WorldWideScience

Sample records for year continuation proposal

  1. Hanford year 2000 Business Continuity Plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    VORNEY, S.V.

    1999-01-01

    The goal of Department of Energy Richland Operations (DOE-RL) Year 2000 (Y2K) effort is to ensure that the Hanford site successfully continues its mission as we approach and enter the 21th century. The Y2K Business Continuity Planning process provides a structured approach to identify Y2K risks to the site and to mitigate these risks through Y2K Contingency Planning, ''Zero-Day'' Transition Planning and Emergency Preparedness. This document defines the responsibilities, processes and plans for Hanford's Y2K Business Continuity. It identifies proposed business continuity drills, tentative schedule and milestones

  2. Hanford year 2000 Business Continuity Plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    ROGGENKAMP, S.L.

    1999-11-01

    The goal of Department of Energy Richland Operations (DOE-RL) Year 2000 (Y2K) effort is to ensure that the Hanford site successfully continues its mission as we approach and enter the 21th century. The Y2K Business Continuity Planning process provides a structured approach to identify Y2K risks to the site and to mitigate these risks through Y2K Contingency Planning, ''Zero-Day'' Transition Planning and Emergency Preparedness. This document defines the responsibilities, processes and plans for Hanford's Y2K Business Continuity. It identifies proposed business continuity drills, tentative schedule and milestones.

  3. Aeronautics Education, Research, and Industry Alliance (AERIAL) Year 2 Report and Year 3 Proposal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowen, Brent D.; Box, Richard C.; Fink, Mary M.; Gogos, Geroge; Lehrer, Henry R.; Narayanan, Ram M.; Nickerson, Jocelyn S.; Tarry, Scott E.; Vlasek, Karisa D.

    2003-01-01

    The Aeronautics Education, Research, and Industry Alliance (AERIAL): a comprehensive, multi-faceted NASA EPSCoR 2000 initiative, contributes to the strategic research and technology priorities of NASA while intensifying Nebraska s rapidly growing aeronautics research and development endeavors. AERIAL enables Nebraska researchers to: (a) continue strengthening their collaborative relationships with NASA Field Centers, Codes, and Enterprises; (b) increase the capacity of higher education throughout Nebraska to invigorate and expand aeronautics research; and (c) expedite the development of aeronautics-related research infrastructure and industry in the state. This report contains a summary of AERIAL's activities and accomplishments during the second year of implementation. The AERIAL Year 3 proposal is also included.

  4. Continuing education of teachers in the early years: "Good Practices Seminar" as a proposal for teacher education and integration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Vaitiekunas Pizarro

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available There are many studies that show challenges, demands and needs in the search for improvement of teacher education. Seeking to break with the teacher's view that "always plays the same practices", the present study aimed to evaluate the placement of teachers on a proposal for training in school through socialization of pedagogical practices considered successful by teachers called "Good Seminar Practices" and to assess the extent of this situation as a proposal for continuing education. The research, qualitative, made use of semi-structured questionnaires to map the perceptions of teachers regarding this formative proposal. The results highlight the importance of qualifying the teacher do to not summarize a make devoid of purpose and criticism, valuing teachers' ideas in order to legitimize the faculty knowledge and refine their practices surpassing the understanding of teacher as mere executor of tasks.

  5. Syndrome of continuous muscle fiber activity: case report with 11-year follow-up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Teotônio de Oliveira

    1994-03-01

    Full Text Available A 16-year-old male patient who presented with muscle stiffness and dysphonia is described. Electromyography revealed continuous motor activity that was unaffected by peripheral nerve block or general anaesthesia, but was abolished by curare. The patient had a marked improvement after using phenytoin. The follow-up 11-years later corroborates with the proposed benignity of this syndrome, in spite of being dependent on medication.

  6. Continuous Biometric Authentication for Authorized Aircraft Personnel: A Proposed Design

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Carrillo, Cassandra

    2003-01-01

    .... The primary goal of this thesis is to propose a hypothetical design for the use of a non- intrusive mechanism on the flight deck of an aircraft to provide continuous or periodic authentication...

  7. A program in medium energy nuclear physics. Progress report and continuation proposal October 1, 1995

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berman, B.L.; Dhuga, K.S.

    1995-01-01

    This progress report and continuation proposal summarizes our achievements for the period from July 1, 1994 to September 30, 1995 and requests continued funding for our program in experimental medium-energy nuclear physics. The focus of our program remains the understanding of the short-range part of the strong interaction in the nuclear medium. In the past year we have focused our attention ever more sharply on experiments with real tagged photons, and we have successfully defended two new experimental proposals: Photofission of Actinide and Preactinide Nuclei at SAL and Photoproduction of the ρ Meson from the Proton with Linearly Polarized Photons at CEBAF. (We are co-spokespersons on two previously approved Hall-B experiments at CEBAF, Photoreactions on 3 He and Photoabsorption and Photofission of Nuclei.) As part of the team that is instrumenting the Photon Tagger for Hall B; we report excellent progress on the focal-plane detector array that is being built at our Nuclear Detector Laboratory, as well as progress on our plans for instrumentation of a tagged polarized-photon beam using coherent bremsstrahlung. Also, we shall soon receive a large computer system (from the SSC) which will form the basis for our new Data Analysis Center, which, like the Nuclear Detector Laboratory, will be operated under the auspices of The George Washington University Center for Nuclear Studies. Finally, during the past year we have published six more papers on the results of our measurements of pion scattering at LAMPF and of electron scattering at NIKHEF and Bates, and we can report that nearly all of the remaining papers documenting this long series of measurements are in the pipeline

  8. 78 FR 20949 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; High-Voltage Continuous Mining Machines Standards for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-08

    ..., reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood... comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction... concerning the information collection requirements of this notice must be clearly identified with ``OMB 1219...

  9. Proposed Hydro-Quebec development plan, 1993: Proposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-01-01

    The Quebec government now requires Hydro-Quebec to submit a development plan every three years instead of annually, in order to permit more in-depth studies and a broader consultation with interested parties. In the first of such three-year plans, a series of plan proposals is presented which was developed after a year of consultation with various groups on four fundamental matters: energy efficiency, means of generation, electro-intensive industries, and electricity exports. Options for meeting future demand at Hydro-Quebec are assessed, including the construction of new generation and transmission facilities, rehabilitation of existing facilities, improving electrical energy efficiency, and conservation strategies. These options are considered while applying the principle of sustainable development that respects the environment. Hydroelectricity will continue to be emphasized as the main source of generation since hydroelectric facilities offer distinct advantages in terms of costs, environmental impacts, and economic spinoffs. The proposed plan also presents objectives and strategies for improving the quality of service and internal operations. Financial forecasts for Hydro-Quebec are proposed which take into account the forecast changes in the utility's cost and revenue factors and its self-financing requirements. 5 figs., 15 tabs

  10. Quantitative Interpretation of X-ray Absorption Near Structure Continuation Progress Report for 1st year 9/15/98-9/14/99

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehr, John J.; Bare, Simon; Stocht, Joachim

    1999-01-01

    OAK-B135 Quantitative Interpretation of X-ray Absorption Near Structure Continuation Progress Report for 1st year 9/15/98-9/14/99. This paper proposes to develop two industrial research collaborations to further develop the FEFF8 x-ray spectroscopy code to achieve a quantitative interpretation of x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) in materials of interest in energy research: (a) Quantitative interpretation of XANES for heterogeneous catalysts and disordered materials; and (b) quantitative interpretation of white-lines in XANES. The paper also outlines significant results achieved during the first Grant year

  11. One-year contraceptive continuation and pregnancy in adolescent girls and women initiating hormonal contraceptives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raine, Tina R; Foster-Rosales, Anne; Upadhyay, Ushma D; Boyer, Cherrie B; Brown, Beth A; Sokoloff, Abby; Harper, Cynthia C

    2011-02-01

    To assess contraceptive discontinuation, switching, factors associated with method discontinuation, and pregnancy among women initiating hormonal contraceptives. This was a 12-month longitudinal cohort study of adolescent girls and women (n=1,387) aged 15 to 24 years attending public family planning clinics who did not desire pregnancy for at least 1 year and selected to initiate the patch, ring, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, or pills. Participants completed follow-up assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline. Life table analysis was used to estimate survival rates for contraceptive continuation. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate factors associated with method discontinuation. The continuation rate (per 100 person-years) at 12 months was low for all methods; however, it was lowest for patch and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate initiators, 10.9 and 12.1 per 100 person years, respectively (P≤.003); continuation among ring initiators was comparable to pill initiators, 29.4 and 32.7 per 100 person-years, respectively (P=.06). Discontinuation was independently associated with method initiated and younger age. The only factors associated with lower risk of discontinuation were greater intent to use the method and being in school or working. The pregnancy rate (per 100 person-years) was highest for patch and ring initiators (30.1 and 30.5) and comparable for pill and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate initiators (16.5 and 16.1; Pcontraceptive continuation, education about longer-acting methods, and developing new contraceptives that women may be more likely to continue. II.

  12. More than "Continuing Professional Development": A Proposed New Learning Framework for Professional Accountants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, Hilary

    2016-01-01

    This paper explores literature relating to continuing professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning to develop an understanding of how the learning landscape has evolved in recent years, both in the accountancy profession and more widely. Three different perspectives on learning are drawn together and this synthesis is used to develop a…

  13. 77 FR 65577 - Notice of Continuation of Concession Contract

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-29

    ... Continuation of Concession Contract AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the terms of the listed concession contract, the National Park Service hereby gives public notice that it proposed to continue the concession contract listed below for a period not-to- exceed 1 year...

  14. The Feasibility of a Continuous Learning Year Program at Fashion Institute of Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, George Isaiah

    This feasibility study provides the Fashion Institute of Technology with a number of continuous-learning-year calendar choices, along with several suggestions regarding implementation procedures. The nature of the implementation process and the issues confronting the college administrator who is willing to reschedule the college year to facilitate…

  15. Efficient blind search for similar-waveform earthquakes in years of continuous seismic data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, C. E.; Bergen, K.; Rong, K.; Elezabi, H.; Bailis, P.; Levis, P.; Beroza, G. C.

    2017-12-01

    Cross-correlating an earthquake waveform template with continuous seismic data has proven to be a sensitive, discriminating detector of small events missing from earthquake catalogs, but a key limitation of this approach is that it requires advance knowledge of the earthquake signals we wish to detect. To overcome this limitation, we can perform a blind search for events with similar waveforms, comparing waveforms from all possible times within the continuous data (Brown et al., 2008). However, the runtime for naive blind search scales quadratically with the duration of continuous data, making it impractical to process years of continuous data. The Fingerprint And Similarity Thresholding (FAST) detection method (Yoon et al., 2015) enables a comprehensive blind search for similar-waveform earthquakes in a fast, scalable manner by adapting data-mining techniques originally developed for audio and image search within massive databases. FAST converts seismic waveforms into compact "fingerprints", which are efficiently organized and searched within a database. In this way, FAST avoids the unnecessary comparison of dissimilar waveforms. To date, the longest duration of continuous data used for event detection with FAST was 3 months at a single station near Guy-Greenbrier, Arkansas, which revealed microearthquakes closely correlated with stages of hydraulic fracturing (Yoon et al., 2017). In this presentation we introduce an optimized, parallel version of the FAST software with improvements to the fingerprinting algorithm and the ability to detect events using continuous data from a network of stations (Bergen et al., 2016). We demonstrate its ability to detect low-magnitude earthquakes within several years of continuous data at locations of interest in California.

  16. 17 CFR 240.19h-1 - Notice by a self-regulatory organization of proposed admission to or continuance in membership or...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Notice by a self-regulatory... Notice by a self-regulatory organization of proposed admission to or continuance in membership or... statutory disqualification. (1) Any self-regulatory organization proposing, conditionally or unconditionally...

  17. Identification of Barriers Towards Change and Proposal to Institutionalize Continuous Improvement Programs in Manufacturing Operations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alvair Silveira Torres Jr.

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available A multi case research unfolded into a study in a sample of Brazilian manufacturing companies concerning their Continuous Improvement (CI program in manufacturing operations. Stakeholders interviews and performance analyses were conducted. The study aims to analyze the existence or absence of the institutionalization of a CI culture in manufacturing operations, identify barriers and difficulties within the process and propose a model for change. As a result of the research, it was observed that despite the considerable motivation of staff, rapid gains of the company and superior results during the early phases of the CI program, time and again such results were either not upheld or faded out over time, delivering no significant mid-term or long term results, due to poor management of changes. This happened mainly as a result of lack of strategic alignment at all levels of the organization, translated in measureable activities and projects, coached and mentored by the middle and upper management throughout the implementation and maintenance of the program. The selected cases showed a declining in performance after two years of CI program start up. Learning, union and process ownership among participants by means of interactions, are necessary to absorb and incorporate changes, instead of merely "smart words" .

  18. Proposed continuous wave energy recovery operation of an XFEL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    J. Sekutowicz; S. A. Bogacz; D. Douglas; P. Kneisel; G. P. Williams; M. Ferrario; L. Serafini; I. Ben-Zvi; J. Rose; J. Smedley; T. Srinivasan-Rao; W.-D. Moeller; B. Petersen; D. Proch; S. Simrock; P. Colestock; J. B. Rosenzweig

    2004-01-01

    Commissioning of two large coherent light facilities at SLAC and DESY should begin in 2008 and in 2011 respectively. In this paper we look further into the future, hoping to answer, in a very preliminary way, two questions. First: ''What will the next generation of XFEL facilities look like?'' Believing that superconducting technology offers advantages such as high quality beams with highly populated bunches, the possibility of energy recovery and higher overall efficiency than warm technology, we focus this preliminary study on the superconducting option. From this belief the second question arises: ''What modifications in superconducting technology and in the machine design are needed, as compared to the present DESY XFEL, and what kind of R and D program should be proposed to arrive in the next few years at a technically feasible solution with even higher brilliance and increased overall conversion of AC power to photon beam power?'' In this paper we will very often refer to and profit from the DESY XFEL design, acknowledging its many technically innovative solutions

  19. Patients' assessments of the continuity of primary care in Finland: a 15-year follow-up questionnaire survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raivio, Risto; Holmberg-Marttila, Doris; Mattila, Kari J

    2014-10-01

    Continuity of care is an essential aspect of quality in general practice. This study is the first systematic follow-up of Finnish primary care patients' assessments with regard to personal continuity of care. To ascertain whether patient-reported longitudinal personal continuity of care is related to patient characteristics and their consultation experiences, and how this had changed over the study period. A 15-year follow-up questionnaire survey that took place at Tampere University Hospital catchment area, Finland. The survey was conducted among patients attending health centres in the Tampere University Hospital catchment area from 1998 until 2013. From a sample of 363 464 patients, a total of 157 549 responded. The responses of patients who had visited a doctor during the survey weeks (n = 97 468) were analysed. Continuity of care was assessed by asking the question: 'When visiting the health centre, do you usually see the same doctor?'; patients could answer 'yes' or 'no'. Approximately half of the responders had met the same doctor when visiting the healthcare centre. Personal continuity of care decreased by 15 percentage points (from 66% to 51%) during the study years. The sense of continuity was linked to several patients' experiences of the consultation. The most prominent factor contributing to the sense of continuity of care was having a doctor who was specifically appointed (odds ratio 7.28, 95% confidence interval = 6.65 to 7.96). Continuity of care was proven to enhance the experienced quality of primary care. Patients felt that continuity of care was best realised when they could consult a doctor who had been specifically appointed to them. Despite efforts of the authorities, over the past 15 years patient-reported continuity of care has declined in Finland. © British Journal of General Practice 2014.

  20. Energy management in the budget proposal for the year 1988

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salminen, P.

    1987-01-01

    In the item 32.55 of the state budget proposal for the year 1988 the total amount of FIM 182 million has been reserved for energy management. This is over FIM 10 million less than the corresponding appropriation in 1987. In addition to this direct financing the state promotes and develops the Finnish energy management indirectly e.g. through energy research funded by the Technical Research Centre of Finland. In the article the use of the appropriation is described

  1. Predictors of continuation with olanzapine during the 1-year naturalistic treatment of patients with schizophrenia in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ye W

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Wenyu Ye1, Haya Ascher-Svanum2, Yuka Tanji3, Jennifer A Flynn3, Michihiro Takahashi3,41Lilly Suzhou Pharmaceutical Co, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA; 3Lilly Research Laboratories Japan, Eli Lilly Japan KK, Kobe, 4Terauchi-Takahashi Psychiatric Clinic, Ashiya, JapanPurpose: Treatment continuation is considered an important measure of antipsychotic effectiveness in schizophrenia, reflecting the medication’s efficacy, safety, and tolerability from both patients’ and clinicians’ perspectives. This study identified characteristics of patients with schizophrenia who continue olanzapine therapy for a 1-year period in Japan.Methods: In a large (N = 1850, prospective, observational study, Japanese patients with schizophrenia who initiated treatment with olanzapine were followed for 1 year. Baseline characteristics were compared using t-tests and chi-square tests. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify independent baseline predictors of treatment continuation.Results: Most patients (68.2% continued with olanzapine therapy for the full 1-year study period, with an average duration of 265.5 ± 119.4 days. At baseline, patients who continued were significantly more likely to be male, older, and inpatients; have longer illness duration, higher negative and cognitive symptoms, better health-related quality of life, and prior anticholinergic use. Continuers were significantly less likely to engage in social activities, live independently, work for pay, or have prior antidepressant use. Continuers showed significantly greater early (3-month improvement in global symptom severity. Logistic regression found that continuation was significantly predicted by longer illness duration, lower positive symptoms, higher negative symptoms, and better health-related quality of life.Conclusions: In this large naturalistic study in Japan, most patients with schizophrenia stayed on olanzapine therapy for

  2. Evolution of Technology for Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy: Forty Years of Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronco, Claudio

    2018-01-01

    Continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration (CAVH) was proposed in 1977 as an alternative treatment for acute renal failure in patients in whom peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis was clinically or technically precluded. In the mid-1980s, this technique was extended to infants and children. CAVH presented important advantages in the areas of hemodynamic stability, control of circulating volume, and nutritional support. However, there were serious shortcomings such as the need for arterial cannulation and limited solute clearance. These problems were solved by the introduction of continuous arteriovenous hemodiafiltration and continuous arteriovenous hemodialysis, where uremic control could be achieved by increasing countercurrent dialysate flow rates to 1.5 or 2 L/h as necessary, or by venovenous techniques utilizing a double-lumen central venous catheter for vascular access. Thus, continuous venovenous hemofiltration replaced CAVH because of its improved performance and safety. From the initial adoptive technology, specific machines have been designed to permit safe and reliable performance of the therapy. These new machines have progressively undergone a series of technological steps that have resulted in the evolution of highly sophisticated equipment utilized today. A significant number of advances have taken place since the time continuous renal replacement therapy was initiated. In particular, there have been successful experiments with high-volume hemofiltration and high-permeability hemofiltration. The additional and combined use of sorbent has also been tested successfully. Progress has been made in the technology as well as the understanding of the pathophysiology of acute kidney injury. Today, new biomaterials and new devices are available and new frontiers are on the horizon. Although improvements have been made, a lot remains to be done. Critical care nephrology is expected to further evolve in the near future, especially in the area of information and

  3. From infancy to adolescence: fifteen years of continuous treatment with hydroxyurea in sickle cell anemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hankins, Jane S; Aygun, Banu; Nottage, Kerri; Thornburg, Courtney; Smeltzer, Matthew P; Ware, Russell E; Wang, Winfred C

    2014-12-01

    Despite documented laboratory and clinical benefits of hydroxyurea for children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), the drug's long-term safety and efficacy remains poorly defined. The HUSOFT trial and extension study examined feasibility, toxicity, and hematological efficacy of hydroxyurea in infants with SCA. This report describes HUSOFT participants who have continued hydroxyurea therapy for 15 years. With IRB approval, medical records were reviewed for clinical, laboratory, and growth parameters. Twenty-eight infants enrolled in the original 2-year HUSOFT study received open-label liquid hydroxyurea at 20 mg/kg/day; 17 completed the extension study with dose escalation to 30 mg/kg/day. Eight of these 17 (6 girls and 2 boys, all HbSS) have continued on daily hydroxyurea for at least 15 years (median age at last follow-up 17.6 years) without interruption. All hematologic indices (Hb concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), fetal hemoglobin) showed sustained effect after 15 years. The median maximum tolerated dose of hydroxyurea has decreased from 30 to 26 mg/kg/day (range 19.5-31.2); neutropenia [absolute neutrophil count (ANC)hydroxyurea therapy since infancy appears safe and efficacious in SCA.

  4. The continuous time random walk, still trendy: fifty-year history, state of art and outlook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutner, Ryszard; Masoliver, Jaume

    2017-03-01

    In this article we demonstrate the very inspiring role of the continuous-time random walk (CTRW) formalism, the numerous modifications permitted by its flexibility, its various applications, and the promising perspectives in the various fields of knowledge. A short review of significant achievements and possibilities is given. However, this review is still far from completeness. We focused on a pivotal role of CTRWs mainly in anomalous stochastic processes discovered in physics and beyond. This article plays the role of an extended announcement of the Eur. Phys. J. B Special Issue [open-calls-for-papers/123-epj-b/1090-ctrw-50-years-on">http://epjb.epj.org/open-calls-for-papers/123-epj-b/1090-ctrw-50-years-on] containing articles which show incredible possibilities of the CTRWs. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Continuous Time Random Walk Still Trendy: Fifty-year History, Current State and Outlook", edited by Ryszard Kutner and Jaume Masoliver.

  5. Community medicine in action: an integrated, fourth-year urban continuity preceptorship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brill, John R; Jackson, Thomas C; Stearns, Marjorie A

    2002-07-01

    To provide an opportunity for fourth-year students at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison to immerse in urban community medicine during a 34-week program. This experience enhances the integrity of the fourth year as well as merges medicine and public health perspectives in medical education as called for by the Medicine and Public Health Initiative. A limited number of fourth-year Wisconsin medical students have the opportunity to select a one-year, continuity-based preceptorship at the Milwaukee clinical campus with a focus in one of three domains: family medicine, internal medicine, or women's health. Students participate in the following clinical activities: a one-year, integrated preceptorship (one to three half days per week in a primary preceptor's office), medicine subinternship, senior surgery clerkship, selectives (16-20 weeks of clerkships relevant to preceptorship focus area), and one month of out-of-city electives. Complementing this community-based clinical experience is the opportunity to develop an increased appreciation for urban community health issues and resources by participating in a required urban community medicine clerkship and a mentored student scholarly project focusing on an aspect of urban community medicine and population health. All students begin the year in July with a four-week urban community medicine clerkship, which is based on the St. Luke's family practice residency's community medicine rotation and arranged by residency faculty. They conduct a "windshield survey" of a Milwaukee neighborhood, observing health hazards and identifying assets, and then present these observations to others in the clerkship. During this first month, students are introduced to the work of a variety of social service agencies, the Milwaukee City Health Department, and the Aurora Health Care/UW community clinics, which serve the state's most diverse zip codes. They meet with providers and researchers who share their expertise in

  6. "Etxadi-Gangoiti" Scale: A Proposal to Evaluate the Family Contexts of Two-Year-Old Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arranz Freijo, Enrique B.; Olabarrieta Artetxe, Fernando; Manzano Fernández, Ainhoa; Martín Ayala, Juan luís; Galende Pérez, Nuria

    2014-01-01

    This paper makes a proposal for the comprehensive assessment of the family context of children aged two years. It offers an updated resource based on recent research into the assessment of family contexts and their influence on children's psychological development. The proposal explores the following areas: Presence of learning materials;…

  7. One-year continuation of copper or levonorgestrel intrauterine devices initiated at the time of emergency contraception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, J N; Turok, D K; Royer, P A; Thompson, I S; Gawron, L M; Storck, K E

    2017-08-01

    This study compares 1-year intrauterine device (IUD) continuation among women presenting for emergency contraception (EC) and initiating the copper (Cu T380A) IUD or the levonorgestrel (LNG) 52 mg IUD plus 1.5 mg oral LNG. This cohort study enrolled 188 women who presented at a single family planning clinic in Utah between June 2013 and September 2014 and selected either the Cu T380A IUD or LNG 52 mg IUD plus oral LNG for EC. Trained personnel followed participants by phone, text or e-mail for 12 months or until discontinuation occurred. We assessed reasons for discontinuation and used Cox proportional hazard models, Kaplan-Meier estimates and log-rank tests to assess differences in continuation rates between IUDs. One hundred seventy-six women received IUDs; 66 (37%) chose the Cu T380A IUD and 110 (63%) chose the LNG 52 mg IUD plus oral LNG. At 1 year, we accounted for 147 (84%) participants, 33 (22%) had requested removals, 13 (9%) had an expulsion and declined reinsertion, 3 (2%) had a pregnancy with their IUD in place and 98 (67%) were still using their device. Continuation rates did not differ by IUD type; 60% of Cu T380A IUD users and 70% of LNG 52 mg IUD plus oral LNG users were still using their device at 12 months (adjusted hazard ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.40-1.3). Two-thirds of women who chose IUD placement at the EC clinical encounter continued use at 1 year. Women initiating Cu T380A IUD and LNG 52 mg IUD had similar 1-year continuation rates. These findings support same-day insertion of IUDs for women who are seeking EC and would like to use a highly effective reversible method going forward. Providing IUD options for EC users presents an opportunity to increase availability of highly effective contraception. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Fiscal year 2013 energy department budget: Proposed investments in clean energy research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balcerak, Ernie

    2012-03-01

    Energy and environmental research programs generally fared well in President Barack Obama's proposed budget for the Department of Energy (DOE) for fiscal year (FY) 2013. In his State of the Union address, Obama called for the United States to pursue an "all of the above" energy strategy that includes fossil fuels, as well as a variety of renewable sources of energy. The DOE budget request supports that strategy, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a 13 February press briefing announcing the budget proposal. The proposed budget gives DOE 27.2 billion overall, a 3.2% increase from the FY 2012 enacted budget (see Table 1). This budget "reflects some tough choices," Chu said. The proposed budget would cut 4 billion in subsidies for oil and gas companies; many Republican members of Congress have already indicated that they oppose such cuts, suggesting that congressional approval of this budget may run into stumbling blocks. The budget would also cut funding for research and development projects that are already attracting private-sector investment or that are not working, and would reduce some of the department's operational costs.

  9. Proposals for an effective application of the continuous improvement at the ININ according to the IAEA 50-C/SG-Q new code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardenas A, B.M.; Olivares O, L.A.

    1997-01-01

    This work contains the requirements of continuous improvement contained in the IAEA new code Q uality assurance for safety in nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations, code 50-C/SG-Q. Assuming that it was the base for to elaborate the review No. 5 of the Quality assurance plan at ININ, it was done an analysis to give proposals for the application of continuous improvement in effective way. The relevant points which must be taken in account at the continuous improvement process are: Direction responsibility, involucring of all personnel, process planning, education and training, elaboration of improvement projects, investigation of processes which can be improved, continuation of the improvement process and its evaluation. With the implantation of an effective continuous improvement system it will be obtained to get a better quality and a more efficient safety. (Author)

  10. Proposed Entanglement Swapping in Continuous Variable Systems via Braiding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su Hongyi; Chen Jingling; Deng Dongling; Wu Chunfeng

    2010-01-01

    We study entanglement swapping in continuous variable systems by using braiding transformations. It is found that entanglement swapping in two-mode squeezed vacuum states and squeezed coherent states can be realized based on the braiding operators. (general)

  11. From turnaround to continuous innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjarnø, Ole-Christian

    2002-01-01

    In this article a five year longitudinal study performed at a medium-sized producer of electronics is reported during which we studied the company's change process. The paper deals with the concept of strategic sourcing as a component in turnaround change management. Based on theories of strategic...... sourcing, explorative case research and continuous innovation a series of findings is identified, and from these findings a management model is proposed. This model is intended to fill in an identified gap in the toolbox for maintenance and further development of the business partners network established...

  12. Grant Proposal for the Continuation of the Voyager Interstellar Mission: LECP Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krimigis, Stamatios M.; Armstrong, Thomas P.; Lanzerotti, Louis J.; Ip, Wing-H.; Decker, Robert B.; Keath, Edwin P.; Mauk, Barry H.; McNutt, Ralph L., Jr.; Gloeckler, George; Hamilton, Douglas C.

    1996-01-01

    This proposal documents the plans of the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) investigation team for participation in NASA's Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) as the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft explore the outer reaches of the heliosphere and search for the termination shock and the heliopause. The proposal covers the four year period from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000. The LECP instruments on Voyager 1 and 2 measure in situ intensities of charged particles with energies from about 30 keV to 100 MeV for ions, and about 20 keV to greater than 10 MeV for electrons. The instruments provide detailed spectral, angular, and compositional information about the particles. Composition is available for greater than 200 keV/nuc using multi-parameter measurements. Angular information is obtained by a mechanically scanned platform that rotates at various commanded rates. Measurements of low energy ion and electron intensities versus time and spatial location within the heliosphere contain an abundance of information regarding various transport and acceleration processes on both local (approx. 1 hr, approx. 0.01 AU) and global (approx. 11 yrs, approx. 100 AU) scales. The LECP instruments provide unique observations of such dynamical processes, and we anticipate that it will return critical information regarding the boundaries of the heliosphere. Several recent and exciting discoveries based on LECP measurements emphasize the important role that low energy charged particle distributions play in physical processes in the interplanetary medium. Yet, at the same time, these discoveries also underscore the fact that our understanding of processes in the outer heliosphere is, in most cases, incomplete, and in others, only rudimentary at best. Among the discoveries referred to above are the following: (1) Shocks: Examination of greater than 30 keV ion intensities have revealed: (a) a total absence of acceleration beyond only -100-200 keV at a strong transient shock in May 1991 at 35

  13. 78 FR 16447 - Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP) for the Technical Assistance and Continuing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-15

    ... (RCEP) for the Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Centers (TACE Centers); Proposed Extension... (RCEP) for the Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Centers (TACE Centers), the Secretary... with disabilities through enhanced technical assistance (TA) and continuing education (CE) for State...

  14. Single endemic genotype of measles virus continuously circulating in China for at least 16 years.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Zhang

    Full Text Available The incidence of measles in China from 1991 to 2008 was reviewed, and the nucleotide sequences from 1507 measles viruses (MeV isolated during 1993 to 2008 were phylogenetically analyzed. The results showed that measles epidemics peaked approximately every 3 to 5 years with the range of measles cases detected between 56,850 and 140,048 per year. The Chinese MeV strains represented three genotypes; 1501 H1, 1 H2 and 5 A. Genotype H1 was the predominant genotype throughout China continuously circulating for at least 16 years. Genotype H1 sequences could be divided into two distinct clusters, H1a and H1b. A 4.2% average nucleotide divergence was found between the H1a and H1b clusters, and the nucleotide sequence and predicted amino acid homologies of H1a viruses were 92.3%-100% and 84.7%-100%, H1b were 97.1%-100% and 95.3%-100%, respectively. Viruses from both clusters were distributed throughout China with no apparent geographic restriction and multiple co-circulating lineages were present in many provinces. Cluster H1a and H1b viruses were co-circulating during 1993 to 2005, while no H1b viruses were detected after 2005 and the transmission of that cluster has presumably been interrupted. Analysis of the nucleotide and predicted amino acid changes in the N proteins of H1a and H1b viruses showed no evidence of selective pressure. This study investigated the genotype and cluster distribution of MeV in China over a 16-year period to establish a genetic baseline before MeV elimination in Western Pacific Region (WPR. Continuous and extensive MeV surveillance and the ability to quickly identify imported cases of measles will become more critical as measles elimination goals are achieved in China in the near future. This is the first report that a single endemic genotype of measles virus has been found to be continuously circulating in one country for at least 16 years.

  15. R&D Proposal RD51 Extension Beyond 2018

    CERN Document Server

    Dalla Torre, S; Ropelewski, L; Titov, M

    2018-01-01

    The RD51 Collaboration, in charge of the development and dissemination of MicroPattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD) since 2008, proposes to extend its ac-tivity, after 2018, for a further five-year term. Since the RD51 initial years, the community of MPGD developers and users has grown considerably. It is reflected by the many MPGD-based applications in high energy and nuclear physics experi-ments as well as in other basic and applied-research fields. They rely on the parallel progress of detector concepts and associated technologies. The cultural, infrastruc-ture and networking support offered by RD51 has been essential in this process. The rich portfolio of MPGD projects, under constant expansion, is accompanied by novel ideas on further developments and applications. The proposed next term of RD51 activities aims at bringing a number of de-tector concepts to maturity, initiating new projects and continuing the support to the community. Among leading proposed projects are ultrafast, high-rate MPGDs; discharg...

  16. Continuous-variable quantum homomorphic signature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ke; Shang, Tao; Liu, Jian-wei

    2017-10-01

    Quantum cryptography is believed to be unconditionally secure because its security is ensured by physical laws rather than computational complexity. According to spectrum characteristic, quantum information can be classified into two categories, namely discrete variables and continuous variables. Continuous-variable quantum protocols have gained much attention for their ability to transmit more information with lower cost. To verify the identities of different data sources in a quantum network, we propose a continuous-variable quantum homomorphic signature scheme. It is based on continuous-variable entanglement swapping and provides additive and subtractive homomorphism. Security analysis shows the proposed scheme is secure against replay, forgery and repudiation. Even under nonideal conditions, it supports effective verification within a certain verification threshold.

  17. Sensitivity of continuous performance test (CPT) at age 14years to developmental methylmercury exposure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Julvez, Jordi; Debes, Frodi; Weihe, Pal

    2010-01-01

    Hit Reaction Time latencies (HRT) in the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) measure the speed of visual information processing. The latencies may involve different neuropsychological functions depending on the time from test initiation, i.e., first orientation, learning and habituation, then cogni......Hit Reaction Time latencies (HRT) in the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) measure the speed of visual information processing. The latencies may involve different neuropsychological functions depending on the time from test initiation, i.e., first orientation, learning and habituation......, then cognitive processing and focused attention, and finally sustained attention as the dominant demand. Prenatal methylmercury exposure is associated with increased reaction time (RT) latencies. We therefore examined the association of methylmercury exposure with the average HRT at age 14years at three...

  18. Continuous variable multipartite entanglement and optical implementations of quantum communication networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lian Yimin; Xie Changde; Peng Kunchi

    2007-01-01

    A variety of optical quantum information networks based on the multipartite entanglement of amplitude and phase quadratures of an electromagnetic field have been proposed and experimentally realized in recent years. The multipartite entanglement of optical continuous variables provides flexible and reliable quantum resources for developing unconditional quantum information networks. In this paper, we review the generation schemes of the multipartite entangled states of optical continuous quantum variables and some applications in the quantum communication networks with emphasis on the experimental implementations

  19. Small scale laboratory studies of flow and transport phenomena in pores and fractures: Phase II. Progress report, 3rd year continuation proposal, and work plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, J.L.

    1994-05-01

    Small scale laboratory experiments, equipped with an ability to actually observe behavior on the pore level using microscopy, provide an economical and easily understood scientific tool to help us validate concepts and assumptions about the transport of contaminants, and offers the propensity to discover heretofore unrecognized phenomena or behavior. The main technique employs etched glass micromodels, composed of two etched glass plates, sintered together, to form a two dimensional network of three dimensional pores. Flow and transport behavior is observed on a pore or pore network level, and recorder on film and video tape. This technique is coupled with related column studies. These techniques have been used to study multiphase flow, colloid transport and most recently bacteria transport. The project has recently moved to the Bacteria Transport Subprogram, and efforts have been redirected to support that Subprogram and its collaborative field experiment. We proposed to study bacteria transport factors of relevance to the field experiment, using micromodels and other laboratory techniques. Factors that may be addressed include bacteria characteristics (eg, hydrophobicity), pore size and shape, permeability heterogeneity, surface chemistry (eg, iron oxide coatings), surface chemistry heterogeneity, active versus resting cell bacteria, and mixed bacteria populations. In other work we will continue to examine the effects of fluid-fluid interfaces on bacteria transport, and develop a new assay for bacteria hydrophobicity. Finally we will collaborate on characterization of the field site, and the design, operation, and interpretation of the field experiment.

  20. Single Endemic Genotype of Measles Virus Continuously Circulating in China for at Least 16 Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Huiling; Zhu, Zhen; Ji, Yixin; Liu, Chunyu; Zhang, Xiaojie; Sun, Liwei; Zhou, Jianhui; Lu, Peishan; Hu, Ying; Feng, Daxing; Zhang, Zhenying; Wang, Changyin; Fang, Xueqiang; Zheng, Huanying; Liu, Leng; Sun, Xiaodong; Tang, Wei; Wang, Yan; Liu, Yan; Gao, Hui; Tian, Hong; Ma, Jiangtao; Gu, Suyi; Wang, Shuang; Feng, Yan; Bo, Fang; Liu, Jianfeng; Si, Yuan; Zhou, Shujie; Ma, Yuyan; Wu, Shengwei; Zhou, Shunde; Li, Fangcai; Ding, Zhengrong; Yang, Zhaohui; Rota, Paul A.; Featherstone, David; Jee, Youngmee; Bellini, William J.; Xu, Wenbo

    2012-01-01

    The incidence of measles in China from 1991 to 2008 was reviewed, and the nucleotide sequences from 1507 measles viruses (MeV) isolated during 1993 to 2008 were phylogenetically analyzed. The results showed that measles epidemics peaked approximately every 3 to 5 years with the range of measles cases detected between 56,850 and 140,048 per year. The Chinese MeV strains represented three genotypes; 1501 H1, 1 H2 and 5 A. Genotype H1 was the predominant genotype throughout China continuously circulating for at least 16 years. Genotype H1 sequences could be divided into two distinct clusters, H1a and H1b. A 4.2% average nucleotide divergence was found between the H1a and H1b clusters, and the nucleotide sequence and predicted amino acid homologies of H1a viruses were 92.3%–100% and 84.7%–100%, H1b were 97.1%–100% and 95.3%–100%, respectively. Viruses from both clusters were distributed throughout China with no apparent geographic restriction and multiple co-circulating lineages were present in many provinces. Cluster H1a and H1b viruses were co-circulating during 1993 to 2005, while no H1b viruses were detected after 2005 and the transmission of that cluster has presumably been interrupted. Analysis of the nucleotide and predicted amino acid changes in the N proteins of H1a and H1b viruses showed no evidence of selective pressure. This study investigated the genotype and cluster distribution of MeV in China over a 16-year period to establish a genetic baseline before MeV elimination in Western Pacific Region (WPR). Continuous and extensive MeV surveillance and the ability to quickly identify imported cases of measles will become more critical as measles elimination goals are achieved in China in the near future. This is the first report that a single endemic genotype of measles virus has been found to be continuously circulating in one country for at least 16 years. PMID:22532829

  1. Continuing Science and Technology at the Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finch, R.J.

    2005-01-01

    Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was designated in 2002 to be the site for the nation's first permanent geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The process of selecting a site for the repository began nearly 25 years ago with passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1982. The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for submitting a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for constructing and operating the repository, and DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is charged with carrying out this action. The use of multiple natural and engineered barriers in the current repository design are considered by OCRWM to be sufficiently robust to warrant license approval; however, potential design enhancements and increased understanding of both natural and engineered barriers, especially over the long time frames during which the waste is to remain isolated from human contact continue to be examined. The Office of Science and Technology and International (OST andI) was created within OCRWM to help explore novel technologies that might lower overall costs and to develop a greater understanding of processes relevant to the long-term performance of the repository. A brief overview of Yucca Mountain, and the role that OST andI has in identifying technological or scientific advances that could make repository operations more efficient or performance more robust, will be presented. It is important to note, however, that adopting any of OST andI's technological or scientific developments will be at the discretion of OCRWM's Office of Repository Development (ORD)

  2. Reconsidering social science theories in natural resource management continuing professional education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stumann, Cathy Brown; Gamborg, Christian

    2014-01-01

    on the impact of these changes for NRM professionals resulted in many studies calling for NRM professionals to learn a host of new social science-related skills and knowledge. Twenty years later, research continues to show that NRM professionals are struggling to develop these ‘new’ skills and calls...... for integrating the social sciences in NRM education and practice endure. This paper discusses the challenge of integrating social science skills and knowledge into NRM public involvement practice and continuing professional education. The paper argues for a reconsideration of how social science theories relate...... to professionals’ practical theories and concludes with some implications and proposals for NRM continuing professional education....

