for dosimetry that, in turn, create new requirements for high energy neutron cross section data. Recommendations based on these needs have been derived for required cross section data and accuracies

Accurate activity recognition in a home setting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Kasteren, T.; Noulas, A.; Englebienne, G.; Kröse, B.

2008-01-01

A sensor system capable of automatically recognizing activities would allow many potential ubiquitous applications. In this paper, we present an easy to install sensor network and an accurate but inexpensive annotation method. A recorded dataset consisting of 28 days of sensor data and its

Sample size requirements for separating out the effects of combination treatments: Randomised controlled trials of combination therapy vs. standard treatment compared to factorial designs for patients with tuberculous meningitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farrar Jeremy

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In certain diseases clinical experts may judge that the intervention with the best prospects is the addition of two treatments to the standard of care. This can either be tested with a simple randomized trial of combination versus standard treatment or with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Methods We compared the two approaches using the design of a new trial in tuberculous meningitis as an example. In that trial the combination of 2 drugs added to standard treatment is assumed to reduce the hazard of death by 30% and the sample size of the combination trial to achieve 80% power is 750 patients. We calculated the power of corresponding factorial designs with one- to sixteen-fold the sample size of the combination trial depending on the contribution of each individual drug to the combination treatment effect and the strength of an interaction between the two. Results In the absence of an interaction, an eight-fold increase in sample size for the factorial design as compared to the combination trial is required to get 80% power to jointly detect effects of both drugs if the contribution of the less potent treatment to the total effect is at least 35%. An eight-fold sample size increase also provides a power of 76% to detect a qualitative interaction at the one-sided 10% significance level if the individual effects of both drugs are equal. Factorial designs with a lower sample size have a high chance to be underpowered, to show significance of only one drug even if both are equally effective, and to miss important interactions. Conclusions Pragmatic combination trials of multiple interventions versus standard therapy are valuable in diseases with a limited patient pool if all interventions test the same treatment concept, it is considered likely that either both or none of the individual interventions are effective, and only moderate drug interactions are suspected. An adequately powered 2 × 2 factorial design to detect effects of

Whole body dosimetry for treatment individualized neuroblastoma with 131I-MIBG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrer Gracia, C.; Luquero Llopis, N.; Sanchez Munoz, F.; Plaza Aparicio, R.; Huerga Cabrerizo, C.; Corredoira Silva, E.; Serrada Hierro, A.

2013-01-01

It according to in this study, that in therapy with 1 31I-MIBG for the treatment of neuroblastoma, it can prescribe and manage dose whole body accurately, allowing individualized treatments and major activities that in the treatments based on a fixed activity according to weight management. (Author)

Fast and accurate spectral estimation for online detection of partial broken bar in induction motors

Science.gov (United States)

Samanta, Anik Kumar; Naha, Arunava; Routray, Aurobinda; Deb, Alok Kanti

2018-01-01

In this paper, an online and real-time system is presented for detecting partial broken rotor bar (BRB) of inverter-fed squirrel cage induction motors under light load condition. This system with minor modifications can detect any fault that affects the stator current. A fast and accurate spectral estimator based on the theory of Rayleigh quotient is proposed for detecting the spectral signature of BRB. The proposed spectral estimator can precisely determine the relative amplitude of fault sidebands and has low complexity compared to available high-resolution subspace-based spectral estimators. Detection of low-amplitude fault components has been improved by removing the high-amplitude fundamental frequency using an extended-Kalman based signal conditioner. Slip is estimated from the stator current spectrum for accurate localization of the fault component. Complexity and cost of sensors are minimal as only a single-phase stator current is required. The hardware implementation has been carried out on an Intel i7 based embedded target ported through the Simulink Real-Time. Evaluation of threshold and detectability of faults with different conditions of load and fault severity are carried out with empirical cumulative distribution function.

An application of baseflow isolation and passive wetland treatment to watershed restoration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoover, K.L.; Rightnour, T.A.; Zug, F.R. III

1999-01-01

The project site, located in West Virginia, is a reclaimed wood waste disposal area situated on Pennsylvanian coal strata. Following reclamation of the disposal area, flow in the adjacent stream was observed to have elevated iron and manganese concentrations. The source of the groundwater baseflow entering this portion of the stream appeared to be hydrologically related to the landfill by its close proximity. The source of the metals contamination was not determined, but may be related to percolation from the disposal area into the underlying coal strata. The observable contamination was typical of alkaline coal mine drainage and met the criteria for passive wetland treatment. However, the contaminated baseflow entered the stream along the sides and bottom of the channel at several locations over a 100-meter section and could not be collected for accurate characterization of pollutant loading. Treatment of the entire contaminated stream flow to comply with NPDES permit requirements would have been prohibitively expensive, and insufficient space was available for a treatment facility of adequate size within the narrow stream valley. Given these constraints, it was decided to isolate the contaminated baseflow from the surface flow by construction of a lined stream relocation on top of a gravity-drained collection zone in the existing stream channel. The collection zone consists of a bed of coarse aggregate with a central collection pipe discharging to a submerged outlet, which prevents air from entering the collection zone and minimizes the formation of iron precipitates. The relocated stream channel was formed in place on top of the collection zone with compacted earth, and lined with one layer of polypropylene geomembrane covered by two layers of geotextile. Gabion baskets were then placed on top of the liner for stream stabilization and shaping of the final channel. Accurate discharge characterization at the end of the collection pipe allowed the design of a

Accurate palm vein recognition based on wavelet scattering and spectral regression kernel discriminant analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Elnasir, Selma; Shamsuddin, Siti Mariyam; Farokhi, Sajad

2015-01-01

Palm vein recognition (PVR) is a promising new biometric that has been applied successfully as a method of access control by many organizations, which has even further potential in the field of forensics. The palm vein pattern has highly discriminative features that are difficult to forge because of its subcutaneous position in the palm. Despite considerable progress and a few practical issues, providing accurate palm vein readings has remained an unsolved issue in biometrics. We propose a robust and more accurate PVR method based on the combination of wavelet scattering (WS) with spectral regression kernel discriminant analysis (SRKDA). As the dimension of WS generated features is quite large, SRKDA is required to reduce the extracted features to enhance the discrimination. The results based on two public databases-PolyU Hyper Spectral Palmprint public database and PolyU Multi Spectral Palmprint-show the high performance of the proposed scheme in comparison with state-of-the-art methods. The proposed approach scored a 99.44% identification rate and a 99.90% verification rate [equal error rate (EER)=0.1%] for the hyperspectral database and a 99.97% identification rate and a 99.98% verification rate (EER=0.019%) for the multispectral database.

An accurate and efficient reliability-based design optimization using the second order reliability method and improved stability transformation method

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Zeng; Yang, Dixiong; Zhou, Huanlin; Yu, Bo

2018-05-01

The first order reliability method has been extensively adopted for reliability-based design optimization (RBDO), but it shows inaccuracy in calculating the failure probability with highly nonlinear performance functions. Thus, the second order reliability method is required to evaluate the reliability accurately. However, its application for RBDO is quite challenge owing to the expensive computational cost incurred by the repeated reliability evaluation and Hessian calculation of probabilistic constraints. In this article, a new improved stability transformation method is proposed to search the most probable point efficiently, and the Hessian matrix is calculated by the symmetric rank-one update. The computational capability of the proposed method is illustrated and compared to the existing RBDO approaches through three mathematical and two engineering examples. The comparison results indicate that the proposed method is very efficient and accurate, providing an alternative tool for RBDO of engineering structures.

Visual attention is required for multiple object tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Annie; Hoffman, James E

2016-12-01

In the multiple object tracking task, participants attempt to keep track of a moving set of target objects embedded in an identical set of moving distractors. Depending on several display parameters, observers are usually only able to accurately track 3 to 4 objects. Various proposals attribute this limit to a fixed number of discrete indexes (Pylyshyn, 1989), limits in visual attention (Cavanagh & Alvarez, 2005), or "architectural limits" in visual cortical areas (Franconeri, 2013). The present set of experiments examined the specific role of visual attention in tracking using a dual-task methodology in which participants tracked objects while identifying letter probes appearing on the tracked objects and distractors. As predicted by the visual attention model, probe identification was faster and/or more accurate when probes appeared on tracked objects. This was the case even when probes were more than twice as likely to appear on distractors suggesting that some minimum amount of attention is required to maintain accurate tracking performance. When the need to protect tracking accuracy was relaxed, participants were able to allocate more attention to distractors when probes were likely to appear there but only at the expense of large reductions in tracking accuracy. A final experiment showed that people attend to tracked objects even when letters appearing on them are task-irrelevant, suggesting that allocation of attention to tracked objects is an obligatory process. These results support the claim that visual attention is required for tracking objects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving the sludge disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Şahinkaya, S; Sevimli, M F; Aygün, A

2012-01-01

One of the most serious problems encountered in biological wastewater treatment processes is the production of waste activated sludge (WAS). Sonication, which is an energy-intensive process, is the most powerful sludge pre-treatment method. Due to lack of information about the combined pre-treatment methods of sonication, the combined pre-treatment methods were investigated and it was aimed to improve the disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining sonication with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods in this study. The process performances were evaluated based on the quantities of increases in soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), protein and carbohydrate. The releases of soluble COD, carbohydrate and protein by the combined methods were higher than those by sonication, alkalization and thermal pre-treatment alone. Degrees of sludge disintegration in various options of sonication were in the following descending order: sono-alkalization > sono-thermal pre-treatment > sonication. Therefore, it was determined that combining sonication with alkalization significantly improved the sludge disintegration and decreased the required energy to reach the same yield by sonication. In addition, effects on sludge settleability and dewaterability and kinetic mathematical modelling of pre-treatment performances of these methods were investigated. It was proven that the proposed model accurately predicted the efficiencies of ultrasonic pre-treatment methods.

Accurate guitar tuning by cochlear implant musicians.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Lu

Full Text Available Modern cochlear implant (CI users understand speech but find difficulty in music appreciation due to poor pitch perception. Still, some deaf musicians continue to perform with their CI. Here we show unexpected results that CI musicians can reliably tune a guitar by CI alone and, under controlled conditions, match simultaneously presented tones to <0.5 Hz. One subject had normal contralateral hearing and produced more accurate tuning with CI than his normal ear. To understand these counterintuitive findings, we presented tones sequentially and found that tuning error was larger at ∼ 30 Hz for both subjects. A third subject, a non-musician CI user with normal contralateral hearing, showed similar trends in performance between CI and normal hearing ears but with less precision. This difference, along with electric analysis, showed that accurate tuning was achieved by listening to beats rather than discriminating pitch, effectively turning a spectral task into a temporal discrimination task.

SU-E-J-208: Fast and Accurate Auto-Segmentation of Abdominal Organs at Risk for Online Adaptive Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, V; Wang, Y; Romero, A; Heijmen, B; Hoogeman, M [Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Myronenko, A; Jordan, P [Accuray Incorporated, Sunnyvale, United States. (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Various studies have demonstrated that online adaptive radiotherapy by real-time re-optimization of the treatment plan can improve organs-at-risk (OARs) sparing in the abdominal region. Its clinical implementation, however, requires fast and accurate auto-segmentation of OARs in CT scans acquired just before each treatment fraction. Autosegmentation is particularly challenging in the abdominal region due to the frequently observed large deformations. We present a clinical validation of a new auto-segmentation method that uses fully automated non-rigid registration for propagating abdominal OAR contours from planning to daily treatment CT scans. Methods: OARs were manually contoured by an expert panel to obtain ground truth contours for repeat CT scans (3 per patient) of 10 patients. For the non-rigid alignment, we used a new non-rigid registration method that estimates the deformation field by optimizing local normalized correlation coefficient with smoothness regularization. This field was used to propagate planning contours to repeat CTs. To quantify the performance of the auto-segmentation, we compared the propagated and ground truth contours using two widely used metrics- Dice coefficient (Dc) and Hausdorff distance (Hd). The proposed method was benchmarked against translation and rigid alignment based auto-segmentation. Results: For all organs, the auto-segmentation performed better than the baseline (translation) with an average processing time of 15 s per fraction CT. The overall improvements ranged from 2% (heart) to 32% (pancreas) in Dc, and 27% (heart) to 62% (spinal cord) in Hd. For liver, kidneys, gall bladder, stomach, spinal cord and heart, Dc above 0.85 was achieved. Duodenum and pancreas were the most challenging organs with both showing relatively larger spreads and medians of 0.79 and 2.1 mm for Dc and Hd, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the achieved accuracy and computational time we conclude that the investigated auto

SU-E-J-208: Fast and Accurate Auto-Segmentation of Abdominal Organs at Risk for Online Adaptive Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, V; Wang, Y; Romero, A; Heijmen, B; Hoogeman, M; Myronenko, A; Jordan, P

2014-01-01

Purpose: Various studies have demonstrated that online adaptive radiotherapy by real-time re-optimization of the treatment plan can improve organs-at-risk (OARs) sparing in the abdominal region. Its clinical implementation, however, requires fast and accurate auto-segmentation of OARs in CT scans acquired just before each treatment fraction. Autosegmentation is particularly challenging in the abdominal region due to the frequently observed large deformations. We present a clinical validation of a new auto-segmentation method that uses fully automated non-rigid registration for propagating abdominal OAR contours from planning to daily treatment CT scans. Methods: OARs were manually contoured by an expert panel to obtain ground truth contours for repeat CT scans (3 per patient) of 10 patients. For the non-rigid alignment, we used a new non-rigid registration method that estimates the deformation field by optimizing local normalized correlation coefficient with smoothness regularization. This field was used to propagate planning contours to repeat CTs. To quantify the performance of the auto-segmentation, we compared the propagated and ground truth contours using two widely used metrics- Dice coefficient (Dc) and Hausdorff distance (Hd). The proposed method was benchmarked against translation and rigid alignment based auto-segmentation. Results: For all organs, the auto-segmentation performed better than the baseline (translation) with an average processing time of 15 s per fraction CT. The overall improvements ranged from 2% (heart) to 32% (pancreas) in Dc, and 27% (heart) to 62% (spinal cord) in Hd. For liver, kidneys, gall bladder, stomach, spinal cord and heart, Dc above 0.85 was achieved. Duodenum and pancreas were the most challenging organs with both showing relatively larger spreads and medians of 0.79 and 2.1 mm for Dc and Hd, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the achieved accuracy and computational time we conclude that the investigated auto

Seeing and Being Seen: Predictors of Accurate Perceptions about Classmates’ Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Neal, Jennifer Watling; Neal, Zachary P.; Cappella, Elise

2015-01-01

This study examines predictors of observer accuracy (i.e. seeing) and target accuracy (i.e. being seen) in perceptions of classmates’ relationships in a predominantly African American sample of 420 second through fourth graders (ages 7 – 11). Girls, children in higher grades, and children in smaller classrooms were more accurate observers. Targets (i.e. pairs of children) were more accurately observed when they occurred in smaller classrooms of higher grades and involved same-sex, high-popularity, and similar-popularity children. Moreover, relationships between pairs of girls were more accurately observed than relationships between pairs of boys. As a set, these findings suggest the importance of both observer and target characteristics for children’s accurate perceptions of classroom relationships. Moreover, the substantial variation in observer accuracy and target accuracy has methodological implications for both peer-reported assessments of classroom relationships and the use of stochastic actor-based models to understand peer selection and socialization processes. PMID:26347582

40 CFR 437.4 - Monitoring requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... wastewater resulting from the treatment of metal-bearing waste, oily waste, or organic-bearing waste must... STANDARDS THE CENTRALIZED WASTE TREATMENT POINT SOURCE CATEGORY § 437.4 Monitoring requirements. (a) Permit... compliance for each subpart after treatment and before mixing of the waste with wastes of any other subpart...

Surface EMG electrodes do not accurately record from lumbar multifidus muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Stokes, Ian A F; Henry, Sharon M; Single, Richard M

2003-01-01

This study investigated whether electromyographic signals recorded from the skin surface overlying the multifidus muscles could be used to quantify their activity. Comparison of electromyography signals recorded from electrodes on the back surface and from wire electrodes within four different slips of multifidus muscles of three human subjects performing isometric tasks that loaded the trunk from three different directions. It has been suggested that suitably placed surface electrodes can be used to record activity in the deep multifidus muscles. We tested whether there was a stronger correlation and more consistent regression relationship between signals from electrodes overlying multifidus and longissimus muscles respectively than between signals from within multifidus and from the skin surface electrodes over multifidus. The findings provided consistent evidence that the surface electrodes placed over multifidus muscles were more sensitive to the adjacent longissimus muscles than to the underlying multifidus muscles. The R(2) for surface versus intra-muscular comparisons was 0.64, while the average R(2) for surface-multifidus versus surface-longissimus comparisons was 0.80. Also, the magnitude of the regression coefficients was less variable between different tasks for the longissimus versus surface multifidus comparisons. Accurate measurement of multifidus muscle activity requires intra-muscular electrodes. Electromyography is the accepted technique to document the level of muscular activation, but its specificity to particular muscles depends on correct electrode placement. For multifidus, intra-muscular electrodes are required.

