Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). Engineering Test Report: AMSU-A1 EOS Instrument, (S/N 202) Qualification Level Vibration Tests of August/September 1998, (S/O 565632, OC-417) Plus Addendum A

Science.gov (United States)

Heffer, R.

1998-01-01

The purpose of this report is to present a qualification level vibration testing performed on the S/N 202, EOS AMSU-A1 Instrument was vibration tested to qualification levels per the Ref. 1 shop order. The instrument withstood the 8 g sine sweep test, the 7.5 Grms random vibration test, and the 18.75 g sine burst test in each of the three orthogonal axes. Some loss of transmissibility, however, is seen in the lower reflector after Z-axis random vibration. The test sequence was not without incidence. Failure of Channel 7 in the Limited Performance Test (LPT) performed after completion of the 1 st (X-axis) axis vibration sequence, required replacement of the DRO and subsequent re-testing of the instrument. The post-vibration comprehensive performance test (CPT) was successfully run after completion of the three axes of vibration with the replacement component installed in the instrument. Passing the CPT signified the successful completion of the S/N 202 A1 qualification vibration testing.

Meteorological Satellites (METSAT) and Earth Observing System (EOS) Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL)

Science.gov (United States)

1996-01-01

This Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is for the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) instruments that are being designed and manufactured for the Meteorological Satellites Project (METSAT) and the Earth Observing System (EOS) integrated programs. The FMEA analyzes the design of the METSAT and EOS instruments as they currently exist. This FMEA is intended to identify METSAT and EOS failure modes and their effect on spacecraft-instrument and instrument-component interfaces. The prime objective of this FMEA is to identify potential catastrophic and critical failures so that susceptibility to the failures and their effects can be eliminated from the METSAT/EOS instruments.

Comparative Results of AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS Retrievals Using a Scientifically Equivalent Retrieval Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Susskind, Joel; Kouvaris, Louis; Iredell, Lena

2016-01-01

The AIRS Science Team Version-6 retrieval algorithm is currently producing high quality level-3 Climate Data Records (CDRs) from AIRS/AMSU which are critical for understanding climate processes. The AIRS Science Team is finalizing an improved Version-7 retrieval algorithm to reprocess all old and future AIRS data. AIRS CDRs should eventually cover the period September 2002 through at least 2020. CrIS/ATMS is the only scheduled follow on to AIRS/AMSU. The objective of this research is to prepare for generation of long term CrIS/ATMS CDRs using a retrieval algorithm that is scientifically equivalent to AIRS/AMSU Version-7.

AIRS-only Product on Giovanni for Exploring Up-to-date AIRS Observation and Comparing with AIRS+AMSU Product

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, F.; Hearty, T. J., III; Theobald, M.; Vollmer, B.; Wei, J.

2017-12-01

The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) has been the home of processing, archiving, and distribution services for the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) mission since its launch in 2002 for the global observations of the atmospheric state. Giovanni, a web-based application developed by the GES DISC, provides a simple and intuitive way to visualize, analyze, and access vast amounts of Earth science remote sensing data without having to download the data. Most important variables, including temperature and humidity profiles, outgoing longwave radiation, cloud properties, and trace gases, from version 6 AIRS product are available on Giovanni. The AIRS is an instrument suite comprised of a hyperspectral infrared instrument AIRS and two multichannel microwave instruments, the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB). As the HSB ceased operation in very early stage of AIRS mission, the AIRS project operates two parallel retrieval algorithms: one using both IR and MW measurements (AIRS+AMSU) and the other using only IR measurements (AIRS-only) for the most time of the mission. The AIRS+AMSU product is better and the variables on Giovanni are from it. However, the generation of AIRS+AMSU product has been suspended since the AMSU instrument anomaly occurred in late 2016. To continue exploring up-to-date AIRS observations, the same set of variables from the AIRS-only product are added on Giovanni by the GES DSIC. This will also support the comparison of AIRS-only with AIRS+AMSU retrievals. In the presentation, we will demonstrate the visualization of AIRS-only product and the plots/statistics of comparison with AIRS+AMSU product using Giovanni.

Estimating Sampling Biases and Measurement Uncertainties of AIRS-AMSU-A Temperature and Water Vapor Observations Using MERRA Reanalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hearty, Thomas J.; Savtchenko, Andrey K.; Tian, Baijun; Fetzer, Eric; Yung, Yuk L.; Theobald, Michael; Vollmer, Bruce; Fishbein, Evan; Won, Young-In

2014-01-01

We use MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research Applications) temperature and water vapor data to estimate the sampling biases of climatologies derived from the AIRS/AMSU-A (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A) suite of instruments. We separate the total sampling bias into temporal and instrumental components. The temporal component is caused by the AIRS/AMSU-A orbit and swath that are not able to sample all of time and space. The instrumental component is caused by scenes that prevent successful retrievals. The temporal sampling biases are generally smaller than the instrumental sampling biases except in regions with large diurnal variations, such as the boundary layer, where the temporal sampling biases of temperature can be +/- 2 K and water vapor can be 10% wet. The instrumental sampling biases are the main contributor to the total sampling biases and are mainly caused by clouds. They are up to 2 K cold and greater than 30% dry over mid-latitude storm tracks and tropical deep convective cloudy regions and up to 20% wet over stratus regions. However, other factors such as surface emissivity and temperature can also influence the instrumental sampling bias over deserts where the biases can be up to 1 K cold and 10% wet. Some instrumental sampling biases can vary seasonally and/or diurnally. We also estimate the combined measurement uncertainties of temperature and water vapor from AIRS/AMSU-A and MERRA by comparing similarly sampled climatologies from both data sets. The measurement differences are often larger than the sampling biases and have longitudinal variations.

NOAA Fundamental Climate Data Record (CDR) of AMSU-B and MHS Brightness Temperature, Version 1

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B) and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) brightness temperature (Tb) in "window...

AIRS-AMSU variables-CloudSat cloud mask, radar reflectivities, and cloud classification matchups V3.2

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This is AIRS-CloudSat collocated subset, in NetCDF 4 format. These data contain collocated: AIRS/AMSU retrievals at AMSU footprints, CloudSat radar reflectivities,...

The Impact of AMSU-A Radiance Assimilation in the U.S. Navy's Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Baker, Nancy L; Hogan, T. F; Campbell, W. F; Pauley, R. L; Swadley, S. D

2005-01-01

...) sensor suite onboard NOAA 15 and 16 for NOGAPS. The direct assimilation of AMSU-A radiances replaced the assimilation of ATOVS temperature retrievals produced by NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS...

Analysis of CrIS ATMS and AIRS AMSU Data Using Scientifically Equivalent Retrieval Algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Susskind, Joel; Kouvaris, Louis; Iredell, Lena; Blaisdell, John

2016-01-01

Monthly mean August 2014 Version-6.28 AIRS and CrIS products agree well with OMPS and CERES, and reasonably well with each other. Version-6.28 CrIS total precipitable water is biased dry compared to AIRS. AIRS and CrIS Version-6.36 water vapor products are both improved compared to Version-6.28. Version-6.36 AIRS and CrIS total precipitable water also shows improved agreement with each other. AIRS Version-6.36 total ozone agrees even better with OMPS than does AIRS Version-6.28, and gives reasonable results during polar winter where OMPS does not generate products. CrIS and ATMS are high spectral resolution IR and Microwave atmospheric sounders currently flying on the SNPP satellite, and are also scheduled for flight on future NPOESS satellites. CrIS/ATMS have similar sounding capabilities to those of the AIRS/AMSU sounder suite flying on EOS Aqua. The objective of this research is to develop and implement scientifically equivalent AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS retrieval algorithms with the goal of generating a continuous data record of AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS level-3 data products with a seamless transition between them in time. To achieve this, monthly mean AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS retrieved products, and more importantly their interannual differences, should show excellent agreement with each other. The currently operational AIRS Science Team Version-6 retrieval algorithm has generated 14 years of level-3 data products. A scientifically improved AIRS Version-7 retrieval algorithm is expected to become operational in 2017. We see significant improvements in water vapor and ozone in Version-7 retrieval methodology compared to Version-6.We are working toward finalization and implementation of scientifically equivalent AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS Version-7 retrieval algorithms to be used for the eventual processing of all AIRS/AMSU and CrIS/ATMS data. The latest version of our retrieval algorithm is Verison-6.36, which includes almost all the improvements we want in Version-7

Western disturbances seen with AMSU-B and infrared sensors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

e-mail: dileepmp@unipune.ernet.in. Western .... optic environment of two cases of WD (17 April. 2001, 19 February ... brings out the advantage of AMSU-B (and the scale analysis of ..... KLM users' guide; NOAA US Department of Commerce.

Spatial and Temporal Inter-Relationship between Anomalies and Trends of Temperature, Moisture, Cloud Cover and OLR as Observed by AIRS/AMSU on Aqua

Science.gov (United States)

Susskind, Joel; Molnar, Gyula

2009-01-01

AIRS/AMSU is the advanced IR/MW atmospheric sounding system launched on EOS Aqua in May 2002. Products derived from AIRS/AMSU by the AIRS Science Team include surface skin temperature and atmospheric temperature profiled; atmospheric humidity profiles, fractional cloud clover and cloud top pressure, and OLR. Products covering the period September 2002 through the present have been derived from AIRS/AMSU using the AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm. In this paper, we will show results covering the time period September 2006 - November 2008. This time period is marked by a substantial warming trend of Northern Hemisphere Extra-tropical land surface skin temperatures, as well as pronounced El Nino - La Nina episodes. These both influence the spatial and temporal anomaly patterns of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles, as well as of cloud cover and Clear Sky and All Sky OLR. The relationships between temporal and spatial anomalies of these parameters over this time period, as determined from AIRS/AMSU observations, will be shown with particular emphasis on which contribute significantly to OLR anomalies in each of the tropics and extra-tropics. Results will also be shown to evaluate the anomalies and trends of temperature profiles and OLR as determined from analysis of AIRS/AMSU data. Global and regional trends during the 6 1/3 year time period are not necessarily indicative of what has happened in the past, or what may happen in the future. Nevertheless, the inter-relationships of spatial and temporal anomalies of atmospheric geophysical parameters with those of surface skin temperature are indicative of climate processes, and can be used to test the performance of climate models when driven by changes in surface temperatures.

The Passive Microwave Neural Network Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR) for AMSU/MHS and ATMS cross-track scanning radiometers

Science.gov (United States)

Sano', Paolo; Casella, Daniele; Panegrossi, Giulia; Cinzia Marra, Anna; Dietrich, Stefano

2016-04-01

Spaceborne microwave cross-track scanning radiometers, originally developed for temperature and humidity sounding, have shown great capabilities to provide a significant contribution in precipitation monitoring both in terms of measurement quality and spatial/temporal coverage. The Passive microwave Neural network Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR) algorithm for cross-track scanning radiometers, originally developed for the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit/Microwave Humidity Sounder (AMSU-A/MHS) radiometers (on board the European MetOp and U.S. NOAA satellites), was recently newly designed to exploit the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on board the Suomi-NPP satellite and the future JPSS satellites. The PNPR algorithm is based on the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach. The main PNPR-ATMS algorithm changes with respect to PNPR-AMSU/MHS are the design and implementation of a new ANN able to manage the information derived from the additional ATMS channels (respect to the AMSU-A/MHS radiometer) and a new screening procedure for not-precipitating pixels. In order to achieve maximum consistency of the retrieved surface precipitation, both PNPR algorithms are based on the same physical foundation. The PNPR is optimized for the European and the African area. The neural network was trained using a cloud-radiation database built upon 94 cloud-resolving simulations over Europe and the Mediterranean and over the African area and radiative transfer model simulations of TB vectors consistent with the AMSU-A/MHS and ATMS channel frequencies, viewing angles, and view-angle dependent IFOV sizes along the scan projections. As opposed to other ANN precipitation retrieval algorithms, PNPR uses a unique ANN that retrieves the surface precipitation rate for all types of surface backgrounds represented in the training database, i.e., land (vegetated or arid), ocean, snow/ice or coast. This approach prevents different precipitation estimates from being inconsistent with one

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Monthly CO2 in the free troposphere (AIRS+AMSU) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This is the AIRS mid-tropospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Level 3 Monthly Gridded Retrieval, from the AIRS and AMSU instruments on board of Aqua satellite. It is a...

On the use of AMSU-based products for the description of soil water content at basin scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Manfreda

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Characterizing the dynamics of soil moisture fields is a key issue in hydrology, offering a strategy to improve our understanding of complex climate-soil-vegetation interactions. Besides in-situ measurements and hydrological models, soil moisture dynamics can be inferred by analyzing data acquired by sensors on board of airborne and/or satellite platforms. In this work, we investigated the use of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (NOAA-AMSU-A radiometer for the remote characterization of soil water content. To this aim, a field measurement campaign, lasted about three months (3 March 2010–18 May 2010, was carried out using a portable time-domain reflectometer (TDR to get soil water content measures over five different locations within an experimental basin of 32.5 km², located in the South of Italy. In detail, soil moisture measurements were carried out systematically at the times of satellite overpasses, over two square areas of 400 m², a triangular area of 200 m² and two transects of 60 and 170 m, respectively. Each monitored site is characterized by different land covers and soil textures, to account for spatial heterogeneity of land surface. Afterwards, a more extensive comparison (i.e. analyzing a 5 yr data time series was made using soil moisture simulated by a hydrological model. Measured and modeled soil moisture data were compared with two AMSU-based indices: the Surface Wetness Index (SWI and the Soil Wetness Variation Index (SWVI. Both time series of indices have been filtered by means of an exponential filter to account for the fact that microwave sensors only provide information at the skin surface. This allowed to understand the ability of each satellite-based index to account for soil moisture dynamics and to understand its performances under different conditions. As a general remark, the comparison shows a higher ability of the filtered

S-NPP ATMS Instrument Prelaunch and On-Orbit Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Edward; Lyu, Cheng-Hsuan; Anderson, Kent; Leslie, Vincent R.; Blackwell, William J.

2014-01-01

The first of a new generation of microwave sounders was launched aboard the Suomi-National Polar-Orbiting Partnership satellite in October 2011. The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) combines the capabilities and channel sets of three predecessor sounders into a single package to provide information on the atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles that are the most critical observations needed for numerical weather forecast models. Enhancements include size/mass/power approximately one third of the previous total, three new sounding channels, the first space-based, Nyquist-sampled cross-track microwave temperature soundings for improved fusion with infrared soundings, plus improved temperature control and reliability. This paper describes the ATMS characteristics versus its predecessor, the advanced microwave sounding unit (AMSU), and presents the first comprehensive evaluation of key prelaunch and on-orbit performance parameters. Two-year on-orbit performance shows that the ATMS has maintained very stable radiometric sensitivity, in agreement with prelaunch data, meeting requirements for all channels (with margins of 40% for channels 1-15), and improvements over AMSU-A when processed for equivalent spatial resolution. The radiometric accuracy, determined by analysis from ground test measurements, and using on-orbit instrument temperatures, also shows large margins relative to requirements (specified as ATMS is especially important for this first proto-flight model unit of what will eventually be a series of ATMS sensors providing operational sounding capability for the U.S. and its international partners well into the next decade.

NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of GPS RO-Calibrated AMSU Channel 7 (Temperatures of Troposphere / Stratosphere, TTS), Version 1.0 (Version Superseded)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Data Records (CDR) for Channel 7 contains Radio Occulation (RO) calibrated brightness temperatures from AMSU-A channel 7 measurements at 54.9 GHz from...

Improved Temperature Sounding and Quality Control Methodology Using AIRS/AMSU Data: The AIRS Science Team Version 5 Retrieval Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Susskind, Joel; Blaisdell, John M.; Iredell, Lena; Keita, Fricky

2009-01-01

This paper describes the AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm in terms of its three most significant improvements over the methodology used in the AIRS Science Team Version 4 retrieval algorithm. Improved physics in Version 5 allows for use of AIRS clear column radiances in the entire 4.3 micron CO2 absorption band in the retrieval of temperature profiles T(p) during both day and night. Tropospheric sounding 15 micron CO2 observations are now used primarily in the generation of clear column radiances .R(sub i) for all channels. This new approach allows for the generation of more accurate values of .R(sub i) and T(p) under most cloud conditions. Secondly, Version 5 contains a new methodology to provide accurate case-by-case error estimates for retrieved geophysical parameters and for channel-by-channel clear column radiances. Thresholds of these error estimates are used in a new approach for Quality Control. Finally, Version 5 also contains for the first time an approach to provide AIRS soundings in partially cloudy conditions that does not require use of any microwave data. This new AIRS Only sounding methodology, referred to as AIRS Version 5 AO, was developed as a backup to AIRS Version 5 should the AMSU-A instrument fail. Results are shown comparing the relative performance of the AIRS Version 4, Version 5, and Version 5 AO for the single day, January 25, 2003. The Goddard DISC is now generating and distributing products derived using the AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm. This paper also described the Quality Control flags contained in the DISC AIRS/AMSU retrieval products and their intended use for scientific research purposes.

A Study of Mesoscale Gravity Waves over the North Atlantic with Satellite Observations and a Mesoscale Model

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Dong L.; Zhang, Fuqing

2004-01-01

Satellite microwave data are used to study gravity wave properties and variabilities over the northeastern United States and the North Atlantic in the December-January periods. The gravity waves in this region, found in many winters, can reach the stratopause with growing amplitude. The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) observations show that the wave occurrences are correlated well with the intensity and location of the tropospheric baroclinic jet front systems. To further investigate the cause(s) and properties of the North Atlantic gravity waves, we focus on a series of wave events during 19-21 January 2003 and compare AMSU-A observations to simulations from a mesoscale model (MM5). The simulated gravity waves compare qualitatively well with the satellite observations in terms of wave structures, timing, and overall morphology. Excitation mechanisms of these large-amplitude waves in the troposphere are complex and subject to further investigations.

Implementing a Nurse Manager Profile to Improve Unit Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Krugman, Mary E; Sanders, Carolyn L

2016-06-01

Nurse managers face significant pressures in the rapidly changing healthcare environment. Staying current with multiple sources of data, including reports that detail institutional and unit performance outcomes, is particularly challenging. A Nurse Manager Customized Profile was developed at a western academic hospital to provide a 1-page visual of pertinent data to help managers and director supervisors focus coaching to improve unit performance. Use of the Decisional Involvement Scale provided new insights into measuring manager performance.

Thermal performance of a PCM thermal storage unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Ming; Bruno, Frank; Saman, Wasim [Sustainable Energy Centre, Inst. for Sustainable Systems and Technologies, Univ. of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide (Australia)

2008-07-01

The thermal performance of a PCM thermal storage unit (TSU) is studied numerically and experimentally. The TSU under analysis consists of several flat slabs of phase change material (PCM) with melting temperature of -26.7 C. Liquid heat transfer fluid (HTF) passes between the slabs to charge and discharge the storage unit. A one dimensional mathematical model was employed to analyze the transient thermal behavior of the storage unit during the melting and freezing processes. The model takes into consideration the temperature variations in the wall along the flow direction of the HTF. The paper compares the experimental and numerical simulation results in terms of HTF outlet temperatures during the melting period. (orig.)

Some performance characteristics of a fluidized bed heat recovery unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Militzer, J.; Basu, P.; Adaikkappan, N.

1985-01-01

The advantages of using fluidized bed heat recovery units with diesel engines are well documented. Two of those are: significantly less tube fouling and heat transfer coefficient four to five time higher than that of conventional shell and tube heat exchangers. The high concentration of soot in the exhaust gases of diesel engines make fouling a major concern in design of any kind of heat recovery unit. In the experiment a conventional fluidized bed heat exchanger was connected to the exhaust of a diesel engine mounted on a dynamometer. With this arrangement it was possible to test the heat recovery unit under a wide range of operating conditions. The main objective of this experiment was the determination of the performance characteristics of the heat recovery unit, especially with reference to its heat transfer and fouling characteristics. (author)

NPP ATMS Snowfall Rate Product

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Huan; Ferraro, Ralph; Kongoli, Cezar; Wang, Nai-Yu; Dong, Jun; Zavodsky, Bradley; Yan, Banghua

2015-01-01

Passive microwave measurements at certain high frequencies are sensitive to the scattering effect of snow particles and can be utilized to retrieve snowfall properties. Some of the microwave sensors with snowfall sensitive channels are Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) and Advance Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). ATMS is the follow-on sensor to AMSU and MHS. Currently, an AMSU and MHS based land snowfall rate (SFR) product is running operationally at NOAA/NESDIS. Based on the AMSU/MHS SFR, an ATMS SFR algorithm has been developed recently. The algorithm performs retrieval in three steps: snowfall detection, retrieval of cloud properties, and estimation of snow particle terminal velocity and snowfall rate. The snowfall detection component utilizes principal component analysis and a logistic regression model. The model employs a combination of temperature and water vapor sounding channels to detect the scattering signal from falling snow and derive the probability of snowfall (Kongoli et al., 2015). In addition, a set of NWP model based filters is also employed to improve the accuracy of snowfall detection. Cloud properties are retrieved using an inversion method with an iteration algorithm and a two-stream radiative transfer model (Yan et al., 2008). A method developed by Heymsfield and Westbrook (2010) is adopted to calculate snow particle terminal velocity. Finally, snowfall rate is computed by numerically solving a complex integral. NCEP CMORPH analysis has shown that integration of ATMS SFR has improved the performance of CMORPH-Snow. The ATMS SFR product is also being assessed at several NWS Weather Forecast Offices for its usefulness in weather forecast.

A PERFORMANCE MODELING AND DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR A FEED WATER UNIT OF A THERMAL POWER PLANT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Gupta

2012-01-01

Full Text Available

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The present paper discusses the performance modeling and decision support system for a feed water unit of a thermal power plant using the concept of performance analysis and modeling. A feed water unit ensures a proper supply of water for the sound functioning of a thermal power plant. The decision support system for a feed water unit has been developed with the help of performance modeling using a probabilistic approach. After drawing a transition diagram, differential equations are generated. After that, steady state probabilities are determined. Some decision matrices are also developed, which provide various performance levels for different combinations of failure and repair rates of all subsystems. Based upon various availability values obtained in decision matrices and plots of failure rates / repair rates of various subsystems, the performance of each subsystem is analyzed, and maintenance decisions are made for all subsystems.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vertoningsanalise en –modellering word gedoen vir die toevoerwatersisteem van ‘n termiese kragstasie. Toevoerwater is ‘n belangrike factor vir die doeltreffende bedryf van ‘n kragstasie. Die vertoningsanalise en –model is probalisties van aard. ‘n Toestandoorgangsdiagram en bypassende differensiaalvergelykings word gebruik, gevolg deur bepaling van die bestandige sisteemtoestand. Bykomende aandag word gegee aan relevante subsisteme. Die vertoning van subsisteme word gebasseer op verskeie beskikbaarheidswaardes om sodoende instandhouding to optimiseer.

Cooling tower performance improvements for a cycling PC-fired unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keckritz, M.; Thelen, A.

1997-01-01

The inevitable deregulation of the electric utility industry has caused many electric utility companies to look closely at their existing assets and predict what role these units will play in the future. Reducing a unit's production cost is the best way to prepare for the deregulated market but this benefit often comes with an associated capital expenditure. Spending capital dollars today can pose a quandary for an investor-owned utility committed to maintaining low consumer rates. The dilemma is: How does a utility improve its competitiveness position today while ensuring that the shareholders are getting a fair return on their investment when any fuel savings are passed through to the consumer? Illinois Power (IP) has been aggressively looking to improve their current competitive position while facing the current regulatory challenges. Studies have been commissioned to identify the most attractive cost reduction opportunities available. One study identified that improving the performance of the Unit 6 cooling tower at the Havana Station would be a very economically attractive option. This paper addresses the economics of refurbishing a cooling tower for a cycling pulverized-coal (PC) unit to provide a competitive advantage leading into the deregulated electricity market

Development of a system for automatic control and performance evaluation of shutoff units in HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Y. H.; Joe, Y. G.; Choi, Y. S.; Woo, J. S.

2003-01-01

The function of the shutoff units is to rapidly insert the shutoff rod into the reactor core for safe shutdown of reactor. This paper describes the development of a system for automatic control and performance evaluation of shutoff units. The system automatically drives the shutoff unit with a specified operation cycle and records the performance of the drive mechanism in graphs and data. Also, it records the operating parameters of the shutoff unit and test facility. The characteristic of the developed system was evaluated to compare with that being use in the HANARO reactor. The system will be used for the performance and endurance tests in the test facility. Hereafter, the system will efficiently be used for the normal operation and the periodical drop performance tests of shutoff units in HANARO

Accountability in public health units: using a modified nominal group technique to develop a balanced scorecard for performance measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Victoria A; Hunter, Duncan; Shortt, Samuel E D

2003-01-01

Little attention has been paid to the need for accountability instruments applicable across all health units in the public health system. One tool, the balanced scorecard was created for industry and has been successfully adapted for use in Ontario hospitals. It consists of 4 quadrants: financial performance, outcomes, customer satisfaction and organizational development. The aim of the present study was to determine if a modified nominal group technique could be used to reach consensus among public health unit staff and public health specialists in Ontario about the components of a balanced scorecard for public health units. A modified nominal group technique consensus method was used with the public health unit staff in 6 Eastern Ontario health units (n=65) and public health specialists (n=18). 73.8% of the public health unit personnel from all six health units in the eastern Ontario region participated in the survey of potential indicators. A total of 74 indicators were identified in each of the 4 quadrants: program performance (n=44); financial performance (n=11); public perceptions (n=11); and organizational performance (n=8). The modified nominal group technique was a successful method of incorporating the views of public health personnel and specialists in the development of a balanced scorecard for public health.

Aqua AIRS Level 3 Quantization in Physical Units (AIRS+AMSU) V006

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — AIRS/Aqua Level 3 monthly quantization product in physical units (Without HSB). The quantization products (QP) are distributional summaries derived from the Level-2...

Assessing the Relative Performance of Microwave-Based Satellite Rain Rate Retrievals Using TRMM Ground Validation Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, David B.; Fisher, Brad L.

2011-01-01

Space-borne microwave sensors provide critical rain information used in several global multi-satellite rain products, which in turn are used for a variety of important studies, including landslide forecasting, flash flood warning, data assimilation, climate studies, and validation of model forecasts of precipitation. This study employs four years (2003-2006) of satellite data to assess the relative performance and skill of SSM/I (F13, F14 and F15), AMSU-B (N15, N16 and N17), AMSR-E (Aqua) and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) in estimating surface rainfall based on direct instantaneous comparisons with ground-based rain estimates from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Ground Validation (GV) sites at Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands (KWAJ) and Melbourne, Florida (MELB). The relative performance of each of these satellite estimates is examined via comparisons with space- and time-coincident GV radar-based rain rate estimates. Because underlying surface terrain is known to affect the relative performance of the satellite algorithms, the data for MELB was further stratified into ocean, land and coast categories using a 0.25deg terrain mask. Of all the satellite estimates compared in this study, TMI and AMSR-E exhibited considerably higher correlations and skills in estimating/observing surface precipitation. While SSM/I and AMSU-B exhibited lower correlations and skills for each of the different terrain categories, the SSM/I absolute biases trended slightly lower than AMSR-E over ocean, where the observations from both emission and scattering channels were used in the retrievals. AMSU-B exhibited the least skill relative to GV in all of the relevant statistical categories, and an anomalous spike was observed in the probability distribution functions near 1.0 mm/hr. This statistical artifact appears to be related to attempts by algorithm developers to include some lighter rain rates, not easily detectable by its scatter-only frequencies. AMSU

Generating units performances: power system requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fourment, C; Girard, N; Lefebvre, H

1994-08-01

The part of generating units within the power system is more than providing power and energy. Their performance are not only measured by their energy efficiency and availability. Namely, there is a strong interaction between the generating units and the power system. The units are essential components of the system: for a given load profile the frequency variation follows directly from the behaviour of the units and their ability to adapt their power output. In the same way, the voltage at the units terminals are the key points to which the voltage profile at each node of the network is linked through the active and especially the reactive power flows. Therefore, the customer will experience the frequency and voltage variations induced by the units behaviour. Moreover, in case of adverse conditions, if the units do not operate as well as expected or trip, a portion of the system, may be the whole system, may collapse. The limitation of the performance of a unit has two kinds of consequences. Firstly, it may result in an increased amount of not supplied energy or loss of load probability: for example if the primary reserve is not sufficient, a generator tripping may lead to an abnormal frequency deviation, and load may have to be shed to restore the balance. Secondly, the limitation of a unit performance results in an economic over-cost for the system: for instance, if not enough `cheap` units are able to load-following, other units with higher operating costs have to be started up. We would like to stress the interest for the operators and design teams of the units on the one hand, and the operators and design teams of the system on the other hand, of dialog and information exchange, in operation but also at the conception stage, in order to find a satisfactory compromise between the system requirements and the consequences for the generating units. (authors). 11 refs., 4 figs.

A Performance Evaluation of Diagnostic X-ray Unit Depends on the Hospitals Size

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Ju Hun [Kaya University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Im, In Chul [Gwangju Health College University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Dong, Kyung Rae [Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Se Sik [College of Health Science, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2009-03-15

The purpose of this study is to measure the tube voltage, the tube current/volume, exposure time and exposure dose of diagnostic X-ray unit in each doctor offices, hospitals and general hospitals for evaluating the performance of such device, to learn the method and technology of its measurement and to suggest its importance. Research subjects were total 30 X-ray units and divided into groups of 10 X-ray units each. The tube voltage, the tube current/volume, exposure time and exposure dose were measured using percentage average error, and then reproducibility of exposure dose was measured through calculating coefficient of variation. The results are like followings; The tube voltage correctness examination showed that incongruent devices among total 30 X-ray units were 5 devices (16.7%). The tube current correctness examination showed that incongruent X-ray units were 3 devices (10.0%). The tube current volume correctness examination showed that incongruent X-ray units were 4 devices (13.3%). Finally, according to exposure time correctness examination, incongruent X-ray units were 5 devices (16.7%) and according to reproducibility examination of exposure dose, incongruent X-ray units were 7 devices (23.3%). Above results showed serious problem in performance management based on management regulation of diagnostic X-ray unit; it means that regular checkout and safety management are required, and as doing so, patients will be able to receive good quality of medical service by the reduction of radiation exposure time, image quality administration, unnecessary retake and etc. Therefore, this study suggests that the performance of diagnostic X-ray units should be checked regularly

A Performance Evaluation of Diagnostic X-ray Unit Depends on the Hospitals Size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ju Hun; Im, In Chul; Dong, Kyung Rae; Kang, Se Sik

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to measure the tube voltage, the tube current/volume, exposure time and exposure dose of diagnostic X-ray unit in each doctor offices, hospitals and general hospitals for evaluating the performance of such device, to learn the method and technology of its measurement and to suggest its importance. Research subjects were total 30 X-ray units and divided into groups of 10 X-ray units each. The tube voltage, the tube current/volume, exposure time and exposure dose were measured using percentage average error, and then reproducibility of exposure dose was measured through calculating coefficient of variation. The results are like followings; The tube voltage correctness examination showed that incongruent devices among total 30 X-ray units were 5 devices (16.7%). The tube current correctness examination showed that incongruent X-ray units were 3 devices (10.0%). The tube current volume correctness examination showed that incongruent X-ray units were 4 devices (13.3%). Finally, according to exposure time correctness examination, incongruent X-ray units were 5 devices (16.7%) and according to reproducibility examination of exposure dose, incongruent X-ray units were 7 devices (23.3%). Above results showed serious problem in performance management based on management regulation of diagnostic X-ray unit; it means that regular checkout and safety management are required, and as doing so, patients will be able to receive good quality of medical service by the reduction of radiation exposure time, image quality administration, unnecessary retake and etc. Therefore, this study suggests that the performance of diagnostic X-ray units should be checked regularly

Drop performance test and evaluation for HANARO shutoff units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Y. H.; Cho, Y. K.; Lee, J. H.; Choi, Y. S.; Woo, J. S.

2004-01-01

The function of the shutoff units of the HANARO is to rapidly insert the shutoff rod into the reactor core for safe shutdown of reactor. This paper describes drop performance test and evaluation for a shutoff unit for the technical verification of lifetime extension and localization of the HANARO shutoff units. We have performed preliminary drop performance tests for a shutoff unit at 1/2-core test loop and analyzed through the comparison with the test results performed during design verification test and the results of the periodic performance test in HANARO. It shows that the results of the local fabrication, installation and alignment for the shutoff unit meet the basic performance requirements, Furthermore, the performance evaluation method of the periodic drop test of the HANARO shutoff units is a conservative method comparing with the real drop time

Thermal performance analysis of a phase change thermal storage unit for space heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halawa, E.; Saman, W. [Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes SA 5095 (Australia)

2011-01-15

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive numerical study on the thermal performance of an air based phase change thermal storage unit (TSU) for space heating. The unit is designed for integration into space heating and cooling systems. The unit consists of a number of one dimensional phase change material (PCM) slabs contained in a rectangular duct where air passes between the slabs. The numerical analysis was based on an experimentally validated model. A parametric study has been carried out including the study on the effects of charge and discharge temperature differences, air mass flow rate, slab thicknesses, air gaps and slab dimensions on the air outlet temperatures and heat transfer rates of the thermal storage unit. The paper introduces and discusses quantities called charge and discharge temperature differences which play an important role in the melting and freezing processes. (author)

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Pentad quantization in physical units (AIRS+AMSU) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — AIRS/Aqua Level 3 pentad quantization product in physical units (Without HSB). The geophysical parameters have been averaged and binned into 1 x 1 deg grid cells,...

Economic, energy and GHG emissions performance evaluation of a WhisperGen Mk IV Stirling engine μ-CHP unit in a domestic dwelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conroy, G.; Duffy, A.; Ayompe, L.M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The performance of a Stirling engine MK IV micro-CHP unit was evaluated in a domestic dwelling in Ireland. • The performance of the micro-CHP was compare to that of a condensing gas boiler. • The micro-CHP unit resulted in an annual cost saving of €180 compared to the condensing gas boiler. • Electricity imported from the grid decreased by 20.8% while CO 2 emissions decreased by 16.1%. • The micro-CHP unit used 2889 kW h of gas more than the condensing gas boiler during one year of operation. - Abstract: This paper presents an assessment of the energy, economic and greenhouse gas emissions performances of a WhisperGen Mk IV Stirling engine μ-CHP unit for use in a conventional house in the Republic of Ireland. The energy performance data used in this study was obtained from a field trial carried out in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the period June 2004–July 2005 by Northern Ireland Electricity and Phoenix Gas working in collaboration with Whispertech UK. A comparative performance analysis between the μ-CHP unit and a condensing gas boiler revealed that the μ-CHP unit resulted in an annual cost saving of €180 with an incremental simple payback period of 13.8 years when compared to a condensing gas boiler. Electricity imported from the grid decreased by 20.8% while CO 2 emissions decreased by 16.1%. The μ-CHP unit used 2889 kW h of gas more than the condensing gas boiler

Real-time performance assessment and adaptive control for a water chiller unit in an HVAC system

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Jianbo; Li, Yang; Chen, Jianhao

2018-02-01

The paper proposes an adaptive control method for a water chiller unit in a HVAC system. Based on the minimum variance evaluation, the adaptive control method was used to realize better control of the water chiller unit. To verify the performance of the adaptive control method, the proposed method was compared with an a conventional PID controller, the simulation results showed that adaptive control method had superior control performance to that of the conventional PID controller.

Human resource management and unit performance in knowledge-intensive work.

Science.gov (United States)

Kehoe, Rebecca R; Collins, Christopher J

2017-08-01

To clarify the potential value of a targeted system of human resource (HR) practices, we explore the unique effects of a relationship-oriented HR system and the more commonly studied high commitment HR system on unit performance in the context of knowledge-intensive work. We develop theoretical arguments suggesting that the high commitment HR system contributes to unit performance through its positive effects on employees' collective organizational commitment, general and firm-specific human capital, and access to knowledge. We argue that the relationship-oriented HR system contributes to unit performance through its positive effects on employees' collective access to knowledge by fostering a social context and interpersonal exchange conditions which support employees' ongoing access to knowledge flows within and outside their unit and broader organization. Based on unit-level data collected from a matched sample of employees and managers in 128 units in the science and engineering division of a large hydroelectric power organization, our results suggest that the targeted, relationship-oriented HR system is related to firm performance and may complement a broader, high commitment approach to managing knowledge workers. Specifically, the positive relationship between the high commitment HR system and unit performance is mediated by employees' collective organizational commitment, firm-specific human capital, and access to knowledge in other organizational units; whereas the positive relationship between the relationship-oriented HR system and unit performance is mediated by units' access to knowledge within the unit, in other units, and outside the organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Benchmarking in pathology: development of a benchmarking complexity unit and associated key performance indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Neil, Amanda; Pfeffer, Sally; Burnett, Leslie

2013-01-01

This paper details the development of a new type of pathology laboratory productivity unit, the benchmarking complexity unit (BCU). The BCU provides a comparative index of laboratory efficiency, regardless of test mix. It also enables estimation of a measure of how much complex pathology a laboratory performs, and the identification of peer organisations for the purposes of comparison and benchmarking. The BCU is based on the theory that wage rates reflect productivity at the margin. A weighting factor for the ratio of medical to technical staff time was dynamically calculated based on actual participant site data. Given this weighting, a complexity value for each test, at each site, was calculated. The median complexity value (number of BCUs) for that test across all participating sites was taken as its complexity value for the Benchmarking in Pathology Program. The BCU allowed implementation of an unbiased comparison unit and test listing that was found to be a robust indicator of the relative complexity for each test. Employing the BCU data, a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were developed, including three that address comparative organisational complexity, analytical depth and performance efficiency, respectively. Peer groups were also established using the BCU combined with simple organisational and environmental metrics. The BCU has enabled productivity statistics to be compared between organisations. The BCU corrects for differences in test mix and workload complexity of different organisations and also allows for objective stratification into peer groups.

AIRS/Aqua Level 3 Pentad quantization in physical units (AIRS+AMSU+HSB) V005

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — AIRS/Aqua Level 3 pentad quantization product in physical units (With HSB). The quantization products (QP) are distributional summaries derived from the Level-2...

Mediterranean hurricanes: large-scale environment and convective and precipitating areas from satellite microwave observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Claud

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Subsynoptic scale vortices that have been likened to tropical cyclones or polar lows (medicanes are occasionally observed over the Mediterranean Sea. Generated over the sea, they are usually associated with strong winds and heavy precipitation and thus can be highly destructive in islands and costal areas. Only an accurate forecasting of such systems could mitigate these effects. However, at the moment, the predictability of these systems remains limited.

Due to the scarcity of conventional observations, use is made of NOAA/MetOp satellite observations, for which advantage can be taken of the time coverage differences between the platforms that carry it, to give a very complete temporal description of the disturbances. A combination of AMSU-B (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B/MHS (Microwave Humidity Sounder observations permit to investigate precipitation associated with these systems while coincident AMSU-A (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A observations give insights into the larger synoptic-scale environment in which they occur.

Three different cases (in terms of intensity, location, trajectory, duration, and periods of the year – May, September and December, respectively were investigated. Throughout these time periods, AMSU-A observations show that the persisting deep outflow of cold air over the sea together with an upper-level trough upstream constituted a favourable environment for the development of medicanes. AMSU-B/MHS based diagnostics show that convection and precipitation areas are large in the early stage of the low, but significantly reduced afterwards. Convection is maximum just after the upper-level trough, located upstream of cold mid-tropospheric air, reached its maximum intensity and acquired a cyclonic orientation.

Survey of regulatory agency review of generating unit performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roach, E.M. Jr.; Tarletz, D.B.

1985-01-01

Regulatory agencies across the country are being called upon increasingly to monitor the management of electric utilities. Such activity, which once was relatively rare, is now common. Most frequently this oversight centers around the operating performance of generating units, both nuclear and fossil. There are, perhaps, several reasons for this increased interest in the efficient operation of generating units: increased fuel costs and fuel cost differentials, increased lead times and costs for construction of new generating units, and increased dependence on existing units because of construction programs being revised to meet decreased load growth. The monitoring of generating units has taken the form of after the fact evaluation of performance on a case-by-case basis and the implementation of productivity incentive programs. Performance standards are used in these contexts both to measure the adequacy of unit performance and to implement incentives in the form of rewards or penalties. The standard used may be a subjective test of prudent performance or some numerical index of plant performance, e.g., equivalent availability, capacity factor or heat rate. Some of the activity by regulators is reviewed in applying subjective and numerical standards and the considerations involved in applying such standards are discussed

Assessment of Two Types of Observations (SATWND and GPSRO) for the Operational Global 4DVAR System

Science.gov (United States)

Leng, H.