  3. Predictors of the willingness and the ability to continue working until the age of 65 years

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geuskens, G.A.; Hengel, K.M.O.; Koppes, L.L.J.; Ybema, J.F.

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of the willingness and ability of older workers to continue working until the age of 65. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, 4937 employees aged 45 to 63 years included in the Netherlands Working Conditions Cohort Study were studied. Logistic regression analyses

  4. ACGME proposes dropping the 16 hour resident shift limit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robbins RA

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME is proposing that first-year residents would no longer be limited to 16-hour shifts during the 2017-2018 academic year under a controversial proposal released today (1. Instead, individual residency programs could assign first-year trainees to shifts as long as 28 hours, the current limit for all other residents. The 28-hour maximum includes 4 transitional hours that's designed in part to help residents improve continuity of care. The plan to revise training requirements does not change other rules designed to protect all residents from overwork. including the maximum80 hours per week. The ACGME capped the shifts of first-year residents at 16 hours in 2011 as a part of an ongoing effort to make trainee schedules more humane and avoid clinical errors caused by sleep deprivation. ACGME CEO Thomas Nasca, MD, told Medscape Medical News that the problem arises largely from first-year residents not being ...

  5. Towards a Continuous Knowledge Learning Engine for Chatbots

    OpenAIRE

    Mazumder, Sahisnu; Ma, Nianzu; Liu, Bing

    2018-01-01

    Although chatbots have been very popular in recent years, they still have some serious weaknesses which limit the scope of their applications. One major weakness is that they cannot learn new knowledge during the conversation process, i.e., their knowledge is fixed beforehand and cannot be expanded or updated during conversation. In this paper, we propose to build a general knowledge learning engine for chatbots to enable them to continuously and interactively learn new knowledge during conve...

  6. 76 FR 58248 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; NIST Three-Year Generic Request for Customer...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-20

    ... Collection; Comment Request; NIST Three-Year Generic Request for Customer Service-Related Data Collections... customers want and expect, as well as their satisfaction with and awareness of existing products, services, and information. In addition, NIST proposes other customer service satisfaction data collections that...

  7. 77 FR 52061 - Notice of Proposed Exemption Involving Sharp HealthCare Located in San Diego, CA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-28

    ... independent certified public accountant each year, including its last completed taxable year. Therefore, the... will continue to be, examined by an independent certified public accountant annually. (f) The amount... public hearing on the proposed exemption should be submitted to the Department within 33 days from the...

  8. An Analysis of the President’s Budgetary Proposals for Fiscal Year 2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-01

    C corporations are corporations that are subject to the corporate income tax . 20 AN ANALYSIS OF THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGETARY PROPOSALS FOR FISCAL YEAR...dividends lower the overall taxation of corporate profits, some of which are taxed twice: once under the corporate income tax , and again when people...earnings are not sub- ject to the corporate income tax , such as gains on real estate held by individuals. The lower capital gains tax rate also

  9. Continuous tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Y.K.M.

    1978-04-01

    A tokamak configuration is proposed that permits the rapid replacement of a plasma discharge in a ''burn'' chamber by another one in a time scale much shorter than the elementary thermal time constant of the chamber first wall. With respect to the chamber, the effective duty cycle factor can thus be made arbitrarily close to unity minimizing the cyclic thermal stress in the first wall. At least one plasma discharge always exists in the new tokamak configuration, hence, a continuous tokamak. By incorporating adiabatic toroidal compression, configurations of continuous tokamak compressors are introduced. To operate continuous tokamaks, it is necessary to introduce the concept of mixed poloidal field coils, which spatially groups all the poloidal field coils into three sets, all contributing simultaneously to inducing the plasma current and maintaining the proper plasma shape and position. Preliminary numerical calculations of axisymmetric MHD equilibria in continuous tokamaks indicate the feasibility of their continued plasma operation. Advanced concepts of continuous tokamaks to reduce the topological complexity and to allow the burn plasma aspect ratio to decrease for increased beta are then suggested

  10. Developmental continuity of oppositional defiant disorder subdimensions at ages 8, 10, and 13 years and their distinct psychiatric outcomes at age 16 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whelan, Yvonne M; Stringaris, Argyris; Maughan, Barbara; Barker, Edward D

    2013-09-01

    To test the developmental continuity, interrelationships, and predictive associations of the oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) subdimensions of irritable, headstrong, and hurtful. Data were collected from 6,328 mother-child pairs participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (United Kingdom). Developmental continuity for each subdimension was strong and interrelationships indicated that headstrong was associated mainly with irritable, whereas irritable did not cross associate with other ODD subdimensions; and hurtful was associated with lower levels of headstrong. With regard to associations at age 16 years, irritable at age 13 years was associated with depression, whereas headstrong at 13 was associated with delinquency and callous attitude; at age 13, hurtful failed to associate with any of the 3 age 16 outcomes. The results suggest that the ODD headstrong and irritable subdimensions are developmentally distinct, with small cross-over (i.e., headstrong to irritable), and are associated with unique outcomes. Hurtful does not appear to be associated with future maladjustment in children. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The influence of meteorological parameters on 10 m deep radon: continuous three years data from Garhwal Himalaya

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamra, Leena; Choubey, V.M.; Arora, B.R.

    2010-01-01

    Three years of continuous radon measurements recorded from Multi Parametric Geophysical Observatory (MPGO) located at Ghuttu Garhwal Himalaya is discussed here. A 68 m deep borehole of 20 cm diameter was drilled in gneisses and schistose rocks at Ghuttu in the Garhwal Lesser Himalaya. Radon is sampled continuously at 10 m depth (from ground surface) in the air column above water table in the borehole. The height of air column above water level varies due to fluctuations of the water table in different seasons; such as the air column was 29 m (from ground surface) in summer and only 17 m in the peak of the rainy season. Monitoring of radon is carried out using a gamma ray radon monitoring probe based on 2″ diameter and 2″ thick NaT scintillation detector (PM-11, Rotem Industries, Israel). After analyzing the three years continuous radon data it was observed that there is the seasonal (annual) cycle in Rn variability, with high values in summer/rainy season and low values in the winter season. It clearly shows that there is a close relationship with atmospheric temperature and rainfall which influence the radon

  12. A proposal of social group intervention in “Salvador García Agüero” Adults Continuing Education School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guzmán, Ela T.

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Usually, youngsters who leave school for one cause or another develop behavioural problems expressed in social and family conflicts. Once they reenrol themselves in adult’s continuing education institutions these disorders are clearly reveal at the educational institution. Several research methods and techniques were used to determine the theoretical framework of reference based on the theory and practice of Social Group Work in institutions, the characterization of the centre "Salvador Garcia Agüero" of Education for Young People and Adults and the characteristics of the young people who attend this educational institution. The proposal emphasizes the care of those young students, from group approach by the importance of individual interaction and the influence of the group in achieving a common goal. The proposal aims to the training of managers and teachers, all with the assistance of the social workers of the Coordination Group for Social Work of the People's Council Centre, where is located the educational institution.

  13. Two years of continuous CO2 eddy-flux measurements over a Danish beech forest

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pilegaard, K.; Hummelshøj, P.; Jensen, N.O.

    2001-01-01

    As part of the EUROFLUX network a long-term monitoring station for fluxes of CO2 and water vapour has been established in an 80-year old beech forest in Denmark. The station has been in continuous operation since June 1996 and will be so at least to the end of 2002. A primary goal of EUROFLUX...... summer of 1997 and an average soil and air temperature, respectively, 1.2 and 1.6 degreesC higher than the first year. The ecosystem photosynthetic assimilation was slightly higher during the second year, mainly caused by increased incoming radiation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All nights reserved....

  14. First-Year Engineering Students' Portrayal of Engineering in a Proposed Museum Exhibit for Middle School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mena, Irene B.; Diefes-Dux, Heidi A.

    2012-04-01

    Students' perceptions of engineering have been documented through studies involving interviews, surveys, and word associations that take a direct approach to asking students about various aspects of their understanding of engineering. Research on perceptions of engineering rarely focuses on how students would portray engineering to others. First-year engineering student teams proposed a museum exhibit, targeted to middle school students, to explore the question "What is engineering?" The proposals took the form of a poster. The overarching research question focuses on how these students would portray engineering to middle school students as seen through their museum exhibit proposals. A preliminary analysis was done on 357 posters to determine the overall engineering themes for the proposed museum exhibits. Forty of these posters were selected and, using open coding, more thoroughly analyzed to learn what artifacts/objects, concepts, and skills student teams associate with engineering. These posters were also analyzed to determine if there were any differences by gender composition of the student teams. Building, designing, and teamwork are skills the first-year engineering students link to engineering. Regarding artifacts, students mentioned those related to transportation and structures most often. All-male teams were more likely to focus on the idea of space and to mention teamwork and designing as engineering skills; equal-gender teams were more likely to focus on the multidisciplinary aspect of engineering. This analysis of student teams' proposals provides baseline data, positioning instructors to develop and assess instructional interventions that stretch students' self-exploration of engineering.

  15. 2007: A pivotal year (continued)

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2007-01-01

    In our first Echo editorial in January 2007, we pointed out that the manpower plan, the future of our social conditions (health insurance, pensions), the implementation of the last five-yearly review and the review of our voluntary schemes would be subjects on which we would have to keep a close watch and show solidarity. In light of what has been happening, we were right to be cautious.

  16. Evaluation and Characterization of In-Line Annealed Continuous Cast Aluminum Sheet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dr Subodh K. Das

    2006-01-17

    significant energy, environmental and economic benefits thus benefiting a broad cross-section of the aluminum industry. The results from this project will have a positive impact on improving efficiencies in other areas of aluminum processing including Casting and in the Finished Products Sector of the roadmap Continuous casting (CC) leads to 25% energy savings in the production of aluminum sheet products compared to conventional DC casting as it does away with the intermediate steps of DC cast ingots and homogenization of the ingots and substituting it with a continuous casting process which goes directly into the hot rolling mill. The results of the proposed research will enable further applications of continuous casting technology. The aim here is to develop a continuous in line anneal process that will replace the existing batch type techniques thereby resulting in a continuous uni-directional movement of material from cast to final product. The goal of this multi-partner R&D project is to develop energy-efficient and optimized thermomechanical processing for the production of continuous cast 5000 series aluminum sheet alloys. Full scale implementation of the proposed effort by the year 2015 could lead to yearly energy savings of 23 trillion Btu and related energy cost savings of $96 million per year for the U. S. aluminum rolled products industry. The major achievements of this project based on the goals and objectives of the project are given.

  17. [Good agricultural practice (GAP) of Chinese materia medica (CMM) for ten years: achievements, problems and proposals].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Lan-Ping; Zhang, Yan; Zhu, Shou-Dong; Wang, Gui-Hua; Wang, Xiu; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Chen, Mei-Lan; He, Ya-Li; Han, Bang-Xing; Chen, Nai-Fu; Huang, Lu-Qi

    2014-04-01

    This paper aims to summarize the achievements during the implementation process of good agricultural practice (GAP) in Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), and on basis of analyzing the existing problems of GAP, to propose further implementation of GAP in TCM growing. Since the launch of GAP in CMM growing ten years ago, it has acquired great achievements, including: (1) The promulgation of a series of measures for the administration of the GAP approval in the CMM growing; (2) The expanded planting area of CMM; (3) The increased awareness of standardized CMM growing among farmers and enterprises; (4) The establishment of GAP implementation bases for CMM growing; (5) The improvement of theory and methodology for CMM growing; (6) The development of a large group of experts and scholars in GAP approval for CMM production. The problems existing in the production include: (1) A deep understanding of GAP and its certification is still needed; (2) The distribution of the certification base is not reasonable; (3) The geo-economics effect and the backward farming practices are thought to be the bottlenecks in the standardization of CMM growing and the scale production of CMM; (4) Low comparative effectiveness limits the development of the GAP; (5) The base of breeding improved variety is blank; (6) The immature of the cultivation technique lead to the risk of production process; (7) The degradation of soil microbial and the continuous cropping obstacle restrict the sustainable development of the GAP base. To further promote the health and orderly GAP in the CMM growing, the authors propose: (1) To change the mode of production; (2) To establish a sound standard system so as to ensure quality products for fair prices; (3) To fully consider the geo-economic culture and vigorously promote the definite cultivating of traditional Chinese medicinal materials; (4) To strengthen the transformation and generalization of basic researches and achievements, in order to provide technical

  18. 78 FR 52761 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; One Year Assessment of the Social and Economic...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; One Year Assessment of the Social and Economic Impacts of Hurricane Sandy on New... Atmospheric Administration, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its...

  19. Legacy effects of continuous chloropicrin-fumigation for 3-years on soil microbial community composition and metabolic activity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhang, Shuting; Liu, Xiaojiao; Jiang, Qipeng; Shen, Guihua; Ding, Wei

    2017-01-01

    Chloropicrin is widely used to control ginger wilt in China, which have an enormous impact on soil microbial diversity. However, little is known on the possible legacy effects on soil microbial community composition with continuous fumigation over different years. In this report, we used high

  20. 76 FR 2135 - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Proposed Plan for Fiscal Year 2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJP (OJJDP) Docket No. 1544] Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Proposed Plan for Fiscal Year 2011 AGENCY: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice...

  1. 7 CFR 3405.14 - Proposal review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HIGHER EDUCATION CHALLENGE GRANTS PROGRAM Proposal Review and Evaluation § 3405.14 Proposal review. The proposal evaluation process includes both internal staff review and...

  2. A continuing 30-year decline in water quality of Jiaojiang Estuary, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun-ye Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A quantitative description of a long-term series of aquatic environmental factors and their spatial distributions was generated using measured data from the Jiaojiang Estuary from 1982 to 2011. The aquatic environmental factors included suspended matter, salinity, and nutrients. Based on these factors, the aquatic ecosystem health in the Jiaojiang Estuary over the last 30 years was analyzed. The results indicated that the suspended matter concentration in the estuary was mainly affected by the amounts of suspended sediment and solid waste, with the value fluctuating over a long period, and the range of high concentration expanded continually; the salinity was mainly affected by precipitation and surface water resources, showing an overall decreasing trend, and the region with low salinity moved seaward and toward the reclamation areas; and the nutritional status, mainly affected by discharge of industrial wastewater and domestic sewage, was satisfactory in the 1980s and 1990s, but the status became severe in recent years. Reclamation had a great influence on these three factors: high reclamation strength led to a significant increase in the suspended matter concentration and a deterioration of the nutritional status, and the reclamation rate was negatively related with the salinity in the estuary. There was a significant positive correlation between the health status of the aquatic ecosystem and salinity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.93. The correlation coefficient between the health status and nutritional status was −0.71, while the correlation between the suspended matter concentration and health status was not as significant as that of the other two factors. The dynamics of the aquatic environment could be divided into four stages: sustainable health from the 1980s to the 1990s, continued deterioration from 2000 to 2003, improvement from 2004 to 2005, and secondary deterioration from 2006 to 2011. The Jiaojiang Estuary is faced with

  3. Six Years Into Its Mission, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory Continues to Achieve Scientific Firsts

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-08-01

    In August 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory opened for business. Six years later, it continues to achieve scientific firsts. "When Chandra opened its sunshade doors for the first time, it opened the possibility of studying the X-ray emission of the universe with unprecedented clarity," said Chandra project scientist Dr. Martin Weisskopf of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "Already surpassing its goal of a five-year life, Chandra continues to rewrite textbooks with discoveries about our own solar system and images of celestial objects as far as billions of light years away." Based on the observatory's outstanding results, NASA Headquarters in Washington decided in 2001 to extend Chandra s mission from five years to ten. During the observatory s sixth year of operation, auroras from Jupiter, X-rays from Saturn, and the early days of our solar system were the focus of Chandra discoveries close to home -- discoveries with the potential to better understand the dynamics of life on Earth. Jupiter's auroras are the most spectacular and active auroras in the solar system. Extended Chandra observations revealed that Jupiter s auroral X-rays are caused by highly charged particles crashing into the atmosphere above Jupiter's poles. These results gave scientists information needed to compare Jupiter's auroras with those from Earth, and determine if they are triggered by different cosmic and planetary events. Mysterious X-rays from Saturn also received attention, as Chandra completed the first observation of a solar X-ray flare reflected from Saturn's low-latitudes, the region that correlates to Earth's equator and tropics. This observation led scientists to conclude the ringed planet may act as a mirror, reflecting explosive activity from the sun. Solar-storm watchers on Earth might see a surprising benefit. The results imply scientists could use giant planets like Saturn as remote-sensing tools to help monitor X-ray flaring on portions of the sun

  4. The approach associated with the continued operation of the Calder Hall and Chapelcross nuclear power stations to 50 years

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayres, G.

    1996-01-01

    Calder Hall was the world's first commercial nuclear power station, commencing operation in 1956, and with its sister station at Chapelcross has operated successfully, with consistently high load factors, for approximately 40 years. The first part of this paper reviews the operating history of the stations. Secondly, the paper will briefly describe both the work carried out under the Long Term Safety Review which has supported operation to 40 years and the work being carried out as part of a Periodic Safety Review to support continued operation of both stations to 50 years. The commercial improvements, some of which, of course, do have some nuclear safety significance, will be briefly described in the context of operating within what is increasingly becoming a demanding privatized electricity market in the United Kingdom. Finally, potential life limiting features will be identified and the monitoring programmes described leading to the conclusion that there is no reason why the stations should not continue to operate to at least 50 years. (author). 4 refs

  5. Environmental impact report addendum for the continued operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weston, R. F.

    1996-01-01

    An environmental impact statement/environmental impact report (ES/EIR) for the continued operation and management of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was prepared jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the University of California (UC). The scope of the document included near-term (within 5-10 years) proposed projects. The UC Board of Regents, as state lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), certified and adopted the EIR by issuing a Notice of Determination on November 20, 1992. The DOE, as the lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), adopted a Record of Decision for the ES on January 27, 1993 (58 Federal Register [FR] 6268). The DOE proposed action was to continue operation of the facility, including near-term proposed projects. The specific project evaluated by UC was extension of the contract between UC and DOE for UC's continued operation and management of LLNL (both sites) from October 1, 1992, through September 30, 1997. The 1992 ES/EIR analyzed impacts through the year 2002. The 1992 ES/EIR comprehensively evaluated the potential environmental impacts of operation and management of LLNL within the near-term future. Activities evaluated included programmatic enhancements and modifications of facilities and programs at the LLNL Livermore site and at LLNL's Experimental Test Site (Site 300) in support of research and development missions 2048 established for LLNL by Congress and the President. The evaluation also considered the impacts of infrastructure and building maintenance, minor modifications to buildings, general landscaping, road maintenance, and similar routine support activities

  6. The efficacy of incentives to motivate continued fitness-center attendance in college first-year students: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pope, Lizzy; Harvey, Jean

    2014-01-01

    To determine whether fitness-center attendance established with the provision of weekly monetary incentives persisted after the discontinuation, or decreased frequency, of incentives. One hundred seventeen first-year college students participated during the 2011-2012 academic year. A randomized controlled trial with control, discontinued-incentive, and continued-incentive conditions was conducted. During fall semester, students in incentive conditions received weekly monetary payments for meeting fitness-center attendance goals. During spring semester, discontinued-incentive condition participants no longer received incentives, whereas continued-incentive condition participants received payments on a variable-interval schedule. ID-card attendance records tracked fitness-center attendance. Goal completion decreased from 63% in the incentive groups during the fall semester to 3% in the discontinued-incentive condition, and 39% in the continued-incentive condition during the spring semester. There was not a significant interaction between condition and body mass index change, F(6, 332) = 0.67, p = .68. Incentive discontinuation resulted in students no longer meeting fitness-center attendance goals. A variable-interval reward schedule better maintained attendance.

  7. Reagan proposes cuts in synfuel aid, transfer to Synfuels Corp. from DOE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1981-03-02

    It is reported that U.S. president Ronald Reagan in his budget message for the financial year 1982, has proposed to cut the DOE's planned 1982 expenditure for the synfuels programme by $864 m. He also proposed that the government synfuels effort be transferred to the recently created Synthetic Fuels Corporation. The gasohol programme and biomass development have suffered by the termination of feasibility studies, co-operative agreements and loan guarantee, but the planned tax credits will continue in the case of gasohol, resulting in a subsidy in excess of $18/bbl.

  8. Predictors of continued playing or singing--from childhood and adolescence to adult years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theorell, T; Lennartsson, A-K; Madison, G; Mosing, M A; Ullén, F

    2015-03-01

    Many individuals play an instrument or sing during childhood, but they often stop later in life. This study surveyed adults representative of the Swedish population about musical activities during childhood. We asked 3820 adults (65% women) aged from 27 to 54 from the Swedish Twin Registry, who took extra music lessons to those provided at school, to fill in a web-based questionnaire. Factors analysed were the age they started studying music, the instrument they played, kind of teaching, institution and educational content, number of lessons and perceived characteristics of the lessons, the music environment during their childhood years and their preferred music genre. All variables were dichotomised. Factors strongly associated with continued playing or singing were male sex, young starting age, cultural family background, self-selected instrument, attending music classes and more than once a week, church-related or private education, pop, rock or classical music, playing by ear and improvisation. Several significant predictors determined whether a child continued to sing or play an instrument as an adult and many could be externally influenced, such as starting at a young age, taking music classes more than once a week, improvisation and the type of music they played. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Probabilistic Power Flow Method Considering Continuous and Discrete Variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuexia Zhang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a probabilistic power flow (PPF method considering continuous and discrete variables (continuous and discrete power flow, CDPF for power systems. The proposed method—based on the cumulant method (CM and multiple deterministic power flow (MDPF calculations—can deal with continuous variables such as wind power generation (WPG and loads, and discrete variables such as fuel cell generation (FCG. In this paper, continuous variables follow a normal distribution (loads or a non-normal distribution (WPG, and discrete variables follow a binomial distribution (FCG. Through testing on IEEE 14-bus and IEEE 118-bus power systems, the proposed method (CDPF has better accuracy compared with the CM, and higher efficiency compared with the Monte Carlo simulation method (MCSM.

  10. 7 CFR 3406.14 - Proposal review-teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Proposal review-teaching. 3406.14 Section 3406.14 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION... Review and Evaluation of a Teaching Proposal § 3406.14 Proposal review—teaching. The proposal evaluation...

  11. Wildlife and the coal waste policy debate: proposed rules for coal waste disposal ignore lessons from 45 years of wildlife poisoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    A. Dennis Lemly; Joseph P. Skorupa

    2012-01-01

    This analysis examines wildlife poisoning from coal combustion waste (CCW) in the context of EPA's proposed policy that would allow continued use of surface impoundments as a disposal method. Data from 21 confirmed damage sites were evaluated, ranging from locations where historic poisoning has led to corrective actions that have greatly improved environmental...

  12. Analytical Assessment for Transient Stability Under Stochastic Continuous Disturbances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ju, Ping [Hohai Univ., Nanjing (China); Li, Hongyu [Hohai Univ., Nanjing (China); Gan, Chun [The Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Liu, Yong [The Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Yu, Yiping [Hohai Univ., Nanjing (China); Liu, Yilu [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

    2017-06-28

    Here, with the growing integration of renewable power generation, plug-in electric vehicles, and other sources of uncertainty, increasing stochastic continuous disturbances are brought to power systems. The impact of stochastic continuous disturbances on power system transient stability attracts significant attention. To address this problem, this paper proposes an analytical assessment method for transient stability of multi-machine power systems under stochastic continuous disturbances. In the proposed method, a probability measure of transient stability is presented and analytically solved by stochastic averaging. Compared with the conventional method (Monte Carlo simulation), the proposed method is many orders of magnitude faster, which makes it very attractive in practice when many plans for transient stability must be compared or when transient stability must be analyzed quickly. Also, it is found that the evolution of system energy over time is almost a simple diffusion process by the proposed method, which explains the impact mechanism of stochastic continuous disturbances on transient stability in theory.

  13. Evolution of Facial Aesthetic Treatment Over Five or More Years: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Analysis of Continuous OnabotulinumtoxinA Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carruthers, Alastair; Sadick, Neil; Brandt, Frederic; Trindade de Almeida, Ada Regina; Fagien, Steve; Goodman, Greg J; Raspaldo, Herve; Smith, Kevin; Darmody, Sarah; Gallagher, Conor J; Street, James; Romagnano, Linda

    2015-06-01

    Little information exists on how facial aesthetic treatments are incorporated into aesthetic regimens. Assess the evolution of facial aesthetic treatments in patients receiving long-term continuous onabotulinumtoxinA treatment. This international retrospective chart review included patients with ≥5 years of continuous onabotulinumtoxinA treatments including ≥1 glabellar lines treatment/year. Charts were reviewed for facial areas treated, number of treatments, doses/treatment visit, concomitant aesthetic procedures, and onabotulinumtoxinA-related adverse events. Data were collected from 5,112 onabotulinumtoxinA treatment sessions for 194 patients over an average of 9.1 years. Dosing was relatively stable over time; however, interinjection intervals increased. Glabellar lines' treatment temporally preceded crow's feet lines and forehead lines' treatment. A majority of patients (85%) also received treatment with fillers. Cumulative increases in onabotulinumtoxinA treatments occurred over time and by facial area corresponding with increases in treatments with injectable fillers, energy-based devices, and prescription topical creams. The longer the patients were treated, the younger they perceived themselves to look. Rates of adverse events were low. OnabotulinumtoxinA treatment evolved over time, coinciding with growth of the facial aesthetics market. Additional treatment modalities were added as complements to onabotulinumtoxinA. Long-term continuous onabotulinumtoxinA injections are an important component of contemporary facial aesthetic treatment regimens.

  14. 32 CFR 724.218 - Limitation-Continuance and Postponements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Limitation-Continuance and Postponements. 724... Limitation—Continuance and Postponements. (a) A continuance of a discharge review hearing may be authorized... continuance is of reasonable duration and is essential to achieving a full and fair hearing. When a proposal...

  15. Severe postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal delivery: a statistical process control chart to report seven years of continuous quality improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dupont, Corinne; Occelli, Pauline; Deneux-Tharaux, Catherine; Touzet, Sandrine; Duclos, Antoine; Bouvier-Colle, Marie-Hélène; Rudigoz, René-Charles; Huissoud, Cyril

    2014-07-01

    Severe postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal delivery: a statistical process control chart to report seven years of continuous quality improvement To use statistical process control charts to describe trends in the prevalence of severe postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal delivery. This assessment was performed 7 years after we initiated a continuous quality improvement programme that began with regular criteria-based audits Observational descriptive study, in a French maternity unit in the Rhône-Alpes region. Quarterly clinical audit meetings to analyse all cases of severe postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal delivery and provide feedback on quality of care with statistical process control tools. The primary outcomes were the prevalence of severe PPH after vaginal delivery and its quarterly monitoring with a control chart. The secondary outcomes included the global quality of care for women with severe postpartum haemorrhage, including the performance rate of each recommended procedure. Differences in these variables between 2005 and 2012 were tested. From 2005 to 2012, the prevalence of severe postpartum haemorrhage declined significantly, from 1.2% to 0.6% of vaginal deliveries (pcontrol limits, that is, been out of statistical control. The proportion of cases that were managed consistently with the guidelines increased for all of their main components. Implementation of continuous quality improvement efforts began seven years ago and used, among other tools, statistical process control charts. During this period, the prevalence of severe postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal delivery has been reduced by 50%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The development of multisensory speech perception continues into the late childhood years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Lars A; Molholm, Sophie; Blanco, Daniella; Gomez-Ramirez, Manuel; Saint-Amour, Dave; Foxe, John J

    2011-06-01

    Observing a speaker's articulations substantially improves the intelligibility of spoken speech, especially under noisy listening conditions. This multisensory integration of speech inputs is crucial to effective communication. Appropriate development of this ability has major implications for children in classroom and social settings, and deficits in it have been linked to a number of neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autism. It is clear from structural imaging studies that there is a prolonged maturational course within regions of the perisylvian cortex that persists into late childhood, and these regions have been firmly established as being crucial to speech and language functions. Given this protracted maturational timeframe, we reasoned that multisensory speech processing might well show a similarly protracted developmental course. Previous work in adults has shown that audiovisual enhancement in word recognition is most apparent within a restricted range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Here, we investigated when these properties emerge during childhood by testing multisensory speech recognition abilities in typically developing children aged between 5 and 14 years, and comparing them with those of adults. By parametrically varying SNRs, we found that children benefited significantly less from observing visual articulations, displaying considerably less audiovisual enhancement. The findings suggest that improvement in the ability to recognize speech-in-noise and in audiovisual integration during speech perception continues quite late into the childhood years. The implication is that a considerable amount of multisensory learning remains to be achieved during the later schooling years, and that explicit efforts to accommodate this learning may well be warranted. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2011 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. No claim to original US government works.

  17. Dynamical Downscaling of NASA/GISS ModelE: Continuous, Multi-Year WRF Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otte, T.; Bowden, J. H.; Nolte, C. G.; Otte, M. J.; Herwehe, J. A.; Faluvegi, G.; Shindell, D. T.

    2010-12-01

    The WRF Model is being used at the U.S. EPA for dynamical downscaling of the NASA/GISS ModelE fields to assess regional impacts of climate change in the United States. The WRF model has been successfully linked to the ModelE fields in their raw hybrid vertical coordinate, and continuous, multi-year WRF downscaling simulations have been performed. WRF will be used to downscale decadal time slices of ModelE for recent past, current, and future climate as the simulations being conducted for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report become available. This presentation will focus on the sensitivity to interior nudging within the RCM. The use of interior nudging for downscaled regional climate simulations has been somewhat controversial over the past several years but has been recently attracting attention. Several recent studies that have used reanalysis (i.e., verifiable) fields as a proxy for GCM input have shown that interior nudging can be beneficial toward achieving the desired downscaled fields. In this study, the value of nudging will be shown using fields from ModelE that are downscaled using WRF. Several different methods of nudging are explored, and it will be shown that the method of nudging and the choices made with respect to how nudging is used in WRF are critical to balance the constraint of ModelE against the freedom of WRF to develop its own fields.

  18. Teaching Science in the early years of primary education from the perspective STS: a work proposal facing the technological artifacts that guide the daily lives of students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiane Fabri

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the results of a study with sixteen students of 2nd year 2nd cycle of the early years of the School Municipal Network of the city of Ponta Grossa in relation to the technological artifacts of everyday life. The study objective was to provide students with a scientific and technological literacy, an approach STS (Science, Technology and Society, starting from the main theme proposed by Resources Technology proposed by the National Curriculum in Sciences. The methodological approach was qualitative interpretative with participant observation. Among the organized activities can be mentioned: a visit to a recycling cooperative, interview with a scientist, presentations, mini-lessons for students, making folders, written productions, as well as a Technology Fair where students made presentations to the community school and parents. At the end of the study, it was noticed that students already could make reflections on social issues of scientific and technological development, but we emphasize the need to continue these discussions taking place during their school life, since it is believed that only this way the reflective stance on Science and Technology will be internalized. Please note that these are data of a dissertation in the Graduate Program in Teaching Science and Technology of the Technological Federal University of Paraná, Campus Ponta Grossa (UTFPR, Brazil.

  19. 77 FR 64311 - Potential Market Impact of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Materials Plan; National Defense...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-19

    ... actually be associated with the two material research and development projects will depend on the market... Market Impact of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Materials Plan; National Defense Stockpile Market... Stockpile Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State, is seeking public...

  20. Usability, Quality, Value and E-Learning Continuance Decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Chao-Min; Hsu, Meng-Hsiang; Sun, Szu-Yuan; Lin, Tung-Ching; Sun, Pei-Chen

    2005-01-01

    Previous research suggests that an eventual information technology (IT) success depend on both its initial adoption (acceptance) and subsequent continued usage (continuance). Expectancy disconfirmation theory (EDT) has been successfully used to predict users' intention to continue using information technologies. This study proposed a decomposed…

  1. A relativistic theory for continuous measurement of quantum fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diosi, L.

    1990-04-01

    A formal theory for the continuous measurement of relativistic quantum fields is proposed. The corresponding scattering equations were derived. The proposed formalism reduces to known equations in the Markovian case. Two recent models for spontaneous quantum state reduction have been recovered in the framework of this theory. A possible example of the relativistic continuous measurement has been outlined in standard Quantum Electrodynamics. The continuous measurement theory possesses an alternative formulation in terms of interacting quantum and stochastic fields. (author) 23 refs

  2. Continuity and Innovation. 25 years of simulator training for nuclear power plants in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindauer, E.

    2002-01-01

    The first training simulator for nuclear power plant personnel in Germany was commissioned twenty-five years ago. This date was rather early, both when measured by the development of the German nuclear power program and when compared with the international situation. This farsighted decision demonstrates the importance nuclear power plant operators attach to the sound training of plant personnel. The consistent, and also costly, further development over the past twenty-five years shows that this attitude has not changed. A modern simulator center was built at a total cost of approx. 250 million Euro which can be characterized briefly as follows: - 13 full simulators cover most specific features of existing nuclear power plants. These simulators are backfitted continuously and represent the current state of simulation technology. - Their experience over many years has allowed the staff of approx. 140 to accumulate a high level of know-how in training and simulator operation. Learning from experience is greatly assisted by the fact that all activities are concentrated at one center. - The way in which the center is organized ensures close cooperation with the nuclear power plants responsible for the training of their personnel. - There is a systematic training concept which is being actively developed further. Some of the main developments in recent years include training for emergencies; intensified training in behavioral aspects, such as communication and leadership; the use of simulators for emergency drills; testing of modifications, etc. (orig.) [de

  3. Effect of intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss, maintenance and cardiometabolic risk: A randomized 1-year trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundfør, T M; Svendsen, M; Tonstad, S

    2018-07-01

    Long-term adherence to conventional weight-loss diets is limited while intermittent fasting has risen in popularity. We compared the effects of intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss, maintenance and cardiometabolic risk factors in adults with abdominal obesity and ≥1 additional component of metabolic syndrome. In total 112 participants (men [50%] and women [50%]) aged 21-70 years with BMI 30-45 kg/m 2 (mean 35.2 [SD 3.7]) were randomized to intermittent or continuous energy restriction. A 6-month weight-loss phase including 10 visits with dieticians was followed by a 6-month maintenance phase without additional face-to-face counselling. The intermittent energy restriction group was advised to consume 400/600 kcal (female/male) on two non-consecutive days. Based on dietary records both groups reduced energy intake by ∼26-28%. Weight loss was similar among participants in the intermittent and continuous energy restriction groups (8.0 kg [SD 6.5] versus 9.0 kg [SD 7.1]; p = 0.6). There were favorable improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol with no difference between groups. Weight regain was minimal and similar between the intermittent and continuous energy restriction groups (1.1 kg [SD 3.8] versus 0.4 kg [SD 4.0]; p = 0.6). Intermittent restriction participants reported higher hunger scores than continuous restriction participants on a subjective numeric rating scale (4.7 [SD 2.2] vs 3.6 [SD 2.2]; p = 0.002). Both intermittent and continuous energy restriction resulted in similar weight loss, maintenance and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors after one year. However, feelings of hunger may be more pronounced during intermittent energy restriction. www.clinicaltrials.govNCT02480504. Copyright © 2018 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine

  4. Continuous Dropout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Xu; Tian, Xinmei; Liu, Tongliang; Xu, Fang; Tao, Dacheng

    2017-10-03

    Dropout has been proven to be an effective algorithm for training robust deep networks because of its ability to prevent overfitting by avoiding the co-adaptation of feature detectors. Current explanations of dropout include bagging, naive Bayes, regularization, and sex in evolution. According to the activation patterns of neurons in the human brain, when faced with different situations, the firing rates of neurons are random and continuous, not binary as current dropout does. Inspired by this phenomenon, we extend the traditional binary dropout to continuous dropout. On the one hand, continuous dropout is considerably closer to the activation characteristics of neurons in the human brain than traditional binary dropout. On the other hand, we demonstrate that continuous dropout has the property of avoiding the co-adaptation of feature detectors, which suggests that we can extract more independent feature detectors for model averaging in the test stage. We introduce the proposed continuous dropout to a feedforward neural network and comprehensively compare it with binary dropout, adaptive dropout, and DropConnect on Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research-10, Street View House Numbers, NORB, and ImageNet large scale visual recognition competition-12. Thorough experiments demonstrate that our method performs better in preventing the co-adaptation of feature detectors and improves test performance.

  5. Curvature-Continuous 3D Path-Planning Using QPMI Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong-Ryong Chang

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available It is impossible to achieve vertex movement and rapid velocity control in aerial robots and aerial vehicles because of momentum from the air. A continuous-curvature path ensures such robots and vehicles can fly with stable and continuous movements. General continuous path-planning methods use spline interpolation, for example B-spline and Bézier curves. However, these methods cannot be directly applied to continuous path planning in a 3D space. These methods use a subset of the waypoints to decide curvature and some waypoints are not included in the planned path. This paper proposes a method for constructing a curvature-continuous path in 3D space that includes every waypoint. The movements in each axis, x, y and z, are separated by the parameter u. Waypoint groups are formed, each with its own continuous path derived using quadratic polynomial interpolation. The membership function then combines each continuous path into one continuous path. The continuity of the path is verified and the curvature-continuous path is produced using the proposed method.

  6. PERCEIVED QUALITY AS A KEY ANTECEDENT IN CONTINUANCE INTENTION ON MOBILE COMMERCE

    OpenAIRE

    Hsiang-Ming Lee; Tsai Chen

    2014-01-01

    Based on the smart phone and 3G communication boom in recent years, mobile commerce has become increasingly popular. This study empirically investigated the continuance usage intention of m-commerce consumers. The proposed model is an extension of the expectation-confirmation model, with perceived quality as the antecedent variable of confirmation and perceived usefulness. This model employed three dimensions of perceived quality from DeLone and Mclean’s IS success model. Survey data were col...

  7. Ten years of continual monitoring of 222Rn concentration in Bratislava atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holy, K.; Bosa, I.; Polaskova, A.; Boehm, R.; Ondo-Estok, D.; Bulko, M.; Hola, O.