Accurate thermoelastic tensor and acoustic velocities of NaCl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marcondes, Michel L., E-mail: michel@if.usp.br [Physics Institute, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 05508-090 (Brazil); Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 (United States); Shukla, Gaurav, E-mail: shukla@physics.umn.edu [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 (United States); Minnesota supercomputer Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 (United States); Silveira, Pedro da [Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 (United States); Wentzcovitch, Renata M., E-mail: wentz002@umn.edu [Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 (United States); Minnesota supercomputer Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455 (United States)

2015-12-15

Despite the importance of thermoelastic properties of minerals in geology and geophysics, their measurement at high pressures and temperatures are still challenging. Thus, ab initio calculations are an essential tool for predicting these properties at extreme conditions. Owing to the approximate description of the exchange-correlation energy, approximations used in calculations of vibrational effects, and numerical/methodological approximations, these methods produce systematic deviations. Hybrid schemes combining experimental data and theoretical results have emerged as a way to reconcile available information and offer more reliable predictions at experimentally inaccessible thermodynamics conditions. Here we introduce a method to improve the calculated thermoelastic tensor by using highly accurate thermal equation of state (EoS). The corrective scheme is general, applicable to crystalline solids with any symmetry, and can produce accurate results at conditions where experimental data may not exist. We apply it to rock-salt-type NaCl, a material whose structural properties have been challenging to describe accurately by standard ab initio methods and whose acoustic/seismic properties are important for the gas and oil industry.

Accurate 3D Localization Method for Public Safety Applications in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks

KAUST Repository

Ansari, Abdul Rahim

2018-04-10

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) represent a very promising research area because of their ever increasing demand, especially for public safety applications. In VANETs vehicles communicate with each other to exchange road maps and traffic information. In many applications, location-based services are the main service, and localization accuracy is the main problem. VANETs also require accurate vehicle location information in real time. To fulfill this requirement, a number of algorithms have been proposed; however, the location accuracy required for public safety applications in VANETs has not been achieved. In this paper, an improved subspace algorithm is proposed for time of arrival (TOA) measurements in VANETs localization. The proposed method gives a closed-form solution and it is robust for large measurement noise, as it is based on the eigen form of a scalar product and dimensionality. Furthermore, we developed the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) to evaluate the performance of the proposed 3D VANETs localization method. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated by comparison with the CRLB and other localization algorithms available in the literature through numerous simulations. Simulation results show that the proposed 3D VANETs localization method is better than the literature methods especially for fewer anchors at road side units and large noise variance.

Fast and accurate protein substructure searching with simulated annealing and GPUs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stivala Alex D

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Searching a database of protein structures for matches to a query structure, or occurrences of a structural motif, is an important task in structural biology and bioinformatics. While there are many existing methods for structural similarity searching, faster and more accurate approaches are still required, and few current methods are capable of substructure (motif searching. Results We developed an improved heuristic for tableau-based protein structure and substructure searching using simulated annealing, that is as fast or faster and comparable in accuracy, with some widely used existing methods. Furthermore, we created a parallel implementation on a modern graphics processing unit (GPU. Conclusions The GPU implementation achieves up to 34 times speedup over the CPU implementation of tableau-based structure search with simulated annealing, making it one of the fastest available methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of a GPU to the protein structural search problem.

Accurate modeling and maximum power point detection of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Accurate modeling and maximum power point detection of photovoltaic ... Determination of MPP enables the PV system to deliver maximum available power. ..... adaptive artificial neural network: Proposition for a new sizing procedure.

Preoperative staging and treatment options in T1 rectal adenocarcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baatrup, Gunnar; Endreseth, Birger H; Isaksen, Vidar

2009-01-01

. Results. Local treatment of T1 cancers combined with close follow-up, early salvage surgery or later radical resection of local recurrences or with chemo-radiation may lead to fewer severe complications and comparable, or even better, long-term survival. Accurate preoperative staging and careful selection...... of patients for local or non-operative treatment are mandatory. As preoperative staging, at present, is not sufficiently accurate, strategies for completion, salvage or rescue surgery is important, and must be accepted by the patient before local treatment for cure is initiated. Recommendations......Background. Major rectal resection for T1 rectal cancer offers more than 95% cancer specific five-year survival to patients surviving the first 30 days after surgery. A significant further improvement by development of the surgical technique may not be possible. Improvements in the total survival...

Medical treatment of radiation injuries-Current US status

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarrett, D.G. [OSA - CBD and CDP, 3050 Defense Pentagon, Room 3C257, Washington, DC 20301-3050 (United States)], E-mail: david.jarrett@us.army.mil; Sedlak, R.G.; Dickerson, W.E. [Uniformed Services University, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889-5603 (United States); Reeves, G.I. [Northrop Grumman IT, 8211 Terminal Road, Lorton, VA 22079-1421 (United States)

2007-07-15

A nuclear incident or major release of radioactive materials likely would result in vast numbers of patients, many of whom would require novel therapy. Fortunately, the numbers of radiation victims in the United States (USA) have been limited to date. If a mass-casualty situation occurs, there will be a need to perform rapid, accurate dose estimates and to provide appropriate medications and other treatment to ameliorate radiation injury. The medical management of radiation injury is complex. Radiation injury may include acute radiation sickness (ARS) from external and/or internal radiation exposure, internal organ damage from incorporated radioactive isotopes, and cutaneous injury. Human and animal data have shown that optimal medical care may nearly double the survivable dose of ionizing radiation. Current treatment strategies for radiation injuries are discussed with concentration on the medical management of the hematopoietic syndrome. In addition, priority areas for continuing and future research into both acute deterministic injuries and also long-term stochastic sequelae of radiation exposure have been identified. There are several near-term novel therapies that appear to offer excellent prognosis for radiation casualties, and these are also described.

Accurate Interpretation of the 12-Lead ECG Electrode Placement: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Khunti, Kirti

2014-01-01

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) patients require monitoring through ECGs; the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is considered to be the non-invasive gold standard. Examples of incorrect treatment because of inaccurate or poor ECG monitoring techniques have been reported in the literature. The findings that only 50% of nurses and less than…

40 CFR 141.80 - General requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... service line replacement, and public education. These requirements are triggered, in some cases, by lead... requirements. (1) All water systems shall install and operate optimal corrosion control treatment as defined in... specified by the State under § 141.83. (f) Lead service line replacement requirements. Any system exceeding...

Easy Leaf Area: Automated Digital Image Analysis for Rapid and Accurate Measurement of Leaf Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsien Ming Easlon

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Premise of the study: Measurement of leaf areas from digital photographs has traditionally required significant user input unless backgrounds are carefully masked. Easy Leaf Area was developed to batch process hundreds of Arabidopsis rosette images in minutes, removing background artifacts and saving results to a spreadsheet-ready CSV file. Methods and Results: Easy Leaf Area uses the color ratios of each pixel to distinguish leaves and calibration areas from their background and compares leaf pixel counts to a red calibration area to eliminate the need for camera distance calculations or manual ruler scale measurement that other software methods typically require. Leaf areas estimated by this software from images taken with a camera phone were more accurate than ImageJ estimates from flatbed scanner images. Conclusions: Easy Leaf Area provides an easy-to-use method for rapid measurement of leaf area and nondestructive estimation of canopy area from digital images.

Precise and accurate assay of pregnenolone and five other neurosteroids in monkey brain tissue by LC-MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Dury, Alain Y; Ke, Yuyong; Labrie, Fernand

2016-09-01

A series of steroids present in the brain have been named "neurosteroids" following the possibility of their role in the central nervous system impairments such as anxiety disorders, depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), addiction, or even neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Study of their potential role requires a sensitive and accurate assay of their concentration in the monkey brain, the closest model to the human. We have thus developed a robust, precise and accurate liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the assay of pregnenolone, pregnanolone, epipregnanolone, allopregnanolone, epiallopregnanolone, and androsterone in the cynomolgus monkey brain. The extraction method includes a thorough sample cleanup using protein precipitation and phospholipid removal, followed by hexane liquid-liquid extraction and a Girard T ketone-specific derivatization. This method opens the possibility of investigating the potential implication of these six steroids in the most suitable animal model for neurosteroid-related research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High accurate time system of the Low Latitude Meridian Circle.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jing; Wang, Feng; Li, Zhiming

In order to obtain the high accurate time signal for the Low Latitude Meridian Circle (LLMC), a new GPS accurate time system is developed which include GPS, 1 MC frequency source and self-made clock system. The second signal of GPS is synchronously used in the clock system and information can be collected by a computer automatically. The difficulty of the cancellation of the time keeper can be overcomed by using this system.

Atypical chronic subdural hematoma requiring craniotomy for treatment. A report of 3 cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishida, Yasuhito; Kawai, Shozo; Maekawa, Mototsugu; Kim, Yang-Keun; Nishitani, Masaya; Hattori, Yutaka; Nishikubo, Yoshihiko

1987-10-01

The authors report three cases of rare atypical chronic subdural hematoma showing specific CT findings and requiring craniotomy for treatment. They were all males aged 57 to 79 (mean: 68) years old;none had had a history of head trauma, and the chief complaint was invariably hemiparesis. On a plain CT, the hematoma was irregular in shape and was imaged as an inhomogeneous density without a niveau. On an enhanced CT, however, the inner margin of the hematoma was thick and markedly enhanced. In addition, the inner and outer membranes adhered to each other at a few points to present a multilocular form which the present authors named the ''tenting sign.'' Craniotomy revealed that the hematoma was a mixture of clot and liquid hematoma. Moreover, the hematoma was imaged as a single cavity, with the inner membrane of the hematoma being raised in the form of a canopy or tent and adhering to the outer membrane to present a characteristic structure. This characteristic CT sign suggests mixed components of the hematoma and the necessity for craniotomy.

A Low-Cost Modular Platform for Heterogeneous Data Acquisition with Accurate Interchannel Synchronization.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco-Claraco, José Luis; López-Martínez, Javier; Torres-Moreno, José Luis; Giménez-Fernández, Antonio

2015-10-27

Most experimental fields of science and engineering require the use of data acquisition systems (DAQ), devices in charge of sampling and converting electrical signals into digital data and, typically, performing all of the required signal preconditioning. Since commercial DAQ systems are normally focused on specific types of sensors and actuators, systems engineers may need to employ mutually-incompatible hardware from different manufacturers in applications demanding heterogeneous inputs and outputs, such as small-signal analog inputs, differential quadrature rotatory encoders or variable current outputs. A common undesirable side effect of heterogeneous DAQ hardware is the lack of an accurate synchronization between samples captured by each device. To solve such a problem with low-cost hardware, we present a novel modular DAQ architecture comprising a base board and a set of interchangeable modules. Our main design goal is the ability to sample all sources at predictable, fixed sampling frequencies, with a reduced synchronization mismatch (vibration spectrum analyses from piezoelectric accelerometers and, as a novelty in these kinds of experiments, the spectrum of quadrature encoder signals. Part of the design and software will be publicly released online.

Heat treatment of firewood : meeting the phytosanitary requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Xiping Wang; Richard Bergman; Brian K. Brashaw; Scott Myers; Marc Joyal

2011-01-01

The movement of firewood within emerald ash borer- (EAB-) infested states and into adjoining states has been a major contributor to the spread of EAB throughout the United States and Canada. In an effort to stop the further spread of EAB from infested areas and to facilitate interstate commerce, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has required and...

Accurate measurement of junctional conductance between electrically coupled cells with dual whole-cell voltage-clamp under conditions of high series resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartveit, Espen; Veruki, Margaret Lin

2010-03-15

Accurate measurement of the junctional conductance (G(j)) between electrically coupled cells can provide important information about the functional properties of coupling. With the development of tight-seal, whole-cell recording, it became possible to use dual, single-electrode voltage-clamp recording from pairs of small cells to measure G(j). Experiments that require reduced perturbation of the intracellular environment can be performed with high-resistance pipettes or the perforated-patch technique, but an accompanying increase in series resistance (R(s)) compromises voltage-clamp control and reduces the accuracy of G(j) measurements. Here, we present a detailed analysis of methodologies available for accurate determination of steady-state G(j) and related parameters under conditions of high R(s), using continuous or discontinuous single-electrode voltage-clamp (CSEVC or DSEVC) amplifiers to quantify the parameters of different equivalent electrical circuit model cells. Both types of amplifiers can provide accurate measurements of G(j), with errors less than 5% for a wide range of R(s) and G(j) values. However, CSEVC amplifiers need to be combined with R(s)-compensation or mathematical correction for the effects of nonzero R(s) and finite membrane resistance (R(m)). R(s)-compensation is difficult for higher values of R(s) and leads to instability that can damage the recorded cells. Mathematical correction for R(s) and R(m) yields highly accurate results, but depends on accurate estimates of R(s) throughout an experiment. DSEVC amplifiers display very accurate measurements over a larger range of R(s) values than CSEVC amplifiers and have the advantage that knowledge of R(s) is unnecessary, suggesting that they are preferable for long-duration experiments and/or recordings with high R(s). Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accurate Learning with Few Atlases (ALFA): an algorithm for MRI neonatal brain extraction and comparison with 11 publicly available methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Serag, Ahmed; Blesa, Manuel; Moore, Emma J; Pataky, Rozalia; Sparrow, Sarah A; Wilkinson, A G; Macnaught, Gillian; Semple, Scott I; Boardman, James P

2016-03-24

Accurate whole-brain segmentation, or brain extraction, of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a critical first step in most neuroimage analysis pipelines. The majority of brain extraction algorithms have been developed and evaluated for adult data and their validity for neonatal brain extraction, which presents age-specific challenges for this task, has not been established. We developed a novel method for brain extraction of multi-modal neonatal brain MR images, named ALFA (Accurate Learning with Few Atlases). The method uses a new sparsity-based atlas selection strategy that requires a very limited number of atlases 'uniformly' distributed in the low-dimensional data space, combined with a machine learning based label fusion technique. The performance of the method for brain extraction from multi-modal data of 50 newborns is evaluated and compared with results obtained using eleven publicly available brain extraction methods. ALFA outperformed the eleven compared methods providing robust and accurate brain extraction results across different modalities. As ALFA can learn from partially labelled datasets, it can be used to segment large-scale datasets efficiently. ALFA could also be applied to other imaging modalities and other stages across the life course.

Mixed waste treatment model: Basis and analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, B.A.

1995-09-01

The Department of Energy's Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) required treatment system capacities for risk and cost calculation. Los Alamos was tasked with providing these capacities to the PEIS team. This involved understanding the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex waste, making the necessary changes to correct for problems, categorizing the waste for treatment, and determining the treatment system requirements. The treatment system requirements depended on the incoming waste, which varied for each PEIS case. The treatment system requirements also depended on the type of treatment that was desired. Because different groups contributing to the PEIS needed specific types of results, we provided the treatment system requirements in a variety of forms. In total, some 40 data files were created for the TRU cases, and for the MLLW case, there were 105 separate data files. Each data file represents one treatment case consisting of the selected waste from various sites, a selected treatment system, and the reporting requirements for such a case. The treatment system requirements in their most basic form are the treatment process rates for unit operations in the desired treatment system, based on a 10-year working life and 20-year accumulation of the waste. These results were reported in cubic meters and for the MLLW case, in kilograms as well. The treatment system model consisted of unit operations that are linked together. Each unit operation's function depended on the input waste streams, waste matrix, and contaminants. Each unit operation outputs one or more waste streams whose matrix, contaminants, and volume/mass may have changed as a result of the treatment. These output streams are then routed to the appropriate unit operation for additional treatment until the output waste stream meets the treatment requirements for disposal. The total waste for each unit operation was calculated as well as the waste for each matrix treated by the unit

Accurate and emergent applications for high precision light small aerial remote sensing system

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Liu; Yingcheng, Li; Yanli, Xue; Qingwu, Hu; Xiaofeng, Sun

2014-03-01

In this paper, we focus on the successful applications of accurate and emergent surveying and mapping for high precision light small aerial remote sensing system. First, the remote sensing system structure and three integrated operation modes will be introduced. It can be combined to three operation modes depending on the application requirements. Second, we describe the preliminary results of a precision validation method for POS direct orientation in 1:500 mapping. Third, it presents two fast response mapping products- regional continuous three-dimensional model and digital surface model, taking the efficiency and accuracy evaluation of the two products as an important point. The precision of both products meets the 1:2 000 topographic map accuracy specifications in Pingdingshan area. In the end, conclusions and future work are summarized.