2017-12-01

The performance of a data assimilation system is significantly dependent on the quality and quantity of observations assimilated. In these years, more and more satellite observations have been applied in many operational assimilation systems. In this paper, the assessment of satellite-derived winds (SATWND) and GPS radio occultation (GPSRO) bending angles has been performed using a range of diagnostics. The main positive impacts are made when satellite-derived cloud data (GOES cloud data and MODIS cloud data) is assimilated, but benefit is hardly obtained from GPSRO data in the Operational Global 4DVAR System. In a full system configuration, the assimilation of satellite-derived observations is globally beneficial on the analysis, and the benefit can be well propagated into the forecast. The assimilation of the GPSRO observations has a slightly positive impact in the Tropics, but is neutral in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern Hemisphere. To assess the synergies of satellite-derived observations with other types of observation, experiments assimilating satellite-derived data and AMSU-A and AMSU-B observations were run. The results show that the analysis increments structure is not modified when AMSU-A and AMSU-B observations are also assimilated. This suggests that the impact of satellite-derived observations is not limited by the large impact of satellite radiance observations.

Performance and burnout in intensive care units

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keijsers, GJ; Schaufeli, WB; LeBlanc, P; Zwerts, C; Miranda, DR

1995-01-01

The relationship between three different performance measures and burnout was explored in 20 Dutch Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Burnout (i.e. emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) proved to be significantly related to nurses' perceptions of performance as well as to objectively assessed unit

Development of a unit cell model for interim performance assessment of vitrified low level waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kline, N.W.

1995-09-01

The unit cell modeling approach has been developed and used in analysis of some design options for a vitrified low level waste disposal facility. The unit cell modeling approach is likely to be useful in interim performance assessment for the facility. The present unit cell model will probably need to be refitted in terms of some model parameters for the latter purpose. Two present disposal facility concepts differ in the length of a capillary barrier proposed to limit effective recharge through the top of the facility. Results of the study summarized herein suggest design of a capillary barrier which can reduce a recharge rate of 0.1 cm/yr by one or two orders of magnitude seems feasible for both concepts. A benchmark comparison of the unit cell model against a full facility model shows comparable predictive accuracy in less than one percent of the computer time. Results suggest that model parameters include capillary barrier performance, inter-canister spacing, rate of moisture withdrawal due to glass corrosion, contaminant inventory, and the well interceptor factor. It is also important that variations of waste form hydraulic parameters suggest that transport through the waste form is dominated by diffusion

Environmental Measurements Laboratory 2002 Unit Performance Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2001-10-01

This EML Unit Performance Plan provides the key goals and performance measures for FY 2002 and continuing to FY 2003. The purpose of the Plan is to inform EML's stakeholders and customers of the Laboratory's products and services, and its accomplishments and future challenges. Also incorporated in the Unit Performance Plan is EML's Communication Plan for FY 2002.

Thermal performance of a multiple PCM thermal storage unit for free cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosaffa, A.H.; Infante Ferreira, C.A.; Talati, F.; Rosen, M.A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Numerical analysis on the performance of a thermal storages as free cooling system. ► Employing multiple PCMs to enhance heat transfer rate in thermal storages. ► Using an effective heat capacity method, the phase change parameters are determined. ► The effect of the slabs size and air channel thickness on COP is investigated. - Abstract: As demand for refrigeration and air conditioning increased during the last decade, the opportunities have expanded for using thermal energy storage (TES) systems in an economically advantageous manner in place of conventional cooling plants. Many cool storage systems use phase change materials (PCMs) and achieve peak load shifting in buildings. This work presents numerical investigations of the performance enhancement of a free cooling system using a TES unit employing multiple PCMs. The TES unit is composed of a number of rectangular channels for the flowing heat transfer fluid, separated by PCM slabs. Using the effective heat capacity method, the melting and solidification of the PCM is solved. The forced convective heat transfer inside the channels is analyzed by solving the energy equation, which is coupled with the heat conduction equation in the container wall. The effect of design parameters such as PCM slab length, thickness and fluid passage gap on the storage performance is also investigated using an energy based optimization. The results show that a system which can guarantee comfort conditions for the climate of Tabriz, Iran has an optimum COP of 7.0. This could be achieved by a combination of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O with RT25 with the optimum air channel thickness of 3.2 mm, length of 1.3 m and PCM slab thickness of 10 mm

Discrete Optimization of Internal Part Structure via SLM Unit Structure-Performance Database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Tang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The structural optimization of the internal structure of parts based on three-dimensional (3D printing has been recognized as being important in the field of mechanical design. The purpose of this paper is to present a creation of a unit structure-performance database based on the selective laser melting (SLM, which contains various structural units with different functions and records their structure and performance characteristics so that we can optimize the internal structure of parts directly, according to the database. The method of creating the unit structure-performance database was introduced in this paper and several structural units of the unit structure-performance database were introduced. The bow structure unit was used to show how to create the structure-performance database of the unit as an example. Some samples of the bow structure unit were designed and manufactured by SLM. These samples were tested in the WDW-100 compression testing machine to obtain their performance characteristics. After this, the paper collected all data regarding unit structure parameters, weight, performance characteristics, and other data; and, established a complete set of data from the bow structure unit for the unit structure-performance database. Furthermore, an aircraft part was reconstructed conveniently to be more lightweight according to the unit structure-performance database. Its weight was reduced by 36.8% when compared with the original structure, while the strength far exceeded the requirements.

A study of the reverse cycle defrosting performance on a multi-circuit outdoor coil unit in an air source heat pump – Part I: Experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu, Minglu; Xia, Liang; Deng, Shiming; Jiang, Yiqiang

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We experimental study the defrosting performance on a multi-circuit outdoor coil unit in an ASHP unit. ► We find that defrosting is quicker on the airside of upper circuits than that on the lower circuits. ► We discuss the effects of downwards flowing of the melted frost along the outdoor coil surface on defrosting performance. -- Abstract: When an air source heat pump (ASHP) unit operates in heating mode, frost can be accumulated on the surface of its finned outdoor coil which normally has multiple parallel circuits on its refrigerant side for minimized refrigerant pressure loss and enhanced heat transfer efficiency. On its airside, however, there is usually no segmentation corresponding to the number of refrigerant circuit. Frosting deteriorates the operation and energy efficiency of the ASHP unit and periodic defrosting becomes necessary. Currently the most widely used standard defrosting method for ASHPs is reverse cycle defrost. This paper, the first part of a two-part series, reports on the experimental part of a study of the reverse cycle defrosting performance on a multi-circuit outdoor coil unit in an experimental 6.5 kW heating capacity residential ASHP unit. Firstly the experimental ASHP unit is described and experimental procedures detailed. Secondly, the experimental results are reported. This is followed by the discussion on the effects of downwards flowing of the melted frost along a multi-circuit outdoor coil surface on defrosting performance. Finally, the evaluation of the defrosting efficiency for the experimental ASHP unit is provided. In the second part of the series, a modeling analysis on the effects of downwards flowing of the melted frost along the multi-circuit outdoor coil surface on defrosting performance of the experimental ASHP unit will be presented.

The operating performance tests of power unit A1 in HPP 'Zvornik' in load-frequency control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanojčić Vladimir

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The turbine-governing system characteristics derived from testing hydropower unit A1 in HPP 'Zvornik' are presented. These tests give insights into the setup state and parameters of the governing system, as well as the qualitative analysis of load-frequency control response of the case study power unit within the power system of Serbia. Verification of relevant turbine-governing parameters was performed by direct application of appropriate standards and policies. The presented results can be used as a basis for the derivation of a turbine governor mathematical model and for a complete mathematical model of a hydropower unit as an element embedded in the power system.

Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). Engineering Test Report: METSAT A1 Signal Processor (P/N: 1331670-2, S/N: F04)

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, D.

1998-01-01

This report presents a description of the tests performed, and the test data, for the A1 METSAT Signal Processor Assembly PN: 1331679-2, S/N F04. The assembly was tested in accordance with AE-26754, "METSAT Signal Processor Scan Drive Test and Integration Procedure." The objective is to demonstrate functionality of the signal processor prior to instrument integration.

A deterministic approach for performance assessment and optimization of power distribution units in Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azadeh, A.; Ghaderi, S.F.; Omrani, H.

2009-01-01

This paper presents a deterministic approach for performance assessment and optimization of power distribution units in Iran. The deterministic approach is composed of data envelopment analysis (DEA), principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation techniques. Seventeen electricity distribution units have been considered for the purpose of this study. Previous studies have generally used input-output DEA models for benchmarking and evaluation of electricity distribution units. However, this study considers an integrated deterministic DEA-PCA approach since the DEA model should be verified and validated by a robust multivariate methodology such as PCA. Moreover, the DEA models are verified and validated by PCA, Spearman and Kendall's Tau correlation techniques, while previous studies do not have the verification and validation features. Also, both input- and output-oriented DEA models are used for sensitivity analysis of the input and output variables. Finally, this is the first study to present an integrated deterministic approach for assessment and optimization of power distributions in Iran

A Web Service Tool (SOAR) for the Dynamic Generation of L1 Grids of Coincident AIRS, AMSU and MODIS Satellite Sounding Radiance Data for Climate Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Halem, M.; Yesha, Y.; Tilmes, C.; Chapman, D.; Goldberg, M.; Zhou, L.

2007-05-01

Three decades of Earth remote sensing from NASA, NOAA and DOD operational and research satellites carrying successive generations of improved atmospheric sounder instruments have resulted in petabytes of radiance data with varying spatial and spectral resolutions being stored at different data archives in various data formats by the respective agencies. This evolution of sounders and the diversities of these archived data sets have led to data processing obstacles limiting the science community from readily accessing and analyzing such long-term climate data records. We address this problem by the development of a web based Service Oriented Atmospheric Radiance (SOAR) system built on the SOA paradigm that makes it practical for the science community to dynamically access, manipulate and generate long term records of L1 pre-gridded sounding radiances of coincident multi-sensor data for regions specified according to user chosen criteria. SOAR employs a modification of the standard Client Server interactions that allows users to represent themselves directly to the Process Server through their own web browsers. The browser uses AJAX to request Javascript libraries and DHTML interfaces that define the possible client interactions and communicates the SOAP messages to the Process server allowing for dynamic web dialogs with the user to take place on the fly. The Process Server is also connected to an underlying high performance compute cluster and storage system which provides much of the data processing capabilities required to service the client requests. The compute cluster employs optical communications to NOAA and NASA for accessing the data and under the governance of the Process Server invokes algorithms for on-demand spatial, temporal, and spectral gridding. Scientists can choose from a variety of statistical averaging techniques for compositing satellite observed sounder radiances from the AIRS, AMSU or MODIS instruments to form spatial-temporal grids for

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-01-01

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

A Demonstration of an Improved Filtering Technique for Analyzing Climate Records via Comparisons of Satellite MSU/AMSU Instrument Temperature Products from Three Research Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, R. E.

2017-12-01

Climate data records typically exhibit considerable variation over short time scales both from natural variability and from instrumentation issues. The use of linear least squares regression can provide overall trend information from noisy data, however assessing intermediate time periods can also provide useful information unavailable from basic trend calculations. Extracting the short term information in these data for assessing changes to climate or for comparison of data series from different sources requires the application of filters to separate short period variations from longer period trends. A common method used to smooth data is the moving average, which is a simple digital filter that can distort the resulting series due to the aliasing of the sampling period into the output series. We utilized Hamming filters to compare MSU/AMSU satellite time series developed by three research groups (UAH, RSS and NOAA STAR), the results published in January 2017 [http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JTECH-D-16-0121.1]. Since the last release date (July 2016) for the data analyzed in that paper, some of these groups have updated their analytical procedures and additional months of data are available to extend the series. An updated analysis of these data using the latest data releases available from each group is to be presented. Improved graphics will be employed to provide a clearer visualization of the differences between each group's results. As in the previous paper, the greatest difference between the UAH TMT series and those from the RSS and NOAA data appears during the early period of data from the MSU instruments before about 2003, as shown in the attached figure, and preliminary results indicate this pattern continues. Also to be presented are other findings regarding seasonal changes which were not included in the previous study.

The Use of Performance Based Funding in a Sport Organization: A Case Study of the United States Olympic Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2009-08-01

description and analysis of a single instance, phenomenon, or social unit (Merriam, 1998). Management by Objective (MBO). A control system designed to...theoretical principles of performance based funding instead of testing a hypothesis, my epistemology will be constructivist. Constructionism Maynard...operate. This constitutes a vital epistemological position that constructionism takes in relation to the interaction between the investigator and

An Algorithm to Generate Deep-Layer Temperatures from Microwave Satellite Observations for the Purpose of Monitoring Climate Change. Revised

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, Mitchell D.; Fleming, Henry E.

1994-01-01

An algorithm for generating deep-layer mean temperatures from satellite-observed microwave observations is presented. Unlike traditional temperature retrieval methods, this algorithm does not require a first guess temperature of the ambient atmosphere. By eliminating the first guess a potentially systematic source of error has been removed. The algorithm is expected to yield long-term records that are suitable for detecting small changes in climate. The atmospheric contribution to the deep-layer mean temperature is given by the averaging kernel. The algorithm computes the coefficients that will best approximate a desired averaging kernel from a linear combination of the satellite radiometer's weighting functions. The coefficients are then applied to the measurements to yield the deep-layer mean temperature. Three constraints were used in deriving the algorithm: (1) the sum of the coefficients must be one, (2) the noise of the product is minimized, and (3) the shape of the approximated averaging kernel is well-behaved. Note that a trade-off between constraints 2 and 3 is unavoidable. The algorithm can also be used to combine measurements from a future sensor (i.e., the 20-channel Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU)) to yield the same averaging kernel as that based on an earlier sensor (i.e., the 4-channel Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU)). This will allow a time series of deep-layer mean temperatures based on MSU measurements to be continued with AMSU measurements. The AMSU is expected to replace the MSU in 1996.

Performance of a system with full- and pilot-scale sludge drying reed bed units treating septic tank sludge in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón-Vallejo, Luisa Fernanda; Andrade, Cynthia Franco; Manjate, Elias Sete; Madera-Parra, Carlos Arturo; von Sperling, Marcos

2015-01-01

This study investigated the performance of sludge drying reed beds (SDRB) at full- and pilot-scale treating sludge from septic tanks in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The treatment units, planted with Cynodon spp., were based on an adaptation of the first-stage of the French vertical-flow constructed wetland, originally developed for treating sewage. Two different operational phases were investigated; in the first one, the full-scale unit was used together with six pilot-scale columns in order to test different feeding strategies. For the second phase, only the full-scale unit was used, including a recirculation of the filtered effluent (percolate) to one of the units of the French vertical wetland. Sludge application was done once a week emptying a full truck, during 25 weeks. The sludge was predominantly diluted, leading to low solids loading rates (median values of 18 kgTS m(-2) year(-1)). Chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency in the full-scale unit was reasonable (median of 71%), but the total solids removal was only moderate (median of 44%) in the full-scale unit without recirculation. Recirculation did not bring substantial improvements in the overall performance. The other loading conditions implemented in the pilot columns also did not show statistically different performances.

Design and Performance Evaluation of a Combined DHX unit for SFR Design Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eoh, Jaehyuk; Kim, Dehee; Park, Chang-Gyu; Jeong, Ji-Young

2015-01-01

Based on a higher operating temperature with excellent thermal conductivity and larger thermal inertia of liquid sodium coolant, the SFR system has employed passive safety systems to ensure reliable decay heat removal (DHR) and consequential plant safety enhancement. Although a passive type DHR system has many advantages over an active one, designing a well coordinated passive system is usually more difficult than designing an effective active system. This is mainly because a cooling flow control is made directly by the system designer in an active system, while it is determined automatically by an intricate balance between the flow head loss and natural circulation head generation obtained from the density difference through the whole thermal flow system. To this end, securing a sufficient natural-circulation flow becomes one of the primary challenges for designing a reliable and successful Dh system in passive. In a current pool-type Sf design, an internal cooling flow path from the hot sodium pool to the cold pool is somewhat ambiguous owing to the split flow ratio formed in parallel paths between the intermediate heat exchangers (IHXs) and decay heat exchangers (DHXs), which results in a large uncertainty in the DHX shell-side flowrate and corresponding heat transfer to the DHR sodium loops. To improve passive the DHR performance, we proposed a new design concept with a simplified flow path from the hot pool to the cold pool through a unified flow path serially passing the DHX and IHX units. The present study aims at introducing the innovative design concept of the combined IHX-DHX unit and evaluating its design features in view of the heat transfer capability. From a comparison of the CHX performance designed by a one-dimensional approach with that made by a CFD analysis, it was quantitatively obtained that the difference in heat transfer rate is about 5.7%. It was also found that unexpected bypass flow in the shell-side CHX unit gave rise to a discrepancy

Snowfall Rate Retrieval Using Passive Microwave Measurements and Its Applications in Weather Forecast and Hydrology

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Huan; Ferraro, Ralph; Kongoli, Cezar; Yan, Banghua; Zavodsky, Bradley; Zhao, Limin; Dong, Jun; Wang, Nai-Yu

2015-01-01

(AMSU), Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) and Advance Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). ATMS is the follow-on sensor to AMSU and MHS. Currently, an AMSU and MHS based land snowfall rate (SFR) product is running operationally at NOAA/NESDIS. Based on the AMSU/MHS SFR, an ATMS SFR algorithm has also been developed. The algorithm performs retrieval in three steps: snowfall detection, retrieval of cloud properties, and estimation of snow particle terminal velocity and snowfall rate. The snowfall detection component utilizes principal component analysis and a logistic regression model. It employs a combination of temperature and water vapor sounding channels to detect the scattering signal from falling snow and derives the probability of snowfall. Cloud properties are retrieved using an inversion method with an iteration algorithm and a two-stream radiative transfer model. A method adopted to calculate snow particle terminal velocity. Finally, snowfall rate is computed by numerically solving a complex integral. The SFR products are being used mainly in two communities: hydrology and weather forecast. Global blended precipitation products traditionally do not include snowfall derived from satellites because such products were not available operationally in the past. The ATMS and AMSU/MHS SFR now provide the winter precipitation information for these blended precipitation products. Weather forecasters mainly rely on radar and station observations for snowfall forecast. The SFR products can fill in gaps where no conventional snowfall data are available to forecasters. The products can also be used to confirm radar and gauge snowfall data and increase forecasters' confidence in their prediction.

Object-Based Attention on Social Units: Visual Selection of Hands Performing a Social Interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Jun; Xu, Haokui; Duan, Jipeng; Shen, Mowei

2018-05-01

Traditionally, objects of attention are characterized either as full-fledged entities or either as elements grouped by Gestalt principles. Because humans appear to use social groups as units to explain social activities, we proposed that a socially defined group, according to social interaction information, would also be a possible object of attentional selection. This hypothesis was examined using displays with and without handshaking interactions. Results demonstrated that object-based attention, which was measured by an object-specific attentional advantage (i.e., shorter response times to targets on a single object), was extended to two hands performing a handshake but not to hands that did not perform meaningful social interactions, even when they did perform handshake-like actions. This finding cannot be attributed to the familiarity of the frequent co-occurrence of two handshaking hands. Hence, object-based attention can select a grouped object whose parts are connected within a meaningful social interaction. This finding implies that object-based attention is constrained by top-down information.

Improving environmental performance through unit-level organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment: A capability perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Alt, Elisa; Spitzeck, Heiko

2016-11-01

Organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBEs) are increasingly advocated as a means of complementing formal practices in improving environmental performance. Adopting a capability perspective, we propose that a firm's employee involvement capability translates into environmental performance through the manifestation of unit-level OCBEs, and that this relationship is amplified by a shared vision capability. In a cross-country and multi-industry sample of 170 firms, we find support for our hypotheses, shedding light on contextual determinants of OCBEs, and on how firms may engender a positive relationship between top-down environmental initiatives and bottom-up behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulation Analysis as a Way to Assess the Performance of Important Unit Root and Change in Persistence Tests

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fernández, Raúl O.; Vera-Valdés, J. Eduardo

2013-01-01

This chapter shows a way to, using simulation analysis, assess the performance of some of the most popular unit root and change in persistence tests. The authors do this by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The findings suggest that these tests show a lower than expected performance when dealing ...

A method for projecting full-scale performance of CO/sub 2/ flooding in the Willard Unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilhartz, H.L.; Charlson, G.S.; Stalkup, F.I.; Miller, C.C.

1985-01-01

A non-producing CO/sub 2/ flood tertiary recovery test was recently completed in the Willard Unit of Wasson Field. Flood responses during waterflood and alternate injection of CO/sub 2/ and water were monitored at a logging observation well using compensated neutron and pulsed neutron logs. A pressure core was taken to measure residual oil saturations at the test conclusion. The overall objective of the testing was to obtain information for evaluating the potential for full-scale CO/sub 2/ flooding in the unit. Out method for making this evaluation involves: (1) defining CO/sub 2/ flood displacement efficiency and representing this efficiency in a miscible flood reservoir simulator; (2) defining a representative average reservoir description; and (3) projecting full-scale CO/sub 2/ flood performance with the simulator. The paper provides a status report on progress to assess CO/sub 2/ flooding potential for the Willard Unit in this manner

High Input Voltage, Silicon Carbide Power Processing Unit Performance Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Bozak, Karin E.; Pinero, Luis R.; Scheidegger, Robert J.; Aulisio, Michael V.; Gonzalez, Marcelo C.; Birchenough, Arthur G.

2015-01-01

A silicon carbide brassboard power processing unit has been developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The power processing unit operates from two sources: a nominal 300 Volt high voltage input bus and a nominal 28 Volt low voltage input bus. The design of the power processing unit includes four low voltage, low power auxiliary supplies, and two parallel 7.5 kilowatt (kW) discharge power supplies that are capable of providing up to 15 kilowatts of total power at 300 to 500 Volts (V) to the thruster. Additionally, the unit contains a housekeeping supply, high voltage input filter, low voltage input filter, and master control board, such that the complete brassboard unit is capable of operating a 12.5 kilowatt Hall effect thruster. The performance of the unit was characterized under both ambient and thermal vacuum test conditions, and the results demonstrate exceptional performance with full power efficiencies exceeding 97%. The unit was also tested with a 12.5kW Hall effect thruster to verify compatibility and output filter specifications. With space-qualified silicon carbide or similar high voltage, high efficiency power devices, this would provide a design solution to address the need for high power electric propulsion systems.

Performance characterization of megavoltage computed tomography imaging on a helical tomotherapy unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meeks, Sanford L.; Harmon, Joseph F. Jr.; Langen, Katja M.; Willoughby, Twyla R.; Wagner, Thomas H.; Kupelian, Patrick A.

2005-01-01

Helical tomotherapy is an innovative means of delivering IGRT and IMRT using a device that combines features of a linear accelerator and a helical computed tomography (CT) scanner. The HI-ART II can generate CT images from the same megavoltage x-ray beam it uses for treatment. These megavoltage CT (MVCT) images offer verification of the patient position prior to and potentially during radiation therapy. Since the unit uses the actual treatment beam as the x-ray source for image acquisition, no surrogate telemetry systems are required to register image space to treatment space. The disadvantage to using the treatment beam for imaging, however, is that the physics of radiation interactions in the megavoltage energy range may force compromises between the dose delivered and the image quality in comparison to diagnostic CT scanners. The performance of the system is therefore characterized in terms of objective measures of noise, uniformity, contrast, and spatial resolution as a function of the dose delivered by the MVCT beam. The uniformity and spatial resolutions of MVCT images generated by the HI-ART II are comparable to that of diagnostic CT images. Furthermore, the MVCT scan contrast is linear with respect to the electron density of material imaged. MVCT images do not have the same performance characteristics as state-of-the art diagnostic CT scanners when one objectively examines noise and low-contrast resolution. These inferior results may be explained, at least partially, by the low doses delivered by our unit; the dose is 1.1 cGy in a 20 cm diameter cylindrical phantom. In spite of the poorer low-contrast resolution, these relatively low-dose MVCT scans provide sufficient contrast to delineate many soft-tissue structures. Hence, these images are useful not only for verifying the patient's position at the time of therapy, but they are also sufficient for delineating many anatomic structures. In conjunction with the ability to recalculate radiotherapy doses on

Numerical simulation of aerodynamic performance of a couple multiple units high-speed train

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Ji-qiang; Zhou, Dan; Liu, Tang-hong; Liang, Xi-feng

2017-05-01

In order to determine the effect of the coupling region on train aerodynamic performance, and how the coupling region affects aerodynamic performance of the couple multiple units trains when they both run and pass each other in open air, the entrance of two such trains into a tunnel and their passing each other in the tunnel was simulated in Fluent 14.0. The numerical algorithm employed in this study was verified by the data of scaled and full-scale train tests, and the difference lies within an acceptable range. The results demonstrate that the distribution of aerodynamic forces on the train cars is altered by the coupling region; however, the coupling region has marginal effect on the drag and lateral force on the whole train under crosswind, and the lateral force on the train cars is more sensitive to couple multiple units compared to the other two force coefficients. It is also determined that the component of the coupling region increases the fluctuation of aerodynamic coefficients for each train car under crosswind. Affected by the coupling region, a positive pressure pulse was introduced in the alternating pressure produced by trains passing by each other in the open air, and the amplitude of the alternating pressure was decreased by the coupling region. The amplitude of the alternating pressure on the train or on the tunnel was significantly decreased by the coupling region of the train. This phenomenon did not alter the distribution law of pressure on the train and tunnel; moreover, the effect of the coupling region on trains passing by each other in the tunnel is stronger than that on a single train passing through the tunnel.

Assessing the Performance of Business Unit Managers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouwens, J.F.M.G.; van Lent, L.A.G.M.

2006-01-01

Using a sample of 140 managers, we investigate the use of various performance metrics in determining the periodic assessment, bonus decisions, and career paths of business unit managers.We show that the weight on accounting return measures is associated with the authority of these managers, and we

Shared performance monitor in a multiprocessor system

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, George; Gara, Alan G.; Salapura, Valentina

2012-07-24

A performance monitoring unit (PMU) and method for monitoring performance of events occurring in a multiprocessor system. The multiprocessor system comprises a plurality of processor devices units, each processor device for generating signals representing occurrences of events in the processor device, and, a single shared counter resource for performance monitoring. The performance monitor unit is shared by all processor cores in the multiprocessor system. The PMU comprises: a plurality of performance counters each for counting signals representing occurrences of events from one or more the plurality of processor units in the multiprocessor system; and, a plurality of input devices for receiving the event signals from one or more processor devices of the plurality of processor units, the plurality of input devices programmable to select event signals for receipt by one or more of the plurality of performance counters for counting, wherein the PMU is shared between multiple processing units, or within a group of processors in the multiprocessing system. The PMU is further programmed to monitor event signals issued from non-processor devices.

Comparative energy and exergy performance assessments of a microcogenerator unit in different electricity mix scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonçalves, Pedro; Angrisani, Giovanni; Roselli, Carlo; Gaspar, Adélio R.; Gameiro da Silva, Manuel

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Experimental and energy–exergy modelling of a 6 kW micro-combined heat and power unit. • Evaluation of energy and exergy efficiencies for performance assessment. • Use of exergy and energy indicators for comparison with a reference system. • Use of different renewables supply options into the electric and heat reference system. • The electric grid mix of Portugal and Italy is used and discussed. - Abstract: The Directive 2004/8/EC on the promotion of cogeneration proposes a comparative indicator based on primary energy savings, neglecting some important thermodynamic aspects, such as exergy. This study aims to compare and discuss the usefulness of a set of complementary indicators for performance assessments of cogeneration systems, concerning thermodynamic principles based on first and second law (the exergy approach). As case study, a 6 kW electric output micro-combined heat and power unit was experimentally tested and a model of the unit was developed in TRNSYS. Considering as reference a set of different heat and electricity scenarios, including the actual electric mixes of Portugal and Italy, the indicators case incon (PES) and Primary and Total Irreversibilities Savings (PIS and TIS), as well as energy and exergy renewability ratios were assessed and discussed. The results show that the use of MCHP has higher advantages for the Italian electric grid, than an equivalent scenario considering the Portuguese electric network as reference. As result, for a particular scenario analysed, PES and PIS have 3% and 6% for Portugal, and 10% and 18% for Italy, respectively. Furthermore, for one particular scenario evaluated, the indicators energetic and exergetic renewability ratios have 23% and 14%, respectively for the Portuguese electric grid, and 19% and 10% for the Italian electric system

Making things happen through challenging goals: leader proactivity, trust, and business-unit performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Crossley, Craig D; Cooper, Cecily D; Wernsing, Tara S

2013-05-01

Building on decades of research on the proactivity of individual performers, this study integrates research on goal setting and trust in leadership to examine manager proactivity and business unit sales performance in one of the largest sales organizations in the United States. Results of a moderated-mediation model suggest that proactive senior managers establish more challenging goals for their business units (N = 50), which in turn are associated with higher sales performance. We further found that employees' trust in the manager is a critical contingency variable that facilitates the relationship between challenging sales goals and subsequent sales performance. This research contributes to growing literatures on trust in leadership and proactivity by studying their joint effects at a district-unit level of analysis while identifying district managers' tendency to set challenging goals as a process variable that helps translate their proactivity into the collective performance of their units. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Canada's Post-war Manufacturing Performance : A Comparison with the United States

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Jong, Gjalt

1996-01-01

This study uses the ‘industry of origin’ approach to calculate 200 unit value ratios for the benchmark year 1987 which are used to convert the output value in Canada and the United States into a common currency.In 1987, Canada's comparative labor productivity was 77.4 per cent, measured in persons

Analytical solutions for evaluating the thermal performances of wet air cooling coils under both unit and non-unit Lewis Factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Liang; Chan, M.Y.; Deng, S.M.; Xu, X.G.

2010-01-01

Analytical solutions for evaluating the thermal performances of both chilled water wet cooling coils and direct expansion (DX) wet cooling coils, respectively, under both unit and non-unit Lewis Factors are developed and reported in this paper. The analytical solution was validated by comparing its predictions with those from numerically solving the fundamental governing equations of heat and mass transfer taking place in a wet cooling coil. With the analytical solutions, the distributions of air temperature and humidity ratio along air flow direction in a wet cooling coil can be predicted, and the differences in the thermal performances of the cooling coils under both unit and non-unit Lewis Factors can be identified. The analytical solutions, on one hand, can be a low-cost replacement to numerically solving the fundamental heat and mass transfer governing equations, and on the other hand, is able to deal with evaluating thermal performance for wet air cooling coils operated under both unit and non-unit Lewis Factors.

Developing a performance data suite to facilitate lean improvement in a chemotherapy day unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Lingaratnam, Senthil; Murray, Danielle; Carle, Amber; Kirsa, Sue W; Paterson, Rebecca; Rischin, Danny

2013-07-01

A multidisciplinary team from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, developed a performance data suite to support a service improvement project based on lean manufacturing principles in its 19-chair chemotherapy day unit (CDU) and cytosuite chemotherapy production facility. The aims of the project were to reduce patient wait time and improve equity of access to the CDU. A project team consisting of a pharmacist and CDU nurse supported the management team for 10 months in engaging staff and customers to identify waste in processes, analyze root causes, eliminate non-value-adding steps, reduce variation, and level workloads to improve quality and flow. Process mapping, staff and patient tracking and opinion surveys, medical record audits, and interrogation of electronic treatment records were undertaken. This project delivered a 38% reduction in median wait time on the day (from 32 to 20 minutes; P product manufactured within 10 minutes of appointment times by 29% (from 47% to 76%; P lean improvement methodology provided a robust framework for improved understanding and management of complex system constraints within a CDU, resulting in improved access to treatment and reduced waiting times on the day.

Multi-Unit Initiating Event Analysis for a Single-Unit Internal Events Level 1 PSA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dong San; Park, Jin Hee; Lim, Ho Gon [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 highlighted the importance of considering the risks from multi-unit accidents at a site. The ASME/ANS probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) standard also includes some requirements related to multi-unit aspects, one of which (IE-B5) is as follows: 'For multi-unit sites with shared systems, DO NOT SUBSUME multi-unit initiating events if they impact mitigation capability [1].' However, the existing single-unit PSA models do not explicitly consider multi-unit initiating events and hence systems shared by multiple units (e.g., alternate AC diesel generator) are fully credited for the single unit and ignores the need for the shared systems by other units at the same site [2]. This paper describes the results of the multi-unit initiating event (IE) analysis performed as a part of the at-power internal events Level 1 probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for an OPR1000 single unit ('reference unit'). In this study, a multi-unit initiating event analysis for a single-unit PSA was performed, and using the results, dual-unit LOOP initiating event was added to the existing PSA model for the reference unit (OPR1000 type). Event trees were developed for dual-unit LOOP and dual-unit SBO which can be transferred from dual- unit LOOP. Moreover, CCF basic events for 5 diesel generators were modelled. In case of simultaneous SBO occurrences in both units, this study compared two different assumptions on the availability of the AAC D/G. As a result, when dual-unit LOOP initiating event was added to the existing single-unit PSA model, the total CDF increased by 1∼ 2% depending on the probability that the AAC D/G is available to a specific unit in case of simultaneous SBO in both units.

Performance measurement of a new concept reciprocating piston expander (RPE using a newly developed small-scale dynamometer unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad MNA

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the progress of a small-scale dynamometer prototype development for performance measurement of a reciprocating piston expander (RPE. Since the available dynamometer systems in the market are limited to specific applications that require for the customization, their price normally very expensive. Since the current study on the RPE required a dynamometer unit, therefore, a new and cheaper dynamometer prototype that was suitable for RPE application has been developed. Using air as RPE working fluid, a case study has been carried out to measure its performance at different inlet fluid conditions, i.e., within 20°C–140°C and 3–5 bars. The results observed that the performance of RPE was proportionally increased to the increased of inlet fluid pressure and temperature. The maximum brake power produced was 27 Watt when the RPE operated at 140°C, 5 bars and the speed of 820 rpm. It also revealed that the changes in the pressure of inlet fluid can give significant change on the performance of the RPE due to its direct relation to the RPE actual rotating force. Although the RPE and dynamometer seem good being adapted to each other, both of them require some improvements to ensure both systems well operated and reliable.

Unit physics performance of a mix model in Eulerian fluid computations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vold, Erik [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Douglass, Rod [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2011-01-25

In this report, we evaluate the performance of a K-L drag-buoyancy mix model, described in a reference study by Dimonte-Tipton [1] hereafter denoted as [D-T]. The model was implemented in an Eulerian multi-material AMR code, and the results are discussed here for a series of unit physics tests. The tests were chosen to calibrate the model coefficients against empirical data, principally from RT (Rayleigh-Taylor) and RM (Richtmyer-Meshkov) experiments, and the present results are compared to experiments and to results reported in [D-T]. Results show the Eulerian implementation of the mix model agrees well with expectations for test problems in which there is no convective flow of the mass averaged fluid, i.e., in RT mix or in the decay of homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT). In RM shock-driven mix, the mix layer moves through the Eulerian computational grid, and there are differences with the previous results computed in a Lagrange frame [D-T]. The differences are attributed to the mass averaged fluid motion and examined in detail. Shock and re-shock mix are not well matched simultaneously. Results are also presented and discussed regarding model sensitivity to coefficient values and to initial conditions (IC), grid convergence, and the generation of atomically mixed volume fractions.

A New Symmetrical Unit for Breakwater Armour : First Tests

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salauddin, M.; Broere, A.; Van der Meer, J.W.; Verhagen, H.J.; Bijl, E.

2015-01-01

A new and symmetrical single layer armour unit, the crablock, has been designed in the UAE. One breakwater was reconstructed with crablock, but very limited testing had been performed. Just to become more acquainted with this new unit, pre-competitive research at a university has been performed,

A Policy Analysis of Using Unit Costs as a Means of Performance Measurement in the Air Force Science and Technology Program

Science.gov (United States)

1991-09-01

demonstrate, is that there is more than one way to account for S &T costs and evaluate its program performance. The first option evaluated considers...Personal Communication. Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB OH, 14 May 1991. Horngren , Charles T. and George Foster. Cost Accounting A Managerial...78 Programmatic Feedback ........ 79 S &T as Overhead............79 Scoring the Options............80 Unit Costs ................8 Programmatic

Performance estimation of an oil-free linear compressor unit for a new compact 2K Gifford-McMahon cryocooler

Science.gov (United States)

Hiratsuka, Y.; Bao, Q.; Y Xu, M.

2017-12-01

Since 2012, a new, compact Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocooler for cooling superconducting single photon detectors (SSPD) has been developed and reported by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (SHI). Also, it was reported that National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) developed a multi-channel, conduction-cooled SSPD system. However, the size and power consumption reduction becomes indispensable to apply such a system to the optical communication of AdHoc for a mobile system installed in a vehicle. The objective is to reduce the total height of the expander by 33% relative to the existing RDK-101 GM expander and to reduce the total volume of the compressor unit by 50% relative to the existing CNA-11 compressor. In addition, considering the targeted cooling application, we set the design cooling capacity targets of the first and the second stages 1 W at 60 K and 20 mW at 2.3 K respectively. In 2016, Hiratsuka et al. reported that an oil-free compressor was developed for a 2K GM cryocooler. The cooling performance of a 2K GM expander driven by an experimental unit of the linear compressor was measured. No-load temperature less than 2.1 K and the cooling capacity of 20 mW at 2.3 K were successfully achieved with an electric input power of only 1.1 kW. After that, the compressor capsule and the heat exchanger, etc. were assembled into one enclosure as a compressor unit. The total volume of the compressor unit and electrical box was significantly reduced to about 38 L, which was close to the target of 35 L. Also, the sound noise, vibration characteristics, the effect of the compressor unit inclination and the ambient temperature on the cooling performance, were evaluated. The detailed experimental results are discussed in this paper.

Assessment of the Performance of a Ventilated Window Coupled with a Heat Recovery Unit through the Co-Heating Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludovico Danza

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to describe the results of an experimental campaign based on the assessment of a heat recovery unit coupled with a dynamic window. Two fully monitored and calibrated outdoor test cells are used, in order to evaluate the energy performance and the related thermal comfort. The former presents a traditional window with double-glazing, aluminum frame and indoor blind and a centrifugal extractor for the air circulation. The latter is equipped with a dynamic window with ventilated and blinded double-glazing provided with a heat exchanger. The connection of the dynamic window and heat recovery unit provides different actions: heat recovery; heat transfer reduction; pre-heating before the exchanger. Different operating configurations allowed the trends of the dynamic system to be assessed in different seasons in terms of energy saving, thermal comfort behavior and energy efficiency. The results showed an overall lower consumption of the innovative system, both in winter and summer, with 20% and 15% energy saving, respectively. In general, the dynamic system provided the best comfort conditions, even if it involves a worse behavior than expected, in the summer season.

PERFORMANCE OF ISLAMIC UNIT TRUSTS DURING THE 2007 GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS: EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salina H. Kassim

2012-01-01

Full Text Available By focusing on the Malaysian Islamic unit trusts over the period of January 2000 to December 2009, this study attempts to analyse the performance of the Islamic unit trusts in various economic conditions; during a crisis period and non-crisis period. The adjusted Sharpe index, adjusted Jensen Alpha index, and Treynor index are adopted to compare the performance of the Islamic unit trusts against the market benchmark and risk-free return. In measuring risk and diversification, the study relies on the standard deviation and R2 coefficient of determination, respectively. The findings reveal that during the non-crisis period, the performance of the Islamic unit trusts is comparable to that of the market benchmark, while during the crisis period, the Islamic unit trusts perform better compared to the non-crisis period. These findings suggests that the Islamic unit trust funds can be an ideal hedging instrument during a down market and provide potential portfolio diversification benefits for the investors. Based on these findings, the investors could strategize and diversify their portfolio accordingly during different market conditions.