    2003-01-01

    By the continual monitoring we obtained the extensive set of radon data in Bratislava atmosphere covering the time period of 1991 - 2000. The average annual radon activity concentrations varied from 4.1 to 7.2 Bq/m 3 . In the years 1996 - 1999 the decreasing of the average annual radon concentration was observed. The average daily courses of the radon activity concentration for individual months calculated on the basis of all data from 1991 - 2000 have a form of waves with the maximum in morning hours and with the minimum in the afternoon. The maximal amplitude of daily wave was found out in August (2.9 Bq/m 3 ) and minimal in December (0.5 Bq/m 3 ). The average daily wave obtained as the mean off all data from years 1991 - 2000 reaches the maximum between 4 and 6 a. m. and the minimum between 2 and 4 p. m. The Rn-222 activity concentration reaches its average daily value equal to 5.6 Bq/m 3 at about 10 a. m and at 9 p. m. The amplitude of average daily wave is equal to 1.5 Bq/m 3 . The average annual radon course calculated on the basis of all the measured data reaches the minimum in April and the maximum in October with seasonal variation from 3.9 to 6.9 Bq/m 3 . The annual radon courses differ from each other for various periods of the day. (authors)

  8. Seventy years of continuous encroachment substantially increases 'blue carbon' capacity as mangroves replace intertidal salt marshes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelleway, Jeffrey J; Saintilan, Neil; Macreadie, Peter I; Skilbeck, Charles G; Zawadzki, Atun; Ralph, Peter J

    2016-03-01

    Shifts in ecosystem structure have been observed over recent decades as woody plants encroach upon grasslands and wetlands globally. The migration of mangrove forests into salt marsh ecosystems is one such shift which could have important implications for global 'blue carbon' stocks. To date, attempts to quantify changes in ecosystem function are essentially constrained to climate-mediated pulses (30 years or less) of encroachment occurring at the thermal limits of mangroves. In this study, we track the continuous, lateral encroachment of mangroves into two south-eastern Australian salt marshes over a period of 70 years and quantify corresponding changes in biomass and belowground C stores. Substantial increases in biomass and belowground C stores have resulted as mangroves replaced salt marsh at both marine and estuarine sites. After 30 years, aboveground biomass was significantly higher than salt marsh, with biomass continuing to increase with mangrove age. Biomass increased at the mesohaline river site by 130 ± 18 Mg biomass km(-2)  yr(-1) (mean ± SE), a 2.5 times higher rate than the marine embayment site (52 ± 10 Mg biomass km(-2) yr(-1) ), suggesting local constraints on biomass production. At both sites, and across all vegetation categories, belowground C considerably outweighed aboveground biomass stocks, with belowground C stocks increasing at up to 230 ± 62 Mg C km(-2) yr(-1) (± SE) as mangrove forests developed. Over the past 70 years, we estimate mangrove encroachment may have already enhanced intertidal biomass by up to 283 097 Mg and belowground C stocks by over 500 000 Mg in the state of New South Wales alone. Under changing climatic conditions and rising sea levels, global blue carbon storage may be enhanced as mangrove encroachment becomes more widespread, thereby countering global warming. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Private Gifts to Colleges Continued to Climb in 2008: But a Slowdown Is Forecast as Gifts This Year Already Are in Decline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masterson, Kathryn

    2009-01-01

    Strengthened by a healthy year-end finish in 2007, private giving to colleges and universities remained strong in the 2008 fiscal year, according to a report released last week by the Council for Aid to Education. The past few months have battered hopes that this trend will continue, at least in the next couple of years. Colleges brought in an…

  10. Automatic penalty continuation in structural topology optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rojas Labanda, Susana; Stolpe, Mathias

    2015-01-01

    this issue is addressed. We propose an automatic continuation method, where the material penalization parameter is included as a new variable in the problem and a constraint guarantees that the requested penalty is eventually reached. The numerical results suggest that this approach is an appealing...... alternative to continuation methods. Automatic continuation also generally obtains better designs than the classical formulation using a reduced number of iterations....

  11. Pulsed Light Accelerated Crosslinking versus Continuous Light Accelerated Crosslinking: One-Year Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cosimo Mazzotta

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To compare functional results in two cohorts of patients undergoing epithelium-off pulsed (pl-ACXL and continuous light accelerated corneal collagen crosslinking (cl-ACXL with dextran-free riboflavin solution and high-fluence ultraviolet A irradiation. Design. It is a prospective, comparative, and interventional clinical study. Methods. 20 patients affected by progressive keratoconus were enrolled in the study. 10 eyes of 10 patients underwent an epithelium-off pl-ACXL by the KXL UV-A source (Avedro Inc., Waltham, MS, USA with 8 minutes (1 sec. on/1 sec. off of UV-A exposure at 30 mW/cm2 and energy dose of 7.2 J/cm2; 10 eyes of 10 patients underwent an epithelium-off cl-ACXL at 30 mW/cm2 for 4 minutes. Riboflavin 0.1% dextran-free solution was used for a 10-minutes corneal soaking. Patients underwent clinical examination of uncorrected distance visual acuity and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and CDVA, corneal topography and aberrometry (CSO EyeTop, Florence, Italy, corneal OCT optical pachymetry (Cirrus OCT, Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany, endothelial cells count (I-Conan Non Co Robot, and in vivo scanning laser confocal microscopy (Heidelberg, Germany at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. Results. Functional results one year after cl-ACXL and pl-ACXL demonstrated keratoconus stability in both groups. Functional outcomes were found to be better in epithelium-off pulsed light accelerated treatment together with showing a deeper stromal penetration. No endothelial damage was recorded during the follow-up in both groups. Conclusions. The study confirmed that oxygen represents the main driver of collagen crosslinking reaction. Pulsed light treatment optimized intraoperative oxygen availability improving postoperative functional outcomes compared with continuous light treatment.

  12. Continuous spin fields of mixed-symmetry type

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkalaev, Konstantin; Grigoriev, Maxim

    2018-03-01

    We propose a description of continuous spin massless fields of mixed-symmetry type in Minkowski space at the level of equations of motion. It is based on the appropriately modified version of the constrained system originally used to describe massless bosonic fields of mixed-symmetry type. The description is shown to produce generalized versions of triplet, metric-like, and light-cone formulations. In particular, for scalar continuous spin fields we reproduce the Bekaert-Mourad formulation and the Schuster-Toro formulation. Because a continuous spin system inevitably involves infinite number of fields, specification of the allowed class of field configurations becomes a part of its definition. We show that the naive choice leads to an empty system and propose a suitable class resulting in the correct degrees of freedom. We also demonstrate that the gauge symmetries present in the formulation are all Stueckelberg-like so that the continuous spin system is not a genuine gauge theory.

  13. a Continuous-Time Positive Linear System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyungsup Kim

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses a computational method to construct positive realizations with sparse matrices for continuous-time positive linear systems with multiple complex poles. To construct a positive realization of a continuous-time system, we use a Markov sequence similar to the impulse response sequence that is used in the discrete-time case. The existence of the proposed positive realization can be analyzed with the concept of a polyhedral convex cone. We provide a constructive algorithm to compute positive realizations with sparse matrices of some positive systems under certain conditions. A sufficient condition for the existence of a positive realization, under which the proposed constructive algorithm works well, is analyzed.

  14. Environmental Assessment for the proposed modification and continued operation of the DIII-D facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-07-01

    The EA evaluates the proposed action of modifying the DIII-D fusion facility and conducting related research activities at the GA San Diego site over 1995-1999 under DOE contract number DE-ACO3-89ER51114. The proposed action is need to advance magnetic fusion research for future generation fusion devices such as ITER and TPX. It was determined that the proposed action is not a major action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment according to NEPA; therefore a finding of no significant impact is made and an environmental impact statement is not required

  15. Environmental Assessment for the proposed modification and continued operation of the DIII-D facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-07-01

    The EA evaluates the proposed action of modifying the DIII-D fusion facility and conducting related research activities at the GA San Diego site over 1995-1999 under DOE contract number DE-ACO3-89ER51114. The proposed action is need to advance magnetic fusion research for future generation fusion devices such as ITER and TPX. It was determined that the proposed action is not a major action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment according to NEPA; therefore a finding of no significant impact is made and an environmental impact statement is not required.

  16. The research design: a proposal for integration in the third year of the program of physical culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marbelia Cantillo Vento

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available In order to achieve a future competent graduate from the Faculty of Physical Culture (FPC, it is important to develop a high quality teaching, where the evaluation is the component of the PDE, that allows issuing a valuable judgment about the appropriation of knowledge. Under the assumption that the evaluation is «a complex and continuous process of assessment of pedagogical situations, their results and the contexts and conditions in which they occur. In this framework, we propose the significance and meaning of «integrative evaluation», which is a privileged integrator moment in the process of construction of scholar knowledge. Even if, the integrative evaluation may be considered in a clearly differentiated moment, its construction may face a procedural and final character. Taking this definition as a starting point and taking into consideration the major shortcomings shown in previous exercises, we find that there are: -limitations when addressing the evaluations, that aim a content integration, -insufficient integration of previous knowledge knowledge and the role of the students, -poor guidance to follow the logic of the systematic principle, and the spiral evolution of knowledge by transferring the knowledge to new situations, -difficulties in building a reflective and creative thinking, that allows the student to «get to the core», by establishing links and relationships, necessary to apply the content to social practice, so that it gives solutions to problems in general. The following investigation aim to find an approach to a more efficient and integrating exam in the third year of the program of Physical Culture.

  17. Continuing Long Term Optical and Infrared Reverberation Mapping of 17 Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorjian, Varoujan; Barth, Aaron; Brandt, Niel; Dawson, Kyle; Green, Paul; Ho, Luis; Horne, Keith; Jiang, Linhua; McGreer, Ian; Schneider, Donald; Shen, Yue; Tao, Charling

    2018-05-01

    Previous Spitzer reverberation monitoring projects searching for UV/optical light absorbed and re-emitted in the IR by dust have been limited to low luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN) that could potentially show reverberation within a single cycle ( 1 year). Cycle 11-12's two year baseline allowed for the reverberation mapping of 17 high-luminosity quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project. We continued this monitoring in Cycle 13 and now propose to extend this program in Cycle 14. By combining ground-based monitoring from Pan-STARRS, CFHT, and Steward Observatory telescopes with Spitzer data we have for the first time detected dust reverberation in quasars. By continuing observations with this unqiue combination of resources we should detect reverberation in more objects and reduce the uncertainties for the remaining sources.

  18. 76 FR 70156 - Proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-10

    ... Analysis for the OCS 5-Year Program 2012-2017: Theory and Methodology (BOEM 050-2011), a paper containing a..., which remain the two areas of highest resource potential and interest, the Proposed Program schedules..., and setting the fiscal terms and conditions by individual lease sale, based on a current assessment of...

  19. Transformations Based on Continuous Piecewise-Affine Velocity Fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Freifeld, Oren; Hauberg, Søren; Batmanghelich, Kayhan

    2017-01-01

    We propose novel finite-dimensional spaces of well-behaved transformations. The latter are obtained by (fast and highly-accurate) integration of continuous piecewise-affine velocity fields. The proposed method is simple yet highly expressive, effortlessly handles optional constraints (e.g., volum...

  20. Prognosis and continuity of child mental health problems from preschool to primary school: results of a four-year longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyer, Thomas; Postert, Christian; Müller, Jörg M; Furniss, Tilman

    2012-08-01

    In a four-year longitudinal study, changes in and continuity of behavioral and emotional problems were examined in 814 subjects from kindergarten to primary school. Mental health problems were assessed by means of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The distribution of the CBCL broadband groups revealed a high level of continuity of internalizing symptoms over the four-year period and a shift from externalizing symptoms at baseline towards a combination of internalizing and externalizing symptoms at follow-up. The presence of mental health problems at follow-up was correlated with gender (higher amongst boys), pre-existing mental health problems at baseline, and separation or divorce of the parents, but not with single-family status or the age and educational level of the mother. The increasing number of children with a combination of internalizing and externalizing symptoms demonstrates the increasing complexity of child mental health problems in the developmental span from preschool age to school age.

  1. 76 FR 63238 - Proximity Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-12

    ... Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health... Agency's proposed rule addressing Proximity Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in... proposed rule for Proximity Detection Systems on Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines. Due...

  2. A New Continuous-Time Equality-Constrained Optimization to Avoid Singularity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quan, Quan; Cai, Kai-Yuan

    2016-02-01

    In equality-constrained optimization, a standard regularity assumption is often associated with feasible point methods, namely, that the gradients of constraints are linearly independent. In practice, the regularity assumption may be violated. In order to avoid such a singularity, a new projection matrix is proposed based on which a feasible point method to continuous-time, equality-constrained optimization is developed. First, the equality constraint is transformed into a continuous-time dynamical system with solutions that always satisfy the equality constraint. Second, a new projection matrix without singularity is proposed to realize the transformation. An update (or say a controller) is subsequently designed to decrease the objective function along the solutions of the transformed continuous-time dynamical system. The invariance principle is then applied to analyze the behavior of the solution. Furthermore, the proposed method is modified to address cases in which solutions do not satisfy the equality constraint. Finally, the proposed optimization approach is applied to three examples to demonstrate its effectiveness.

  3. Factors associated with a continuous regular analgesic use - a population-based study of more than 45,000 Danish women and men 18-45 years of age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hargreave, Marie; Andersen, Tina Veje; Nielsen, Ann; Munk, Christian; Liaw, Kai-Li; Kjaer, Susanne K

    2010-01-01

    Widespread use of and serious adverse effects associated with use of analgesics accentuates the need to consider factors related to analgesic use. The objective of this study was to describe continuous regular analgesics use and examine factors associated with a continuous regular analgesic use. The study was based on data from two surveys and included a random sample of women and men aged 18-45 years from the general Danish population. Information on analgesics use, self-rated health, demographic and lifestyle factors was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 28,000 women and 33 000 men were invited to participate and 22,199 women (response-rate 81.4%) and 23,080 men (response-rate 71.0%), respectively, were included in the study. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. We found that 27% of the women and 18% of the men reported a regular monthly use of at least seven analgesic tablets during the last year (continuous regular analgesics use). Besides poor self-rated health we found in both sexes that increasing age, poor self-rated fitness, and smoking were related to a continuous regular analgesics use. Nulliparity, low level of education, overweight/obesity, binge drinking, and abstinence were associated with a continuous regular analgesics use for women, while underweight and marital/cohabiting status were associated with a continuous regular analgesics use only for men. Regular monthly analgesic use during the last year was generally prevalent. Besides self-rated health, several socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were associated with a continuous regular analgesic use, although with some gender differences.

  4. Simulation-Based Prediction of Equivalent Continuous Noises during Construction Processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hong; Pei, Yun

    2016-08-12

    Quantitative prediction of construction noise is crucial to evaluate construction plans to help make decisions to address noise levels. Considering limitations of existing methods for measuring or predicting the construction noise and particularly the equivalent continuous noise level over a period of time, this paper presents a discrete-event simulation method for predicting the construction noise in terms of equivalent continuous level. The noise-calculating models regarding synchronization, propagation and equivalent continuous level are presented. The simulation framework for modeling the noise-affected factors and calculating the equivalent continuous noise by incorporating the noise-calculating models into simulation strategy is proposed. An application study is presented to demonstrate and justify the proposed simulation method in predicting the equivalent continuous noise during construction. The study contributes to provision of a simulation methodology to quantitatively predict the equivalent continuous noise of construction by considering the relevant uncertainties, dynamics and interactions.

  5. [Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in children less than 6 years-old: long-term progress].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colino, Esmeralda; Martín Frías, María; Roldán, Belén; Álvarez, María Ángeles; Yelmo, Rosa; Barrio, Raquel

    2017-11-01

    The aims of the study are to evaluate the efficacy and safety of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) treatment in pre-school children with type I diabetes, and to assess whether the criteria of good metabolic control are achieved. A review was performed on the medical charts of patient's180mg/dl), and hypoglycaemia (<70mg/dl), mean blood glucose, standard deviation and coefficient of variation (SD/mean glucose ×100). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. HbA1c decreased from 6.9% (6.7-7.5) to 6.8% (6.4-7.1) after one year of CSII. Afterwards, it remained under 6.8% during the follow-up (median 5 years [3-6]). Prior to CSII, 74% of children had HbA1c levels < 7.5%. It increased to 96% after one year of CSII. Median blood glucose measurements /day was 10 (9-11). Total insulin dose did not change significantly. During the follow-up, there was one episode of DKA and one episode of HS. I/HC at breakfast were higher than at other meals (0.92 vs. 0.55, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively). CSII is effective and safe in pre-school children. It allows good metabolic control (based on Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes / American Diabetes Association criteria) to be achieved and maintained for long periods of time without an increase in adverse events. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  6. Surface air concentration and deposition of lead-210 in French Guiana: two years of continuous monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Melieres, Marie-Antoinette E-mail: melieres@glaciog.ujf-grenoble.fr; Pourchet, Michel; Richard, Sandrine

    2003-07-01

    To make up for the lack of data on {sup 210}Pb aerosol deposition in tropical regions and to use this radionuclide as an aerosol tracer,a monitoring station was run for two years at Petit-Saut, French Guiana. Lead-210 concentration in air at ground level was monitored continuously together with atmospheric total deposition. The air concentration has a mean value of 0.23{+-}0.02 mBq m{sup -3} during both wet and dry seasons, and it is only weakly affected by the precipitation mechanism. This result was unexpected in a wet tropical region, with a high precipitation rate. In contrast, deposition clearly correlates with precipitation for low/moderate rainfall (<15 cm per 15-day), while this correlation is masked by strong fluctuations at high rainfall. The estimated mean annual deposition over the last ten years is 163{+-}75 Bq m{sup -2} y{sup -1}. This provides a procedure fo estimating this mean flux at other sites in French Guiana.

  7. Energy strategy of the Republic of Croatia by the year 2020 (Proposal); Energetska strategija Republike Hrvatske do 2020. godine (Prijedlog)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramberger, V [Ministry of Economy, Zagreb (Croatia); Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Croatia, Project PROHES

    1997-12-31

    In this paper a proposal on the `Energy strategy of the Republic of Croatia by the year 2020` has been presented. The proposal has been worked out on the basis of the preliminary results of the project `Croatian energy sector development and organization` - PROHES printed in July 1995. The discussion on the strategy has been carried out in the bodies of the PROHES (Board of Directors and Experts Council) and supplemented with suggestions on the discussion. (author). 11 figs., 5 tabs.

  8. Continuous-variable quantum games

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Hui; Du Jiangfeng; Massar, Serge

    2002-01-01

    We investigate the quantization of games in which the players can access to a continuous set of classical strategies, making use of continuous-variable quantum systems. For the particular case of the Cournot's duopoly, we find that, even though the two players both act as 'selfishly' in the quantum game as they do in the classical game, they are found to virtually cooperate due to the quantum entanglement between them. We also find that the original Einstein-Podolksy-Rosen state contributes to the best profits that the two firms could ever attain. Moreover, we propose a practical experimental setup for the implementation of such quantum games

  9. NONLINEAR PLANT PIECEWISE-CONTINUOUS MODEL MATRIX PARAMETERS ESTIMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roman L. Leibov

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a nonlinear plant piecewise-continuous model matrix parameters estimation technique using nonlinear model time responses and random search method. One of piecewise-continuous model application areas is defined. The results of proposed approach application for aircraft turbofan engine piecewisecontinuous model formation are presented

  10. Baseline budgeting for continuous improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilty, G L

    1999-05-01

    This article is designed to introduce the techniques used to convert traditionally maintained department budgets to baseline budgets. This entails identifying key activities, evaluating for value-added, and implementing continuous improvement opportunities. Baseline Budgeting for Continuous Improvement was created as a result of a newly named company president's request to implement zero-based budgeting. The president was frustrated with the mind-set of the organization, namely, "Next year's budget should be 10 to 15 percent more than this year's spending." Zero-based budgeting was not the answer, but combining the principles of activity-based costing and the Just-in-Time philosophy of eliminating waste and continuous improvement did provide a solution to the problem.

  11. Twenty-five-year experience with the Björk-Shiley convexoconcave heart valve: a continuing clinical concern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blot, William J; Ibrahim, Michel A; Ivey, Tom D; Acheson, Donald E; Brookmeyer, Ron; Weyman, Arthur; Defauw, Joseph; Smith, J Kermit; Harrison, Donald

    2005-05-31

    The first Björk-Shiley convexoconcave (BSCC) prosthetic heart valves were implanted in 1978. The 25th anniversary provided a stimulus to summarize the research data relevant to BSCC valve fracture, patient management, and current clinical options. Published and unpublished data on the risks of BSCC valve fracture and replacement were compiled, and strategies for identifying candidates for prophylactic valve reoperation were summarized. By December 2003, outlet strut fractures (OSFs), often with fatal outcomes, had been reported in 633 BSCC valves (0.7% of 86,000 valves implanted). Fractures still continue to occur, but average rates of OSFs in 60 degrees valves are now valve characteristics, especially valve angle and size, with weaker effects associated with other manufacturing variables. OSF risks are mildly lower among women than men but decline sharply with advancing age. The risks of valve replacement typically greatly exceed those of OSF. By comparing individualized estimated risks of OSF versus valve replacement, guidelines have been developed to identify the small percentage of BSCC patients (mostly younger men) who would be expected to have a gain in life expectancy should reoperative surgery be performed. Twenty-five years after the initial BSCC valve implants, fractures continue to occur. Continued monitoring of BSCC patients is needed to track and quantify risks and enable periodic updating of guidelines for patients and their physicians.

  12. A continuation multilevel Monte Carlo algorithm

    KAUST Repository

    Collier, Nathan; Haji Ali, Abdul Lateef; Nobile, Fabio; von Schwerin, Erik; Tempone, Raul

    2014-01-01

    We propose a novel Continuation Multi Level Monte Carlo (CMLMC) algorithm for weak approximation of stochastic models. The CMLMC algorithm solves the given approximation problem for a sequence of decreasing tolerances, ending when the required error

  13. Numerical Continuation Methods for Intrusive Uncertainty Quantification Studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Safta, Cosmin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Najm, Habib N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Phipps, Eric Todd [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2014-09-01

    Rigorous modeling of engineering systems relies on efficient propagation of uncertainty from input parameters to model outputs. In recent years, there has been substantial development of probabilistic polynomial chaos (PC) Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) methods, enabling studies in expensive computational models. One approach, termed ”intrusive”, involving reformulation of the governing equations, has been found to have superior computational performance compared to non-intrusive sampling-based methods in relevant large-scale problems, particularly in the context of emerging architectures. However, the utility of intrusive methods has been severely limited due to detrimental numerical instabilities associated with strong nonlinear physics. Previous methods for stabilizing these constructions tend to add unacceptably high computational costs, particularly in problems with many uncertain parameters. In order to address these challenges, we propose to adapt and improve numerical continuation methods for the robust time integration of intrusive PC system dynamics. We propose adaptive methods, starting with a small uncertainty for which the model has stable behavior and gradually moving to larger uncertainty where the instabilities are rampant, in a manner that provides a suitable solution.

  14. The change in lifestyle data during 9 years: the reliability and continuity of baseline health practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koetaka, Hanayo; Ohno, Yuko; Morimoto, Kanehisa

    2013-07-01

    To reveal change patterns in self-reported lifestyle data for 9 years, and examine the characteristics of changes by type of lifestyle and ageing. The authors used the lifestyle data of 7,080 male workers aged 20-59 who received checkups for 9 years. The proportions of change patterns during the 9 years were determined in seven health practices; smoking, eating breakfast, sleeping hours, working hours, physical exercise, eating nutritional balanced diets, and mental stress. Among seven health practices, the keep rate of good health practice was highest for the non-smoking (90.8 %), followed by eating breakfast (69.0 %);and the lowest was physical exercise (13.7 %). The keep rate of poor health practice was highest for smoking (73.8 %), followed by non-physical exercise (67.1 %). The lowest rate of multiple changes during 10 years was smoking (7.1 %); the highest was mental stress (68.5 %). As for the life style on smoking and eating breakfast seemed to be stable, using the data obtained at a specific point in time wouldn't much affect the results. On the contrary, for other life styles, they showed poor continuity during 9 years, so it would be necessary to take into consideration the time point of data collection.

  15. A 60-year ocean colour data set from the continuous plankton recorder

    KAUST Repository

    Raitsos, Dionysios E.

    2012-11-20

    The phytoplankton colour index (PCI) of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey is an in situ measure of ocean colour, which is considered a proxy of the phytoplankton biomass. PCI has been extensively used to describe the major spatiotemporal patterns of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea since 1931. Regardless of its wide application, the lack of an adequate evaluation to test the PCI\\'s quantitative nature is an important limitation. To address this concern, a field trial over the main production season has been undertaken to assess the numerical values assigned by previous investigations for each category of the greenness of the PCI. CPRs were towed across the English Channel from Roscoff to Plymouth consecutively for each of 8 months producing 76 standard CPR samples, each representing 10 nautical miles of tow. The results of this experiment test and update the PCI methodology, and confirm the validity of this long-term in situ ocean colour data set. In addition, using a 60-year time series of the PCI of the western English Channel, a comparison is made between the previous and the current revised experimental calculations of PCI. © 2012 The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  16. A 60-year ocean colour data set from the continuous plankton recorder

    KAUST Repository

    Raitsos, Dionysios E.; Walne, Anthony W.; Lavender, Sam; Licandro, Priscilla; Reid, Philip Chris; Edwards, Martin

    2012-01-01

    The phytoplankton colour index (PCI) of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey is an in situ measure of ocean colour, which is considered a proxy of the phytoplankton biomass. PCI has been extensively used to describe the major spatiotemporal patterns of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea since 1931. Regardless of its wide application, the lack of an adequate evaluation to test the PCI's quantitative nature is an important limitation. To address this concern, a field trial over the main production season has been undertaken to assess the numerical values assigned by previous investigations for each category of the greenness of the PCI. CPRs were towed across the English Channel from Roscoff to Plymouth consecutively for each of 8 months producing 76 standard CPR samples, each representing 10 nautical miles of tow. The results of this experiment test and update the PCI methodology, and confirm the validity of this long-term in situ ocean colour data set. In addition, using a 60-year time series of the PCI of the western English Channel, a comparison is made between the previous and the current revised experimental calculations of PCI. © 2012 The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  17. Coordination in continuously repeated games

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Weeren, A.J.T.M.; Schumacher, J.M.; Engwerda, J.C.

    1995-01-01

    In this paper we propose a model to describe the effectiveness of coordination in a continuously repeated two-player game. We study how the choice of a decision rule by a coordinator affects the strategic behavior of the players, resulting in more or less cooperation. Our model requires the analysis

  18. Continuous EEG signal analysis for asynchronous BCI application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Wei-Yen

    2011-08-01

    In this study, we propose a two-stage recognition system for continuous analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. An independent component analysis (ICA) and correlation coefficient are used to automatically eliminate the electrooculography (EOG) artifacts. Based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and Student's two-sample t-statistics, active segment selection then detects the location of active segment in the time-frequency domain. Next, multiresolution fractal feature vectors (MFFVs) are extracted with the proposed modified fractal dimension from wavelet data. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) is adopted for the robust classification of MFFVs. The EEG signals are continuously analyzed in 1-s segments, and every 0.5 second moves forward to simulate asynchronous BCI works in the two-stage recognition architecture. The segment is first recognized as lifted or not in the first stage, and then is classified as left or right finger lifting at stage two if the segment is recognized as lifting in the first stage. Several statistical analyses are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. The results indicate that it is a promising system in the applications of asynchronous BCI work.

  19. Radiological consequences of proposed landfilling of low-level radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drake, P.

    1991-01-01

    A proposal for landfilling of low-level radioactive waste (100 GBq in 10 000 m 3 ) at Ringhals Nuclear Power Plants was sent to the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute (SRPI) in 1989. In 1990, slight changes were made to the proposal to overcome the conventional risks of landfilling. In the proposed method, most of the low-level wastes is compacted and put into sealed plastic packages. The waste is then placed on a sand-moraine bed above a level-blasted rock surface. The area above and between the waste packages is filled with a sand-seashell mixture for pH adjustment of any waster infiltrating into the site. The whole deposit is covered with a least 50 cm of moraine in order to attenuate most of the radiation form the waste and to prevent rainwater from reaching the waste. Downstream from the deposit, there is a retention bed made of seashells and seaweed. Any small quantities of water from the deposit passing through the retention bed, as well as rainwater, will continue out to the sea. Use of this method will most probably not lead to an increase in the radiation dose to people outside the site. In the rather improbable case of intrusion into the deposit after 50 years, a maximum dose of 10 μSv per year would be received. If all the radioactivity were to be transported to the sea in one year, as a results of the breakdown of all the barrier, an individual eating fish caught in the vicinity of the site would receive less than 25 μSv during the following year. In the worst case, if the waste ignites prior to, or during landfilling, individuals living at a distance of 1 km from the fire could receive a dose of less than 20 μSv. (au)

  20. Environmental assessment of the proposed Continuous Wave Deuterium Demonstrator (CWDD)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-03-01

    An assessment was made of the potential environmental impacts of construction and operation of the Continuous Wave Deuterium Demonstrator (CWDD) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), including an evaluation of alternative actions. Key elements considered were on- and off-site radiological effects and potential impacts to cultural resources. The radiological consequences of routine operations of the CWDD are readily reduced to insignificant levels by bulk shielding, confinement, and containment. The radiation dose to the maximally exposed off-site individual would be 0.52 mrem/yr from direct radiation and 1.2 x 10 -3 mrem/yr from airborne radionuclides, based on maximum planned facility operation. The maximum credible postulated accident would result in a dose to the maximally exposed individual of less than 20 mrem. A cultural resource survey has determined that the location for the CWDD has, no cultural resource sites or materials and construction is permitted by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Demands for utility services would require only about two percent of excess capacity already installed at Argonne. Other environmental impact categories were considered, including socioeconomic effects, aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna, wetlands, and water and air quality

  1. Genesis and continuity of quaternary sand and gravel in glacigenic sediment at a proposed low-level radioactive waste disposal site in east-central Illinois

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troost, K.G.; Curry, B. Brandon

    1991-01-01

    The Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety has characterized the Martinsville Alternative Site (MAS) for a proposed low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. The MAS is located in east-central Illinois approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) north of the city of Martinsville. Geologic investigation of the 5.5-km2 (1380-acre) site revealed a sequence of chiefly Illinoian glacigenic sediments from 6 to 60 m (20-200 ft) thick overlying two major bedrock valleys carved in Pennsylvanian strata. Relatively permeable buried units include basal, preglacial alluvium; a complex of intraglacial and subglacial sediment; englacial deposits; and supraglacial fluvial deposits. Postglacial alluvium underlies stream valleys on and adjacent to the site. In most areas, the buried sand units are confined by low-permeability till, lacustrine sediment, colluvium, and loess. The distribution and thickness of the most extensive and continuous buried sand units have been modified considerably by subglacial erosion, and their distributions have been influenced by the buried bedrock valleys. The most continuous of the various sand units were deposited as preglacial and postglacial alluvium and are the uppermost and lowermost stratigraphic units at the alternative site. Sand units that were deposited in englacial or ice-marginal environments are less continuous. Aquifer pumping tests, potentiometric head data, and groundwater geochemistry analyses indicate minimal interaction of groundwater across localized interconnections of the permeable units. ?? 1991 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

  2. Proposal for charges and safety guarantees for the year 2000 according to the law (1992:1537) on financing of future costs for spent nuclear fuel a o (the financing law)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-10-01

    The Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate proposes that the mean charges for 2000 be decreased to the level of 0.011 SEK/kWh, which means a decrease with 0.002 SEK/kWh. SKI also proposes that the nuclear power plants owners should continue to guarantee certain amounts for unplanned events. The calculation methods and models are discussed in the report

  3. Airline business continuity and IT disaster recovery sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haji, Jassim

    2016-01-01

    Business continuity is defined as the capability of the organisation to continue delivery of products or services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive incident. Business continuity is fast evolving to become a critical and strategic decision for any organisation. Transportation in general, and airlines in particular, is a unique sector with a specialised set of requirements, challenges and opportunities. Business continuity in the airline sector is a concept that is generally overlooked by the airline managements. This paper reviews different risks related to airline processes and will also propose solutions to these risks based on experiences and good industry practices.

  4. Aeronautics Education, Research, and Industry Alliance (AERIAL) Progress Report and Proposal for Funding Continuation NASA Nebraska EPSCoR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowen, Brent; Fink, Mary; Gogos, George; Moussavi, Massoum; Nickerson, Jocelyn; Rundquist, Donald; Russell, Valerie; Tarry, Scott

    2004-01-01

    The Aeronautics Education, Research, and Industry Alliance (AERIAL), which began as a comprehensive, multi-faceted NASA EPSCoR 2000 initiative, has contributed substantially to the strategic research and technology priorities of NASA, while intensifying Nebraska's rapidly growing aeronautics research and development endeavors. AERIAL has enabled Nebraska researchers to: (a) continue strengthening their collaborative relationships with NASA Field Centers, Codes, and Enterprises; (b) increase the capacity of higher education throughout Nebraska to invigorate and expand aeronautics research; and (c) expedite the development of aeronautics-related research infrastructure and industry in the state. Nebraska has placed emphasis on successfully securing additional funds from non-EPSCoR and non-NASA sources. AERIAL researchers have aggressively pursued additional funding opportunities offered by NASA, industry, and other agencies. This report contains a summary of AERIAL's activities and accomplishments during its first three years of implementation.

  5. 77 FR 9697 - Notice of Continuation of Concession Contract

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Notice of Continuation of Concession Contract... gives public notice that it proposes to continue the concession contract (CC-LAKE007-84) at Lake Mead...: April 1, 2012. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The concession contract CC-LAKE007-84 will expire on March 31...

  6. New readout integrated circuit using continuous time fixed pattern noise correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dupont, Bertrand; Chammings, G.; Rapellin, G.; Mandier, C.; Tchagaspanian, M.; Dupont, Benoit; Peizerat, A.; Yon, J. J.

    2008-04-01

    LETI has been involved in IRFPA development since 1978; the design department (LETI/DCIS) has focused its work on new ROIC architecture since many years. The trend is to integrate advanced functions into the CMOS design to achieve cost efficient sensors production. Thermal imaging market is today more and more demanding of systems with instant ON capability and low power consumption. The purpose of this paper is to present the latest developments of fixed pattern noise continuous time correction. Several architectures are proposed, some are based on hardwired digital processing and some are purely analog. Both are using scene based algorithms. Moreover a new method is proposed for simultaneous correction of pixel offsets and sensitivities. In this scope, a new architecture of readout integrated circuit has been implemented; this architecture is developed with 0.18μm CMOS technology. The specification and the application of the ROIC are discussed in details.

  7. Continual improvement plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    NASA's approach to continual improvement (CI) is a systems-oriented, agency-wide approach that builds on the past accomplishments of NASA Headquarters and its field installations and helps achieve NASA's vision, mission, and values. The NASA of the future will fully use the principles of continual improvement in every aspect of its operations. This NASA CI plan defines a systematic approach and a model for continual improvement throughout NASA, stressing systems integration and optimization. It demonstrates NASA's constancy of purpose for improvement - a consistent vision of NASA as a worldwide leader in top-quality science, technology, and management practices. The CI plan provides the rationale, structures, methods, and steps, and it defines NASA's short term (1-year) objectives for improvement. The CI plan presents the deployment strategies necessary for cascading the goals and objectives throughout the agency. It also provides guidance on implementing continual improvement with participation from top leadership and all levels of employees.

  8. Nonextensive formalism and continuous Hamiltonian systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boon, Jean Pierre; Lutsko, James F.

    2011-01-01

    A recurring question in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics is what deviation from standard statistical mechanics gives rise to non-Boltzmann behavior and to nonlinear response, which amounts to identifying the emergence of 'statistics from dynamics' in systems out of equilibrium. Among several possible analytical developments which have been proposed, the idea of nonextensive statistics introduced by Tsallis about 20 years ago was to develop a statistical mechanical theory for systems out of equilibrium where the Boltzmann distribution no longer holds, and to generalize the Boltzmann entropy by a more general function S q while maintaining the formalism of thermodynamics. From a phenomenological viewpoint, nonextensive statistics appeared to be of interest because maximization of the generalized entropy S q yields the q-exponential distribution which has been successfully used to describe distributions observed in a large class of phenomena, in particular power law distributions for q>1. Here we re-examine the validity of the nonextensive formalism for continuous Hamiltonian systems. In particular we consider the q-ideal gas, a model system of quasi-particles where the effect of the interactions are included in the particle properties. On the basis of exact results for the q-ideal gas, we find that the theory is restricted to the range q<1, which raises the question of its formal validity range for continuous Hamiltonian systems.

  9. Very slow lava extrusion continued for more than five years after the 2011 Shinmoedake eruption observed from SAR interferometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozawa, T.; Miyagi, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Shinmoe-dake located to SW Japan erupted in January 2011 and lava accumulated in the crater (e.g., Ozawa and Kozono, EPS, 2013). Last Vulcanian eruption occurred in September 2011, and after that, no eruption has occurred until now. Miyagi et al. (GRL, 2014) analyzed TerraSAR-X and Radarsat-2 SAR data acquired after the last eruption and found continuous inflation in the crater. Its inflation decayed with time, but had not terminated in May 2013. Since the time-series of inflation volume change rate fitted well to the exponential function with the constant term, we suggested that lava extrusion had continued in long-term due to deflation of shallow magma source and to magma supply from deeper source. To investigate its deformation after that, we applied InSAR to Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 SAR data. Inflation decayed further, and almost terminated in the end of 2016. It means that this deformation has continued more than five years from the last eruption. We have found that the time series of inflation volume change rate fits better to the double-exponential function than single-exponential function with the constant term. The exponential component with the short time constant has almost settled in one year from the last eruption. Although InSAR result from TerraSAR-X data of November 2011 and May 2013 indicated deflation of shallow source under the crater, such deformation has not been obtained from recent SAR data. It suggests that this component has been due to deflation of shallow magma source with excess pressure. In this study, we found the possibility that long-term component also decayed exponentially. Then this factor may be deflation of deep source or delayed vesiculation.

  10. A community continuity programme: volunteer faculty mentors and continuity learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGeehan, John; English, Richard; Shenberger, Keith; Tracy, Gerald; Smego, Raymond

    2013-02-01

    Longitudinal generalist preceptorship experiences early in medical education can have beneficial effects on how students practise the art and science of medicine, regardless of their eventual career choices. We evaluated the first 2 years of implementation of an integrated, regional campus-based, early clinical experience programme, the Community Continuity Program, at our new community-based medical school that is under the supervision of volunteer primary care faculty members acting as continuity mentors (CMs). Curricular components for years 1 and 2 consisted of three annual 1-week community-based experiences with CMs, extensive physical diagnosis practice, interprofessional learning activities, a multigenerational family care experience, a mandatory Community Health Research Project (CHRP) in year 1 and a mandatory Quality Improvement Project in year 2. Outcome measures included student, faculty member and programme evaluations, student reflective narratives in portal-based e-journals, a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) self-study student survey and serial level-of-empathy surveys.   Students found all elements of this integrated community experience programme beneficial and worthwhile, especially the CMs and the use of standardised and real-life patients. CMs noted effective and professional student-patient interactions. The number of reflective e-journal postings per student during year1 ranged from 14 to 81 (mean, 47). Serial empathy questionnaires administered over 2 years demonstrated preservation of student empathy, and students believed that the programme had a positive effect on their personal level of empathy.   An integrative, longitudinal, community-based, early clinical experience programme driven by volunteer CMs provides patient-centered instruction for preclinical students in the clinical, social, behavioural, ethical and research foundations of medicine. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013.

  11. Geodesic continued fractions and LLL

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beukers, F

    2014-01-01

    We discuss a proposal for a continued fraction-like algorithm to determine simultaneous rational approximations to dd real numbers α1,…,αdα1,…,αd. It combines an algorithm of Hermite and Lagarias with ideas from LLL-reduction. We dynamically LLL-reduce a quadratic form with parameter tt as t↓0t↓0.

  12. Examining the Determinants of Mobile Location-based Services' Continuance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lehrer, Christiane; Constantiou, Ioanna; Hess, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    and empirically tested through a survey of a representative sample in Germany. The proposed model builds on and extends the Limayem et al. model of IS continuance. Our analysis highlights the importance of habit and emotion in LBS continuance. The results indicate that habit has a stronger predictive power than...

  13. Entrepreneurship in continuing dental education: a dental school perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liberto, Vincent N

    2005-01-01

    The definition of continuing dental education is presented, along with its benefits to the profession. The preeminence of dental schools in providing lifelong learning opportunities and freedom from commercial involvement that existed even twenty years ago has changed. Less than a quarter of CE takes place in school, and the focus there is increasingly on material with deep scientific background and hands-on learning. The newest innovations and those with the greatest commercial potential are taught elsewhere. Proposed changes in the ADA CERP standards would take on a "purist" approach that could place dental schools at a severe disadvantage while allowing "for profit" institutes to flourish and thus further undermine the role dental schools can play in providing quality professional development experiences.

  14. SST: Single-Stream Temporal Action Proposals

    KAUST Repository

    Buch, Shyamal; Escorcia, Victor; Shen, Chuanqi; Ghanem, Bernard; Niebles, Juan Carlos

    2017-01-01

    Our paper presents a new approach for temporal detection of human actions in long, untrimmed video sequences. We introduce Single-Stream Temporal Action Proposals (SST), a new effective and efficient deep architecture for the generation of temporal action proposals. Our network can run continuously in a single stream over very long input video sequences, without the need to divide input into short overlapping clips or temporal windows for batch processing. We demonstrate empirically that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art on the task of temporal action proposal generation, while achieving some of the fastest processing speeds in the literature. Finally, we demonstrate that using SST proposals in conjunction with existing action classifiers results in improved state-of-the-art temporal action detection performance.