Accurate and emergent applications for high precision light small aerial remote sensing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pei, Liu; Yingcheng, Li; Yanli, Xue; Xiaofeng, Sun; Qingwu, Hu

2014-01-01

In this paper, we focus on the successful applications of accurate and emergent surveying and mapping for high precision light small aerial remote sensing system. First, the remote sensing system structure and three integrated operation modes will be introduced. It can be combined to three operation modes depending on the application requirements. Second, we describe the preliminary results of a precision validation method for POS direct orientation in 1:500 mapping. Third, it presents two fast response mapping products- regional continuous three-dimensional model and digital surface model, taking the efficiency and accuracy evaluation of the two products as an important point. The precision of both products meets the 1:2 000 topographic map accuracy specifications in Pingdingshan area. In the end, conclusions and future work are summarized

Accurate Alignment of Plasma Channels Based on Laser Centroid Oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonsalves, Anthony; Nakamura, Kei; Lin, Chen; Osterhoff, Jens; Shiraishi, Satomi; Schroeder, Carl; Geddes, Cameron; Toth, Csaba; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2011-01-01

A technique has been developed to accurately align a laser beam through a plasma channel by minimizing the shift in laser centroid and angle at the channel outptut. If only the shift in centroid or angle is measured, then accurate alignment is provided by minimizing laser centroid motion at the channel exit as the channel properties are scanned. The improvement in alignment accuracy provided by this technique is important for minimizing electron beam pointing errors in laser plasma accelerators.

Accurate crop classification using hierarchical genetic fuzzy rule-based systems

Science.gov (United States)

Topaloglou, Charalampos A.; Mylonas, Stelios K.; Stavrakoudis, Dimitris G.; Mastorocostas, Paris A.; Theocharis, John B.

2014-10-01

This paper investigates the effectiveness of an advanced classification system for accurate crop classification using very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery. Specifically, a recently proposed genetic fuzzy rule-based classification system (GFRBCS) is employed, namely, the Hierarchical Rule-based Linguistic Classifier (HiRLiC). HiRLiC's model comprises a small set of simple IF-THEN fuzzy rules, easily interpretable by humans. One of its most important attributes is that its learning algorithm requires minimum user interaction, since the most important learning parameters affecting the classification accuracy are determined by the learning algorithm automatically. HiRLiC is applied in a challenging crop classification task, using a SPOT5 satellite image over an intensively cultivated area in a lake-wetland ecosystem in northern Greece. A rich set of higher-order spectral and textural features is derived from the initial bands of the (pan-sharpened) image, resulting in an input space comprising 119 features. The experimental analysis proves that HiRLiC compares favorably to other interpretable classifiers of the literature, both in terms of structural complexity and classification accuracy. Its testing accuracy was very close to that obtained by complex state-of-the-art classification systems, such as the support vector machines (SVM) and random forest (RF) classifiers. Nevertheless, visual inspection of the derived classification maps shows that HiRLiC is characterized by higher generalization properties, providing more homogeneous classifications that the competitors. Moreover, the runtime requirements for producing the thematic map was orders of magnitude lower than the respective for the competitors.

Towards Accurate Application Characterization for Exascale (APEX)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hammond, Simon David [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-09-01

Sandia National Laboratories has been engaged in hardware and software codesign activities for a number of years, indeed, it might be argued that prototyping of clusters as far back as the CPLANT machines and many large capability resources including ASCI Red and RedStorm were examples of codesigned solutions. As the research supporting our codesign activities has moved closer to investigating on-node runtime behavior a nature hunger has grown for detailed analysis of both hardware and algorithm performance from the perspective of low-level operations. The Application Characterization for Exascale (APEX) LDRD was a project concieved of addressing some of these concerns. Primarily the research was to intended to focus on generating accurate and reproducible low-level performance metrics using tools that could scale to production-class code bases. Along side this research was an advocacy and analysis role associated with evaluating tools for production use, working with leading industry vendors to develop and refine solutions required by our code teams and to directly engage with production code developers to form a context for the application analysis and a bridge to the research community within Sandia. On each of these accounts significant progress has been made, particularly, as this report will cover, in the low-level analysis of operations for important classes of algorithms. This report summarizes the development of a collection of tools under the APEX research program and leaves to other SAND and L2 milestone reports the description of codesign progress with Sandia’s production users/developers.

Accurate thickness measurement of graphene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shearer, Cameron J; Slattery, Ashley D; Stapleton, Andrew J; Shapter, Joseph G; Gibson, Christopher T

2016-01-01

Graphene has emerged as a material with a vast variety of applications. The electronic, optical and mechanical properties of graphene are strongly influenced by the number of layers present in a sample. As a result, the dimensional characterization of graphene films is crucial, especially with the continued development of new synthesis methods and applications. A number of techniques exist to determine the thickness of graphene films including optical contrast, Raman scattering and scanning probe microscopy techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), in particular, is used extensively since it provides three-dimensional images that enable the measurement of the lateral dimensions of graphene films as well as the thickness, and by extension the number of layers present. However, in the literature AFM has proven to be inaccurate with a wide range of measured values for single layer graphene thickness reported (between 0.4 and 1.7 nm). This discrepancy has been attributed to tip-surface interactions, image feedback settings and surface chemistry. In this work, we use standard and carbon nanotube modified AFM probes and a relatively new AFM imaging mode known as PeakForce tapping mode to establish a protocol that will allow users to accurately determine the thickness of graphene films. In particular, the error in measuring the first layer is reduced from 0.1–1.3 nm to 0.1–0.3 nm. Furthermore, in the process we establish that the graphene-substrate adsorbate layer and imaging force, in particular the pressure the tip exerts on the surface, are crucial components in the accurate measurement of graphene using AFM. These findings can be applied to other 2D materials. (paper)

SIFT: A method to verify the IMRT fluence delivered during patient treatment using an electronic portal imaging device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira, Sandra C.; Dirkx, Maarten L.P.; Heijmen, Ben J.M.; Boer, Hans C.J. de

2004-01-01

Purpose: Radiotherapy patients are increasingly treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and high tumor doses. As part of our quality control program to ensure accurate dose delivery, a new method was investigated that enables the verification of the IMRT fluence delivered during patient treatment using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID), irrespective of changes in patient geometry. Methods and materials: Each IMRT treatment field is split into a static field and a modulated field, which are delivered in sequence. Images are acquired for both fields using an EPID. The portal dose image obtained for the static field is used to determine changes in patient geometry between the planning CT scan and the time of treatment delivery. With knowledge of these changes, the delivered IMRT fluence can be verified using the portal dose image of the modulated field. This method, called split IMRT field technique (SIFT), was validated first for several phantom geometries, followed by clinical implementation for a number of patients treated with IMRT. Results: The split IMRT field technique allows for an accurate verification of the delivered IMRT fluence (generally within 1% [standard deviation]), even if large interfraction changes in patient geometry occur. For interfraction radiological path length changes of 10 cm, deliberately introduced errors in the delivered fluence could still be detected to within 1% accuracy. Application of SIFT requires only a minor increase in treatment time relative to the standard IMRT delivery. Conclusions: A new technique to verify the delivered IMRT fluence from EPID images, which is independent of changes in the patient geometry, has been developed. SIFT has been clinically implemented for daily verification of IMRT treatment delivery

A hamster model for Marburg virus infection accurately recapitulates Marburg hemorrhagic fever.

Science.gov (United States)

Marzi, Andrea; Banadyga, Logan; Haddock, Elaine; Thomas, Tina; Shen, Kui; Horne, Eva J; Scott, Dana P; Feldmann, Heinz; Ebihara, Hideki

2016-12-15

Marburg virus (MARV), a close relative of Ebola virus, is the causative agent of a severe human disease known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF). No licensed vaccine or therapeutic exists to treat MHF, and MARV is therefore classified as a Tier 1 select agent and a category A bioterrorism agent. In order to develop countermeasures against this severe disease, animal models that accurately recapitulate human disease are required. Here we describe the development of a novel, uniformly lethal Syrian golden hamster model of MHF using a hamster-adapted MARV variant Angola. Remarkably, this model displayed almost all of the clinical features of MHF seen in humans and non-human primates, including coagulation abnormalities, hemorrhagic manifestations, petechial rash, and a severely dysregulated immune response. This MHF hamster model represents a powerful tool for further dissecting MARV pathogenesis and accelerating the development of effective medical countermeasures against human MHF.

Fast and Accurate Prediction of Stratified Steel Temperature During Holding Period of Ladle

Science.gov (United States)

Deodhar, Anirudh; Singh, Umesh; Shukla, Rishabh; Gautham, B. P.; Singh, Amarendra K.

2017-04-01

Thermal stratification of liquid steel in a ladle during the holding period and the teeming operation has a direct bearing on the superheat available at the caster and hence on the caster set points such as casting speed and cooling rates. The changes in the caster set points are typically carried out based on temperature measurements at the end of tundish outlet. Thermal prediction models provide advance knowledge of the influence of process and design parameters on the steel temperature at various stages. Therefore, they can be used in making accurate decisions about the caster set points in real time. However, this requires both fast and accurate thermal prediction models. In this work, we develop a surrogate model for the prediction of thermal stratification using data extracted from a set of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, pre-determined using design of experiments technique. Regression method is used for training the predictor. The model predicts the stratified temperature profile instantaneously, for a given set of process parameters such as initial steel temperature, refractory heat content, slag thickness, and holding time. More than 96 pct of the predicted values are within an error range of ±5 K (±5 °C), when compared against corresponding CFD results. Considering its accuracy and computational efficiency, the model can be extended for thermal control of casting operations. This work also sets a benchmark for developing similar thermal models for downstream processes such as tundish and caster.

Accurate screening for synthetic preservatives in beverage using high performance liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiuqin; Zhang Feng; Sun Yanyan; Yong Wei; Chu Xiaogang; Fang Yanyan; Zweigenbaum, Jerry

2008-01-01

In this study, liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/TOF-MS) is applied to qualitation and quantitation of 18 synthetic preservatives in beverage. The identification by HPLC/TOF-MS is accomplished with the accurate mass (the subsequent generated empirical formula) of the protonated molecules [M + H]+ or the deprotonated molecules [M - H]-, along with the accurate mass of their main fragment ions. In order to obtain sufficient sensitivity for quantitation purposes (using the protonated or deprotonated molecule) and additional qualitative mass spectrum information provided by the fragments ions, segment program of fragmentor voltages is designed in positive and negative ion mode, respectively. Accurate mass measurements are highly useful in the complex sample analyses since they allow us to achieve a high degree of specificity, often needed when other interferents are present in the matrix. The mass accuracy typically obtained is routinely better than 3 ppm. The 18 compounds behave linearly in the 0.005-5.0 mg.kg -1 concentration range, with correlation coefficient >0.996. The recoveries at the tested concentrations of 1.0 mg.kg -1 -100 mg.kg -1 are 81-106%, with coefficients of variation -1 , which are far below the required maximum residue level (MRL) for these preservatives in foodstuff. The method is suitable for routine quantitative and qualitative analyses of synthetic preservatives in foodstuff

Accurate isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Some problems and possibilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bievre, P. de

1978-01-01

The review includes reference to 190 papers, mainly published during the last 10 years. It covers the following: important factors in accurate isotope ratio measurements (precision and accuracy of isotope ratio measurements -exemplified by determinations of 235 U/ 238 U and of other elements including 239 Pu/ 240 Pu; isotope fractionation -exemplified by curves for Rb, U); applications (atomic weights); the Oklo natural nuclear reactor (discovered by UF 6 mass spectrometry at Pierrelatte); nuclear and other constants; isotope ratio measurements in nuclear geology and isotope cosmology - accurate age determination; isotope ratio measurements on very small samples - archaeometry; isotope dilution; miscellaneous applications; and future prospects. (U.K.)

[Optimized resource mobilization and quality of treatment of severely injured patients through a structured trauma room alarm system].

Science.gov (United States)

Spering, C; Roessler, M; Kurlemann, T; Dresing, K; Stürmer, K M; Lehmann, W; Sehmisch, S

2017-12-12

The treatment of severely injured patients in the trauma resuscitation unit (TRU) requires an interdisciplinary and highly professional trauma team approach. The complete team needs to be waiting for the patient in the TRU on arrival. Treating severely injured patients in the TRU, the trauma team connects the initial preclinical emergency stabilization with the subsequent sophisticated treatment. Thus, the trauma team depends on concise information from the emergency personnel at the scene to provide its leader with further information as well as an accurate alarm including all departments necessary to stabilize the patient in the TRU. Aiming at an accurate and most efficient trauma team alarm, this study was designed to provide and analyze an alarm system which mobilizes the trauma team in a stepwise fashion depending on the pattern of injuries and the threat to life. The trauma team alarm system was analyzed in a prospective data acquisition at a level I trauma center over a period of 12 months. Evaluation followed the acquisition phase and provided comparison to the status prior to the establishment of the alarm system. All items underwent statistical testing using t‑tests (p  0.01). The duration from arrival of the patient in the TRU to the initial multislice computed tomography (CT) scan was reduced by 6 min while the total period of treatment in the TRU was reduced by 17 min. After the alarm system to gradually mobilize the trauma team was put into action, team members left the TRU if unneeded prior to finishing the initial treatment in only 4% of the cases. The patient fatality rate was 8.8% (injury severity score, ISS = 23 points) after establishment of the alarm system compared to 12.9% (ISS = 25 points) before. The implementation of an accurate and patient status-based alarm system to mobilize the trauma team can improve the quality of treatment while the duration of treatment of the severely injured patients in the TRU can be decreased. It

Demonstration of disinfection procedure for the development of accurate blood glucose meters in accordance with ISO 15197:2013

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wen-Ye; Chang, Jung-Tzu; Chu, Chun-Feng

2017-01-01

Despite measures to reduce disease transmission, a risk can occur when blood glucose meters (BGMs) are used on multiple individuals or by caregivers assisting a patient. The laboratory and in-clinic performance of a BGM system before and after disinfection should be demonstrated to guarantee accurate readings and reliable control of blood glucose (BG) for patients. In this study, an effective disinfection procedure, conducting wiping 10 times to assure a one minute contact time of the disinfectant on contaminated surface, was first demonstrated using test samples of the meter housing materials, including acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polycarbonate (PC), in accordance with ISO 15197:2013. After bench studies comprising 10,000 disinfection cycles, the elemental compositions of the disinfected ABS, PMMA, and PC samples were almost the same as in the original samples, as indicated by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. Subsequently, the validated disinfection procedure was then directly applied to disinfect 5 commercial BGM systems composed of ABS, PMMA, or PC to observe the effect of the validated disinfection procedure on meter accuracy. The results of HBsAg values after treatment with HBV sera and disinfectant wipes for each material were less than the LoD of each material of 0.020 IU/mL. Before and after the multiple disinfection cycles, 900 of 900 samples (100%) were within the system accuracy requirements of ISO 15197:2013. All of the systems showed high performance before and after the series of disinfection cycles and met the ISO 15197:2013 requirements. In addition, our results demonstrated multiple cleaning and disinfection cycles that represented normal use over the lifetime of a meter of 3–5 years. Our validated cleaning and disinfection procedure can be directly applied to other registered disinfectants for cleaning commercial BGM products in the future. PMID:28683148

More accurate picture of human body organs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolar, J.

1985-01-01

Computerized tomography and nucler magnetic resonance tomography (NMRT) are revolutionary contributions to radiodiagnosis because they allow to obtain a more accurate image of human body organs. The principles are described of both methods. Attention is mainly devoted to NMRT which has clinically only been used for three years. It does not burden the organism with ionizing radiation. (Ha)

Accurate Modelling of Surface Currents and Internal Tides in a Semi-enclosed Coastal Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, S. E.; Soontiens, N. K.; Dunn, M. B. H.; Liu, J.; Olson, E.; Halverson, M. J.; Pawlowicz, R.