Operating performance of LWR nuclear generating units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pia, S.

1984-01-01

This work aims at reviewing, on the basis of historical data, the operational problem areas which explain the degree of availability and productivity achieved up to now by nuclear power plants in commercial operation in the world. The operating performance data of nuclear power plants area analysed with respect to plant type, size and other significant reference parameters and they are evaluated also by comparison with fossil generating unit data. Major performance indices data are presented for both nuclear and fossil units type and distribution of outage causes. Unplanned full outages caused by nuclear power plant equipment and components failure are particulary emphasized. The trend for unplanned full outages due to the failure of components shows decreasing numerical values in 1981 with respect to the previous years. But this result should be weighed with the increasing plant unavailability hours needed for maintenance and repair action (chiefly preventive maintenance on critical components). This means that the number and downtime of forced outage must be drastically reduced for economic reasons (production losses and problems associated with the unavailable unit unplanned replacement) as well as for plant safe and reliable operation (sudden unavailability of key components and frequency of transients associated with plant shutdown and routine startup operation)

Assessment Of Nurses Performance During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation In Intensive Care Unit And Cardiac Care Unit At The Alexandria Main University Hospital.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Nagla Hamdi Kamal Khalil El- Meanawi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation one of the most emergency management the nurse has a pivotal role and should be highly qualified in performing these procedures. The aim of the study is to assess performance of nurses during Cardio pulmonary resuscitation for patient with cardiac arrest In Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Care Unit at the Alexandria main university hospital. To answer the question what are the most common area of satisfactory and area of neglection in nurses performance during Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation. The sample consists of 53 staff nurses working in Intensive care unit amp cardiac care unit at Alexandria main university hospital. The tools of data collection were structured of questionnaire sheet and observational cheek list. The results showed that unsatisfactory performance between nurses in both units. The study concluded that all nurses need to improve their performance during cardiopulmonary resuscitation for patient with cardiac arrest it is crucial for nursing staff to participate in CPR courses in order to refresh and update their theoretical knowledge and performance skills and consequently to improve the safety and effectiveness of care. The study recommended that continuous evaluation of nurses knowledge and performance is essential the optimal frequency with which CPR training should be implemented at least every 6 months in order to avoid deterioration in nurses CPR knowledge and skills.

Numerical analysis of the influence of PAR unit elevation within a vessel on its performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotouč, Miroslav

2011-01-01

On the basis of successful validation of the MELCOR code on several experiments from the international OECD/NEA programme THAI, a numerical parametric study has been conducted at NRI Řež evaluating the influence of PAR's vertical position within a vessel on its performance. Simulations were carried out for an Areva PAR unit which was considered to be placed at 5 different elevations in the THAI test vessel, the sixth simulation comprised a model of blower, simulating thus forced convection. The initial conditions were those of the THAI HR-12 test, which was characterized by steam-saturated atmosphere at elevated pressure and temperature. The results show that the overall hydrogen mass recombined monotonically decreases with PAR elevation. This behavior is due to hot, light and hydrogen-lean plume, coming out from the PAR outlet, which, due to buoyancy forces, eventually fills the upper part of the vessel and prevents thus the PAR unit from efficient operation (if the latter is placed near the top). It was also demonstrated that the effect of forced convection is favorable since it breaks the gas stratification and increases thus hydrogen concentration at the PAR inlet. (author)

1.8 K Refrigeration Units for the LHC: Performance Assessment of Pre-series Units

CERN Document Server

Claudet, S; Millet, F; Tavian, L; 20th International Cryogenic Engineering Conference (ICEC20)

2005-01-01

The cooling capacity below 2 K for the superconducting magnets of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN, will be provided by eight refrigeration units of 2400 W at 1.8 K, each of them coupled to a 4.5 K refrigerator. The two selected vendors have proposed cycles based on centrifugal cold compressors combined with volumetric screw compressors with sub-atmospheric suction, as previously identified by CERN as “reference cycle”. The supply of the series units was linked to successful testing and acceptance of the pre-series temporarily installed in a dedicated test station. The global capacity, the performance of cold compressors and some process specificities have been thoroughly tested and will be presented.

Experimental studies on improvement of coefficient of performance of window air conditioning unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tharves Mohideen Sheik Ismail

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the performance analysis of a window air conditioner unit incorporated with wick less loop heat pipes (WLHP. The WLHP are located on the evaporator side of the air conditioning unit. The working medium for the WLHP is R134a refrigerant gas, an alternate refrigerant. The supply and return humidity of room air, the heat removal rat, and the coefficient of performance of the unit are analyzed for various ambient and room temperatures before and after incorporation of WLHP. The performance curves are drawn by comparing the power consumption and humidity collection rates for various room and ambient temperatures. The results show that coefficient of performance of the unit is improved by 18% to 20% after incorporation of WLHP due to pre-cooling of return air by WLHP, which reduces the thermal load on compressor. Similarly, the energy consumption is reduced by 20% to 25% due to higher thermostat setting and the humidity collection is improved by 35% due to pre-cooling effect of WLHP. The results are tabulated and conclusion drawn is presented based on the performance.

Accounting for health-care outcomes: implications for intensive care unit practice and performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sorensen, Roslyn; Iedema, Rick

2010-08-01

The aim of this study was to understand the environment of health care, and how clinicians and managers respond in terms of performance accountability. A qualitative method was used in a tertiary metropolitan teaching intensive care unit (ICU) in Sydney, Australia, including interviews with 15 clinical managers and focus groups with 29 nurses of differing experience. The study found that a managerial focus on abstract goals, such as budgets detracted from managing the core business of clinical work. Fractures were evident within clinical units, between clinical units and between clinical and managerial domains. These fractures reinforced the status quo where seemingly unconnected patient care activities were undertaken by loosely connected individual clinicians with personalized concepts of accountability. Managers must conceptualize health services as an interconnected entity within which self-directed teams negotiate and agree objectives, collect and review performance data and define collective practice. Organically developing regimens of care within and across specialist clinical units, such as in ICUs, directly impact upon health service performance and accountability.

Performance of Canadian commercial nuclear units and heavy water plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodhead, L.W.; Ingolfsrud, L.J.

The operating history of Canadian commercial CANDU type reactors, i.e. Pickering generating station-A, is described. Capacity factors and unit energy costs are analyzed in detail. Equipment performance highlights are given. The performance of the two Canadian heavy water plants is described and five more are under construction or planned. (E.C.B.)

Unit thermal performance of atmospheric spray cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, R.W.; Jain, M.; Chaturvedi, S.K.

1980-01-01

Thermal performance of an open atmospheric spray pond or canal depends on the direct-contact evaporative cooling of an individual spray unit (spray nozzle or module) and the interference caused by local heating and humidification. Droplet parameters may be combined into a dimensionless group, number of transfer units (NTU) or equivalent, whereas large-scale air-vapor dynamics determine interference through the local wet-bulb temperature. Quantity NTU were implied from field experiments for a floating module used in steam-condenser spray canals. Previous data were available for a fixed-pipe nozzle assembly used in spray ponds. Quantity NTU were also predicted using the Ranz-Marshall correlations with the Sauter-mean diameter used as the characteristic length. Good agreement with experiments was shown for diameters of 1--1.1 cm (module) and 1.9 mm

Performance/Power Space Exploration for Binary64 Division Units

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nannarelli, Alberto

2016-01-01

The digit-recurrence division algorithm is used in several high-performance processors because it provides good tradeoffs in terms of latency, area and power dissipation. In this work we develop a minimally redundant radix-8 divider for binary64 (double-precision) aiming at obtaining better energy...... efficiency in the performance-per-watt space. The results show that the radix-8 divider, when compared to radix-4 and radix-16 units, requires less energy to complete a division for high clock rates....

Performance Recognition for Sulphur Flotation Process Based on Froth Texture Unit Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingfang He

2013-01-01

Full Text Available As an important indicator of flotation performance, froth texture is believed to be related to operational condition in sulphur flotation process. A novel fault detection method based on froth texture unit distribution (TUD is proposed to recognize the fault condition of sulphur flotation in real time. The froth texture unit number is calculated based on texture spectrum, and the probability density function (PDF of froth texture unit number is defined as texture unit distribution, which can describe the actual textual feature more accurately than the grey level dependence matrix approach. As the type of the froth TUD is unknown, a nonparametric kernel estimation method based on the fixed kernel basis is proposed, which can overcome the difficulty when comparing different TUDs under various conditions is impossible using the traditional varying kernel basis. Through transforming nonparametric description into dynamic kernel weight vectors, a principle component analysis (PCA model is established to reduce the dimensionality of the vectors. Then a threshold criterion determined by the TQ statistic based on the PCA model is proposed to realize the performance recognition. The industrial application results show that the accurate performance recognition of froth flotation can be achieved by using the proposed method.

The influence of floc size and hydraulic detention time on the performance of a dissolved air flotation (DAF) pilot unit in the light of a mathematical model.

Science.gov (United States)

Moruzzi, R B; Reali, M A P

2014-12-01

The influence of floc size and hydraulic detention time on the performance of a dissolved air flotation (DAF) pilot unit was investigated in the light of a known mathematical model. The following design and operational parameters were considered: the hydraulic detention time (tdcz) and hydraulic loading rate in the contact zone, the down-flow loading rate in the clarification zone, the particle size distribution (d F), and the recirculation rate (p). As a reference for DAF performance analysis, the proposed β.td parameter from the above mentioned mathematical model was employed. The results indicated that tdcz is an important factor in DAF performance and that d F and floc size are also determinants of DAF efficiency. Further, β.td was sensitive to both design and operational parameters, which were varied in the DAF pilot plant. The performance of the DAF unit decreases with increasing β.td values because a higher td (considering a fixed β) or a higher β (e.g., higher hydrophobicity of the flocs for a fixed td) would be necessary in the reaction zone to reach desired flotation efficiency.

Organic sensitizers from D-π-A to D-A-π-A: effect of the internal electron-withdrawing units on molecular absorption, energy levels and photovoltaic performances.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yongzhen; Zhu, Weihong

2013-03-07

The high performance and low cost of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have drawn great interest from both academic and industrial circles. The research on exploring novel efficient sensitizers, especially on inexpensive metal-free pure organic dyes, has never been suspended. The donor-π bridge-acceptor (D-π-A) configuration is mainstream in the design of organic sensitizers due to its convenient modulation of the intramolecular charge-transfer nature. Recently, it has been found that incorporation of additional electron-withdrawing units (such as benzothiadiazole, benzotriazole, quinoxaline, phthalimide, diketopyrrolopyrrole, thienopyrazine, thiazole, triazine, cyanovinyl, cyano- and fluoro-substituted phenyl) into the π bridge as internal acceptors, termed the D-A-π-A configuration, displays several advantages such as tuning of the molecular energy levels, red-shift of the charge-transfer absorption band, and distinct improvement of photovoltaic performance and stability. We apply the D-A-π-A concept broadly to the organic sensitizers containing additional electron-withdrawing units between electron donors and acceptors. This review is projected to summarize the category of pure organic sensitizers on the basis of the D-A-π-A feature. By comparing the structure-property relationship of typical photovoltaic D-A-π-A dyes, the important guidelines in the design of such materials are highlighted.

Are brand-equity measures associated with business-unit financial performance? : Empirical Evidence from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbeeten, F.H.M.; Vijn, P.

2010-01-01

We investigate the association between brand-equity measures and business-unit financial performance. Brand-equity measures may complement historic accounting information in explaining business-unit financial performance. Capitalizing on a unique data set, we find an association between some (yet

Are brand-equity measures associated with business-unit financial performance? Empirical evidence from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbeeten, Frank H M; Vijn, Pieter

2010-01-01

We investigate the association between brand-equity measures and business-unit financial performance. Brand-equity measures may complement historic accounting information in explaining business-unit financial performance. Capitalizing on a unique data set, we find an association between some (yet

Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 - a plant of several generations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, I.; Metes, M.; Anghelescu, M.S.

2000-01-01

Cernavoda NPP Unit 1, the first nuclear power unit in Romania, has a long and tormented history. It represents a rather unique case in Eastern Europe. The project started well before 1989 (the construction phase lasted 17 years and generations were involved in its completion), but it is effectively based on western technology (Candu). Meanwhile, the national nuclear program underwent many changes, affecting the lives and careers of Romanian nuclear professionals. Finally, on December 2 nd 1996, the unit began its c ommercial operation , being operated at its nominal power rating of 706 MW e . It now provides a reliable source of electricity for Romanian economy, supplying to the national grid about 10% of the country's average annual demand. The paper reflects some aspects related to the shift of generations during the project's development, including the present stage. The operational performances achieved 'in service' by Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 up to the end of 1999 , are also presented. Reference to the electrical energy production, performance indicators, production costs, nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive wastes, nuclear fuel consumption and nuclear fuel performances are included. Comparisons are performed with similar indicators reported by other worldwide nuclear power plants, in order to assess our results. (authors)

Steam generator replacement in Bruce A Unit 1 and Unit 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, R.S.

2006-01-01

and Unit 2 SGR employs a Medium Lift Crane (MLC) located at ground elevation north of the powerhouse to perform all heavy lifts within the reactor buildings, including relocation of the steam drums and removal and replacement of the Steam Generators, through openings created in the reactor building roof structures. Following the removal of components and systems that interfere with SG replacement activities, the connections between the Steam Generators and the steam drums are severed, the roof of the concrete SD enclosure and the steam drum cooling system are removed, and the steam drums are lifted from the steam drum enclosures and placed on temporary supports to the reactor side of the steam drum enclosures by the MLC. The old Steam Generators are then removed and the replacement Steam Generators are installed through the reactor building roof openings by the MLC. The steam drums and all piping connections and equipment will be reinstalled following the installation of the Replacement Steam Generators to establish the 'as found' condition. The replacement of the eight Steam Generators in each unit is a major part of the Unit 1 and Unit 2 rehabilitation program. This work is currently in progress. The Unit 1 and Unit 2 Steam Generator replacement is a 'first-of-a-kind' project. These are the first CANDU Steam Generators to be replaced, and the horizontal steam drum configuration is unique to Bruce A. This paper provides an overview of the Unit 1 and Unit 2 Steam Generator replacement methodology developed and being employed by SLN. (author)

Examining the relationships between span of control and manager job and unit performance outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Carol A; Elliott-Miller, Pat; Laschinger, Heather; Cuddihy, Michael; Meyer, Raquel M; Keatings, Margaret; Burnett, Camille; Szudy, Natalie

2015-03-01

Our aim was to examine the combination of frontline manager (FLM) personal characteristics and span of control (SOC) on their job and unit performance outcomes. Healthcare downsizing and reform have contributed to larger spans for FLMs in Canadian hospitals and increased concerns about manager workload. Despite a heightened awareness of SOC issues among decision makers, there is limited empirical evidence related to the effects of SOC on outcomes. A non-experimental predictive survey design was used to examine FLM SOC in 14 Canadian academic hospitals. Managers (n = 121) completed an online survey of work characteristics and The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) SOC tool. Unit turnover data were collected from organisational databases. The combination of SOC and core self-evaluation significantly predicted role overload, work control and job satisfaction, but only SOC predicted unit adverse outcomes and neither significantly predicted unit turnover. The findings contribute to an understanding of connections between the combination of SOC and core self-evaluation and manager job and unit performance outcomes. Organisational strategies to create manageable FLM SOC are essential to ensure exemplary job and unit outcomes. Core self-evaluation is a personality characteristic that may enhance manager performance in the face of high spans of control. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Factors influencing medical students' self-assessment of examination performance accuracy: A United Arab Emirates study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaban, Sami; Aburawi, Elhadi H; Elzubeir, Khalifa; Elango, Sambandam; El-Zubeir, Margaret

2016-01-01

Assessment of one's academic capabilities is essential to being an effective, self-directed, life-long learner. The primary objective of this study was to analyze self-assessment accuracy of medical students attending the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, by examining their ability to assess their own performance on an MCQ examination. 1 st and 2 nd year medical students (n = 235) self-assessed pre and post-examination performance were compared with objectively measured scores (actual examination performance). Associations between accuracy of score prediction (pre and post assessment), and students' gender, year of education, perceived preparation, confidence and anxiety were also determined. Expected mark correlated significantly with objectively assessed marks (r = 0.407; P self-assessment accuracy. Findings reinforce existing evidence indicating that medical students are poor self-assessors. There are potentially multiple explanations for misjudgment of this multidimensional construct that require further investigation and change in learning cultures. The study offers clear targets for change aimed at optimizing self-assessment capabilities.

Evaluation of High-Performance Rooftop HVAC Unit Naval Air Station Key West, Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howett, Daniel H. [ORNL; Desjarlais, Andre Omer [ORNL; Cox, Daryl [ORNL

2018-01-01

This report documents performance of a high performance rooftop HVAC unit (RTU) at Naval Air Station Key West, FL. This report was sponsored by the Federal Energy Management Program as part of the "High Performance RTU Campaign".

Performance of Loaded Thermal Storage Unit with a Commercial Phase Change Materials based on Energy and Exergy Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Nasrallh Olimat

2017-11-01

Article History: Received July 6th 2017; Received in revised form September 15th 2017; Accepted 25th Sept 2017; Available online How to Cite This Article: Olimat, A.N., Awad, A.S., Al-Gathain, F.M., and Shaban, N.A.. (2017 Performance of Loaded Thermal Storage Unit With A Commercial Phase Change Materials Based on Energy and Exergy Analysis. International Journal of Renewable Energy Develeopment, 6(3,283-290. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.3.283-290

A survey of castration methods and associated livestock management practices performed by bovine veterinarians in the United States

OpenAIRE

Bradburn Ryan M; Barbur Laura A; Nutsch Abbey L; Coetzee Johann F

2010-01-01

Abstract Background Castration of male calves destined for beef production is a common management practice performed in the United States amounting to approximately 15 million procedures per year. Societal concern about the moral and ethical treatment of animals is increasing. Therefore, production agriculture is faced with the challenge of formulating animal welfare policies relating to routine management practices such as castration. To enable the livestock industry to effectively respond t...

An Integrated Database of Unit Training Performance: Description an Lessons Learned

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Leibrecht, Bruce

1997-01-01

The Army Research Institute (ARI) has developed a prototype relational database for processing and archiving unit performance data from home station, training area, simulation based, and Combat Training Center training exercises...

Assessment of performance and utility of mortality prediction models in a single Indian mixed tertiary intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Sathe, Prachee M; Bapat, Sharda N

2014-01-01

To assess the performance and utility of two mortality prediction models viz. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in a single Indian mixed tertiary intensive care unit (ICU). Secondary objectives were bench-marking and setting a base line for research. In this observational cohort, data needed for calculation of both scores were prospectively collected for all consecutive admissions to 28-bedded ICU in the year 2011. After excluding readmissions, discharges within 24 h and age <18 years, the records of 1543 patients were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Both models overpredicted mortality in this cohort [standardized mortality ratio (SMR) 0.88 ± 0.05 and 0.95 ± 0.06 using APACHE II and SAPS II respectively]. Patterns of predicted mortality had strong association with true mortality (R (2) = 0.98 for APACHE II and R (2) = 0.99 for SAPS II). Both models performed poorly in formal Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit testing (Chi-square = 12.8 (P = 0.03) for APACHE II, Chi-square = 26.6 (P = 0.001) for SAPS II) but showed good discrimination (area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.86 ± 0.013 SE (P < 0.001) and 0.83 ± 0.013 SE (P < 0.001) for APACHE II and SAPS II, respectively). There were wide variations in SMRs calculated for subgroups based on International Classification of Disease, 10(th) edition (standard deviation ± 0.27 for APACHE II and 0.30 for SAPS II). Lack of fit of data to the models and wide variation in SMRs in subgroups put a limitation on utility of these models as tools for assessing quality of care and comparing performances of different units without customization. Considering comparable performance and simplicity of use, efforts should be made to adapt SAPS II.

Cardiovascular Risk Factor Management Performance in Canada and the United States: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Alabousi, Mostafa; Abdullah, Peri; Alter, David A; Booth, Gillian L; Hogg, William; Ko, Dennis T; Manuel, Douglas G; Farkouh, Michael E; Tu, Jack V; Udell, Jacob A

2017-03-01

Comparative cardiovascular risk factor care across North America is unknown. We aimed to determine current performance in Canada and the United States (US). A systematic review was conducted of Medline and EMBASE (to June 1, 2014). Eligible studies reported on screening, awareness, treatment, or control rates for hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and smoking. Categorical performance 'ratings' on the basis of the most successful US health plans were used to classify rates as suboptimal ( 90%). A total of 127 studies reporting on 10,510,324 individuals across North America were included. Hypertension awareness (84.3%) and treatment (82.0%) rates in Canada and the US (82.7% and 75.6%, respectively) were above target, whereas control in both nations was below target (68.1% vs 51.8%, respectively). Canadian awareness, treatment, and control rates for dyslipidemia (42.7%, 40.9%, and 41.5%, respectively) were suboptimal, and American indicators were generally below target (61.5%, 43.0%, and 63.6%, respectively). Canada and the US showed diabetes awareness (88.2% vs 86.8%) and treatment rates (82.3% vs 82.5%) above target. However, glucose control was suboptimal in Canada (35.3%), and below target in the US (58.8%). There was a modest decline in absolute smoking prevalence rates in Canada from 1999 to 2013 (25.2% to 14.6%). Screening for tobacco use (72.2%) and counselling rates (73.8%) in the US were above target. Substantial variation exists in cardiovascular risk factor care across North America. Standardized reporting, dissemination of practice guidelines, and setting explicit goal-directed targets for performance might facilitate improvement. Copyright © 2016 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 225.802-70 - Contracts for performance outside the United States and Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... outside the United States and Canada. 225.802-70 Section 225.802-70 Federal Acquisition Regulations System... States and Canada. Follow the procedures at PGI 225.802-70 when placing a contract requiring performance outside the United States and Canada. Also see Subpart 225.74, Defense Contractors Outside the United...

Steam generator replacement in Bruce A Unit 1 and Unit 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, R.S.

2007-01-01

and Unit 2 SGR employs a Medium Lift Crane (MLC) located at ground elevation north of the powerhouse to perform all heavy lifts within the reactor buildings, including relocation of the steam drums and removal and replacement of the Steam Generators, through openings created in the reactor building roof structures. Following the removal of components and systems that interfere with SG replacement activities, the connections between the Steam Generators and the steam drums are severed, the roof of the concrete SD enclosure and the steam drum cooling system are removed, and the steam drums are lifted from the steam drum enclosures and placed on temporary supports to the reactor side of the steam drum enclosures by the MLC. The old Steam Generators are then removed and the replacement Steam Generators are installed through the reactor building roof openings by the MLC. The steam drums and all piping connections and equipment will be reinstalled following the installation of the Replacement Steam Generators to establish the 'as found' condition. (author)

Performance of diagnostic mammography differs in the United States and Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Allan; Geller, Berta M; Gard, Charlotte C

2010-01-01

in the United States and Denmark. The performance of 93,585 diagnostic mammograms from 180 facilities contributing data to the US Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) from 1999 to 2001 was compared to that of all 51,313 diagnostic mammograms performed at Danish clinics in 2000. We used the imaging...... workup's final assessment to determine sensitivity, specificity and an estimate of accuracy: area under the receiver-operating characteristics (ROCs) curve (AUC). Diagnostic mammography had slightly higher sensitivity in the United States (85%) than in Denmark (82%). In contrast, it had higher...... specificity in Denmark (99%) than in the United States (93%). The AUC was high in both countries: 0.91 in United States and 0.95 in Denmark. Denmark's higher accuracy may result from supplementary ultrasound examinations, which are provided to 74% of Danish women but only 37% to 52% of US women. In addition...

Performance and Environmental Test Results of the High Voltage Hall Accelerator Engineering Development Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Kamhawi, Hani; Haag, Thomas; Huang, Wensheng; Shastry, Rohit; Pinero, Luis; Peterson, Todd; Mathers, Alex

2012-01-01

NASA Science Mission Directorate's In-Space Propulsion Technology Program is sponsoring the development of a 3.5 kW-class engineering development unit Hall thruster for implementation in NASA science and exploration missions. NASA Glenn and Aerojet are developing a high fidelity high voltage Hall accelerator that can achieve specific impulse magnitudes greater than 2,700 seconds and xenon throughput capability in excess of 300 kilograms. Performance, plume mappings, thermal characterization, and vibration tests of the high voltage Hall accelerator engineering development unit have been performed. Performance test results indicated that at 3.9 kW the thruster achieved a total thrust efficiency and specific impulse of 58%, and 2,700 sec, respectively. Thermal characterization tests indicated that the thruster component temperatures were within the prescribed material maximum operating temperature limits during full power thruster operation. Finally, thruster vibration tests indicated that the thruster survived the 3-axes qualification full-level random vibration test series. Pre and post-vibration test performance mappings indicated almost identical thruster performance. Finally, an update on the development progress of a power processing unit and a xenon feed system is provided.

Simulation-based evaluation of the performance of the F test in a linear multilevel model setting with sparseness at the level of the primary unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruyndonckx, Robin; Aerts, Marc; Hens, Niel

2016-09-01

In a linear multilevel model, significance of all fixed effects can be determined using F tests under maximum likelihood (ML) or restricted maximum likelihood (REML). In this paper, we demonstrate that in the presence of primary unit sparseness, the performance of the F test under both REML and ML is rather poor. Using simulations based on the structure of a data example on ceftriaxone consumption in hospitalized children, we studied variability, type I error rate and power in scenarios with a varying number of secondary units within the primary units. In general, the variability in the estimates for the effect of the primary unit decreased as the number of secondary units increased. In the presence of singletons (i.e., only one secondary unit within a primary unit), REML consistently outperformed ML, although even under REML the performance of the F test was found inadequate. When modeling the primary unit as a random effect, the power was lower while the type I error rate was unstable. The options of dropping, regrouping, or splitting the singletons could solve either the problem of a high type I error rate or a low power, while worsening the other. The permutation test appeared to be a valid alternative as it outperformed the F test, especially under REML. We conclude that in the presence of singletons, one should be careful in using the F test to determine the significance of the fixed effects, and propose the permutation test (under REML) as an alternative. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Unit-Test Framework for Database Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Claus Abildgaard; Gundersborg, Steen; de Linde, Kristian

The outcome of a test of an application that stores data in a database naturally depends on the state of the database. It is therefore important that test developers are able to set up and tear down database states in a simple and efficient manner. In existing unit-test frameworks, setting up...... test can be minimized. In addition, the reuse between unit tests can speed up the execution of test suites. A performance test on a medium-size project shows a 40% speed up and an estimated 25% reduction in the number of lines of test code....

Cosmetic surgery growth and correlations with financial indices: a comparative study of the United Kingdom and United States from 2002-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Nassab, Reza; Harris, Paul

2013-05-01

Over the past 10 years, there has been significant fluctuation in the yearly growth rates for cosmetic surgery procedures in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The authors compare cosmetic surgical procedure rates in the United Kingdom and United States with the macroeconomic climate of each region to determine whether there is a direct relationship between cosmetic surgery rates and economic health. The authors analyzed annual cosmetic surgery statistics from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for 2002-2011 against economic indices from both regions, including the gross domestic product (GDP), consumer prices indices (CPI), and stock market reports. There was a 285.9% increase in the United Kingdom and a 1.1% increase in the United States in the number of procedures performed between 2002 and 2011. There were significant positive correlations between the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United Kingdom and both the GDP (r = 0.986, P failed to show a significant relationship with any indices. UK interest rates showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.668, P indices are accurate indicators of numbers of procedures being performed in the United Kingdom, whereas rates in the United States seem independent of those factors.

NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of MSU and AMSU-A Mean Layer Temperatures, UAH Version 6.0

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset includes monthly gridded temperature anomalies on a global 2.5 x 2.5 degree grid derived from Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) and Advanced Microwave...

Sustainability Assessment Using a Unit-based Sustainability ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A sustainability assessment study was performed with three teaching departments at Rhodes University – Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Anthropology, and Accounting. The assessment used a Unit-based Sustainability Assessment Tool (USAT) and was guided by systems thinking and the ontological framework ...

The Linkage Between Work Unit Performance Perceptions of U.S. Federal Employees and Their Job Satisfaction: An Expectancy Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soyoung PARK

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Public organizations are interested in how to improve their performance. Performance in a work unit can also influence employee job satisfaction due to positive expectations based on higher performance. Thus, our study attempts to investigate if organizational performance has an impact on employee motivation under the premise that employees who perform better in a work unit expect greater professional recognition and rewards. By using data from the 2013 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS, we find that employees who perceive higher levels of performance in a work unit have a higher level of job satisfaction. This paper further shows that performance perception based on rewards is also positively related to job satisfaction.However, underrepresented groups (female and non-white, older employees and mid-level (work experience from 6 to 14 years employees are less satisfied with higher work unit performance. Finally, employees in the distributive agency category are more satisfied with work unit performance while those in the regulatory agency category are less satisfied with work unit performance. In conclusion, organizations should recognize particular characteristics of employees to develop the policies related to performance management, and effectively utilize these policies in order to attract and retain proficient workers.

Development of high-performance and low-noise axial-flow fan units in their local operating region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heo, Seung; Ha, Min Ho; Cheong, Cheol Ung [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Tae Hoon [LG Electronics Inc., Changwon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-09-15

Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performances of an axial-flow fan unit are improved by modifying its housing structure without changing the fan blade. The target axial-flow fan system is used to lower temperature of a compressor and a condenser in the machine room of a household refrigerator which has relatively high system resistance due to complex layout of structures inside it. First, the performance of the fan system is experimentally characterized by measuring its volume flow rate versus static pressure using a fan performance tester satisfying the AMCA (Air Movement and Control Association) regulation, AMCA 210-07. The detailed structure of flow driven by the fan is numerically investigated using a virtual fan performance tester based on computational fluid dynamics techniques. The prediction result reveals possible loss due to radial and tangential velocity components in the wake flow downstream of the fan. The length of the fan housing is chosen as a design parameter for improving the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performances of the fan unit by reducing the identified radial and tangential velocity components. Three fan units with different housing lengths longer than the original are analyzed using the virtual fan performance tester. The results confirm the improved aerodynamic performance of the proposed three designs. The flow field driven by the proposed fan unit is closely examined to find the causes for the observed performance improvements, which ensures that the radial and tangential velocity components in the wake flow are reduced. Finally, the improved performance of the proposed fan systems is validated by comparing the P-Q and efficiency curves measured using the fan performance tester. The noise emission from the household refrigerator is also found to be lessened when the new fan units are installed.

First performance results of the ALICE TPC Readout Control Unit 2

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Chengxin; Alme, Johan; Alt, Torsten; Appelshäuser, Harald; Bratrud, Lars Karlot Stubberud; Castro, Andrew; Costa, Filippo; David, Ernö; Gunji, Tako; Kirsch, S; Kiss, Tivadar; Langøy, Rune; Lien, Jørgen; Lippmann, C; Oskarsson, Anders

2016-01-01

- This paper presents the first performance results of the ALICE TPC Readout Control Unit 2 (RCU2). With the upgraded hardware typology and the new readout scheme in FPGA design, the RCU2 is designed to achieve twice the readout speed of the present Readout Control Unit. Design choices such as using the flash-based Microsemi Smartfusion2 FPGA and applying mitigation techniques in interfaces and FPGA design ensure a high degree of radiation tolerance. This paper presents the system level ir...

The Effects of a Parenting Program on Parenting Practices and Student Misconduct in a Low Performing Elementary School in the Northeastern Region of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Louissaint, Guirlene

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a parent-training program on parenting practices and children's misconduct in a predominately low performing school in the Northeastern region of the United States. The study included 26 parents of children in kindergarten through third grade. The participants were predominately African…

A Study Effects Architectural Marketing Capabilities on Performance Marketing unit Based on: Morgan et al case: Past Industry in Tehran

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Reza Dalvi; Robabe Seifi

2014-01-01

Over a period of time architectural marketing capabilities combination of knowledge and skills develop in to capabilities. These architectural marketing capabilities have been identified as one of the important ways firms can achieve a competitive advantage The following research tests effects architectural marketing capabilities on performance marketing unit Based on a survey .a structural equation model was developed to test our hypotheses. the study develops a structural model linking arch...

Forest products research and development organizations in a worldwide setting: A review of structure, governance, and measures of performance of organizations outside the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Paul V. Ellefson; Michael A. Kilgore; Kenneth E. Skog; Christopher D. Risbrudt

2007-01-01

Located in 23 countries, 40 forest-products research and development organizations outside the United States were reviewed in 2004 and 2005. The intent was to obtain a better understanding of how such organizations are structured and administered and their performance judged. Investing over $600 million annually, the 40 organizations employed 7,000 to 7,500 scientists...

Pattern of surgical procedures performed in the orthopaedic units of a tertiary hospital in South West Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas O Adekoya-Cole

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH is one of the foremost teaching institutions in Nigeria. It is a recognized training institution for residency training in Nigeria. However, a thorough evaluation of the procedures being undertaken by the orthopaedic teams in this centre and the impact on the type of training being passed on to the resident doctors in training is the focus of this paper. Objectives: To determine the pattern of procedures performed by the orthopaedic units of the Department of Surgery, LUTH with a view to import the findings in re-organizing its structure based on service requirement, manpower allocation and to make recommendation. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data including age, sex, procedures and leading surgeons retrieved from all our operating theatres over a period from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2011. The data retrieved was analyzed. Results: A total 741 procedures were performed over the 2 year period. More male patients (58.5% had procedures performed on them than the female patients. The mean age of patients treated was 37.2±15.5 years. Trauma related procedures accounted for 68.8% of the total procedures. Open reduction and internal fixation surgical operations were the most common trauma related procedure while ablative surgical operations following Diabetic Mellitus foot syndrome were the most common non-trauma related procedure performed. Conclusion: Trauma related surgery remains the most common procedures in our teaching hospital. Efforts should be made to increase the number of elective operations like Arthroplasties, Arthroscopic operations and Spinal axis correction operations being performed.

Bruce NGS A Unit 4 preheater divider plate failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landridge, M.; McInnes, D.

1995-01-01

On May 19, 1995, without any prior operational indications, Bruce A discovered preheater divider plate damage in Unit 4 that had the potential to have a major impact on the continued safe operation of the station. Further investigations indicated that Unit 4 may have been operating with this damage for as long as ten years. In the two months following the discovery, Bruce A has procured and replaced the 4 divider plates, located most of the missing pieces, retrieved pieces from the PHT system, investigated historical operational information, performed detailed analytical investigations, investigated root cause, performed in-situ and mock-up testing, updated operational procedures and installed DP monitoring equipment

Elaboration of leadership and culture in high-performing nursing units of hospitals as perceived by staff nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Casida, Jesus M; Crane, Patrick C; Walker, Tara L; Wargo, Lisa M

2012-01-01

The leadership-culture phenomenon, a known explanatory construct for organizational performance, is understudied in nursing. Building on our previous work, we further addressed this knowledge gap through explorations of demographics and hospital variables which may have a significant influence on staff nurses' (SNs) perceptions of their nurse managers' (NMs) leadership and nursing unit culture. Furthermore, we explored the extent to which the NMs' leadership predicted specific cultures which typify nursing unit effectiveness. Using dissertation data provided by278 SNs, we found that SNs educated at the baccalaureate level or higher had favorable perceptions of their nursing unit performance and viewed their NMs' leadership differently than the SNs with diploma or associate degrees. The frequent portrayals of transformational (TFL) leadership behaviors (e.g., visionary) by the NMs were paramount in shaping culture traits which exemplify high performance outcomes. TFL leaders were more likely to shape unit cultures which are flexible and adaptive to the environmental challenges within and outside the nursing unit. Thus, the type of NMs' leadership and unit culture may provide an added value in explaining the performance level in patient care units which consequently affects the overall hospital/organizational outcomes. Implications for research and leadership practices are presented.

Effect of geometric parameters of liquid-gas separator units on phase separation performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mo, Songping; Chen, Xueqing; Chen, Ying [Guangdong University of Technology, Seoul (China); Yang, Zhen [Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)

2015-07-15

Five liquid-gas separator units were designed and constructed based on a new concept of a validated high-performance condenser. Each separator unit consists of two united T-junctions and an apertured baffle. The separator units have different header diameters or different baffles with different diameters of the liquid-gas separation hole. The phase separation characteristics of the units were investigated at inlet air superficial velocities from 1.0m/s to 33.0m/s and water superficial velocities from 0.0015 m/s to 0..50 m/s. The experimental results showed that the liquid height, liquid flow rate through the separation hole, and liquid separation efficiency increased with increased header diameter and decreased diameter of the separation hole. The geometric structures of the separator units affected the phase separation characteristics by influencing the liquid height in the header and the liquid flow rate through the separation hole.

Condensing Unit with a Scroll Compressor (UB series)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Editor, [Korea Energy Management Corporation, Yongin (Korea)

2002-05-01

Condensing unit, which is selected as a heat reservoir of grocery store or refrigerating warehouse, has increased its electricity consumption due to high annual operating ratio and large-sized stores. As the requirement of temperature management on freezing and storage has become strict for maintenance of food quality, the number of companies that import HACCP has increased for a few years. Accordingly, the requirement of high performance and reliability on a condensing unit has also risen more than it did. To meet the requirement, Mitsubishi Electric developed and sold condensing unit UB series, which has high reliability in energy saving. The company also has a plan to sell UPB series for the substitute refrigerant gas from fall of 2001. 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Transforming a conventional theatre into a gynaecological endoscopy unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Anastasakis, E; Protopapas, A; Daskalakis, G; Papadakis, M; Milingos, S; Antsaklis, A

2007-01-01

Most minimally invasive procedures are now performed in operating rooms that were originally designed for traditional open surgery. We designed an endoscopic theatre based on our experience with special features specific for gynaecological endoscopy. We designed a detailed plan with an architect's aid of a gynaecological unit (based on a Greek presidential decree published in 1991). The space utilized was that of a conventional theatre. With the architectural plan we anticipated every area needed in a gynaecological endoscopic theatre. A twin theatre was considered appropriate in order for the surgical team to operate alternatively in one theatre while the other is being cleaned and prepared for use. The design of a unit dedicated to gynaecologic laparoscopy is a multidisciplinary task where the endoscopic surgeon undertakes an active and prominent role. It is a project with great benefits and rewards for all parties involved. We present our design for evaluation.

Correlation of United States Medical Licensing Examination and Internal Medicine In-Training Examination Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Perez, Jose A., Jr.; Greer, Sharon

2009-01-01

The Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (ITE) is administered during residency training in the United States as a self-assessment and program assessment tool. Performance on this exam correlates with outcome on the American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying examination. Internal Medicine Program Directors use the United States Medical…

Performance characteristics of a methanol ejector refrigeration unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexis, G.K.; Katsanis, J.S.

2004-01-01

This paper discusses the behavior of methanol through an ejector operating in a refrigeration system with a medium temperature thermal source. For detailed calculation of the proposed system, a method has been developed, which employs analytical functions describing the thermodynamic properties of methanol. The proposed cycle has been compared with a Carnot cycle working at the same temperature levels. The influences of three major parameters, generator, condenser and evaporator temperatures, on ejector efficiency and coefficient of performance are discussed. Also, the maximum value of COP was estimated by correlation of the above three temperatures for constant superheated temperature 150 deg. C, and it was 0.139-0.467. The design conditions were generator temperature 117.7-132.5 deg. C, condenser temperature 42-50 deg. C and evaporator temperature -10-5 deg. C

Software development for simplified performance tests and weekly performance check in Younggwang NPP Unit 3 and 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hur, K. Y.; Jang, S. H.; Lee, J. W.; Kim, J. T.; Park, J. C.