  15. SST: Single-Stream Temporal Action Proposals

    KAUST Repository

    Buch, Shyamal

    2017-11-09

    Our paper presents a new approach for temporal detection of human actions in long, untrimmed video sequences. We introduce Single-Stream Temporal Action Proposals (SST), a new effective and efficient deep architecture for the generation of temporal action proposals. Our network can run continuously in a single stream over very long input video sequences, without the need to divide input into short overlapping clips or temporal windows for batch processing. We demonstrate empirically that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art on the task of temporal action proposal generation, while achieving some of the fastest processing speeds in the literature. Finally, we demonstrate that using SST proposals in conjunction with existing action classifiers results in improved state-of-the-art temporal action detection performance.

  16. All-printed capacitors with continuous solution dispensing technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Yang; Plötner, Matthias; Berndt, Andreas; Kumar, Amit; Voit, Brigitte; Pospiech, Doris; Fischer, Wolf-Joachim

    2017-09-01

    Printed electronics have been introduced into the commercial markets in recent years. Various printing technologies have emerged aiming to process printed electronic devices with low cost, environmental friendliness, and compatibility with large areas and flexible substrates. The aim of this study is to propose a continuous solution dispensing technology for processing all-printed thin-film capacitors on glass substrates using a leading-edge printing instrument. Among all printing technologies, this study provides concrete proof of the following outstanding advantages of this technology: high tolerance to inks, high throughput, low cost, and precise pattern transfers. Ag nanoparticle ink based on glycol ethers was used to print the electrodes. To obtain dielectric ink, a copolymer powder of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-benzoylphenyl methacrylate) containing crosslinkable side groups was dissolved in anisole. Various layouts were designed to support multiple electronic applications. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to investigate the all-printed capacitor layers formed using the proposed process. Additionally, the printed capacitors were electrically characterized under direct current and alternating current. The measured electrical properties of the printed capacitors were consistent with the theoretical results.

  17. Emerging and continuing trends in psychotherapy: views from an editor's eye.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelso, Charles J

    2011-06-01

    It is proposed that six major trends in psychotherapy have continued or emerged over the course of the author's editorship of Psychotherapy, the past seven years. These trends are (a) the increasing integration of techniques and the therapeutic relationship; (b) increasing focus on theoretical integration; (c) increasing efforts at research-practice integration; (d) increases in more specific, integrative reviews; (e) integration of biological, neuroscience understandings; and (f) integration of diversity and cultural considerations into psychotherapy. Each trend is described and its impact on the field is discussed. Cautions about each trend are also noted. The six trends are discussed in the context of integration.

  18. Continuous integration congestion cost allocation based on sensitivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Z.Q.; Wang, Y.N.

    2004-01-01

    Congestion cost allocation is a very important topic in congestion management. Allocation methods based on the Aumann-Shapley value use the discrete numerical integration method, which needs to solve the incremented OPF solution many times, and as such it is not suitable for practical application to large-scale systems. The optimal solution and its sensitivity change tendency during congestion removal using a DC optimal power flow (OPF) process is analysed. A simple continuous integration method based on the sensitivity is proposed for the congestion cost allocation. The proposed sensitivity analysis method needs a smaller computation time than the method based on using the quadratic method and inner point iteration. The proposed congestion cost allocation method uses a continuous integration method rather than discrete numerical integration. The method does not need to solve the incremented OPF solutions; which allows it use in large-scale systems. The method can also be used for AC OPF congestion management. (author)

  19. 48 CFR 53.301-1438 - Settlement Proposal (Short Form).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Settlement Proposal (Short Form). 53.301-1438 Section 53.301-1438 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (CONTINUED) CLAUSES AND FORMS FORMS Illustrations of Forms 53.301-1438 Settlement Proposal (Short...

  20. Four quadrant transversus abdominis plane block and continuous transversus abdominis plane analgesia: a 3-year prospective audit in 124 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niraj, G; Kelkar, Aditi; Hart, Elaine; Kaushik, Vipul; Fleet, Danny; Jameson, John

    2015-11-01

    Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks have been reported to be an effective method of providing analgesia after abdominal surgery. To perform a prospective audit on the effectiveness of a novel technique of providing continuous transversus abdominis plane (TAP) analgesia in patients undergoing emergency and elective abdominal surgery. Prospective single center audit over a 3-year period. University hospital. One hundred twenty-four American Society of Anesthesiologists I to IV adult patients presenting for elective as well as emergency abdominal surgery in whom epidural analgesia was contraindicated or refused. Four quadrant TAP blocks and continuous TAP analgesia. Numerical rating scale pain scores at rest and on coughing, nausea scores, satisfaction scores, complications, frequency of analgesia failure, therapeutic failure with continuous TAP analgesia and opioid consumption. One hundred twenty-four patients who received continuous TAP analgesia were audited. This included 34 patients for elective open surgery, 36 patients for emergency laparotomy, and 54 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Surgical incision was within the dermatomal limit of the block in 70% of the patients (88/124). Therapeutic failure with the technique was 10%. Frequency of analgesic failure over the 48-hour period was none in 39% and below 5 episodes in 57%. Four quadrant transversus abdominis plane blocks and continuous TAP analgesia is an effective technique for providing postoperative analgesia after abdominal surgery. It has the potential to be used as a sole analgesic technique when the surgical incision is within its dermatomal limit. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Continuous path control of a 5-DOF parallel-serial hybrid robot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchiyama, Takuma; Terada, Hidetsugu; Mitsuya, Hironori

    2010-01-01

    Using the 5-degree of freedom parallel-serial hybrid robot, to realize the de-burring, new forward and inverse kinematic calculation methods based on the 'off-line teaching' method are proposed. This hybrid robot consists of a parallel stage section and a serial stage section. Considering this point, each section is calculated individually. And the continuous path control algorithm of this hybrid robot is proposed. To verify the usefulness, a prototype robot is tested which is controlled based on the proposed methods. This verification includes a positioning test and a pose test. The positioning test evaluates the continuous path of the tool center point. The pose test evaluates the pose on the tool center point. As the result, it is confirmed that this hybrid robot moves correctly using the proposed methods

  2. Evaluation of a Continuing Professional Development program for first year student pharmacists undergoing an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toyin Tofade

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate a live and online training program for first year pharmacy students in implementing Continuing Professional Development (CPD principles (Reflect, Plan, Act, and Evaluate, writing SMART learning objectives, and documenting learning activities prior to and during a hospital introductory professional practice experience. Design: Cohort Study. Setting: Introductory professional practice experience. Participants: First year (PY1 students at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Intervention: Live training or online training to introduce the concept of Continuing Professional Development in practice. Main Outcomes: Implementation of CPD principles through 1 completed pre-rotation education action plans with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART learning objectives; and 2 completed learning activity worksheets post-rotation indicating stimuli for learning, resources used and accomplished learning. objectives; and 3 documented suggestions and content feedback for future lectures and pharmaceutical care lab experiences. Results:Out of the whole cohort (N=154, 14 (87.5% live (in person trainees and 122 (88% online trainees submitted an education action plan. Objectives were scored using a rubric on a scale of 1-5. A rating of 5 means "satisfactory", 3 means "work in progress" and 1 means "unacceptable". There were significant differences between the mean live trainee scores and the mean online trainee scores for the following respective section comparisons: Specific 4.7 versus 3.29 (p Conclusion: Live trainees performed significantly better than online trainees in writing SMART learning objectives. With focused training, students are more capable of implementing principles of CPD.   Type: Original Research

  3. A 305-year continuous monthly rainfall series for the island of Ireland (1711–2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Murphy

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available A continuous 305-year (1711–2016 monthly rainfall series (IoI_1711 is created for the Island of Ireland. The post 1850 series draws on an existing quality assured rainfall network for Ireland, while pre-1850 values come from instrumental and documentary series compiled, but not published by the UK Met Office. The series is evaluated by comparison with independent long-term observations and reconstructions of precipitation, temperature and circulation indices from across the British–Irish Isles. Strong decadal consistency of IoI_1711 with other long-term observations is evident throughout the annual, boreal spring and autumn series. Annually, the most recent decade (2006–2015 is found to be the wettest in over 300 years. The winter series is probably too dry between the 1740s and 1780s, but strong consistency with other long-term observations strengthens confidence from 1790 onwards. The IoI_1711 series has remarkably wet winters during the 1730s, concurrent with a period of strong westerly airflow, glacial advance throughout Scandinavia and near unprecedented warmth in the Central England Temperature record – all consistent with a strongly positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. Unusually wet summers occurred in the 1750s, consistent with proxy (tree-ring reconstructions of summer precipitation in the region. Our analysis shows that inter-decadal variability of precipitation is much larger than previously thought, while relationships with key modes of climate variability are time-variant. The IoI_1711 series reveals statistically significant multi-centennial trends in winter (increasing and summer (decreasing seasonal precipitation. However, given uncertainties in the early winter record, the former finding should be regarded as tentative. The derived record, one of the longest continuous series in Europe, offers valuable insights for understanding multi-decadal and centennial rainfall variability in Ireland, and provides a

  4. Surface air concentration and deposition of lead-210 in French Guiana: two years of continuous monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melieres, Marie-Antoinette; Pourchet, Michel; Richard, Sandrine

    2003-01-01

    To make up for the lack of data on 210 Pb aerosol deposition in tropical regions and to use this radionuclide as an aerosol tracer,a monitoring station was run for two years at Petit-Saut, French Guiana. Lead-210 concentration in air at ground level was monitored continuously together with atmospheric total deposition. The air concentration has a mean value of 0.23±0.02 mBq m -3 during both wet and dry seasons, and it is only weakly affected by the precipitation mechanism. This result was unexpected in a wet tropical region, with a high precipitation rate. In contrast, deposition clearly correlates with precipitation for low/moderate rainfall ( -2 y -1 . This provides a procedure fo estimating this mean flux at other sites in French Guiana

  5. Comprehensive Training of Engineering Students through Continuing Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Reynoso Flores

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses a priority for student training in general and particularly for future engineers. Although this issue has been frequently addressed in recent years, proposals are still insufficient for engineering students. This paper is aimed at theoretically and empirically demonstrating the potential of continuing education as one of the key areas that engineering schools have for the comprehensive training of students. Preliminary results of a research project commissioned by the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Electrica-FIME of Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico, are presented to respond to the need to improve the learning process of students with a comprehensive approach. The research justification and some of the results obtained in the exploratory phase are also described.

  6. 'Sure, I Would Like to Continue'

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schoenau-Fog, Henrik; Bjørner, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    In order to explore one aspect of the engaging nature of computer games, this study will propose a method that aims at classifying the experience of engagement in video games. Inspired by a literature review, we will focus on the fundamental causes of engagement that motivate a player so much...... that he or she wants to continue playing. By organizing this willingness to continue playing into six broad types of causes of engagement—intellectual, physical, sensory, social, narrative, and emotional—we describe a typology of player engagement and a method that is intended to map players’ experience...

  7. Firefly Mating Algorithm for Continuous Optimization Problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amarita Ritthipakdee

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a swarm intelligence algorithm, called firefly mating algorithm (FMA, for solving continuous optimization problems. FMA uses genetic algorithm as the core of the algorithm. The main feature of the algorithm is a novel mating pair selection method which is inspired by the following 2 mating behaviors of fireflies in nature: (i the mutual attraction between males and females causes them to mate and (ii fireflies of both sexes are of the multiple-mating type, mating with multiple opposite sex partners. A female continues mating until her spermatheca becomes full, and, in the same vein, a male can provide sperms for several females until his sperm reservoir is depleted. This new feature enhances the global convergence capability of the algorithm. The performance of FMA was tested with 20 benchmark functions (sixteen 30-dimensional functions and four 2-dimensional ones against FA, ALC-PSO, COA, MCPSO, LWGSODE, MPSODDS, DFOA, SHPSOS, LSA, MPDPGA, DE, and GABC algorithms. The experimental results showed that the success rates of our proposed algorithm with these functions were higher than those of other algorithms and the proposed algorithm also required fewer numbers of iterations to reach the global optima.

  8. Continuously Growing Rodent Molars Result from a Predictable Quantitative Evolutionary Change over 50 Million Years

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vagan Tapaltsyan

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The fossil record is widely informative about evolution, but fossils are not systematically used to study the evolution of stem-cell-driven renewal. Here, we examined evolution of the continuous growth (hypselodonty of rodent molar teeth, which is fuelled by the presence of dental stem cells. We studied occurrences of 3,500 North American rodent fossils, ranging from 50 million years ago (mya to 2 mya. We examined changes in molar height to determine whether evolution of hypselodonty shows distinct patterns in the fossil record, and we found that hypselodont taxa emerged through intermediate forms of increasing crown height. Next, we designed a Markov simulation model, which replicated molar height increases throughout the Cenozoic and, moreover, evolution of hypselodonty. Thus, by extension, the retention of the adult stem cell niche appears to be a predictable quantitative rather than a stochastic qualitative process. Our analyses predict that hypselodonty will eventually become the dominant phenotype.

  9. Geometry in Early Years: Sowing Seeds for a Mathematical Definition of Squares and Rectangles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartolini Bussi, Maria G.; Baccaglini-Frank, Anna

    2015-01-01

    In early years schooling it is becoming common to propose activities that involve moving along paths, or programming robots to do so. In order to promote continuity towards the introduction of geometry in primary school, we developed a long-term teaching experiment (with 15 sessions) carried out over 4 months in a first grade classroom in northern…

  10. Correlates of oral contraception continuation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewer, P A; Gibbs, J O

    1971-05-01

    A sample of 139 predominantly black, young, low-income patients who had accepted oral contraception at a publicly supported family planning clinic has been analyzed for correlates of oral contraception continuation. Interviews were conducted 10-12 months after the clinic visit; at this time 38% of the patients continued taking oral contraceptives. It was found that patients with the highest continuation rates were 18-24 years old, in the 2-3 parity group, living with their husbands, had low-parity mothers, and were able to fill prescriptions in less time with more convenient methods of transportation. Discontinuers tended to have high-parity mothers, live with parents or head their own households, and to be in the 13-17 or 25-45 year old age groups. Fear of long-term use of oral contraceptives and perceived side effects appeared to be implicated in discontinuation. The rate of discontinuation may be associated with irregular coital experience and less consistent exposure to pregnancy.

  11. Characterising fifteen years of continuous atmospheric radon activity observations at Cape Point (South Africa)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botha, R.; Labuschagne, C.; Williams, A. G.; Bosman, G.; Brunke, E.-G.; Rossouw, A.; Lindsay, R.

    2018-03-01

    This paper describes and discusses fifteen years (1999-2013) of continuous hourly atmospheric radon (222Rn) monitoring at the coastal low-altitude Southern Hemisphere Cape Point Station in South Africa. A strong seasonal cycle is evident in the observed radon concentrations, with maxima during the winter months, when air masses arriving at the Cape Point station from over the African continental surface are more frequently observed, and minima during the summer months, when an oceanic fetch is predominant. An atmospheric mean radon activity concentration of 676 ± 2 mBq/m3 is found over the 15-year record, having a strongly skewed distribution that exhibits a large number of events falling into a compact range of low values (corresponding to oceanic air masses), and a smaller number of events with high radon values spread over a wide range (corresponding to continental air masses). The mean radon concentration from continental air masses (1 004 ± 6 mBq/m3) is about two times higher compared to oceanic air masses (479 ± 3 mBq/m3). The number of atmospheric radon events observed is strongly dependent on the wind direction. A power spectral Fast Fourier Transform analysis of the 15-year radon time series reveals prominent peaks at semi-diurnal, diurnal and annual timescales. Two inter-annual radon periodicities have been established, the diurnal 0.98 ± 0.04 day-1 and half-diurnal 2.07 ± 0.15 day-1. The annual peak reflects major seasonal changes in the patterns of offshore versus onshore flow associated with regional/hemispheric circulation patterns, whereas the diurnal and semi-diurnal peaks together reflect the influence of local nocturnal radon build-up over land, and the interplay between mesoscale sea/land breezes. The winter-time diurnal radon concentration had a significant decrease of about 200 mBq/m3 (17%) while the summer-time diurnal radon concentration revealed nearly no changes. A slow decline in the higher radon percentiles (75th and 95th) for the

  12. Segmenting Continuous Motions with Hidden Semi-markov Models and Gaussian Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoaki Nakamura

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Humans divide perceived continuous information into segments to facilitate recognition. For example, humans can segment speech waves into recognizable morphemes. Analogously, continuous motions are segmented into recognizable unit actions. People can divide continuous information into segments without using explicit segment points. This capacity for unsupervised segmentation is also useful for robots, because it enables them to flexibly learn languages, gestures, and actions. In this paper, we propose a Gaussian process-hidden semi-Markov model (GP-HSMM that can divide continuous time series data into segments in an unsupervised manner. Our proposed method consists of a generative model based on the hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM, the emission distributions of which are Gaussian processes (GPs. Continuous time series data is generated by connecting segments generated by the GP. Segmentation can be achieved by using forward filtering-backward sampling to estimate the model's parameters, including the lengths and classes of the segments. In an experiment using the CMU motion capture dataset, we tested GP-HSMM with motion capture data containing simple exercise motions; the results of this experiment showed that the proposed GP-HSMM was comparable with other methods. We also conducted an experiment using karate motion capture data, which is more complex than exercise motion capture data; in this experiment, the segmentation accuracy of GP-HSMM was 0.92, which outperformed other methods.

  13. One year continuous soil gas monitoring above an EGR test site

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furche, Markus; Schlömer, Stefan; Faber, Eckhard; Dumke, Ingolf

    2010-05-01

    Setup and first results of an ongoing research activity are presented, which is funded by the German Geotechnologien program within in the joint project CLEAN (CO2 Large Scale Enhanced Gas Recovery in the Altmark Natural Gas Field). The task is to establish several soil gas monitoring stations above a partly exhausted gas field in the Altmark which will be used for an enhanced gas recovery (EGR) test by injecting CO2 into the reservoir. The aim is to optimize the monitoring technique including automatic data transfer and data exploitation and to understand mechanisms of natural variations of soil gas concentrations in the specific area. Furthermore the suitability of these measurements as a contribution to leakage detection shall be evaluated. A network of 13 gauging stations for the measurement of CO2 is working continuously for about one year. They are spread over an area of 8 x 3 km and are situated in direct vicinity of existing deep boreholes as the most likely locations for possible leakage. In addition one station is placed far outside the gasfield as a reference point. The technique applied to measure soil gas concentrations uses a gas stream circulating in a tube going down a shallow borehole where the circulating gas is in contact with the soil gas phase via a gas permeable membrane. Above surface, moisture is removed from the gas stream before it reaches several gas sensors for CO2. Besides these, several other parameters are determined as well, e.g. soil moisture and soil temperature, water level, gas flow and gas moisture. In addition a meteorological station gives information about precipitation, air humidity, temperature and pressure, global radiation, wind direction and velocity in the area. Data are continuously collected by dataloggers at each station (5 minutes interval), transferred via GSM routers to the BGR server in Hannover and are stored in a specially designed database. The database does not only contain the measurements but also

  14. MMI's Metadata and Vocabulary Solutions: 10 Years and Growing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graybeal, J.; Gayanilo, F.; Rueda-Velasquez, C. A.

    2014-12-01

    The Marine Metadata Interoperability project (http://marinemetadata.org) held its public opening at AGU's 2004 Fall Meeting. For 10 years since that debut, the MMI guidance and vocabulary sites have served over 100,000 visitors, with 525 community members and continuous Steering Committee leadership. Originally funded by the National Science Foundation, over the years multiple organizations have supported the MMI mission: "Our goal is to support collaborative research in the marine science domain, by simplifying the incredibly complex world of metadata into specific, straightforward guidance. MMI encourages scientists and data managers at all levels to apply good metadata practices from the start of a project, by providing the best guidance and resources for data management, and developing advanced metadata tools and services needed by the community." Now hosted by the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, MMI continues to provide guidance and services to the community, and is planning for marine science and technology needs for the next 10 years. In this presentation we will highlight our major accomplishments, describe our recent achievements and imminent goals, and propose a vision for improving marine data interoperability for the next 10 years, including Ontology Registry and Repository (http://mmisw.org/orr) advancements and applications (http://mmisw.org/cfsn).

  15. Three Thousand Years of Continuity in the Maternal Lineages of Ancient Sheep (Ovis aries) in Estonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rannamäe, Eve; Lõugas, Lembi; Speller, Camilla F.; Valk, Heiki; Maldre, Liina; Wilczyński, Jarosław; Mikhailov, Aleksandr; Saarma, Urmas

    2016-01-01

    Although sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since the Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes in Estonian sheep populations and their mitochondrial genetic diversity over the last 3000 years. We target a 558 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial hypervariable region in 115 ancient sheep from 71 sites in Estonia (c. 1200 BC–AD 1900s), 19 ancient samples from Latvia, Russia, Poland and Greece (6800 BC–AD 1700), as well as 44 samples of modern Kihnu native sheep breed. Our analyses revealed: (1) 49 mitochondrial haplotypes, associated with sheep haplogroups A and B; (2) high haplotype diversity in Estonian ancient sheep; (3) continuity in mtDNA haplotypes through time; (4) possible population expansion during the first centuries of the Middle Ages (associated with the establishment of the new power regime related to 13th century crusades); (5) significant difference in genetic diversity between ancient populations and modern native sheep, in agreement with the beginning of large-scale breeding in the 19th century and population decline in local sheep. Overall, our results suggest that in spite of the observed fluctuations in ancient sheep populations, and changes in the natural and historical conditions, the utilisation of local sheep has been constant in the territory of Estonia, displaying matrilineal continuity from the Middle Bronze Age through the Modern Period, and into modern native sheep. PMID:27732668

  16. A nonparametric spatial scan statistic for continuous data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Inkyung; Cho, Ho Jin

    2015-10-20

    Spatial scan statistics are widely used for spatial cluster detection, and several parametric models exist. For continuous data, a normal-based scan statistic can be used. However, the performance of the model has not been fully evaluated for non-normal data. We propose a nonparametric spatial scan statistic based on the Wilcoxon rank-sum test statistic and compared the performance of the method with parametric models via a simulation study under various scenarios. The nonparametric method outperforms the normal-based scan statistic in terms of power and accuracy in almost all cases under consideration in the simulation study. The proposed nonparametric spatial scan statistic is therefore an excellent alternative to the normal model for continuous data and is especially useful for data following skewed or heavy-tailed distributions.

  17. "I had a good time when I was young": Interpreting descriptions of continuity among older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breheny, Mary; Griffiths, Zoë

    2017-04-01

    Messages describing how best to age are prominent in gerontological theory, research and the media. These prescriptions for ageing may foster positive experiences in later life; however, they may also obscure the social and situated nature of expectations for ageing well. Continuity Theory proposes ageing well is achieved through continuity of activity and stability of relationships and identity over the life course. Continuity seems adaptive, yet prioritising continuity may not match the expectations, desires and realities of older people. To understand continuity among older people, the present study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to analyse transcripts from eleven participants over the age of 79 years. Continuity was important for older people in this study, who described a range of practices that supported internal and external continuity. Participants acknowledged both positive and negative changes in roles and obligations as they aged which impacted on continuity of identity. Continuity of identity was linked both to being 'just like always' and 'just like everyone else'. Examining these accounts shows how they are tied to expectations that older people should both maintain earlier patterns of behaviour while also negotiating changing social expectations for behaviour that are linked to age. These tensions point to the balance between physical, environmental and interpersonal change and the negotiation of social expectations which together structure possibilities for ageing well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Continuous Time Dynamic Contraflow Models and Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Urmila Pyakurel

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The research on evacuation planning problem is promoted by the very challenging emergency issues due to large scale natural or man-created disasters. It is the process of shifting the maximum number of evacuees from the disastrous areas to the safe destinations as quickly and efficiently as possible. Contraflow is a widely accepted model for good solution of evacuation planning problem. It increases the outbound road capacity by reversing the direction of roads towards the safe destination. The continuous dynamic contraflow problem sends the maximum number of flow as a flow rate from the source to the sink in every moment of time unit. We propose the mathematical model for the continuous dynamic contraflow problem. We present efficient algorithms to solve the maximum continuous dynamic contraflow and quickest continuous contraflow problems on single source single sink arbitrary networks and continuous earliest arrival contraflow problem on single source single sink series-parallel networks with undefined supply and demand. We also introduce an approximation solution for continuous earliest arrival contraflow problem on two-terminal arbitrary networks.

  19. 7 CFR 8.7 - Continued use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... the Secretary of Agriculture 4-H CLUB NAME AND EMBLEM § 8.7 Continued use. (a) The Cooperative... use the 4-H Club Name or Emblem: (1) For their own educational or informational purposes according to... materials bearing the 4-H Club Name or Emblem. (4) Any proposal for distribution on an interstate, regional...

  20. Increased 1-year continuation of DMPA among women randomized to self-administration: results from a randomized controlled trial at Planned Parenthood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohn, Julia E; Simons, Hannah R; Della Badia, Lisa; Draper, Elissa; Morfesis, Johanna; Talmont, Elizabeth; Beasley, Anitra; McDonald, Melanie; Westhoff, Carolyn L

    2018-03-01

    Self-administration of subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-sc) is feasible, acceptable, and effective. Our objective was to compare one-year continuation of DMPA-sc between women randomized to self-administration versus clinic administration. We randomized 401 females ages 15-44 requesting DMPA at clinics in Texas and New Jersey to self-administration or clinic administration in a 1:1 allocation. Clinic staff taught participants randomized to self-administration to self-inject and observed the first injection; participants received instructions, a sharps container, and three doses for home use. Participants randomized to clinic administration received usual care. All participants received DMPA-sc at no cost and injection reminders via text message or email. We conducted follow-up surveys at six and 12 months. Three hundred thirty-six participants (84%) completed the 12-month survey; 316 completed both follow-up surveys (an 80% response rate excluding eight withdrawals). Participants ranged in age from 16-44. One-year DMPA continuous use was 69% in the self-administration group and 54% in the clinic group (p=.005). There were three self-reported pregnancies during the study period, all occurred in the clinic group; all three women had discontinued DMPA and one reported her pregnancy as intended. Among the self-administration group, 97% reported that self-administration was very or somewhat easy; 87% would recommend self-administration of DMPA-sc to a friend. Among the clinic group, 52% reported interest in self-administration in the future. Satisfaction was similar between groups. No serious adverse events were reported. DMPA self-administration improves contraceptive continuation and is a feasible and acceptable option for women and adolescents. Self-administration of subcutaneous DMPA can improve contraceptive access, autonomy, and continuation, and is a feasible and acceptable option for women and adolescents. It should be made widely available

  1. Assessment of energy supply and continuity of service in distribution network with renewable distributed generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdullah, M.A.; Agalgaonkar, A.P.; Muttaqi, K.M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Difficulties in assessing distribution network adequacy with DG are addressed. • Indices are proposed to assess adequacy of energy supply and service continuity. • Analytical methodology is developed to assess the proposed indices. • Concept of joint probability distribution of demand and generation is applied. - Abstract: Continuity of electricity supply with renewable distributed generation (DG) is a topical issue for distribution system planning and operation, especially due to the stochastic nature of power generation and time varying load demand. The conventional adequacy and reliability analysis methods related to bulk generation systems cannot be applied directly for the evaluation of adequacy criteria such as ‘energy supply’ and ‘continuity of service’ for distribution networks embedded with renewable DG. In this paper, new indices highlighting ‘available supply capacity’ and ‘continuity of service’ are proposed for ‘energy supply’ and ‘continuation of service’ evaluation of generation-rich distribution networks, and analytical techniques are developed for their quantification. A probability based analytical method has been developed using the joint probability of the demand and generation, and probability distributions of the proposed indices have been used to evaluate the network adequacy in energy supply and service continuation. A data clustering technique has been used to evaluate the joint probability between coincidental demand and renewable generation. Time sequential Monte Carlo simulation has been used to compare the results obtained using the proposed analytical method. A standard distribution network derived from Roy Billinton test system and a practical radial distribution network have been used to test the proposed method and demonstrate the estimation of the well-being of a system for hosting renewable DG units. It is found that renewable DG systems improve the ‘energy supply’ and ‘continuity

  2. OSQAR-CHASE Proposal

    CERN Document Server

    (Pugnat, P; (Sulc, M

    2015-01-01

    For 2015, the OSQAR collaboration will focus on a new proposal for the search of chameleon, a hypothetical scalar particle postulated as a dark energy candidate with an environment-dependant mass. The required experimental set-up has been successfully tested and validated in 2014 at the SM-18 experimental hall. This proposal will focus on the sensitivity that can be reached during the OSQAR chameleon run in 2015 as well as to possible upgrade phases of the experiment for the coming years.

  3. Continuous auditing & continuous monitoring : Continuous value?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hillo, Rutger; Weigand, Hans; Espana, S; Ralyte, J; Souveyet, C

    2016-01-01

    Advancements in information technology, new laws and regulations and rapidly changing business conditions have led to a need for more timely and ongoing assurance with effectively working controls. Continuous Auditing (CA) and Continuous Monitoring (CM) technologies have made this possible by

  4. Analytic continuation in perturbative QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caprini, Irinel

    2002-01-01

    We discuss some attempts to improve standard perturbative expansion in QCD by using the analytic continuation in the momentum and the Borel complex planes. We first analyse the momentum-plane analyticity properties of the Borel-summed Green functions in perturbative QCD and the connection between the Landau singularities and the infrared renormalons. By using the analytic continuation in the Borel complex plane, we propose a new perturbative series replacing the standard expansion in powers of the normalized coupling constant a. The new expansion functions have branch point and essential singularities at the origin of the complex a-plane and divergent Taylor expansions in powers of a. On the other hand the modified expansion of the QCD correlators is convergent under rather conservative conditions. (author)

  5. Multimedia Mapping using Continuous State Space Models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lehn-Schiøler, Tue

    2004-01-01

    In this paper a system that transforms speech waveforms to animated faces are proposed. The system relies on continuous state space models to perform the mapping, this makes it possible to ensure video with no sudden jumps and allows continuous control of the parameters in 'face space'. Simulations...... are performed on recordings of 3-5 sec. video sequences with sentences from the Timit database. The model is able to construct an image sequence from an unknown noisy speech sequence fairly well even though the number of training examples are limited....

  6. Continual Learning through Evolvable Neural Turing Machines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lüders, Benno; Schläger, Mikkel; Risi, Sebastian

    2016-01-01

    Continual learning, i.e. the ability to sequentially learn tasks without catastrophic forgetting of previously learned ones, is an important open challenge in machine learning. In this paper we take a step in this direction by showing that the recently proposed Evolving Neural Turing Machine (ENTM...

  7. D'Nealian Manuscript: A Continuous Stroke Print.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurber, Donald N.

    Citing five drawbacks to the traditional "sticks and balloons" method of printing used in beginning handwriting instruction, this pamphlet proposes instead the use of the D'Nealian continuous stroke printing method. The pamphlet contains arguments for using the method with learning disabled and dyslexic students, suggestions for…

  8. A generalized scheme for designing multistable continuous ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In this paper, a generalized scheme is proposed for designing multistable continuous dynamical systems. The scheme is based on the concept of partial synchronization of states and the concept of constants of motion. The most important observation is that by coupling two mdimensional dynamical systems, multistable ...

  9. A Continuously Updated, Global Land Classification Map, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to demonstrate a fully automatic capability for generating a global, high resolution (30 m) land classification map, with continuous updates from...

  10. Temporal structure of first-year courses and success at course exams: comparison of traditional continual and block delivery of anatomy and chemistry courses.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Salopek, Daniela

    2012-01-31

    AIM: To evaluate students\\' academic success at delivered in a traditional continual course, spread over the two semesters, or in alternating course blocks. METHOD: We analyzed the data on exam grades for Anatomy and Chemistry courses in the first year of the curriculum for academic year 2001\\/02, with the traditional continual delivery of the courses (n=253 for chemistry and n=243 for anatomy), and academic year 2003\\/04, with block delivery of the courses (n=255 for Chemistry and n=260 for Anatomy). Grades from the final examination were analyzed only for students who sat the exam at the first available exam term and passed the course. For the Anatomy block course, grades at 2 interim written tests and 2 parts of the final exam (practical stage exam and oral exam) in each block were analyzed for students who passed all interim tests and the final exam. RESULTS: There were no differences between two types of course delivery in the number of students passing the final examination at first attempt. There was a decrease in passing percentage for the two Anatomy block course student groups in 2003\\/04 (56% passing students in block 1 vs 40% in block 2, P=0.014). There was an increase in the average grades from 2001\\/02 to 2003\\/04 academic year due to an increase in Chemistry grades (F1,399=18.4, P<0.001, 2 x 2 ANOVA). There was no effect of the sequence of their delivery (F1,206=1.8, P=0.182, 2 x 2 ANOVA). There was also a significant difference in grades on interim assessments of Anatomy when it was delivered in the block format (F3,85=28.8, P<0.001, between-within subjects 2 x 4 ANOVA). CONCLUSIONS: The type of course delivery was not associated with significant differences in student academic success in Anatomy and Chemistry courses in the medical curriculum. Students can successfully pass these courses when they are delivered either in a continual, whole year format or in a condensed time format of a course block, regardless of the number and type of

  11. The value of continuity: Refined isogeometric analysis and fast direct solvers

    KAUST Repository

    Garcia, Daniel

    2016-08-26

    We propose the use of highly continuous finite element spaces interconnected with low continuity hyperplanes to maximize the performance of direct solvers. Starting from a highly continuous Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) discretization, we introduce . C0-separators to reduce the interconnection between degrees of freedom in the mesh. By doing so, both the solution time and best approximation errors are simultaneously improved. We call the resulting method

  12. The value of continuity: Refined isogeometric analysis and fast direct solvers

    KAUST Repository

    Garcia, Daniel; Pardo, David; Dalcin, Lisandro; Paszyński, Maciej; Collier, Nathan; Calo, Victor M.

    2016-01-01

    We propose the use of highly continuous finite element spaces interconnected with low continuity hyperplanes to maximize the performance of direct solvers. Starting from a highly continuous Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) discretization, we introduce . C0-separators to reduce the interconnection between degrees of freedom in the mesh. By doing so, both the solution time and best approximation errors are simultaneously improved. We call the resulting method

  13. Integration of laser trapping for continuous and selective monitoring of photothermal response of a single microparticle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasudevan, Srivathsan; Chen, George C K; Ahluwalia, Balpreet Singh

    2008-12-01

    Photothermal response (PTR) is an established pump and probe technique for real-time sensing of biological assays. Continuous and selective PTR monitoring is difficult owing to the Brownian motion changing the relative position of the target with respect to the beams. Integration of laser trapping with PTR is proposed as a solution. The proposed method is verified on red polystyrene microparticles. PTR is continuously monitored for 30 min. Results show that the mean relaxation time variation of the acquired signals is less than 5%. The proposed method is then applied to human red blood cells for continuous and selective PTR.

  14. An 8-year old boy with continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep presenting with positive onconeuronal antibodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Lin-Yan; Shi, Xiu-Yu; Feng, Chen; Wang, Jian-Wen; Yang, Guan; Lammers, Stephen H T; Yang, Xiao Fan; Ebrahimi-Fakhari, Darius; Zou, Li-Ping

    2015-03-01

    To determine the etiology of epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep (CSWS)/electrical status epilepticus during sleep (ESES) in an 8-year old boy with a history of neuroblastoma and opsoclonus-myoclonus. A combination of clinical characterization and follow-up, video EEG and laboratory investigations. We report the case of an 8-year old boy with a history of neuroblastoma and opsoclonus-myoclonus, who presented with intellectual disability, pharmacotherapy-resistant epilepsy and CSWS/ESES. Although the patient's neuroblastoma had been successfully treated 8 years prior to presentation and an extensive workup did not show a tumor reoccurrence, testing for onconeuronal antibodies was positive for anti-Ma2 and anti-CV2/CRMP5 antibodies. High-dose intravenous methylprednisolone and a taper of oral methylprednisolone were given, leading to a significant clinical improvement. During the taper the patient's condition and EEG manifestations deteriorated again necessitating another cycle of steroid therapy, which lead to a stable improvement. During a 6-month follow-up no CSWS/ESES was seen on EEG and anti-Ma2 and anti-CV2/CRMP5 antibodies remained undetectable. This case suggests that onconeuronal antibodies may be involved in the pathogenesis of CSWS/ESES. Copyright © 2015 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A Revolution in the Education of Women. Ten Years of Continuing Education at Sarah Lawrence College.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richter, Melissa Lewis; Whipple, Jane Banks

    The Sarah Lawrence Continuing Education Center provides educational opportunities for women who are not now in college, but who wish to continue their educations. This book is a publication about and a catalog for the Continuing Education Center. The Undergraduate Program is explained, as are procedures for admission, financial aid, course work,…

  16. Study the topology of Branciari metric space via the structure proposed by Csaszar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong ZHANG

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we topologically study the generalized metric space proposed by Branciari [3] via the weak structure proposed by Cs´asz´ar [9, 10], and compare convergent sequences in several different senses. We also introduce the concepts of available points and unavailable points on such structures. Besides, we define the continuous function on structures and investigate further characterizations of continuous functions.

  17. 75 FR 57107 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-17

    ... Magnet Fund Reporting. Abstract: The purpose of the CMF is to competitively award grants to certified... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Proposed Collection... part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and...

  18. 75 FR 68529 - Proposed Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order; Referendum Procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-08

    ... and procedure, Advertising, Consumer information, Marketing agreements, Christmas trees, Promotion...-0008-PR] RIN 0581-AD00 Proposed Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order; Referendum... or continuation of the proposed Christmas Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Proposed Order...

  19. Rethinking The Future of Auditing: How an Integrated Continuous Auditing Approach Can Leverage the Full Potential of Continuous Auditing

    OpenAIRE

    Weins, Sebastian; Alm, Bastian; Wang, Tawei

    2016-01-01

    The concept of Continuous Auditing has been around for more than three decades. The ongoing discussion on the benefits and models on adoption has made Continuous Auditing become a more critical issue. Although a lot of progress has been made in previous years, we argue that the entire potential of Continuous Auditing still remains unrevealed. This paper provides a new conceptual framework on how to bring Continuous Auditing to the next level. It goes beyond the existing technical concepts and...

  20. Between strong continuity and almost continuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.K. Kohli

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available As embodied in the title of the paper strong and weak variants of continuity that lie strictly between strong continuity of Levine and almost continuity due to Singal and Singal are considered. Basic properties of almost completely continuous functions (≡ R-maps and δ-continuous functions are studied. Direct and inverse transfer of topological properties under almost completely continuous functions and δ-continuous functions are investigated and their place in the hier- archy of variants of continuity that already exist in the literature is out- lined. The class of almost completely continuous functions lies strictly between the class of completely continuous functions studied by Arya and Gupta (Kyungpook Math. J. 14 (1974, 131-143 and δ-continuous functions defined by Noiri (J. Korean Math. Soc. 16, (1980, 161-166. The class of almost completely continuous functions properly contains each of the classes of (1 completely continuous functions, and (2 al- most perfectly continuous (≡ regular set connected functions defined by Dontchev, Ganster and Reilly (Indian J. Math. 41 (1999, 139-146 and further studied by Singh (Quaestiones Mathematicae 33(2(2010, 1–11 which in turn include all δ-perfectly continuous functions initi- ated by Kohli and Singh (Demonstratio Math. 42(1, (2009, 221-231 and so include all perfectly continuous functions introduced by Noiri (Indian J. Pure Appl. Math. 15(3 (1984, 241-250.