2016-02-01

The Strait of Georgia is a deep (400 m), strongly stratified, semi-enclosed coastal sea on the west coast of North America. We have configured a baroclinic model of the Strait of Georgia and surrounding coastal waters using the NEMO ocean community model. We run daily nowcasts and forecasts and publish our sea-surface results (including storm surge warnings) to the web (salishsea.eos.ubc.ca/storm-surge). Tides in the Strait of Georgia are mixed and large. The baroclinic model and previous barotropic models accurately represent tidal sea-level variations and depth mean currents. The baroclinic model reproduces accurately the diurnal but not the semi-diurnal baroclinic tidal currents. In the Southern Strait of Georgia, strong internal tidal currents at the semi-diurnal frequency are observed. Strong semi-diurnal tides are also produced in the model, but are almost 180 degrees out of phase with the observations. In the model, in the surface, the barotropic and baroclinic tides reinforce, whereas the observations show that at the surface the baroclinic tides oppose the barotropic. As such the surface currents are very poorly modelled. Here we will present evidence of the internal tidal field from observations. We will discuss the generation regions of the tides, the necessary modifications to the model required to correct the phase, the resulting baroclinic tides and the improvements in the surface currents.

Home Circadian Phase Assessments with Measures of Compliance Yield Accurate Dim Light Melatonin Onsets.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, Helen J; Wyatt, James K; Park, Margaret; Fogg, Louis F

2015-06-01

There is a need for the accurate assessment of circadian phase outside of the clinic/laboratory, particularly with the gold standard dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). We tested a novel kit designed to assist in saliva sampling at home for later determination of the DLMO. The home kit includes objective measures of compliance to the requirements for dim light and half-hourly saliva sampling. Participants were randomized to one of two 10-day protocols. Each protocol consisted of two back-to-back home and laboratory phase assessments in counterbalanced order, separated by a 5-day break. Laboratory or participants' homes. Thirty-five healthy adults, age 21-62 y. N/A. Most participants received at least one 30-sec epoch of light > 50 lux during the home phase assessments (average light intensity 4.5 lux), but on average for light > 50 lux or sampling errors. There was no significant difference between the home and laboratory DLMOs (P > 0.05); on average the home DLMOs occurred 9.6 min before the laboratory DLMOs. The home DLMOs were highly correlated with the laboratory DLMOs (r = 0.91, P dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) demonstrates that including objective measures of light exposure and sample timing during home saliva sampling can lead to accurate home DLMOs. Circadian Phase Assessments at Home, http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01487252, NCT01487252. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

New Distributed Multipole Methods for Accurate Electrostatics for Large-Scale Biomolecular Simultations

Science.gov (United States)

Sagui, Celeste

2006-03-01

An accurate and numerically efficient treatment of electrostatics is essential for biomolecular simulations, as this stabilizes much of the delicate 3-d structure associated with biomolecules. Currently, force fields such as AMBER and CHARMM assign ``partial charges'' to every atom in a simulation in order to model the interatomic electrostatic forces, so that the calculation of the electrostatics rapidly becomes the computational bottleneck in large-scale simulations. There are two main issues associated with the current treatment of classical electrostatics: (i) how does one eliminate the artifacts associated with the point-charges (e.g., the underdetermined nature of the current RESP fitting procedure for large, flexible molecules) used in the force fields in a physically meaningful way? (ii) how does one efficiently simulate the very costly long-range electrostatic interactions? Recently, we have dealt with both of these challenges as follows. In order to improve the description of the molecular electrostatic potentials (MEPs), a new distributed multipole analysis based on localized functions -- Wannier, Boys, and Edminston-Ruedenberg -- was introduced, which allows for a first principles calculation of the partial charges and multipoles. Through a suitable generalization of the particle mesh Ewald (PME) and multigrid method, one can treat electrostatic multipoles all the way to hexadecapoles all without prohibitive extra costs. The importance of these methods for large-scale simulations will be discussed, and examplified by simulations from polarizable DNA models.

MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS, CLASSIFICATION, AND EVALUATION OF THE TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA (ALL) IN THE BFM FAMILY COOPERATIVE GROUP

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VANDERDOESVANDENBERG, A; BARTRAM, CR; BASSO, G; BENOIT, YCM; BIONDI, A; DEBATIN, KM; HAAS, OA; HARBOTT, J; KAMPS, WA; KOLLER, U; LAMPERT, F; LUDWIG, WD; NIEMEYER, CM; VANWERING, ER

1992-01-01

Minimal requirements and their rationale for the diagnosis and the response to treatment in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were defined in the recently instituted "BFM-Family"-Group, in which the German, Austrian, Dutch, Italian, Belgian, French and Hungarian childhood leukemia study

Clinical physics for charged particle treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, G.T.Y.; Pitluck, S.; Lyman, J.T.

1981-01-01

The installation of a computerized tomography (CT) scanner which can be used with the patient in an upright position is described. This technique will enhance precise location of tumor position relative to critical structures for accurate charged particle dose delivery during fixed horizontal beam radiotherapy. Pixel-by-pixel treatment planning programs have been developed to calculate the dose distribution from multi-port charged particle beams. The plan includes CT scans, data interpretation, and dose calculations. The treatment planning computer is discussed. Treatment planning for irradiation of ocular melanomas is described

Why is the neutrino oscillation formula expanded in Δm_2_1"2/Δm_3_1"2 still accurate near the solar resonance in matter?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Xun-Jie

2015-01-01

The conventional approximate formula for neutrino oscillation in matter which is obtained from the expansion in terms of the ratio of mass square differences α=Δm_2_1"2/Δm_3_1"2≈0.03, first proposed by Cervera, et al. and Freund, turns out to be an accurate formula for accelerator neutrino experiments. Originally it required the neutrino energy to be well above the solar resonance to validate the expansion but it is found to be still very accurate when the formula is extrapolated to the resonance, which is practically important for the T2K experiment. This paper shows that the accuracy is guaranteed by cancellations of branch cut singularities and also, for the first time, analytically computes the actual error of the formula. The actual error implies that the original requirement can be safely removed in current experiments.

A highly accurate wireless digital sun sensor based on profile detecting and detector multiplexing technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Minsong; Xing, Fei; You, Zheng

2017-01-01

The advancing growth of micro- and nano-satellites requires miniaturized sun sensors which could be conveniently applied in the attitude determination subsystem. In this work, a profile detecting technology based high accurate wireless digital sun sensor was proposed, which could transform a two-dimensional image into two-linear profile output so that it can realize a high update rate under a very low power consumption. A multiple spots recovery approach with an asymmetric mask pattern design principle was introduced to fit the multiplexing image detector method for accuracy improvement of the sun sensor within a large Field of View (FOV). A FOV determination principle based on the concept of FOV region was also proposed to facilitate both sub-FOV analysis and the whole FOV determination. A RF MCU, together with solar cells, was utilized to achieve the wireless and self-powered functionality. The prototype of the sun sensor is approximately 10 times lower in size and weight compared with the conventional digital sun sensor (DSS). Test results indicated that the accuracy of the prototype was 0.01° within a cone FOV of 100°. Such an autonomous DSS could be equipped flexibly on a micro- or nano-satellite, especially for highly accurate remote sensing applications.

SU-E-J-134: An Augmented-Reality Optical Imaging System for Accurate Breast Positioning During Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazareth, D; Malhotra, H; French, S; Hoffmann, K; Merrow, C

2014-01-01

Purpose: Breast radiotherapy, particularly electronic compensation, may involve large dose gradients and difficult patient positioning problems. We have developed a simple self-calibrating augmented-reality system, which assists in accurately and reproducibly positioning the patient, by displaying her live image from a single camera superimposed on the correct perspective projection of her 3D CT data. Our method requires only a standard digital camera capable of live-view mode, installed in the treatment suite at an approximately-known orientation and position (rotation R; translation T). Methods: A 10-sphere calibration jig was constructed and CT imaged to provide a 3D model. The (R,T) relating the camera to the CT coordinate system were determined by acquiring a photograph of the jig and optimizing an objective function, which compares the true image points to points calculated with a given candidate R and T geometry. Using this geometric information, 3D CT patient data, viewed from the camera's perspective, is plotted using a Matlab routine. This image data is superimposed onto the real-time patient image, acquired by the camera, and displayed using standard live-view software. This enables the therapists to view both the patient's current and desired positions, and guide the patient into assuming the correct position. The method was evaluated using an in-house developed bolus-like breast phantom, mounted on a supporting platform, which could be tilted at various angles to simulate treatment-like geometries. Results: Our system allowed breast phantom alignment, with an accuracy of about 0.5 cm and 1 ± 0.5 degree. Better resolution could be possible using a camera with higher-zoom capabilities. Conclusion: We have developed an augmented-reality system, which combines a perspective projection of a CT image with a patient's real-time optical image. This system has the potential to improve patient setup accuracy during breast radiotherapy, and could possibly be

SU-E-J-134: An Augmented-Reality Optical Imaging System for Accurate Breast Positioning During Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nazareth, D; Malhotra, H; French, S [Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY (United States); Hoffmann, K [Neurosurgery at SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY (United States); Merrow, C [Bassett Healthcare, Oneonta, NY (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Breast radiotherapy, particularly electronic compensation, may involve large dose gradients and difficult patient positioning problems. We have developed a simple self-calibrating augmented-reality system, which assists in accurately and reproducibly positioning the patient, by displaying her live image from a single camera superimposed on the correct perspective projection of her 3D CT data. Our method requires only a standard digital camera capable of live-view mode, installed in the treatment suite at an approximately-known orientation and position (rotation R; translation T). Methods: A 10-sphere calibration jig was constructed and CT imaged to provide a 3D model. The (R,T) relating the camera to the CT coordinate system were determined by acquiring a photograph of the jig and optimizing an objective function, which compares the true image points to points calculated with a given candidate R and T geometry. Using this geometric information, 3D CT patient data, viewed from the camera's perspective, is plotted using a Matlab routine. This image data is superimposed onto the real-time patient image, acquired by the camera, and displayed using standard live-view software. This enables the therapists to view both the patient's current and desired positions, and guide the patient into assuming the correct position. The method was evaluated using an in-house developed bolus-like breast phantom, mounted on a supporting platform, which could be tilted at various angles to simulate treatment-like geometries. Results: Our system allowed breast phantom alignment, with an accuracy of about 0.5 cm and 1 ± 0.5 degree. Better resolution could be possible using a camera with higher-zoom capabilities. Conclusion: We have developed an augmented-reality system, which combines a perspective projection of a CT image with a patient's real-time optical image. This system has the potential to improve patient setup accuracy during breast radiotherapy, and could

Requirements for permitting a mixed waste incinerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trichon, M.; Feldman, J.; Serne, J.C.

1990-01-01

The consideration, design, selection and operation of any incinerator depends primarily on characteristic quality (ultimate and proximate analyses) and quantity to the waste to be incinerated. In the case of burning any combination of mixed hazardous, biomedical and radioactive low level waste, specific federal and generic state environmental regulatory requirements are outlined. Combustion chamber temperature and waste residence time requirements will provide the rest of the envelope for consideration. Performance requirements must be balanced between the effects of time and temperature on destruction of the organic waste and the vaporization and possible emission of the inorganic waste components (e.g., toxic metals, radioactive inorganics) as operating conditions and emission levels will be set in state and federal regulatory permits. To this end the complete characterization of the subject waste stream must be determined if an accurate assessment of incineration effectiveness and impact are to be performed

PHARMACOECONOMIC ASPECTS OF NICOTINE ADDICTION TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH ANGINA REQUIRING CARDIAC SURGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Rudakova

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Smoking is a major risk factor in patients with angina pectoris. Interventions that facilitate the rejection of it are an important part of the treatment. Aim. To analyze the cost effectiveness of the partial agonist of nicotinic receptors, varenicline, in patients with angina who require cardiac interventions. Material and methods. The estimation was conducted using a Markov model based on the results of clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The cost of treatment of complications were calculated on the basis of compulsory medical insurance rates for St. Petersburg in 2011. Results. The varenicline therapy in 70-year-old patients before cardiac surgery reduces hospital mortality at an extremely high cost-effectiveness (the cost of preventing one death - 148.8 thousand rubles. The cost/effectiveness ratio in the analysis for the period of survival of patients in this situation was 31.3 thousand rubles for 1 additional year of life. Life expectancy will be increased by an average of 0.147 years. Analysis for the period of survival of 50-year-old patients has shown that in patients after cardiac surgery cost-effectiveness of varenicline is extremely high (in the analysis from the perspective of the health care system the cost/effectiveness ratio was 36.0 thousand rubles for 1 additional year of life, in the analysis, taking into account the social perspective – 17.9 thousand rubles for 1 additional year of life. Increase in the life expectancy of 50 year-old patients will be 0.291 year in average. Conclusion. Varenicline therapy of patients with angina pectoris is the economy before cardiac surgery , and after their execution, and this applies not only young, but older patients. The desirability of varenicline including to federal and regional programs to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is shown.

Accurate monitoring developed by EDF for FA-3-EPRTM and UK-EPRTM: chemistry-radiochemistry design and procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tigeras, Arancha; Bouhrizi, Sofia; Pierre, Marine; L'Orphelin, Jean-Matthieu

2012-09-01

The monitoring of chemistry and radiochemistry parameters is a fundamental need in nuclear power plants in order to ensure: - The reactivity control in real time, - The barrier integrity surveillance by means of the fuel cladding failures detection and the primary-pressure boundary components control, - The water quality to limit the radiation build-up and the material corrosion permitting to prepare the maintenance, radioprotection and waste operations. - The efficiency of treatment systems and hence the minimization of chemical and radiochemical substances discharges The relevant chemistry and radiochemistry parameters to be monitored are selected depending on the chemistry conditioning of systems, the source term evaluations, the corrosion mechanisms and the radioactivity consequences. In spite of the difficulties for obtaining representative samples under all circumstances, the EPR M design provides the appropriate provisions and analytical procedures for ensuring the reliable and accurate monitoring of parameters in compliance with the specification requirements. The design solutions, adopted for Flamanville 3-EPR M and UK-EPR M , concerning the sampling conditions and locations, the on-line and analytical equipment, the procedures and the results transmission to control room and chemistry laboratory are supported by ALARP considerations, international experience and researches concerning the nuclides behavior (corrosion product and actinides solubility, fission product degassing, impurities and additives reactions also). This paper details the means developed by EDF for making successful and meaningful sampling and measurements to achieve the essential objectives associated with the monitoring. (authors)

Accurate SERS detection of malachite green in aquatic products on basis of graphene wrapped flexible sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Lei; Yao, Ling; Zhou, Taohong; Zhu, Lihua

2018-10-16

Malachite Green (MG) is a banned pesticide for aquaculture products. As a required inspection item, its fast and accurate determination before the products' accessing market is very important. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a promising tool for MG sensing, but it requires the overcoming of several problems such as fairly poor sensitivity and reproducibility, especially laser induced chemical conversion and photo-bleaching during SERS observation. By using a graphene wrapped Ag array based flexible membrane sensor, a modified SERS strategy was proposed for the sensitive and accurate detection of MG. The graphene layer functioned as an inert protector for impeding chemical transferring of the bioproduct Leucomalachite Green (LMG) to MG during the SERS detection, and as a heat transmitter for preventing laser induced photo-bleaching, which enables the separate detection of MG and LMG in fish extracts. The combination of the Ag array and the graphene cover also produced plentiful densely and uniformly distributed hot spots, leading to analytical enhancement factor up to 3.9 × 10 8 and excellent reproducibility (relative standard deviation low to 5.8% for 70 runs). The proposed method was easily used for MG detection with limit of detection (LOD) as low as 2.7 × 10 -11  mol L -1 . The flexibility of the sensor enable it have a merit for in-field fast detection of MG residues on the scale of a living fish through a surface extraction and paste transferring manner. The developed strategy was successfully applied in the analysis of real samples, showing good prospects for both the fast inspection and quantitative detection of MG. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Second-order accurate volume-of-fluid algorithms for tracking material interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilliod, James Edward; Puckett, Elbridge Gerry

2004-01-01

We introduce two new volume-of-fluid interface reconstruction algorithms and compare the accuracy of these algorithms to four other widely used volume-of-fluid interface reconstruction algorithms. We find that when the interface is smooth (e.g., continuous with two continuous derivatives) the new methods are second-order accurate and the other algorithms are first-order accurate. We propose a design criteria for a volume-of-fluid interface reconstruction algorithm to be second-order accurate. Namely, that it reproduce lines in two space dimensions or planes in three space dimensions exactly. We also introduce a second-order, unsplit, volume-of-fluid advection algorithm that is based on a second-order, finite difference method for scalar conservation laws due to Bell, Dawson and Shubin. We test this advection algorithm by modeling several different interface shapes propagating in two simple incompressible flows and compare the results with the standard second-order, operator-split advection algorithm. Although both methods are second-order accurate when the interface is smooth, we find that the unsplit algorithm exhibits noticeably better resolution in regions where the interface has discontinuous derivatives, such as at corners