2002-01-01

This paper covers the current status of turbine cycle performance test in nuclear power plants and the software development which can solve some shortcomings related to performance tests. The software developed is for simplified performance tests and weekly performance checks in Yonggwang nuclear power plant unit 3 and 4. This software includes the requirements from the efficiency division for the consistency with actual performance analysis work and the usability of the collected performance test data. From the working survey, we identify the difference between the embedded performance analysis modules and the actual performance analysis work. This software helps operation or maintenance personnel to reduce work load, to support the trend analysis of essential parameters in a turbine cycle, and to utilize the correction curves for the decision-making in their work

'A COMPARISON OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND INVESTMENT STYLES FOR SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND CONVENTIONAL INVESTMENT INDICES IN THE UNITED STATES'

OpenAIRE

Amish, Patel

2013-01-01

This paper investigates comparing the financial performance for socially responsible investment equity indices and conventional investment equity indices in the United States, accounting for the recent financial crisis. Two conventional indices are used as a benchmark to four socially responsible indices. The conventional indices used in this paper are the S&P500 Index and CRSP Total Market Index. The socially responsible indices used are the Calvert Social Index, FTSE4Good U.S. Select Index,...

Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

AMSU-B brings out intense convection as a large depression of BTs (< 50K) at 150/176 GHz, cirrus and moist bands at 180/182 GHz. Mesoscale convection lines within WDs that last short time are shown here for the first time only in the AMSU-B images. Large-scale cirrus features are separated using the á trous wavelet ...

The role of leader behaviors in hospital-based emergency departments' unit performance and employee work satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Blossom Yen-Ju; Hsu, Chung-Ping C; Juan, Chi-Wen; Lin, Cheng-Chieh; Lin, Hung-Jung; Chen, Jih-Chang

2011-01-01

The role of the leader of a medical unit has evolved over time to expand from simply a medical role to a more managerial one. This study aimed to explore how the behavior of a hospital-based emergency department's (ED's) leader might be related to ED unit performance and ED employees' work satisfaction. One hundred and twelve hospital-based EDs in Taiwan were studied: 10 in medical centers, 32 in regional hospitals, and 70 in district hospitals. Three instruments were designed to assess leader behaviors, unit performance and employee satisfaction in these hospital-based EDs. A mail survey revealed that task-oriented leader behavior was positively related to ED unit performance. Both task- and employee-oriented leader behaviors were found to be positively related to ED nurses' work satisfaction. However, leader behaviors were not shown to be related to ED physicians' work satisfaction at a statistically significant level. Some ED organizational characteristics, however, namely departmentalization and hospital accreditation level, were found to be related to ED physicians' work satisfaction. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Performance Residential Housing Units at U.S. Coast Guard Base Kodiak: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romero, R.; Hickey, J.

2013-10-01

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) constructs residential housing throughout the country using a basic template that must meet the minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver criteria or better for the units. In Kodiak, Alaska, USCG is procuring between 24 and 100 residential multi-family housing units. Priorities for the Kodiak project were to reduce overall energyconsumption by at least 20% over existing units, improve envelope construction, and evaluate space heating options. USCG is challenged with maintaining similar existing units that have complicated residential diesel boilers. Additionally, fuel and material costs are high in Kodiak. While USCG has worked to optimize the performance of the housing units with principles of improved buildingenvelope, the engineers realize there are still opportunities for improvement, especially within the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and different envelope measures. USCG staff also desires to balance higher upfront project costs for significantly reduced life-cycle costs of the residential units that have an expected lifetime of 50 or more years. To answer thesequestions, this analysis used the residential modeling tool BEoptE+ to examine potential energy- saving opportunities for the climate. The results suggest criteria for achieving optimized housing performance at the lowest cost. USCG will integrate the criteria into their procurement process. To achieve greater than 50% energy savings, USCG will need to specify full 2x 6 wood stud R-21 insulationwith two 2 inches of exterior foam, R-38 ceiling insulation or even wall insulation in the crawl space, and R-49 fiberglass batts in a the vented attic. The air barrier should be improved to ensure a tight envelope with minimal infiltration to the goal of 2.0 ACH50. With the implementation of an air source heat pump for space heating requirements, the combination of HVAC and envelope savings inthe residential unit can save

Development of a Real-Time Thermal Performance Diagnostic Monitoring system Using Self-Organizing Neural Network for Kori-2 Nuclear Power Unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Hyun Gook; Seong, Poong Hyun

1996-01-01

In this work, a PC-based thermal performance monitoring system is developed for the nuclear power plants. the system performs real-time thermal performance monitoring and diagnosis during plant operation. Specifically, a prototype for the Kori-2 nuclear power unit is developed and examined is very difficult because the system structure is highly complex and the components are very much inter-related. In this study, some major diagnostic performance parameters are selected in order to represent the thermal cycle effectively and to reduce the computing time. The Fuzzy ARTMAP, a self-organizing neural network, is used to recognize the characteristic pattern change of the performance parameters in abnormal situation. By examination, the algorithm is shown to be ale to detect abnormality and to identify the fault component or the change of system operation condition successfully. For the convenience of operators, a graphical user interface is also constructed in this work. 5 figs., 3 tabs., 11 refs. (Author)

Efficiency of performing pulmonary procedures in a shared endoscopy unit: procedure time, turnaround time, delays, and procedure waiting time.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Akash; Lee, Mui Yok; Wang, Chunhong; Hussein, Nurmalah B M; Selvi, Kalai; Tee, Augustine

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of performing pulmonary procedures in the endoscopy unit in a large teaching hospital. A prospective study from May 20 to July 19, 2013, was designed. The main outcome measures were procedure delays and their reasons, duration of procedural steps starting from patient's arrival to endoscopy unit, turnaround time, total case durations, and procedure wait time. A total of 65 procedures were observed. The most common procedure was BAL (61%) followed by TBLB (31%). Overall procedures for 35 (53.8%) of 65 patients were delayed by ≥ 30 minutes, 21/35 (60%) because of "spillover" of the gastrointestinal and surgical cases into the time block of pulmonary procedure. Time elapsed between end of pulmonary procedure and start of the next procedure was ≥ 30 minutes in 8/51 (16%) of cases. In 18/51 (35%) patients there was no next case in the room after completion of the pulmonary procedure. The average idle time of the room after the end of pulmonary procedure and start of next case or end of shift at 5:00 PM if no next case was 58 ± 53 minutes. In 17/51 (33%) patients the room's idle time was >60 minutes. A total of 52.3% of patients had the wait time >2 days and 11% had it ≥ 6 days, reason in 15/21 (71%) being unavailability of the slot. Most pulmonary procedures were delayed due to spillover of the gastrointestinal and surgical cases into the block time allocated to pulmonary procedures. The most common reason for difficulty encountered in scheduling the pulmonary procedure was slot unavailability. This caused increased procedure waiting time. The strategies to reduce procedure delays and turnaround times, along with improved scheduling methods, may have a favorable impact on the volume of procedures performed in the unit thereby optimizing the existing resources.

Bruce A - performance power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boucher, P. [Bruce Power, Tiverton, ON (Canada)

2015-07-01

This paper discusses the strategy for improving performance at Bruce Power. The key to excellence is changing behaviours. Reinforcing and enforcing expectations, aligned with the 2015 operating to the Highest Standards Site Initiative. Long term equipment strategies, supported by the 2015 Equipment Health Site Initiative, individual and group accountability for online/outage Work Management, with further gains through 2015 Maintenance Alignment and Resource Strategy (MARS) Site Initiative. Results showed human performance improvement, more reliable and predictable units and outage performance improvement.

Improving Photovoltaic Performance of a Fused-Ring Azepinedione Copolymer via a D-A-A Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Honghong; Li, Ting; Xiao, Zuo; Lei, Zhongli; Ding, Liming

2018-04-01

Two conjugated copolymer donors, PTTABDT and PBTTABDT, based on a fused-ring azepinedione acceptor unit, 5-(2-octyldodecyl)-4H-thieno[2',3':4,5]thieno[3,2-c]thieno[2',3':4,5]thieno[2,3-e]azepine-4,6(5H)-dione (TTA), are prepared. PTTABDT possesses a conventional donor-acceptor (D-A) structure with one TTA in the repeat unit, while PBTTABDT has a D-A-A structure with two TTAs in the repeat unit. Compared with PTTABDT, PBTTABDT shows a deeper highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level, a narrower bandgap, and a higher hole mobility, and exhibits better performance in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Power conversion efficiencies of 6.18% and 7.81% are achieved from PTTABDT:PC 71 BM and PBTTABDT:PC 71 BM solar cells, respectively. The higher performance of PBTTABDT:PC 71 BM solar cells results from the enhanced open-circuit voltage (V oc ) and short-circuit current density (  J sc ). © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

IAEA A+M Unit Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braams, B. J.; Chung, H.-K.; Sheikh, K.

2011-01-01

Research on fusion energy devices requires a large amount of data for atomic, molecular and plasma-surface interactions. As current machines are updated and future machines are designed, data for a variety of different materials for a wide range of plasma parameters arise. The Atomic and Molecular (A+M) Data Unit of the International Atomic Energy Agency works to coordinate efforts to establish databases for this fusion research effort. Current activities for database development include a number of Coordinated Research Projects (CRP), Technical Meetings, Consultant Meetings and a number of collaborations. These activities generate significant new data in support of fusion research. These data are published in journals as well as IAEA publications and are included in numerical databases ALADDIN accessible by all fusion researchers. Historically a number of institutions have contributed to development of such databases and continue to participate in a Data Centre Network, supported by the A+M Unit. Members of this network maintain individual databases, many of which can be searched using the GENIE search engine. The A+M Unit host the OPEN-ADAS system that allows access to most of the numerical data stored within the ADAS system. An effort on development of an XML schema for data exchange among the databases is underway. Many numerical data for specific processes in fusion relevant materials are not available. In many cases computer codes exist with the capability of generating such data as needed. An informal network of institutions with such capabilities is in the process of formation to provide a means quickly generating such data. The A+M Unit maintains on-line code capabilities to generate atomic and molecular data and serves as an access point to LANL atomic physics codes and FLYCHK, Non-LTE kinetics codes at NIST. Currently, a wiki-style knowledge base is under the development. It will host a wealth of information on atomic, molecular, plasma-surface data for

A Performance Evaluation of a Notebook PC under a High Dose-Rate Gamma Ray Irradiation Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jai Wan Cho

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We describe the performance of a notebook PC under a high dose-rate gamma ray irradiation test. A notebook PC, which is small and light weight, is generally used as the control unit of a robot system and loaded onto the robot body. Using TEPCO’s CAMS (containment atmospheric monitoring system data, the gamma ray dose rate before and after a hydrogen explosion in reactor units 1–3 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant was more than 150 Gy/h. To use a notebook PC as the control unit of a robot system entering a reactor building to mitigate the severe accident situation of a nuclear power plant, the performance of the notebook PC under such intense gamma-irradiation fields should be evaluated. Under a similar dose-rate (150 Gy/h gamma ray environment, the performances of different notebook PCs were evaluated. In addition, a simple method for a performance evaluation of a notebook PC under a high dose-rate gamma ray irradiation test is proposed. Three notebook PCs were tested to verify the method proposed in this paper.

Two-phase flow degradation on Fukushima-Daiichi Unit 2 RCIC turbine performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, Hector; Erkan, Nejdet; Okamoto, Koji

2016-01-01

After the Fukushima accident, several investigation reports, including experiments and simulations have been done for each of the affected units to completely understand the accident progression and use their results to improve the knowledge of severe accident management and the severe codes performance. In Unit 2, the major uncertainties are related with the reactor core isolation cooling (RCIC) system performance during the accident progression especially focused in the RCIC turbine, which is assumed to work in two-phase flow. The main objective of this study is to analyze the RCIC turbine performance under two-phase flow scenarios under the assumption that the power produced by the turbine is lower than expected due to the liquid phase in the flow. A degradation coefficient quantifying the turbine power reduction is developed as a function of the flow quality by using the sonic speed reduction at critical flow conditions principle obtained by applying the non-homogeneous equilibrium model (NHEM). The degradation coefficient was applied to RELAP/ScdapSIM severe accident code showing a drastic reduction of the turbine-generated power during two-phase flow and obtaining a RCIC system behavior closer to the Tokyo electric power company (TEPCO) investigation report conclusions. (author)

A multiplicity logic unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bialkowski, J.; Moszynski, M.; Zagorski, A.

1981-01-01

The logic diagram principle of operation and some details of the design of the multiplicity logic unit are presented. This unit was specially designed to fulfil the requirements of a multidetector arrangement for gamma-ray multiplicity measurements. The unit is equipped with 16 inputs controlled by a common coincidence gate. It delivers a linear output pulse with the height proportional to the multiplicity of coincidences and logic pulses corresponding to 0, 1, ... up to >= 5-fold coincidences. These last outputs are used to steer the routing unit working with the multichannel analyser. (orig.)

Personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, Christopher G.

2008-01-01

The basis for personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States is ANSI/HPS N13.11. Now in it's fourth edition, this standard has been in place since 1983. Testing under this standard is administered by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and accreditation of dosimetry processors under this program is required by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) also maintains a testing program for its laboratories and contractors, administered by the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP). One of the goals of this current revision was the modification of ANSI/HPS N13.11 to allow acceptance by both testing programs in order to bring harmonization to U.S. personal dosemeter performance testing. The testing philosophy of ANSI/HPS N13.11 has always combined elements of type testing and routine performance testing and is thus different from the testing philosophy used in the rest of the world. In this paper, the history of performance testing in the U.S. is briefly reviewed. Also described is the revision that produced the fourth edition of this standard, which has taken place over the last three years (2005-2008) by a working group representing national standards laboratories, government laboratories, the military, dosimetry vendors, universities and the nuclear power industry. (author)

DEVELOPMENT OF A HYDRONIC ROOFTOP UNIT -- HYPAK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eric Lee; Dick Bourne; Mark Berman

2004-03-25

The majority of US commercial floor space is cooled by rooftop HVAC units (RTU's). RTU popularity derives chiefly from their low initial cost and relative ease of service access without disturbing building occupants. Unfortunately, current RTU's are inherently inefficient due to a combination of characteristics that unnecessarily increase cooling loads and energy use. Existing RTU's in the U.S. consume an estimated 2.4 quads annually. Inefficient RTU's create an estimated 3.5% of U.S. CO{sub 2} emissions, thus contributing significantly to global warming. Also, RTU's often fail to maintain adequate ventilation air and air filtration. This project was developed to evaluate the feasibility of a radically new ''HyPak'' RTU design that significantly and cost-effectively increases RTU performance and delivered air quality. The objective of the HyPak Project was to design, develop and test a hydronic RTU that provides a quantum improvement over conventional RTU performance. Our proposal targeted 60% and 50% reduction in electrical energy use by the HyPak RTU for dry and humid climates, respectively, when compared with a conventional unit.

A reliability model of a warm standby configuration with two identical sets of units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Wei; Loman, James; Song, Thomas

2015-01-01

This article presents a new reliability model and the development of its analytical solution for a warm standby redundant configuration with units that are originally operated in active mode, and then, upon turn-on of originally standby units, are put into warm standby mode. These units can be used later if a standby- turned into active-unit fails. Numerical results of an example configuration are presented and discussed with comparison to other warm standby configurations, and to Monte Carlo simulation results obtained from BlockSim software. Results show that the Monte Carlo simulation model gives virtually identical reliability value when the simulation uses a high number of replications, confirming the developed model. - Highlights: • A new reliability model is developed for a warm standby redundancy with two sets of identical units. • The units subject to state change from active to standby then back to active mode. • A closed form analytical solution is developed with exponential distribution. • To validate the developed model, a Monte Carlo simulation for an exemplary configuration is performed

Effect of Cooling Units on the Performance of an Automotive Exhaust-Based Thermoelectric Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Su, C. Q.; Zhu, D. C.; Deng, Y. D.; Wang, Y. P.; Liu, X.

2017-05-01

Currently, automotive exhaust-based thermoelectric generators (AETEGs) are a hot topic in energy recovery. In order to investigate the influence of coolant flow rate, coolant flow direction and cooling unit arrangement in the AETEG, a thermoelectric generator (TEG) model and a related test bench are constructed. Water cooling is adopted in this study. Due to the non-uniformity of the surface temperature of the heat source, the coolant flow direction would affect the output performance of the TEG. Changing the volumetric flow rate of coolant can increase the output power of multi-modules connected in series or/and parallel as it can improve the temperature uniformity of the cooling unit. Since the temperature uniformity of the cooling unit has a strong influence on the output power, two cooling units are connected in series or parallel to research the effect of cooling unit arrangements on the maximum output power of the TEG. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that the net output power is generally higher with cooling units connected in parallel than cooling units connected in series in the cooling system with two cooling units.

A Well Water Reverse Osmosis Desalination Unit Diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elfil, H.; Hila, M.; Hannachi, A.; Yeza, A.

2009-01-01

In this present work the diagnosis results of a reverse osmosis desalination unit are reported. Since 1997, the desalination unit was supplying a 1200 bed hotel. The feed water was driven from a well situated 300 m away form the sea. The water has an approximate salinity of 6gg.L -1 . The unit was producing 600 m 3 per day of desalinated water with a Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) of nearly 400 mg.L -1 . The desalination unit has two stages with 67 pour cent and 42 pour cent yields respectively giving an average yield of 81 pour cent. The behavior of all water streams with respect to aggressiveness and scaling tendency was assessed. The 2nd stage reject water was shown to exhibit a very high scaling behavior with an instantaneous precipitation in the absence of feed water chemical treatment. The analyses have shown that the produced water was very aggressive. The second stage module autopsy has revealed a sharp decrease of the membrane performances because of mineral as well as organic fooling buildup. The inorganic scale was essentially made of coesite and calcite and kaolinite clay. The presence of silica and clay could be attributed to an inadequate filtration pre-treatment process that was not able to retain all the suspended matter in the feed water. Whereas the presence calcite crystals at the membrane surface, reveals that the chemical inhibition performed at the pre-treatment process without adjusting the water pH was not able to prevent calcium carbonate precipitation. A periodic acid wash of the 2nd stage membranes is then necessary to guarantee this stage desired objectives.

The Impact of a Hybrid Sport Education-Invasion Games Competence Model Soccer Unit on Students' Decision Making, Skill Execution and Overall Game Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Isabel; Farias, Claudio; Hastie, Peter

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a hybrid Sport Education-Invasion Games Competence Model (SE-IGCM) unit application on students' improvements in decision making, skill execution and overall game performance, during a soccer season. Twenty-six fifth-grade students from a Portuguese public elementary school participated in a…

Prevalence of GMC performance assessments in the United Kingdom: a retrospective cohort analysis by country of medical qualification

OpenAIRE

Mehdizadeh, L.; Potts, H. W. W.; Sturrock, A.; Dacre, J.

2017-01-01

Background The demographics of doctors working in the UK are changing. The United Kingdom (UK) has voted to leave the European Union (EU) and there is heightened political discourse around the world about the impact of migration on healthcare services. Previous work suggests that foreign trained doctors perform worse than UK graduates in postgraduate medical examinations. We analysed the prevalence by country of primary medical qualification of doctors who were required to take an assessment ...

Assess and Predict Automatic Generation Control Performances for Thermal Power Generation Units Based on Modeling Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yan; Yang, Zijiang; Gao, Song; Liu, Jinbiao

2018-02-01

Automatic generation control(AGC) is a key technology to maintain real time power generation and load balance, and to ensure the quality of power supply. Power grids require each power generation unit to have a satisfactory AGC performance, being specified in two detailed rules. The two rules provide a set of indices to measure the AGC performance of power generation unit. However, the commonly-used method to calculate these indices is based on particular data samples from AGC responses and will lead to incorrect results in practice. This paper proposes a new method to estimate the AGC performance indices via system identification techniques. In addition, a nonlinear regression model between performance indices and load command is built in order to predict the AGC performance indices. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through industrial case studies.

Thermodynamic analysis and experimental investigation of a Solo V161 Stirling cogeneration unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogdakis, E.D.; Antonakos, G.D.; Koronaki, I.P.

2012-01-01

In order to investigate the Stirling engine implementation technology, a Solo Stirling Engine V161 cogeneration module has been installed at the Laboratory of Applied Thermodynamics of National Technical University of Athens. A special thermodynamic analysis of the engine's performance has been conducted introducing and utilizing specially designed computing codes along with the thermal balance study of the unit. Measurements were conducted under different operational conditions concerning various heat load stages of the engine, working pressure, as well as electric power production. Analysis of the experimental results has shown that the overall performance of the Stirling unit proved very promising and quite adequate for various areal applications, equally competing with other CHP systems. The performance of the unit experienced significant stability all over the operating range. The power stand ratio 0.35 differentiates Stirling cogeneration units from others that use diverging technologies significantly. The energy savings using a Stirling CHP unit, in respect to the concurrent use of a thermal and an electrical system at the same equivalent power has revealed 36.8%. -- Highlights: ► Thermodynamic analysis of an a-type Stirling engine. ► Development of generated electrical and thermal power of the m-CHP Solo Stirling Unit to engine's load comparison. ► Stirling m-CHP until heat balance analysis. ► Evaluation of the Solo Stirling V161 unit efficiency.

High-Performance Pseudo-Random Number Generation on Graphics Processing Units

OpenAIRE

Nandapalan, Nimalan; Brent, Richard P.; Murray, Lawrence M.; Rendell, Alistair

2011-01-01

This work considers the deployment of pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) on graphics processing units (GPUs), developing an approach based on the xorgens generator to rapidly produce pseudo-random numbers of high statistical quality. The chosen algorithm has configurable state size and period, making it ideal for tuning to the GPU architecture. We present a comparison of both speed and statistical quality with other common parallel, GPU-based PRNGs, demonstrating favourable performance o...

The increase performance BMF-14 calcination unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triyono

2013-01-01

The heating element of performance increase BMF-14 calcination unit has been installed. The activity includes: installation and function test heating element step by step. The main component includes: kanthal heating element type with size long 58,2 cm diameter 0,9 cm slot total 28, flexible cable resists heat 30 Amperes, band cable heat resists and flexible clamp. The heating elements installation includes from 3 groups and every groups have 4 heating elements to connectly series. Every group connecting to every phase RST and neutral for getting electric voltage 380 Volts follow contact relay 3 phases to controlling by digital temperature control. The resulting installation of heating element in the BMF-14 calcination unit showed that: BMF-14 calcination unit can be again of the setting temperature step by step. In the step I get optimal temperature 560 °C test time 1068 minutes with rate velocity heat 0 to 18,0 °C/minutes with current between 5,8 to 6,4 Amperes voltage 103 to 123 Volts (phase R and T). In the step II gets optimal temperature 600 °C test time 265 minutes getting rate velocity heat 0 to 40,3 °C/minutes with current 3,8 to 8,5 Amperes voltage 76 to 142 Volts (phase RST). In the step III gets optimal temperature 1000 °C test time 107 minutes getting rate velocity heat 0 to 53,5 °C/minutes with current 9,7 to 12,5 Amperes voltage 215 to 225 Volts (phase RST). (author)

Thermoeconomic and environmental assessment of a crude oil distillation unit of a Nigerian refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waheed, M.A.; Oni, A.O.; Adejuyigbe, S.B.; Adewumi, B.A.

2014-01-01

The renovation of refineries should be aimed at achieving the highest possible technical efficiencies at a considerable investment cost and not only at replacing damaged components to attain full capacity utilisation. This study examined a crude distillation unit (CDU) of a Nigerian refinery plant comprising the atmospheric distillation unit (ADU), vacuum distillation unit (VDU), preflash unit (PFU), splitter unit (SPU), stabiliser unit (SBU) and heat exchanger network (HEN) to determine critical areas of inefficiencies as the plant managements plan renovation. Using real plant data, the CDU was simulated with Aspen Hysys ® and the thermoeconomic and environmental analyses were carried out. The results show that the energy and exergy efficiencies of the CDU were 9.0 and 4.0% respectively. The specific CO 2 emission was 3.67 kg CO 2 /bbl. The highly inefficient subunits accounting for 77.4 and 90.0% of the overall energy and exergy losses respectively and 60.3% of the emission released were the PFU, ADU and HEN. The highly inefficient components are the furnaces which accounted for 51.6% of the overall exergy losses. The environmental and economic analysis also indicated that these components are the most potent for improvement. The columns of the PFU and ADU should be revamped to reduce their energy demands and the HEN should be modified to minimise effluent losses. - Highlights: •The assessment of a crude distillation unit (CDU) in Nigeria was carried out. •The assessment considered thermodynamic, thermoeconomic and environment analysis. •The assessment revealed areas with poor performance in the CDU. •Large thermodynamic and economic losses are responsible for the poor performance. •Areas with large losses and emission rate should be targeted for improvement

Thermoeconomic and environmental assessment of a crude oil distillation unit of a Nigerian refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waheed, M. A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun State (Nigeria); Oni, A.O., E-mail: fem2day@yahoo.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun State (Nigeria); Adejuyigbe, S. B. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun State (Nigeria); Adewumi, B. A. [Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun State (Nigeria)

2014-05-01

The renovation of refineries should be aimed at achieving the highest possible technical efficiencies at a considerable investment cost and not only at replacing damaged components to attain full capacity utilisation. This study examined a crude distillation unit (CDU) of a Nigerian refinery plant comprising the atmospheric distillation unit (ADU), vacuum distillation unit (VDU), preflash unit (PFU), splitter unit (SPU), stabiliser unit (SBU) and heat exchanger network (HEN) to determine critical areas of inefficiencies as the plant managements plan renovation. Using real plant data, the CDU was simulated with Aspen Hysys{sup ®} and the thermoeconomic and environmental analyses were carried out. The results show that the energy and exergy efficiencies of the CDU were 9.0 and 4.0% respectively. The specific CO{sub 2} emission was 3.67 kg CO{sub 2}/bbl. The highly inefficient subunits accounting for 77.4 and 90.0% of the overall energy and exergy losses respectively and 60.3% of the emission released were the PFU, ADU and HEN. The highly inefficient components are the furnaces which accounted for 51.6% of the overall exergy losses. The environmental and economic analysis also indicated that these components are the most potent for improvement. The columns of the PFU and ADU should be revamped to reduce their energy demands and the HEN should be modified to minimise effluent losses. - Highlights: •The assessment of a crude distillation unit (CDU) in Nigeria was carried out. •The assessment considered thermodynamic, thermoeconomic and environment analysis. •The assessment revealed areas with poor performance in the CDU. •Large thermodynamic and economic losses are responsible for the poor performance. •Areas with large losses and emission rate should be targeted for improvement.

Lightning-based propagation of convective rain fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Dietrich

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a new multi-sensor approach for continuously monitoring convective rain cells. It exploits lightning data from surface networks to propagate rain fields estimated from multi-frequency brightness temperature measurements taken by the AMSU/MHS microwave radiometers onboard NOAA/EUMETSAT low Earth orbiting operational satellites. Specifically, the method allows inferring the development (movement, morphology and intensity of convective rain cells from the spatial and temporal distribution of lightning strokes following any observation by a satellite-borne microwave radiometer. Obviously, this is particularly attractive for real-time operational purposes, due to the sporadic nature of the low Earth orbiting satellite measurements and the continuous availability of ground-based lightning measurements – as is the case in most of the Mediterranean region. A preliminary assessment of the lightning-based rainfall propagation algorithm has been successfully made by using two pairs of consecutive AMSU observations, in conjunction with lightning measurements from the ZEUS network, for two convective events. Specifically, we show that the evolving rain fields, which are estimated by applying the algorithm to the satellite-based rainfall estimates for the first AMSU overpass, show an overall agreement with the satellite-based rainfall estimates for the second AMSU overpass.

Considering a redesign of the Tech United keeper for improved acceleration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roest, de A.; Steinbuch, M.; Rosielle, P.C.J.N.

2011-01-01

The report describes the explorations to design a new keeper for Tech United. The performance of the current robot was disappointing and one of the reasons that Tech United lost the finals at the world championship last year. The goal of this report is to provide suggestions for the design of a new

Health, safety and environmental unit performance assessment model under uncertainty (case study: steel industry).

Science.gov (United States)

Shamaii, Azin; Omidvari, Manouchehr; Lotfi, Farhad Hosseinzadeh

2017-01-01

Performance assessment is a critical objective of management systems. As a result of the non-deterministic and qualitative nature of performance indicators, assessments are likely to be influenced by evaluators' personal judgments. Furthermore, in developing countries, performance assessments by the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) department are based solely on the number of accidents. A questionnaire is used to conduct the study in one of the largest steel production companies in Iran. With respect to health, safety, and environment, the results revealed that control of disease, fire hazards, and air pollution are of paramount importance, with coefficients of 0.057, 0.062, and 0.054, respectively. Furthermore, health and environment indicators were found to be the most common causes of poor performance. Finally, it was shown that HSE management systems can affect the majority of performance safety indicators in the short run, whereas health and environment indicators require longer periods of time. The objective of this study is to present an HSE-MS unit performance assessment model in steel industries. Moreover, we seek to answer the following question: what are the factors that affect HSE unit system in the steel industry? Also, for each factor, the extent of impact on the performance of the HSE management system in the organization is determined.

Development of DUST: A computer code that calculates release rates from a LLW disposal unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, T.M.

1992-01-01

Performance assessment of a Low-Level Waste (LLW) disposal facility begins with an estimation of the rate at which radionuclides migrate out of the facility (i.e., the disposal unit source term). The major physical processes that influence the source term are water flow, container degradation, waste form leaching, and radionuclide transport. A computer code, DUST (Disposal Unit Source Term) has been developed which incorporates these processes in a unified manner. The DUST code improves upon existing codes as it has the capability to model multiple container failure times, multiple waste form release properties, and radionuclide specific transport properties. Verification studies performed on the code are discussed

Design, fabrication, and dynamic testing of a V-groove radiator mechanical development unit

Science.gov (United States)

Petrick, S. Walter; Bard, Steven

1988-01-01

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and dynamic testing of a V-groove radiator development unit. The intended goal was to survive the dynamic environment of the Mars Observer mission. The development unit was designed to achieve a temperature of 80 K with a heat load of about 80 milliwatts. An analysis was performed to predict the thermal performance of the development unit. The radiator with a mass mockup of a Gamma Ray Spectrometer detector, the most massive of the candidate Mars Observer instrument detectors (1.7 Kg), passed vibration and acoustic testing to the Mars Observer requirements in effect at that time.

Pattern recognition in cyclic and discrete skills performance from inertial measurement units

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seifert, Ludovic; L'Hermette, Maxime; Komar, John; Orth, Dominic; Mell, Florian; Merriaux, Pierre; Grenet, Pierre; Caritu, Yanis; Hérault, Romain; Dovgalecs, Vladislavs; Davids, Keith

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to compare and validate an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) relative to an optic system, and to propose methods for pattern recognition to capture behavioural dynamics during sport performance. IMU validation was conducted by comparing the motions of the two arms of a

MCNP simulation of a Theratron 780 radiotherapy unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Miró, R; Soler, J; Gallardo, S; Campayo, J M; Díez, S; Verdú, G

2005-01-01

A Theratron 780 (MDS Nordion) 60Co radiotherapy unit has been simulated with the Monte Carlo code MCNP. The unit has been realistically modelled: the cylindrical source capsule and its housing, the rectangular collimator system, both the primary and secondary jaws and the air gaps between the components. Different collimator openings, ranging from 5 x 5 cm2 to 20 x 20 cm2 (narrow and broad beams) at a source-surface distance equal to 80 cm have been used during the study. In the present work, we have calculated spectra as a function of field size. A study of the variation of the electron contamination of the 60Co beam has also been performed.

ENERGY AND EXERGY ANALYSIS OF A POWDER DETERGENT UNIT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

G. Bektas; F. Balkan

2008-01-01

In the recent years, there is a growing interest on minimization of energy utilization in various plants and thereby improving the performance. As an efficient tool for examining the processes, the exergy analysis gains importance. In the present work, the application of exergy analysis to powder detergent unit of a powder detergent production plant located at Izmir, Turkey were performed y using actual plant operational data. Also the energy analyses were considered for comparison. Although there are a number of energy and exergy analyses in various areas of industry, this study will be likely the first one for powder detergent production. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the equipments were calculated and it was concluded that according to the overall balance around the unit, the energy efficiency was 0.76 and the exergy efficiency was 0.40

ENERGY AND EXERGY ANALYSIS OF A POWDER DETERGENT UNIT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G. Bektas; F. Balkan [Ege University, Chemical Engineering Department, Izmir (Turkey)

2008-09-30

In the recent years, there is a growing interest on minimization of energy utilization in various plants and thereby improving the performance. As an efficient tool for examining the processes, the exergy analysis gains importance. In the present work, the application of exergy analysis to powder detergent unit of a powder detergent production plant located at Izmir, Turkey were performed y using actual plant operational data. Also the energy analyses were considered for comparison. Although there are a number of energy and exergy analyses in various areas of industry, this study will be likely the first one for powder detergent production. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the equipments were calculated and it was concluded that according to the overall balance around the unit, the energy efficiency was 0.76 and the exergy efficiency was 0.40.

A simple nonstationary-volatility robust panel unit root test

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demetrescu, Matei; Hanck, Christoph

2012-01-01

We propose an IV panel unit root test robust to nonstationary error volatility. Its finite-sample performance is convincing even for many units and strong cross-correlation. An application to GDP prices illustrates the inferential impact of nonstationary volatility. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights

Suggestions for a competency-based orientation for an orthopaedic unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, G A

1997-01-01

Effective orientation programs should provide new RN and LPN employees with very specific performance expectations. Competency-based orientation provides such a structure. This approach not only decreases the orientee's anxiety, but it also acts as a basis for establishing competencies specific to that unit. Because the existing staff members are intimately involved in the process, socialization within the unit and cohesiveness of purpose are enhanced. Adult learning theory, educational principles, self-paced learning modules, and the use of preceptors and check-off lists are employed in this Competency-Based Orientation (CBO) program for an adult orthopaedic unit. Samples of various aspects of a CBO are included.

Mean atmospheric temperature model estimation for GNSS meteorology using AIRS and AMSU data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rata Suwantong

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the problem of modeling the relationship between the mean atmospheric and air surface temperatures is addressed. Particularly, the major goal is to estimate the model parameters at a regional scale in Thailand. To formulate the relationship between the mean atmospheric and air surface temperatures, a triply modulated cosine function was adopted to model the surface temperature as a periodic function. The surface temperature was then converted to mean atmospheric temperature using a linear function. The parameters of the model were estimated using an extended Kalman filter. Traditionally, radiosonde data is used. In this paper, satellite data from an atmospheric infrared sounder, and advanced microwave sounding unit sensors was used because it is open source data and has global coverage with high temporal resolution. The performance of the proposed model was tested against that of a global model via an accuracy assessment of the computed GNSS-derived PWV.

Joint Facial Action Unit Detection and Feature Fusion: A Multi-conditional Learning Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Eleftheriadis, Stefanos; Rudovic, Ognjen; Pantic, Maja

2016-10-05

Automated analysis of facial expressions can benefit many domains, from marketing to clinical diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Facial expressions are typically encoded as a combination of facial muscle activations, i.e., action units. Depending on context, these action units co-occur in specific patterns, and rarely in isolation. Yet, most existing methods for automatic action unit detection fail to exploit dependencies among them, and the corresponding facial features. To address this, we propose a novel multi-conditional latent variable model for simultaneous fusion of facial features and joint action unit detection. Specifically, the proposed model performs feature fusion in a generative fashion via a low-dimensional shared subspace, while simultaneously performing action unit detection using a discriminative classification approach. We show that by combining the merits of both approaches, the proposed methodology outperforms existing purely discriminative/generative methods for the target task. To reduce the number of parameters, and avoid overfitting, a novel Bayesian learning approach based on Monte Carlo sampling is proposed, to integrate out the shared subspace. We validate the proposed method on posed and spontaneous data from three publicly available datasets (CK+, DISFA and Shoulder-pain), and show that both feature fusion and joint learning of action units leads to improved performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods for the task.

The Performing Arts in a New Era

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McCarthy, Kevin

2001-01-01

The Pew Charitable Trust commissioned The Performing Arts in a New Era from RAND in 1999 as part of a broad initiative aimed at increasing policy and financial support for nonprofit culture in the United States...

Pay for performance in neonatal-perinatal medicine--will the quality of health care improve in the neonatal intensive care unit? A business model for improving outcomes in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Spitzer, Alan R

2010-03-01

Because neonatal medicine is such an expensive contributor to health care in the United States--with a small population of infants accounting for very high health care costs--there has been a fair amount of attention given to this group of patients. An idea that has received increasing attention in this discussion is pay for performance. This article discusses the concept of pay for performance, examines what potential benefits and risks exist in this model, and investigates how it might achieve the desired goals if implemented in a thoughtful way. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance Assessment of a Solar-Assisted Desiccant-Based Air Handling Unit Considering Different Scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Angrisani

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, three alternative layouts (scenarios of an innovative solar-assisted hybrid desiccant-based air handling unit (AHU are investigated through dynamic simulations. Performance is evaluated with respect to a reference system and compared to those of the innovative plant without modifications. For each scenario, different collector types, surfaces and tilt angles are considered. The effect of the solar thermal energy surplus exploitation for other low-temperature uses is also investigated. The first alternative scenario consists of the recovery of the heat rejected by the condenser of the chiller to pre-heat the regeneration air. The second scenario considers the pre-heating of regeneration air with the warmer regeneration air exiting the desiccant wheel (DW. The last scenario provides pre-cooling of the process air before entering the DW. Results reveal that the plants with evacuated solar collectors (SC can ensure primary energy savings (15%–24% and avoid equivalent CO2 emissions (14%–22%, about 10 percentage points more than those with flat-plate collectors, when the solar thermal energy is used only for air conditioning and the collectors have the best tilt angle. If all of the solar thermal energy is considered, the best results with evacuated tube collectors are approximately 73% in terms of primary energy saving, 71% in terms of avoided equivalent CO2 emissions and a payback period of six years.

Prevalence of GMC performance assessments in the United Kingdom: a retrospective cohort analysis by country of medical qualification.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehdizadeh, L; Potts, H W W; Sturrock, A; Dacre, J

2017-04-04

The demographics of doctors working in the UK are changing. The United Kingdom (UK) has voted to leave the European Union (EU) and there is heightened political discourse around the world about the impact of migration on healthcare services. Previous work suggests that foreign trained doctors perform worse than UK graduates in postgraduate medical examinations. We analysed the prevalence by country of primary medical qualification of doctors who were required to take an assessment by the General Medical Council (GMC) because of performance concerns. This was a retrospective cohort analysis of data routinely collected by the GMC. We compared doctors who had a GMC performance assessment between 1996 and 2013 with the medical register in the same period. The outcome measures were numbers experiencing performance assessments by country or region of medical qualification. The rate of performance assessment varied significantly by place of medical qualification and by year; χ 2 (17) = 188, p Economic Area (EEA), were more likely to have a performance assessment than UK trained doctors, with the exception of South African trained doctors. The rate of performance assessment varies significantly by place of medical qualification. This is the first study to explore the risk of performance assessment by individual places of medical qualification. While concern has largely focused on the competence of non-EEA, International Medical Graduates, we discuss implications for how to ensure European trained doctors are fit to practise before their medical licence in the UK is granted. Further research is needed to investigate whether these country effects hold true when controlling for factors like doctors' sex, age, length of time working in the UK, and English language skills. This will allow evidence-based decisions to be made around the regulatory environment the UK should adopt once it leaves the EU. Patients should be reassured that the vast majority of all doctors

Teaching English as an Additional Language In The Global Classroom: A Transnational Study In The United States and United Kingdom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gail McEachron

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Global research has shown the persistence of inequality with regard to accessing curriculum with a view to obtaining suitable work and making useful contributions to society. The intersection of race, gender, language and low socio-economic levels creates situations which often marginalize ethnic minorities in school settings (Freire, 1968; Nieto & Turner, 2012. The graduation rates in the United States for Native American, African American and Hispanic students are lower than the graduation rates of Whites and Asian Americans. In addition, Bangladeshis and African Caribbeans currently living in the UK are under-represented in higher education, particularly young men in those communities. The research questions that guide this inquiry are: (1 According to databases, how does the academic performance of language minority groups compare to the academic performance of non-linguistic minority groups at the elementary and secondary levels of education? (2 According to language support teachers and university students, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the instructional practices for language minorities who are learning English in the United Kingdom (UK (Bristol and the United States (US (Henrico? Participants were: five UK teachers, four UK university students, five US teachers, four US university students. Data collection supervised by lead researchers included interviews, focus groups, classroom observation, and performance documents. Data analysis utilized a mixed-methods approach. Overall, linguistic minority groups performed lower than their English proficient peers. Culturally, UK teachers provided a greater emphasis on religious instruction, whereas US teachers addressed patriotic topics more frequently. Teachers in the United States and the United Kingdom were culturally supportive with slight variation in the encouraged use of the students’ heritage languages.