  1. Continuous spinal drain following endoscopic third ventriculostomy: a proposal to change the definition of failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozisik, Pinar; Roth, Jonathan; Beni-Adani, Liana; Constantini, Shlomi

    2011-11-01

    This study evaluates the safety, efficacy, and indications for continuous lumbar drainage (CLD) in patients following endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 22 consecutive patients treated between 1996 and 2010 with CLD after ETV. The decision to insert a CLD was made in selected patients only. CLD was inserted in cases of high measured intracranial pressure (12 patients), clinical symptoms indicative of continuing hydrocephalus (2 patients), and "prophylactically" in 8 patients, based either on the clinical condition of patients before ETV or on technical difficulties during the ETV procedure, which seemed to increase the risk of ETV failure. CLD insertion took place either in the operating room immediately following the ETV procedure or under very specific conditions and with close patient monitoring in an ICU setting. Only four patients eventually required shunting, all within 1 month after ETV. Therefore, the overall ETV success rate was 81.8% (18/22 patients). Of the 14 patients suffering from measured or clinically observed continuing hydrocephalus, 12 (85%) ultimately recovered without the need for a permanent shunt. Without the CLD, some of these patients would probably have been declared "failures" and referred for a standard shunt. CLD provided a time window following ETV for the absorption system to recover and return to full functionality. Selective usage of CLD is a reasonable and safe method to gain time and possibly facilitates the recovery of absorption capacity following ETV. CLD should be considered before conceding a post-ETV patient as a failure.

  2. Undergraduate Students’ Research and Information Skills Continue to Change in their Second Year

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimberly Miller

    2017-03-01

    =48, followed by “Navigating the physical space” (15.8%, n=22, “Librarians/staff & reference desk” (11.5%, n=16, and “Effective searching & evaluating sources” (10.8%, n=15. Male and female students’ responses differed, with male students less likely overall to express interest in library resources. While 42.4% (n=59 of students replied that they would consult with a librarian for help with their research projects, this option ranked third after professors (83.5%, n=116 and peers (70.5%, n=98. Again, responses varied by gender, with female students (49.5%, n=49 more likely than male students (26.3%, n=10 to contact a librarian about a research project. Most interview participants replied that searching online, including library resources, was their research starting point. Students most often selected research topics, based on their interest, from a professor-approved list. Students identified “relevant content, familiarity . . . , and credibility” (p. 138 as important source evaluation characteristics. The majority of students also used library information sources in their research, including databases, research guides, and the catalogue. Students most often mentioned struggling with “finding sources/identifying keywords” (n=6 and “finding known items” (n=6. Unlike survey respondents, interview participants unanimously reported consulting with a librarian. Most students (n=11 received library instruction as first-year students, and some suggested that this instruction helped them feel comfortable asking for help. Finally, most students felt that their research habits improved from their first year to their second year, specifically with regards to “their research technique, improved confidence . . . and an expanded source horizon” (p. 143. Conclusion – The authors recommend continuing strong information literacy support to first-year students, as well as working with faculty members and other campus partners to promote reference

  3. PACMan to Help Sort Hubble Proposals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2017-04-01

    Every year, astronomers submit over a thousand proposals requesting time on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Currently, humans must sort through each of these proposals by hand before sending them off for review. Could this burden be shifted to computers?A Problem of VolumeAstronomer Molly Peeples gathered stats on the HST submissions sent in last week for the upcoming HST Cycle 25 (the deadline was Friday night), relative to previous years. This years proposal round broke the record, with over 1200 proposals submitted in total for Cycle 25. [Molly Peeples]Each proposal cycle for HST time attracts on the order of 1100 proposals accounting for far more HST time than is available. The proposals are therefore carefully reviewed by around 150 international members of the astronomy community during a six-month process to select those with the highest scientific merit.Ideally, each proposal will be read by reviewers that have scientific expertise relevant to the proposal topic: if a proposal requests HST time to study star formation, for instance, then the reviewers assigned to it should have research expertise in star formation.How does this matching of proposals to reviewers occur? The current method relies on self-reported categorization of the submitted proposals. This is unreliable, however; proposals are often mis-categorized by submitters due to misunderstanding or ambiguous cases.As a result, the Science Policies Group at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) which oversees the review of HST proposals must go through each of the proposals by hand and re-categorize them. The proposals are then matched to reviewers with self-declared expertise in the same category.With the number of HST proposals on the rise and the expectation that the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will elicit even more proposals for time than Hubble scientists at STScI and NASA are now asking: could the human hours necessary for this task be spared? Could a computer program

  4. A generalized endogenous grid method for discrete-continuous choice

    OpenAIRE

    John Rust; Bertel Schjerning; Fedor Iskhakov

    2012-01-01

    This paper extends Carroll's endogenous grid method (2006 "The method of endogenous gridpoints for solving dynamic stochastic optimization problems", Economic Letters) for models with sequential discrete and continuous choice. Unlike existing generalizations, we propose solution algorithm that inherits both advantages of the original method, namely it avoids all root finding operations, and also efficiently deals with restrictions on the continuous decision variable. To further speed up the s...

  5. Continuous and Discrete-Time Optimal Controls for an Isolated Signalized Intersection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiyuan Tan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A classical control problem for an isolated oversaturated intersection is revisited with a focus on the optimal control policy to minimize total delay. The difference and connection between existing continuous-time planning models and recently proposed discrete-time planning models are studied. A gradient descent algorithm is proposed to convert the optimal control plan of the continuous-time model to the plan of the discrete-time model in many cases. Analytic proof and numerical tests for the algorithm are also presented. The findings shed light on the links between two kinds of models.

  6. Why Do We Continue Doing Science?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Leach

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper I speak from both a scientific and religious perspective. From this dual perspective I question the motivations that drive us to continue in the effort of doing scientific work. I ask the why and the wherefore of scientific work. To answer this question: What drives us to continue doing Science? I raise a preliminary question: What do we mean when we say ‘Science’? After briefly describing how the language of Modern Science has evolved in the last centuries, I distinguish between the knowledge that can be expressed by the formal languages of mathematics and the more personal and internal knowledge that can only be expressed by other languages that I call languages of symbol. Finally I propose positive and religious values that move us to continue doing science, while, together with more critical voices, also show the relativity of scientific work

  7. 77 FR 2094 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-13

    ... ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial... agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in... revisions to existing information collection on arts activities funded through State Arts Assemblies and...

  8. 78 FR 46002 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-30

    ...) Program Awardee Reporting Form. Abstract: The purpose of the BEA Program is to provide an incentive to... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Proposed Collection... part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and...

  9. 78 FR 33469 - Proposed Collection: Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-04

    ...: 1535-0127. Abstract: The information is requested to establish an investor account, issue and redeem... burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection... agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as...

  10. 76 FR 70075 - Proximity Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-10

    ... Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health... proposed rule addressing Proximity Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal... Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines. MSHA conducted hearings on...

  11. Therapeutic role of continuous exercise training programme on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The continuous (n=112; 58.63 ± 7.22 years) group involved in an 8 weeks continuous training (60-79% HR max reserve) programme of between 45 minutes to 60 minutes, while age-matched controls hypertensive (n=105; 58.27± 6.24 years) group remain sedentary during this period. Cardiovascular parameters [Systolic ...

  12. Quality management of clinical-practical instruction for Practical Year medical students in Germany - proposal for a catalogue of criteria from the German Society of Medical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raes, Patricia; Angstwurm, Matthias; Berberat, Pascal; Kadmon, Martina; Rotgans, Jerome; Streitlein-Böhme, Irmgard; Burckhardt, Gerhard; Fischer, Martin R

    2014-01-01

    Amended in 2013, the current version of the German Medical Licensure Regulation contains structural specifications that are also required of non-university institutions involved in Practical Year clinical training. The criteria are worded in relatively general terms. Furthermore, not all of the structural specifications can be readily applied to every subject area. In order to ensure commensurability in Practical Year instruction in Germany, not least in light of recently introduced Practical Year mobility, it is necessary to define consistent quality criteria for Practical Year training. The authors therefore propose a catalogue of criteria for the quality management process in Practical Year instruction facilities. In January 2014, the board of directors of the German Society for Medical Education decided to establish a committee comprised of representatives from various German medical faculties. In a process similar to the Delphi methodology, the group developed criteria for structure, process and outcome quality in Practical Year training in Germany. The criteria developed for structure, process and outcome quality apply to Practical Year training in academic teaching hospitals and university medical centres. Furthermore, modalities for review are proposed. The present catalogue of criteria is intended to contribute to the formation of a basis for the most consistent quality standards possible for Practical Year instruction in Germany.

  13. EU initiative on energy infrastructures and continuity of supply

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heller, W.

    2004-01-01

    On December 10, 2003, the European Commission presented a comprehensive legislative package about energy infrastructure and continuity of supply. The proposals result in an agglomeration and extension of Community law provisions in the energy sector. A key role is played by the proposed directive ensuring the continuity of electricity supply and investments into infrastructure. This implies the need for the member countries henceforth to define the roles and responsibilities of grid operators and suppliers. The Energy Services Directive is to create a harmonized framework in the field of energy services and energy efficiency by providing common definitions, instruments, and methods. The legislative package has been forwarded to the European Parliament and to the Council. A first reading in the European Parliament is to be completed still in this legislative term by early May 2004. The Energy Ministers of the EU member countries were presented the package on continuity of supply on December 15, 2003. European legislation in the energy sector is keeping member countries busy, leaving them fewer and fewer possibilities for shaping policies of their own. There is danger of overregulation. (orig.)

  14. TORUS: Theory of Reactions for Unstable iSotopes - Year 1 Continuation and Progress Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arbanas, G; Elster, C; Escher, J; Mukhamedzhanov, A; Nunes, F; Thompson, I J

    2011-02-24

    The TORUS collaboration derives its name from the research it focuses on, namely the Theory of Reactions for Unstable iSotopes. It is a Topical Collaboration in Nuclear Theory, and funded by the Nuclear Theory Division of the Office of Nuclear Physics in the Office of Science of the Department of Energy. The funding started on June 1, 2010, it will have been running for nine months by the date of submission of this Annual Continuation and Progress Report on March 1, 2011. The extent of funding was reduced from the original application, and now supports one postdoctoral researcher for the years 1 through 3. The collaboration brings together as Principal Investigators a large fraction of the nuclear reaction theorists currently active within the USA. The mission of the TORUS Topical Collaboration is to develop new methods that will advance nuclear reaction theory for unstable isotopes by using three-body techniques to improve direct-reaction calculations, and, by using a new partial-fusion theory, to integrate descriptions of direct and compound-nucleus reactions. This multi-institution collaborative effort is directly relevant to three areas of interest: the properties of nuclei far from stability; microscopic studies of nuclear input parameters for astrophysics, and microscopic nuclear reaction theory.

  15. Final Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report for continued operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-08-01

    This Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This document analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action: continued operation, including near-term (within 5 to 10 years) proposed projects, of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore (SNL, Livermore). Additionally, this document analyzes a no action alternative involving continuing operations at FY 1992 funding levels without further growth, a modification of operations alternative to reduce adverse environmental impacts of operations or facilities, and a shutdown and decommissioning alternative of UC discontinuing its management of LLNL after the current contract expires on September 30, 1992. This document assesses the environmental impacts of the Laboratories' operations on air and water quality, geological and ecological systems, occupational and public health risks, prehistoric and historic resources, endangered species, floodplains and wetlands, socioeconomic resources, hazardous waste management, site contamination, and other environmental issues. The EIS/EIR is divided into five volumes and two companion reports. This volume contains the Final EIS/EIR, which in part relies on the detailed information in the appendices, and comprehensively discusses the proposed action, the alternatives, and the existing conditions and impacts of the proposed action and the alternatives

  16. Outcomes in Continuing Pregnancies Diagnosed with a Severe Fetal Abnormality and Implication of Antenatal Neonatology Consultation: A 10-Year Retrospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hostalery, Laura; Tosello, Barthélémy

    2017-06-01

    To describe a population choosing to continue their pregnancy despite a severe fetal abnormality and to evaluate the role of antenatal neonatology consultation in perinatal decision-making. A 10-year (2005-2015) retrospective descriptive study in a single Multidisciplinary Prenatal Diagnosis Center in South France. A series of pregnancies with severe fetal abnormalities were collected by a person outside the decision making process and/or the child's care. Thirty-nine pregnancies were included, among which 12 couples chose the perinatal palliative care. In total, there were 25 live births (10 later died, with median of survival of 52.5 h [16-943.5]); only five infants received a palliative care plan at birth. The choice to continue a pregnancy diagnosed with severe fetal pathology is on the rise in France. Treatment options point to standardize perinatal palliative care provided by trained perinatal professionals using standardized practices.

  17. Toward a Freedom to Learn in Continuing Professional Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyer, Cheryl

    1986-01-01

    A hybrid of professional continuing education and Carl Rogers's humanistic philosophy supporting freedom in learning is proposed, and the five principles of the philosophy are examined for their potential for transfer to professional education. (MSE)

  18. Effect of continued cannabis use on medication adherence in the first two years following onset of psychosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoeler, Tabea; Petros, Natalia; Di Forti, Marta; Klamerus, Ewa; Foglia, Enrico; Murray, Robin; Bhattacharyya, Sagnik

    2017-09-01

    Uncertainty exists whether the use of non-prescription psychoactive substances following onset of a first episode of psychosis (FEP), in particular cannabis use, affects medication adherence. Data from FEP patients (N=233) obtained through prospective assessments measured medication adherence and pattern of cannabis and other substance use in the first two years following onset of psychosis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to compare the different substance use groups with regard to risk of medication non-adherence, while controlling for confounders. The proportion of non-adherent patients was higher in those who continued using high-potency forms of cannabis (skunk-like) following the onset (83%) when compared to never regular users (51%), corresponding to an Odds Ratio (OR) of 5.26[95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.91-15.68]. No significant increases in risk were present in those who used cannabis more sporadically or used milder forms of cannabis (hash-like). Other substances did not make an independent contribution in this model, including cigarette use ([OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.41-1.89]), alcohol use ([OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.27-1.64]) or regular use of other illicit drugs ([OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.34-3.15]) following the onset. These results suggest that continued use of high-potency cannabis following the onset of psychosis may adversely affect medication adherence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Isolated laryngeal myasthenia gravis for 26 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renard, Dimitri; Hedayat, Amir; Gagnard, Corinne

    2015-02-01

    Laryngeal myasthenia gravis is a relatively rare variant of myasthenia gravis. A vast portion of patients with initial laryngeal myasthenia gravis develop involvement of ocular and/or extra-ocular muscles during the years after symptom onset although a minority of laryngeal myasthenia gravis patients continues to have isolated laryngeal muscle involvement for several years. We present a 58-year-old woman with recurrent episodic isolated dysphonia (associated with diffuse bilateral vocal cord paresis on laryngoscopy) since the age of 32. Dysphonia became permanent since 6 months. A diagnosis of laryngeal myasthenia gravis was made based on abnormal single-fiber electromyography and spectacular response to pyridostigmine treatment. Repetitive nerve stimulation was normal and anti-acetylcholine receptor and anti-muscle specific tyrosine kinase antibodies were absent. This case shows that laryngeal myasthenia gravis can be isolated during 26 years of follow-up. We propose that even when myasthenia gravis seems unlikely as underlying mechanism of isolated dysphonia (because of lack of antibodies, normal repetitive nerve stimulation, and absence of extra-laryngeal involvement after years of follow-up), single-fiber electromyography should be performed and myasthenia gravis treatment should be tried. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Hand disinfection in a neonatal intensive care unit: continuous electronic monitoring over a one-year period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helder, Onno K; van Goudoever, Johannes B; Hop, Wim C J; Brug, Johannes; Kornelisse, René F

    2012-10-08

    Good hand hygiene compliance is essential to prevent nosocomial infections in healthcare settings. Direct observation of hand hygiene compliance is the gold standard but is time consuming. An electronic dispenser with built-in wireless recording equipment allows continuous monitoring of its usage. The purpose of this study was to monitor the use of alcohol-based hand rub dispensers with a built-in electronic counter in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting and to determine compliance with hand hygiene protocols by direct observation. A one-year observational study was conducted at a 27 bed level III NICU at a university hospital. All healthcare workers employed at the NICU participated in the study. The use of bedside dispensers was continuously monitored and compliance with hand hygiene was determined by random direct observations. A total of 258,436 hand disinfection events were recorded; i.e. a median (interquartile range) of 697 (559-840) per day. The median (interquartile range) number of hand disinfection events performed per healthcare worker during the day, evening, and night shifts was 13.5 (10.8 - 16.7), 19.8 (16.3 - 24.1), and 16.6 (14.2 - 19.3), respectively. In 65.8% of the 1,168 observations of patient contacts requiring hand hygiene, healthcare workers fully complied with the protocol. We conclude that the electronic devices provide useful information on frequency, time, and location of its use, and also reveal trends in hand disinfection events over time. Direct observations offer essential data on compliance with the hand hygiene protocol. In future research, data generated by the electronic devices can be supplementary used to evaluate the effectiveness of hand hygiene promotion campaigns.

  1. Continuing medical education in radiation oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chauvet, B.; Barillot, I.; Denis, F.; Cailleux, P.E.; Ardiet, J.M.; Mornex, F.

    2012-01-01

    In France, continuing medical education (CME) and professional practice evaluation (PPE) became mandatory by law in July 2009 for all health professionals. Recently published decrees led to the creation of national specialty councils to implement this organizational device. For radiation oncology, this council includes the French Society for Radiation Oncology (SFRO), the National Radiation Oncology Syndicate (SNRO) and the Association for Continuing Medical Education in Radiation Oncology (AFCOR). The Radiation Oncology National Council will propose a set of programs including CME and PPE, professional thesaurus, labels for CME actions consistent with national requirements, and will organize expertise for public instances. AFCOR remains the primary for CME, but each practitioner can freely choose an organisation for CME, provided that it is certified by the independent scientific commission. The National Order for physicians is the control authority. Radiation oncology has already a strong tradition of independent CME that will continue through this major reform. (authors)

  2. Proposal of 'modular heliotron'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, Kozo.

    1993-11-01

    A new modular helical configuration named 'Modular Heliotron' with clean and efficient helical magnetic divertor is proposed as an extension of the present conventional design of the continuous helical coil system. The sectored helical coils on one plane of the torus and the sectored returning vertical field coils on the other plane are combined. This coil system produces magnetic surfaces nearly equivalent to those of the l=2 helical system with one-pair poloidal coils, and overcomes the defects of construction and maintenance difficulties of the continuous coil systems. This concept satisfies the compatibility between the coil modularity and the sufficient divertor-space utilization, different from previous modular coil designs. The allowable length of the gap between each modular coil is clarified to keep good magnetic surfaces. Typical examples of the reactor coil configuration are described as an extension of the LHD (Large Helical Device) configuration. (author)

  3. Proposal of 'Modular Heliotron'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, Kozo

    1994-01-01

    A new modular helical system named 'Modular Heliotron' with clean and efficient helical magnetic divertor is proposed as an extension of the present conventional design of the continuous helical coil system. The sectored helical coils on one plane of the torus and the sectored returning vertical field coils on the other plane are combined. This coil system produces magnetic surfaces nearly equivalent to those of the l=2 helical system with one-pair poloidal coils, and overcomes the defects of construction and maintenance difficulties of the continuous coil systems. This concept satisfies the compatibility between the coil modularity and the sufficient divertor-space utilization, different from previous modular coil designs. The allowable length of the gap between each modular coil is clarified to keep good magnetic surfaces. Typical examples of the reactor coil configuration are described as an extension of the LHD (Large Helical Device) configuration. (author)

  4. Business continuity management in international organisations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamou, Christel

    2014-01-01

    In the area of business continuity management, a preliminary review of the literature reveals extensive knowledge, expertise and experience concerning organisations in the private and public sectors. It is interesting to note, however, that there is little literature about business continuity management in international organisations, although these entities are complex and particularly prone to threats. This apparent absence of literature suggests that business continuity management has not yet hit the agenda of international organisations. In recent years, member states have encouraged senior management to design and implement business continuity strategies to minimise the mishandling of an internal crisis and build organisational resilience, but very few of them have actually been able to design and implement comprehensive business continuity programmes. Based on actual experience working in international organisations, this paper outlines some of the challenges faced by international organisations in developing and implementing business continuity activities and attempts to make suggestions for further improvement.

  5. Higher-order statistical moments and a procedure that detects potentially anomalous years as two alternative methods describing alterations in continuous environmental data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arismendi, Ivan; Johnson, Sherri L.; Dunham, Jason B.

    2015-01-01

    Statistics of central tendency and dispersion may not capture relevant or desired characteristics of the distribution of continuous phenomena and, thus, they may not adequately describe temporal patterns of change. Here, we present two methodological approaches that can help to identify temporal changes in environmental regimes. First, we use higher-order statistical moments (skewness and kurtosis) to examine potential changes of empirical distributions at decadal extents. Second, we adapt a statistical procedure combining a non-metric multidimensional scaling technique and higher density region plots to detect potentially anomalous years. We illustrate the use of these approaches by examining long-term stream temperature data from minimally and highly human-influenced streams. In particular, we contrast predictions about thermal regime responses to changing climates and human-related water uses. Using these methods, we effectively diagnose years with unusual thermal variability and patterns in variability through time, as well as spatial variability linked to regional and local factors that influence stream temperature. Our findings highlight the complexity of responses of thermal regimes of streams and reveal their differential vulnerability to climate warming and human-related water uses. The two approaches presented here can be applied with a variety of other continuous phenomena to address historical changes, extreme events, and their associated ecological responses.

  6. Using fourth-year medical students' reflections to propose strategies ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2011-12-13

    Dec 13, 2011 ... S Afr Fam Pract 2012;54(6):513-517. Using fourth-year .... cope with the psychological impact of certain cases and to distance myself .... requirements. They should have an opportunity to test ... Reynolds HY. On becoming a ...

  7. Correlated-Spaces Regression for Learning Continuous Emotion Dimensions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nicolaou, M.; Zafeiriou, S.; Pantic, Maja

    2013-01-01

    Adopting continuous dimensional annotations for affective analysis has been gaining rising attention by researchers over the past years. Due to the idiosyncratic nature of this problem, many subproblems have been identified, spanning from the fusion of multiple continuous annotations to exploiting

  8. A Lightweight Continuous Authentication Protocol for the Internet of Things

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yo-Hsuan Chuang

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Modern societies are moving toward an information-oriented environment. To gather and utilize information around people’s modern life, tiny devices with all kinds of sensing devices and various sizes of gateways need to be deployed and connected with each other through the Internet or proxy-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs. Within this kind of Internet of Things (IoT environment, how to authenticate each other between two communicating devices is a fundamental security issue. As a lot of IoT devices are powered by batteries and they need to transmit sensed data periodically, it is necessary for IoT devices to adopt a lightweight authentication protocol to reduce their energy consumption when a device wants to authenticate and transmit data to its targeted peer. In this paper, a lightweight continuous authentication protocol for sensing devices and gateway devices in general IoT environments is introduced. The concept of valid authentication time period is proposed to enhance robustness of authentication between IoT devices. To construct the proposed lightweight continuous authentication protocol, token technique and dynamic features of IoT devices are adopted in order to reach the design goals: the reduction of time consumption for consecutive authentications and energy saving for authenticating devices through by reducing the computation complexity during session establishment of continuous authentication. Security analysis is conducted to evaluate security strength of the proposed protocol. In addition, performance analysis has shown the proposed protocol is a strong competitor among existing protocols for device-to-device authentication in IoT environments.

  9. A Lightweight Continuous Authentication Protocol for the Internet of Things

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Yo-Hsuan; Yang, Cheng-Ying; Tang, Ssu-Wei

    2018-01-01

    Modern societies are moving toward an information-oriented environment. To gather and utilize information around people’s modern life, tiny devices with all kinds of sensing devices and various sizes of gateways need to be deployed and connected with each other through the Internet or proxy-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Within this kind of Internet of Things (IoT) environment, how to authenticate each other between two communicating devices is a fundamental security issue. As a lot of IoT devices are powered by batteries and they need to transmit sensed data periodically, it is necessary for IoT devices to adopt a lightweight authentication protocol to reduce their energy consumption when a device wants to authenticate and transmit data to its targeted peer. In this paper, a lightweight continuous authentication protocol for sensing devices and gateway devices in general IoT environments is introduced. The concept of valid authentication time period is proposed to enhance robustness of authentication between IoT devices. To construct the proposed lightweight continuous authentication protocol, token technique and dynamic features of IoT devices are adopted in order to reach the design goals: the reduction of time consumption for consecutive authentications and energy saving for authenticating devices through by reducing the computation complexity during session establishment of continuous authentication. Security analysis is conducted to evaluate security strength of the proposed protocol. In addition, performance analysis has shown the proposed protocol is a strong competitor among existing protocols for device-to-device authentication in IoT environments. PMID:29621168

  10. A Lightweight Continuous Authentication Protocol for the Internet of Things.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Yo-Hsuan; Lo, Nai-Wei; Yang, Cheng-Ying; Tang, Ssu-Wei

    2018-04-05

    Modern societies are moving toward an information-oriented environment. To gather and utilize information around people's modern life, tiny devices with all kinds of sensing devices and various sizes of gateways need to be deployed and connected with each other through the Internet or proxy-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Within this kind of Internet of Things (IoT) environment, how to authenticate each other between two communicating devices is a fundamental security issue. As a lot of IoT devices are powered by batteries and they need to transmit sensed data periodically, it is necessary for IoT devices to adopt a lightweight authentication protocol to reduce their energy consumption when a device wants to authenticate and transmit data to its targeted peer. In this paper, a lightweight continuous authentication protocol for sensing devices and gateway devices in general IoT environments is introduced. The concept of valid authentication time period is proposed to enhance robustness of authentication between IoT devices. To construct the proposed lightweight continuous authentication protocol, token technique and dynamic features of IoT devices are adopted in order to reach the design goals: the reduction of time consumption for consecutive authentications and energy saving for authenticating devices through by reducing the computation complexity during session establishment of continuous authentication. Security analysis is conducted to evaluate security strength of the proposed protocol. In addition, performance analysis has shown the proposed protocol is a strong competitor among existing protocols for device-to-device authentication in IoT environments.

  11. A 64-year old man who sustained many episodes of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema successfully treated with Boussignac continuous positive airway pressure : A case report

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dieperink, Willem; van der Horst, Iwan C. C.; Nannenberg-Koops, Jaqueline W.; Brouwer, Henk W.; Jaarsma, T.; Nieuwland, Wybe; Zijlstra, Felix; Nijsten, Maarten W. N.

    2007-01-01

    Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is standard treatment for patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. We describe a patient who had 21 episodes of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema due to very poor patient compliance. This 64-year old man had end-stage congestive heart failure based

  12. Proposals for changes in radiation protection standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowker, K.W.

    1990-01-01

    The International Commission on Radiological Protection has proposed changes to its recommendations on radiation protection standards. The proposed new control regime would distinguish between planned, potential and pre-existing exposure situations and between occupational, medical and public exposures. The proposals are expected to be published formally later this year. (author)

  13. QPSK Modulator with Continuous Phase and Fast Response Based on Phase-Locked Loop

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Kirasamuthranon

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Among M-phase shift keying (M-PSK schemes, quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK is used most often because of its efficient bandwidth consumption. However, in comparison with minimum-shift keying, which has continuous phase transitions, QPSK requires a higher bandwidth to transmit a signal. This article focuses on the phase transitions in QPSK signals, and a QPSK modulator based on a phase-locked loop (PLL is proposed. The PLL circuit in the proposed system differs from that of conventional PLL circuits because a three-input XOR gate and a summing circuit are used. With these additional components, the proposed PLL provides a continuous phase change in the QPSK signal. Consequently, the required bandwidth for transmitting the QPSK signal when using the proposed circuit is less than that for a conventional QPSK signal with a discontinuous phase. The analytical results for the proposed system in the time domain agree well with the experimental and simulation results of the circuit. Both the theoretical and experimental results thus confirm that the proposed technique can be realized in real-world applications.

  14. 77 FR 20625 - Air Pollution Control: Proposed Action on Clean Air Act Grants to the Idaho Department of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-05

    ...The U.S. EPA has made a proposed determination that reduction in expenditures of non-Federal funds for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) in support of its continuing air program under Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 105 for the period of calendar year 2010 was not selective relative to the expenditures of all other executive branch agencies in the State for the same period. This determination, when final, will reset IDEQ's required recipient maintenance of effort level for 2010 and 2011, retain its federal award for the 2010 and 2011 grant years, and allow IDEQ to remain eligible for a Sec. 105 grant for 2012 and beyond.

  15. Continuous Problem of Function Continuity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayakody, Gaya; Zazkis, Rina

    2015-01-01

    We examine different definitions presented in textbooks and other mathematical sources for "continuity of a function at a point" and "continuous function" in the context of introductory level Calculus. We then identify problematic issues related to definitions of continuity and discontinuity: inconsistency and absence of…

  16. Sparseness- and continuity-constrained seismic imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrmann, Felix J.

    2005-04-01

    Non-linear solution strategies to the least-squares seismic inverse-scattering problem with sparseness and continuity constraints are proposed. Our approach is designed to (i) deal with substantial amounts of additive noise (SNR formulating the solution of the seismic inverse problem in terms of an optimization problem. During the optimization, sparseness on the basis and continuity along the reflectors are imposed by jointly minimizing the l1- and anisotropic diffusion/total-variation norms on the coefficients and reflectivity, respectively. [Joint work with Peyman P. Moghaddam was carried out as part of the SINBAD project, with financial support secured through ITF (the Industry Technology Facilitator) from the following organizations: BG Group, BP, ExxonMobil, and SHELL. Additional funding came from the NSERC Discovery Grants 22R81254.

  17. Experimental demonstration of continuous variable cloning with phase-conjugate inputs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sabuncu, Metin; Andersen, Ulrik Lund; Leuchs, G.

    2007-01-01

    We report the first experimental demonstration of continuous variable cloning of phase-conjugate coherent states as proposed by Cerf and Iblisdir [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 247903 (2001)]. In contrast to this proposal, the cloning transformation is accomplished using only linear optical components......, homodyne detection, and feedforward. As a result of combining phase conjugation with a joint measurement strategy, superior cloning is demonstrated with cloning fidelities reaching 89%....

  18. Computational Techniques for Model Predictive Control of Large-Scale Systems with Continuous-Valued and Discrete-Valued Inputs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koichi Kobayashi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose computational techniques for model predictive control of large-scale systems with both continuous-valued control inputs and discrete-valued control inputs, which are a class of hybrid systems. In the proposed method, we introduce the notion of virtual control inputs, which are obtained by relaxing discrete-valued control inputs to continuous variables. In online computation, first, we find continuous-valued control inputs and virtual control inputs minimizing a cost function. Next, using the obtained virtual control inputs, only discrete-valued control inputs at the current time are computed in each subsystem. In addition, we also discuss the effect of quantization errors. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by a numerical example. The proposed method enables us to reduce and decentralize the computation load.

  19. Practical considerations for disaster preparedness and continuity management in research facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortell, Norman; Nicholls, Sam

    2013-10-01

    Many research facility managers, veterinarians and directors are familiar with the principles of Good Laboratory Practice, requirements of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, tenets of biosecurity and standards of animal welfare and housing but may be less familiar with the ideas of business continuity. But business continuity considerations are as applicable to research facilities as they are to other institutions. The authors discuss how business continuity principles can be applied in the research context and propose that such application, or 'research continuity management,' enables a focused but wide-reaching approach to disaster preparedness.

  20. 76 FR 67496 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-01

    ... Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and to reduce litigation costs. The program... Law Judge. If settlement efforts fail, the case would continue under OSHRC's conventional proceedings... personally participated in cases from February 15, 2011 through February 14, 2012. The proposed information...

  1. 77 FR 20442 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-04

    ... Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and to reduce litigation costs. The program... Law Judge. If settlement efforts fail, the case would continue under OSHRC's conventional proceedings... . OSHRC proposes to conduct a second voluntary survey of employer, Department of Labor (OSHA) personnel...

  2. 77 FR 13656 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-07

    .... Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and to reduce litigation costs... Administrative Law Judge. If settlement efforts fail, the case would continue under OSHRC's conventional... have personally participated in cases from February 15, 2011 through February 14, 2012. The proposed...

  3. Moving Upstream and Going Local: The Responsibility to Protect Ten Years Later

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bridget Moix

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Ten years ago the international community pledged to protect civilians from genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by endorsing the responsibility to protect (R2P doctrine. Yet today, horrific violence against civilians continues in places like Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan. This article examines some of the progress and gaps in the international community’s efforts to better protect civilians against mass violence over the past decade. It proposes two emerging directions for advancing the R2P agenda in the coming years: 1 greater focus on upstream prevention, and 2 increased support for locally-led peacebuilding and prevention actors and capacities.

  4. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission determination of proposed license fees for fiscal year 1977. References Federal Register No. 42 FR 22149

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-05-01

    Information is presented concerning the determination of average cost per man-year to maintain a professional employee for NRR, IE, NMSS, ACRS, ASLBP, and ASLAP; distribution of program direction and administration and program technical support costs; analysis of program support (contractual) costs for NRR, IE, and NMSS; added factor computation; NRC professional manpower required to conduct application reviews and health-and-safety and safeguards inspections; and determination of proposed fees

  5. 75 FR 36444 - Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information Collection Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-25

    ... be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Wage and Hour Division Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information... comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork...

  6. 76 FR 48181 - Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information Collection Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-08

    ... be provided in a desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Wage and Hour Division Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information... comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork...

  7. 76 FR 15348 - Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information Collection Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-21

    ... be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Wage and Hour Division Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information... comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork...

  8. Continuation of copper and levonorgestrel intrauterine devices: a retrospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Sharon J; Hofler, Lisa G; Modest, Anna M; Harvey, Lara F B; Wu, Lily H; Hacker, Michele R

    2017-07-01

    Studies conflict on whether the duration of use of the copper intrauterine device is longer than that of the levonorgestrel intrauterine device, and whether women who continue using intrauterine devices differ from those who discontinue. We sought to assess continuation rates and performance of levonorgestrel intrauterine devices compared with copper intrauterine devices over a 5-year period. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 1164 individuals who underwent intrauterine device placement at an urban academic medical center. The analysis focused on a comparison of continuation rates between those using levonorgestrel intrauterine device and copper intrauterine device, factors associated with discontinuation, and intrauterine device performance. We assessed the differences in continuation at discrete time points, pregnancy, and expulsion rates using χ 2 tests and calculated hazard ratios using a multivariable Cox model. Of 1164 women who underwent contraceptive intrauterine device insertion, 956 had follow-up data available. At 2 years, 64.9% of levonorgestrel intrauterine device users continued their device, compared with 57.7% of copper intrauterine device users (P = .11). At 4 years, continuation rates were 45.1% for levonorgestrel intrauterine device and 32.6% for copper intrauterine device (P 4 years was 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.93) and >5 years was 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.64-1.05) after adjusting for race, age, parity, and education. Copper intrauterine device users were more likely to experience expulsion (10.2% copper intrauterine device vs 4.9% levonorgestrel intrauterine device, P < .01) over the study period and to become pregnant in the first year of use (1.6% copper intrauterine device vs 0.1% levonorgestrel intrauterine device, P < .01). We found a difference in continuation rates between levonorgestrel and copper intrauterine device users at 4 years but not at 5 years. Copper intrauterine device users were more likely

  9. Active Affordance Learning in Continuous State and Action Spaces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, C.; Hindriks, K.V.; Babuska, R.

    2014-01-01

    Learning object affordances and manipulation skills is essential for developing cognitive service robots. We propose an active affordance learning approach in continuous state and action spaces without manual discretization of states or exploratory motor primitives. During exploration in the action

  10. Continuous Variable Quantum Key Distribution with a Noisy Laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Christian Scheffmann; Gehring, Tobias; Andersen, Ulrik Lund

    2015-01-01

    Existing experimental implementations of continuous-variable quantum key distribution require shot-noise limited operation, achieved with shot-noise limited lasers. However, loosening this requirement on the laser source would allow for cheaper, potentially integrated systems. Here, we implement...... a theoretically proposed prepare-and-measure continuous-variable protocol and experimentally demonstrate the robustness of it against preparation noise stemming for instance from technical laser noise. Provided that direct reconciliation techniques are used in the post-processing we show that for small distances...

  11. Continuous crossover femoropopliteal bypass in a 68-year-old gentleman with rest pain.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Smith, F M

    2012-02-03

    Patients who have had multiple previous attempts at limb salvaging surgery frequently go on to have an amputation. This, however, results both in psychological perturbation for the patient and high rehabilitation costs for the community. Successful limb salvage surgery therefore has an important role in vascular surgery. We describe the management of a patient with critical limb ischemia that had previously undergone multiple limb salvage procedures and whose limb was saved by the use of a continuous femoropopliteal crossover bypass graft. The patient, who may have been deemed by some as a candidate for amputation, has full use of his limb 6 months after surgery with ankle brachial pressure index readings of 0.6. Continuous femoropopliteal crossover bypass grafting is a poorly described surgical technique that may be appropriate in a subgroup of patients and may allow salvage of a limb that otherwise may have been deemed fit for amputation.

  12. Self-harm in young adolescents (12-16 years): onset and short-term continuation in a community sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stallard, Paul; Spears, Melissa; Montgomery, Alan A; Phillips, Rhiannon; Sayal, Kapil

    2013-12-02

    To investigate the prevalence of self-harm in young adolescents and factors associated with onset and continuity over a one year period. Prospective longitudinal study. Participants were young adolescents (n = 3964) aged 12-16 years attending 8 secondary schools in the Midlands and South West of England. Over a one year period 27% of young adolescents reported thoughts of self-harm and 15% reported at least one act of self-harm. Of those who self-harmed, less than one in five (18%) had sought help for psychological problems of anxiety or depression. Compared with boys, girls were at increased risk of developing thoughts (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.26-2.06) and acts (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.06-1.84) of self-harm, particularly amongst those girls in school year 9 (aged 13/14, thoughts adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 1.97, 95% CI 1.27-3.04; acts aOR 2.59, 95% CI 1.52-4.41). Of those reporting thoughts of self-harm at baseline, 60% also reported these thoughts at follow-up. Similarly 55% of those who reported an act of self-harm at baseline also reported that they had self-harmed at follow-up. Insecure peer relationships increased the likelihood that boys and girls would develop self-harming behaviours, as did being bullied for boys. Low mood was associated with the development of self-harming thoughts and behaviours for boys and girls, whilst a strong sense of school membership was associated with a reduced risk of developing thoughts of self-harm for boys and increased the likelihood of self-harming thoughts and behaviours ceasing for girls. Self harm in young adolescents is common with one in four reporting self-harming thoughts and one in six engaging in self-harming behaviour over a one year period. Self-harm is already established by 12/13 years of age and for over half of our sample, self-harming thoughts and behaviour persisted over the year. Secure peer and strong school relationships were associated with less self-harm. Few seek help for psychological problems, suggesting a

  13. 14 CFR 302.211 - Procedures in certificate cases involving initial or continuing fitness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... initial or continuing fitness. 302.211 Section 302.211 Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY... Disposition of Applications § 302.211 Procedures in certificate cases involving initial or continuing fitness... applicant's fitness to operate. Where such applications propose the operation of scheduled service in...

  14. Proposal for an Evaluation Method for the Performance of Work Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Mouda; Mébarek, Djebabra; Wafa, Boulagouas; Makhlouf, Chati

    2016-12-01

    Noncompliance of operators with work procedures is a recurrent problem. This human behavior has been said to be situational and studied by many different approaches (ergonomic and others), which consider the noncompliance with work procedures to be obvious and seek to analyze its causes as well as consequences. The object of the proposed method is to solve this problem by focusing on the performance of work procedures and ensuring improved performance on a continuous basis. This study has multiple results: (1) assessment of the work procedures' performance by a multicriteria approach; (2) the use of a continuous improvement approach as a framework for the sustainability of the assessment method of work procedures' performance; and (3) adaptation of the Stop-Card as a facilitator support for continuous improvement of work procedures. The proposed method emphasizes to put in value the inputs of continuous improvement of the work procedures in relation with the conventional approaches which adopt the obvious evidence of the noncompliance to the working procedures and seek to analyze the cause-effect relationships related to this unacceptable phenomenon, especially in strategic industry.