Management of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and pacemakers who require radiation therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Brambatti, Michela; Mathew, Rebecca; Strang, Barbara; Dean, Joan; Goyal, Anuja; Hayward, Joseph E; Long, Laurene; DeMeis, Patty; Smoke, Marcia; Connolly, Stuart J; Morillo, Carlos A; Amit, Guy; Capucci, Alessandro; Healey, Jeff S

2015-10-01

Radiation therapy (RT) may pose acute and long-term risks for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including pacemakers (PMs) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, the frequency of these problems has not been accurately defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of CIEDs among patients requiring RT and report the common CIED-related problems when patients are managed according to a standard clinical care path. In a single tertiary-care center, we prospectively screened all patients requiring RT and identified patients with ICDs or PMs. We collected clinical data about their cancer, RT treatment plan, and CIED. Radiation dose to the device was estimated in all patients, and any device malfunction during RT was documented. Of the 34,706 consecutive patients receiving RT, 261 patients (0.8%, mean age 77.9 ± 9.4 years) had an implantable cardiac device: 54 (20.7%) ICDs and 207 (79.3%) PMs. The site of RT was head and neck (27.4%), chest (30.0%), and abdomen/pelvis (32.6%). Using our care path, 63.2% of patients required continuous cardiac monitoring, 14.6% required device reprogramming, 18.8% required magnet application during RT, and 3.4% required device repositioning to the contralateral side before RT. Four patients (1.5%) had inappropriate device function during RT: 3 experienced hemodynamically tolerated ventricular pacing at the maximum sensor rate, and 1 experienced a device power-on-reset. No patient died or suffered permanent device failure. Nearly 1% of patients receiving RT in this series has a PM or ICD. However, with a systematic policy of risk assessment and patient management, significant device-related complications are rare. Copyright © 2015 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New simple method for fast and accurate measurement of volumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frattolillo, Antonio

2006-01-01

A new simple method is presented, which allows us to measure in just a few minutes but with reasonable accuracy (less than 1%) the volume confined inside a generic enclosure, regardless of the complexity of its shape. The technique proposed also allows us to measure the volume of any portion of a complex manifold, including, for instance, pipes and pipe fittings, valves, gauge heads, and so on, without disassembling the manifold at all. To this purpose an airtight variable volume is used, whose volume adjustment can be precisely measured; it has an overall capacity larger than that of the unknown volume. Such a variable volume is initially filled with a suitable test gas (for instance, air) at a known pressure, as carefully measured by means of a high precision capacitive gauge. By opening a valve, the test gas is allowed to expand into the previously evacuated unknown volume. A feedback control loop reacts to the resulting finite pressure drop, thus contracting the variable volume until the pressure exactly retrieves its initial value. The overall reduction of the variable volume achieved at the end of this process gives a direct measurement of the unknown volume, and definitively gets rid of the problem of dead spaces. The method proposed actually does not require the test gas to be rigorously held at a constant temperature, thus resulting in a huge simplification as compared to complex arrangements commonly used in metrology (gas expansion method), which can grant extremely accurate measurement but requires rather expensive equipments and results in time consuming methods, being therefore impractical in most applications. A simple theoretical analysis of the thermodynamic cycle and the results of experimental tests are described, which demonstrate that, in spite of its simplicity, the method provides a measurement accuracy within 0.5%. The system requires just a few minutes to complete a single measurement, and is ready immediately at the end of the process. The

Individuals achieve more accurate results with meters that are codeless and employ dynamic electrochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Anoop; Wiley, Meg; Iyengar, Sridhar; Nadeau, Dan; Carnevale, Julie

2010-01-01

Studies have shown that controlling blood glucose can reduce the onset and progression of the long-term microvascular and neuropathic complications associated with the chronic course of diabetes mellitus. Improved glycemic control can be achieved by frequent testing combined with changes in medication, exercise, and diet. Technological advancements have enabled improvements in analytical accuracy of meters, and this paper explores two such parameters to which that accuracy can be attributed. Four blood glucose monitoring systems (with or without dynamic electrochemistry algorithms, codeless or requiring coding prior to testing) were evaluated and compared with respect to their accuracy. Altogether, 108 blood glucose values were obtained for each system from 54 study participants and compared with the reference values. The analysis depicted in the International Organization for Standardization table format indicates that the devices with dynamic electrochemistry and the codeless feature had the highest proportion of acceptable results overall (System A, 101/103). Results were significant when compared at the 10% bias level with meters that were codeless and utilized static electrochemistry (p = .017) or systems that had static electrochemistry but needed coding (p = .008). Analytical performance of these blood glucose meters differed significantly depending on their technologic features. Meters that utilized dynamic electrochemistry and did not require coding were more accurate than meters that used static electrochemistry or required coding. 2010 Diabetes Technology Society.

Waste Water Treatment Unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramadan, A.E.K.

2004-01-01

A wastewater treatment plant to treat both the sanitary and industrial effluent originated from process, utilities and off site units of the refinery is described. The purpose is to obtain at the end of the treatment plant, a water quality that is in compliance with contractual requirements and relevant environmental regulations. first treatment (pretreatment). Primary de-oiling, Equalization, Neutralization, Secondary de-oiling. Second treatment (Biological), The mechanism of BOD removal, Biological flocculation, Nutrient requirements, Nitrification, De-nitrification, Effect of temperature, Effect of ph, Toxicity

Leg mass characteristics of accurate and inaccurate kickers--an Australian football perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Nicolas H; Nimphius, Sophia; Cochrane, Jodie L; Newton, Robert U

2013-01-01

Athletic profiling provides valuable information to sport scientists, assisting in the optimal design of strength and conditioning programmes. Understanding the influence these physical characteristics may have on the generation of kicking accuracy is advantageous. The aim of this study was to profile and compare the lower limb mass characteristics of accurate and inaccurate Australian footballers. Thirty-one players were recruited from the Western Australian Football League to perform ten drop punt kicks over 20 metres to a player target. Players were separated into accurate (n = 15) and inaccurate (n = 16) groups, with leg mass characteristics assessed using whole body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Accurate kickers demonstrated significantly greater relative lean mass (P ≤ 0.004) and significantly lower relative fat mass (P ≤ 0.024) across all segments of the kicking and support limbs, while also exhibiting significantly higher intra-limb lean-to-fat mass ratios for all segments across both limbs (P ≤ 0.009). Inaccurate kickers also produced significantly larger asymmetries between limbs than accurate kickers (P ≤ 0.028), showing considerably lower lean mass in their support leg. These results illustrate a difference in leg mass characteristics between accurate and inaccurate kickers, highlighting the potential influence these may have on technical proficiency of the drop punt.

Fast, accurate, and robust automatic marker detection for motion correction based on oblique kV or MV projection image pairs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slagmolen, Pieter; Hermans, Jeroen; Maes, Frederik; Budiharto, Tom; Haustermans, Karin; Heuvel, Frank van den

2010-01-01

Purpose: A robust and accurate method that allows the automatic detection of fiducial markers in MV and kV projection image pairs is proposed. The method allows to automatically correct for inter or intrafraction motion. Methods: Intratreatment MV projection images are acquired during each of five treatment beams of prostate cancer patients with four implanted fiducial markers. The projection images are first preprocessed using a series of marker enhancing filters. 2D candidate marker locations are generated for each of the filtered projection images and 3D candidate marker locations are reconstructed by pairing candidates in subsequent projection images. The correct marker positions are retrieved in 3D by the minimization of a cost function that combines 2D image intensity and 3D geometric or shape information for the entire marker configuration simultaneously. This optimization problem is solved using dynamic programming such that the globally optimal configuration for all markers is always found. Translational interfraction and intrafraction prostate motion and the required patient repositioning is assessed from the position of the centroid of the detected markers in different MV image pairs. The method was validated on a phantom using CT as ground-truth and on clinical data sets of 16 patients using manual marker annotations as ground-truth. Results: The entire setup was confirmed to be accurate to around 1 mm by the phantom measurements. The reproducibility of the manual marker selection was less than 3.5 pixels in the MV images. In patient images, markers were correctly identified in at least 99% of the cases for anterior projection images and 96% of the cases for oblique projection images. The average marker detection accuracy was 1.4±1.8 pixels in the projection images. The centroid of all four reconstructed marker positions in 3D was positioned within 2 mm of the ground-truth position in 99.73% of all cases. Detecting four markers in a pair of MV images

Severe Chronic Upper Airway Disease (SCUAD) in children. Definition issues and requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

Karatzanis, A; Kalogjera, L; Scadding, G; Velegrakis, S; Kawauchi, H; Cingi, C; Prokopakis, E

2015-07-01

Upper airway diseases are extremely common, and a significant proportion of patients are not adequately controlled by contemporary treatment algorithms. The term SCUAD (Severe Chronic Upper Airway Disease) has been previously introduced to describe such cases. However, this term has not been adequately focused on children. This study aims to address the necessity of the term, as well as further details specifically for children. For this purpose, a review was performed of the current literature, with specific focus on issues regarding SCUAD in children. Paediatric SCUAD represents a heterogeneous group of patients and has significant clinical and socioeconomic implications. Relevant literature is generally lacking and questions regarding definition and pathogenesis remain unanswered. Accurate definition and acknowledgement of paediatric SCUAD cases may lead to better design of future clinical and molecular research protocols. This may provide improved understanding of the underlying disease processes, more accurate data regarding socioeconomic burden, and, above all, more successful treatment and prevention strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating the accuracy of microstereotactic-body-radiotherapy utilizing anatomically accurate 3D printed rodent-morphic dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bache, Steven T.; Juang, Titania; Belley, Matthew D.; Koontz, Bridget F.; Yoshizumi, Terry T.; Kirsch, David G.; Oldham, Mark; Adamovics, John

2015-01-01

Purpose: Sophisticated small animal irradiators, incorporating cone-beam-CT image-guidance, have recently been developed which enable exploration of the efficacy of advanced radiation treatments in the preclinical setting. Microstereotactic-body-radiation-therapy (microSBRT) is one technique of interest, utilizing field sizes in the range of 1–15 mm. Verification of the accuracy of microSBRT treatment delivery is challenging due to the lack of available methods to comprehensively measure dose distributions in representative phantoms with sufficiently high spatial resolution and in 3 dimensions (3D). This work introduces a potential solution in the form of anatomically accurate rodent-morphic 3D dosimeters compatible with ultrahigh resolution (0.3 mm 3 ) optical computed tomography (optical-CT) dose read-out. Methods: Rodent-morphic dosimeters were produced by 3D-printing molds of rodent anatomy directly from contours defined on x-ray CT data sets of rats and mice, and using these molds to create tissue-equivalent radiochromic 3D dosimeters from Presage. Anatomically accurate spines were incorporated into some dosimeters, by first 3D printing the spine mold, then forming a high-Z bone equivalent spine insert. This spine insert was then set inside the tissue equivalent body mold. The high-Z spinal insert enabled representative cone-beam CT IGRT targeting. On irradiation, a linear radiochromic change in optical-density occurs in the dosimeter, which is proportional to absorbed dose, and was read out using optical-CT in high-resolution (0.5 mm isotropic voxels). Optical-CT data were converted to absolute dose in two ways: (i) using a calibration curve derived from other Presage dosimeters from the same batch, and (ii) by independent measurement of calibrated dose at a point using a novel detector comprised of a yttrium oxide based nanocrystalline scintillator, with a submillimeter active length. A microSBRT spinal treatment was delivered consisting of a 180�

Investigating the accuracy of microstereotactic-body-radiotherapy utilizing anatomically accurate 3D printed rodent-morphic dosimeters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bache, Steven T.; Juang, Titania; Belley, Matthew D. [Duke University Medical Physics Graduate Program, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Koontz, Bridget F.; Yoshizumi, Terry T.; Kirsch, David G.; Oldham, Mark, E-mail: mark.oldham@duke.edu [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710 (United States); Adamovics, John [Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 (United States)

2015-02-15

Purpose: Sophisticated small animal irradiators, incorporating cone-beam-CT image-guidance, have recently been developed which enable exploration of the efficacy of advanced radiation treatments in the preclinical setting. Microstereotactic-body-radiation-therapy (microSBRT) is one technique of interest, utilizing field sizes in the range of 1–15 mm. Verification of the accuracy of microSBRT treatment delivery is challenging due to the lack of available methods to comprehensively measure dose distributions in representative phantoms with sufficiently high spatial resolution and in 3 dimensions (3D). This work introduces a potential solution in the form of anatomically accurate rodent-morphic 3D dosimeters compatible with ultrahigh resolution (0.3 mm{sup 3}) optical computed tomography (optical-CT) dose read-out. Methods: Rodent-morphic dosimeters were produced by 3D-printing molds of rodent anatomy directly from contours defined on x-ray CT data sets of rats and mice, and using these molds to create tissue-equivalent radiochromic 3D dosimeters from Presage. Anatomically accurate spines were incorporated into some dosimeters, by first 3D printing the spine mold, then forming a high-Z bone equivalent spine insert. This spine insert was then set inside the tissue equivalent body mold. The high-Z spinal insert enabled representative cone-beam CT IGRT targeting. On irradiation, a linear radiochromic change in optical-density occurs in the dosimeter, which is proportional to absorbed dose, and was read out using optical-CT in high-resolution (0.5 mm isotropic voxels). Optical-CT data were converted to absolute dose in two ways: (i) using a calibration curve derived from other Presage dosimeters from the same batch, and (ii) by independent measurement of calibrated dose at a point using a novel detector comprised of a yttrium oxide based nanocrystalline scintillator, with a submillimeter active length. A microSBRT spinal treatment was delivered consisting of a 180�

Accurate lithography simulation model based on convolutional neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Yuki; Kimura, Taiki; Matsunawa, Tetsuaki; Nojima, Shigeki

2017-07-01

Lithography simulation is an essential technique for today's semiconductor manufacturing process. In order to calculate an entire chip in realistic time, compact resist model is commonly used. The model is established for faster calculation. To have accurate compact resist model, it is necessary to fix a complicated non-linear model function. However, it is difficult to decide an appropriate function manually because there are many options. This paper proposes a new compact resist model using CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks) which is one of deep learning techniques. CNN model makes it possible to determine an appropriate model function and achieve accurate simulation. Experimental results show CNN model can reduce CD prediction errors by 70% compared with the conventional model.

Monitoring requirements for assessment of internal dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eckerman, K.F.

1985-01-01

Data obtained by routine personnel monitoring is usually not a sufficient basis for estimation of dose. Collected data must be interpreted carefully and supplemented with appropriate information before reasonably accurate estimates of dose (i.e., accurate enough to indicate whether or nor personnel are exposed in excess of recommended limits) can be developed. When the exposure is of sufficient magnitude that a rather precise estimate of dose is needed, the health physicist will bring to bear on the problem other, more refined, methods of dosimetry. These might include a reconstruction of the incident and, for internal emitters, an extensive series of in vivo measurements or analyses of excreta. Thus, cases of special significance must often be evaluated using techniques and resources beyond those routinely employed. This is not a criticism of most routine monitoring programs. These programs are usually carefully designed in a manner commensurate with the degree of exposure routinely encountered and the requirement of a practical program of radiation protection. 10 refs

Riboflavin as an independent and accurate biomarker for adherence in a randomized double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanujam, V-M S; Nayeem, Fatima; Anderson, Karl E; Kuo, Yong-Fang; Chen, Nai-Wei; Ju, Hyunsu; Lu, Lee-Jane W

2017-09-01

Medication adherence is critical for success of clinical trials. To assess oral riboflavin is an adherence marker. Riboflavin was incorporated into active treatment and placebo pills for a clinical trial lasting for 2 years. The accuracy (area under the receiver operating curve) of urinary riboflavin was 0.91 as a binary classifier of adherence, and was similar or better than for two active study ingredients daidzein (0.92) and genistein (0.87) (all p Riboflavin is an accurate and useful biomarker for study pill ingestion.

Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of achondroplasia and thanatophoric dysplasia: next-generation sequencing allows for a safer, more accurate, and comprehensive approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Chitty, Lyn S; Mason, Sarah; Barrett, Angela N; McKay, Fiona; Lench, Nicholas; Daley, Rebecca; Jenkins, Lucy A

2015-07-01

Accurate prenatal diagnosis of genetic conditions can be challenging and usually requires invasive testing. Here, we demonstrate the potential of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for the analysis of cell-free DNA in maternal blood to transform prenatal diagnosis of monogenic disorders. Analysis of cell-free DNA using a PCR and restriction enzyme digest (PCR-RED) was compared with a novel NGS assay in pregnancies at risk of achondroplasia and thanatophoric dysplasia. PCR-RED was performed in 72 cases and was correct in 88.6%, inconclusive in 7% with one false negative. NGS was performed in 47 cases and was accurate in 96.2% with no inconclusives. Both approaches were used in 27 cases, with NGS giving the correct result in the two cases inconclusive with PCR-RED. NGS provides an accurate, flexible approach to non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of de novo and paternally inherited mutations. It is more sensitive than PCR-RED and is ideal when screening a gene with multiple potential pathogenic mutations. These findings highlight the value of NGS in the development of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for other monogenic disorders. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

How Accurate are Government Forecast of Economic Fundamentals?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); Ph.H.B.F. Franses (Philip Hans); M.J. McAleer (Michael)

2009-01-01

textabstractA government’s ability to forecast key economic fundamentals accurately can affect business confidence, consumer sentiment, and foreign direct investment, among others. A government forecast based on an econometric model is replicable, whereas one that is not fully based on an

Accounting for Interference, Scattering, and Electrode Absorption to Make Accurate Internal Quantum Efficiency Measurements in Organic and Other Thin Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Burkhard, George F.; Hoke, Eric T.; McGehee, Michael D.

2010-01-01

Accurately measuring internal quantum efficiency requires knowledge of absorption in the active layer of a solar cell. The experimentally accessible total absorption includes significant contributions from the electrodes and other nonactive layers. We suggest a straightforward method for calculating the active layer contribution that minimizes error by subtracting optically-modeled electrode absorption from experimentally measured total absorption. (Figure Presented) © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Accounting for Interference, Scattering, and Electrode Absorption to Make Accurate Internal Quantum Efficiency Measurements in Organic and Other Thin Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Burkhard, George F.

2010-05-31

Accurately measuring internal quantum efficiency requires knowledge of absorption in the active layer of a solar cell. The experimentally accessible total absorption includes significant contributions from the electrodes and other nonactive layers. We suggest a straightforward method for calculating the active layer contribution that minimizes error by subtracting optically-modeled electrode absorption from experimentally measured total absorption. (Figure Presented) © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Needs and accuracy requirements for fission product nuclear data in the physics design of power reactor cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowlands, J.L.

1978-01-01

The fission product nuclear data accuracy requirements for fast and thermal reactor core performance predictions were reviewed by Tyror at the Bologna FPND Meeting. The status of the data was assessed at the Meeting and it was concluded that the requirements of thermal reactors were largely met, and the yield data requirements of fast reactors, but not the cross section requirements, were met. However, the World Request List for Nuclear Data (WRENDA) contains a number of requests for fission product capture cross sections in the energy range of interest for thermal reactors. Recent reports indicate that the fast reactor reactivity requirements might have been met by integral measurements made in zero power critical assemblies. However, there are requests for the differential cross sections of the individual isotopes to be determined in addition to the integral data requirements. The fast reactor requirements are reviewed, taking into account some more recent studies of the effects of fission products. The sodium void reactivity effect depends on the fission product cross sections in a different way to the fission product reactivity effect in a normal core. This requirement might call for different types of measurement. There is currently an interest in high burnup fuel cycles and alternative fuel cycles. These might require more accurate fission product data, data for individual isotopes and data for capture products. Recent calculations of the time dependence of fission product reactivity effects show that this is dependent upon the data set used and there are significant uncertainties. Some recent thermal reactor studies on approximations in the treatment of decay chains and the importance of xenon and samarium poisoning are also summarized. (author)

Treatment of midfacial fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schubert, J.

2007-01-01

Fractures of the midface constitute half of all traumas involving facial bones. Computed tomography is very useful in primary diagnosis. Isolated fractures of the nasal bone and lateral midfacial structures may be diagnosed sufficiently by conventional X-rays. An exact description of the fracture lines along the midfacial buttresses is essential for treatment planning. For good aesthetics and function these have to be reconstructed accurately, which can be checked with X-rays. The treatment of midfacial fractures has been revolutionized over the last two decades. A stable three-dimensional reconstruction of the facial shape is now possible and the duration of treatment has shortened remarkably. The frequently occurring isolated fractures in the lateral part of the midface may be treated easily and effectively by semisurgical methods such as the Gillies procedure or hook-repositioning. (orig.)

Atmospheric Variability of CO2 impact on space observation Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, A. L.; Sen, B.; Newhart, L.; Segal, G.

2009-12-01

If International governments are to reduce GHG levels by 80% by 2050, as recommended by most scientific bodies concerned with avoiding the most hazardous changes in climate, then massive investments in infrastructure and new technology will be required over the coming decades. Such an investment will be a huge commitment by governments and corporations, and while it will offer long-term dividends in lower energy costs, a healthier environment and averted additional global warming, the shear magnitude of upfront costs will drive a call for a monitoring and verification system. Such a system will be required to offer accountability to signatories of governing bodies, as well as, for the global public. Measuring the average global distribution of CO2 is straight forward, as exemplified by the long running station measurements managed by NOAA’s Global Monitoring Division that includes the longterm Keeling record. However, quantifying anthropogenic and natural source/sink distributions and atmospheric mixing have been much more difficult to constrain. And, yet, an accurate accounting of all anthropogenic source strengths is required for Global Treaty verification. The only way to accurately assess Global GHG emissions is to construct an integrated system of ground, air and space based observations with extensive chemical modeling capabilities. We look at the measurement requirements for the space based component of the solutions. To determine what space sensor performance requirements for ground resolution, coverage, and revisit, we have analyzed regional CO2 distributions and variability using NASA and NOAA aircraft flight campaigns. The results of our analysis are presented as variograms showing average spatial variability over several Northern Hemispheric regions. There are distinct regional differences with the starkest contrast between urban versus rural and Coastal Asia versus Coastal US. The results suggest specific consequences on what spatial and temporal

How accurate is unenhanced multidetector-row CT (MDCT) for localization of renal calculi?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goetschi, Stefan; Umbehr, Martin; Ullrich, Stephan; Glenck, Michael; Suter, Stefan; Weishaupt, Dominik

2012-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between unenhanced MDCT and intraoperative findings with regard to the exact anatomical location of renal calculi. Design, setting, and participants: Fifty-nine patients who underwent unenhanced MDCT for suspected urinary stone disease, and who underwent subsequent flexible ureterorenoscopy (URS) as treatment of nephrolithiasis were included in this retrospective study. All MDCT data sets were independently reviewed by three observers with different degrees of experience in reading CT. Each observer was asked to indicate presence and exact anatomical location of any calcification within pyelocaliceal system, renal papilla or renal cortex. Results were compared to intraoperative findings which have been defined as standard of reference. Calculi not described at surgery, but present on MDCT data were counted as renal cortex calcifications. Results: Overall 166 calculi in 59 kidneys have been detected on MDCT, 100 (60.2%) were located in the pyelocaliceal system and 66 (39.8%) in the renal parenchyma. Of the 100 pyelocaliceal calculi, 84 (84%) were correctly located on CT data sets by observer 1, 62 (62%) by observer 2, and 71 (71%) by observer 3. Sensitivity/specificity was 90–94% and 50–100% if only pyelocaliceal calculi measuring >4 mm in size were considered. For pyelocaliceal calculi ≤4 mm in size diagnostic performance of MDCT was inferior. Conclusion: Compared to flexible URS, unenhanced MDCT is accurate for distinction between pyelocaliceal calculi and renal parenchyma calcifications if renal calculi are >4 mm in size. For smaller renal calculi, unenhanced MDCT is less accurate and distinction between a pyelocaliceal calculus and renal parenchyma calcification is difficult.

Risks of antibiotic residues in milk following intramammary and intramuscular treatments in dairy sheep.

Science.gov (United States)

Pengov, A; Kirbis, A

2009-04-01

Very few drugs on the market are approved for use in lactating ewes. Veterinarians in the European Union are allowed to prescribe drugs in an off-label manner but are then obligated to assure that residues do not enter the food chain. In case of mastitis treatment in dairy ewes antibiotic preparations designed and authorized for the bovine mammary gland are usually used. Due to inter-species differences, available bovine data cannot be accurately extrapolated for use in the dairy ewe. The objective of the study was therefore to determine appropriate withdrawal periods for ewe's milk following mastitis treatment with two commercial lactating cow products. For the detection of all components standard agar plate diffusion techniques were used. Regardless of the therapy regime and the product used, residues of antibiotics in milk were detected up to 192h after the last infusion. These results indicate that the required withholding periods for ewe's milk are considerably longer than recommended on the label for bovine milk.

40 CFR 141.90 - Reporting requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... facilities and organizations to which the system delivered public education materials during the period in....82(a). (3) For systems required to evaluate the effectiveness of corrosion control treatments under... activities have taken place. (f) Public education program reporting requirements. (1) Any water system that...

Monitoring nutritional status accurately and reliably in adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Andrew C; Pascoe, Elaine M; Forbes, David A

2009-01-01

Accurate assessment of nutritional status is a vital aspect of caring for individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and body mass index (BMI) is considered an appropriate and easy to use tool. Because of the intense fear of weight gain, some individuals may attempt to mislead the physician. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is a simple, objective method of assessing nutritional status. The setting is an eating disorders clinic in a tertiary paediatric hospital in Western Australia. The aim of this study is to evaluate how well MUAC correlates with BMI in adolescents with AN. Prospective observational study to evaluate nutritional status in adolescents with AN. Fifty-five adolescents aged 12-17 years with AN were assessed between January 1, 2004 and January 1, 2006. MUAC was highly correlated with BMI (r = 0.79, P or=20 cm rarely required hospitalisation (negative predictive value 93%). MUAC reflects nutritional status as defined by BMI in adolescents with AN. Lack of consistency between longitudinal measurements of BMI and MUAC should be viewed suspiciously and prompt a more detailed nutritional assessment.

Prevalence of accurate nursing documentation in patient records

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paans, Wolter; Sermeus, Walter; Nieweg, Roos; van der Schans, Cees

2010-01-01

AIM: This paper is a report of a study conducted to describe the accuracy of nursing documentation in patient records in hospitals. Background.  Accurate nursing documentation enables nurses to systematically review the nursing process and to evaluate the quality of care. Assessing nurses' reports

Dynamic weighing for accurate fertilizer application and monitoring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergeijk, van J.; Goense, D.; Willigenburg, van L.G.; Speelman, L.

2001-01-01

The mass flow of fertilizer spreaders must be calibrated for the different types of fertilizers used. To obtain accurate fertilizer application manual calibration of actual mass flow must be repeated frequently. Automatic calibration is possible by measurement of the actual mass flow, based on

Laser guided automated calibrating system for accurate bracket ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

It is widely recognized that accurate bracket placement is of critical importance in the efficient application of biomechanics and in realizing the full potential of a preadjusted edgewise appliance. Aim: The purpose of ... placement. Keywords: Hough transforms, Indirect bonding technique, Laser, Orthodontic bracket placement ...

Accuracy required and achievable in radiotherapy dosimetry: have modern technology and techniques changed our views?

Science.gov (United States)

Thwaites, David

2013-06-01

In this review of the accuracy required and achievable in radiotherapy dosimetry, older approaches and evidence-based estimates for 3DCRT have been reprised, summarising and drawing together the author's earlier evaluations where still relevant. Available evidence for IMRT uncertainties has been reviewed, selecting information from tolerances, QA, verification measurements, in vivo dosimetry and dose delivery audits, to consider whether achievable uncertainties increase or decrease for current advanced treatments and practice. Overall there is some evidence that they tend to increase, but that similar levels should be achievable. Thus it is concluded that those earlier estimates of achievable dosimetric accuracy are still applicable, despite the changes and advances in technology and techniques. The one exception is where there is significant lung involvement, where it is likely that uncertainties have now improved due to widespread use of more accurate heterogeneity models. Geometric uncertainties have improved with the wide availability of IGRT.

Voxel-based registration of simulated and real patient CBCT data for accurate dental implant pose estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Moreira, António H. J.; Queirós, Sandro; Morais, Pedro; Rodrigues, Nuno F.; Correia, André Ricardo; Fernandes, Valter; Pinho, A. C. M.; Fonseca, Jaime C.; Vilaça, João. L.

2015-03-01

The success of dental implant-supported prosthesis is directly linked to the accuracy obtained during implant's pose estimation (position and orientation). Although traditional impression techniques and recent digital acquisition methods are acceptably accurate, a simultaneously fast, accurate and operator-independent methodology is still lacking. Hereto, an image-based framework is proposed to estimate the patient-specific implant's pose using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and prior knowledge of implanted model. The pose estimation is accomplished in a threestep approach: (1) a region-of-interest is extracted from the CBCT data using 2 operator-defined points at the implant's main axis; (2) a simulated CBCT volume of the known implanted model is generated through Feldkamp-Davis-Kress reconstruction and coarsely aligned to the defined axis; and (3) a voxel-based rigid registration is performed to optimally align both patient and simulated CBCT data, extracting the implant's pose from the optimal transformation. Three experiments were performed to evaluate the framework: (1) an in silico study using 48 implants distributed through 12 tridimensional synthetic mandibular models; (2) an in vitro study using an artificial mandible with 2 dental implants acquired with an i-CAT system; and (3) two clinical case studies. The results shown positional errors of 67+/-34μm and 108μm, and angular misfits of 0.15+/-0.08° and 1.4°, for experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Moreover, in experiment 3, visual assessment of clinical data results shown a coherent alignment of the reference implant. Overall, a novel image-based framework for implants' pose estimation from CBCT data was proposed, showing accurate results in agreement with dental prosthesis modelling requirements.

A Low-Cost Modular Platform for Heterogeneous Data Acquisition with Accurate Interchannel Synchronization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Luis Blanco-Claraco

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Most experimental fields of science and engineering require the use of data acquisition systems (DAQ, devices in charge of sampling and converting electrical signals into digital data and, typically, performing all of the required signal preconditioning. Since commercial DAQ systems are normally focused on specific types of sensors and actuators, systems engineers may need to employ mutually-incompatible hardware from different manufacturers in applications demanding heterogeneous inputs and outputs, such as small-signal analog inputs, differential quadrature rotatory encoders or variable current outputs. A common undesirable side effect of heterogeneous DAQ hardware is the lack of an accurate synchronization between samples captured by each device. To solve such a problem with low-cost hardware, we present a novel modular DAQ architecture comprising a base board and a set of interchangeable modules. Our main design goal is the ability to sample all sources at predictable, fixed sampling frequencies, with a reduced synchronization mismatch (<1 µs between heterogeneous signal sources. We present experiments in the field of mechanical engineering, illustrating vibration spectrum analyses from piezoelectric accelerometers and, as a novelty in these kinds of experiments, the spectrum of quadrature encoder signals. Part of the design and software will be publicly released online.

Accurate method for luminous transmittance and signal detection quotients measurements in sunglasses lenses

Science.gov (United States)

Loureiro, A. D.; Gomes, L. M.; Ventura, L.

2018-02-01

The international standard ISO 12312-1 proposes transmittance tests that quantify how dark sunglasses lenses are and whether or not they are suitable for driving. To perform these tests a spectrometer is required. In this study, we present and analyze theoretically an accurate alternative method for performing these measurements using simple components. Using three LEDs and a four-channel sensor we generated weighting functions similar to the standard ones for luminous and traffic lights transmittances. From 89 sunglasses lens spectroscopy data, we calculated luminous transmittance and signal detection quotients using our obtained weighting functions and the standard ones. Mean-difference Tukey plots were used to compare the results. All tested sunglasses lenses were classified in the right category and correctly as suitable or not for driving. The greatest absolute errors for luminous transmittance and red, yellow, green and blue signal detection quotients were 0.15%, 0.17, 0.06, 0.04 and 0.18, respectively. This method will be used in a device capable to perform transmittance tests (visible, traffic lights and ultraviolet (UV)) according to the standard. It is important to measure rightly luminous transmittance and relative visual attenuation quotients to report correctly whether or not sunglasses are suitable for driving. Moreover, standard UV requirements depend on luminous transmittance.