MINAC radiography performed on susquehanna Steam Electric Station Unit 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bognet, J.C.

1986-01-01

Ten welds were volumetrically examined with a manual and automated ultrasonic (UT) system during a Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SES) Unit 1 preservice inspection. The automated system had been recently developed and several problems were encountered in this first field application. The ten welds examined had a Sweepolet-to-Risor weld configuration, which further complicated the examination effort. This weld configuration has corrosion-resistant cladding applied to the outside and inside circumference and, as a result of an installation/removal/reinstallation sequence during plant construction, is often referred to as the double weld. After several attempts to obtain interpretable UT data failed (e.g., repeatable data), the examination effort was terminated. PP and L opted to pursue using the Miniature Linear Accelerator (MINAC) to perform radiographic examination. The results were referenced in the Susquehanna SES Unit 1 outage summary report and submitted to the NRC. The total effort was viewed as a complete success with no impact to the overall outage duration. All welds previously attempted by automated and manual UT were successfully examined using the MINAC

The Effects of Battalion Staff Stabilization on Individual and Unit Performance: A Preliminary Investigation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ardison, Sharon

2001-01-01

... (six of the seven units). Although improvements in leadership skills and abilities were associated with longer command team tenure, the results are those of a preliminary investigation and not intended for generalization to the Army-at-large.

Functional unit for a processor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rohani, A.; Kerkhoff, Hans G.

2013-01-01

The invention relates to a functional unit for a processor, such as a Very Large Instruction Word Processor. The invention further relates to a processor comprising at least one such functional unit. The invention further relates to a functional unit and processor capable of mitigating the effect of

Design and Performance of Energy Conversion Units of Betavoltaic Isotopic Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Guanquan; Yang Yuqing; Zhang Huaming; Hu Rui; Wei Hongyuan; Xiong Xiaoling; Luo Shunzhong

2010-01-01

Based on the single crystal silicon semiconductor junction devices, the relationships between their configurable parameters and the electrical properties were discussed for the purpose of design of energy conversion units of betavoltaic isotopic batteries. Two kinds of silicon semiconductor junction devices as energy conversion units of betavoltaic batteries were designed and customized. The electrical output properties of the devices irradiated by 63 Ni source were measured. The results show that the new designed devices perform better than the existing commercial one in open-circuit voltage, output power and energy conversion efficiency. (authors)

The Impact of Talent Management System on the Enterprise Performance: a Study on a Sample of Workers in National Company of Juice and Canned-food Unit MANAA (Batna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakia Megri

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This research paper aims to see the theoretical and practical views of the impact of management talents on the company performance, and following a descriptive approach that helps to stimulate ideas and attract multidimensional interests. To achieve this goal, we focused on modern literature to address this issue through multiple angles, including: educational psychology, demographic changes, historical development of human resources, the location of TM in light of the knowledge economy, and what said the theorists and practitioners. Through the study on the impact of talent management system on the performance of the national company of juice and canned-food unit MANAA, we approved the hypothesis, which states the existence of a significant impact of the talent management system on company performance.

A new radiometric unit of measure to characterize SWIR illumination

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, A.; Hübner, M.

2017-05-01

We propose a new radiometric unit of measure we call the `swux' to unambiguously characterize scene illumination in the SWIR spectral band between 0.8μm-1.8μm, where most of the ever-increasing numbers of deployed SWIR cameras (based on standard InGaAs focal plane arrays) are sensitive. Both military and surveillance applications in the SWIR currently suffer from a lack of a standardized SWIR radiometric unit of measure that can be used to definitively compare or predict SWIR camera performance with respect to SNR and range metrics. We propose a unit comparable to the photometric illuminance lux unit; see Ref. [1]. The lack of a SWIR radiometric unit becomes even more critical if one uses lux levels to describe SWIR sensor performance at twilight or even low light condition, since in clear, no-moon conditions in rural areas, the naturally-occurring SWIR radiation from nightglow produces a much higher irradiance than visible starlight. Thus, even well-intentioned efforts to characterize a test site's ambient illumination levels in the SWIR band may fail based on photometric instruments that only measure visible light. A study of this by one of the authors in Ref. [2] showed that the correspondence between lux values and total SWIR irradiance in typical illumination conditions can vary by more than two orders of magnitude, depending on the spectrum of the ambient background. In analogy to the photometric lux definition, we propose the SWIR irradiance equivalent `swux' level, derived by integration over the scene SWIR spectral irradiance weighted by a spectral sensitivity function S(λ), a SWIR analog of the V(λ) photopic response function.

[Development of nursing key performance indicators for an intensive care unit by using a balanced scorecard].

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yun Jeong; Lim, Ji Young; Lee, Young Whee; Kim, Hwa Soon

2008-10-01

The purpose of this study was to develop visions of nursing service, nursing strategies and key performance indicators (KPIs) for an intensive care unit (ICU) based on a Balanced Scorecard (BSC). This study was undertaken by using methodological research. The development process consisted of four phases; the first phase was to develop the vision of nursing in ICUs. The second phase was to develop strategies according to 4 perspectives of a BSC. The third phase was to develop KPIs according to the 4 perspectives of BSC and the final phase was to combine the nursing visions, strategies and KPIs of ICUs. Two main visions of nursing service for ICUs were established. These were 'realization of harmonized professional nursing with human respect' and 'recovery of health through specialized nursing' respectively. In order to reach the aim of developing nursing visions, thirteen practical strategies and nineteen KPIs were developed by four perspectives of the BSC. The results will be used as objective fundamental data to attain business outcomes for the achievement of nursing visions and strategies of ICUs.

Phenobarbital in intensive care unit pediatric population: predictive performances of population pharmacokinetic model.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsot, Amélie; Michel, Fabrice; Chasseloup, Estelle; Paut, Olivier; Guilhaumou, Romain; Blin, Olivier

2017-10-01

An external evaluation of phenobarbital population pharmacokinetic model described by Marsot et al. was performed in pediatric intensive care unit. Model evaluation is an important issue for dose adjustment. This external evaluation should allow confirming the proposed dosage adaptation and extending these recommendations to the entire intensive care pediatric population. External evaluation of phenobarbital published population pharmacokinetic model of Marsot et al. was realized in a new retrospective dataset of 35 patients hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit. The published population pharmacokinetic model was implemented in nonmem 7.3. Predictive performance was assessed by quantifying bias and inaccuracy of model prediction. Normalized prediction distribution errors (NPDE) and visual predictive check (VPC) were also evaluated. A total of 35 infants were studied with a mean age of 33.5 weeks (range: 12 days-16 years) and a mean weight of 12.6 kg (range: 2.7-70.0 kg). The model predicted the observed phenobarbital concentrations with a reasonable bias and inaccuracy. The median prediction error was 3.03% (95% CI: -8.52 to 58.12%), and the median absolute prediction error was 26.20% (95% CI: 13.07-75.59%). No trends in NPDE and VPC were observed. The model previously proposed by Marsot et al. in neonates hospitalized in intensive care unit was externally validated for IV infusion administration. The model-based dosing regimen was extended in all pediatric intensive care unit to optimize treatment. Due to inter- and intravariability in pharmacokinetic model, this dosing regimen should be combined with therapeutic drug monitoring. © 2017 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Impact of memory bottleneck on the performance of graphics processing units

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Dong Oh; Choi, Hong Jun; Kim, Jong Myon; Kim, Cheol Hong

2015-12-01

Recent graphics processing units (GPUs) can process general-purpose applications as well as graphics applications with the help of various user-friendly application programming interfaces (APIs) supported by GPU vendors. Unfortunately, utilizing the hardware resource in the GPU efficiently is a challenging problem, since the GPU architecture is totally different to the traditional CPU architecture. To solve this problem, many studies have focused on the techniques for improving the system performance using GPUs. In this work, we analyze the GPU performance varying GPU parameters such as the number of cores and clock frequency. According to our simulations, the GPU performance can be improved by 125.8% and 16.2% on average as the number of cores and clock frequency increase, respectively. However, the performance is saturated when memory bottleneck problems incur due to huge data requests to the memory. The performance of GPUs can be improved as the memory bottleneck is reduced by changing GPU parameters dynamically.

Cost unit accounting based on a clinical pathway: a practical tool for DRG implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Feyrer, R; Rösch, J; Weyand, M; Kunzmann, U

2005-10-01

Setting up a reliable cost unit accounting system in a hospital is a fundamental necessity for economic survival, given the current general conditions in the healthcare system. Definition of a suitable cost unit is a crucial factor for success. We present here the development and use of a clinical pathway as a cost unit as an alternative to the DRG. Elective coronary artery bypass grafting was selected as an example. Development of the clinical pathway was conducted according to a modular concept that mirrored all the treatment processes across various levels and modules. Using service records and analyses the process algorithms of the clinical pathway were developed and visualized with CorelTM iGrafix Process 2003. A detailed process cost record constituted the basis of the pathway costing, in which financial evaluation of the treatment processes was performed. The result of this study was a structured clinical pathway for coronary artery bypass grafting together with a cost calculation in the form of cost unit accounting. The use of a clinical pathway as a cost unit offers considerable advantages compared to the DRG or clinical case. The variance in the diagnoses and procedures within a pathway is minimal, so the consumption of resources is homogeneous. This leads to a considerable improvement in the value of cost unit accounting as a strategic control instrument in hospitals.

Experimental and numerical investigation of a tube-in-tank latent thermal energy storage unit using composite PCM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Z.N.; Zhang, P.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A tube-in-tank latent thermal energy storage (LTES) unit using composite PCM is built. • Thermal performances of the LTES unit are experimentally and numerically studied. • Thermal performances of the LTES unit under different operation conditions are comparatively studied. • A 3D numerical model is established to study the heat transfer mechanisms of the LTES unit. - Abstract: Paraffin is a commonly used phase change material (PCM) which has been frequently applied for thermal energy storage. A tube-in-tank latent thermal energy storage (LTES) unit using paraffin as PCM is built in the present study, which can be used in many applications. In order to enhance the thermal performance of the LTES unit, the composite PCM is fabricated by embedding copper foam into pure paraffin. The performances of the LTES unit with the composite PCM during the heat charging and discharging processes are investigated experimentally, and a series of experiments are carried out under different inlet temperatures and inlet flow velocities of the heat transfer fluid (HTF). The temperature evolutions of the LTES unit are obtained during the experiments, and the time-durations, mean powers and energy efficiencies are estimated to evaluate the performance of the LTES unit. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional (3D) mathematical model based on enthalpy-porosity and melting/solidification models is established to investigate the heat transfer mechanisms of the LTES unit and the detailed heat transfer characteristics of the LTES unit are obtained. It can be concluded that the LTES unit with the composite PCM shows good heat transfer performance, and larger inlet flow velocity of the HTF and larger temperature difference between the HTF and PCM can enhance the heat transfer and benefit the thermal energy utilization. Furthermore, a LTES system with larger thermal energy storage capacity can be easily assembled by several such LTES units, which can meet versatile demands in

Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 - a plant of several generations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, I.; Metes, M.; Anghelescu, M.S.

2001-01-01

The paper reflects some key aspects related to the shift of generations during the project's development, including the present stage. Further, the place of Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 in the Romanian power sector and among other nuclear stations in the world is presented. The operational performances achieved 'in service' up to the end of 1999, with reference to the performance indicators for electrical energy production, nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive wastes and nuclear fuel are illustrated. For all of these items, comparisons are performed with similar indicators reported by other worldwide nuclear power plants, in order to assess our results. Finally, some comments about Cernavoda NPP Unit 2 project status and need to completion and commissioning it are included. (authors)

Obesity: A United States Strategic Imperative

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

States Department of Veterans Affairs 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Dr. Thomas ...Army Ms. Karen Malebranche United States Department of Veterans Affairs Project Adviser Dr. Thomas Williams U.S. Army War...per American has increased by 57 pounds per year ( poultry representing 46 pounds).86 Surprisingly however, the percentage of calories from meat

A 1.5 GFLOPS Reciprocal Unit for Computer Graphics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nannarelli, Alberto; Rasmussen, Morten Sleth; Stuart, Matthias Bo

2006-01-01

The reciprocal operation 1/d is a frequent operation performed in graphics processors (GPUs). In this work, we present the design of a radix-16 reciprocal unit based on the algorithm combining the traditional digit-by-digit algorithm and the approximation of the reciprocal by one Newton-Raphson i...

Performance of indigenously fabricated pyramid type solar desalination unit at Nawabshah

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, A.H.; Rajpar, A.H.; Memon, N.A.

2010-01-01

The performance of locally fabricated pyramid type solar desalination unit was studied and compared with the conventional basin type solar still. Both stills were initially filled with same quantity of brackish water. Their performance was studied in terms of the quality of water produced, quantity of water desalinated per hour and total quantity of water desalinated per day during the time under study. The experiments were conducted and various parameters were recorded from 9-15 hours daily. These results showed that pyramid solar still produced 20% higher desalinated water as compared to the conventional double slope basin type solar still. This study showed that the productivity rate of soar still is dependent upon geometrical configuration of solar still. It was observed that the units can highly reduce the salinity, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and EC (Electrical Conductivity) of the saline ground water providing the availability of safe drinking water. (author)

Performance investigation on a multi-unit heat pump for simultaneous temperature and humidity control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Hongming; Shao, Shuangquan; Tian, Changqing

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A multi-unit heat pump is proposed for simultaneous temperature and humidity control. • Condensation heat is non, partly or fully recovered for temperature regulation. • Highly integrated heat pump for residential cooling, dehumidification and heating. • High energy saving potential for all-year-round operation in wet and warm regions. - Abstract: A multi-unit heat pump is presented for simultaneous humidity and temperature control to improve the energy efficiency and the thermal comfort. Two parallel connected condensers are employed in the system, locating at the back of the indoor evaporator and the outdoor unit, respectively. The heat pump can operate in four modes, including heating, cooling and dehumidification without and/or with partial or total condensing heat recovery. The experimental investigation shows that the temperature control capacity is from 3.5 kW for cooling to 3.8 kW for heating with the cooling and heating efficiency higher than 3.5 kW kW −1 , and the dehumidification rate is about 2.0 kg h −1 with the efficiency about 2.0 kg h −1 kW −1 . The supply air temperature and humidity can be simultaneously regulated with high accuracy and high efficiency by adjusting the indoor and/or outdoor air volumes. It provides an integrated and effective solution for simultaneous indoor air temperature and humidity control for all-year-round operation in residential buildings

Performance evaluations of a geothermal power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coskun, C.; Oktay, Z.; Dincer, I.

2011-01-01

Thermodynamic analysis of an operational 7.5 MWe binary geothermal power plant in Tuzla-Turkey is performed, through energy and exergy, using actual plant data to assess its energetic and exergetic performances. Eight performance-related parameters, namely total exergy destruction ratio, component exergy destruction ratio, dimensionless exergy destruction, energetic renewability ratio, exergetic renewability ratio, energetic reinjection ratio, exergetic reinjection ratio and improvement potential are investigated. Energy and exergy losses/destructions for the plant and its units are determined and illustrated using energy and exergy flow diagrams. The largest energy and exergy losses occur in brine reinjection unit. The variation of the plant energy efficiency is found between 6% and 12%. Exergy efficiency values change between 35 and 49%. The annual average energy and exergy efficiencies are found as 9.47% and 45.2%, respectively. - Highlights: → Investigation of a geothermal system energetically and exergetically. → Performance assessment of the system through energy and exergy efficiencies. → Utilization of temperature distribution in exergy calculations. → Evaluation of eight energetic and exergetic parameters for the system.

Noise performance of microwave humidity sounders over their lifetime

Science.gov (United States)

Hans, Imke; Burgdorf, Martin; John, Viju O.; Mittaz, Jonathan; Buehler, Stefan A.

2017-12-01

The microwave humidity sounders Special Sensor Microwave Water Vapor Profiler (SSMT-2), Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B) and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) to date have been providing data records for 25 years. So far, the data records lack uncertainty information essential for constructing consistent long time data series. In this study, we assess the quality of the recorded data with respect to the uncertainty caused by noise. We calculate the noise on the raw calibration counts from the deep space views (DSVs) of the instrument and the noise equivalent differential temperature (NEΔT) as a measure for the radiometer sensitivity. For this purpose, we use the Allan deviation that is not biased from an underlying varying mean of the data and that has been suggested only recently for application in atmospheric remote sensing. Moreover, we use the bias function related to the Allan deviation to infer the underlying spectrum of the noise. As examples, we investigate the noise spectrum in flight for some instruments. For the assessment of the noise evolution in time, we provide a descriptive and graphical overview of the calculated NEΔT over the life span of each instrument and channel. This overview can serve as an easily accessible information for users interested in the noise performance of a specific instrument, channel and time. Within the time evolution of the noise, we identify periods of instrumental degradation, which manifest themselves in an increasing NEΔT, and periods of erratic behaviour, which show sudden increases of NEΔT interrupting the overall smooth evolution of the noise. From this assessment and subsequent exclusion of the aforementioned periods, we present a chart showing available data records with NEΔT processing to provide input values for the uncertainty propagation in the generation of a new set of Fundamental Climate Data Records (FCDRs) that are currently produced in the project Fidelity and Uncertainty in Climate data

Personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, C.G.

2005-01-01

Full text: The basis for personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States is ANSI/HPS N13.11 (2002). Now in its third edition, this standard has been in place since 1983. Testing under this standard is administered by the National Voluntary Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and accreditation of dosimetry processors under this program is required by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. The US Department of Energy (DOE) also maintains a testing program for its laboratories and contractors, administered by the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP). A focus in recent years has been the modification of ANSI/HPS N13.11 to allow acceptance by both testing programs in order to bring harmonization to US personal dosimeter processing testing. The testing philosophy of ANSI N13.11 has always combined elements of type testing and routine performance testing and is thus different from the testing philosophy used in the rest of the world. This unique philosophy is explored in detail in this presentation, along with trends in the development of the document to its present state. In addition, a look will be taken at what the future holds for the next revision of the document, scheduled to begin in 2005. (author)

NOAA Climate Data Record of Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A) Mean Layer Temperature, Version 3.0

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The dataset contains three channel-based, monthly gridded atmospheric layer temperature Climate Data Records generated by merging nine MSU NOAA polar orbiting...

Investigating a smartphone imaging unit for photoplethysmography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jonathan, E; Leahy, Martin [Tissue Optics and Microcirculation Imaging (TOMI) Facility, National Biophotonics and Imaging Platform Ireland (NBIPI) (United Kingdom)

2010-11-15

Current-generation smartphones boast a video unit comprising a camera next to a white light emitting diode and this configuration would be suitable for reflection-mode bio-optical sensing and imaging applications. We demonstrate reflection photoplethysmographic (PPG) imaging using this technology on the index finger of a male volunteer during rest and immediately after performing a short run. The returned signals carry useful PPG signals and were used, for example, to compute change in heart rate. Our results are encouraging, especially in the area of personal and home-based care applications. (note)

Investigating a smartphone imaging unit for photoplethysmography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonathan, E; Leahy, Martin

2010-01-01

Current-generation smartphones boast a video unit comprising a camera next to a white light emitting diode and this configuration would be suitable for reflection-mode bio-optical sensing and imaging applications. We demonstrate reflection photoplethysmographic (PPG) imaging using this technology on the index finger of a male volunteer during rest and immediately after performing a short run. The returned signals carry useful PPG signals and were used, for example, to compute change in heart rate. Our results are encouraging, especially in the area of personal and home-based care applications. (note)

performance characteristics of a cam turning attachment

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Obe

ABSTRACT. A modification of a cylindrical turning unit has been done to give a non- cylindrical turning attachment for production of irregular shapes, like cams on the lathe machine. To assess the performance of the attachment, cutting forces have been measured using a 'Sigma' Cutting Tool. Dynamometer. Furthermore ...

The Impact of Accountability on Student Performance in a Secondary Physical Education Badminton Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, Jacalyn; Shanklin, Jennifer

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of accountability on the quality of student motor responses during a 10-day badminton unit with female high school students enrolled in a required physical education class. Students in the control class participated in the same learning activities taught by the same teacher as the treatment…

Personal customizing exercise with a wearable measurement and control unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhihui; Kiryu, Tohru; Tamura, Naoki

2005-06-28

Recently, wearable technology has been used in various health-related fields to develop advanced monitoring solutions. However, the monitoring function alone cannot meet all the requirements of customizing machine-based exercise on an individual basis by relying on biosignal-based controls. We propose a new wearable unit design equipped with measurement and control functions to support the customization process. The wearable unit can measure the heart rate and electromyogram signals during exercise performance and output workload control commands to the exercise machines. The workload is continuously tracked with exercise programs set according to personally customized workload patterns and estimation results from the measured biosignals by a fuzzy control method. Exercise programs are adapted by relying on a computer workstation, which communicates with the wearable unit via wireless connections. A prototype of the wearable unit was tested together with an Internet-based cycle ergometer system to demonstrate that it is possible to customize exercise on an individual basis. We tested the wearable unit in nine people to assess its suitability to control cycle ergometer exercise. The results confirmed that the unit could successfully control the ergometer workload and continuously support gradual changes in physical activities. The design of wearable units equipped with measurement and control functions is an important step towards establishing a convenient and continuously supported wellness environment.

Personal customizing exercise with a wearable measurement and control unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamura Naoki

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recently, wearable technology has been used in various health-related fields to develop advanced monitoring solutions. However, the monitoring function alone cannot meet all the requirements of customizing machine-based exercise on an individual basis by relying on biosignal-based controls. We propose a new wearable unit design equipped with measurement and control functions to support the customization process. Methods The wearable unit can measure the heart rate and electromyogram signals during exercise performance and output workload control commands to the exercise machines. The workload is continuously tracked with exercise programs set according to personally customized workload patterns and estimation results from the measured biosignals by a fuzzy control method. Exercise programs are adapted by relying on a computer workstation, which communicates with the wearable unit via wireless connections. A prototype of the wearable unit was tested together with an Internet-based cycle ergometer system to demonstrate that it is possible to customize exercise on an individual basis. Results We tested the wearable unit in nine people to assess its suitability to control cycle ergometer exercise. The results confirmed that the unit could successfully control the ergometer workload and continuously support gradual changes in physical activities. Conclusion The design of wearable units equipped with measurement and control functions is an important step towards establishing a convenient and continuously supported wellness environment.

Comparisons of auction mechanisms in a multiple unit setting: A consideration for restructuring electric power markets

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, John Charles

The objective of this study was to compare the performance of five single sided auctions that could be used in restructured electric power markets across different market sizes in a multiple unit setting. Auction selection would profoundly influence an industry over $200 billion in size in the United States, and the consequences of implementing an inappropriate mechanism would be great. Experimental methods were selected to analyze the auctions. Two rounds of experiments were conducted, the first testing the sealed offer last accepted offer (LAO) and first rejected offer (FRO), and the clock English (ENG) and sealed offer English (SOE) in markets of sizes two and six. The FRO, SOE, and ENG used the same pricing rule. Second round testing was on the LAO, FRO, and the nonuniform price multiple unit Vickrey (MUV) in markets of sizes two, four, and six. Experiments lasted 23 and 75 periods for rounds 1 and 2 respectively. Analysis of variance and contrast analysis were used to examine the data. The four performance measures used were price, efficiency, profits per unit, and supply revelation. Five basic principles were also assessed: no sales at losses, all low cost capacity should be offered and sold, no high cost capacity should sell, and the market should clear. It was expected group size and auction type would affect performance. For all performance measures, group size was a significant variable, with smaller groups showing poorer performance. Auction type was significant only for the efficiency performance measure, where clock auctions outperformed the others. Clock auctions also proved superior for the first four principles. The FRO performed poorly in almost all situations, and should not be a preferred mechanism in any market. The ENG was highly efficient, but expensive for the buyer. The SOE appeared superior to the FRO and ENG. The clock improves efficiency over the FRO while less information kept prices under the ENG. The MUV was superior in revealing costs

The Lombardia Stroke Unit Registry: a year experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Micieli

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Stroke is the third cause of death and the first long-term disability cause in industrialised countries. It is therefore an important problem, not only from a clinical point of view, but also because of the high costs involved in its management. The results of clinical trials, reviews and meta-analysis highlight the importance of the Stroke Unit in the correct and adequate management of the patient with stroke. This article describes the Lombardia Stroke Unit and the related Stroke Registry. In 2010 this Registry includes 27 Centres and recruits patients with acute stroke or transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs. The Registry aims at measuring performance parameters, identifying guidelines, non-compliance causes, and analysing care processes.

Radiological survey of Goiania by a mobile monitoring unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreira, M.C.F.

1989-01-01

After the initial response to the radiological accident in Goiania, a radiological survey throughout the city was performed using a mobile unit. This unit was equipped with two Geiger Muller detectors outsise the vehicle and one 4' x 4' NaI(Tl) detector connected to a dual recorder. All three detectors were placed 1 m above the ground. The survey system covers a wide range of exposure rate, since environmental levels up to 10 R h -1 . Eighty percent of the Goiania urban area was covered by this survey and except for some specific locations the contamination was restricted to the main foci surroundings ocurring in a non homogenous pattern. The highest value observed in the city after the main foci decontamination was of 0.7 mR h -1 in the 57 th street - where the source was opened. Results of the main foci and some other locations are apresented in the paper. The system designed to perform the survey in the city played a fundamental role during the decontamination process (author) [pt

Improving the efficiency of a chemotherapy day unit: Applying a business approach to oncology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Lent, W.A.M.; Goedbloed, N.; van Harten, Willem H.

2009-01-01

Aim: To improve the efficiency of a hospital-based chemotherapy day unit (CDU). - Methods: The CDU was benchmarked with two other CDUs to identify their attainable performance levels for efficiency, and causes for differences. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis using a business approach, called lean

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Performance as Telecommunications Backup Power in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurtz, Jennifer [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Saur, Genevieve [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sprik, Sam [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-03-01

Working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and industry project partners, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) acts as the central data repository for the data collected from real-world operation of fuel cell backup power systems. With American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) co-funding awarded through DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Office, more than 1,300 fuel cell units were deployed over a three-plus-year period in stationary, material handling equipment, auxiliary power, and backup power applications. This surpassed a Fuel Cell Technologies Office ARRA objective to spur commercialization of an early market technology by installing 1,000 fuel cell units across several different applications, including backup power. By December 2013, 852 backup power units out of 1,330 fuel cell units deployed were providing backup service, mainly for telecommunications towers. For 136 of the fuel cell backup units, project participants provided detailed operational data to the National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center for analysis by NREL's technology validation team. NREL analyzed operational data collected from these government co-funded demonstration projects to characterize key fuel cell backup power performance metrics, including reliability and operation trends, and to highlight the business case for using fuel cells in these early market applications. NREL's analyses include these critical metrics, along with deployment, U.S. grid outage statistics, and infrastructure operation.

Heat transfer and thermal storage performance of an open thermosyphon type thermal storage unit with tubular phase change material canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Ping-Yang; Hu, Bo-Wen; Liu, Zhen-Hua

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A novel open heat pipe thermal storage unit is design to improve its performance. • Mechanism of its operation is phase-change heat transfer. • Tubular canisters with phase change material were placed in thermal storage unit. • Experiment and analysis are carried out to investigate its operation properties. - Abstract: A novel open thermosyphon-type thermal storage unit is presented to improve design and performance of heat pipe type thermal storage unit. In the present study, tubular canisters filled with a solid–liquid phase change material are vertically placed in the middle of the thermal storage unit. The phase change material melts at 100 °C. Water is presented as the phase-change heat transfer medium of the thermal storage unit. The tubular canister is wrapped tightly with a layer of stainless steel mesh to increase the surface wettability. The heat transfer mechanism of charging/discharging is similar to that of the thermosyphon. Heat transfer between the heat resource or cold resource and the phase change material in this device occurs in the form of a cyclic phase change of the heat-transfer medium, which occurs on the surface of the copper tubes and has an extremely high heat-transfer coefficient. A series of experiments and theoretical analyses are carried out to investigate the properties of the thermal storage unit, including power distribution, start-up performance, and temperature difference between the phase change material and the surrounding vapor. The results show that the whole system has excellent heat-storage/heat-release performance

Development of a compact wearable pneumatic drive unit for a ventricular assist device.

Science.gov (United States)

Homma, Akihiko; Taenaka, Yoshiyuki; Tatsumi, Eisuke; Akagawa, Eiki; Lee, Hwansung; Nishinaka, Tomohiro; Takewa, Yoshiaki; Mizuno, Toshihide; Tsukiya, Tomonori; Kakuta, Yukihide; Katagiri, Nobumasa; Shimosaki, Isao; Hamada, Shigeru; Mukaibayashi, Hiroshi; Iwaoka, Wataru

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a compact wearable pneumatic drive unit for a ventricular assist device (VAD). This newly developed drive unit, 20 x 8.5 x 20 cm in size and weighing approximately 1.8 kg, consists of a brushless DC motor, noncircular gears, a crankshaft, a cylinder-piston, and air pressure regulation valves. The driving air pressure is generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston and is controlled by the air pressure regulation valves. The systolic ratio is determined by the noncircular gears, and so is fixed for a given configuration. As a result of an overflow-type mock circulation test, a drive unit with a 44% systolic ratio connected to a Toyobo VAD blood pump with a 70-ml stroke volume achieved a pump output of more than 7 l/min at 100 bpm against a 120 mmHg afterload. Long-term animal tests were also performed using drive units with systolic ratios of 45% and 53% in two Holstein calves weighing 62 kg and 74 kg; the tests were terminated on days 30 and 39, respectively, without any malfunction. The mean aortic pressure, bypass flow, and power consumption for the first calf were maintained at 90 x 13 mmHg, 3.9 x 0.9 l/min, and 12 x 1 W, and those for the second calf were maintained at 88 x 13 mmHg, 5.0 x 0.5 l/min, and 16 x 2 W, respectively. These results indicate that the newly developed drive unit may be used as a wearable pneumatic drive unit for the Toyobo VAD blood pump.

Computer experimental analysis of the CHP performance of a 100 kW e SOFC Field Unit by a factorial design

Science.gov (United States)

Calì, M.; Santarelli, M. G. L.; Leone, P.

Gas Turbine Technologies (GTT) and Politecnico di Torino, both located in Torino (Italy), have been involved in the design and installation of a SOFC laboratory in order to analyse the operation, in cogenerative configuration, of the CHP 100 kW e SOFC Field Unit, built by Siemens-Westinghouse Power Corporation (SWPC), which is at present (May 2005) starting its operation and which will supply electric and thermal power to the GTT factory. In order to take the better advantage from the analysis of the on-site operation, and especially to correctly design the scheduled experimental tests on the system, we developed a mathematical model and run a simulated experimental campaign, applying a rigorous statistical approach to the analysis of the results. The aim of this work is the computer experimental analysis, through a statistical methodology (2 k factorial experiments), of the CHP 100 performance. First, the mathematical model has been calibrated with the results acquired during the first CHP100 demonstration at EDB/ELSAM in Westerwoort. After, the simulated tests have been performed in the form of computer experimental session, and the measurement uncertainties have been simulated with perturbation imposed to the model independent variables. The statistical methodology used for the computer experimental analysis is the factorial design (Yates' Technique): using the ANOVA technique the effect of the main independent variables (air utilization factor U ox, fuel utilization factor U F, internal fuel and air preheating and anodic recycling flow rate) has been investigated in a rigorous manner. Analysis accounts for the effects of parameters on stack electric power, thermal recovered power, single cell voltage, cell operative temperature, consumed fuel flow and steam to carbon ratio. Each main effect and interaction effect of parameters is shown with particular attention on generated electric power and stack heat recovered.

A PRESSURE ULCER AND FALL RATE QUALITY COMPOSITE INDEX FOR ACUTE CARE UNITS: A MEASURE DEVELOPMENT STUDY

Science.gov (United States)

Jayawardhana, Ananda; Burman, Mary E.; Dunton, Nancy E.; Staggs, Vincent S.; Bergquist-Beringer, Sandra; Gajewski, Byron J.

2016-01-01

Background Composite indices are single measures that combine the strengths of two or more individual measures and provide broader, easy-to-use measures for evaluation of provider performance and comparisons across units and hospitals to support quality improvement. Objective The study objective was to develop a unit-level inpatient composite nursing care quality performance index – the Pressure Ulcer and Fall Rate Quality Composite Index. Design Two-phase measure development study. Settings 5,144 patient care units in 857 United States hospitals participating in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indictors® during the year 2013. Methods The Pressure Ulcer and Fall Rate Quality Composite Index was developed in two phases. In Phase 1 the formula was generated using a utility function and generalized penalty analysis. Experts with experience in healthcare quality measurement provided the point of indicator equivalence. In Phase 2 initial validity evidence was gathered based on hypothesized relationships between the Pressure Ulcer and Fall Rate Quality Composite Index and other variables using two-level (unit, hospital) hierarchical linear mixed modeling. Results The Pressure Ulcer and Fall Rate Quality Composite Index = 100 − PUR − FR, where PUR is pressure ulcer rate and FR is total fall rate. Higher scores indicate better quality. Bland-Altman plots demonstrated agreement between pairs of experts and provided evidence for inter-rater reliability of the formula. The validation process demonstrated that higher registered nurse skill mix, higher percent of registered nurses with a baccalaureate in nursing or higher degree, higher percent of registered nurses with national specialty certification, and lower percent of hours supplied by agency staff were significantly associated with higher Pressure Ulcer and Fall Rate Quality Composite Index scores. Higher percentages of unit patients at risk for a hospital-acquired pressure ulcer and higher unit rates of

A survey on the state on the use of conformation radiotherapy units in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomaru, Teizo; Onai, Yoshio; Abe, Shunsuke

1985-01-01

A survey on the stage on the use of conformation radiotherapy units in Japan was performed by the Radiotherapy Equipments Committee of the Japanese Association for Radiotherapy Systems. The questionnaire was sent to 34 hospitals, which are all the hospitals equipped with these units, and 13 cancer and adult disease centers. The answers were collected from 42 hospitals, of which the 31 from formers and 11 from latters. In June, 1984, 27 conformation radiotherapy units (11 units with a pair of lower jaws and 16 units with multi-leaf collimators) were being used at 26 hospitals answered to questionnaire. During a month from May 16 to June 15 in 1984, conformation radiotherapy was performed at 10 hopsitals, and mean number of patients per day treated with these irradiation techniques was 3.7 +- 3.5. Fixed beam radiotherapy with irregular shape fields using multi-leaf collimators was also performed at 8 hospitals and mean number of patients per day treated with this fixed beam was 6.6 +- 3.9. Hollow-out irradiation technique was used at 4 hospitals, and 3.8 patients per day per hospital were treated with this technique. (author)

OCR(A) A2 Physics Student Unit Guide

CERN Document Server

Chadha, Gurinder

2009-01-01

Student Unit Guides are perfect for revision. Each guide is written by an examiner and explains the unit requirements, summarises the relevant unit content and includes a series of specimen questions and answers. There are three sections to each guide:. Introduction - includes advice on how to use the guide, an explanation of the skills being tested by the assessment objectives, an outline of the unit or module and, depending on the unit, suggestions for how to revise effectively and prepare for the examination questions. Content Guidance - provides an examiner's overview of the module's key t

40 CFR 63.9620 - On which units and by what date must I conduct performance tests or other initial compliance...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... units and by what date must I conduct performance tests or other initial compliance demonstrations? (a... similar emission units together and conduct an initial compliance test on one representative emission unit... meet the criteria in paragraph (f) of this section. If you decide to test representative emission units...

Thermal performance evaluation of a latent heat storage unit for late evening cooking in a solar cooker having three reflectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buddhi, D.; Sharma, A. [Devi Ahilya University, Indore (India). School of Energy and Environmental Studies, Thermal Energy Storage Laboratory; Sharma, S.D. [Mie University, Tsu (Japan). Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture

2003-04-01

In this paper, a phase change material (PCM) storage unit for a solar cooker was designed and developed to store energy during sunshine hours. The stored energy was utilised to cook food in the late evening. Commercial grade acetanilide (melting point 118.9 {sup o}C, latent heat of fusion 222 kJ/kg) was used as a latent heat storage material. Evening cooking experiments were conducted with different loads and loading times during the winter season. The experimental results showed that late evening cooking is possible in a solar cooker having three reflectors to enhance the incident solar radiation with the PCM storage unit. (author)

Traceable working standards with SI units of radiance for characterizing the measurement performance of investigational clinical NIRF imaging devices

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Banghe; Rasmussen, John C.; Litorja, Maritoni; Sevick-Muraca, Eva M.

2017-03-01

All medical devices for Food and Drug market approval require specifications of performance based upon International System of Units (SI) or units derived from SI for reasons of traceability. Recently, near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging devices of a variety of designs have emerged on the market and in investigational clinical studies. Yet the design of devices used in the clinical studies vary widely, suggesting variable device performance. Device performance depends upon optimal excitation of NIRF imaging agents, rejection of backscattered excitation and ambient light, and selective collection of fluorescence emanating from the fluorophore. There remains no traceable working standards with SI units of radiance to enable prediction that a given molecular imaging agent can be detected in humans by a given NIRF imaging device. Furthermore, as technologies evolve and as NIRF imaging device components change, there remains no standardized means to track device improvements over time and establish clinical performance without involving clinical trials, often costly. In this study, we deployed a methodology to calibrate luminescent radiance of a stable, solid phantom in SI units of mW/cm2/sr for characterizing the measurement performance of ICCD and IsCMOS camera based NIRF imaging devices, such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast. The methodology allowed determination of superior SNR of the ICCD over the IsCMOS system; comparable contrast of ICCD and IsCMOS depending upon binning strategies.

Performing in-feed type centerless grinding process on a surface grinder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, W.; Wu, Y.; Sato, T.; Lin, W.

2011-01-01

In our previous study, a new centerless grinding method using surface grinder was proposed. In this method, centerless grinding operations are performed by installing a compact centerless grinding unit, consisting mainly of an ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe, a blade and their respective holders, on the worktable of a surface grinder. During grinding, the cylindrical workpiece is held on the ultrasonic shoe and the blade, and its rotational motion is controlled by the elliptic motion of the shoe end-face. An actual unit had been produced and its performance in tangential-feed type centerless grinding using a surface grinder had been confirmed in the previous workd. In this paper, the performance of the grinding unit in in-feed centerless grinding operation was confirmed, and the effects of the main process parameter, i.e., eccentric angle, on the workpiece roundness was investigated experimentally. The obtained results showed that: (1) the centerless grinding unit performed well in in-feed type centerless grinding; (2) the eccentric angle affects roundness significantly, and its optimal angle is 6 deg.; (3) the workpiece roundness can be further improved by varying the eccentric angle during grinding, and the final roundness reached 0.65 μm after grinding as the eccentric angle varied from 9 deg. to 6 deg. and to 3 deg.

Modelling, experimentation and simulation of a reversible HP/ORC unit to get a Positive Energy Building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dumont, Olivier; Carmo, Carolina; Quoilin, Sylvain

2015-01-01

This paper presents an innovative building comprising a heat pump connected to a solar roof and a geothermal heat exchanger. This unit is able to invert its cycle and operate as an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). The solar roof is producing large amount of heat throughout the year. This allows...... and fluid R134a shows promising performance with a net electrical energy produced over one year reaching 4030 kWh. Following that, a prototype has been built and has proven the feasibility of the technology. Finally, a simulation code including the building, the ground heat exchanger, the thermal energy...... storage, the solar roof and the reversible HP/ORC unit is developed and allows to perform a sensivity analysis. Annual results show that this technology leads to a Positive Energy Building....

Experimental comparison between R409A and R437A performance in a heat pump unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duarte M. V.