  15. Dual-modality arterial pulse monitoring system for continuous blood pressure measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen-Xuan Dai; Yuan-Ting Zhang; Jing Liu; Xiao-Rong Ding; Ni Zhao

    2016-08-01

    Accurate and ambulatory measurement of blood pressure (BP) is essential for efficient diagnosis, management and prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, traditional cuff-based BP measurement methods provide only intermittent BP readings and can cause discomfort with the occlusive cuff. Although pulse transit time (PTT) method is promising for cuffless and continuous BP measurement, its pervasive use is restricted by its limited accuracy and requirement of placing sensors on multiple body sites. To tackle these issues, we propose a novel dual-modality arterial pulse monitoring system for continuous blood pressure measurement, which simultaneously records the pressure and photoplethysmography (PPG) signals of radial artery. The obtained signals can be used to generate a pressure-volume curve, from which the elasticity index (EI) and viscosity index (VI) can be extracted. Experiments were carried out among 7 healthy subjects with their PPG, ECG, arterial pressure wave and reference BP collected to examine the effectiveness of the proposed indexes. The results of this study demonstrate that a linear regression model combining EI and VI has significantly higher BP tracking correlation coefficient as compared to the PTT method. This suggests that the proposed system and method can potentially be used for convenient and continuous blood pressure estimation with higher accuracy.

  16. An extended continuous estimation of distribution algorithm for solving the permutation flow-shop scheduling problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Zhongshi; Pi, Dechang; Shao, Weishi

    2017-11-01

    This article proposes an extended continuous estimation of distribution algorithm (ECEDA) to solve the permutation flow-shop scheduling problem (PFSP). In ECEDA, to make a continuous estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) suitable for the PFSP, the largest order value rule is applied to convert continuous vectors to discrete job permutations. A probabilistic model based on a mixed Gaussian and Cauchy distribution is built to maintain the exploration ability of the EDA. Two effective local search methods, i.e. revolver-based variable neighbourhood search and Hénon chaotic-based local search, are designed and incorporated into the EDA to enhance the local exploitation. The parameters of the proposed ECEDA are calibrated by means of a design of experiments approach. Simulation results and comparisons based on some benchmark instances show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm for solving the PFSP.

  17. Continuous oxygen therapy for hypoxic pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ringbaek, Thomas J

    2005-01-01

    Continuous oxygen therapy (COT) has become widely accepted in the last 20 years in patients with continuous hypoxemia. This review focuses on guidelines for COT, adherence to these guidelines, and the effect of COT on survival, hospitalization, and quality of life. Guidelines for COT are mainly b...... based on three randomized studies where documentation of hypoxemia (P(a)O2...

  18. Interactive Exploration for Continuously Expanding Neuron Databases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhongyu; Metaxas, Dimitris N; Lu, Aidong; Zhang, Shaoting

    2017-02-15

    This paper proposes a novel framework to help biologists explore and analyze neurons based on retrieval of data from neuron morphological databases. In recent years, the continuously expanding neuron databases provide a rich source of information to associate neuronal morphologies with their functional properties. We design a coarse-to-fine framework for efficient and effective data retrieval from large-scale neuron databases. In the coarse-level, for efficiency in large-scale, we employ a binary coding method to compress morphological features into binary codes of tens of bits. Short binary codes allow for real-time similarity searching in Hamming space. Because the neuron databases are continuously expanding, it is inefficient to re-train the binary coding model from scratch when adding new neurons. To solve this problem, we extend binary coding with online updating schemes, which only considers the newly added neurons and update the model on-the-fly, without accessing the whole neuron databases. In the fine-grained level, we introduce domain experts/users in the framework, which can give relevance feedback for the binary coding based retrieval results. This interactive strategy can improve the retrieval performance through re-ranking the above coarse results, where we design a new similarity measure and take the feedback into account. Our framework is validated on more than 17,000 neuron cells, showing promising retrieval accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrate its use case in assisting biologists to identify and explore unknown neurons. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Continuing education in athletic training: an alternative approach based on adult learning theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitney, W A

    1998-01-01

    To offer an alternative perspective on current continuing education practices and to propose a model for facilitating continuing education in the athletic training workplace. Professional knowledge can quickly become outdated, and the personal/professional contexts of allied medical fields such as athletic training are becoming increasingly more complex, making continuing education paramount. Adult learning theory suggests that individuals are self- directed, autonomous learners in nature and that experience is a rich source for learning, subsequently making the workplace a fruitful environment in which to engage in continuing education. Unfortunately, mandating continuing education may violate the voluntary nature of adult learning, making the practice questionable. Therefore, alternative aspects of continuing education may be helpful. This article consists of a brief synthesis of related literature that offers an alternative perspective of continuing education and proposes a model for facilitating continuing education in the workplace. The model's foundation includes preparing an environment conducive to learning and then focuses on identifying learning needs, setting goals, implementing specific strategies to facilitate self-directed learning, and assessing leaming. Additionally, the model suggests that ongoing reflection is a key factor in enhancing the identification of learning needs, goals, and strategies. The model may best be used by clinical coordinators, directors, and supervisors to better facilitate employee learning and subsequently improve patient care delivery.

  20. Time-Frequency-Wavenumber Analysis of Surface Waves Using the Continuous Wavelet Transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poggi, V.; Fäh, D.; Giardini, D.

    2013-03-01

    A modified approach to surface wave dispersion analysis using active sources is proposed. The method is based on continuous recordings, and uses the continuous wavelet transform to analyze the phase velocity dispersion of surface waves. This gives the possibility to accurately localize the phase information in time, and to isolate the most significant contribution of the surface waves. To extract the dispersion information, then, a hybrid technique is applied to the narrowband filtered seismic recordings. The technique combines the flexibility of the slant stack method in identifying waves that propagate in space and time, with the resolution of f- k approaches. This is particularly beneficial for higher mode identification in cases of high noise levels. To process the continuous wavelet transform, a new mother wavelet is presented and compared to the classical and widely used Morlet type. The proposed wavelet is obtained from a raised-cosine envelope function (Hanning type). The proposed approach is particularly suitable when using continuous recordings (e.g., from seismological-like equipment) since it does not require any hardware-based source triggering. This can be subsequently done with the proposed method. Estimation of the surface wave phase delay is performed in the frequency domain by means of a covariance matrix averaging procedure over successive wave field excitations. Thus, no record stacking is necessary in the time domain and a large number of consecutive shots can be used. This leads to a certain simplification of the field procedures. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, we tested it on synthetics as well on real field data. For the real case we also combine dispersion curves from ambient vibrations and active measurements.

  1. Biomimicry of symbiotic multi-species coevolution for discrete and continuous optimization in RFID networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Na; Chen, Hanning; Jing, Shikai; Liu, Fang; Liang, Xiaodan

    2017-03-01

    In recent years, symbiosis as a rich source of potential engineering applications and computational model has attracted more and more attentions in the adaptive complex systems and evolution computing domains. Inspired by different symbiotic coevolution forms in nature, this paper proposed a series of multi-swarm particle swarm optimizers called PS 2 Os, which extend the single population particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to interacting multi-swarms model by constructing hierarchical interaction topologies and enhanced dynamical update equations. According to different symbiotic interrelationships, four versions of PS 2 O are initiated to mimic mutualism, commensalism, predation, and competition mechanism, respectively. In the experiments, with five benchmark problems, the proposed algorithms are proved to have considerable potential for solving complex optimization problems. The coevolutionary dynamics of symbiotic species in each PS 2 O version are also studied respectively to demonstrate the heterogeneity of different symbiotic interrelationships that effect on the algorithm's performance. Then PS 2 O is used for solving the radio frequency identification (RFID) network planning (RNP) problem with a mixture of discrete and continuous variables. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the reference algorithms for planning RFID networks, in terms of optimization accuracy and computation robustness.

  2. Rapid Estimation Method for State of Charge of Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Fractional Continual Variable Order Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Lu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the fractional order model has been employed to state of charge (SOC estimation. The non integer differentiation order being expressed as a function of recursive factors defining the fractality of charge distribution on porous electrodes. The battery SOC affects the fractal dimension of charge distribution, therefore the order of the fractional order model varies with the SOC at the same condition. This paper proposes a new method to estimate the SOC. A fractional continuous variable order model is used to characterize the fractal morphology of charge distribution. The order identification results showed that there is a stable monotonic relationship between the fractional order and the SOC after the battery inner electrochemical reaction reaches balanced. This feature makes the proposed model particularly suitable for SOC estimation when the battery is in the resting state. Moreover, a fast iterative method based on the proposed model is introduced for SOC estimation. The experimental results showed that the proposed iterative method can quickly estimate the SOC by several iterations while maintaining high estimation accuracy.

  3. Application of continuous-time random walk to statistical arbitrage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergey Osmekhin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available An analytical statistical arbitrage strategy is proposed, where the distribution of the spread is modelled as a continuous-time random walk. Optimal boundaries, computed as a function of the mean and variance of the firstpassage time ofthe spread,maximises an objective function. The predictability of the trading strategy is analysed and contrasted for two forms of continuous-time random walk processes. We found that the waiting-time distribution has a significant impact on the prediction of the expected profit for intraday trading

  4. An Application of a Stochastic Semi-Continuous Simulation Method for Flood Frequency Analysis: A Case Study in Slovakia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valent, Peter; Paquet, Emmanuel

    2017-09-01

    A reliable estimate of extreme flood characteristics has always been an active topic in hydrological research. Over the decades a large number of approaches and their modifications have been proposed and used, with various methods utilizing continuous simulation of catchment runoff, being the subject of the most intensive research in the last decade. In this paper a new and promising stochastic semi-continuous method is used to estimate extreme discharges in two mountainous Slovak catchments of the rivers Váh and Hron, in which snow-melt processes need to be taken into account. The SCHADEX method used, couples a precipitation probabilistic model with a rainfall-runoff model used to both continuously simulate catchment hydrological conditions and to transform generated synthetic rainfall events into corresponding discharges. The stochastic nature of the method means that a wide range of synthetic rainfall events were simulated on various historical catchment conditions, taking into account not only the saturation of soil, but also the amount of snow accumulated in the catchment. The results showed that the SCHADEX extreme discharge estimates with return periods of up to 100 years were comparable to those estimated by statistical approaches. In addition, two reconstructed historical floods with corresponding return periods of 100 and 1000 years were compared to the SCHADEX estimates. The results confirmed the usability of the method for estimating design discharges with a recurrence interval of more than 100 years and its applicability in Slovak conditions.

  5. Albania; Request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility

    OpenAIRE

    International Monetary Fund

    2002-01-01

    This paper evaluates Albania’s Request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Sound financial policies under the previous PRGF-supported program helped stabilize the economy and restore high growth, but poverty remains widespread. The authorities’ medium-term strategy aims to promote inclusive growth, as the country continues to be plagued by poverty. The proposed PRGF arrangement is justified by the authorities’ commendable performance under the ...

  6. Continuous Drug Infusion for Diabetes Therapy: A Closed-Loop Control System Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiming Chen

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available While a typical way for diabetes therapy is discrete insulin infusion based on long-time interval measurement, in this paper, we design a closed-loop control system for continuous drug infusion to improve the traditional discrete methods and make diabetes therapy automatic in practice. By exploring the accumulative function of drug to insulin, a continuous injection model is proposed. Based on this model, proportional-integral-derivative (PID and fuzzy logic controllers are designed to tackle a control problem of the resulting highly nonlinear plant. Even with serious disturbance of glucose, such as nutrition absorption at meal time, the proposed scheme can perform well in simulation experiments.

  7. Proposed alternatives for international plutonium storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    de Montmollin, J.M.

    1983-01-01

    The IAEA Director General convened an Expert Group in December 1978, to study proposals for implementing some form of IPS. The Group labored for three years, developing details of a single proposed concept. In early 1982 a group of developing countries proposed a different and less-restrictive scheme, which was labeled Alternative B. In response, three other countries proposed a scheme more restrictive than the original Alternative A. The Expert Group forwarded all three alternatives to the Board of Governors, without recommendation, in its final report. In this paper the features that distinguish each of the alternatives are described

  8. Gain tuning and fidelity in continuous-variable quantum teleportation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ide, Toshiki; Hofmann, Holger F.; Furusawa, Akira; Kobayashi, Takayoshi

    2002-01-01

    The fidelity of continuous-variable teleportation can be optimized by changing the gain in the modulation of the output field. We discuss the gain dependence of fidelity for coherent, vacuum, and one-photon inputs and propose optimal gain tuning strategies for corresponding input selections

  9. Henoch schonlein purpura--a 5-year review and proposed pathway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louise Watson

    Full Text Available Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP is the commonest systemic vasculitis of childhood typically presenting with a palpable purpuric rash and frequently involving the renal system. We are the first group to clinically assess, critically analyse and subsequently revise a nurse led monitoring pathway for this condition.A cohort of 102 children presenting with HSP to a secondary/tertiary level UK paediatric hospital over a five year period, were monitored using a nurse led care pathway. Using this cohort, the incidence (6.21 cases per 100,000 children per year and natural disease course of HSP nephritis (46% initial renal inflammation; 9% subsequent renal referral; 1% renal biopsy and immunosuppression was determined. Older patients were at higher risk of requiring a renal referral (renal referral 12.3 (8.4-13.5 years vs. normal outcome 6.0 (3.7-8.5 years; p<0.01. A normal urinalysis on day 7 had a 97% (confidence interval 90 to 99% negative predictive value in predicting a normal renal outcome.Using this data and existing literature base, The Alder Hey Henoch Schonlein Purpura Pathway was developed, a revised pathway for the screening of poor renal outcome in HSP. This is based on a six-month monitoring period for all patients presenting with HSP, which importantly prioritises patients according to the urine findings on day 7 and thus intensively monitors those at higher risk of developing nephritis. The pathway could be easily adapted for use in different settings and resources.The introduction of a standardised pathway for the monitoring of HSP will facilitate the implementation of disease registries to further our understanding of the condition and permit future clinical trials.

  10. C-RNN-GAN: Continuous recurrent neural networks with adversarial training

    OpenAIRE

    Mogren, Olof

    2016-01-01

    Generative adversarial networks have been proposed as a way of efficiently training deep generative neural networks. We propose a generative adversarial model that works on continuous sequential data, and apply it by training it on a collection of classical music. We conclude that it generates music that sounds better and better as the model is trained, report statistics on generated music, and let the reader judge the quality by downloading the generated songs.

  11. Draft Legislative Proposals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Turcan, Romeo V.; Bugaian, Larisa; Niculita, Angela

    2015-01-01

    the objectives of the legislative proposals; discusses risks and challenges that HE in Moldova faces today and in the next 10-15 years; identifies expected outcomes; identifies basic principles on which the process will be founded; proposes a new structure for the HE sector; offers an example...... of a rationalization process, incl., a road map, recommending that there should be 7 universities in Moldova: 3 regional universities and 4 universities in Chisinau (capital); following the principle of clear demarcation between state regulation and institutional university autonomy, specifies universities powers...... and responsibilities; suggests a distinct separation between governance and management; suggests teaching and research funding formulae based on inputs and outputs; and outlines a new National Qualifications Framework....

  12. 77 FR 17076 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Adverse Event...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-23

    ...,777 in FY2011. We expect this trend to continue and, in fact, increase due to continued industry...] Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Adverse Event Reporting... information associated with adverse event reporting and recordkeeping for dietary supplements as required by...

  13. Asymptotic failure rate of a continuously monitored system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grall, A.; Dieulle, L.; Berenguer, C.; Roussignol, M.

    2006-01-01

    This paper deals with a perfectly continuously monitored system which gradually and stochastically deteriorates. The system is renewed by a delayed maintenance operation, which is triggered when the measured deterioration level exceeds an alarm threshold. A mathematical model is developed to study the asymptotic behavior of the reliability function. A procedure is proposed which allows us to identify the asymptotic failure rate of the maintained system. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of the proposed procedure and emphasize the relevance of the asymptotic failure rate as an interesting indicator for the evaluation of the control-limit preventive replacement policy

  14. Asymptotic failure rate of a continuously monitored system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grall, A. [Institut des Sciences et Technologies de l' Information de Troyes (CNRS-FRE 2732), Equipe de Modelisation et de Surete des Systemes, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: antoine.grall@utt.fr; Dieulle, L. [Institut des Sciences et Technologies de l' Information de Troyes (CNRS-FRE 2732), Equipe de Modelisation et de Surete des Systemes, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: laurence.dieulle@utt.fr; Berenguer, C. [Institut des Sciences et Technologies de l' Information de Troyes (CNRS-FRE 2732), Equipe de Modelisation et de Surete des Systemes, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: christophe.berenguer@utt.fr; Roussignol, M. [Laboratoire d' Analyse et de Mathematiques Appliquees, Universite de Marne la Vallee, 5 bd Descartes, Champs sur Marne, 77454 Marne la Vallee, Cedex 2 (France)]. E-mail: michel.roussignol@univ-mlv.fr

    2006-02-01

    This paper deals with a perfectly continuously monitored system which gradually and stochastically deteriorates. The system is renewed by a delayed maintenance operation, which is triggered when the measured deterioration level exceeds an alarm threshold. A mathematical model is developed to study the asymptotic behavior of the reliability function. A procedure is proposed which allows us to identify the asymptotic failure rate of the maintained system. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of the proposed procedure and emphasize the relevance of the asymptotic failure rate as an interesting indicator for the evaluation of the control-limit preventive replacement policy.

  15. Personal continuous route pattern mining

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qian YE; Ling CHEN; Gen-cai CHEN

    2009-01-01

    In the daily life, people often repeat regular routes in certain periods. In this paper, a mining system is developed to find the continuous route patterns of personal past trips. In order to count the diversity of personal moving status, the mining system employs the adaptive GPS data recording and five data filters to guarantee the clean trips data. The mining system uses a client/server architecture to protect personal privacy and to reduce the computational load. The server conducts the main mining procedure but with insufficient information to recover real personal routes. In order to improve the scalability of sequential pattern mining, a novel pattern mining algorithm, continuous route pattern mining (CRPM), is proposed. This algorithm can tolerate the different disturbances in real routes and extract the frequent patterns. Experimental results based on nine persons' trips show that CRPM can extract more than two times longer route patterns than the traditional route pattern mining algorithms.

  16. Elastic LiDAR Fusion: Dense Map-Centric Continuous-Time SLAM

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Chanoh; Moghadam, Peyman; Kim, Soohwan; Elfes, Alberto; Fookes, Clinton; Sridharan, Sridha

    2017-01-01

    The concept of continuous-time trajectory representation has brought increased accuracy and efficiency to multi-modal sensor fusion in modern SLAM. However, regardless of these advantages, its offline property caused by the requirement of global batch optimization is critically hindering its relevance for real-time and life-long applications. In this paper, we present a dense map-centric SLAM method based on a continuous-time trajectory to cope with this problem. The proposed system locally f...

  17. Using a predictive model of clinician intention to improve continuing health professional education on cancer survivorship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buriak, S E; Potter, J; Bleckley, M Kathryn

    2015-01-01

    Cancer survivorship is a chronic disease that places patients in limbo between oncologists and primary care clinicians. Strategies have been proposed to ease the shift in coordination of care, including broad-based educational outreach to primary care providers. Guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), predictors of intention to provide survivorship care, including credentials, experience, perception of barriers, and personal survivorship status, were evaluated using logistic regression with a cohort of physicians, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses participating in an unprecedented online continuing medical education/continuing education survivorship care course. Results showed that physicians were significantly less likely to express intent to provide survivorship care (odds ratio [OR] = .237, p = .0001) compared to the other groups. Overall, clinicians with 6-10 years of experience were 3 times more likely to express intent to provide survivorship care (OR = 2.86, p = .045) than those with less or more experience. When clinicians perceived the presence of a barrier, they were nearly twice as likely to have diminished intent (OR = 1.89, p = .035). Most participants (66%; n = 1185) selected two barriers: lack of survivorship care plans and treatment summaries (45.4%; n = 821) and lack of education (20.1%; n = 364). Barriers to the delivery of survivorship care can influence clinicians' intention to provide survivorship care, which varied by years of experience in this study. Interdisciplinary educational strategies featuring midcareer provider champions who have successfully incorporated survivorship care and can offer specific solutions to these barriers are recommended for future interventions. © 2015 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

  18. 76 FR 80911 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-27

    ... and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of... parties an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The Director, Information... Assistance General Provisions--Subpart I--Immigration--Status Confirmation. OMB Control Number: 1845-0052...

  19. Review of heavy ion collider proposals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruggiero, A.G.

    1985-01-01

    In this paper we review proposals for heavy-ion colliders generated during the last few years for several national laboratories. The proposals span over a large range of energy and luminosity to accommodate the experimental needs of both the nuclear and the high-energy physicists. We report also briefly efforts in the same field happening in Europe

  20. A notion of continuity in discrete spaces and applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valerio Capraro

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available We propose a notion of continuous path for locally finite metric spaces, taking inspiration from the recent development of A-theory for locally finite connected graphs. We use this notion of continuity to derive an analogue in Z2 of the Jordan curve theorem and to extend to a quite large class of locally finite metric spaces (containing all finite metric spaces an inequality for the ℓp-distortion of a metric space that has been recently proved by Pierre-Nicolas Jolissaint and Alain Valette for finite connected graphs.

  1. Continuity and Change in India’s Foreign Policy: The Next Five Years,

    Science.gov (United States)

    1984-01-01

    34ghosts" of IBM and Coca Cola , which left India during the period of the Janata Government, continue to trouble potential American investors, and the...reaffirm Bhutan’s position within India’s defense perimeter. With India’s sponsorship , Bhutan became a member of the United Nations, and though its entry

  2. Continuation rate of hormone replacement therapy in Hong Kong public health sector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, K Y; Ling, M; Tang, G W K

    2004-12-10

    To assess the 1-year continuation rate of HRT prescribed in Hong Kong public health sector and to identify factors affecting this continuation rate. All women who received at least one dispensed prescription of estrogens between January 1998 and December 2000 from 36 specialist outpatient clinics of the Hospital Authority were selected, and observed for at least 2 years and at most 3 years. The duration of use and variables including age, types of hormones, routes of delivery, dose of estrogen, and prescribing specialty were retrieved from the central prescription database of the Hospital Authority. Of 12,711 incident users of HRT, more than half were aged 50-59. Most (78.5%) of the users took conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) 0.625 mg or related products. Only a small proportion (3.0%) of women used CEE 0.3 mg. Initial estrogen prescriptions were written by gynaecologists in 86.7%. The overall 1-year continuation rate was 68.3%. The highest and lowest continuation rates were observed in women aged 40-49 and the two extreme age groups (35-39 and 70-79), respectively. Better continuation rate was observed in women taking estrogen-only therapy such as CEE or estradiol (overall 76.3%) than in women using continuous combined therapy (58.6%), sequential combined therapy (64.8%), or transdermal estrogen (60.6%). In the age group 60-69, the use of CEE 0.3 mg was associated with better continuation rate than CEE 0.625 mg. Better continuation rate at 1 year was associated with age younger than 60, oral route of HRT and hysterectomy.

  3. Continuous modelling study of numerical volumes - Applications to the visualization of anatomical structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goret, C.

    1990-12-01

    Several technics of imaging (IRM, image scanners, tomoscintigraphy, echography) give numerical informations presented by means of a stack of parallel cross-sectional images. Since many years, 3-D mathematical tools have been developed and allow the 3 D images synthesis of surfaces. In first part, we give the technics of numerical volume exploitation and their medical applications to diagnosis and therapy. The second part is about a continuous modelling of the volume with a tensor product of cubic splines. We study the characteristics of this representation and its clinical validation. Finally, we treat of the problem of surface visualization of objects contained in the volume. The results show the interest of this model and allow to propose specifications for 3-D workstation realization [fr

  4. ICRP path forward to the next recommendations. WNA (World Nuclear Association) preliminary views on the ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection) proposed profound changes to the current RP system and on continuing to build an international consensus towards an improved proposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saint-Pierre, S.

    2006-01-01

    For several years, international policy on radiological protection has been under discussion with a view to a significant revision (recently delayed until 2006-2007). The focal point of this discussion has been an evolving draft proposal of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The ICRP's seminal role in its field is well-known. Generally, ICRP recommendations are translated into the international and national standards that govern industry operations worldwide. (author)

  5. 78 FR 19648 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast Region Dealer Purchase Reports

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-02

    ... its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections... a commercial purpose, other than solely for transport on land by one of the available electronic...

  6. 76 FR 23971 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Competitive Enhancement Needs Assessment Survey...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-29

    ...The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

  7. Evaluation of 4 years of continuous δ13C(CO2) data using a moving Keeling plot method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vardag, Sanam Noreen; Hammer, Samuel; Levin, Ingeborg

    2016-07-01

    Different carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters can be distinguished by their carbon isotope ratios. Therefore measurements of atmospheric δ13C(CO2) and CO2 concentration contain information on the CO2 source mix in the catchment area of an atmospheric measurement site. This information may be illustratively presented as the mean isotopic source signature. Recently an increasing number of continuous measurements of δ13C(CO2) and CO2 have become available, opening the door to the quantification of CO2 shares from different sources at high temporal resolution. Here, we present a method to compute the CO2 source signature (δS) continuously and evaluate our result using model data from the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport model. Only when we restrict the analysis to situations which fulfill the basic assumptions of the Keeling plot method does our approach provide correct results with minimal biases in δS. On average, this bias is 0.2 ‰ with an interquartile range of about 1.2 ‰ for hourly model data. As a consequence of applying the required strict filter criteria, 85 % of the data points - mainly daytime values - need to be discarded. Applying the method to a 4-year dataset of CO2 and δ13C(CO2) measured in Heidelberg, Germany, yields a distinct seasonal cycle of δS. Disentangling this seasonal source signature into shares of source components is, however, only possible if the isotopic end members of these sources - i.e., the biosphere, δbio, and the fuel mix, δF - are known. From the mean source signature record in 2012, δbio could be reliably estimated only for summer to (-25.0 ± 1.0) ‰ and δF only for winter to (-32.5 ± 2.5) ‰. As the isotopic end members δbio and δF were shown to change over the season, no year-round estimation of the fossil fuel or biosphere share is possible from the measured mean source signature record without additional information from emission inventories or other tracer measurements.

  8. Experimental Bifurcation Analysis Using Control-Based Continuation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bureau, Emil; Starke, Jens

    The focus of this thesis is developing and implementing techniques for performing experimental bifurcation analysis on nonlinear mechanical systems. The research centers around the newly developed control-based continuation method, which allows to systematically track branches of stable...... the resulting behavior, we propose and test three different methods for assessing stability of equilibrium states during experimental continuation. We show that it is possible to determine the stability without allowing unbounded divergence, and that it is under certain circumstances possible to quantify...... and unstable equilibria under variation of parameters. As a test case we demonstrate that it is possible to track the complete frequency response, including the unstable branches, for a harmonically forced impact oscillator with hardening spring nonlinearity, controlled by electromagnetic actuators. The method...

  9. The Petroleum continues being the king

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carta Petrolera

    2001-01-01

    In spite of the environmental inconveniences and the rapids advances in technologies and alternative products, the black gold continue being for many years, the fuel of the world economy. A comparison is made among the traditional and new energy

  10. Robust Trajectory Design in Highly Perturbed Environments Leveraging Continuation Methods, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Research is proposed to investigate continuation methods to improve the robustness of trajectory design algorithms for spacecraft in highly perturbed dynamical...

  11. Discontinuation of antithrombotic therapy for a year or more in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Naveen L; Chen, Dong; Kushwaha, Sudhir S; Park, Soon J

    2010-10-01

    The recommended anticoagulation regimen during continuous-flow axial left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support is aspirin and warfarin with a targeted international normalized ratio of 2.0-3.0. We report two patients in whom recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding during LVAD support necessitated discontinuation of this anti-thrombotic regimen for a year or more. Despite this, neither patients developed thrombotic complications during 29 patient-months of follow-up. An acquired von Willebrand factor (VWF) abnormality reflected by the absence or decreased abundance of the highest molecular weight multimers was demonstrated in both patients. The gold standard test for platelet function, light transmission platelet aggregometry was measured in one patient and was normal, indicative that the predominant abnormality in the coagulation profile of these patients is an acquired VWF syndrome. Clinical trials are required to address the question whether it is safe to discontinue anticoagulation in LVAD patients with acquired VWF abnormalities.

  12. Continuously variable rating: a new, simple and logical procedure to evaluate original scientific publications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Rocha e Silva

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Impact Factors (IF are widely used surrogates to evaluate single articles, in spite of known shortcomings imposed by cite distribution skewness. We quantify this asymmetry and propose a simple computer-based procedure for evaluating individual articles. METHOD: (a Analysis of symmetry. Journals clustered around nine Impact Factor points were selected from the medical ‘‘Subject Categories’’ in Journal Citation Reports 2010. Citable items published in 2008 were retrieved and ranked by granted citations over the Jan/2008 - Jun/2011 period. Frequency distribution of cites, normalized cumulative cites and absolute cites/decile were determined for each journal cluster. (b Positive Predictive Value. Three arbitrarily established evaluation classes were generated: LOW (1.33.9. Positive Predictive Value for journal clusters within each class range was estimated. (c Continuously Variable Rating. An alternative evaluation procedure is proposed to allow the rating of individually published articles in comparison to all articles published in the same journal within the same year of publication. The general guiding lines for the construction of a totally dedicated software program are delineated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Skewness followed the Pareto Distribution for (1Continuously Variable Rating is shown to be a simple computer based procedure capable of accurately providing a valid rating for each article within the journal and time frame in which it was published.

  13. Safety research in the field of energy production. Plan for continued Nordic projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahlstroem, P E [Statens Vattenfallsverk, Stockholm (Sweden); Berg, J [Institutt for Atomenergi, Kjeller (Norway); Eckered, T [Statens Kaernkraftinspektion, Stockholm (Sweden)

    1980-01-01

    NGS, an ad hoc group of the Nordic Co-ordination Committee for Atomic Energy, has prepared this survey of proposed cooperative projects as a continuation of previous projects. New areas to be given priority are:- reactor safety, environmental effects in energy production and human reliability. Continued projects are:- quality assurance, radioactive waste and radioecology. (JIW)

  14. Downward continuation of airborne gravity data by means of the change of boundary approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansi, A. H.; Capponi, M.; Sampietro, D.

    2018-03-01

    Within the modelling of gravity data, a common practice is the upward/downward continuation of the signal, i.e. the process of continuing the gravitational signal in the vertical direction away or closer to the sources, respectively. The gravity field, being a potential field, satisfies the Laplace's equation outside the masses and this means that it allows to unambiguously perform this analytical continuation only in a source-free domain. The analytical continuation problem has been solved both in the space and spectral domains by exploiting different algorithms. As well known, the downward continuation operator, differently from the upward one, is an unstable operator, due to its spectral characteristics similar to those of a high-pass filter, and several regularization methods have been proposed in order to stabilize it. In this work, an iterative procedure to downward/upward continue the gravity field observations, acquired at different altitudes, is proposed. This methodology is based on the change of boundary principle and it has been expressively thought for aerogravimetric observations for geophysical exploration purposes. Within this field of application, usually several simplifications can be applied, basically due to the specific characteristics of the airborne surveys which are usually flown at almost constant altitude as close as possible to the terrain. For instance, these characteristics, as shown in the present work, allow to perform the downward continuation without the need of any regularization. The goodness of the proposed methodology has been evaluated by means of a numerical test on real data, acquired in the South of Australia. The test shows that it is possible to move the aerogravimetric data, acquired along tracks with a maximum height difference of about 250 m, with accuracies of the order of 10^{-3} mGal.

  15. Sparsity- and continuity-promoting seismic image recovery with curvelet frames

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Herrmann, Felix J.; Moghaddam, Peyman; Stolk, C.C.

    2008-01-01

    A nonlinear singularity-preserving solution to seismic image recovery with sparseness and continuity constraints is proposed. We observe that curvelets, as a directional frame expansion, lead to sparsity of seismic images and exhibit invariance under the normal operator of the linearized imaging

  16. Stabilization of Softwood-Derived Pyrolysis Oils for Continuous Bio-oil Hydroprocessing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olarte, Mariefel V.; Zacher, Alan H.; Padmaperuma, Asanga B.; Burton, Sarah D.; Job, Heather M.; Lemmon, Teresa L.; Swita, Marie S.; Rotness, Leslie J.; Neuenschwander, Gary N.; Frye, John G.; Elliott, Douglas C.

    2015-10-15

    The use of fast pyrolysis as a potential renewable liquid transportation fuel alternative to crude oil depends on successful catalytic upgrading to produce a refinery-ready product with oxygen content and qualities (i.e. specific functional group or compound content) that is compatible with the product’s proposed insertion point. Catalytic upgrading of bio-oil requires high temperature and pressure, while similar to crude oil hydrotreating, is not as straightforward for the thermally unstable pyrolysis oil. For years, a two-temperature zone, downflow trickle bed reactor was the state-of-the art for continuous operation. However, pressure excursion due to plug formation still occurred, typically at the high temperature transition zone, leading to a process shutdown within 140 h. Recently, a bio-oil pre-treatment process, together with a robust commercial catalyst, was found to be enabling the continuous operation of the two-zone hydroprocessing system. Here, we report the results on pre-treating bio-oil at 413 K and 8.4 MPa of flowing H2 (500 L H2/L bio-oil, 0.5 L bio-oil/L catalyst bed) and the attempts to characterize this oil product to understand the chemistry which enabled the long-term processing of bio-oil.

  17. Final Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report for continued operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-08-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Regents of the University of California (UC) propose the continued operation, including near-term proposed projects, of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In addition, DOE proposes the continued operation, including near-term proposed projects, of Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore (SNL, Livermore). Continued operation plus proposed projects at the two Laboratories is needed so that the research and development missions established by Congress and the President can continue to be supported. As provided and encouraged by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), DOE and UC have prepared this document as a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze the impacts of the proposed action. In addition, this document discusses a no action alternative for continuing operations at FY 1992 funding levels without further growth, a modification of operations alternative focused on specific adverse environmental impacts of operations or facilities, and a shutdown and decommissioning alternative. This document also examines the alternative of UC discontinuing its management of LLNL after the current contract expires on September 30, 1992. The environmental documentation process provides information to the public, government agencies, and decision makers about the environmental impacts of implementing the proposed and alternative actions. In addition, this environmental documentation identifies alternatives and possible ways to reduce or prevent environmental impacts. A list of the issues raised through the EIS/EIR scoping process is presented

  18. 77 FR 35479 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8881

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-13

    ...The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 8881, Credit for Small Employer Pension Plan Startup Costs.

  19. Visual working memory continues to develop through adolescence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elif eIsbell

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The capacity of visual working memory (VWM refers to the amount of visual information that can be maintained in mind at once, readily accessible for ongoing tasks. In healthy young adults, the capacity limit of VWM corresponds to about three simple objects. While some researchers argued that VWM capacity becomes adult-like in early years of life, others claimed that the capacity of VWM continues to develop beyond middle childhood. Here we assessed whether VWM capacity reaches adult levels in adolescence. Using an adaptation of the visual change detection task, we measured visual working memory capacity estimates in 13 year-olds, 16-year-olds, and young adults. We tested whether the capacity estimates observed in early or later years of adolescence were comparable to the estimates obtained from adults. Our results demonstrated that the capacity of VWM continues to develop throughout adolescence, not reaching adult levels even in 16 year-olds. These findings suggest that VWM capacity displays a prolonged development, similar to the protracted trajectories observed in various other aspects of cognition.

  20. Measurement-Device Independency Analysis of Continuous-Variable Quantum Digital Signature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Shang

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available With the practical implementation of continuous-variable quantum cryptographic protocols, security problems resulting from measurement-device loopholes are being given increasing attention. At present, research on measurement-device independency analysis is limited in quantum key distribution protocols, while there exist different security problems for different protocols. Considering the importance of quantum digital signature in quantum cryptography, in this paper, we attempt to analyze the measurement-device independency of continuous-variable quantum digital signature, especially continuous-variable quantum homomorphic signature. Firstly, we calculate the upper bound of the error rate of a protocol. If it is negligible on condition that all measurement devices are untrusted, the protocol is deemed to be measurement-device-independent. Then, we simplify the calculation by using the characteristics of continuous variables and prove the measurement-device independency of the protocol according to the calculation result. In addition, the proposed analysis method can be extended to other quantum cryptographic protocols besides continuous-variable quantum homomorphic signature.

  1. 15 CFR 310.8 - Proposed plan for Federal participation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Proposed plan for Federal participation. 310.8 Section 310.8 Commerce and Foreign Trade Regulations Relating to Commerce and Foreign Trade (Continued) INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS OFFICIAL U.S...

  2. Recent developments on the TRIUMF KAON factory proposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Craddock, M.K.; Baartman, R.; Burge, R.

    1988-06-01

    The TRIUMF KAON Factory proposal has made considerable progress on both technical and political fronts over the last year. A racetrack-shaped lattice is now being considered in conjunction with a three-element slow extraction system in an effort to reduce losses to the 0.1% level. Hardware studies have continued on both magnet power supplies and on rf cavities - the latter work gaining an extra dimension from a recently-instituted formal collaboration with LAMPF. The H - extraction system for the cyclotron has been tested successfully with 66 μA pulsed and 10 μA average beams. On the political side, British Columbia has agreed to fund the buildings and tunnels (Cdn dollar 87M) and is making the KAON Factory its top priority project with the Canadian federal government. A joint federal-provincial delegation has traveled abroad and found that a number of countries would consider significant contributions to the cost. Approval of dollar 11 million in pre-construction R and D funds is expected imminently, permitting formal negotiations to start abroad, with final approval for construction coming in 1989

  3. Continuous variable quantum key distribution with modulated entangled states

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Lars S; Usenko, Vladyslav C.; Lassen, Mikael

    2012-01-01

    Quantum key distribution enables two remote parties to grow a shared key, which they can use for unconditionally secure communication over a certain distance. The maximal distance depends on the loss and the excess noise of the connecting quantum channel. Several quantum key distribution schemes...... based on coherent states and continuous variable measurements are resilient to high loss in the channel, but are strongly affected by small amounts of channel excess noise. Here we propose and experimentally address a continuous variable quantum key distribution protocol that uses modulated fragile...... entangled states of light to greatly enhance the robustness to channel noise. We experimentally demonstrate that the resulting quantum key distribution protocol can tolerate more noise than the benchmark set by the ideal continuous variable coherent state protocol. Our scheme represents a very promising...

  4. Landsat Data Continuity Mission

    Science.gov (United States)

    ,

    2012-01-01

    The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) is a partnership formed between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to place the next Landsat satellite in orbit in January 2013. The Landsat era that began in 1972 will become a nearly 41-year global land record with the successful launch and operation of the LDCM. The LDCM will continue the acquisition, archiving, and distribution of multispectral imagery affording global, synoptic, and repetitive coverage of the Earth's land surfaces at a scale where natural and human-induced changes can be detected, differentiated, characterized, and monitored over time. The mission objectives of the LDCM are to (1) collect and archive medium resolution (30-meter spatial resolution) multispectral image data affording seasonal coverage of the global landmasses for a period of no less than 5 years; (2) ensure that LDCM data are sufficiently consistent with data from the earlier Landsat missions in terms of acquisition geometry, calibration, coverage characteristics, spectral characteristics, output product quality, and data availability to permit studies of landcover and land-use change over time; and (3) distribute LDCM data products to the general public on a nondiscriminatory basis at no cost to the user.

  5. Continuing Bonds in Bereavement: An Attachment Theory Based Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Field, Nigel P.; Gao, Beryl; Paderna, Lisa

    2005-01-01

    An attachment theory based perspective on the continuing bond to the deceased (CB) is proposed. The value of attachment theory in specifying the normative course of CB expression and in identifying adaptive versus maladaptive variants of CB expression based on their deviation from this normative course is outlined. The role of individual…

  6. Biomimicry of symbiotic multi-species coevolution for discrete and continuous optimization in RFID networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Na Lin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, symbiosis as a rich source of potential engineering applications and computational model has attracted more and more attentions in the adaptive complex systems and evolution computing domains. Inspired by different symbiotic coevolution forms in nature, this paper proposed a series of multi-swarm particle swarm optimizers called PS2Os, which extend the single population particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm to interacting multi-swarms model by constructing hierarchical interaction topologies and enhanced dynamical update equations. According to different symbiotic interrelationships, four versions of PS2O are initiated to mimic mutualism, commensalism, predation, and competition mechanism, respectively. In the experiments, with five benchmark problems, the proposed algorithms are proved to have considerable potential for solving complex optimization problems. The coevolutionary dynamics of symbiotic species in each PS2O version are also studied respectively to demonstrate the heterogeneity of different symbiotic interrelationships that effect on the algorithm’s performance. Then PS2O is used for solving the radio frequency identification (RFID network planning (RNP problem with a mixture of discrete and continuous variables. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the reference algorithms for planning RFID networks, in terms of optimization accuracy and computation robustness.