Mobility-based correction for accurate determination of binding constants by capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Cheng; Kovalchik, Kevin A; MacLennan, Matthew S; Huang, Xiaohua; Chen, David D Y

2017-06-01

Capillary electrophoresis frontal analysis (CE-FA) can be used to determine binding affinity of molecular interactions. However, its current data processing method mandate specific requirement on the mobilities of the binding pair in order to obtain accurate binding constants. This work shows that significant errors are resulted when the mobilities of the interacting species do not meet these requirements. Therefore, the applicability of CE-FA in many real word applications becomes questionable. An electrophoretic mobility-based correction method is developed in this work based on the flux of each species. A simulation program and a pair of model compounds are used to verify the new equations and evaluate the effectiveness of this method. Ibuprofen and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrinare used to demonstrate the differences in the obtained binding constant by CE-FA when different calculation methods are used, and the results are compared with those obtained by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE). The results suggest that CE-FA, with the mobility-based correction method, can be a generally applicable method for a much wider range of applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Can cancer researchers accurately judge whether preclinical reports will reproduce?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Benjamin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available There is vigorous debate about the reproducibility of research findings in cancer biology. Whether scientists can accurately assess which experiments will reproduce original findings is important to determining the pace at which science self-corrects. We collected forecasts from basic and preclinical cancer researchers on the first 6 replication studies conducted by the Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology (RP:CB to assess the accuracy of expert judgments on specific replication outcomes. On average, researchers forecasted a 75% probability of replicating the statistical significance and a 50% probability of replicating the effect size, yet none of these studies successfully replicated on either criterion (for the 5 studies with results reported. Accuracy was related to expertise: experts with higher h-indices were more accurate, whereas experts with more topic-specific expertise were less accurate. Our findings suggest that experts, especially those with specialized knowledge, were overconfident about the RP:CB replicating individual experiments within published reports; researcher optimism likely reflects a combination of overestimating the validity of original studies and underestimating the difficulties of repeating their methodologies.

Accurate and approximate thermal rate constants for polyatomic chemical reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyman, Gunnar

2007-01-01

In favourable cases it is possible to calculate thermal rate constants for polyatomic reactions to high accuracy from first principles. Here, we discuss the use of flux correlation functions combined with the multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) approach to efficiently calculate cumulative reaction probabilities and thermal rate constants for polyatomic chemical reactions. Three isotopic variants of the H 2 + CH 3 → CH 4 + H reaction are used to illustrate the theory. There is good agreement with experimental results although the experimental rates generally are larger than the calculated ones, which are believed to be at least as accurate as the experimental rates. Approximations allowing evaluation of the thermal rate constant above 400 K are treated. It is also noted that for the treated reactions, transition state theory (TST) gives accurate rate constants above 500 K. TST theory also gives accurate results for kinetic isotope effects in cases where the mass of the transfered atom is unchanged. Due to neglect of tunnelling, TST however fails below 400 K if the mass of the transferred atom changes between the isotopic reactions

A multiple regression analysis for accurate background subtraction in 99Tcm-DTPA renography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Middleton, G.W.; Thomson, W.H.; Davies, I.H.; Morgan, A.

1989-01-01

A technique for accurate background subtraction in 99 Tc m -DTPA renography is described. The technique is based on a multiple regression analysis of the renal curves and separate heart and soft tissue curves which together represent background activity. It is compared, in over 100 renograms, with a previously described linear regression technique. Results show that the method provides accurate background subtraction, even in very poorly functioning kidneys, thus enabling relative renal filtration and excretion to be accurately estimated. (author)

Accurate automatic tuning circuit for bipolar integrated filters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Heij, Wim J.A.; de Heij, W.J.A.; Hoen, Klaas; Hoen, Klaas; Seevinck, Evert; Seevinck, E.

1990-01-01

An accurate automatic tuning circuit for tuning the cutoff frequency and Q-factor of high-frequency bipolar filters is presented. The circuit is based on a voltage controlled quadrature oscillator (VCO). The frequency and the RMS (root mean square) amplitude of the oscillator output signal are

Accurate Charge Densities from Powder Diffraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bindzus, Niels; Wahlberg, Nanna; Becker, Jacob

Synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction has in recent years advanced to a level, where it has become realistic to probe extremely subtle electronic features. Compared to single-crystal diffraction, it may be superior for simple, high-symmetry crystals owing to negligible extinction effects and minimal...... peak overlap. Additionally, it offers the opportunity for collecting data on a single scale. For charge densities studies, the critical task is to recover accurate and bias-free structure factors from the diffraction pattern. This is the focal point of the present study, scrutinizing the performance...

The treatment of exposure for VNEM calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beere, William

2004-01-01

The VNEM approach to solving multi assembly neutron calculations has been shown to accurately reproduce pin power distributions [1]. However, this high accuracy is only possible when the contents of a node are accurately known. This is generally the case for fresh fuel, but once fuel has been exposed its composition changes. Often these changes are described by only a few parameters per node, such as exposure and spectral history. This ignores any tilt or boundary effects for the node. This can have significant effect on the accuracy of any neutron calculation. So if accurate neutron flux and power distributions are required it is also necessary to accurately describe the effects of exposure in a reactor situation. Thus, it is desired to study possible methods to generate VNEM coefficients for a node in a reactor situation. In this report we will suggest a possible method for modelling exposure and spectral history effects. Other effects as void fraction or boron concentration will not be considered here. Special attention has been placed on the ability to accommodate differences in power and spectral spatial distributions. The spatial distributions of exposure and spectral history are modelled as a set of expansion functions based on a set of given functions and the results of infinite lattice calculations. This method is shown to be adequate in reproducing multi assembly cross section distributions. Thus, further testing is required to check its ability to generate VNEM coefficients and ultimately flux distributions for multi assembly calculations. (Author)

Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurocysticercosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina M. Coyle

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Neurocysticercosis, the infection caused by the larval form of the tapeworm Taenia solium, is the most common parasitic disease of the central nervous system and the most common cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide. This has primarily been a disease that remains endemic in low-socioeconomic countries, but because of increased migration neurocysticercosis is being diagnosed more frequently in high-income countries. During the past three decades improved diagnostics, imaging, and treatment have led to more accurate diagnosis and improved prognosis for patients. This article reviews the current literature on neurocysticercosis, including newer diagnostics and treatment developments.

Importance of molecular diagnosis in the accurate diagnosis of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

1Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida Konoecho, ... of molecular diagnosis in the accurate diagnosis of systemic carnitine deficiency. .... 'affecting protein function' by SIFT.

Calculation of accurate small angle X-ray scattering curves from coarse-grained protein models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stovgaard Kasper

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genome sequencing projects have expanded the gap between the amount of known protein sequences and structures. The limitations of current high resolution structure determination methods make it unlikely that this gap will disappear in the near future. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS is an established low resolution method for routinely determining the structure of proteins in solution. The purpose of this study is to develop a method for the efficient calculation of accurate SAXS curves from coarse-grained protein models. Such a method can for example be used to construct a likelihood function, which is paramount for structure determination based on statistical inference. Results We present a method for the efficient calculation of accurate SAXS curves based on the Debye formula and a set of scattering form factors for dummy atom representations of amino acids. Such a method avoids the computationally costly iteration over all atoms. We estimated the form factors using generated data from a set of high quality protein structures. No ad hoc scaling or correction factors are applied in the calculation of the curves. Two coarse-grained representations of protein structure were investigated; two scattering bodies per amino acid led to significantly better results than a single scattering body. Conclusion We show that the obtained point estimates allow the calculation of accurate SAXS curves from coarse-grained protein models. The resulting curves are on par with the current state-of-the-art program CRYSOL, which requires full atomic detail. Our method was also comparable to CRYSOL in recognizing native structures among native-like decoys. As a proof-of-concept, we combined the coarse-grained Debye calculation with a previously described probabilistic model of protein structure, TorusDBN. This resulted in a significant improvement in the decoy recognition performance. In conclusion, the presented method shows great promise for

RSEM: accurate transcript quantification from RNA-Seq data with or without a reference genome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewey Colin N

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background RNA-Seq is revolutionizing the way transcript abundances are measured. A key challenge in transcript quantification from RNA-Seq data is the handling of reads that map to multiple genes or isoforms. This issue is particularly important for quantification with de novo transcriptome assemblies in the absence of sequenced genomes, as it is difficult to determine which transcripts are isoforms of the same gene. A second significant issue is the design of RNA-Seq experiments, in terms of the number of reads, read length, and whether reads come from one or both ends of cDNA fragments. Results We present RSEM, an user-friendly software package for quantifying gene and isoform abundances from single-end or paired-end RNA-Seq data. RSEM outputs abundance estimates, 95% credibility intervals, and visualization files and can also simulate RNA-Seq data. In contrast to other existing tools, the software does not require a reference genome. Thus, in combination with a de novo transcriptome assembler, RSEM enables accurate transcript quantification for species without sequenced genomes. On simulated and real data sets, RSEM has superior or comparable performance to quantification methods that rely on a reference genome. Taking advantage of RSEM's ability to effectively use ambiguously-mapping reads, we show that accurate gene-level abundance estimates are best obtained with large numbers of short single-end reads. On the other hand, estimates of the relative frequencies of isoforms within single genes may be improved through the use of paired-end reads, depending on the number of possible splice forms for each gene. Conclusions RSEM is an accurate and user-friendly software tool for quantifying transcript abundances from RNA-Seq data. As it does not rely on the existence of a reference genome, it is particularly useful for quantification with de novo transcriptome assemblies. In addition, RSEM has enabled valuable guidance for cost

Accurate Valence Ionization Energies from Kohn-Sham Eigenvalues with the Help of Potential Adjustors.

Science.gov (United States)

Thierbach, Adrian; Neiss, Christian; Gallandi, Lukas; Marom, Noa; Körzdörfer, Thomas; Görling, Andreas

2017-10-10

An accurate yet computationally very efficient and formally well justified approach to calculate molecular ionization potentials is presented and tested. The first as well as higher ionization potentials are obtained as the negatives of the Kohn-Sham eigenvalues of the neutral molecule after adjusting the eigenvalues by a recently [ Görling Phys. Rev. B 2015 , 91 , 245120 ] introduced potential adjustor for exchange-correlation potentials. Technically the method is very simple. Besides a Kohn-Sham calculation of the neutral molecule, only a second Kohn-Sham calculation of the cation is required. The eigenvalue spectrum of the neutral molecule is shifted such that the negative of the eigenvalue of the highest occupied molecular orbital equals the energy difference of the total electronic energies of the cation minus the neutral molecule. For the first ionization potential this simply amounts to a ΔSCF calculation. Then, the higher ionization potentials are obtained as the negatives of the correspondingly shifted Kohn-Sham eigenvalues. Importantly, this shift of the Kohn-Sham eigenvalue spectrum is not just ad hoc. In fact, it is formally necessary for the physically correct energetic adjustment of the eigenvalue spectrum as it results from ensemble density-functional theory. An analogous approach for electron affinities is equally well obtained and justified. To illustrate the practical benefits of the approach, we calculate the valence ionization energies of test sets of small- and medium-sized molecules and photoelectron spectra of medium-sized electron acceptor molecules using a typical semilocal (PBE) and two typical global hybrid functionals (B3LYP and PBE0). The potential adjusted B3LYP and PBE0 eigenvalues yield valence ionization potentials that are in very good agreement with experimental values, reaching an accuracy that is as good as the best G 0 W 0 methods, however, at much lower computational costs. The potential adjusted PBE eigenvalues result in

Accurate evaluation of exchange fields in finite element micromagnetic solvers

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, R.; Escobar, M. A.; Li, S.; Lubarda, M. V.; Lomakin, V.

2012-04-01

Quadratic basis functions (QBFs) are implemented for solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation via the finite element method. This involves the introduction of a set of special testing functions compatible with the QBFs for evaluating the Laplacian operator. The results by using QBFs are significantly more accurate than those via linear basis functions. QBF approach leads to significantly more accurate results than conventionally used approaches based on linear basis functions. Importantly QBFs allow reducing the error of computing the exchange field by increasing the mesh density for structured and unstructured meshes. Numerical examples demonstrate the feasibility of the method.

Patients undergoing subacute rehabilitation have accurate expectations of their health-related quality of life at discharge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McPhail Steven

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Expectations held by patients and health professionals may affect treatment choices and participation (by both patients and health professionals in therapeutic interventions in contemporary patient-centered healthcare environments. If patients in rehabilitation settings overestimate their discharge health-related quality of life, they may become despondent as their progress falls short of their expectations. On the other hand, underestimating their discharge health-related quality of life may lead to a lack of motivation to participate in therapies if they do not perceive likely benefit. There is a scarcity of empirical evidence evaluating whether patients’ expectations of future health states are accurate. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy with which older patients admitted for subacute in-hospital rehabilitation can anticipate their discharge health-related quality of life. Methods A prospective longitudinal cohort investigation of agreement between patients’ anticipated discharge health-related quality of life (as reported on the EQ-5D instrument at admission to a rehabilitation unit and their actual self-reported health-related quality of life at the time of discharge from this unit was undertaken. The mini-mental state examination was used as an indicator of patients’ cognitive ability. Results Overall, 232(85% patients had all assessment data completed and were included in analysis. Kappa scores ranged from 0.42-0.68 across the five EQ-5D domains and two patient cognition groups. The percentage of exact correct matches within each domain ranged from 69% to 85% across domains and cognition groups. Overall 40% of participants in each cognition group correctly anticipated all of their self-reported discharge EQ-5D domain responses. Conclusions Patients admitted for subacute in-hospital rehabilitation were able to anticipate their discharge health-related quality of life on the EQ-5D instrument

Foresight begins with FMEA. Delivering accurate risk assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Passey, R D

1999-03-01

If sufficient factors are taken into account and two- or three-stage analysis is employed, failure mode and effect analysis represents an excellent technique for delivering accurate risk assessments for products and processes, and for relating them to legal liability. This article describes a format that facilitates easy interpretation.

Anxiety disorders: diagnosis and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, R A; Mathew, R J

1985-07-01

Pathologic anxiety, marked by inappropriate apprehension and/or fear, causes patients to seek help. Anxiety is associated with a wide variety of physical illnesses, and these must be initially considered when making a diagnosis. Similarly, anxiety associated with a wide variety of psychiatric syndromes must also be considered. Finally, the possibility of transient situational anxiety is ever present. Once it is determined that a primary anxiety disorder exists, then the presence or absence of phobias, panic attacks, and chronic "free-floating" anxiety will fully characterize the disorder. With an accurate diagnosis in hand, a multifaceted treatment approach can be designed. Effective treatments now exist for phobic and panic disorders, and more effective treatment for chronic generalized anxiety may be forthcoming.

Accurate multiplicity scaling in isotopically conjugate reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golokhvastov, A.I.

1989-01-01

The generation of accurate scaling of mutiplicity distributions is presented. The distributions of π - mesons (negative particles) and π + mesons in different nucleon-nucleon interactions (PP, NP and NN) are described by the same universal function Ψ(z) and the same energy dependence of the scale parameter which determines the stretching factor for the unit function Ψ(z) to obtain the desired multiplicity distribution. 29 refs.; 6 figs

Standards for deuterium analysis requirements of heavy water plants (Preprint No. CA-1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathi, B N; Gopalakrishnan, V T; Alphonse, K P; Pawar, P L; Sadhukhan, H K [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Heavy Water Div.

1989-04-01

Accurate analysis of deuterium, covering the entire range, is of great importance in production of heavy water. Most of the methods for determination of deuterium in gas or liquid samples require appropriate standards. Since density of pure protium oxide and pure deuterium oxide has been determined very accurately by a large number of workers and density of mixtures of H{sub 2}O and D{sub 2}O follows a linear relation, it is possible to use accurate density determination for measurement of deuterium content. Float method for density measurements was improved further and used for the preparation of primary heavy water standards in high and low deuterium ranges. Heavy water plant laboratories require gas standards (ammonia synthesis gas matrix), in addition to low deuterium water standards, for calibration of mass spectrometers. SLAP (Standard Light Antarctic Precipitation, D/D+H = 89.02+-0.05ppm) and SMOW (Standard Mean Ocean Water, D/D+H =155.76+-0.05ppm) available from IAEA, Vienna, along with water practically free from deuterium, were used as standards to prepare secondary liquid standards. These secondary standards were subsequently reduced and mixed with pure nitrogen to obtain D/D+H standards in syngas matrix. (author). 8 refs., 2 figs.