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper reports an experimental comparison between the use of the refrigerants R409A and R437A in a heat pump unit designed and developed to work with R12. Although the use of both refrigerants in new equipments were abolished in EU and US according the new F-Gas Regulation of EU and SNAP, they still being used as options for R12 in old equipments, especially in developing countries. Both refrigerants were studied for the same test conditions, according to two groups of tests: group A (variation of the heat source temperature and group B (variation of refrigerant flow rate. The results obtained showed that the R437A presents a higher discharge pressure and a lower discharge temperature. The heating and cooling capacities of both refrigerants were similar, as well as the exergetic efficiency. For the group A of tests the COP of both refrigerants was similar and for the group B of tests the R409A presented an average COP 15% higher. According to the results obtained it is recommended the use of R409A in old equipments (as transition refrigerant until the acquisition of equipments operating with refrigerants with low-GWP becomes technically and economic feasible.

Patient stress in intensive care: comparison between a coronary care unit and a general postoperative unit

Science.gov (United States)

Dias, Douglas de Sá; Resende, Mariane Vanessa; Diniz, Gisele do Carmo Leite Machado

2015-01-01

Objective To evaluate and compare stressors identified by patients of a coronary intensive care unit with those perceived by patients of a general postoperative intensive care unit. Methods This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in the coronary intensive care and general postoperative intensive care units of a private hospital. In total, 60 patients participated in the study, 30 in each intensive care unit. The stressor scale was used in the intensive care units to identify the stressors. The mean score of each item of the scale was calculated followed by the total stress score. The differences between groups were considered significant when p < 0.05. Results The mean ages of patients were 55.63 ± 13.58 years in the coronary intensive care unit and 53.60 ± 17.47 years in the general postoperative intensive care unit. For patients in the coronary intensive care unit, the main stressors were “being in pain”, “being unable to fulfill family roles” and “being bored”. For patients in the general postoperative intensive care unit, the main stressors were “being in pain”, “being unable to fulfill family roles” and “not being able to communicate”. The mean total stress scores were 104.20 ± 30.95 in the coronary intensive care unit and 116.66 ± 23.72 (p = 0.085) in the general postoperative intensive care unit. When each stressor was compared separately, significant differences were noted only between three items. “Having nurses constantly doing things around your bed” was more stressful to the patients in the general postoperative intensive care unit than to those in the coronary intensive care unit (p = 0.013). Conversely, “hearing unfamiliar sounds and noises” and “hearing people talk about you” were the most stressful items for the patients in the coronary intensive care unit (p = 0.046 and 0.005, respectively). Conclusion The perception of major stressors and the total stress score were similar between patients

Stochastic hydrogeologic units and hydrogeologic properties development for total-system performance assessments. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schenker, A.R.; Guerin, D.C.; Robey, T.H.; Rautman, C.A.; Barnard, R.W.

1995-09-01

A stochastic representation of the lithologic units and associated hydrogeologic parameters of the potential high-level nuclear waste repository are developed for use in performance-assessment calculations, including the Total-System Performance Assessment for Yucca Mountain-SNL Second Iteration (TSPA-1993). A simplified lithologic model has been developed based on the physical characteristics of the welded and nonwelded units at Yucca Mountain. Ten hydrogeologic units are developed from site-specific data (lithologic and geophysical logs and core photographs) obtained from the unsaturated and saturated zones. The three-dimensional geostatistical model of the ten hydrogeologic units is based on indicator-coding techniques and improves on the two-dimensional model developed for TSPA91. The hydrogeologic properties (statistics and probability distribution functions) are developed from the results of laboratory tests and in-situ aquifer tests or are derived through fundamental relationships. Hydrogeologic properties for matrix properties, bulk conductivities, and fractures are developed from existing site specific data. Extensive data are available for matrix porosity, bulk density, and matrix saturated conductivity. For other hydrogeologic properties, the data are minimal or nonexistent. Parameters for the properties are developed as beta probability distribution functions. For the model units without enough data for analysis, parameters are developed as analogs to existing units. A relational, analytic approach coupled with bulk conductivity parameters is used to develop fracture parameters based on the smooth-wall-parallel-plate theory. An analytic method is introduced for scaling small-core matrix properties to the hydrogeologic unit scales

40 CFR Table 11 to Subpart Uuu of... - Requirements for Performance Tests for Organic HAP Emissions From Catalytic Cracking Units Not...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Refineries: Catalytic Cracking Units, Catalytic Reforming Units, and Sulfur Recovery Units Pt. 63, Subpt. UUU... Organic HAP Emissions From Catalytic Cracking Units Not Subject to New Source Performance Standard (NSPS... From Catalytic Cracking Units Not Subject to New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for Carbon Monoxide...

Day care laparoscopic surgery in gynaecology at a dedicated unit in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

0.14 % ) and one complication ( 0.07% ), a bladder injury was encountered. Conclusions: Daycare surgery is a continually evolving speciality being competently performed by several units by various disciplines world over , including Kenya.

Study of the thermal behavior of a latent heat cold storage unit operating under frosting conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simard, A.P.; Lacroix, M.

2003-01-01

A study is performed of the thermal behavior of a latent heat cold storage unit operating under frosting conditions. This unit is employed to maintain the temperature inside the refrigerated compartment of a truck below 265 K. The system consists of parallel plates filled with a phase change material (PCM) that absorbs heat from the flow of warm moist air. A mathematical model for the system is first presented and, next, validated with numerical and experimental data. It is then exploited to assess the effects of design parameters and operating conditions on the performance of the system. The recommended thickness and distance separating the PCM plates are found to be 50x10 -3 and 30x10 -3 m, respectively. The results indicate that the performance of the unit is enhanced by turbulent air flow in spite of the increased pressure loss and accentuated frost growth. The unit also performs well even when the surrounding relative humidity is 100%

Performance of a Kilowatt-Class Stirling Power Conversion System in a Thermodynamically-Coupled Configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, S. M.; Briggs, M. H.; Hervol, D. S.

A pair of 1kWe free-piston Stirling power convertors has been modified into a thermodynamically coupled configuration, and performance map testing has been completed. This is the same configuration planned for the full-scale 12 kWe power conversion unit (PCU) that will be used in the Fission Power System Technology Demonstration Unit (TDU). The 1-kWe convertors were operated over a range of conditions to evaluate the effects of thermodynamic coupling on convertor performance and to identify any possible control challenges. The thermodynamically coupled convertor showed no measurable difference in performance from the baseline data collected when the engines were separate and no major control issues were encountered during operation. The results of this test are guiding controller development and instrumentation selection for the TDU.

Environmental performance reviews: United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-01-15

This book presents OECD assessments and recommendations regarding the United States' effort to manage its environment including air, water nature, and biodiversity to do this in a sustainable manner; and to do this in co-operation with its global neighbours. In particular, it assesses progress made since 1996, when OECD's previous review on the US was done. 40 figs., 21 tabs.

[The geriatric perioperative unit, a high performance care department for elderly surgical patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Papas, Anne; Caillard, Laurence; Nion, Nathalie

2011-01-01

For over a year Professor Marc Verny's geriatric department at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris has had ten beds set aside for the perioperative care of elderly people. This geriatric perioperative unit (UPOG) offers patients the skills of a multidisciplinary team trained in the specificities of caring for elderly patients often suffering from polypathology. The team works closely together around a common goal: the rapid return of the patient's autonomy during the postoperative period, crucial for the future of elderly people. So far UPOG's results have been very positive, as more than 90% of patients regain their autonomy after a short and uncomplicated period of postoperative care.

Performance of a hydrogen/deuterium polarized gas target in a storage ring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Buuren, L.D.; Szczerba, D.; van den Brand, J.F.J.; Bulten, H.J.; Klous, S.; Mul, F.A.; Poolman, H.R.; Simani, M.C.

2001-01-01

The performance of a hydrogen/deuterium polarized gas target in a storage ring is presented. The target setup consisted of an atomic beam source, a cryogenic storage cell and a Breit-Rabi polarimeter. High frequency transition units were constructed to produce vector polarized hydrogen and

United States and European students’ social-networking site activities and academic performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karpinski, Aryn; Kirschner, Paul A.; Shreffler, Anthony; Albert, Patricia; Tomko, Carrie

2018-01-01

Different cultures communicate differently. Research is beginning to examine the differences in culture related to social-networking site (SNS) use. Differences in specific SNS activities related to academic performance among United States (US; n = 446) and European (n = 394) university students

Development of a Hydronic Rooftop Unit-HyPak-MA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eric; Berman, Mark

2009-11-14

The majority of U.S. commercial floor space is cooled by rooftop HVAC units (RTUs). RTU popularity derives chiefly from their low initial cost and relative ease of service access without disturbing building occupants. Unfortunately, current RTUs are inherently inefficient due to a combination of characteristics that unnecessarily increase cooling loads and energy use. 36% percent of annual U.S. energy, and two-thirds of electricity, is consumed in and by buildings. Commercial buildings consume approximately 4.2 quads of energy each year at a cost of $230 billion per year, with HVAC equipment consuming 1.2 quads of electricity. More than half of all U.S. commercial floor space is cooled by packaged HVAC units, most of which are rooftop units (RTUs). Inefficient RTUs create an estimated 3.5% of U.S. CO{sub 2} emissions, thus contributing significantly to global warming5. Also, RTUs often fail to maintain adequate ventilation air and air filtration, reducing indoor air quality. This is the second HyPak project to be supported by DOE through NETL. The prior project, referred to as HyPak-1 in this report, had two rounds of prototype fabrication and testing as well as computer modeling and market research. The HyPak-1 prototypes demonstrated the high performance capabilities of the HyPak concept, but made it clear that further development was required to reduce heat exchanger cost and improve system reliability before HyPak commercialization can commence. The HyPak-1 prototypes were limited to about 25% ventilation air fraction, limiting performance and marketability. The current project is intended to develop a 'mixed-air' product that is capable of full 0-100% modulation in ventilation air fraction, hence it was referred to as HyPak-MA in the proposal. (For simplicity, the -MA has been dropped when referencing the current project.) The objective of the HyPak Project is to design, develop and test a hydronic RTU that provides a quantum improvement over

Application of controllable unit approach (CUA) to performance-criterion-based nuclear material control and accounting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, K.W.; Rogers, D.R.

1979-01-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering the use of maximum-loss performance criteria as a means of controlling SNM in nuclear plants. The Controllable Unit Approach to material control and accounting (CUA) was developed by Mound to determine the feasibility of controlling a plant to a performance criterion. The concept was tested with the proposed Anderson, SC, mixed-oxide plant, and it was shown that CUA is indeed a feasible method for controlling a complex process to a performance criterion. The application of CUA to an actual low-enrichment plant to assist the NRC in establishing performance criteria for uranium processes is discussed. 5 refs

The performance and customization of SAPS 3 admission score in a Thai medical intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Khwannimit, Bodin; Bhurayanontachai, Rungsun

2010-02-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) admission scores, both the original and a customized version, in mixed medical critically ill patients. A prospective cohort study was conducted over a 2-year period in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) of a tertiary referral university teaching hospital in Thailand. The probability of hospital mortality of the original SAPS 3 was calculated using the general and customized Australasia version (SAPS 3-AUS). The patients were randomly divided into equal calibration and validation groups for customization. A total of 1,873 patients were enrolled. The hospital mortality rate was 28.6%. The general equation of SAPS 3 had excellent discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.933, but poor calibration with the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H = 106.7 and C = 101.2 (P customized SAPS 3 showed a good calibration of all patients in the validation group (H = 14, P = 0.17 and C = 11.3, P = 0.33) and all subgroups according to main diagnosis, age, gender and co-morbidities. The SAPS 3 provided excellent discrimination but poor calibration in our MICU. A first level customization of the SAPS 3 improved the calibration and could be used to predict mortality and quality assessment in our ICU or other ICUs with a similar case mix.

Simplified techniques of cerebral angiography using a mobile X-ray unit and computed radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gondo, Gakuji; Ishiwata, Yusuke; Yamashita, Toshinori; Iida, Takashi; Moro, Yutaka

1989-01-01

Simplified techniques of cerebral angiography using a mobile X-ray unit and computed radiography (CR) are discussed. Computed radiography is a digital radiography system in which an imaging plate is used as an X-ray detector and a final image is displayed on the film. In the angiograms performed with CR, the spatial frequency components can be enhanced for the easy analysis of fine blood vessels. Computed radiography has an automatic sensitivity and a latitude-setting mechanism, thus serving as an 'automatic camera.' This mechanism is useful for radiography with a mobile X-ray unit in hospital wards, intensive care units, or operating rooms where the appropriate setting of exposure conditions is difficult. We applied this mechanism to direct percutaneous carotid angiography and intravenous digital subtraction angiography with a mobile X-ray unit. Direct percutaneous carotid angiography using CR and a mobile X-ray unit were taken after the manual injection of a small amount of a contrast material through a fine needle. We performed direct percutaneous carotid angiography with this method 68 times on 25 cases from August 1986 to December 1987. Of the 68 angiograms, 61 were evaluated as good, compared with conventional angiography. Though the remaining seven were evaluated as poor, they were still diagnostically effective. This method is found useful for carotid angiography in emergency rooms, intensive care units, or operating rooms. Cerebral venography using CR and a mobile X-ray unit was done after the manual injection of a contrast material through the bilateral cubital veins. The cerebral venous system could be visualized from 16 to 24 seconds after the beginning of the injection of the contrast material. We performed cerebral venography with this method 14 times on six cases. These venograms were better than conventional angiograms in all cases. This method may be useful in managing patients suffering from cerebral venous thrombosis. (J.P.N.)

The use of a commercial QA device for daily output check of a helical tomotherapy unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alaei, Parham; Hui, Susanta K.; Higgins, Patrick D.; Gerbi, Bruce J.

2006-01-01

Helical tomotherapy radiation therapy units, due to their particular design and differences from a traditional linear accelerator, require different procedures by which to perform routine quality assurance (QA). One of the principal QA tasks that should be performed daily on any radiation therapy equipment is the output constancy check. The daily output check on a Hi-Art TomoTherapy unit is commonly performed utilizing ionization chambers placed inside a solid water phantom. This provides a good check of output at one point, but does not give any information on either energy or symmetry of the beam, unless more than one point is measured. This also has the added disadvantage that it has to be done by the physics staff. To address these issues, and to simplify the process, such that it can be performed by radiation therapists, we investigated the use of a commercially available daily QA device to perform this task. The use of this device simplifies the task of daily output constancy checks and eliminates the need for continued physics involvement. This device can also be used to monitor the constancy of beam energy and cone profile and can potentially be used to detect gross errors in the couch movement or laser alignment

Carbazole based electrochromic polymers with benzoazole units: Effect of heteroatom variation on electrochromic performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Doyranli

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A series of carbazole-based polymers were synthesized via Suzuki polymerization between N-(2-ethylhexylcarbazole-3,6-bis(ethyleneboronate (Cbz and dibromobenzazole unit. Three different polymers, PCBN, PCBS and PCBSe were obtained from 4,7-dibromo-2-hexyl-2H-benzotriazole (BN, 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole- (BS and 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzoselenadiazole (BSe, respectively. It is observed that, the variation of heteroatoms (N,S and Se on the benzazole unit have most important effect on electro-optic properties of the PCBX polymers. Neutral state color of the polymer films and their electrochromic performances are also influenced. Among the synthesized polymers, the PCBS bearing 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole as acceptor units has a broad absorption and 50% of ΔT in the near-IR regime at the oxidized state. This property of PCBS is a great advantage for near-IR electrochromic applications.

Symbol error rate performance evaluation of the LM37 multimegabit telemetry modulator-demodulator unit

Science.gov (United States)

Malek, H.

1981-01-01

The LM37 multimegabit telemetry modulator-demodulator unit was tested for evaluation of its symbol error rate (SER) performance. Using an automated test setup, the SER tests were carried out at various symbol rates and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), ranging from +10 to -10 dB. With the aid of a specially designed error detector and a stabilized signal and noise summation unit, measurement of the SER at low SNR was possible. The results of the tests show that at symbol rates below 20 megasymbols per second (MS)s) and input SNR above -6 dB, the SER performance of the modem is within the specified 0.65 to 1.5 dB of the theoretical error curve. At symbol rates above 20 MS/s, the specification is met at SNR's down to -2 dB. The results of the SER tests are presented with the description of the test setup and the measurement procedure.

The Leapfrog initiative for intensive care unit physician staffing and its impact on intensive care unit performance: a narrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasperino, James

2011-10-01

The field of critical care has changed markedly in recent years to accommodate a growing population of chronically critically ill patients. New administrative structures have evolved to include divisions, departments, and sections devoted exclusively to the practice of critical care medicine. On an individual level, the ability to manage complex multisystem critical illnesses and to introduce invasive monitoring devices defines the intensivist. On a systems level, critical care services managed by an intensivist-led multidisciplinary team are now recognized by their ability to efficiently utilize hospital resources and improve patient outcomes. Due to the numerous cost and quality issues related to the delivery of critical care medicine, intensive care unit physician staffing (IPS) has become a charged subject in recent years. Although the federal government has played a large role in regulating best practices by physicians, other third parties have entered the arena. Perhaps the most influential of these has been The Leapfrog Group, a consortium representing 130 employers and 65 Fortune 500 companies that purchase health care for their employees. This group has proposed specific regulatory guidelines for IPS that are purported to result in substantial cost containment and improved quality of care. This narrative review examines the impact of The Leapfrog Group's recommendations on critical care delivery in the United States. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peritonitis: 10 years' experience in a single surgical unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Nitin; Saha, Sudipta; Srivastava, Anurag; Chumber, Sunil; Dhar, Anita; Garg, Sanket

2007-01-01

Peritonitis secondary to gut perforation is still one of the commonest surgical emergencies in India and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The present study examines the aetiology and outcome of peritonitis cases operated on in our surgical unit, and compares our findings with those of previous studies performed between 1981 and 1991. A retrospective study of 260 peritonitis patients operated on in a single surgical unit from 1995 to 2006 was done and data involving clinical presentation, operative findings and post-operative course were studied and analysed. Causes of peritonitis were small bowel perforation (96 ileal, 17 jejunal), peptic perforation (45 duodenal, 16 gastric), appendicular perforation (36), primary peritonitis (8), and others (42). The incidence of major complications was 25% (burst-11%, leak-5%, intraabdominal abscess-5%, multi-organ failure-6.5%). The overall mortality was 10%. High mortality was observed in jejunal, gall bladder and liver abscess perforation cases (> 20%). Histopathological evaluation (143 specimens) revealed tuberculosis in 42 (mostly small bowel), malignancy in 8, and inflammation in the rest. Comparisons with a similar study carried out in the same unit and published in 1995 revealed similar demographic features and mortality, but a change in the most common cause (peptic ulcer perforation to small bowel perforation), and an increased performance of enterostomy compared with primary repair in small bowel perforation and a decrease in the leak rate (13% to 4%). Small bowel perforation is the commonest form of perforation and the mortality rate associated with peritonitis remains unchanged.

Performance of an automated electronic acute lung injury screening system in intensive care unit patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, Helen C; Finkel, Barbara B; Khalsa, Satjeet S; Lanken, Paul N; Prasad, Meeta; Urbani, Richard; Fuchs, Barry D

2011-01-01

Lung protective ventilation reduces mortality in patients with acute lung injury, but underrecognition of acute lung injury has limited its use. We recently validated an automated electronic acute lung injury surveillance system in patients with major trauma in a single intensive care unit. In this study, we assessed the system's performance as a prospective acute lung injury screening tool in a diverse population of intensive care unit patients. Patients were screened prospectively for acute lung injury over 21 wks by the automated system and by an experienced research coordinator who manually screened subjects for enrollment in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Clinical Trials Network (ARDSNet) trials. Performance of the automated system was assessed by comparing its results with the manual screening process. Discordant results were adjudicated blindly by two physician reviewers. In addition, a sensitivity analysis using a range of assumptions was conducted to better estimate the system's performance. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, an academic medical center and ARDSNet center (1994-2006). Intubated patients in medical and surgical intensive care units. None. Of 1270 patients screened, 84 were identified with acute lung injury (incidence of 6.6%). The automated screening system had a sensitivity of 97.6% (95% confidence interval, 96.8-98.4%) and a specificity of 97.6% (95% confidence interval, 96.8-98.4%). The manual screening algorithm had a sensitivity of 57.1% (95% confidence interval, 54.5-59.8%) and a specificity of 99.7% (95% confidence interval, 99.4-100%). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated a range for sensitivity of 75.0-97.6% of the automated system under varying assumptions. Under all assumptions, the automated system demonstrated higher sensitivity than and comparable specificity to the manual screening method. An automated electronic system identified patients with acute lung injury with high sensitivity and specificity in diverse

Assessment and evaluation of the employment of the Midshipman Information System (MIDS) as a performance measurement tool by Company Officers at the United States Naval Academy

OpenAIRE

Luckett, Michael D.; Oden, David M.

2001-01-01

This research first examines the use of the Midshipmen Information System (MIDS) by faculty, staff and midshipmen as a performance measurement tool at the United States Naval Academy. Specifically, this project examines how Company Officers use MIDS to measure the performance and development of the midshipmen over time, what metrics they believe are important to midshipmen development, how current MIDS functionality meets the needs of end users and recommendations for improvement of the overa...

A Modified Microfinance Model Proposed for the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eldon H Bernstein

2014-07-01

While the goal in the traditional model in developing markets is the elimination of poverty, we show how those critical conditions help to explain the lack of success in the United States.  We propose a modified model whose goal is the creation of an entrepreneurial venture or improving the performance of an existing small enterprise.

Noncontrast computed tomographic Hounsfield unit evaluation of cerebral venous thrombosis: a quantitative evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Besachio, David A. [University of Utah, Department of Radiology, Salt Lake City (United States); United States Navy, Bethesda, MD (United States); Quigley, Edward P.; Shah, Lubdha M.; Salzman, Karen L. [University of Utah, Department of Radiology, Salt Lake City (United States)

2013-08-15

Our objective is to determine the utility of noncontrast Hounsfield unit values, Hounsfield unit values corrected for the patient's hematocrit, and venoarterial Hounsfield unit difference measurements in the identification of intracranial venous thrombosis on noncontrast head computed tomography. We retrospectively reviewed noncontrast head computed tomography exams performed in both normal patients and those with cerebral venous thrombosis, acquiring Hounsfield unit values in normal and thrombosed cerebral venous structures. Also, we acquired Hounsfield unit values in the internal carotid artery for comparison to thrombosed and nonthrombosed venous structures and compared the venous Hounsfield unit values to the patient's hematocrit. A significant difference is identified between Hounsfield unit values in thrombosed and nonthrombosed venous structures. Applying Hounsfield unit threshold values of greater than 65, a Hounsfield unit to hematocrit ratio of greater than 1.7, and venoarterial difference values greater than 15 alone and in combination, the majority of cases of venous thrombosis are identifiable on noncontrast head computed tomography. Absolute Hounsfield unit values, Hounsfield unit to hematocrit ratios, and venoarterial Hounsfield unit value differences are a useful adjunct in noncontrast head computed tomographic evaluation of cerebral venous thrombosis. (orig.)

Noncontrast computed tomographic Hounsfield unit evaluation of cerebral venous thrombosis: a quantitative evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besachio, David A.; Quigley, Edward P.; Shah, Lubdha M.; Salzman, Karen L.

2013-01-01

Our objective is to determine the utility of noncontrast Hounsfield unit values, Hounsfield unit values corrected for the patient's hematocrit, and venoarterial Hounsfield unit difference measurements in the identification of intracranial venous thrombosis on noncontrast head computed tomography. We retrospectively reviewed noncontrast head computed tomography exams performed in both normal patients and those with cerebral venous thrombosis, acquiring Hounsfield unit values in normal and thrombosed cerebral venous structures. Also, we acquired Hounsfield unit values in the internal carotid artery for comparison to thrombosed and nonthrombosed venous structures and compared the venous Hounsfield unit values to the patient's hematocrit. A significant difference is identified between Hounsfield unit values in thrombosed and nonthrombosed venous structures. Applying Hounsfield unit threshold values of greater than 65, a Hounsfield unit to hematocrit ratio of greater than 1.7, and venoarterial difference values greater than 15 alone and in combination, the majority of cases of venous thrombosis are identifiable on noncontrast head computed tomography. Absolute Hounsfield unit values, Hounsfield unit to hematocrit ratios, and venoarterial Hounsfield unit value differences are a useful adjunct in noncontrast head computed tomographic evaluation of cerebral venous thrombosis. (orig.)

Experimental characterization, modeling and simulation of a wood pellet micro-combined heat and power unit used as a heat source for a residential building

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thiers, Stephane; Aoun, Bernard; Peuportier, Bruno [MINES ParisTech, CEP - Centre Energetique et Procedes, 60 Boulevard St Michel, 75272 Paris Cedex 06 (France)

2010-06-15

Cogeneration provides heat and power in a more efficient way than separate production. Micro-cogeneration (micro-CHP) is an emerging solution for the improvement of energy and environmental assessments of residential buildings. A wood pellet Stirling engine micro-CHP unit has been studied in order to characterize its annual performance when integrated to a building. First, through a test bench experiment, both transient and steady state behaviors of the micro-CHP unit have been characterized and modeled. Then a more complete model representing a hot water and heating system including the micro-CHP unit and a stratified storage tank has been carried out. This model has been coupled to a building model. A sensitivity analysis by simulation shows that the dimensioning of different elements of the system strongly influences its global energy performance. (author)

Nations United: The United Nations, the United States, and the Global Campaign Against Terrorism. A Curriculum Unit & Video for Secondary Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Houlihan, Christina; McLeod, Shannon

This curriculum unit and 1-hour videotape are designed to help students understand the purpose and functions of the United Nations (UN) and explore the relationship between the United Nations and the United States. The UN's role in the global counterterrorism campaign serves as a case study for the unit. The students are asked to develop a basic…

A High Performance Backend for Array-Oriented Programming on Next-Generation Processing Units

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Simon Andreas Frimann

The financial crisis, which started in 2008, spawned the HIPERFIT research center as a preventive measure against future financial crises. The goal of prevention is to be met by improving mathematical models for finance, the verifiable description of them in domain-specific languages...... and the efficient execution of them on high performance systems. This work investigates the requirements for, and the implementation of, a high performance backend supporting these goals. This involves an outline of the hardware available today, in the near future and how to program it for high performance....... The main challenge is to bridge the gaps between performance, productivity and portability. A declarative high-level array-oriented programming model is explored to achieve this goal and a backend implemented to support it. Different strategies to the backend design and application of optimizations...

Automatic examination of nuclear reactor vessels with focused search units. Status and typical application to inspections performed in accordance with ASME code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verger, B.; Saglio, R.

1981-05-01

The use of focused search units in nuclear reactor vessel examinations has significantly increased the capability of flaw indication detection and characterization. These search units especially allow a more accurate sizing of indications and a more efficient follow up of their history. In this aspect, they are a unique tool in the area of safety and reliability of installations. It was this type of search unit which was adopted to perform the examinations required within the scope of inservice inspections of all P.W.R. reactors of the French nuclear program. This paper summarizes the results gathered through the 4l examinations performed over the last five years. A typical application of focused search units in automated inspections performed in accordance with ASME code requirements on P.W.R. nuclear reactor vessels is then described

Home Health Agency Performance in the United States: 2011-15.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yun; Spatz, Erica S; Tariq, Maliha; Angraal, Suveen; Krumholz, Harlan M

2017-12-01

To evaluate home health agency quality performance. Observational study. Home health agencies. All Medicare-certified agencies with at least 6 months of data from 2011 to 2015. Twenty-two quality indicators, five patient survey indicators, and their composite scores. The study included 11,462 Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 92.4% of all ZIP codes nationwide, accounting for 315.2 million people. The mean composite scores were 409.1 ± 22.7 out of 500 with the patient survey indicators and 492.3 ± 21.7 out of 600 without the patient survey indicators. Home health agency performance on 27 quality indicators varied, with the coefficients of dispersion ranging from 4.9 to 62.8. Categorization of agencies into performance quartiles revealed that 3,179 (27.7%) were in the low-performing group (below 25th percentile) at least one time during the period from 2011-12 to 2014-15 and that 493 were in the low-performing group throughout the study period. Geographic variation in agency performance was observed. Agencies with longer Medicare-certified years were more likely to have high-performing scores; agencies providing partial services, with proprietary ownership, and those with long travel distances to reach patients had lower performance. Agencies serving low-income counties and counties with lower proportions of women and senior residences and greater proportions of Hispanic residents were more likely to attain lower performance scores. Home health agency performance on several quality indicators varied, and many agencies were persistently in the lowest quartile of performance. Still, there is a need to improve the quality of care of all agencies. Many parts of the United States, particularly lower-income areas and areas with more Hispanic residents, are more likely to receive lower quality home health care. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

Improving the performance of jaggery making unit using solar energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lakshmi Pathi Jakkamputi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The thermal performance of open earth pan furnace used conventionally for preparing jaggery (gur is very low. Dry bagasse is used as a fuel to produce heat in a combustion process in the open earth furnace. The energy loss due to inefficient combustion process, the energy loss through exhaust gases and other losses due to furnace wall, convection and radiation bring the thermal efficiency of open earth pan furnace to a low value. Certain quantity of energy produced in combustion process is used to sensibly heat the sugarcane juice to its evaporation temperature. Solar collectors can supply the sensible heat required to raise the sugarcane juice temperature up to its boiling point, thereby reducing the total quantity of heat required in preparing the jaggery. Solar drier can be used to supply hot air required for the combustion process to burn the bagasse in more efficient manner. This paper presents analytical calculations done to study the performance improvement of the jaggery making unit using solar collector and solar drier.

Motor unit recruitment by size does not provide functional advantages for motor performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Dideriksen, Jakob L; Farina, Dario

2013-12-15

It is commonly assumed that the orderly recruitment of motor units by size provides a functional advantage for the performance of movements compared with a random recruitment order. On the other hand, the excitability of a motor neuron depends on its size and this is intrinsically linked to its innervation number. A range of innervation numbers among motor neurons corresponds to a range of sizes and thus to a range of excitabilities ordered by size. Therefore, if the excitation drive is similar among motor neurons, the recruitment by size is inevitably due to the intrinsic properties of motor neurons and may not have arisen to meet functional demands. In this view, we tested the assumption that orderly recruitment is necessarily beneficial by determining if this type of recruitment produces optimal motor output. Using evolutionary algorithms and without any a priori assumptions, the parameters of neuromuscular models were optimized with respect to several criteria for motor performance. Interestingly, the optimized model parameters matched well known neuromuscular properties, but none of the optimization criteria determined a consistent recruitment order by size unless this was imposed by an association between motor neuron size and excitability. Further, when the association between size and excitability was imposed, the resultant model of recruitment did not improve the motor performance with respect to the absence of orderly recruitment. A consistent observation was that optimal solutions for a variety of criteria of motor performance always required a broad range of innervation numbers in the population of motor neurons, skewed towards the small values. These results indicate that orderly recruitment of motor units in itself does not provide substantial functional advantages for motor control. Rather, the reason for its near-universal presence in human movements is that motor functions are optimized by a broad range of innervation numbers.

Performance improvement of a hybrid air conditioning system using the indirect evaporative cooler with internal baffles as a pre-cooling unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.E. Kabeel

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In the present paper, the effects of the indirect evaporative cooler with internal baffle on the performance of the hybrid air conditioning system are numerically investigated. The hybrid air conditioning system contains two indirect evaporative coolers with internal baffle, one is utilized to pre-cool the air inlet to the desiccant wheel and the other is utilized to pre-cool the supply air inlet to the room. The effects of the inlet conditions of the process and reactivation air and working air ratio on the thermal performance of the hybrid air conditioning system have been analyzed. The results of this study show that in the hybrid air conditioning system for using the indirect evaporative cooler with internal baffle as a pre-cooling unit, the supply air temperature reduced by 21% and the coefficient of performance improved by 71% as compared to previous designs of the hybrid air conditioning system at the same inlet conditions. For increasing process air inlet temperature from 25 °C to 45 °C, supply air temperature increases from 12.7 °C to 14.2 °C, thermal COP increases from 1.87 to 2.84, and supply air relative humidity increases from 76.7% to 77.4%. Also, for increasing the reactivation air inlet temperature from 70 °C to 110 °C, supply air temperature dropped from 15.9 °C to 10.9 °C, supply air relative humidity dropped from 82.7% to 71.8%, and thermal COP dropped from 4.5 to 1.7. The recommended optimal air working ratio in the indirect evaporative cooler with internal baffle should be 0.15. Keywords: Desiccant material, Solar air collector, Evaporative cooler, Internal baffles, Air conditioning

Performance assessment for a hypothetical low-level waste disposal facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.S.; Rohe, M.J.; Ritter, P.D.

1997-01-01

Disposing of low-level waste (LLW) is a concern for many states throughout the United States. A common disposal method is below-grade concrete vaults. Performance assessment analyses make predictions of contaminant release, transport, ingestion, inhalation, or other routes of exposure, and the resulting doses for various disposal methods such as the below-grade concrete vaults. Numerous assumptions are required to simplify the processes associated with the disposal facility to make predictions feasible. In general, these assumptions are made conservatively so as to underestimate the performance of the facility. The objective of this report is to describe the methodology used in conducting a performance assessment for a hypothetical waste facility located in the northeastern United States using real data as much as possible. This report consists of the following: (a) a description of the disposal facility and site, (b) methods used to analyze performance of the facility, (c) the results of the analysis, and (d) the conclusions of this study

Performance assessment for a hypothetical low-level waste disposal facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, C.S.; Rohe, M.J.; Ritter, P.D. [and others

1997-01-01

Disposing of low-level waste (LLW) is a concern for many states throughout the United States. A common disposal method is below-grade concrete vaults. Performance assessment analyses make predictions of contaminant release, transport, ingestion, inhalation, or other routes of exposure, and the resulting doses for various disposal methods such as the below-grade concrete vaults. Numerous assumptions are required to simplify the processes associated with the disposal facility to make predictions feasible. In general, these assumptions are made conservatively so as to underestimate the performance of the facility. The objective of this report is to describe the methodology used in conducting a performance assessment for a hypothetical waste facility located in the northeastern United States using real data as much as possible. This report consists of the following: (a) a description of the disposal facility and site, (b) methods used to analyze performance of the facility, (c) the results of the analysis, and (d) the conclusions of this study.

A condition-based maintenance policy with non-periodic inspections for a two-unit series system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castanier, B.; Grall, A.; Berenguer, C.

2005-01-01

This paper considers a condition-based maintenance policy for a two-unit deteriorating system. Each unit is subject to gradual deterioration and is monitored by sequential non-periodic inspections. It can be maintained by good as new preventive or corrective replacements. Every inspection or replacement entails a set-up cost and a component-specific unit cost but if actions on the two components are combined, the set-up cost is charged only once. A parametric maintenance decision framework is proposed to coordinate inspection/replacement of the two components and minimize the long-run maintenance cost of the system. A stochastic model is developed on the basis of the semi-regenerative properties of the maintained system state and the associated cost model is used to assess and optimize the performance of the maintenance model. Numerical experiments emphasize the interest of a control of the operation groupings

Discharge from an emergency department observation unit and a surgical assessment unit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Helen; Qvist, Niels; Backer Mogensen, Christian

2014-01-01

To investigate the experiences of patients with acute abdominal pain at discharge from an emergency department observation unit compared with discharge from a surgical assessment unit.......To investigate the experiences of patients with acute abdominal pain at discharge from an emergency department observation unit compared with discharge from a surgical assessment unit....

Continuing education for performance improvement: a creative approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Patti-Ann; Hardesty, Ilana; White, Julie L; Zisblatt, Lara

2012-10-01

In an effort to improve patient safety and health care outcomes, continuing medical education has begun to focus on performance improvement initiatives for physician practices. Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) Continuing Nursing Education Accredited Provider Unit has begun a creative project to award nursing contact hours for nurses' participation in performance improvement activities. This column highlights its initial efforts. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Calculation method for the seasonal performance of heat pump compact units and validation. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wemhoener, C.; Dott, R.; Afjei, Th. [University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Institute of Energy in Buildings, Muttenz (Switzerland); Huber, H.; Helfenfinger, D.; Keller, P.; Furter, R. [University of Applied Sciences Lucerne (HTA), Test center HLKS, Horw (Switzerland)

2007-02-15

This comprehensive final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at compact heat pump units that have been developed for the heating of low energy consumption houses built to MINERGIE or MINERGIE-P standards. These units, which combine the functions of space heating, domestic hot water preparation and ventilation in one unit are described. A testing procedure developed at the University of Applied Science in Lucerne, Switzerland, using a test rig for the measurement of the seasonal performance factor (SPF) is described. A calculation method based on temperature classes for the calculation of the SPF of combined heat pump systems for space heating and domestic hot water preparation that was developed by the Institute of Energy in Buildings at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland is examined. Two pilot plants allowing detailed field monitoring of two compact units are described. One pilot plant installed in a single-family house built to MINERGIE standard in Gelterkinden, Switzerland, provided data on a compact unit. These results of measurements made on this and a further installation in a MINERGIE-P ultra-low energy consumption house in Zeiningen, Switzerland, are presented and discussed. Calculation methods, including exergy considerations are reviewed and their validation is discussed.

Model of a programmable quantum processing unit based on a quantum transistor effect

Science.gov (United States)

Ablayev, Farid; Andrianov, Sergey; Fetisov, Danila; Moiseev, Sergey; Terentyev, Alexandr; Urmanchev, Andrey; Vasiliev, Alexander

2018-02-01

In this paper we propose a model of a programmable quantum processing device realizable with existing nano-photonic technologies. It can be viewed as a basis for new high performance hardware architectures. Protocols for physical implementation of device on the controlled photon transfer and atomic transitions are presented. These protocols are designed for executing basic single-qubit and multi-qubit gates forming a universal set. We analyze the possible operation of this quantum computer scheme. Then we formalize the physical architecture by a mathematical model of a Quantum Processing Unit (QPU), which we use as a basis for the Quantum Programming Framework. This framework makes it possible to perform universal quantum computations in a multitasking environment.

Evaluation of the performance of combined cooling, heating, and power systems with dual power generation units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knizley, Alta A.; Mago, Pedro J.; Smith, Amanda D.