  7. CMS proposes to OK one-midnight inpatient stays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-01

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed that stays shorter than two midnights be reimbursed as inpatient stays if the documentation in the medical record supports it. CMS made the proposal in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule for 2016 and left the policy unchanged for stays of two midnights or longer. CMS also announced that the two Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), Livanta and KEPRO, will take over the responsibility of Probe and Educate and will review cases for medical necessity when patient stays are one midnight or less, referring hospitals with high denial rates to the Recovery Auditors. Case managers should continue to assist physicians in determining patient status and to make sure that the documentation is complete, accurate, and specifies the severity of illness.

  8. "Escola Familia": A Proposal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carani, George; Carani, José; Strong-Wilson, Teresa

    2014-01-01

    "Alphabetização" (literacy) of young children involves a school exclusively devoted to the early years, parental participation, and teachers specialized in early literacy. This is the basis of José Carani's proposal for an "escola familia" in the municipality of Cambé (Brazil). This "Note from the Field," based on our…

  9. 78 FR 40194 - Proposed Information Collection Request of the ETA 207, Nonmonetary Determination Activities...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-03

    ... requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Proposed Information Collection Request... opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collection of information in accordance with the...

  10. 75 FR 18887 - Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-13

    ... can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized... comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the paperwork... concerning the proposed collection: Securing Financial Obligations under the Longshore and Harbor Workers...

  11. 5 CFR 890.1069 - Information the debarring official must consider in deciding a provider's contest of proposed...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL... deciding a provider's contest of proposed penalties and assessments. (a) Documentary material and written...

  12. The ultimatum game: Discrete vs. continuous offers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dishon-Berkovits, Miriam; Berkovits, Richard

    2014-09-01

    In many experimental setups in social-sciences, psychology and economy the subjects are requested to accept or dispense monetary compensation which is usually given in discrete units. Using computer and mathematical modeling we show that in the framework of studying the dynamics of acceptance of proposals in the ultimatum game, the long time dynamics of acceptance of offers in the game are completely different for discrete vs. continuous offers. For discrete values the dynamics follow an exponential behavior. However, for continuous offers the dynamics are described by a power-law. This is shown using an agent based computer simulation as well as by utilizing an analytical solution of a mean-field equation describing the model. These findings have implications to the design and interpretation of socio-economical experiments beyond the ultimatum game.

  13. Multidisciplinary interventions and continuous quality improvement to reduce unplanned extubation in adult intensive care units: A 15-year experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Chien-Ming; Lai, Chih-Cheng; Chan, Khee-Siang; Cheng, Kuo-Chen; Ho, Chung-Han; Chen, Chin-Ming; Chou, Willy

    2017-07-01

    We conduct a retrospective study of patients with unplanned extubation (UE) in adult intensive care units (ICU) at a medical center. In 2001, a multidisciplinary team of intensivists, senior residents, nurses, and respiratory therapists was established at Chi Mei Medical Center. The improvement interventions, implemented between 2001 and 2015, were organized around 8 key areas: standardizing procedures, improving communication skills, revising sedation and weaning protocols, changing strategies for restraints, establishing a task force for identifying and managing high-risk patients, using new quality-improvement models as breakthrough series and team resource management, using the strategy of accountability without assigning blame, and changing a new method to secure endotracheal tube. We measured the outcome as the annual event and the rate of UE. During this 15-year period, there were 1404 episodes of UE, with 44,015 episodes of mechanical ventilation (MV) (319,158 ventilator-days). The overall rate of UE was 3.19/100 ventilated patients (4.40/1000 ventilator-days). In 2001, there were 188 episodes of UE and the rate of UE was 6.82/100 ventilated patients or 9.0/1000 ventilator-days. After this continue quality improvement project had been implemented, the annual number of episodes of UE declined to 27, and the rate fell to 0.95/100 ventilated patients or 1.36/1000 ventilator-days in 2015. Overall, the trend analysis showed the change was significant with P continuously and effectively reduced using multidisciplinary and sequential quality improvement interventions.

  14. Potential of Continuous Manufacturing for Liposomal Drug Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worsham, Robert D; Thomas, Vaughan; Farid, Suzanne S

    2018-05-21

    Over the last several years, continuous manufacturing of pharmaceuticals has evolved from bulk APIs and solid oral dosages into the more complex realm of biologics. The development of continuous downstream processing techniques has allowed biologics manufacturing to realize the benefits (e.g. improved economics, more consistent quality) that come with continuous processing. If relevant processing techniques and principles are selected, the opportunity arises to develop continuous manufacturing designs for additional pharmaceutical products including liposomal drug formulations. Liposome manufacturing has some inherent aspects that make it favorable for a continuous process. Other aspects such as formulation refinement, materials of construction, and aseptic processing need development, but present an achievable challenge. This paper reviews the current state of continuous manufacturing technology applicable to liposomal drug product manufacturing and an assessment of the challenges and potential of this application. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  15. Analysis of the community compositions of rhizosphere fungi in soybeans continuous cropping fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Li; Cui, Jiaqi; Jie, Weiguang; Cai, Baiyan

    2015-11-01

    We used rhizosphere soil sampled from one field during zero year and two years of continuous cropping of high-protein soybean to analyze the taxonomic community compositions of fungi during periods of high-incidence of root rot. Our objectives were to identify the dominant pathogens in order to provide a theoretical basis for the study of pathogenesis as well as control tactics for soybean root rot induced by continuous cropping. A total of 17,801 modified internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were obtained from three different soybean rhizosphere soil samples after zero year and 1 or 2 years of continuous cropping using 454 high-throughput sequencing. The dominant eumycote fungal were identified to be Ascomycota and Basidiomycota in the three soil samples. Continuous cropping of soybean affected the diversity of fungi in rhizosphere soils and increased the abundance of Thelebolus and Mortierellales significantly. Thanatephorus, Fusarium, and Alternaria were identified to be the dominant pathogenic fungal genera in rhizosphere soil from continuously cropped soybean fields. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  16. Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for continued operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-08-01

    This Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This document analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action: continued operation, including near-term (within 5 to 10 years) proposed projects, of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore (SNL, Livermore). Additionally, this document analyzes a no action alternative involving continuing operations at FY 1992 funding levels without further growth, a modification of operations alternative to reduce adverse environmental impacts of operations or facilities, and a shutdown and decommissioning alternative of UC discontinuing its management of LLNL after the current contract expires on September 30, 1992. This document assesses the environmental impacts of the Laboratories' operations on air and water quality, geological and ecological systems, occupational and public health risks, prehistoric and historic resources, endangered species, floodplains and wetlands, socioeconomic resources, hazardous waste management, site contamination, and other environmental issues. The EIS/EIR is divided into five volumes and two companion reports. This volume contains the Final EIS/EIR technical appendices which provide technical support for the analyses in Volume 1 and also provide additional information and references

  17. Elimination of mode coupling in multimode continuous-variable key distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filip, Radim; Mista, Ladislav; Marek, Petr

    2005-01-01

    A multimode channel can be utilized to substantially increase the capacity of quantum continuous-variable key distribution. Beyond losses in the channel, an uncontrollable coupling between the modes of the channel typically degrades the capacity of multimode channels. For the key distribution protocol with simultaneous measurement of both complementary quadratures we propose a feasible method to eliminate any undesirable mode coupling by only the receiver's appropriate measurement and data manipulation. It can be used to substantially increase the capacity of the channel, which has an important application in practical continuous-variable quantum cryptography

  18. Continuously revised assurance cases with stakeholders’ cross-validation: a DEOS experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimio Kuramitsu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Recently, assurance cases have received much attention in the field of software-based computer systems and IT services. However, software changes very often, and there are no strong regulations for software. These facts are two main challenges to be addressed in the development of software assurance cases. We propose a method of developing assurance cases by means of continuous revision at every stage of the system life cycle, including in operation and service recovery in failure cases. Instead of a regulator, dependability arguments are validated by multiple stakeholders competing with each other. This paper reported our experience with the proposed method in the case of Aspen education service. The case study demonstrates that continuous revisions enable stakeholders to share dependability problems across software life cycle stages, which will lead to the long-term improvement of service dependability.

  19. Scattering engineering in continuously shaped metasurface: An approach for electromagnetic illusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Yinghui; Yan, Lianshan; Pan, Wei; Shao, Liyang

    2016-07-01

    The control of electromagnetic waves scattering is critical in wireless communications and stealth technology. Discrete metasurfaces not only increase the design and fabrication complex but also cause difficulties in obtaining simultaneous electric and optical functionality. On the other hand, discontinuous phase profiles fostered by discrete systems inevitably introduce phase noises to the scattering fields. Here we propose the principle of a scattering-harness mechanism by utilizing continuous gradient phase stemming from the spin-orbit interaction via sinusoidal metallic strips. Furthermore, by adjusting the amplitude and period of the sinusoidal metallic strip, the scattering characteristics of the underneath object can be greatly changed and thus result in electromagnetic illusion. The proposal is validated by full-wave simulations and experiment characterization in microwave band. Our approach featured by continuous phase profile, polarization independent performance and facile implementation may find widespread applications in electromagnetic wave manipulation.

  20. Model-based servo hydraulic control of a continuously variable transmission

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cools, S.J.M.; Veenhuizen, P.A.; Pauwelussen, J.P.

    2004-01-01

    In order to reduce the power consumption of a transmission, maximum tracking accuracy should be achieved of both ratio and pressures in the variator. A control strategy is proposed to steer a variator, actuated with a newly developed hydraulic system, of a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

  1. 77 FR 60676 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Usage of Elevators for Occupant Evacuation...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-04

    ...The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

  2. The Welsh Blood Service - 70 years of continuous change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poole, G D

    2017-06-01

    The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in England and Wales was established as a single entity in 1946 and operated as such for almost half a century. During those 50 years, the blood service in Wales, as in the rest of the UK, saw many technological and operational changes. The automation of donation testing, the introduction of successive layers of microbiological screening, the creation of the Tissue Typing Laboratory (later renamed the Welsh Transplantation and Immunogenetics Laboratory) and the development of information technology brought - over a relatively long period - highly significant improvements to an organisation that had begun life as an Emergency Medical Service. Differing funding and reporting arrangements for the Welsh and English blood services made little difference in practice, but the devolution of government following the 1997 referendum in Wales would have a profound influence. Four years before the Government of Wales Act (1998) was passed through the UK parliament, the National Blood Authority (NBA) assumed executive control of the English blood services but not the blood service in Wales. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service had been created as independent organisations in 1946; thus, the scene was set for diversification between the four independent blood services, each operating in different political environments with different funding streams. The creation of the UK Blood Services Forum and its Joint Professional Advisory Committee in 1999 has, however, ensured consistency in professional matters. The blood transfusion service in Wales, in its new headquarters in Talbot Green, became known as the Welsh Blood Service (WBS), or Gwasanaeth Gwaed Cymru in Welsh, reporting for most of its life to the Velindre NHS Trust, part of NHS Wales. Considerable changes would impact the WBS in the 21st century. Social changes would mean that the role of recruitment and marketing

  3. Continuous reactivity calculation for subcritical system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Cristiano; Goncalves, Alessandro C.; Martinez, Aquilino S.; Silva, Fernando C. da

    2011-01-01

    With the rise of a new generation of nuclear reactors as for existence the ADS (Accelerator-Driven System), it is important to have a fast and accurate prediction of the variation in reactivity during a possible variation in the intensity of external sources. This paper presents a formulation for the calculation of reactivity in subcritical systems using the inverse method related only to nuclear power derivatives. One of the applications of the proposed method is the possibility of developing reactimeters that allow the continuous monitoring of subcritical systems. (author)

  4. Continuous reactivity calculation for subcritical system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Cristiano; Goncalves, Alessandro C.; Martinez, Aquilino S.; Silva, Fernando C. da, E-mail: cristiano@herzeleid.net, E-mail: aquilino@lmp.ufrj.br, E-mail: fernando@con.ufrj.br [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Palma, Daniel A.P., E-mail: dapalma@cnen.gov.br [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    With the rise of a new generation of nuclear reactors as for existence the ADS (Accelerator-Driven System), it is important to have a fast and accurate prediction of the variation in reactivity during a possible variation in the intensity of external sources. This paper presents a formulation for the calculation of reactivity in subcritical systems using the inverse method related only to nuclear power derivatives. One of the applications of the proposed method is the possibility of developing reactimeters that allow the continuous monitoring of subcritical systems. (author)

  5. MODIS/Terra Vegetation Continuous Fields Yearly L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V051

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Terra MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) product is a sub-pixel-level representation of surface vegetation cover estimates globally. Designed to...

  6. Universal Quantum Computing with Arbitrary Continuous-Variable Encoding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Hoi-Kwan; Plenio, Martin B

    2016-09-02

    Implementing a qubit quantum computer in continuous-variable systems conventionally requires the engineering of specific interactions according to the encoding basis states. In this work, we present a unified formalism to conduct universal quantum computation with a fixed set of operations but arbitrary encoding. By storing a qubit in the parity of two or four qumodes, all computing processes can be implemented by basis state preparations, continuous-variable exponential-swap operations, and swap tests. Our formalism inherits the advantages that the quantum information is decoupled from collective noise, and logical qubits with different encodings can be brought to interact without decoding. We also propose a possible implementation of the required operations by using interactions that are available in a variety of continuous-variable systems. Our work separates the "hardware" problem of engineering quantum-computing-universal interactions, from the "software" problem of designing encodings for specific purposes. The development of quantum computer architecture could hence be simplified.

  7. Continuous variable polarization entanglement, experiment and analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowen, Warwick P; Treps, Nicolas; Schnabel, Roman; Ralph, Timothy C; Lam, Ping Koy

    2003-01-01

    We generate and characterize continuous variable polarization entanglement between two optical beams. We first produce quadrature entanglement, and by performing local operations we transform it into a polarization basis. We extend two entanglement criteria, the inseparability criteria proposed by Duan et al (2000 Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 2722) and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox criteria proposed by Reid and Drummond (1988 Phys. Rev. Lett. 60 2731), to Stokes operators; and use them to characterize the entanglement. Our results for the EPR paradox criteria are visualized in terms of uncertainty balls on the Poincare sphere. We demonstrate theoretically that using two quadrature entangled pairs it is possible to entangle three orthogonal Stokes operators between a pair of beams, although with a bound √3 times more stringent than for the quadrature entanglement

  8. Continuous variable polarization entanglement, experiment and analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bowen, Warwick P [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Australian National University, ACT 0200 (Australia); Treps, Nicolas [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Australian National University, ACT 0200 (Australia); Schnabel, Roman [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Australian National University, ACT 0200 (Australia); Ralph, Timothy C [Department of Physics, Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 (Australia); Lam, Ping Koy [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Australian National University, ACT 0200 (Australia)

    2003-08-01

    We generate and characterize continuous variable polarization entanglement between two optical beams. We first produce quadrature entanglement, and by performing local operations we transform it into a polarization basis. We extend two entanglement criteria, the inseparability criteria proposed by Duan et al (2000 Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 2722) and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox criteria proposed by Reid and Drummond (1988 Phys. Rev. Lett. 60 2731), to Stokes operators; and use them to characterize the entanglement. Our results for the EPR paradox criteria are visualized in terms of uncertainty balls on the Poincare sphere. We demonstrate theoretically that using two quadrature entangled pairs it is possible to entangle three orthogonal Stokes operators between a pair of beams, although with a bound {radical}3 times more stringent than for the quadrature entanglement.

  9. Environmental data and analyses for the proposed management of spent nuclear fuel on the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Socolof, M.L.; Curtis, A.H.; Blasing, T.J. [and others

    1995-08-01

    DOE needs to continue the safe and efficient management of SNF on ORR, based on the requirement for future SNF storage capacity and implementation of the ROD for the PEIS. DOE is proposing to implement the ROD through proper management of SNF on ORR, including the possible construction and operation of a dry cask storage facility. This report describes the potentially affected environment and analyzes impacts on various resources due to the proposed action. The information provided in this report is intended to support the Environmental Assessment being prepared for the proposed activities. Construction of the dry cask storage facility would result in minimal or no impacts on groundwater, surface water, and ecological resources. Contaminated soils excavated during construction would result in negligible risk to human health and to biota. Except for noise from trucks and equipment, operation of the dry cask storage facility would not be expected to have any impact on vegetation, wildlife, or rare plants or animals. Noise impacts would be minimal. Operation exposures to the average SNF storage facility worker would not exceed approximately 0.40 mSv/year (40 mrem/year). The off-site population dose within an 80-km (50-mile) radius of ORR from SNF operations would be less than 0.052 person-Sv/year (5.2 person-rem/year). Impacts from incident-free transportation on ORR would be less than 1.36 X 10{sup -4} occupational fatal cancers and 4.28 X 10{sup -6} public fatal cancers. Credible accident scenarios that would result in the greatest probable risks would cause less than one in a million cancer fatalities to workers and the public.

  10. Environmental data and analyses for the proposed management of spent nuclear fuel on the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Socolof, M.L.; Curtis, A.H.; Blasing, T.J.

    1995-08-01

    DOE needs to continue the safe and efficient management of SNF on ORR, based on the requirement for future SNF storage capacity and implementation of the ROD for the PEIS. DOE is proposing to implement the ROD through proper management of SNF on ORR, including the possible construction and operation of a dry cask storage facility. This report describes the potentially affected environment and analyzes impacts on various resources due to the proposed action. The information provided in this report is intended to support the Environmental Assessment being prepared for the proposed activities. Construction of the dry cask storage facility would result in minimal or no impacts on groundwater, surface water, and ecological resources. Contaminated soils excavated during construction would result in negligible risk to human health and to biota. Except for noise from trucks and equipment, operation of the dry cask storage facility would not be expected to have any impact on vegetation, wildlife, or rare plants or animals. Noise impacts would be minimal. Operation exposures to the average SNF storage facility worker would not exceed approximately 0.40 mSv/year (40 mrem/year). The off-site population dose within an 80-km (50-mile) radius of ORR from SNF operations would be less than 0.052 person-Sv/year (5.2 person-rem/year). Impacts from incident-free transportation on ORR would be less than 1.36 X 10 -4 occupational fatal cancers and 4.28 X 10 -6 public fatal cancers. Credible accident scenarios that would result in the greatest probable risks would cause less than one in a million cancer fatalities to workers and the public

  11. Lapse in Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Continuing Reviews.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min-Fu Tsan

    Full Text Available The United States federal animal welfare regulations and the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals require that institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs conduct continuing reviews of all animal research activities. However, little is known about the lapse rate of IACUC continuing reviews, and how frequently investigators continue research activities during the lapse. It is also not clear what factors may contribute to an institution's lapse in IACUC continuing reviews. As part of the quality assurance program, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA has collected performance metric data for animal care and use programs since 2011. We analyzed IACUC continuing review performance data at 74-75 VA research facilities from 2011 through 2015. The IACUC continuing review lapse rates improved from 5.6% in 2011 to 2.7% in 2015. The rate of investigators continuing research activities during the lapse also decreased from 47.2% in 2012 to 7.4% in 2015. The type of IACUCs used and the size of animal research programs appeared to have no effect in facility's rates of lapse in IACUC continuing reviews. While approximately 80% of facilities reported no lapse in IACUC continuing reviews, approximately 14% of facilities had lapse rates of >10% each year. Some facilities appeared to be repeat offenders. Four facilities had IACUC lapse rates of >10% in at least 3 out of 5 years, suggesting a system problem in these facilities requiring remedial actions to improve their IACUC continuing review processes.

  12. In the interest of continuity

    CERN Multimedia

    Association du personnel

    2009-01-01

    Every five years a new Management takes over the fifth floor of the Main Building. The arrival of a new Director-General comes with a desire to change the managerial style. Whilst not contesting the current need for this, we would like to remind you that continuity in the Organization is ensured by the personnel and its Staff Association representatives.

  13. A proposed new classification for diabetic retinopathy: The concept of primary and secondary vitreopathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dubey Arvind

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Many eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR require vitreous surgery despite complete regression of new vessels with pan retinal laser photocoagulation (PRP. Changes in the vitreous caused by diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy may continue to progress independent of laser regressed status of retinopathy. Diabetic vitreopathy can be an independent manifestation of the disease process. Aim: To examine this concept by studying the long-term behavior of the vitreous in cases of PDR regressed with PRP. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four eyes with pure PDR (without clinically evident vitreous traction showing fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA proven regression of new vessels following PRP were retrospectively studied out of a total of 1380 eyes photocoagulated between March 2001 and September 2006 for PDR of varying severity. Follow-up was available from one to four years. Results: Twenty-three percent of eyes showing FFA-proven regression of new vessels with laser required to undergo surgery for indications produced by vitreous traction such as recurrent vitreous hemorrhage, tractional retinal detachment, secondary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and tractional macular edema within one to four years. Conclusion: Vitreous changes continued to progress despite regression of PDR in many diabetics. We identifies this as "clinical diabetic vitreopathy" and propose an expanded classification for diabetic retinopathy to signify these changes and to redefine the indications for surgery.

  14. 78 FR 26694 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Regulation Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Regulation Project AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and...

  15. More than 70 years of continuous sea level records on the Santander Bay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavín, Alicia; Tel, Elena; Molinero, Joaquin; Rodriguez, Carmen

    2017-04-01

    The knowledge of sea level height is important for many different sectors as navigation, transport, building infrastructures, tourism, or maritime sports, between others. Tides are mainly composed of an astronomical part and a meteorological one. Sometimes, their joined action is the responsible of extreme behaviors in the sea level. Influence of pressure differences, as well as related winds, is important in the behavior of sea level to analyze. The first system for reading the sea level was a tide board attached at the pier. In Spain the first modern tide gauge was installed in the Port of Alicante, Mediterranean Sea, in 1873 depending of the National Geographic Institute (IGN). Just the following year, a similar tide gauge was installed at the entrance of the Santander Bay. "La Magdalena" tide gauge was working during two periods 1876-1928 and 1963-1975. Together with Cádiz, the IGN tide gauges were used to determinate the national datum for terrestrial cartography. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) tide gauge network was initiated in 1943 with the installation of tide gauges along the Spanish coast. One of them was located in Santander and has been working since then. At the beginning it was a float tide gauge connected to a graphical continuous recorder. Nowadays, it also has a digital encoder and a remote connection that allow using the recorded data for operational purposes. Later a Radar system was added. This tide gauge is referred to the Tide Gauge Zero and also calibrated to a benchmark in order to have a unique reference. This high quality sea level information is required for international and regional research activities, as Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS). In particular, long time series are widely used for climate change detection. The sea level long term variability studies require a very good quality data focus in the reference of the data along the whole period and also it will be more precisely if we can remove the crustal

  16. Communicative Competence of the Fourth Year Students: Basis for Proposed English Language Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuan, Vu Van

    2017-01-01

    This study on level of communicative competence covering linguistic/grammatical and discourse has aimed at constructing a proposed English language program for 5 key universities in Vietnam. The descriptive method utilized was scientifically employed with comparative techniques and correlational analysis. The researcher treated the surveyed data…

  17. Self-harm in young adolescents (12–16 years): onset and short-term continuation in a community sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background To investigate the prevalence of self-harm in young adolescents and factors associated with onset and continuity over a one year period. Method Prospective longitudinal study. Participants were young adolescents (n = 3964) aged 12–16 years attending 8 secondary schools in the Midlands and South West of England. Results Over a one year period 27% of young adolescents reported thoughts of self-harm and 15% reported at least one act of self-harm. Of those who self-harmed, less than one in five (18%) had sought help for psychological problems of anxiety or depression. Compared with boys, girls were at increased risk of developing thoughts (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.26-2.06) and acts (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.06-1.84) of self-harm, particularly amongst those girls in school year 9 (aged 13/14, thoughts adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 1.97, 95% CI 1.27-3.04; acts aOR 2.59, 95% CI 1.52-4.41). Of those reporting thoughts of self-harm at baseline, 60% also reported these thoughts at follow-up. Similarly 55% of those who reported an act of self-harm at baseline also reported that they had self-harmed at follow-up. Insecure peer relationships increased the likelihood that boys and girls would develop self-harming behaviours, as did being bullied for boys. Low mood was associated with the development of self-harming thoughts and behaviours for boys and girls, whilst a strong sense of school membership was associated with a reduced risk of developing thoughts of self-harm for boys and increased the likelihood of self-harming thoughts and behaviours ceasing for girls. Conclusion Self harm in young adolescents is common with one in four reporting self-harming thoughts and one in six engaging in self-harming behaviour over a one year period. Self-harm is already established by 12/13 years of age and for over half of our sample, self-harming thoughts and behaviour persisted over the year. Secure peer and strong school relationships were associated with less self-harm. Few seek help for

  18. Optimal control of nonlinear continuous-time systems in strict-feedback form.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zargarzadeh, Hassan; Dierks, Travis; Jagannathan, Sarangapani

    2015-10-01

    This paper proposes a novel optimal tracking control scheme for nonlinear continuous-time systems in strict-feedback form with uncertain dynamics. The optimal tracking problem is transformed into an equivalent optimal regulation problem through a feedforward adaptive control input that is generated by modifying the standard backstepping technique. Subsequently, a neural network-based optimal control scheme is introduced to estimate the cost, or value function, over an infinite horizon for the resulting nonlinear continuous-time systems in affine form when the internal dynamics are unknown. The estimated cost function is then used to obtain the optimal feedback control input; therefore, the overall optimal control input for the nonlinear continuous-time system in strict-feedback form includes the feedforward plus the optimal feedback terms. It is shown that the estimated cost function minimizes the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman estimation error in a forward-in-time manner without using any value or policy iterations. Finally, optimal output feedback control is introduced through the design of a suitable observer. Lyapunov theory is utilized to show the overall stability of the proposed schemes without requiring an initial admissible controller. Simulation examples are provided to validate the theoretical results.

  19. CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (CQI FRAMEWORK: A CASE OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tooba Sikander

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to present an educational framework for outcomes based continuous quality improvement. Well defined program outcomes, program educational objectives and assessment process have been developed to ensure graduates’ outcomes achievement. Direct and indirect tools have been used for assessment process. Course evaluation surveys, alumni surveys, and employer surveys have been deployed for indirect outcome assessment. Exams, quizzes, assignments and projects, on the other hand, have been used for direct outcome assessment. In developed framework, the educational processes committees and facilities committees have been integrated to continuously evaluate and monitor the educational processes. Furthermore, program outcomes and course learning outcomes are proposed to be evaluated and continuously monitored by programs goals committee and continuous course improvement committee respectively. Forms and procedures have been developed to assess student outcomes.

  20. CMOS continuous-time adaptive equalizers for high-speed serial links

    CERN Document Server

    Gimeno Gasca, Cecilia; Aldea Chagoyen, Concepción

    2015-01-01

    This book introduces readers to the design of adaptive equalization solutions integrated in standard CMOS technology for high-speed serial links. Since continuous-time equalizers offer various advantages as an alternative to discrete-time equalizers at multi-gigabit rates, this book provides a detailed description of continuous-time adaptive equalizers design - both at transistor and system levels-, their main characteristics and performances. The authors begin with a complete review and analysis of the state of the art of equalizers for wireline applications, describing why they are necessary, their types, and their main applications. Next, theoretical fundamentals of continuous-time adaptive equalizers are explored. Then, new structures are proposed to implement the different building blocks of the adaptive equalizer: line equalizer, loop-filters, power comparator, etc.  The authors demonstrate the design of a complete low-power, low-voltage, high-speed, continuous-time adaptive equalizer. Finally, a cost-...

  1. The year 2012 is already rich in highlights for the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB)

    CERN Multimedia

    2012-01-01

    In this new column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) will regularly present the latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments of the Governing Board to the members and beneficiaries of the Fund.   At the start of the year, the PFGB examined the question of the contribution rate for new members joining the Fund after 1st January 2012. The PFGB confirmed that, on the basis of the independent expert's calculations, the proposed total contribution rate of 31.6% for new members is sufficient to finance their pension promise. The proposed new contribution rate was subsequently approved by the Council at its March 2012 meeting. The PFGB has also approved the assumptions to be used in the preparation of the Financial Statements of the Fund for the year 2011. The assumptions for longevity will reflect the latest Swiss publicly available longevity tables (see here). The investment return assumption will continue to reflect the objective set by the Council, w...

  2. Analytic continuation of weighted Bergman kernels

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Engliš, Miroslav

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 94, č. 6 (2010), s. 622-650 ISSN 0021-7824 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100190802 Keywords : Bergman kernel * analytic continuation * Toeplitz operator Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.450, year: 2010 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021782410000942

  3. Do continuous assessment results affect final exam outcomes? Evidence from a microeconomics course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Carlos Reboredo

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Continuous assessment aims to enhance student learning and understanding of a subject and so achieve better educational outcomes. We investigated how continuous assessment grades affected final exam grades. Using a dataset for six academic post-Bologna Process years (2009-2015 for a first-year undergraduate microeconomics course offered at a Spanish public university, we examined conditional dependence between continuous assessment and final exam grades. Our results would indicate a limited contribution of continuous assessment results to final exam results: the probability of the final exam performance improving on the continuous assessment grade was lower than the probability of the opposite occurring. A consistent exception, however, was students who obtained an A grade for continuous assessment. Our results would cast some doubt on the beneficial effects of continuous assessment advocated by the Bologna Process.

  4. New security measures are proposed for N-plants: Insider Rule package is issued by NRC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1984-01-01

    New rules proposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will require background investigations and psychological assessments of new job candidates and continual monitoring of the behavior of all power plant workers with access to sensitive areas. Licensees will have to submit an ''access authorization'' program for approval describing how they will conduct these security activities. The employee checks will go back five years to examine credit, educational, and criminal histories. Implementation of the rules could involve the Edison Electric Institute as an intermediary to funnel criminal checks from the Justice Department and FBI. The NRC is also considering a clarification of areas designated as ''vital'' because current designations may be too strict

  5. Fluid-bed methane proposed

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1981-05-01

    The first full scale plant for the production of methane from organic waste could be built in the next few years believes M.J. Nyns of the University of Louvain, Belgium, utilizing either expanded bed or fluidised bed systems, with more than one stage, in a continuous flow arrangement. Up to 8.0 m cubed gas/m cubed digester/day could be produced with residence times reduced to 34 hours.

  6. Continuation Methods and Non-Linear/Non-Gaussian Estimation for Flight Dynamics, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose herein to augment current NASA spaceflight dynamics programs with algorithms and software from three domains. First, we use parameter continuation methods...

  7. 76 FR 38617 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fishermen's Contingency Fund

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fishermen's Contingency Fund AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to...

  8. Exploratory Study for Continuous-time Parameter Estimation of Ankle Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kukreja, Sunil L.; Boyle, Richard D.

    2014-01-01

    Recently, a parallel pathway model to describe ankle dynamics was proposed. This model provides a relationship between ankle angle and net ankle torque as the sum of a linear and nonlinear contribution. A technique to identify parameters of this model in discrete-time has been developed. However, these parameters are a nonlinear combination of the continuous-time physiology, making insight into the underlying physiology impossible. The stable and accurate estimation of continuous-time parameters is critical for accurate disease modeling, clinical diagnosis, robotic control strategies, development of optimal exercise protocols for longterm space exploration, sports medicine, etc. This paper explores the development of a system identification technique to estimate the continuous-time parameters of ankle dynamics. The effectiveness of this approach is assessed via simulation of a continuous-time model of ankle dynamics with typical parameters found in clinical studies. The results show that although this technique improves estimates, it does not provide robust estimates of continuous-time parameters of ankle dynamics. Due to this we conclude that alternative modeling strategies and more advanced estimation techniques be considered for future work.

  9. Continued pollution from mining at Maarmorilik

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Voigt, Steen

    2008-01-01

    Almost 20 years after the closure of the lead and zinc mine at Maarmorilik in the municipality of Uummannaq in North West Greenland pollution of surrounding fiords and land stretches with the metals continues, all though in a much lesser degree than earlier. This shows a new report by the Danish...

  10. Final Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report for continued operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-08-01

    This Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This document analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action: continued operation, including near-term (within 5 to 10 years) proposed projects, of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore (SNL, Livermore). Additionally, this document analyzes a no action alternative involving continuing operations at FY 1992 funding levels without further growth, a modification of operations alternative to reduce adverse environmental impacts of operations or facilities, and a shutdown and decommissioning alternative of UC discontinuing its management of LLNL after the current contract expires on September 30, 1992. This document assesses the environmental impacts of the Laboratories' operations on air and water quality, geological and ecological systems, occupational and public health risks, prehistoric and historic resources, endangered species, floodplains and wetlands, socioeconomic resources, hazardous waste management, site contamination, and other environmental issues. The EIS/EIR is divided into five volumes and two companion reports. This volume contains copies of the written comments and transcripts of individual statements at the public hearing and the responses to them

  11. Reform in Secondary Education: The Continuing Efforts to Reform Secondary Education, and a Modest Proposal. Curriculum Bulletin Vol. XXXII, No. 340.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saylor, Galen

    The author begins by examining the functions of the school and the basic principles governing the provision of education in the American democracy as a way of providing a framework for analyzing proposals for the reform of secondary education. He then examines proposals for reform. His major focus is on ten proposals made by agencies,…

  12. Training trajectories by continuous recurrent multilayer networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leistritz, L; Galicki, M; Witte, H; Kochs, E

    2002-01-01

    This paper addresses the problem of training trajectories by means of continuous recurrent neural networks whose feedforward parts are multilayer perceptrons. Such networks can approximate a general nonlinear dynamic system with arbitrary accuracy. The learning process is transformed into an optimal control framework where the weights are the controls to be determined. A training algorithm based upon a variational formulation of Pontryagin's maximum principle is proposed for such networks. Computer examples demonstrating the efficiency of the given approach are also presented.

  13. Optimization and control of a continuous polymerization reactor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. A. Alvarez

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This work studies the optimization and control of a styrene polymerization reactor. The proposed strategy deals with the case where, because of market conditions and equipment deterioration, the optimal operating point of the continuous reactor is modified significantly along the operation time and the control system has to search for this optimum point, besides keeping the reactor system stable at any possible point. The approach considered here consists of three layers: the Real Time Optimization (RTO, the Model Predictive Control (MPC and a Target Calculation (TC that coordinates the communication between the two other layers and guarantees the stability of the whole structure. The proposed algorithm is simulated with the phenomenological model of a styrene polymerization reactor, which has been widely used as a benchmark for process control. The complete optimization structure for the styrene process including disturbances rejection is developed. The simulation results show the robustness of the proposed strategy and the capability to deal with disturbances while the economic objective is optimized.

  14. Development of a process for continuous, radiation-chemically initiated, catalytic hydrocarboxylation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laege, J.

    1980-01-01

    In the general part are treated technical preparation of aliphatic carboxylic acids and their economical importance, the hydrocarboxylation reaction and general aspects of radiation chemistry. The chapter on results of discontinuous experiments contains experiments of radiochemically initiated catalytical hydroesterification of oct-1-ene and buteneoxide. The chapter on development and arrangement of the continuously working hydrocarboxylation plant deals with the disposition of process flow sheet, single elements of and description of the plant. The chapter on results of continuous experiments describes residence time behaviour of the tube reactor, investigations on the mixing behaviour of educts, influence of residence time and reaction pressure on continuous thermal and thermal-radiochemical hydrocarboxylation. The next chapter proposes a procedure of continuous hydrobarboxylation and esterification at high pressure on an industrial scale. The experimental part presents starting materials, preparation on catalysts and reference substances, performance of discontinuous autoclave experiments, work up and investigation of reaction products, performance of continuous high pressure experiments, Co-60-source, Fricke-dosimetry and analytics. (SPI)

  15. A model for continuous improvement at a South African minerals benefication plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ras, Eugene Ras

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available South Africa has a variety of mineral resources, and several minerals beneficiation plants are currently in operation. These plants must be operated effectively to ensure that the end-users of its products remain internationally competitive. To achieve this objective, plants need a sustainable continuous improvement programme. Several frameworks for continuous improvement are used, with variable success rates, in beneficiation plants around the world. However, none of these models specifically addresses continuous improvement from a minerals-processing point of view. The objective of this research study was to determine which factors are important for a continuous improvement model at a minerals beneficiation plant, and to propose a new model using lean manufacturing, six sigma, and the theory of constraints. A survey indicated that managers in the industry prefer a model that combines various continuous improvement models.

  16. Fault-tolerant Control of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles with Continuous Faults: Simulations and Experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Liu

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available A novel thruster fault diagnosis and accommodation method for open-frame underwater vehicles is presented in the paper. The proposed system consists of two units: a fault diagnosis unit and a fault accommodation unit. In the fault diagnosis unit an ICMAC (Improved Credit Assignment Cerebellar Model Articulation Controllers neural network information fusion model is used to realize the fault identification of the thruster. The fault accommodation unit is based on direct calculations of moment and the result of fault identification is used to find the solution of the control allocation problem. The approach resolves the continuous faulty identification of the UV. Results from the experiment are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed method in uncertain continuous faulty situation.

  17. Fault-tolerant Control of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles with Continuous Faults: Simulations and Experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Liu

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available A novel thruster fault diagnosis and accommodation method for open-frame underwater vehicles is presented in the paper. The proposed system consists of two units: a fault diagnosis unit and a fault accommodation unit. In the fault diagnosis unit an ICMAC (Improved Credit Assignment Cerebellar Model Articulation Controllers neural network information fusion model is used to realize the fault identification of the thruster. The fault accommodation unit is based on direct calculations of moment and the result of fault identification is used to find the solution of the control allocation problem. The approach resolves the continuous faulty identification of the UV. Results from the experiment are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed method in uncertain continuous faulty situation.

  18. 78 FR 69529 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8945

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-19

    .... This form is being submitted for renewal purposes only. Type of Review: Extension of a currently... burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995...

  19. 78 FR 8225 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Regulation Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-05

    ... submitted for renewal purposes only. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Affected... respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of...

  20. 75 FR 60507 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Regulation Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-30

    ..., or a property transfer (or transfer of the right to use property) a fair market value. Current... opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork... Service, room 6129, 1111 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20224. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...

  1. Continuity planning for workplace infectious diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, Nancy; Miller, Pamela Blair; Engle, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    Traditionally, business continuity plans prepare for worst-case scenarios; people plan for the exception rather than the common. Plans focus on infrastructure damage and recovery wrought by such disasters as hurricanes, terrorist events or tornadoes. Yet, another very real threat looms present every day, every season and can strike without warning, wreaking havoc on the major asset -- human capital. Each year, millions of dollars are lost in productivity, healthcare costs, absenteeism and services due to infectious, communicable diseases. Sound preventive risk management and recovery strategies can avert this annual decimation of staff and ensure continuous business operation. This paper will present a strong economic justification for the recognition, prevention and mitigation of communicable diseases as a routine part of continuity planning for every business. Recommendations will also be provided for environmental/engineering controls as well as personnel policies that address employee and customer protection, supply chain contacts and potential legal issues.

  2. Continuous admission to primary school and mental health problems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S.A. Reijneveld (Sijmen); C.H. Wiefferink (Carin); E. Brugman (Emily); F.C. Verhulst (Frank); S.P. Verloove-Vanhorick; A.D.C. Paulussen (Aimée)

    2006-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Younger children in a school class have higher rates of mental health problems if admission to primary school occurs once a year. This study examines whether this relative age effect also occurs if children are admitted to school continuously throughout the year. Methods: We

  3. Continuous admission to primary school and mental health problems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijneveld, S.A.; Wiefferink, C.H.; Brugman, E.; Verhulst, F.C.; Verloove-Vanhorick, S.P.; Paulussen, T.G.W.