Fourier transform profilometry (FTP) using an innovative band-pass filter for accurate 3-D surface reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Liang-Chia; Ho, Hsuan-Wei; Nguyen, Xuan-Loc

2010-02-01

This article presents a novel band-pass filter for Fourier transform profilometry (FTP) for accurate 3-D surface reconstruction. FTP can be employed to obtain 3-D surface profiles by one-shot images to achieve high-speed measurement. However, its measurement accuracy has been significantly influenced by the spectrum filtering process required to extract the phase information representing various surface heights. Using the commonly applied 2-D Hanning filter, the measurement errors could be up to 5-10% of the overall measuring height and it is unacceptable to various industrial application. To resolve this issue, the article proposes an elliptical band-pass filter for extracting the spectral region possessing essential phase information for reconstructing accurate 3-D surface profiles. The elliptical band-pass filter was developed and optimized to reconstruct 3-D surface models with improved measurement accuracy. Some experimental results verify that the accuracy can be effectively enhanced by using the elliptical filter. The accuracy improvement of 44.1% and 30.4% can be achieved in 3-D and sphericity measurement, respectively, when the elliptical filter replaces the traditional filter as the band-pass filtering method. Employing the developed method, the maximum measured error can be kept within 3.3% of the overall measuring range.

An accurate optical design method for synchrotron radiation beamlines with wave-front aberration theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Xiaojiang, E-mail: slsyxj@nus.edu.sg; Diao, Caozheng; Breese, Mark B. H. [Singapore Synchrotron Light Source, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117603 (Singapore)

2016-07-27

An aberration calculation method which was developed by Lu [1] can treat individual aberration term precisely. Spectral aberration is the linear sum of these aberration terms, and the aberrations of multi-element systems also can be calculated correctly when the stretching ratio, defined herein, is unity. Evaluation of focusing mirror-grating systems which are optimized according to Lu’s method, along with the Light Path Function (LPF) and the Spot Diagram method (SD) are discussed to confirm the advantage of Lu’s methodology. Lu’s aberration terms are derived from a precise wave-front treatment, whereas the terms of the power series expansion of the light path function do not yield an accurate sum of the aberrations. Moreover, Lu’s aberration terms can be individually optimized. This is not possible with the analytical spot diagram formulae.

Efficient and accurate nearest neighbor and closest pair search in high-dimensional space

KAUST Repository

Tao, Yufei

2010-07-01

Nearest Neighbor (NN) search in high-dimensional space is an important problem in many applications. From the database perspective, a good solution needs to have two properties: (i) it can be easily incorporated in a relational database, and (ii) its query cost should increase sublinearly with the dataset size, regardless of the data and query distributions. Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH) is a well-known methodology fulfilling both requirements, but its current implementations either incur expensive space and query cost, or abandon its theoretical guarantee on the quality of query results. Motivated by this, we improve LSH by proposing an access method called the Locality-Sensitive B-tree (LSB-tree) to enable fast, accurate, high-dimensional NN search in relational databases. The combination of several LSB-trees forms a LSB-forest that has strong quality guarantees, but improves dramatically the efficiency of the previous LSH implementation having the same guarantees. In practice, the LSB-tree itself is also an effective index which consumes linear space, supports efficient updates, and provides accurate query results. In our experiments, the LSB-tree was faster than: (i) iDistance (a famous technique for exact NN search) by two orders ofmagnitude, and (ii) MedRank (a recent approximate method with nontrivial quality guarantees) by one order of magnitude, and meanwhile returned much better results. As a second step, we extend our LSB technique to solve another classic problem, called Closest Pair (CP) search, in high-dimensional space. The long-term challenge for this problem has been to achieve subquadratic running time at very high dimensionalities, which fails most of the existing solutions. We show that, using a LSB-forest, CP search can be accomplished in (worst-case) time significantly lower than the quadratic complexity, yet still ensuring very good quality. In practice, accurate answers can be found using just two LSB-trees, thus giving a substantial

Accurate determination of the charge transfer efficiency of photoanodes for solar water splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Klotz, Dino; Grave, Daniel A; Rothschild, Avner

2017-08-09

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the surface of semiconductor photoanodes is critical for photoelectrochemical water splitting. This reaction involves photo-generated holes that oxidize water via charge transfer at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. However, a certain fraction of the holes that reach the surface recombine with electrons from the conduction band, giving rise to the surface recombination loss. The charge transfer efficiency, η t , defined as the ratio between the flux of holes that contribute to the water oxidation reaction and the total flux of holes that reach the surface, is an important parameter that helps to distinguish between bulk and surface recombination losses. However, accurate determination of η t by conventional voltammetry measurements is complicated because only the total current is measured and it is difficult to discern between different contributions to the current. Chopped light measurement (CLM) and hole scavenger measurement (HSM) techniques are widely employed to determine η t , but they often lead to errors resulting from instrumental as well as fundamental limitations. Intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) is better suited for accurate determination of η t because it provides direct information on both the total photocurrent and the surface recombination current. However, careful analysis of IMPS measurements at different light intensities is required to account for nonlinear effects. This work compares the η t values obtained by these methods using heteroepitaxial thin-film hematite photoanodes as a case study. We show that a wide spread of η t values is obtained by different analysis methods, and even within the same method different values may be obtained depending on instrumental and experimental conditions such as the light source and light intensity. Statistical analysis of the results obtained for our model hematite photoanode show good correlation between different methods for

Use of Monocrystalline Silicon as Tool Material for Highly Accurate Blanking of Thin Metal Foils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hildering, Sven; Engel, Ulf; Merklein, Marion

2011-01-01

The trend towards miniaturisation of metallic mass production components combined with increased component functionality is still unbroken. Manufacturing these components by forming and blanking offers economical and ecological advantages combined with the needed accuracy. The complexity of producing tools with geometries below 50 μm by conventional manufacturing methods becomes disproportional higher. Expensive serial finishing operations are required to achieve an adequate surface roughness combined with accurate geometry details. A novel approach for producing such tools is the use of advanced etching technologies for monocrystalline silicon that are well-established in the microsystems technology. High-precision vertical geometries with a width down to 5 μm are possible. The present study shows a novel concept using this potential for the blanking of thin copper foils with monocrystallline silicon as a tool material. A self-contained machine-tool with compact outer dimensions was designed to avoid tensile stresses in the brittle silicon punch by an accurate, careful alignment of the punch, die and metal foil. A microscopic analysis of the monocrystalline silicon punch shows appropriate properties regarding flank angle, edge geometry and surface quality for the blanking process. Using a monocrystalline silicon punch with a width of 70 μm blanking experiments on as-rolled copper foils with a thickness of 20 μm demonstrate the general applicability of this material for micro production processes.

Accurate reconstruction of hyperspectral images from compressive sensing measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Greer, John B.; Flake, J. C.

2013-05-01

The emerging field of Compressive Sensing (CS) provides a new way to capture data by shifting the heaviest burden of data collection from the sensor to the computer on the user-end. This new means of sensing requires fewer measurements for a given amount of information than traditional sensors. We investigate the efficacy of CS for capturing HyperSpectral Imagery (HSI) remotely. We also introduce a new family of algorithms for constructing HSI from CS measurements with Split Bregman Iteration [Goldstein and Osher,2009]. These algorithms combine spatial Total Variation (TV) with smoothing in the spectral dimension. We examine models for three different CS sensors: the Coded Aperture Snapshot Spectral Imager-Single Disperser (CASSI-SD) [Wagadarikar et al.,2008] and Dual Disperser (CASSI-DD) [Gehm et al.,2007] cameras, and a hypothetical random sensing model closer to CS theory, but not necessarily implementable with existing technology. We simulate the capture of remotely sensed images by applying the sensor forward models to well-known HSI scenes - an AVIRIS image of Cuprite, Nevada and the HYMAP Urban image. To measure accuracy of the CS models, we compare the scenes constructed with our new algorithm to the original AVIRIS and HYMAP cubes. The results demonstrate the possibility of accurately sensing HSI remotely with significantly fewer measurements than standard hyperspectral cameras.

An efficient and accurate 3D displacements tracking strategy for digital volume correlation

KAUST Repository

Pan, Bing; Wang, Bo; Wu, Dafang; Lubineau, Gilles

2014-01-01

inverse compositional Gauss-Newton (3D IC-GN) algorithm is introduced to replace existing forward additive algorithms for accurate sub-voxel displacement registration. Second, to ensure the 3D IC-GN algorithm that converges accurately and rapidly and avoid

An evolutionary model-based algorithm for accurate phylogenetic breakpoint mapping and subtype prediction in HIV-1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergei L Kosakovsky Pond

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Genetically diverse pathogens (such as Human Immunodeficiency virus type 1, HIV-1 are frequently stratified into phylogenetically or immunologically defined subtypes for classification purposes. Computational identification of such subtypes is helpful in surveillance, epidemiological analysis and detection of novel variants, e.g., circulating recombinant forms in HIV-1. A number of conceptually and technically different techniques have been proposed for determining the subtype of a query sequence, but there is not a universally optimal approach. We present a model-based phylogenetic method for automatically subtyping an HIV-1 (or other viral or bacterial sequence, mapping the location of breakpoints and assigning parental sequences in recombinant strains as well as computing confidence levels for the inferred quantities. Our Subtype Classification Using Evolutionary ALgorithms (SCUEAL procedure is shown to perform very well in a variety of simulation scenarios, runs in parallel when multiple sequences are being screened, and matches or exceeds the performance of existing approaches on typical empirical cases. We applied SCUEAL to all available polymerase (pol sequences from two large databases, the Stanford Drug Resistance database and the UK HIV Drug Resistance Database. Comparing with subtypes which had previously been assigned revealed that a minor but substantial (approximately 5% fraction of pure subtype sequences may in fact be within- or inter-subtype recombinants. A free implementation of SCUEAL is provided as a module for the HyPhy package and the Datamonkey web server. Our method is especially useful when an accurate automatic classification of an unknown strain is desired, and is positioned to complement and extend faster but less accurate methods. Given the increasingly frequent use of HIV subtype information in studies focusing on the effect of subtype on treatment, clinical outcome, pathogenicity and vaccine design, the importance

A highly accurate method for determination of dissolved oxygen: Gravimetric Winkler method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helm, Irja; Jalukse, Lauri; Leito, Ivo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Probably the most accurate method available for dissolved oxygen concentration measurement was developed. ► Careful analysis of uncertainty sources was carried out and the method was optimized for minimizing all uncertainty sources as far as practical. ► This development enables more accurate calibration of dissolved oxygen sensors for routine analysis than has been possible before. - Abstract: A high-accuracy Winkler titration method has been developed for determination of dissolved oxygen concentration. Careful analysis of uncertainty sources relevant to the Winkler method was carried out and the method was optimized for minimizing all uncertainty sources as far as practical. The most important improvements were: gravimetric measurement of all solutions, pre-titration to minimize the effect of iodine volatilization, accurate amperometric end point detection and careful accounting for dissolved oxygen in the reagents. As a result, the developed method is possibly the most accurate method of determination of dissolved oxygen available. Depending on measurement conditions and on the dissolved oxygen concentration the combined standard uncertainties of the method are in the range of 0.012–0.018 mg dm −3 corresponding to the k = 2 expanded uncertainty in the range of 0.023–0.035 mg dm −3 (0.27–0.38%, relative). This development enables more accurate calibration of electrochemical and optical dissolved oxygen sensors for routine analysis than has been possible before.

Non-destructive evaluation of the cladding thickness in LEU fuel plates by accurate ultrasonic scanning technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borring, J.; Gundtoft, H.E.; Borum, K.K.; Toft, P. [Riso National Lab. (Denmark)

1997-08-01

In an effort to improve their ultrasonic scanning technique for accurate determination of the cladding thickness in LEU fuel plates, new equipment and modifications to the existing hardware and software have been tested and evaluated. The authors are now able to measure an aluminium thickness down to 0.25 mm instead of the previous 0.35 mm. Furthermore, they have shown how the measuring sensitivity can be improved from 0.03 mm to 0.01 mm. It has now become possible to check their standard fuel plates for DR3 against the minimum cladding thickness requirements non-destructively. Such measurements open the possibility for the acceptance of a thinner nominal cladding than normally used today.

Non-destructive evaluation of the cladding thickness in LEU fuel plates by accurate ultrasonic scanning technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borring, J.; Gundtoft, H.E.; Borum, K.K.; Toft, P.

1997-01-01

In an effort to improve their ultrasonic scanning technique for accurate determination of the cladding thickness in LEU fuel plates, new equipment and modifications to the existing hardware and software have been tested and evaluated. The authors are now able to measure an aluminium thickness down to 0.25 mm instead of the previous 0.35 mm. Furthermore, they have shown how the measuring sensitivity can be improved from 0.03 mm to 0.01 mm. It has now become possible to check their standard fuel plates for DR3 against the minimum cladding thickness requirements non-destructively. Such measurements open the possibility for the acceptance of a thinner nominal cladding than normally used today

Rapid and accurate evaluation of the quality of commercial organic fertilizers using near infrared spectroscopy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Wang

Full Text Available The composting industry has been growing rapidly in China because of a boom in the animal industry. Therefore, a rapid and accurate assessment of the quality of commercial organic fertilizers is of the utmost importance. In this study, a novel technique that combines near infrared (NIR spectroscopy with partial least squares (PLS analysis is developed for rapidly and accurately assessing commercial organic fertilizers quality. A total of 104 commercial organic fertilizers were collected from full-scale compost factories in Jiangsu Province, east China. In general, the NIR-PLS technique showed accurate predictions of the total organic matter, water soluble organic nitrogen, pH, and germination index; less accurate results of the moisture, total nitrogen, and electrical conductivity; and the least accurate results for water soluble organic carbon. Our results suggested the combined NIR-PLS technique could be applied as a valuable tool to rapidly and accurately assess the quality of commercial organic fertilizers.

Rapid and accurate evaluation of the quality of commercial organic fertilizers using near infrared spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chang; Huang, Chichao; Qian, Jian; Xiao, Jian; Li, Huan; Wen, Yongli; He, Xinhua; Ran, Wei; Shen, Qirong; Yu, Guanghui

2014-01-01

The composting industry has been growing rapidly in China because of a boom in the animal industry. Therefore, a rapid and accurate assessment of the quality of commercial organic fertilizers is of the utmost importance. In this study, a novel technique that combines near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with partial least squares (PLS) analysis is developed for rapidly and accurately assessing commercial organic fertilizers quality. A total of 104 commercial organic fertilizers were collected from full-scale compost factories in Jiangsu Province, east China. In general, the NIR-PLS technique showed accurate predictions of the total organic matter, water soluble organic nitrogen, pH, and germination index; less accurate results of the moisture, total nitrogen, and electrical conductivity; and the least accurate results for water soluble organic carbon. Our results suggested the combined NIR-PLS technique could be applied as a valuable tool to rapidly and accurately assess the quality of commercial organic fertilizers.

Documentation of pain care processes does not accurately reflect pain management delivered in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Krebs, Erin E; Bair, Matthew J; Carey, Timothy S; Weinberger, Morris

2010-03-01

Researchers and quality improvement advocates sometimes use review of chart-documented pain care processes to assess the quality of pain management. Studies have found that primary care providers frequently fail to document pain assessment and management. To assess documentation of pain care processes in an academic primary care clinic and evaluate the validity of this documentation as a measure of pain care delivered. Prospective observational study. 237 adult patients at a university-affiliated internal medicine clinic who reported any pain in the last week. Immediately after a visit, we asked patients to report the pain treatment they received. Patients completed the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) to assess pain severity at baseline and 1 month later. We extracted documentation of pain care processes from the medical record and used kappa statistics to assess agreement between documentation and patient report of pain treatment. Using multivariable linear regression, we modeled whether documented or patient-reported pain care predicted change in pain at 1 month. Participants' mean age was 53.7 years, 66% were female, and 74% had chronic pain. Physicians documented pain assessment for 83% of visits. Patients reported receiving pain treatment more often (67%) than was documented by physicians (54%). Agreement between documentation and patient report was moderate for receiving a new pain medication (k = 0.50) and slight for receiving pain management advice (k = 0.13). In multivariable models, documentation of new pain treatment was not associated with change in pain (p = 0.134). In contrast, patient-reported receipt of new pain treatment predicted pain improvement (p = 0.005). Chart documentation underestimated pain care delivered, compared with patient report. Documented pain care processes had no relationship with pain outcomes at 1 month, but patient report of receiving care predicted clinically significant improvement. Chart review measures may not accurately