2014-01-01

The benefits of using a combined cooling, heating, and power system with dual power generation units (D-CCHP) is examined in nine different U.S. locations. One power generation unit (PGU) is operated at base load while the other is operated following the electric load. The waste heat from both PGUs is used for heating and for cooling via an absorption chiller. The D-CCHP configuration is studied for a restaurant benchmark building, and its performance is quantified in terms of operational cost, primary energy consumption (PEC), and carbon dioxide emissions (CDE). Cost spark spread, PEC spark spread, and CDE spark spread are examined as performance indicators for the D-CCHP system. D-CCHP system performance correlates well with spark spreads, with higher spark spreads signifying greater savings through implementation of a D-CCHP system. A new parameter, thermal difference, is introduced to investigate the relative performance of a D-CCHP system compared to a dual PGU combined heat and power system (D-CHP). Thermal difference, together with spark spread, can explain the variation in savings of a D-CCHP system over a D-CHP system for each location. The effect of carbon credits on operational cost savings with respect to the reference case is shown for selected locations. - Highlights: • We investigate benefits from using combined cooling, heating, and power systems. • A dual power generation unit configuration is considered for CCHP and CHP. • Spark spreads for cost, energy, and emissions correlate with potential savings. • Thermal difference parameter helps to explain variations in potential savings. • Carbon credits may increase cost savings where emissions savings are possible

Transient performance analysis of pressurized safety injection tank with a partition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Youngmin; Kim, Young In; Kim, Keung Koo

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Functional performance of safety injection tanks with a partition is evaluated. • Effects of key design parameters are scrutinized. • Distinctive features of the flow in multi-unit safety injection tanks are explored. - Abstract: A parametric study has been performed to evaluate the functional performance of a pressurized multi-unit safety injection tank, which would be considered as one of the candidates for a passive safety injection system in a nuclear power plant. The influences of key design parameters including the orifice size, initial gas fraction, and resistance coefficients and operating condition on the injection flow rate are scrutinized with a discussion of the relevant flow features such as the choked flow of gas through an orifice and two interconnected regions of differing gaseous pressure. The obtained results indicate that a multi-unit safety injection tank can passively control the injection flow rate and provide a stable safety injection over a relatively long period even in the case of drastic depressurization of a reactor coolant system

Prevalence of sarcopenia in a media and long stay Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio-Maicas, C; Duarte-Alfonso, E; Beseler-Soto, M R; Moreno-Muñoz, I; Moral-Moral, P; Merino-Torres, J F

2014-01-01

Sarcopenia is characterized by the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and represents a risk factor for frailty, loss of independence and physical disabilities. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia in a population of patients admitted to a media and long-stay unit. Descriptive, cross-sectional observational study that included 166 patients over 18 years who were admitted consecutively for a year to palliative care, convalescence or rehabilitation. Administrative and anthropometric data were recorded. Sarcopenia detection was performed by assessing the strength in the scapular and pelvic girdle muscles, grip strength in the hands, muscle mass and physical functional capacity. The overall prevalence of sarcopenia was 77.6%. Most patients had severe sarcopenia (91.2%), with reduced levels of the 3 assessed parameters: muscle strength (88.2%), muscle mass (85.5%) and physical performance (94.70%). The prevalence of sarcopenia in patients admitted to our media and long-stay unit is higher than that reported in noninstitutionalized populations, and often has a significant degree of severity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

The obstetric performance of United Kingdom asylum seekers from Somalia: a case-control study and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoong, W; Kolhe, S; Karoshi, Mahantesh; Ullah, M; Nauta, M

2005-01-01

Little published research exists regarding obstetric performance of immigrant women in the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to evaluate the obstetric performance and fetal outcomes of Somalian women who received prenatal care and requested to deliver at a teaching hospital in North London. This is a case-control study in which consecutive Somalian women were identified as index cases and the subsequent British-born Caucasian women listed in the delivery book served as controls. 69 index and 69 control cases were analyzed. Fifty-five percent of the Somalian women spoke little or no English. Half (50%) had undergone circumcision, the majority being type I WHO classification of female genital circumcision, which did not require significant surgical intervention prior to labor; 13% had cesarean sections, 13% instrumental vaginal deliveries, and 74% had vaginal deliveries. The Somalian women had higher parity (2.35 vs. 1.18) and were more likely to be grand multiparous (9/69 vs. 1/69) compared to controls. Epidural use was less frequent in Somalian women, but otherwise there were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to maternal age, rates of induction of labor, cesarean sections, duration of labor, premature deliveries, instrumental deliveries, and birth weights. The demographic characteristics of the Somalian female population appear to exert minimal effect on obstetric and fetal outcomes. This may be due to the increased vigilance exercised by health professionals as well as to the fact that recent arrivals are from more urban and westernized areas in Somalia.

MONITORING SWIMMING SPRINT PERFORMANCE DURING A TRAINING CYCLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel A. Marinho

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The preparation for a major competition is an important concern of coaches and athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution in sprint performance during a training macro cycle in age-group swimmers of both genders. The sample comprised twenty four age-group swimmers (12.0 ± 0.72 years old, 41.43 ± 6.88 kg, 1.51 ± 0.09 m. The evaluations occurred during nine weeks of swimming training in the first macro cycle. During this period the subjects performed 54 training units (6 units per week. In all weeks, the performance in two trials of a 25 m front crawl all out test, with 15 min of rest, was recorded. Only the bestperformance was used to assess the effects of training. Comparisons between the first week and the following weeks were conducted using pair-sample t-test. The significance level was set at 5%. The sprint performance did not change during the first 6 weeks of preparation. In the last three weeks the performance in the 25 m front crawl test was improved when compared with the first week, although the major changes occurred at the last week of preparation.It seems that in age-group swimmers seven weeks of specific swimming training enables improving swimmer’s sprint performance, although some differences exists between male and female swimmers. Thesedata could be used by coaches to program the training season and the evolution of the load components.

Performance comparison of next generation controller and MPC in real time for a SISO process with low cost DAQ unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Bagyaveereswaran

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a brief overview of real time implementation of next generation Robust, Tracking, Disturbance rejecting, Aggressive (RTDA controller and Model Predictive Control (MPC is provided. The control algorithm is implemented through MATLAB. The plant model used in controller design is obtained using system identification tool and integral response method. The controller model is developed in Simulink using jMPC tool, which will be executed in real time. The outputs obtained are tested for various constraint values to obtain the desirable results. The implementation of Hardware in Loop is done by interfacing it with MATLAB using Arduino as data acquisition unit. The performance of RTDA is compared with those of MPC and Proportional Integral controller.

Experimental Evaluation of a Total Heat Recovery Unit with Polymer Membrane Foils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fang, Lei; Yuan, Shu; Nie, Jinzhe

2014-01-01

A laboratory experimental study was conducted to investigate the energy performance of a total heat recovery unit using a polymer membranes heat exchanger. The study was conducted in twin climate chambers. One of the chambers simulated outdoor climate conditions and the other simulated the climate...... condition indoors. The airflows taken from the two chambers were connected into the total heat recovery unit and exchange heat in a polymer membrane foil heat exchanger installed inside the unit. The temperature and humidity of the air upstream and downstream of the heat exchanger were measured. Based...... on the measured temperature and humidity values, the temperature, humidity, and enthalpy efficiencies of the total heat recovery unit were calculated. The experiment was conducted in different combinations of outdoor climate conditions simulating warm and humid outdoor climates and air-conditioned indoor climate...

A flowsheet for a wave power unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobierajski, E.; Kasperowicz, Z.

1984-01-01

A flowsheet is examined for a wave power unit designed to produce electricity, for flooding or drying a coastal zone, cleaning or protecting water areas of ports from sand deposits. The unit includes a vertical cylinder attached to the sea floor with input and output water ducts and valves. The cylinder has a rod with piston that is actuated through a flexible cable by float arranged next to the cylinder. The water injected under pressure into the pressure pipe can be used directly or as an intermediate energy source.

Performance analysis of phase-change material storage unit for both heating and cooling of buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Waqas, Adeel; Ali, Majid; Ud Din, Zia

2017-04-01

Utilisation of solar energy and the night ambient (cool) temperatures are the passive ways of heating and cooling of buildings. Intermittent and time-dependent nature of these sources makes thermal energy storage vital for efficient and continuous operation of these heating and cooling techniques. Latent heat thermal energy storage by phase-change materials (PCMs) is preferred over other storage techniques due to its high-energy storage density and isothermal storage process. The current study was aimed to evaluate the performance of the air-based PCM storage unit utilising solar energy and cool ambient night temperatures for comfort heating and cooling of a building in dry-cold and dry-hot climates. The performance of the studied PCM storage unit was maximised when the melting point of the PCM was ∼29°C in summer and 21°C during winter season. The appropriate melting point was ∼27.5°C for all-the-year-round performance. At lower melting points than 27.5°C, declination in the cooling capacity of the storage unit was more profound as compared to the improvement in the heating capacity. Also, it was concluded that the melting point of the PCM that provided maximum cooling during summer season could be used for winter heating also but not vice versa.

A Performance Measurement-Based Company Officer Management Information System Prototype for the United States Naval Academy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Boone, Michael

1999-01-01

A company officer at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) is tasked with developing midshipmen morally, mentally, physically, and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty...

Improving Forecast Skill by Assimilation of AIRS Temperature Soundings

Science.gov (United States)

Susskind, Joel; Reale, Oreste

2010-01-01

AIRS was launched on EOS Aqua on May 4, 2002, together with AMSU-A and HSB, to form a next generation polar orbiting infrared and microwave atmospheric sounding system. The primary products of AIRS/AMSU-A are twice daily global fields of atmospheric temperature-humidity profiles, ozone profiles, sea/land surface skin temperature, and cloud related parameters including OLR. The AIRS Version 5 retrieval algorithm, is now being used operationally at the Goddard DISC in the routine generation of geophysical parameters derived from AIRS/AMSU data. A major innovation in Version 5 is the ability to generate case-by-case level-by-level error estimates delta T(p) for retrieved quantities and the use of these error estimates for Quality Control. We conducted a number of data assimilation experiments using the NASA GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System as a step toward finding an optimum balance of spatial coverage and sounding accuracy with regard to improving forecast skill. The model was run at a horizontal resolution of 0.5 deg. latitude X 0.67 deg longitude with 72 vertical levels. These experiments were run during four different seasons, each using a different year. The AIRS temperature profiles were presented to the GEOS-5 analysis as rawinsonde profiles, and the profile error estimates delta (p) were used as the uncertainty for each measurement in the data assimilation process. We compared forecasts analyses generated from the analyses done by assimilation of AIRS temperature profiles with three different sets of thresholds; Standard, Medium, and Tight. Assimilation of Quality Controlled AIRS temperature profiles significantly improve 5-7 day forecast skill compared to that obtained without the benefit of AIRS data in all of the cases studied. In addition, assimilation of Quality Controlled AIRS temperature soundings performs better than assimilation of AIRS observed radiances. Based on the experiments shown, Tight Quality Control of AIRS temperature profile performs best

A mobile interventional radiology unit: innovation and social responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nestor Hugo Kisilevzky

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To present the preliminary results of a feasibility study performed to determine the value of a mobile interventional radiology unit used to promote a uterine embolization program for low-income patients. Methods: Forty patients with symptomatic fibroids were treated with uterine embolization. Procedures were performed in four public hospitals in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo. This study was approved by the institutional research ethics committee and all patients signed an informed consent form. A mobile interventional radiology unit, named ANGIOMOVEL, was conceived and implemented utilizing a small truck to transport one mobile C arm, one radiological table, protection aprons and a small trolley containing specific supplies for the procedures. The ANGIOMOVEL team consisted of two interventional radiologists, one nurse, one driver and one assistant. The unit visited one hospital per week during a three-month period. Patient inclusion was contingent upon several factors, such as evaluation by a trained gynecologist, completion of a pelvic MRI, routine serological laboratory tests and completion of a quality of life questionnaire (QOL. Outcomes, MRI and QOL were evaluated. Data obtained after 12 weeks were collected and analyzed. Results: Technical success was achieved in 100% of cases, with a mean procedure time of 43 minutes and a mean fluoroscopic time of 24 minutes. The mean hospital stay was 1.07 day and the mean time for recovery and return to normal activities was 10 days. After 12 weeks, 36 (90% of patients noticed improvement of their symptoms and 4 (10% did not notice any improvement. Thirty-eight patients (95% were satisfied or very satisfied and 39 (97.5% said they would recommend the procedure. Pre- and post-procedure magnetic resonance imaging analysis showed that complete fibroid ischemia was achieved in 92.5% of cases with a mean uterine volume reduction of 38% and a mean fibroid volume reduction of 52%. Health

Performance of a pilot-scale compost biofilter treating gasoline vapor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, W.F.; Schroeder, E.D.; Chang, D.P.Y.

1997-01-01

A pilot-scale compost biofiltration system was operated as gasoline soil vapor extraction site in Hayward, California for one year. The media was composed of equal volumes of compost and perlite, a bulking agent. Supplements added included nitrogen (as KNO 3 ), a gasoline degrading microbial inoculum, buffer (crushed oyster shell), and water. The biofiltration system was composed of four identical units with outside dimensions of 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m (4 x 4 x 4 ft) operated in an up-flow mode. The units were configured in parallel during the first eight months and then reconfigured to two parallel systems of two units in series. Air flux values ranged from 0.29 to 1.0 m 3 /m 2 per min. Inlet total petroleum hydrogen hydrocarbon (TPH gas ) concentrations ranged from 310 to 2,700 mg/m 3 . The average empty bed contact time was 2.2 min. Following start-up, performance of the individual biofilters varied considerably for a seven-month period. The principal factor affecting performance appeared to be bed moisture content. Overall TPH gas removals reached 90% for short periods in one unit, and BTEX removals were typically above 90%. Drying resulted in channeling and loss of bed activity. Management of bed moisture content improved over the study period, and recovery of system performance was achieved without replacement of bed media. Overall TPH gas removals exceeded 90% during the final 50 days of the study

Máscara de espalhamento e precipitação para os canais microondas do satélite NOAA Scattering and rainfall mask for microwave channels of NOAA satellite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João C. Carvalho

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Propõe-se, com o presente trabalho, avaliar uma metodologia para identificação de pixels contaminados por precipitação e/ou espalhamento utilizando-se dados dos canais do Advanced Microwave Sensor Unit (AMSU. A aplicação de metodologias desse tipo é útil para a inferência de perfis verticais de temperatura e umidade no Brasil, em situações de céu coberto. A validação dos resultados foi feita com base em um estudo de caso, em que se aplicou uma análise subjetiva, tomando-se como modelo a comparação com imagens das bandas infravermelho, visível e microondas. Os resultados mostraram excelente concordância entre os topos de nuvens com temperaturas de brilho baixas, afetadas pelo efeito de espalhamento devido à presença de chuva e gelo, e as áreas identificadas pelo algoritmo como sendo contaminadas por este efeito. O algoritmo conseguiu identificar adequadamente os locais sob influência de precipitação e/ou espalhamento.This work presents a methodology to identify precipitation and/or scattering pixels in the Advanced Microwave Sensor Unit (AMSU channels. This procedure is useful for applications in atmospheric temperature and moisture retrievals over Brazil under cloudy sky conditions. A subjective analysis based on a case study involving comparisons with infrared, visible and microwave images was applied for validation purpose. The results show an excellent relationship of cloud tops with low brightness temperature affected by scattering due to water drops and ice and the areas identified by the algorithm as being influenced by precipitation and/or scattering effect.

A computer controlled tele-cobalt unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brace, J.A.

1982-01-01

A computer controlled cobalt treatment unit was commissioned for treating patients in January 1980. Initially the controlling computer was a minicomputer, but now the control of the therapy unit is by a microcomputer. The treatment files, which specify the movement and configurations necessary to deliver the prescribed dose, are produced on the minicomputer and then transferred to the microcomputer using minitape cartridges. The actual treatment unit is based on a standard cobalt unit with a few additional features e.g. the drive motors can be controlled either by the computer or manually. Since the treatment unit is used for both manual and automatic treatments, the operational procedure under computer control is made to closely follow the manual procedure for a single field treatment. The necessary safety features which protect against human, hardware and software errors as well as the advantages and disadvantages of computer controlled radiotherapy are discussed

Panel Unit Root Tests by Combining Dependent Values: A Comparative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuguang Sheng

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We conduct a systematic comparison of the performance of four commonly used value combination methods applied to panel unit root tests: the original Fisher test, the modified inverse normal method, Simes test, and the modified truncated product method (TPM. Our simulation results show that under cross-section dependence the original Fisher test is severely oversized, but the other three tests exhibit good size properties. Simes test is powerful when the total evidence against the joint null hypothesis is concentrated in one or very few of the tests being combined, but the modified inverse normal method and the modified TPM have good performance when evidence against the joint null is spread among more than a small fraction of the panel units. These differences are further illustrated through one empirical example on testing purchasing power parity using a panel of OECD quarterly real exchange rates.

Complexity Index as Applied to Magnetic Resonance: Study Based on a Scale of Relative Units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capelastegui, A.; Villanua, J.

2003-01-01

To analyze the merit and repercussions of measuring magnetic resonance (MR) activity in units of radiological activity, and of using complexity index (CI) as an activity indicator. We studied the MR activity of Osatek, Inc. during an 8-year period (1994-2001). We measured this activity both in number of MR procedures performed and in units of radiological activity, such units being based on the scale of relative units published in the Radiological Services Administration Guidelines published by the Spanish Society or Medical Radiology. We calculated the annual complexity index, this being a quotient between the number of MR procedures performed and corresponding value in units of radiological activity. We also analyzed factors that can have an impact on the CI: type of exploration and power of the equipment's magnetic field. The CL stayed practically stable during the first 4 years of the study, while it increased during the second 4 years. There exists a direct relationship between this increase and the percentage of explorations that we term complex (basically, body-and angio-MR). The increasing complexity of MR studies in the last years is evident from a consideration of CI. MR productivity is more realistically expressed in units of radiological activity than in number of procedures performed by any one center. It also allows for making external comparisons. CI is a useful indicator that can be utilized as an administrative tool. (Author) 13 refs

Numerical simulation of the flow around a steerable propulsion unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacuraru, F; Lungu, A; Ungureanu, C; Marcu, O

2010-01-01

Azimuth propulsion units have become during the last decade a more and more popular solution for all kinds of vessels. Azimuth thruster system, combining the propulsion and steering units of conventional ships replaces traditional propellers and lengthy drive shafts and rudders ensuring an excellent vessel steering. In many cases the interaction between the propeller and other components of the propulsion system strongly affects the inflow to the propeller and therefore its performance. The correct estimation of this influence is important for propulsion systems which consist of more than one element, such as pods (shaft, gondola and propeller), ducted propellers (duct, struts and propeller) or bow thrusters (ship form, tunnel, gondola and propeller). The paper proposes a numerical investigation based on RANS computation for solving the viscous flow around an azimuth thruster system to provide a detailed insight into the critical flow regions for determining the optimum inclination angle for struts, for studying the hydrodynamic interactions between various components of the system, for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of the propulsion system and to investigate regions with possible flow separations.

[NIC as a tool for assessing competences of nursing students in clinical placement at surgical units].

Science.gov (United States)

Celma Vicente, Matilde; Ajuria-Imaz, Eloisa; Lopez-Morales, Manuel; Fernandez-Marín, Pilar; Menor-Castro, Alicia; Cano-Caballero Galvez, Maria Dolores

2015-01-01

This paper shows the utility of a NIC standardized language to assess the extent of nursing student skills at Practicum in surgical units To identify the nursing interventions classification (NIC) that students can learn to perform in surgical units. To determine the level of difficulty in learning interventions, depending on which week of rotation in clinical placement the student is. Qualitative study using Delphi consensus technique, involving nurses with teaching experience who work in hospital surgical units, where students undertake the Practicum. The results were triangulated through a questionnaire to tutors about the degree of conformity. A consensus was reached about the interventions that students can achieve in surgical units and the frequency in which they can be performed. The level of difficulty of each intervention, and the amount of weeks of practice that students need to reach the expected level of competence was also determined. The results should enable us to design better rotations matched to student needs. Knowing the frequency of each intervention that is performed in each unit determines the chances of learning it, as well as the indicators for its assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Development of performance analysis support modules in Younggwang NPP unit 3 and 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heo, G. Y.; Lee, S. J.; Jang, S. H.; Choi, S. S.; Choi, Q. H.; Gee, M. H.; Heo, I.

2003-01-01

This paper covers the unmeasured parameter estimation module, the performance degradation estimation module, and the performance degradation diagnosis module that are the supporting modules of the thermal performance analysis program of Younggwang nuclear power plant unit 3 and 4, PERUPS (PERformance UPgrade System), which was developed by KHNP, KEPRI, Hoseo university, and ACT. The unmeasured parameter estimation module plays a role in the generation of estimated values for the parameters that are necessary but there are no sensors. The performance degradation estimation module shows the impact for electric gain and loss according to the parameters related to turbine cycle performance. The performance degradation diagnosis module provides the belief according degradation causes considering the measurement uncertainty, analysis uncertainty, and correlation among parameters. Reference data for the development of each module was prepared by a turbine cycle simulation tool, PEPSE. The unmeasured parameter estimation module and the performance degradation estimation module make the estimation correlations by the regression analysis using the reference data. In the performance degradation diagnosis module, Bayesian network is used for the modeling of uncertainty and knowledge-base. The validation of the developed modules was performed by the test data generated by PEPSE, and accomplished by the actual data again

A Study of Static Performance of Fixed Inclined Slider Bearings – A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Michael Horsfall

A Study of Static Performance of Fixed Inclined Slider Bearings – A Power Law Model. 1OLADEINDE, M H; 2EDOKPIA, R O; ... Keyword: power law, slider bearing, finite element, load capacity, pressure. Traditionally, most lubricants are .... The volumetric flow rate per unit width is computed by using the expression shown in ...

Perfmon2: a leap forward in performance monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarp, S; Jurga, R; Nowak, A

2008-01-01

This paper describes the software component, perfmon2, that is about to be added to the Linux kernel as the standard interface to the Performance Monitoring Unit (PMU) on common processors, including x86 (AMD and Intel), Sun SPARC, MIPS, IBM Power and Intel Itanium. It also describes a set of tools for doing performance monitoring in practice and details how the CERN openlab team has participated in the testing and development of these tools

Perfmon2: a leap forward in performance monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarp, S; Jurga, R; Nowak, A [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)], E-mail: Sverre.Jarp@cern.ch

2008-07-15

This paper describes the software component, perfmon2, that is about to be added to the Linux kernel as the standard interface to the Performance Monitoring Unit (PMU) on common processors, including x86 (AMD and Intel), Sun SPARC, MIPS, IBM Power and Intel Itanium. It also describes a set of tools for doing performance monitoring in practice and details how the CERN openlab team has participated in the testing and development of these tools.

Perfmon2 a leap forward in performance monitoring

CERN Document Server

Jarp, S; Nowak, A

2008-01-01

This paper describes the software component, perfmon2, that is about to be added to the Linux kernel as the standard interface to the Performance Monitoring Unit (PMU) on common processors, including x86 (AMD and Intel), Sun SPARC, MIPS, IBM Power and Intel Itanium. It also describes a set of tools for doing performance monitoring in practice and details how the CERN openlab team has participated in the testing and development of these tools.

Perfmon2: a leap forward in performance monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Jarp, S.; Jurga, R.; Nowak, A.

2008-07-01

This paper describes the software component, perfmon2, that is about to be added to the Linux kernel as the standard interface to the Performance Monitoring Unit (PMU) on common processors, including x86 (AMD and Intel), Sun SPARC, MIPS, IBM Power and Intel Itanium. It also describes a set of tools for doing performance monitoring in practice and details how the CERN openlab team has participated in the testing and development of these tools.

[Medication errors in a neonatal unit: One of the main adverse events].

Science.gov (United States)

Esqué Ruiz, M T; Moretones Suñol, M G; Rodríguez Miguélez, J M; Sánchez Ortiz, E; Izco Urroz, M; de Lamo Camino, M; Figueras Aloy, J

2016-04-01

Neonatal units are one of the hospital areas most exposed to the committing of treatment errors. A medication error (ME) is defined as the avoidable incident secondary to drug misuse that causes or may cause harm to the patient. The aim of this paper is to present the incidence of ME (including feeding) reported in our neonatal unit and its characteristics and possible causal factors. A list of the strategies implemented for prevention is presented. An analysis was performed on the ME declared in a neonatal unit. A total of 511 MEs have been reported over a period of seven years in the neonatal unit. The incidence in the critical care unit was 32.2 per 1000 hospital days or 20 per 100 patients, of which 0.22 per 1000 days had serious repercussions. The ME reported were, 39.5% prescribing errors, 68.1% administration errors, 0.6% were adverse drug reactions. Around two-thirds (65.4%) were produced by drugs, with 17% being intercepted. The large majority (89.4%) had no impact on the patient, but 0.6% caused permanent damage or death. Nurses reported 65.4% of MEs. The most commonly implicated causal factor was distraction (59%). Simple corrective action (alerts), and intermediate (protocols, clinical sessions and courses) and complex actions (causal analysis, monograph) were performed. It is essential to determine the current state of ME, in order to establish preventive measures and, together with teamwork and good practices, promote a climate of safety. Copyright © 2015 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Motor unit activity when young and old adults perform steady contractions while supporting an inertial load

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, Jeffrey R.; Enoka, Roger M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study was to compare the discharge characteristics of biceps brachii motor units of young and old adults when they performed steady, submaximal contractions while the arm supported different inertial loads. Young (28 ± 4 yr; n = 16) and old (75 ± 4 yr; n = 14) adults performed steady contractions with the elbow flexors at target forces set at either small (11.7 ± 4.4% maximum) or large (17.8 ± 6.5% maximum) differences below the recruitment threshold force of the motor unit (n = 40). The task was to maintain an elbow angle at 1.57 rad until the motor unit was recruited and discharged action potentials for ∼120 s. Time to recruitment was longer for the larger target force difference (187 ± 227 s vs. 23 ± 46 s, P recruited, motor units discharged action potentials either repetitively or intermittently, with a greater proportion of motor units exhibiting the repetitive pattern for old adults. Discharge rate at recruitment and during the steady contraction was similar for the two target force differences for old adults but was greater for the small target force difference for young adults. Discharge variability was similar at recruitment for the two age groups but less for the old adults during the steady contraction. The greatest difference between the present results and those reported previously when the arm pulled against a rigid restraint was that old adults modulated discharge rate less than young adults across the two contraction intensities for both load types. PMID:23221403

Enhanced performance of a filter-sensor system.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasaki, Isao; Josowicz, Mira; Janata, Jirí; Glezer, Ari

2006-06-01

In this paper are addressed two important, but seemingly unrelated issues: long term performance of a gas sensing array and performance of an air purification unit. It is shown that when considered together, the system can be regarded as a "smart filter". The enhancement is achieved by periodic differential sampling and measurement of the "upstream" and "downstream" gases of a filter. The correctly functioning filter supplies the "zero gas" from the downstream for the continuous sensor baseline correction. A key element in this scheme is the synthetic jet that delivers well-defined pulses of the two gases. The deterioration of the performance of the "smart filter" can be diagnosed from the response pattern of the sensor. The approach has been demonstrated on removal/sensing of ammonia gas from air.

History of personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, C. G.

2007-01-01

The basis for personal dosimetry performance testing in the United States is ANSI/HPS N13.11 (2001). Now in its third edition, this standard has been in place since 1983. Testing under this standard is administered by the National Voluntary Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and accreditation of dosimetry processors under this program is required by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. The US Dept. of Energy (DOE) also maintains a testing program for its laboratories and contractors, administered by the Dept. of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP). A focus in recent years has been the modification of ANSI/HPS N13.11 to allow acceptance by both testing programs in order to bring harmonisation to US personal dosemeter processing testing. Since there is no type testing program in the US for personal dosemeters, the testing philosophy of ANSI N13.11 has always combined elements of type testing and routine performance testing. This philosophy is explored in detail in this presentation, along with trends in the development of the document to its present state. In addition, a look will be taken at what the future holds for the next revision of the document, scheduled to begin in 2005. (authors)

100 Area source operable unit focused feasibility study report. Draft A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

In accordance with the Hanford Past-Practice Strategy (HPPS), a focused feasibility study (FFS) is performed for those waste sites which have been identified as candidates for interim remedial measures (IRM) based on information contained in applicable work plans and limited field investigations (LFI). The FFS process for the 100 Area source operable units will be conducted in two stages. This report, hereafter referred to as the Process Document, documents the first stage of the process. In this stage, IRM alternatives are developed and analyzed on the basis of waste site groups associated with the 100 Area source operable units. The second stage, site-specific evaluation of the IRM alternatives presented in this Process Document, is documented in a series of operable unit-specific reports. The objective of the FFS (this Process Document and subsequent operable unit-specific reports) is to provide decision makers with sufficient information to allow appropriate and timely selection of IRM for sites associated with the 100 Area source operable units. Accordingly, the following information is presented: a presentation of remedial action objectives; a description of 100 Area waste site groups and associated group profiles; a description of IRM alternatives; and detailed and comparative analyses of the IRM alternatives

Equipment performance and radiation protection status in X-ray fluoroscopy units in Sudan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, N. A.; Nayl, A. I.; Suliman, I. I.

2012-01-01

The number of fluoroscopy and fluoroscopically guided procedures has been substantially growing in developing countries at the same time advanced and sophisticated equipment are used in some hospitals. However, radiation protection requirements are not necessarily well adopted. In this study nine fluoroscopy X-ray units in Sudan were examined for compliance with international standards. The tests included: beam quality, entrance surface air kerma, image quality and radiation field measurements. Staff radiation protection tools such as lead aprons and eye glasses were also visually examined to find out whether international recommendations were fulfilled and to determine the level of staff awareness. The measured peak tube voltage deviation exceeded the recommended tolerance level in 30 % of the measurements. The results of patient doses measurements exceeded the recommended reference dose levels in 43 % of the measurements; however image quality and radiation field generally fulfilled the requirements for most units. The study revealed that a considerable number of fluoroscopy units were not performing according to the international standards and highlights the need of optimisation of radiation protection. (authors)

Performance Evaluation of the United Nations Environment ...

Science.gov (United States)

A request for technical collaboration between the UNEP and the US EPA resulted in the establishment of a MCRADA. The purpose of this agreement was to evaluate an air quality monitoring system (referred to as the UNEP pod) developed by the UNEP for use in environmental situations where more sophisticated monitoring instrumentation was not available. The US EPA has conducted numerous evaluations of other similar sensor pods at its Research Triangle Park, NC research campus and has trained staff as well as established research designs for such efforts. Under the terms of the MCRADA, the US EPA would operate the pod using UNEP provided operating procedures in a manner consistent with its planned intent of deployment. The US EPA would collect air quality monitoring data from the pod involving select environmental measures over a period of approximately one month. Reference monitoring data collected from collocated federal regulatory monitors would be used to establish a comparison between the two systems and thus establishment of performance characteristics. In addition, the US EPA would provide feedback information to the UNEP as to observed ease of use features of the pod that would be beneficial in its future evolution and deployment. The UNEP recently developed a multipollutant sensor pod called the UNEP Air Quality Monitoring Unit, herein simply defined as the UNEP pod (http://aqicn.org/faq/2015-10-28/unep-air-quality-monitoring-station/). First introduced in 20

40 CFR 60.1025 - Do subpart E new source performance standards also apply to my municipal waste combustion unit?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... standards also apply to my municipal waste combustion unit? 60.1025 Section 60.1025 Protection of... NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Small Municipal Waste Combustion Units for Which... municipal waste combustion unit? If this subpart AAAA applies to your municipal waste combustion unit, then...

Contribuição de diversos sistemas de observação na previsão de tempo no CPTEC/INPE Contribution of the several observation systems in the forecast skill at CPTEC/INPE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita V. Andreoli

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Experimentos utilizando sistemas de observação global, foram realizados excluindo um ou mais tipos de observação do esquema global de assimilação de dados/previsão de tempo do Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais - CPTEC/INPE (Global Physical-space Statistical Analysis System - GPSAS. Estes experimentos indicam como efetivamente as observações são usadas no GPSAS. Os sistemas de observação testados foram o conjunto de dados convencionais, que incluem informações de superfície (estações em superfície, bóias, navios e plataformas oceânicas e de ar superior (radiossondagem, aeronaves e balões piloto, os sistemas de sondagem Advanced TIROS-N/NOAA Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS e AQUA, composto pelos sensores Atmospheric Infrared Sounder e Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AIRS/AMSU, dados de vento de satélite, estimados a partir do deslocamento de nuvens (Cloud Track Wind, dados de vento em superfície sobre o oceano (QuikScat e água precipitável (Total Precipitation water - TPW. Todos os sistemas testados mostram um impacto positivo na qualidade da previsão. Os dados convencionais têm um maior impacto na região do Hemisfério Norte devido à maior disponibilidade dessas informações sobre esta região. Por outro lado, as sondagens AIRS/AMSU são fundamentais para uma boa previsão sobre o Hemisfério Sul. Sobre a América do Sul, os perfis inferidos pelo sistema de sondagem AQUA contribuem com a mesma ordem de grandeza dos dados convencionais e apresentam um impacto positivo para todos os períodos de previsões analisados. Dados de vento e água precipitável estimados por satélites têm maior impacto nas regiões tropical e da América do Sul, nas primeiras horas de previsão (1-3 dias. Todavia, a utilização de um conjunto completo de observações é crucial para se obter, operacionalmente, uma boa condição inicial do estado atmosférico para ser

PERFORMANCE OF A PACKED LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION COLUMN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

İ. Metin HASDEMİR

1999-03-01

Full Text Available The influence of feed ratios ((LE/LR on the performance of a packed liquid-liquid extraction column, with a diameter of 5.86 cm and a column height of 132 cm was investigated. The column is made of borosilicate glass and packed with 10 x 10 mm glass Raschig rings. In this study, a ternary system composed of water + propionic acid + trichloroethylene was used. The data used to triangular diagram were obtained experimentally. The overall mass transfer coefficients, the numbers of overall mass transfer units, the heights of mass transfer units, the numbers of theoretical stages and height equivalent to a theoretical stage (H. E. T. S. values were calculated and compared with each other.

PORST: a computer code to analyze the performance of retrofitted steam turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, C.; Hwang, I.T.

1980-09-01

The computer code PORST was developed to analyze the performance of a retrofitted steam turbine that is converted from a single generating to a cogenerating unit for purposes of district heating. Two retrofit schemes are considered: one converts a condensing turbine to a backpressure unit; the other allows the crossover extraction of steam between turbine cylinders. The code can analyze the performance of a turbine operating at: (1) valve-wide-open condition before retrofit, (2) partial load before retrofit, (3) valve-wide-open after retrofit, and (4) partial load after retrofit.

Grey water treatment by a continuous process of an electrocoagulation unit and a submerged membrane bioreactor system

KAUST Repository

Bani-Melhem, Khalid; Smith, Edward

2012-01-01

This paper presents the performance of an integrated process consisting of an electro-coagulation (EC) unit and a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) technology for grey water treatment. For comparison purposes, another SMBR process without

[Emotional climate and internal communication in a clinical management unit compared with two traditional hospital services].

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, E; Rubio, A; March, J C; Danet, A

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to compare the emotional climate, quality of communication and performance indicators in a clinical management unit and two traditional hospital services. Quantitative study. questionnaire of 94 questions. 83 health professionals (63 responders) from the clinical management unit of breast pathology and the hospital services of medical oncology and radiation oncology. descriptive statistics, comparison of means, correlation and linear regression models. The clinical management unit reaches higher values compared with the hospital services about: performance indicators, emotional climate, internal communication and evaluation of the leadership. An important gap between existing and desired sources, channels, media and subjects of communication appear, in both clinical management unit and traditional services. The clinical management organization promotes better internal communication and interpersonal relations, leading to improved performance indicators. Copyright © 2011 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Correlation of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Performance Across Multiple Measures of Quality of Care

Science.gov (United States)

Profit, J; Zupancic, JAF; Gould, JB; Pietz, K; Kowalkowski, MA; Draper, D; Hysong, SJ; Petersen, LA

2014-01-01

Objectives To examine whether high performance on one measure of quality is associated with high performance on others and to develop a data-driven explanatory model of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) performance. Design We conducted a cross-sectional data analysis of a statewide perinatal care database. Risk-adjusted NICU ranks were computed for each of 8 measures of quality selected based on expert input. Correlations across measures were tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine whether underlying factors were driving the correlations. Setting Twenty-two regional NICUs in California. Patients In total, 5445 very low-birth-weight infants cared for between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2007. Main Outcomes Measures Pneumothorax, growth velocity, health care–associated infection, antenatal corticosteroid use, hypothermia during the first hour of life, chronic lung disease, mortality in the NICU, and discharge on any human breast milk. Results The NICUs varied substantially in their clinical performance across measures of quality. Of 28 unit-level correlations only 6 were significant (P quality measures were strong (ρ > .5) for 1 pair, moderate (.3 quality in this sample. Pneumothorax, mortality in the NICU, and antenatal corticosteroid use loaded on factor 1; growth velocity and health care–associated infection loaded on factor 2; chronic lung disease loaded on factor 3; and discharge on any human breast milk loaded on factor 4. Conclusion In this sample, the ability of individual measures of quality to explain overall quality of neonatal intensive care was modest. PMID:23403539

Primary immunodeficiency investigation in patients during and after hospitalization in a pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erica Suavinho

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To analyze whether the patients with severe infections, admitted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital de Clínicas of the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, underwent the active screening for primary immunodeficiencies (PID. Methods: Retrospective study that assessed the data records of patients with any severe infections admitted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, covering a period from January 2011 to January 2012, in order to confirm if they performed an initial investigation for PID with blood count and immunoglobulin dosage. Results: In the studied period, 53 children were hospitalized with severe infections in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and only in seven (13.2% the initial investigation of PID was performed. Among these patients, 3/7 (42.8% showed quantitative alterations in immunoglobulin G (IgG levels, 1/7 (14.3% had the diagnosis of cyclic neutropenia, and 1/7 (14.3% presented thrombocytopenia and a final diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Therefore, the PID diagnosis was confirmed in 5/7 (71.4% of the patients. Conclusions: The investigation of PID in patients with severe infections has not been routinely performed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Our findings suggest the necessity of performing PID investigation in this group of patients.

Performance measures for a dialysis setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Xiuzhu; Itoh, Kenji

2018-03-01

This study from Japan extracted performance measures for dialysis unit management and investigated their characteristics from professional views. Two surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaires, in which dialysis managers/staff were asked to rate the usefulness of 44 performance indicators. A total of 255 managers and 2,097 staff responded. Eight performance measures were elicited from dialysis manager and staff responses: these were safety, operational efficiency, quality of working life, financial effectiveness, employee development, mortality, patient/employee satisfaction and patient-centred health care. These performance measures were almost compatible with those extracted in overall healthcare settings in a previous study. Internal reliability, content and construct validity of the performance measures for the dialysis setting were ensured to some extent. As a general trend, both dialysis managers and staff perceived performance measures as highly useful, especially for safety, mortality, operational efficiency and patient/employee satisfaction, but showed relatively low concerns for patient-centred health care and employee development. However, dialysis managers' usefulness perceptions were significantly higher than staff. Important guidelines for designing a holistic hospital/clinic management system were yielded. Performance measures must be balanced for outcomes and performance shaping factors (PSF); a common set of performance measures could be applied to all the healthcare settings, although performance indicators of each measure should be composed based on the application field and setting; in addition, sound causal relationships between PSF and outcome measures/indicators should be explored for further improvement. © 2017 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

UNITE: a database providing web-based methods for the molecular identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Köljalg, U.; Larsson, K.H.; Abarenkov, K.

2005-01-01

Identification of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi is often achieved through comparisons of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences with accessioned sequences deposited in public databases. A major problem encountered is that annotation of the sequences in these databases is not always....... At present UNITE contains 758 ITS sequences from 455 species and 67 genera of ECM fungi. •  UNITE can be searched by taxon name, via sequence similarity using blastn, and via phylogenetic sequence identification using galaxie. Following implementation, galaxie performs a phylogenetic analysis of the query...... sequence after alignment either to pre-existing generic alignments, or to matches retrieved from a blast search on the UNITE data. It should be noted that the current version of UNITE is dedicated to the reliable identification of ECM fungi. •  The UNITE database is accessible through the URL http://unite.zbi.ee...

Performance test of the prototype-unit for J-PARC machine protection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakaki, Hironao; Nakamura, Naoki; Takahashi, Hiroki; Yoshikawa, Hiroshi

2004-03-01

In High Intensity Proton Accelerator Project (J-PARC), the high-power proton beam is accelerated. If the beam in J-PARC is not stopped at a few micro seconds or less, the fatal thermal shock destruction is caused on the surface of accelerating structure, because of the high-power proton beam. To avoid the thermal shock damage, we designed the high-speed machine protection system. And, the prototype unit for the system was produced. This report shows the result of its performance test. (author)

Order units in a C-algebra

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Order unit property of a positive element in a *-algebra is defined. It is proved that precisely projections satisfy this order theoretic property. This way, unital hereditary *-subalgebras of a *-algebra are characterized.

Experimental investigation of a portable desalination unit configured by a thermoelectric cooler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yıldırım, Cihan; Soylu, Sezgi Koçak; Atmaca, İbrahim; Solmuş, İsmail

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Portable humidification–dehumidification desalination system configured by a thermoelectric cooler is experimentally studied. • Effect of feed water mass flow rate and air flow velocity on COP value of TEC and system productivity are investigated. • Maximum daily yield of system and COP value of TEC unit were recorded as 143.6 g and 0.78, respectively. - Abstract: Possible use of a novel portable desalination system was investigated experimentally. The system is based on humidification–dehumidification principle and thermoelectric cooling technique. A thermoelectric cooler was integrated into the system to enhance the process of both humidification and dehumidification. A prototype was fabricated and its performance was tested for various working conditions of the prototype to observe complex relation between psychrometric and thermoelectric phenomena. The effect of feed water mass flow rate and air flow velocity on the COP value of the thermoelectric cooler and clean water production of the system were examined. The maximum daily yield of the system and the COP value of the thermoelectric cooler unit were recorded as 143.6 g and 0.78, respectively

Environmental performances of different configurations of a material recovery facility in a life cycle perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Ardolino, Filomena; Berto, Chiara; Arena, Umberto

2017-10-01

The study evaluated the environmental performances of an integrated material recovery facility (MRF) able to treat 32kt/y of unsorted mixed waste, made of residuals from household source separation and separate collection. The facility includes a mechanical sorting platform for the production of a solid recovered fuel (SRF) utilized in an external waste-to-energy plant, bio-cells for tunnel composting of organic fraction, and a sanitary landfill for the safe disposal of ultimate waste. All the MRF sub-units have been analysed in depth in order to acquire reliable data for a life cycle assessment study, focused on the environmental performances of different configurations of the facility. The study investigated a "past" configuration, including just mechanical sorting, landfilling and biogas combustion in a gas engine, and the "present" one, which includes also a composting unit. Two possible "future" configurations, having a gasifier inside the MRF battery limits, have been also analysed, assessing the performances of two fluidized bed reactors of different size, able to gasify only the residues generated by the sorting platform or the whole amount of produced SRF, respectively. The analysis evaluated the contributions of each unit in the different configurations and allowed a reliable assessment of the technological evolution of the facility. The results quantified the positive effect of the inclusion of an aerobic treatment of the waste organic fraction. The SRF gasification in situ appears to improve the MRF environmental performances in all the impact categories, with the exclusion of that of global warming. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 62074 - Proposed Revision of Performance Standards for State Medicaid Fraud Control Units

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-06

... familiar with, and adhere to, policies and procedures. In meeting this standard, the following performance... funding permits. E. Through cross-training or by other means, Unit staff receive training on the role and...

ISO 9001 in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Science.gov (United States)

Vitner, Gad; Nadir, Erez; Feldman, Michael; Yurman, Shmuel

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the process for approving and certifying a neonatal intensive care unit to ISO 9001 standards. The process started with the department head's decision to improve services quality before deciding to achieve ISO 9001 certification. Department processes were mapped and quality management mechanisms were developed. Process control and performance measurements were defined and implemented to monitor the daily work. A service satisfaction review was conducted to get feedback from families. In total, 28 processes and related work instructions were defined. Process yields showed service improvements. Family satisfaction improved. The paper is based on preparing only one neonatal intensive care unit to the ISO 9001 standard. The case study should act as an incentive for hospital managers aiming to improve service quality based on the ISO 9001 standard. ISO 9001 is becoming a recommended tool to improve clinical service quality.

Control technique for enhancing the stable operation of distributed generation units within a microgrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrasa, Majid; Pouresmaeil, Edris; Mehrjerdi, Hasan; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard; Catalão, João P.S.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A control technique for enhancing the stable operation of distributed generation units is proposed. • Passivity-based control technique is considered to analyze the dynamic and steady-state behaviors. • The compensation of instantaneous variations in the reference current components is considered. • Simulation results confirm the performance of the control scheme within the microgrid. - Abstract: This paper describes a control technique for enhancing the stable operation of distributed generation (DG) units based on renewable energy sources, during islanding and grid-connected modes. The Passivity-based control technique is considered to analyze the dynamic and steady-state behaviors of DG units during integration and power sharing with loads and/or power grid, which is an appropriate tool to analyze and define a stable operating condition for DG units in microgrid technology. The compensation of instantaneous variations in the reference current components of DG units in ac-side, and dc-link voltage variations in dc-side of interfaced converters, are considered properly in the control loop of DG units, which is the main contribution and novelty of this control technique over other control strategies. By using the proposed control technique, DG units can provide the continuous injection of active power from DG sources to the local loads and/or utility grid. Moreover, by setting appropriate reference current components in the control loop of DG units, reactive power and harmonic current components of loads can be supplied during the islanding and grid-connected modes with a fast dynamic response. Simulation results confirm the performance of the control scheme within the microgrid during dynamic and steady-state operating conditions

Team Satisfaction and Student Group Performance: A Cross-Cultural Study

Science.gov (United States)

Zeitun, Rami M.; Abdulqader, Khalid Shams; Alshare, Khaled A.

2013-01-01

The authors examined the relationship between team satisfaction and students' performance in group projects in two universities, one from the United States and one from Qatar. The results showed that there is a significant positive correlation between team satisfaction and group performance only for the American students. Demographic factors such…

Optimization Solutions for Improving the Performance of the Parallel Reduction Algorithm Using Graphics Processing Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion LUNGU

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we research, analyze and develop optimization solutions for the parallel reduction function using graphics processing units (GPUs that implement the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA, a modern and novel approach for improving the software performance of data processing applications and algorithms. Many of these applications and algorithms make use of the reduction function in their computational steps. After having designed the function and its algorithmic steps in CUDA, we have progressively developed and implemented optimization solutions for the reduction function. In order to confirm, test and evaluate the solutions' efficiency, we have developed a custom tailored benchmark suite. We have analyzed the obtained experimental results regarding: the comparison of the execution time and bandwidth when using graphic processing units covering the main CUDA architectures (Tesla GT200, Fermi GF100, Kepler GK104 and a central processing unit; the data type influence; the binary operator's influence.

Community unit performance: factors associated with childhood diarrhea and appropriate treatment in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshito Kawakatsu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The government of Kenya launched its community health strategy in 2006 to improve certain aspects of its community health program. Under the strategy, community units (CUs were established as level one of the Kenyan health system. A core member at this level is the community health worker (CHW. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship among the performance of the CUs, the prevalence of childhood diarrhea and appropriate treatment for it by controlling individual and community-level factors. Methods The main dataset used in this study was the 2011 Nyanza Province county-based Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS. In addition, based on the list of community units in Nyanza Province, Kenya, we identified the area’s CUs and their performance. MICS data and data on CUs were merged using sub-location names. There were 17 individual and two community-level independent variables in this study. Bivariate analysis and a multilevel logistic regression were performed. Results Factors significantly associated with a lower prevalence of diarrhea among children under five were the child’s increasing age, middle-aged household heads, children who received more attention, water treatment and rural versus urban area residence, while male children and highly performing CUs were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of diarrhea. In addition, middle wealth index, severity of diarrhea and middle- and high-CU performance were significantly associated with appropriate treatment for childhood diarrhea. Conclusions Although this study found that children living in areas of high CU performance were more likely to have diarrhea, these areas would have been identified as being more at risk for diarrhea prevalence and other health concerns, prioritized for the establishment of a CU and allocated more resources to improve the performance of CUs. A higher CU performance was significantly associated with the appropriate

Community unit performance: factors associated with childhood diarrhea and appropriate treatment in Nyanza Province, Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakatsu, Yoshito; Tanaka, Junichi; Ogawa, Kazuya; Ogendo, Kenneth; Honda, Sumihisa

2017-02-16

The government of Kenya launched its community health strategy in 2006 to improve certain aspects of its community health program. Under the strategy, community units (CUs) were established as level one of the Kenyan health system. A core member at this level is the community health worker (CHW). The objective of this study was to assess the relationship among the performance of the CUs, the prevalence of childhood diarrhea and appropriate treatment for it by controlling individual and community-level factors. The main dataset used in this study was the 2011 Nyanza Province county-based Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). In addition, based on the list of community units in Nyanza Province, Kenya, we identified the area's CUs and their performance. MICS data and data on CUs were merged using sub-location names. There were 17 individual and two community-level independent variables in this study. Bivariate analysis and a multilevel logistic regression were performed. Factors significantly associated with a lower prevalence of diarrhea among children under five were the child's increasing age, middle-aged household heads, children who received more attention, water treatment and rural versus urban area residence, while male children and highly performing CUs were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of diarrhea. In addition, middle wealth index, severity of diarrhea and middle- and high-CU performance were significantly associated with appropriate treatment for childhood diarrhea. Although this study found that children living in areas of high CU performance were more likely to have diarrhea, these areas would have been identified as being more at risk for diarrhea prevalence and other health concerns, prioritized for the establishment of a CU and allocated more resources to improve the performance of CUs. A higher CU performance was significantly associated with the appropriate treatment. It was suggested that CHWs could have a positive effect on

A functional intranet for the United States Coast Guard Unit

OpenAIRE

Hannah, Robert Todd.

1998-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. This thesis describes the complete development process of a friendly functional Intranet for an operational United States Coast Guard (USCG) electronic Support Unit (ESU) in Alameda, California. The final product is suitable for immediate use. It may also be used as a prototype for future Intranet development efforts. The methodology used to develop a finished, working product provides the core subject matter for this thesis. The disc...

International performance-oriented packaging standards adopted in the united states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCall, D.L.

1993-01-01

On January 1, 1991, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) initiated a transition to adopting a modified version of current international standards for packaging and transporting hazardous materials and hazardous wastes. This transition permits a 5-year phase-in period that will impact all phases of hazardous material transportation including material classification and description, packaging for shipment, and hazard communication standards. These changes are being enacted through the DOT Federal Docket HM-181, 'Performance-Oriented Packaging Standards.' These regulatory standards will have dramatic impact on nearly 5 billion tons of hazardous materials transported within the United States each year. This paper summarizes the principal elements of the new DOT regulations, the latest implementation schedule and impacts on U.S. shipping activities, and discusses outstanding issues that remain to be solved through the next 5 years. (author)

OECD environmental performance reviews: United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-01-15

This book presents OECD assessments and recommendations regarding the United States' efforts to manage its environment including air, water, nature, and biodiversity; to do this in a sustainable manner; and to do this in co-operation with its global neighbours. In particular, it assesses progress made since 1996, when OECD's previous review on the US was done. 47 figs., 20 tabs.

Soil-transmitted Helminthiasis in the United States: a systematic review--1940-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Starr, Michelle C; Montgomery, Susan P

2011-10-01

The epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminth infections (hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Strongyloides stercoralis) in the United States is poorly understood. To gain understanding of the status of disease, a systematic review was performed to assess the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections in the United States. Of all studies reviewed, 14 were designated as high-quality. High-quality studies were published from 1942 to 1982 and showed that infection was prevalent throughout the southern United States and Appalachia as recently as 1982, finding that hookworm (19.6%), T. trichiura (55.2%), A. lumbricoides (49.4%), and S. stercoralis (3.8%) affected significant percentages of the population. However, because the most recent high-quality studies were published over 25 years ago, the literature does not provide sufficient data to assess current endemic transmission. Because the status of disease remains unclear, there is a need for additional studies to determine if soil-transmitted helminths remain endemic in the United States.

Caliste 64: detection unit of a spectro imager array for a hard x-ray space telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Limousin, O.; Meuris, A.; Lugiez, F.; Gevin, Olivier; Pinsard, F.; Blondel, C.; Le Mer, I.; Delagnes, E.; Vassal, M. C.; Soufflet, F.; Bocage, R.; Penquer, A.; Billot, M.

2017-11-01

In the frame of the hard X-ray Simbol-X observatory, a joint CNES-ASI space mission to be flown in 2014, a prototype of miniature Cd(Zn)Te camera equipped with 64 pixels has been designed. The device, called Caliste 64, is a spectro-imager with high resolution event timetagging capability. Caliste 64 integrates a Cd(Zn)Te semiconductor detector with segmented electrode and its front-end electronics made of 64 independent analog readout channels. This 1 × 1 × 2 cm3 camera, able to detect photons in the range from 2 keV up to 250 keV, is an elementary detection unit juxtaposable on its four sides. Consequently, large detector array can be made assembling a mosaic of Caliste 64 units. Electronics readout module is achieved by stacking four IDeF-X V1.1 ASICs, perpendicular to the detection plane. We achieved good noise performances, with a mean Equivalent Noise Charge of 65 electrons rms over the 64 channels. For the first prototypes, we chose Pt//CdTe//Al/Ti/Au Schottky detectors because of their very low dark current and excellent spectroscopic performances. Recently a Caliste 64 prototype has been also equipped with a 2 mm thick Au//CdZnTe//Au detector. This paper presents the performances of these four prototypes and demonstrates spectral performances better than 1 keV fwhm at 59.54 keV when the samples are moderately cooled down to -10°C.

The use of performance improvement methods to enhance emergency department patient satisfaction in the United States: a critical review of the literature and suggestions for future research.

Science.gov (United States)

Boudreaux, Edwin D; Cruz, Brian L; Baumann, Brigitte M

2006-07-01

The authors reviewed the evidence on performance improvement methods for increasing emergency department (ED) patient satisfaction to provide evidence-based suggestions for clinical practice. Data sources consisted of searches through MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO, Cochrane Library, and Emergency Medicine Abstracts and a manual search of references. Articles were included if they reported a performance improvement intervention targeting patient satisfaction in the ED setting. Articles on studies not conducted in the United States or that failed to provide enough details to allow critical evaluation of the study were excluded. Two authors used structured evaluation criteria to independently review each retained study. Nineteen articles met all selection criteria. Three studies found varying levels of support for multicomponent interventions, predominantly focused on implementation of clinical practice guidelines for specific presenting complaints and process redesign. Sixteen studies evaluated single-component interventions, with the following having at least one supportive study: using alternating patient assignment to provider teams rather than "zone"-based assignment, enhancing provider communication and customer service skills, incorporating information delivery interventions (e.g., pamphlets, video) that target patient expectations, using preformatted charts, and establishing ED-based observation units for specific conditions such as asthma and chest pain. There is modest evidence supporting a range of performance improvement interventions for improving ED patient satisfaction. Further work is needed before specific, evidence-based recommendations can be made regarding which process changes are most effective. Recommendations are made for improving the quality of performance improvement efforts in the ED setting.

UNITE: a database providing web-based methods for the molecular identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Kõljalg, Urmas; Larsson, Karl-Henrik; Abarenkov, Kessy; Nilsson, R Henrik; Alexander, Ian J; Eberhardt, Ursula; Erland, Susanne; Høiland, Klaus; Kjøller, Rasmus; Larsson, Ellen; Pennanen, Taina; Sen, Robin; Taylor, Andy F S; Tedersoo, Leho; Vrålstad, Trude; Ursing, Björn M

2005-06-01

Identification of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi is often achieved through comparisons of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences with accessioned sequences deposited in public databases. A major problem encountered is that annotation of the sequences in these databases is not always complete or trustworthy. In order to overcome this deficiency, we report on UNITE, an open-access database. UNITE comprises well annotated fungal ITS sequences from well defined herbarium specimens that include full herbarium reference identification data, collector/source and ecological data. At present UNITE contains 758 ITS sequences from 455 species and 67 genera of ECM fungi. UNITE can be searched by taxon name, via sequence similarity using blastn, and via phylogenetic sequence identification using galaxie. Following implementation, galaxie performs a phylogenetic analysis of the query sequence after alignment either to pre-existing generic alignments, or to matches retrieved from a blast search on the UNITE data. It should be noted that the current version of UNITE is dedicated to the reliable identification of ECM fungi. The UNITE database is accessible through the URL http://unite.zbi.ee

Canadian and the United States' health care systems performance and governance: elements of convergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Globerman, Steven; Hodges, Hart; Vining, Aidan

2002-01-01

International comparisons of the organisation and performance of health care sectors are increasingly informing policy makers about potential policies relating to health care. Politicians, academics and critics in both the United States and Canada have compared and contrasted the health care systems in the two countries. Public debate tends to emphasise the differences between the US and Canadian health care systems. But, dramatic differences between the organisation and performances of health care systems of the two countries would be surprising given that most elements of divergence have only emerged in the last fifty years, and that health systems tend to be driven by the same basic economic problems. This paper provides an overview of the main economic efficiency issues that must be addressed by health care delivery systems, as well as statistical and related evidence on both input usage and output performance of the two health care systems. While Canada clearly spends less on health care, it is difficult to conclude that Canada has a more efficient health care system than the United States. In particular, the US population puts greater demands on its national health care system owing to a combination of behavioural patterns and socio-economic disparities that contribute to much higher rates of violent accidents, as well as specific diseases and other health problems. Also, the stylized representation of the US system as being 'market-driven' and the Canadian system as being 'centrally controlled' is, increasingly, inept. Both systems are evolving toward bureaucratic models that rely more on internal competition than market competition for governance. In this respect, economic forces are nudging both systems towards a convergence of structure and performance.

A rule-based fault detection method for air handling units

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schein, J.; Bushby, S. T.; Castro, N. S. [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); House, J. M. [Iowa Energy Center, Ankeny, IA (United States)

2006-07-01

Air handling unit performance assessment rules (APAR) is a fault detection tool that uses a set of expert rules derived from mass and energy balances to detect faults in air handling units (AHUs). Control signals are used to determine the mode of operation of the AHU. A subset of the expert rules which correspond to that mode of operation are then evaluated to determine whether a fault exists. APAR is computationally simple enough that it can be embedded in commercial building automation and control systems and relies only upon the sensor data and control signals that are commonly available in these systems. APAR was tested using data sets collected from a 'hardware-in-the-loop' emulator and from several field sites. APAR was also embedded in commercial AHU controllers and tested in the emulator. (author)

Effect of concentration of the height of a transfer unit in a liquid/liquid solvent-extraction system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamberlain, D.B.

1981-05-01

Pulsed, sieve-plate extraction columns were used to examine the effect of solute concentration on extraction efficiency. Cerium was extracted from an aqueous coprocessing solution, simulating reprocessing wastes produced at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant. The organic extractant used in this process was dihexyl-N, N-diethylcarbamylmethylene phosphonate. Subsequently, cerium was stripped from the organic phase with 0.05 M nitric acid. The Heights of a Transfer Unit were calculated from the extraction and stripping column operating data. Both interstage and overall transfer units were calculated. Nine extraction and nine stripping tests were performed. Three extraction feed concentrations, each repeated at three different pulse frequencies were used to study the affect of concentration on height of a transfer unit. The stripping column was operated simultaneously with the extraction column. Both columns were operated at pulse amplitudes of 2.5 cm. Data based upon the overall extraction column showed a slight decrease in the height of a transfer unit as the solute concentration decreased. Based upon the overall stripping column data, a decrease in solute concentration resulted in a very slight increase in the height of a transfer unit. However, interstage transfer unit calculations for both columns indicated solute concentration had no significant effect on the height of a transfer unit. Based on the experimental tests, it was concluded that solute concentration caused only slight changes in extraction efficiency for the concentration range studied. Other factors such as pulse frequency, aqueous/organic flow ratio, and possibly the dispersed phase bubble size had a much greater effect on the extraction efficiency for the system studied

Theoretical analysis of heat transfer in, and electrical performance of, a milliwatt radioisotopic powered thermoelectric generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biver, C.J.

1975-01-01

A simplified, theoretical model has been made for a radioisotope-powered milliwatt thermoelectric generator (RTG). Calculations of unit heat transfer and electrical performance characteristics are made in two ways: (a) using discrete values of input physical parameters for an individual unit; and (b) using a statistical simulation (Monte Carlo) approach for estimating the variation in performance in a group of N-units. The statistical simulation approach is useful in: (a) estimating the allowable range of input parameters conducive to the production design meeting specifications in a group of N-units; and (b) determining particular parameters that must be significantly restricted in variation to achieve desired performance. The available experimental data, as compared with the discrete value calculations, are in quite good agreement (within 5 percent generally). (U.S.)

CFD investigations of data centers’ thermal performance for different configurations of CRACs units and aisles separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.A. Nada

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The thermal performance of data centers is numerically studied for different configurations of computer room air conditioning (CRAC units and physical separations of cold and hot aisles. Temperature distribution, air flow characteristics and thermal management of data centers racks array are predicted and evaluated for the different arrangements. Measureable performance indices: supply/return heat index (SHI/RHI, return temperature index (RTI and return cooling index (RCI are used to measure the thermal management effectiveness of data center racks. The results showed that: (i hot air recirculation, cold air bypass and the measurable performance indices of the racks strongly depend on the racks location in the racks array, (ii the CRACs units layout affects the thermal managements of the racks array especially the sides and middle racks in the array, and (iii using cold aisle containments enhances the thermal performance of the data center.

SAFARI digital processing unit: performance analysis of the SpaceWire links in case of a LEON3-FT based CPU

Science.gov (United States)

Giusi, Giovanni; Liu, Scige J.; Di Giorgio, Anna M.; Galli, Emanuele; Pezzuto, Stefano; Farina, Maria; Spinoglio, Luigi

2014-08-01

SAFARI (SpicA FAR infrared Instrument) is a far-infrared imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer for the SPICA mission. The Digital Processing Unit (DPU) of the instrument implements the functions of controlling the overall instrument and implementing the science data compression and packing. The DPU design is based on the use of a LEON family processor. In SAFARI, all instrument components are connected to the central DPU via SpaceWire links. On these links science data, housekeeping and commands flows are in some cases multiplexed, therefore the interface control shall be able to cope with variable throughput needs. The effective data transfer workload can be an issue for the overall system performances and becomes a critical parameter for the on-board software design, both at application layer level and at lower, and more HW related, levels. To analyze the system behavior in presence of the expected SAFARI demanding science data flow, we carried out a series of performance tests using the standard GR-CPCI-UT699 LEON3-FT Development Board, provided by Aeroflex/Gaisler, connected to the emulator of the SAFARI science data links, in a point-to-point topology. Two different communication protocols have been used in the tests, the ECSS-E-ST-50-52C RMAP protocol and an internally defined one, the SAFARI internal data handling protocol. An incremental approach has been adopted to measure the system performances at different levels of the communication protocol complexity. In all cases the performance has been evaluated by measuring the CPU workload and the bus latencies. The tests have been executed initially in a custom low level execution environment and finally using the Real- Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems (RTEMS), which has been selected as the operating system to be used onboard SAFARI. The preliminary results of the carried out performance analysis confirmed the possibility of using a LEON3 CPU processor in the SAFARI DPU, but pointed out, in agreement

Performance enhancement of a subcooled cold storage air conditioning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsiao, M.-J.; Cheng, C.-H.; Huang, M.-C.; Chen, S.-L.

2009-01-01

This article experimentally investigates the enhancement of thermal performance for an air conditioning system utilizing a cold storage unit as a subcooler. The cold storage unit is composed of an energy storage tank, liquid-side heat exchanger, suction-side heat exchanger and energy storage material (ESM), water. When the cooling load is lower than the nominal cooling capacity of the system, the cold storage unit can store extra cold energy of the system to subcool the condenser outlet refrigerant. Hence, both the cooling capacity and coefficient of performance (COP) of the system will be increased. This experiment tests the two operation modes: subcooled mode with energy storage and non-subcooled mode without energy storage. The results show that for fixed cooling loads at 3.05 kW, 3.5 kW and 3.95 kW, the COP of the subcooled mode are 16.0%, 15.6% and 14.1% higher than those of the non-subcooled mode, respectively. In the varied cooling load experiments, the COP of the subcooled cold storage air conditioning system is 15.3% higher than the conventional system.

A drier unit for steam separators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peyrelongue, J.-P.

1973-01-01

Description is given of a drier unit adapted to equip a water separator mounted in a unit for treating a wet steam fed from a high pressure enclosure, so as to dry and contingently superheat said steam prior to injecting same into a turbine low pressure stage. This drier unit is constituted by at least a stack of separating sheets maintained in parallel relationship and at a slight angle with respect to the horizontal so as to allow the water provided by wet steam to flow toward a channel communicating with a manifold, and by means for guiding the steam between the sheets and evenly distributing it. This can be applied to steam turbines in nuclear power stations [fr

Experimental performance study of a proposed desiccant based air conditioning system.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassuoni, M M

2014-01-01

An experimental investigation on the performance of a proposed hybrid desiccant based air conditioning system referred as HDBAC is introduced in this paper. HDBAC is mainly consisted of a liquid desiccant dehumidification unit integrated with a vapor compression system (VCS). The VCS unit has a cooling capacity of 5.27 kW and uses 134a as refrigerant. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution is used as the working desiccant material. HDBAC system is used to serve low sensible heat factor applications. The effect of different parameters such as, process air flow rate, desiccant solution flow rate, evaporator box and condenser box solution temperatures, strong solution concentration and regeneration temperature on the performance of the system is studied. The performance of the system is evaluated using some parameters such as: the coefficient of performance (COPa), specific moisture removal and energy saving percentage. A remarkable increase of about 54% in the coefficient of performance of the proposed system over VCS with reheat is achieved. A maximum overall energy saving of about 46% is observed which emphasizes the use of the proposed system as an energy efficient air conditioning system.

A Database Design for a Unit Status Reporting System.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-03-01

s wl. h i l be co~ivlywnsidered a, __) Do a. &ca tcmh W111111 winng 940r determining a aes training and overall porn " GROW. ’~.*.. .21W ISfsota i Ql...field in which arabic unit~s will not be organized or used solely for A six-position numeric code that signifi nmrls0(eo)esuh a anb e non wartime

Experimental investigation of performance of a novel ventilation method for hospital patient rooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Brand, Marek

2010-01-01

A novel hospital bed integrated ventilation and cleaning unit (HBIVCU) was developed to reduce the exposure of medical staff, visitors, etc. to coughed air from a sick patient. The performance efficiency of the unit was studied in a full-scale mock-up of a hospital room with two beds with patients...

A framework for performance measurement in university using extended network data envelopment analysis (DEA) structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kashim, Rosmaini; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Rahman, Rosshairy Abd

2015-12-01

Measuring university performance is essential for efficient allocation and utilization of educational resources. In most of the previous studies, performance measurement in universities emphasized the operational efficiency and resource utilization without investigating the university's ability to fulfill the needs of its stakeholders and society. Therefore, assessment of the performance of university should be separated into two stages namely efficiency and effectiveness. In conventional DEA analysis, a decision making unit (DMU) or in this context, a university is generally treated as a black-box which ignores the operation and interdependence of the internal processes. When this happens, the results obtained would be misleading. Thus, this paper suggest an alternative framework for measuring the overall performance of a university by incorporating both efficiency and effectiveness and applies network DEA model. The network DEA models are recommended because this approach takes into account the interrelationship between the processes of efficiency and effectiveness in the system. This framework also focuses on the university structure which is expanded from the hierarchical to form a series of horizontal relationship between subordinate units by assuming both intermediate unit and its subordinate units can generate output(s). Three conceptual models are proposed to evaluate the performance of a university. An efficiency model is developed at the first stage by using hierarchical network model. It is followed by an effectiveness model which take output(s) from the hierarchical structure at the first stage as a input(s) at the second stage. As a result, a new overall performance model is proposed by combining both efficiency and effectiveness models. Thus, once this overall model is realized and utilized, the university's top management can determine the overall performance of each unit more accurately and systematically. Besides that, the result from the network

METRIC context unit architecture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, R.O.

1988-01-01

METRIC is an architecture for a simple but powerful Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC). Its speed comes from the simultaneous processing of several instruction streams, with instructions from the various streams being dispatched into METRIC's execution pipeline as they become available for execution. The pipeline is thus kept full, with a mix of instructions for several contexts in execution at the same time. True parallel programming is supported within a single execution unit, the METRIC Context Unit. METRIC's architecture provides for expansion through the addition of multiple Context Units and of specialized Functional Units. The architecture thus spans a range of size and performance from a single-chip microcomputer up through large and powerful multiprocessors. This research concentrates on the specification of the METRIC Context Unit at the architectural level. Performance tradeoffs made during METRIC's design are discussed, and projections of METRIC's performance are made based on simulation studies.

Protective mechanical ventilation in United Kingdom critical care units: A multicentre audit.

Science.gov (United States)

Newell, Christopher P; Martin, Matthew J; Richardson, Neil; Bourdeaux, Christopher P

2017-05-01

Lung protective ventilation is becoming increasingly used for all critically ill patients being mechanically ventilated on a mandatory ventilator mode. Compliance with the universal application of this ventilation strategy in intensive care units in the United Kingdom is unknown. This 24-h audit of ventilation practice took place in 16 intensive care units in two regions of the United Kingdom. The mean tidal volume for all patients being ventilated on a mandatory ventilator mode was 7.2(±1.4) ml kg -1 predicted body weight and overall compliance with low tidal volume ventilation (≤6.5 ml kg -1 predicted body weight) was 34%. The mean tidal volume for patients ventilated with volume-controlled ventilation was 7.0(±1.2) ml kg -1 predicted body weight and 7.9(±1.8) ml kg -1 predicted body weight for pressure-controlled ventilation ( P  < 0.0001). Overall compliance with recommended levels of positive end-expiratory pressure was 72%. Significant variation in practice existed both at a regional and individual unit level.

E-ELT M5 field stabilisation unit scale 1 demonstrator design and performances evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Casalta, J. M.; Barriga, J.; Ariño, J.; Mercader, J.; San Andrés, M.; Serra, J.; Kjelberg, I.; Hubin, N.; Jochum, L.; Vernet, E.; Dimmler, M.; Müller, M.

2010-07-01

The M5 Field stabilization Unit (M5FU) for European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) is a fast correcting optical system that shall provide tip-tilt corrections for the telescope dynamic pointing errors and the effect of atmospheric tiptilt and wind disturbances. A M5FU scale 1 demonstrator (M5FU1D) is being built to assess the feasibility of the key elements (actuators, sensors, mirror, mirror interfaces) and the real-time control algorithm. The strict constraints (e.g. tip-tilt control frequency range 100Hz, 3m ellipse mirror size, mirror first Eigen frequency 300Hz, maximum tip/tilt range +/- 30 arcsec, maximum tiptilt error < 40 marcsec) have been a big challenge for developing the M5FU Conceptual Design and its scale 1 demonstrator. The paper summarises the proposed design for the final unit and demonstrator and the measured performances compared to the applicable specifications.

Performance of a reversible heat pump/organic Rankine cycle unit coupled with a passive house to get a positive energy building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dumont, Olivier; Carmo, Carolina; Fontaine, Valentin

2016-01-01

This paper presents an innovative technology that can be used to deliver more renewable electricity production than the total electrical consumption of a building while covering the heat demand on a yearly basis. The technology concept uses a heat pump (HP), slightly modified to revert its cycle...... and generate electricity, coupled to a solar thermal collector roof. This reversible HP/organic Rankine cycle unit presents three operating modes: direct heating, HP and organic Rankine cycle. This work focuses on describing the dynamic model of the multi-component system followed by a techno-economic analysis......Wh/year and total electrical consumption of 2318 kWh/year) with a 138.8 m2 solar roof in Denmark....

A dual computed tomography linear accelerator unit for stereotactic radiation therapy: a new approach without cranially fixated stereotactic frames

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uematsu, Minoru; Fukui, Toshiharu; Shioda, Akira; Tokumitsu, Hideyuki; Takai, Kenji; Kojima, Tadaharu; Asai, Yoshiko; Kusano, Shoichi

1996-01-01

Purpose: To perform stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) without cranially fixated stereotactic frames, we developed a dual computed tomography (CT) linear accelerator (linac) treatment unit. Methods and Materials: This unit is composed of a linac, CT, and motorized table. The linac and CT are set up at opposite ends of the table, which is suitable for both machines. The gantry axis of the linac is coaxial with that of the CT scanner. Thus, the center of the target detected with the CT can be matched easily with the gantry axis of the linac by rotating the table. Positioning is confirmed with the CT for each treatment session. Positioning and treatment errors with this unit were examined by phantom studies. Between August and December 1994, 8 patients with 11 lesions of primary or metastatic brain tumors received SRT with this unit. All lesions were treated with 24 Gy in three fractions to 30 Gy in 10 fractions to the 80% isodose line, with or without conventional external beam radiation therapy. Results: Phantom studies revealed that treatment errors with this unit were within 1 mm after careful positioning. The position was easily maintained using two tiny metallic balls as vertical and horizontal marks. Motion of patients was negligible using a conventional heat-flexible head mold and dental impression. The overall time for a multiple noncoplanar arcs treatment for a single isocenter was less than 1 h on the initial treatment day and usually less than 20 min on subsequent days. Treatment was outpatient-based and well tolerated with no acute toxicities. Satisfactory responses have been documented. Conclusion: Using this treatment unit, multiple fractionated SRT is performed easily and precisely without cranially fixated stereotactic frames

Structural Performance of the Second Oldest Glued-Laminated Structure in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas R. Rammer; Jorge de Melo Moura; Robert J. Ross

2014-01-01

The second glued-laminated structure built in the United States was constructed at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in 1934 to demonstrate the performance of wooden arch buildings. After 75 years of use the structure was decommissioned in 2010. Shortly after construction, researchers structurally evaluated the glued-laminated arch structure for uniform loading...

The effect of expatriate knowledge transfer on subsidiaries’ performance: a moderating role of absorptive capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Arsawan, I. W. E.; Sanjaya, I. B.; Putra, I. K. M.; Sukarta, I. W.

2018-01-01

This study aims to examine the relationship between motivation and knowledge transfer to the subsidiaries performance and test the role of absorptive capacity as a moderating variable. The research uses quantitative design through questionnaires distribution with 5 Likert scales. The population frame is five-star hotel in Bali province, Indonesia which amounted to 63 units, the sample of research using proportional random sampling is 54 units and determined the distribution of questionnaires to 162 subsidiaries as the unit of analysis. The research model was built using the structural equation model and analyzed with smart pls- 3 software. The findings of the study revealed that subsidiaries motivation a significant effect on knowledge transfer, knowledge transfer a significant effect on subsidiaries performance, motivation a significant effect on subsidiaries performance and absorptive capacity moderated the relationship between knowledge transfer and subsidiaries performance. These findings suggest that subsidiaries and process of knowledge transfer through absorptive capacity play an important role, and that they have some impact on the subsidiaries performance.

Impact of Missing Passive Microwave Sensors on Multi-Satellite Precipitation Retrieval Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Yong

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The impact of one or two missing passive microwave (PMW input sensors on the end product of multi-satellite precipitation products is an interesting but obscure issue for both algorithm developers and data users. On 28 January 2013, the Version-7 TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA products were reproduced and re-released by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center because the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager-Sounder-F16 (SSMIS-F16 input data were unintentionally disregarded in the prior retrieval. Thus, this study investigates the sensitivity of TMPA algorithm results to missing PMW sensors by intercomparing the “early” and “late” Version-7 TMPA real-time (TMPA-RT precipitation estimates (i.e., without and with AMSU-B, SSMIS-F16 sensors with an independent high-density gauge network of 200 tipping-bucket rain gauges over the Chinese Jinghe river basin (45,421 km2. The retrieval counts and retrieval frequency of various PMW and Infrared (IR sensors incorporated into the TMPA system were also analyzed to identify and diagnose the impacts of sensor availability on the TMPA-RT retrieval accuracy. Results show that the incorporation of AMSU-B and SSMIS-F16 has substantially reduced systematic errors. The improvement exhibits rather strong seasonal and topographic dependencies. Our analyses suggest that one or two single PMW sensors might play a key role in affecting the end product of current combined microwave-infrared precipitation estimates. This finding supports algorithm developers’ current endeavor in spatiotemporally incorporating as many PMW sensors as possible in the multi-satellite precipitation retrieval system called Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement mission (IMERG. This study also recommends users of satellite precipitation products to switch to the newest Version-7 TMPA datasets and

Experimentally Evaluated Explosion Resistance and Performance of Destruction Unit in Multiple Detonation of Ammunition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Baskakov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents results of development and experimental investigation of explosion resistance and destruction unit performance in multiple detonation of ammunition with an explosive weight up to 0.7 kg of TNT. A preliminary evaluation of the explosion resistance was carried out using a model of explosion resistance localizer, represented as a thick-walled tube. As a result of explosive tests, the nature and characteristics of tube deformation under repeated explosions have been revealed. The findings allowed us to develop the first embodiment of the destruction unit with a turning non-separable heater and a two-layer localizer, which was heated by the induction field. The explosive life tests have revealed the following drawbacks: low resource localizer, jamming rotating mechanism in contact with the splinters, and impossible replacement of damaged localizer. In the second embodiment of the destruction unit a plate-assembled easychange localizer is mounted on the heater, and it is heated by heat transfer from the core. Tests have shown that, with such a placement, the uniform heating of the localizer is not reached. This leads to incomplete destruction of ammunition. Besides, because of the low strength of the pins connecting the plates, occurrs their rapid destruction. Taking into consideration the shortcomings of the previous two designs, the third option of the destruction unit with a replaceable localizer and induction heating of a localizer has been designed. A localizer material having high mechanical strength at high temperatures and good ferromagnetic properties has been selected. The paper offers an all-metal localizer design with the thickest wall at the bottom that is the most damageable. The paper has experimentally determined a critical deformation of the localizer when destroying the ammunition with varying weight of explosive and defined the heater and bump resource. As a result, the work proposes the destruction unit design

A full ranking for decision making units using ideal and anti-ideal points in DEA.

Science.gov (United States)

Barzegarinegad, A; Jahanshahloo, G; Rostamy-Malkhalifeh, M

2014-01-01

We propose a procedure for ranking decision making units in data envelopment analysis, based on ideal and anti-ideal points in the production possibility set. Moreover, a model has been introduced to compute the performance of a decision making unit for these two points through using common set of weights. One of the best privileges of this method is that we can make ranking for all decision making units by solving only three programs, and also solving these programs is not related to numbers of decision making units. One of the other advantages of this procedure is to rank all the extreme and nonextreme efficient decision making units. In other words, the suggested ranking method tends to seek a set of common weights for all units to make them fully ranked. Finally, it was applied for different sets holding real data, and then it can be compared with other procedures.

Correlation of neonatal intensive care unit performance across multiple measures of quality of care.

Science.gov (United States)

Profit, Jochen; Zupancic, John A F; Gould, Jeffrey B; Pietz, Kenneth; Kowalkowski, Marc A; Draper, David; Hysong, Sylvia J; Petersen, Laura A

2013-01-01

To examine whether high performance on one measure of quality is associated with high performance on others and to develop a data-driven explanatory model of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) performance. We conducted a cross-sectional data analysis of a statewide perinatal care database. Risk-adjusted NICU ranks were computed for each of 8 measures of quality selected based on expert input. Correlations across measures were tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine whether underlying factors were driving the correlations. Twenty-two regional NICUs in California. In total, 5445 very low-birth-weight infants cared for between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2007. Pneumothorax, growth velocity, health care-associated infection, antenatal corticosteroid use, hypothermia during the first hour of life, chronic lung disease, mortality in the NICU, and discharge on any human breast milk. The NICUs varied substantially in their clinical performance across measures of quality. Of 28 unit-level correlations, 6 were significant (ρ < .05). Correlations between pairs of measures of quality of care were strong (ρ ≥ .5) for 1 pair, moderate (range, ρ ≥ .3 to ρ < .5) for 8 pairs, weak (range, ρ ≥ .1 to ρ < .3) for 5 pairs, and negligible (ρ < .1) for 14 pairs. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 4 underlying factors of quality in this sample. Pneumothorax, mortality in the NICU, and antenatal corticosteroid use loaded on factor 1; growth velocity and health care-associated infection loaded on factor 2; chronic lung disease loaded on factor 3; and discharge on any human breast milk loaded on factor 4. In this sample, the ability of individual measures of quality to explain overall quality of neonatal intensive care was modest.

Power flow control and damping enhancement of a large wind farm using a superconducting magnetic energy storage unit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, S. S.; Wang, L.; Lee, W. J.

2009-01-01

A novel scheme using a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) unit to perform both power flow control and damping enhancement of a large wind farm (WF) feeding to a utility grid is presented. The studied WF consisting of forty 2 MW wind induction generators (IGs) is simulated...

Dimensionless Numerical Approaches for the Performance Prediction of Marine Waterjet Propulsion Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Altosole

2012-01-01

Full Text Available One of the key issues at early design stage of a high-speed craft is the selection and the performance prediction of the propulsion system because at this stage only few information about the vessel are available. The objective of this work is precisely to provide the designer, in the case of waterjet propelled craft, with a simple and reliable calculation tool, able to predict the waterjet working points in design and off-design conditions, allowing to investigate several propulsive options during the ship design process. In the paper two original dimensionless numerical procedures, one referred to jet units for naval applications and the other more suitable for planing boats, are presented. The first procedure is based on a generalized performance map for mixed flow pumps, derived from the analysis of several waterjet pumps by applying similitude principles of the hydraulic machines. The second approach, validated by some comparisons with current waterjet installations, is based on a complete physical approach, from which a set of non-dimensional waterjet characteristics has been drawn by the authors. The presented application examples show the validity and the degree of accuracy of the proposed methodologies for the performance evaluation of waterjet propulsion systems.

Edexcel A2 Physics Student Unit Guide