    2006-01-01

    Background: Younger children in a school class have higher rates of mental health problems if admission to primary school occurs once a year. This study examines whether this relative age effect also occurs if children are admitted to school continuously throughout the year. Methods: We assessed

  4. Proposed underground gasification. [United Kingdom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1986-05-01

    An underground coal gasification experiment which could provide the key to recovering the energy in millions of tonnes of otherwise inaccessible undersea coal reserves is proposed by the NCB. The Board's Headquarters Technical Department hope to carry out a field trial in a six foot thick coal seam about 2000 feet beneath a former wartime airfield near the hamlet of Ossington near Newark, Notts, UK. This paper describes briefly the proposed project, which could cost up to 15 million pounds over five years. It has the backing and financial support of the European Economic Community.

  5. Robust model predictive control for constrained continuous-time nonlinear systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Tairen; Pan, Yongping; Zhang, Jun; Yu, Haoyong

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, a robust model predictive control (MPC) is designed for a class of constrained continuous-time nonlinear systems with bounded additive disturbances. The robust MPC consists of a nonlinear feedback control and a continuous-time model-based dual-mode MPC. The nonlinear feedback control guarantees the actual trajectory being contained in a tube centred at the nominal trajectory. The dual-mode MPC is designed to ensure asymptotic convergence of the nominal trajectory to zero. This paper extends current results on discrete-time model-based tube MPC and linear system model-based tube MPC to continuous-time nonlinear model-based tube MPC. The feasibility and robustness of the proposed robust MPC have been demonstrated by theoretical analysis and applications to a cart-damper springer system and a one-link robot manipulator.

  6. Continuous Improvement in Education. Advancing Teaching--Improving Learning. White Paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sandra; Hironaka, Stephanie; Carver, Penny; Nordstrum, Lee

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, "continuous improvement" has become a popular catchphrase in the field of education. However, while continuous improvement has become commonplace and well-documented in other industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing, little is known about how this work has manifested itself in education. This white paper attempts…

  7. Non-Interior Continuation Method for Solving the Monotone Semidefinite Complementarity Problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Z.H.; Han, J.

    2003-01-01

    Recently, Chen and Tseng extended non-interior continuation smoothing methods for solving linear/ nonlinear complementarity problems to semidefinite complementarity problems (SDCP). In this paper we propose a non-interior continuation method for solving the monotone SDCP based on the smoothed Fischer-Burmeister function, which is shown to be globally linearly and locally quadratically convergent under suitable assumptions. Our algorithm needs at most to solve a linear system of equations at each iteration. In addition, in our analysis on global linear convergence of the algorithm, we need not use the assumption that the Frechet derivative of the function involved in the SDCP is Lipschitz continuous. For non-interior continuation/ smoothing methods for solving the nonlinear complementarity problem, such an assumption has been used widely in the literature in order to achieve global linear convergence results of the algorithms

  8. Continuity, but at what cost? The impact of telemonitoring COPD on continuities of care: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairbrother, Peter; Pinnock, Hilary; Hanley, Janet; McCloughan, Lucy; Sheikh, Aziz; Pagliari, Claudia; McKinstry, Brian

    2012-09-01

    Continuity of care is widely regarded as an important marker of quality in the management of patients with long-term conditions. New services that integrate telemonitoring into care pathways have potential to change aspects of continuity in both positive and negative ways. A telemonitoring service for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was introduced in Lothian, Scotland, in 2009. A qualitative study, nested within the TELESCOT COPD randomised control trial, was undertaken to explore the views of patients and professionals on telemonitoring. The perceived impact of telemonitoring on continuity of care was investigated as part of the research. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 38 patients (47% male, mean age 67.5 years). A maximum variation sample in relation to age, sex, socio-economic background, disease severity, and compliance with telemonitoring was recruited. Thirty-two stakeholders (healthcare professionals and managers) were interviewed. Transcribed coded data were analysed thematically using the framework approach. Interpretation was supported by multidisciplinary discussion. Patients and healthcare professionals considered that relationship-based continuity of care was important in the delivery of telemonitoring services. Managers placed emphasis on improved continuity of clinical management as a means of reducing healthcare costs. However, professionals described many operational challenges arising from the 'bolting-on' of telemonitoring provision to existing usual care provision which, they considered, resulted in the proliferation of additional managerial discontinuities. Managers and healthcare professionals face major challenges in meeting demands for both relationship continuity and continuity of clinical management in the development of telemonitoring services.

  9. Diagnostic crossover and outcome predictors in eating disorders according to DSM-IV and DSM-V proposed criteria: a 6-year follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellini, Giovanni; Lo Sauro, Carolina; Mannucci, Edoardo; Ravaldi, Claudia; Rotella, Carlo Maria; Faravelli, Carlo; Ricca, Valdo

    2011-04-01

    To evaluate in a 6-year follow-up study the course of a large clinical sample of patients with eating disorders (EDs) who were treated with individual cognitive behavior therapy. The diagnostic crossover, recovery, and relapses were assessed, applying both Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and the DSM-V proposed criteria. Patients with EDs move in and out of illness states over time, display frequent relapses, show a relevant lifetime psychiatric comorbidity, and migrate between different diagnoses. A total of 793 patients (including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and EDs not otherwise specified) were evaluated on the first day of admission, at the end of treatment, 3 years after the end of treatment, and 3 years after the first follow-up. Clinical data were collected through a face-to-face interview; diagnosis was performed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire was applied. A consistent rate of relapse and crossover between the different diagnoses over time was observed. Mood disorders comorbidity has been found to be an important determinant of diagnostic instability, whereas the severity of shape concern represented a relevant outcome modifier. Using the DSM-V proposed criteria, most patients of EDs not otherwise specified were reclassified, so that the large majority of ED patients seeking treatment would be included in full-blown diagnoses. Among EDs, there are different subgroups of patients displaying various courses and outcomes. The diagnostic instability involves the large majority of patients. An integration of categorical and dimensional approaches could improve the psychopathological investigation and the treatment choices.

  10. 78 FR 32691 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Certificate of Electrical Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-31

    ... in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection... with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in accordance with..., 2013. ADDRESSES: Comments concerning the information collection requirements of this notice must be...

  11. Impulsive synchronization for Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model and its application to continuous chaotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yanwu; Guan Zhihong; Wang, Hua O.

    2005-01-01

    Recently, chaos synchronization based on T-S fuzzy model has attracted much attention because of the applicability in the case of uncertainty. In the fuzzy control scheme, linear and adaptive control methods have been introduced to solve the control problem. In this Letter, an impulsive synchronization scheme for T-S fuzzy model is developed. The proposed impulsive control scheme seems to have a simple control structure and may need less control energy than the normal continuous ones for the synchronization of T-S fuzzy system. Sufficient conditions for the impulsive synchronization are derived. The method is illustrated by applications to continuous chaotic systems and the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method

  12. Three proposals to increase Australia's organ supply.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isdale, William; Savulescu, Julian

    2015-01-01

    In 2008 the Australian Government introduced a national reform agenda to increase organ and tissue donation. Australia continues to perform poorly by international standards on measures of organ procurement, however. This paper outlines three proposals to improve donation rates and considers the empirical evidence available for each. A number of ethical objections frequently given to resist such proposals are also addressed. Firstly, it is recommended that Australia implement an 'opt-out' system of organ donation. Secondly, the existing veto rules should be changed to better protect the wishes of those who wish to donate. Finally, a numer of incentives should be offered to increase donation rates; these could include incentives of financial value, but also non-financial incentives such as prioritisation for the receipt of organs for previous donors.

  13. Perspectivism and Intersubjective Criteria for Personal Identity: A Defense of Bernard Williams’ Criterion of Bodily Continuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tristan Guillermo Torriani

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article I revisit earlier stages of the discussion of personal identity, before Neo-Lockean psychological continuity views became prevalent. In particular, I am interested in Bernard Williams’ initial proposal of bodily identity as a necessary, although not sufficient, criterion of personal identity. It was at this point that psychological continuity views came to the fore arguing that bodily identity was not necessary because brain transplants were logically possible, even if physically impossible. Further proposals by Shoemaker of causal relations between mental states in our memory and Parfit’s discussion of branching causal chains created additional complications. My contention in this paper is that psychological continuity views deflected our attention from what should have remained in the spotlight all the time: the intersubjective character (or not of criteria proposed to decide personal identity in our language game, and ultimately our form of life concerning ourselves as persons. B. Williams’ emphasis on the body was not just common sense. It was also recognition of the importance of giving priority to criteria that could be kept under intersubjective control.

  14. Perspectivism and Intersubjective Criteria for Personal Identity: A Defense of Bernard Williams’ Criterion of Bodily Continuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tristan Guillermo Torriani

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available In this article I revisit earlier stages of the discussion of personal identity, before Neo-Lockean psychological continuity views became prevalent. In particular, I am interested in Bernard Williams’ initial proposal of bodily identity as a necessary, although not sufficient, criterion of personal identity. It was at this point that psychological continuity views came to the fore arguing that bodily identity was not necessary because brain transplants were logically possible, even if physically impossible. Further proposals by Shoemaker of causal relations between mental states in our memory and Parfit’s discussion of branching causal chains created additional complications. My contention in this paper is that psychological continuity views deflected our attention from what should have remained in the spotlight all the time: the intersubjective character (or not of criteria proposed to decide personal identity in our language game, and ultimately our form of life concerning ourselves as persons. B. Williams’ emphasis on the body was not just common sense. It was also recognition of the importance of giving priority to criteria that could be kept under intersubjective control.

  15. Canola-Wheat Rotation versus Continuous Wheat for the Southern Plains

    OpenAIRE

    Duke, Jason C.; Epplin, Francis M.; Vitale, Jeffrey D.; Peeper, Thomas F.

    2009-01-01

    Crop rotations are not common in the wheat belt of the Southern Plains. After years of continuous wheat, weeds have become increasingly difficult and expensive to manage. Yield data were elicited from farmers and used to determine if canola-wheat-wheat rotations are economically competitive with continuous wheat in the region.

  16. Proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Ran; Huang, Xiuqin; Wang, Jinan; Zhang, Huimin; Zhang, Ying; Li, Mengchen

    2010-03-01

    The objective of this study was to develop diagnostic criteria for internet addiction disorder (IAD) and to evaluate the validity of our proposed diagnostic criteria for discriminating non-dependent from dependent internet use in the general population. This study was conducted in three stages: the developmental stage (110 subjects in the survey group; 408 subjects in the training group), where items of the proposed diagnostic criteria were developed and tested; the validation stage (n = 405), where the proposed criteria were evaluated for criterion-related validity; and the clinical stage (n = 150), where the criteria and the global clinical impression of IAD were evaluated by more than one psychiatrist to determine inter-rater reliability. The proposed internet addiction diagnostic criteria consisted of symptom criterion (seven clinical symptoms of IAD), clinically significant impairment criterion (functional and psychosocial impairments), course criterion (duration of addiction lasting at least 3 months, with at least 6 hours of non-essential internet usage per day) and exclusion criterion (exclusion of dependency attributed to psychotic disorders). A diagnostic score of 2 + 1, where the first two symptoms (preoccupation and withdrawal symptoms) and at least one of the five other symptoms (tolerance, lack of control, continued excessive use despite knowledge of negative effects/affects, loss of interests excluding internet, and use of the internet to escape or relieve a dysphoric mood) was established. Inter-rater reliability was 98%. Our findings suggest that the proposed diagnostic criteria may be useful for the standardization of diagnostic criteria for IAD.

  17. Continuous-Wave Single-Photon Transistor Based on a Superconducting Circuit

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyriienko, Oleksandr; Sørensen, Anders Søndberg

    2016-01-01

    We propose a microwave frequency single-photon transistor which can operate under continuous wave probing and represents an efficient single microwave photon detector. It can be realized using an impedance matched system of a three level artificial ladder-type atom coupled to two microwave cavities...... and the appearance of a photon flux leaving the second cavity through a separate input-output port. The proposal does not require time variation of the probe signals, thus corresponding to a passive version of a single-photon transistor. The resulting device is robust to qubit dephasing processes, possesses low dark...

  18. Seminar program for postgraduate specialty training in general practice: proposal for a 5-year thematic catalogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sommer, Susanne

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In different German regions, seminar programs have been conducted for General practice residents. In each region, selection and teaching of learning content is conducted in a different manner. So far, no structured, standardized curriculum has been implemented nationwide. We have investigated, if the development of a common 5-year program of learning topics is conceivable between the different university departments of General practice in Germany.Method: The seminar program working group of the DEGAM (German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians has conducted an online survey based on information gathered via preliminary telephone conference (n=7; physicians with postgraduate teaching experience among all German university departments of General Practice and two non-university teaching institutions, identified via the internet. 884 topics were extracted from 14 Seminar programs. The topics were entered in a database, discussed and categorized: Practice management/practice work flow/standardized documentation forms/quality management (n=33 topics, common acute and chronic diseases, including disease management programs (n=29 topics, communication, neurological, psychological and psychiatric consultations (n=24 topics, common medical problems, including eye, ear, nose, throat, skin and pediatric problems (n=99 Topics family physicians general approach, including epidemiology, shared decision making, test of time (n=42 Topics. These topics have been rated for priority and desirable number of teaching-units.Results: A catalogue of 111 topics was designed, encompassing 160 teaching units. There is a suggestion of wide topics collections plus an add-on catalogue.Conclusion: A proposal for a 5-year-thematic catalogue for postgraduate training of general practice residents in Germany has been developed. This newly developed curriculum has the potential to improve knowledge and skills that have not been covered during in

  19. Analytical Services Fiscal Year 1996 Multi-year Program Plan Fiscal Year Work Plan WBS 1.5.1, Revision 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-09-01

    This document contains the Fiscal Year 1996 Work Plan and Multi-Year Program Plan for the Analytical Services Program at the Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington. The Analytical Services Program provides vital support to the Hanford Site mission and provides technically sound, defensible, cost effective, high quality analytical chemistry data for the site programs. This report describes the goals and strategies for continuance of the Analytical Services Program through fiscal year 1996 and beyond.

  20. Analytical Services Fiscal Year 1996 Multi-year Program Plan Fiscal Year Work Plan WBS 1.5.1, Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-09-01

    This document contains the Fiscal Year 1996 Work Plan and Multi-Year Program Plan for the Analytical Services Program at the Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington. The Analytical Services Program provides vital support to the Hanford Site mission and provides technically sound, defensible, cost effective, high quality analytical chemistry data for the site programs. This report describes the goals and strategies for continuance of the Analytical Services Program through fiscal year 1996 and beyond

  1. Continuous-variable protocol for oblivious transfer in the noisy-storage model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Furrer, Fabian; Gehring, Tobias; Schaffner, Christian

    2018-01-01

    for oblivious transfer for optical continuous-variable systems, and prove its security in the noisy-storage model. This model allows us to establish security by sending more quantum signals than an attacker can reliably store during the protocol. The security proof is based on uncertainty relations which we...... derive for continuous-variable systems, that differ from the ones used in quantum key distribution. We experimentally demonstrate in a proof-of-principle experiment the proposed oblivious transfer protocol for various channel losses by using entangled two-mode squeezed states measured with balanced...

  2. A Continuous Identity Authentication Scheme Based on Physiological and Behavioral Characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Guannan; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Yongrong; Jiang, Shuai

    2018-01-10

    Wearable devices have flourished over the past ten years providing great advantages to people and, recently, they have also been used for identity authentication. Most of the authentication methods adopt a one-time authentication manner which cannot provide continuous certification. To address this issue, we present a two-step authentication method based on an own-built fingertip sensor device which can capture motion data (e.g., acceleration and angular velocity) and physiological data (e.g., a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal) simultaneously. When the device is worn on the user's fingertip, it will automatically recognize whether the wearer is a legitimate user or not. More specifically, multisensor data is collected and analyzed to extract representative and intensive features. Then, human activity recognition is applied as the first step to enhance the practicability of the authentication system. After correctly discriminating the motion state, a one-class machine learning algorithm is applied for identity authentication as the second step. When a user wears the device, the authentication process is carried on automatically at set intervals. Analyses were conducted using data from 40 individuals across various operational scenarios. Extensive experiments were executed to examine the effectiveness of the proposed approach, which achieved an average accuracy rate of 98.5% and an F1-score of 86.67%. Our results suggest that the proposed scheme provides a feasible and practical solution for authentication.

  3. Continuous health monitoring of Graphite Epoxy Motorcases (GEM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finlayson, Richard D.; Schaafsma, David T.; Shen, H. Warren; Carlos, Mark F.; Miller, Ronnie K.; Shepherd, Brent

    2001-07-01

    Following the explosion of Delta 241 (IIR-1) on January 17th, 1997, the failure investigation board concluded that the Graphite Epoxy Motorcases (GEM's) should be inspected for damage just prior to launch. Subsequent investigations and feedback from industry led to an Aerospace Corporation proposal to instrument the entire fleet of GEM's with a continuous health monitoring system. The period of monitoring would extend from the initial acceptance testing through final erection on the launch pad. As this proposal demonstrates, (along with the increasing use of advanced composite materials in aircraft, automobiles, military hardware, and aerospace components such as rocket motorcases) a sizable need for composite health assessment measures exist. Particularly where continuous monitoring is required for the detection of damage from impacts and other sources of high mechanical and thermal stresses. Even low-momentum impacts can lead to barely visible impact damage (BVID), corresponding to a significant weakening of the composite. This damage, undetectable by visual inspection, can in turn lead to sudden and catastrophic failure when the material is subjected to a normal operating load. There is perhaps no system with as much potential for truly catastrophic failure as a rocket motor. We will present an update on our ongoing efforts with the United States Air Force Delta II Program Office, and The Aerospace Corporation. This will cover the development of a local, portable, surface-mounted, fiberoptic sensor based impact damage monitor designed to operate on a Delta II GEM during transport, storage, and handling. This system is designed to continuously monitor the GEMs, to communicate wirelessly with base stations and maintenance personnel, to operate autonomously for extended periods, and to fit unobtrusively on the GEM itself.

  4. Continuous Monitoring of Glucose for Type 1 Diabetes: A Health Technology Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. People with type 1 diabetes must manage their blood glucose levels by monitoring the amount of glucose in their blood and administering appropriate amounts of insulin via injection or an insulin pump. Continuous glucose monitoring may be beneficial compared to self-monitoring of blood glucose using a blood glucose meter. It provides insight into a person's blood glucose levels on a continuous basis, and can identify whether blood glucose levels are trending up or down. We conducted a health technology assessment, which included an evaluation of clinical benefit, value for money, and patient preferences related to continuous glucose monitoring. We compared continuous glucose monitoring with self-monitoring of blood glucose using a finger-prick and a blood glucose meter. We performed a systematic literature search for studies published since January 1, 2010. We created a Markov model projecting the lifetime horizon of adults with type 1 diabetes, and performed a budget impact analysis from the perspective of the health care payer. We also conducted interviews and focus group discussions with people who self-manage their type 1 diabetes or support the management of a child with type 1 diabetes. Twenty studies were included in the clinical evidence review. Compared with self-monitoring of blood glucose, continuous glucose monitoring improved the percentage of time patients spent in the target glycemic range by 9.6% (95% confidence interval 8.0-11.2) to 10.0% (95% confidence interval 6.75-13.25) and decreased the number of severe hypoglycemic events.Continuous glucose monitoring was associated with higher costs and small increases in health benefits (quality-adjusted life-years). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) ranged from $592,206 to $1,108,812 per quality-adjusted life-year gained in analyses comparing four continuous glucose monitoring interventions to usual care

  5. A Geometrical Framework for Covariance Matrices of Continuous and Categorical Variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vernizzi, Graziano; Nakai, Miki

    2015-01-01

    It is well known that a categorical random variable can be represented geometrically by a simplex. Accordingly, several measures of association between categorical variables have been proposed and discussed in the literature. Moreover, the standard definitions of covariance and correlation coefficient for continuous random variables have been…

  6. 78 FR 4125 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Procedures for Importation of Supplies for Use...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-18

    ... continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as... of entry; mode of transport; person for whose account the merchandise will be brought into the U.S...

  7. Continuous emission monitoring systems for power plants. The state-of-the-art

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bamberger, J.A.

    1988-01-01

    Continuous monitoring of power plant emissions is performed to improve combustion and control equipment efficiency, and in response to various government agency requirements. This paper focuses upon recent developments in Continuous Emission Monitoring (CEM) and Systems (CEMS) for power plants. Topics presented include the perspective of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the states: Continuous Monitoring of Power Plant Emissions - An EPA Perspective; Pennsylvania's Proposed Continuous Emission Monitoring System Data Telemetry Requirements for Municipal, Hospital and Infectious Waste Incinerators; the importance of quality assurance; Continuous Emission Monitoring and Quality Assurance Requirements for New Power Plants; Highlights of Pennsylvania's Continuous Emission Monitoring System Quality Assurance Program; improved system specifications and data acquisition methods; Improved Specifications for Continuous Emission Monitoring; A Microcomputer-Based Data Acquisition System for CEMS; CEMS applications; Expanded Use of CEMS in Acid Rain Control Programs: Opinions of Users, Control Agencies and Vendors; and an innovative measurement technique to assess electrostatic precipitator performance; The Assessment of Pulverized Coal Fly Ash Collection in Electrostatic Precipitators Using an Instrumental Assessment Technique

  8. PLAStiCC: Predictive Look-Ahead Scheduling for Continuous dataflows on Clouds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumbhare, Alok [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Simmhan, Yogesh [Indian Inst. of Technology (IIT), Bangalore (India); Prasanna, Viktor K. [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

    2014-05-27

    Scalable stream processing and continuous dataflow systems are gaining traction with the rise of big data due to the need for processing high velocity data in near real time. Unlike batch processing systems such as MapReduce and workflows, static scheduling strategies fall short for continuous dataflows due to the variations in the input data rates and the need for sustained throughput. The elastic resource provisioning of cloud infrastructure is valuable to meet the changing resource needs of such continuous applications. However, multi-tenant cloud resources introduce yet another dimension of performance variability that impacts the application’s throughput. In this paper we propose PLAStiCC, an adaptive scheduling algorithm that balances resource cost and application throughput using a prediction-based look-ahead approach. It not only addresses variations in the input data rates but also the underlying cloud infrastructure. In addition, we also propose several simpler static scheduling heuristics that operate in the absence of accurate performance prediction model. These static and adaptive heuristics are evaluated through extensive simulations using performance traces obtained from public and private IaaS clouds. Our results show an improvement of up to 20% in the overall profit as compared to the reactive adaptation algorithm.

  9. Aerospace Workforce Development: The Nebraska Proposal; and Native View Connections: A Multi-Consortium Workforce Development Proposal. UNO Aviation Monograph Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowen, Brent D.; Russell, Valerie; Vlasek, Karisa; Avery, Shelly; Calamaio, Larry; Carstenson, Larry; Farritor, Shane; deSilva, Shan; Dugan, James; Farr, Lynne

    2003-01-01

    The NASA Nebraska Space Grant Consortium (NSGC) continues to recognize the necessity of increasing the quantity and quality of highly skilled graduates and faculty involved with NASA. Through NASA Workforce Development funds awarded in 2002, NSGC spearheaded customer- focused workforce training and higher education, industry and community partnerships that are significantly impacting the state s workforce in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competencies. NSGC proposes to build upon these accomplishments to meet the steadily increasing demand for STEM skills and to safeguard minority representation in these disciplines. A wide range of workforce development activities target NASA s need to establish stronger connections among higher education, industry, and community organizations. Participation in the National Student Satellite Program (NSSP), Community Internship Program, and Nebraska Science and Technology Recruitment Fair will extend the pipeline of employees benefiting NASA as well as Nebraska. The diversity component of this proposal catapults from the exceptional reputation NSGC has built by delivering geospatial science experiences to Nebraska s Native Americans. For 6 years, NSGC has fostered and sustained partnerships with the 2 tribal colleges and 4 reservation school districts in Nebraska to foster aeronautics education and outreach. This program, the Nebraska Native American Outreach Program (NNAOP), has grown to incorporate more than educational institutions and is now a partnership among tribal community leaders, academia, tribal schools, and industry. The content focus has broadened from aeronautics in the school systems to aerospace technology and earth science applications in tribal community decision-making and workforce training on the reservations. To date, participants include faculty and staff at 4 Nebraska tribal schools, 2 tribal colleges, approximately 1,000 Native American youth, and over 1,200 community members

  10. The ability to manage self-proposed projects between 1;3 and 2;0 years old: a study of inhibition and resistance to interference

    OpenAIRE

    Estanislao Pastor-Mallol; Edith Santó-Rañé

    2015-01-01

    This study examines very young children's ability to manage self-proposed projects by using the inhibitory function and resistance to interference. In a natural environment and using an observational method, we conducted a longitudinal study of a sample observed at 1;3, 1;6, 1;9 and 2;0 years old. The research was divided into two studies which followed different procedures and looked at the projects carried out, the interferences produced and the functioning of inhibition. We observed signif...

  11. Tolerance-based punishment in continuous public goods game

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Jia; Li, Zhi; Cong, Rui; Wang, Long

    2012-08-01

    Altruistic punishment for defectors is considered as a key motive for the explanation of cooperation. However, there is no clear border between the cooperative and defective behaviors in a continuous strategy game. We propose a model to study the effect of punishment on the evolution of cooperation in continuous public goods game, wherein individuals have the traits to punish the co-players based on social tolerance. We show that a reasonable punishment with a uniform tolerance can spur individuals to make more investments. Additionally, for a fixed punishment cost and a fixed fine, a moderate value of tolerance can result in the best promotion of cooperation. Furthermore, we investigate the coevolutionary dynamics of investment and tolerance. We find that the population splits into two branches: high-tolerance individuals who make high investments and low-tolerance individuals who make low investments. A dynamic equilibrium is achieved between these two types of individuals. Our work extends punishment to continuous cooperative behaviors and the results may enhance the understanding of altruistic punishment in the evolution of human cooperation.

  12. RHIC and quark matter: proposal for a relativistic heavy ion collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-08-01

    This document describes the Brookhaven National Laboratory Proposal for the construction of a Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The construction of this facility represents the natural continuation of the laboratory's role as a center for nuclear and high-energy physics research and extends and uses the existing AGS, Tandem Van de Graaff and CBA facilities at BNL in a very cost effective manner. The Administration and Congress have approved a project which will provide a link between the Tandem Van de Graaf and the AGS. Completion of this project in 1986 will provide fixed target capabilities at the AGS for heavy ions of about 14 GeV/amu with masses up to approx. 30 (sulfur). The addition of an AGS booster would extend the mass range to the heaviest ions (A approx. 200, e.g., gold); its construction could start in 1986 and be completed in three years. These two new AGS experimental facilities can be combined with the proposed Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider to extend the energy range to 100 x 100 GeV/amu for the heaviest ions. BNL proposes to start construction of RHIC in FY 86 with completion in FY 90 at a total cost of 134 M$

  13. A simple boundary element formulation for shape optimization of 2D continuous structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luciano Mendes Bezerra; Jarbas de Carvalho Santos Junior; Arlindo Pires Lopes; Andre Luiz; Souza, A.C.

    2005-01-01

    For the design of nuclear equipment like pressure vessels, steam generators, and pipelines, among others, it is very important to optimize the shape of the structural systems to withstand prescribed loads such as internal pressures and prescribed or limiting referential values such as stress or strain. In the literature, shape optimization of frame structural systems is commonly found but the same is not true for continuous structural systems. In this work, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is applied to simple problems of shape optimization of 2D continuous structural systems. The proposed formulation is based on the BEM and on deterministic optimization methods of zero and first order such as Powell's, Conjugate Gradient, and BFGS methods. Optimal characterization for the geometric configuration of 2D structure is obtained with the minimization of an objective function. Such function is written in terms of referential values (such as loads, stresses, strains or deformations) prescribed at few points inside or at the boundary of the structure. The use of the BEM for shape optimization of continuous structures is attractive compared to other methods that discretized the whole continuous. Several numerical examples of the application of the proposed formulation to simple engineering problems are presented. (authors)

  14. Polychotomization of continuous variables in regression models based on the overall C index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bax Leon

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background When developing multivariable regression models for diagnosis or prognosis, continuous independent variables can be categorized to make a prediction table instead of a prediction formula. Although many methods have been proposed to dichotomize prognostic variables, to date there has been no integrated method for polychotomization. The latter is necessary when dichotomization results in too much loss of information or when central values refer to normal states and more dispersed values refer to less preferable states, a situation that is not unusual in medical settings (e.g. body temperature, blood pressure. The goal of our study was to develop a theoretical and practical method for polychotomization. Methods We used the overall discrimination index C, introduced by Harrel, as a measure of the predictive ability of an independent regressor variable and derived a method for polychotomization mathematically. Since the naïve application of our method, like some existing methods, gives rise to positive bias, we developed a parametric method that minimizes this bias and assessed its performance by the use of Monte Carlo simulation. Results The overall C is closely related to the area under the ROC curve and the produced di(polychotomized variable's predictive performance is comparable to the original continuous variable. The simulation shows that the parametric method is essentially unbiased for both the estimates of performance and the cutoff points. Application of our method to the predictor variables of a previous study on rhabdomyolysis shows that it can be used to make probability profile tables that are applicable to the diagnosis or prognosis of individual patient status. Conclusion We propose a polychotomization (including dichotomization method for independent continuous variables in regression models based on the overall discrimination index C and clarified its meaning mathematically. To avoid positive bias in

  15. Sequential weak continuity of null Lagrangians at the boundary

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kalamajska, A.; Kraemer, S.; Kružík, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 49, 3/4 (2014), s. 1263-1278 ISSN 0944-2669 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP201/10/0357 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : null Lagrangians * nonhomogeneous nonlinear mappings * sequential weak/in measure continuity Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.518, year: 2014 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2013/MTR/kruzik-sequential weak continuity of null lagrangians at the boundary.pdf

  16. A hybrid metaheuristic method to optimize the order of the sequences in continuous-casting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achraf Touil

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm to maximize the production and to minimize the processing time in the steel-making and continuous casting (SCC by optimizing the order of the sequences where a sequence is a group of jobs with the same chemical characteristics. Based on the work Bellabdaoui and Teghem (2006 [Bellabdaoui, A., & Teghem, J. (2006. A mixed-integer linear programming model for the continuous casting planning. International Journal of Production Economics, 104(2, 260-270.], a mixed integer linear programming for scheduling steelmaking continuous casting production is presented to minimize the makespan. The order of the sequences in continuous casting is assumed to be fixed. The main contribution is to analyze an additional way to determine the optimal order of sequences. A hybrid method based on simulated annealing and genetic algorithm restricted by a tabu list (SA-GA-TL is addressed to obtain the optimal order. After parameter tuning of the proposed algorithm, it is tested on different instances using a.NET application and the commercial software solver Cplex v12.5. These results are compared with those obtained by SA-TL (simulated annealing restricted by tabu list.

  17. Relay selection in cooperative communication systems over continuous time-varying fading channel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ke Geng

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we study relay selection under outdated channel state information (CSI in a decode-and-forward (DF cooperative system. Unlike previous researches on cooperative communication under outdated CSI, we consider that the channel varies continuously over time, i.e., the channel not only changes between relay selection and data transmission but also changes during data transmission. Thus the level of accuracy of the CSI used in relay selection degrades with data transmission. We first evaluate the packet error rate (PER of the cooperative system under continuous time-varying fading channel, and find that the PER performance deteriorates more seriously under continuous time-varying fading channel than when the channel is assumed to be constant during data transmission. Then, we propose a repeated relay selection (RRS strategy to improve the PER performance, in which the forwarded data is divided into multiple segments and relay is reselected before the transmission of each segment based on the updated CSI. Finally, we propose a combined relay selection (CRS strategy which takes advantage of three different relay selection strategies to further mitigate the impact of outdated CSI.

  18. 40 CFR 68.168 - Five-year accident history.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Five-year accident history. 68.168 Section 68.168 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Risk Management Plan § 68.168 Five-year accident history...

  19. The JET project (design proposal)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-03-01

    This proposal describes a large Tokamak experiment, which aims to study plasma behavior in conditions and dimensions approaching those required in a fusion reactor. The maximum plasma minor radius (a) is 1.25m and the major radius (R 0 ) is 2.96m. An important feature is the flexibility to study, for plasma currents in the 1→3MA range, a wide range of aspect ratios (R 0 /a=2.37→5), toroidal magnetic fields (up to 3.6T), minor radii (0.6→1.25m) and elongation ratios (b/a=1→3.5). The cost of the apparatus, power supplies, plasma heating equipment and specific diagnostics is estimated as 70.1Muc (march 1975 prices, 1uc=50FB). The total construction phase cost including commissioning, buildings and staff is 135Muc. These figures include an average overall contingency of 30%. The construction time for the project is estimated at 5 years and requires 370 professional man years of effort in the construction organisation with additional effort deployed by the Associated Laboratories in such areas as diagnostics and plasma heating. This design proposal is arranged as follows: an introduction to the field of fusion research is given and relates JET to the European and international programmes; a concise summary of the design proposal describes the objectives of research with JET, and gives a brief description of the apparatus, the cost and construction schedules, the proposed experimental programme and the possible modes of operation of the device. A detailed account of the engineering design and the staff and cost estimates is presented

  20. Mixed-integrator-based bi-quad cell for designing a continuous time filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yong; Zhou Yumei

    2010-01-01

    A new mixed-integrator-based bi-quad cell is proposed. An alternative synthesis mechanism of complex poles is proposed compared with source-follower-based bi-quad cells which is designed applying the positive feedback technique. Using the negative feedback technique to combine different integrators, the proposed bi-quad cell synthesizes complex poles for designing a continuous time filter. It exhibits various advantages including compact topology, high gain, no parasitic pole, no CMFB circuit, and high capability. The fourth-order Butterworth lowpass filter using the proposed cells has been fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The active area occupied by the filter with test buffer is only 200 x 170 μm 2 . The proposed filter consumes a low power of 201 μW and achieves a 68.5 dB dynamic range. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  1. Solidification interface shape control in a continuous Czochralski silicon growth system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chenlei; Zhang, Hui; Wang, Tihu; Zheng, Lili

    2006-01-01

    In a continuous Czochralski (CCZ) growth system with a shallow and replenished melt proposed earlier, large-diameter crystals may be grown at a high pull rate and reduced melt convection. The proposed system consists of two heaters. In this paper, the relationship between the solidification interface and the power levels is established. An interface control algorithm is developed to achieve the desired interface shape by adjusting the power level of the bottom heater. The control algorithm is incorporated into an existing process model, and the efficiency of the control algorithm is tested.

  2. Breaking continuous potato cropping with legumes improves soil microbial communities, enzyme activities and tuber yield

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Shuhao; Yeboah, Stephen; Cao, Li; Zhang, Junlian; Shi, Shangli; Liu, Yuhui

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted to explore the changes in soil microbial populations, enzyme activity, and tuber yield under the rotation sequences of Potato–Common vetch (P–C), Potato–Black medic (P–B) and Potato–Longdong alfalfa (P–L) in a semi–arid area of China. The study also determined the effects of continuous potato cropping (without legumes) on the above mentioned soil properties and yield. The number of bacteria increased significantly (p continuous cropping soils, respectively compared to P–C rotation. The highest fungi/bacteria ratio was found in P–C (0.218), followed by P–L (0.184) and then P–B (0.137) rotation over the different cropping years. In the continuous potato cropping soils, the greatest fungi/bacteria ratio was recorded in the 4–year (0.4067) and 7–year (0.4238) cropping soils and these were significantly higher than 1–year (0.3041), 2–year (0.2545) and 3–year (0.3030) cropping soils. Generally, actinomycetes numbers followed the trend P–L>P–C>P–B. The P–L rotation increased aerobic azotobacters in 2–year (by 26% and 18%) and 4–year (40% and 21%) continuous cropping soils compared to P–C and P–B rotation, respectively. Generally, the highest urease and alkaline phosphate activity, respectively, were observed in P–C (55.77 mg g–1) and (27.71 mg g–1), followed by P–B (50.72 mg mg–1) and (25.64 mg g–1) and then P–L (41.61 mg g–1) and (23.26 mg g–1) rotation. Soil urease, alkaline phosphatase and hydrogen peroxidase activities decreased with increasing years of continuous potato cropping. On average, the P–B rotation significantly increased (p improve soil biology environment, alleviate continuous cropping obstacle and increase potato tuber yield in semi–arid region. PMID:28463981

  3. A Dynamic Continuation-Passing Style for Dynamic Delimited Continuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Biernacki, Dariusz; Danvy, Olivier; Millikin, Kevin Scott

    2005-01-01

    We present a new abstract machine that accounts for dynamic delimited continuations. We prove the correctness of this new abstract machine with respect to a pre-existing, definitional abstract machine. Unlike this definitional abstract machine, the new abstract machine is in defunctionalized form......, which makes it possible to state the corresponding higher-order evaluator. This evaluator is in continuation+state passing style and threads a trail of delimited continuations and a meta-continuation. Since this style accounts for dynamic delimited continuations, we refer to it as `dynamic continuation......-passing style.' We show that the new machine operates more efficiently than the definitional one and that the notion of computation induced by the corresponding evaluator takes the form of a monad. We also present new examples and a new simulation of dynamic delimited continuations in terms of static ones....

  4. [Absorption spectrum of Quasi-continuous laser modulation demodulation method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Xin; Liu, Fu-Gui; Du, Zhen-Hui; Wang, Wei

    2014-05-01

    A software phase-locked amplifier demodulation method is proposed in order to demodulate the second harmonic (2f) signal of quasi-continuous laser wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) properly, based on the analysis of its signal characteristics. By judging the effectiveness of the measurement data, filter, phase-sensitive detection, digital filtering and other processing, the method can achieve the sensitive detection of quasi-continuous signal The method was verified by using carbon dioxide detection experiments. The WMS-2f signal obtained by the software phase-locked amplifier and the high-performance phase-locked amplifier (SR844) were compared simultaneously. The results show that the Allan variance of WMS-2f signal demodulated by the software phase-locked amplifier is one order of magnitude smaller than that demodulated by SR844, corresponding two order of magnitude lower of detection limit. And it is able to solve the unlocked problem caused by the small duty cycle of quasi-continuous modulation signal, with a small signal waveform distortion.

  5. 75 FR 58370 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-24

    ... Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Extension of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range Land... Riverside counties, California, for continued military use of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range... addressing legislative alternatives and the effects of continued withdrawal. The CMAGR Draft L-EIS will...

  6. A Unified View of Exact Continuous Penalties for l2-l0 Minimization

    OpenAIRE

    Soubies , Emmanuel; Blanc-Féraud , Laure; Aubert , Gilles

    2017-01-01

    International audience; Numerous nonconvex continuous penalties have been proposed to approach the l0 pseudo-norm for optimization purpose. Apart from the theoretical results for convex l1 relaxation under restrictive hypothesis, only few works have been devoted to analyze the consistency, in terms of minimizers, between the l0-regularized least square functional and relaxed ones using continuous approximations. In this context, two questions are of fundamental importance: does relaxed functi...

  7. Engineering Ethics Education on the Basis of Continuous Education to Improve Communication Ability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahara, Kenji; Kajiwara, Toshinori

    The paper proposes the engineering ethics education method for students on the basis of continuous education to improve communication ability. First, through a debate, the students acquire the fundamental skills required to marshal their arguments, to construct the rebuttals and to summarize the debates. Secondly, the students study the fundamental techniques to make a presentation on technical subjects related to electrical engineering. Following these classes, in the lecture of engineering ethics, the students probe the cause of each accident and consider the better means for avoiding such an accident, each other. In most cases, the students can express right and commonsensical opinions from an ethical standpoint. However, they can hardly make judgments when the situations such as the human relations in the above accidents are set concretely. During the engineering ethics class, the students come to know that human relations behind the case make the ethical matters more complicated. Furthermore, they come to understand that facilitating daily communications with co-workers and/or bosses is very important in order to avoid the accidents. The recognition of the students is just the results of the continuous education through three years. It can be said that the engineering ethics education thus constructed makes the students raise such spontaneous awareness and their ethical qualities as engineers.

  8. Continuous waves probing in dynamic acoustoelastic testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scalerandi, M.; Gliozzi, A. S.; Ait Ouarabi, M.; Boubenider, F.

    2016-05-01

    Consolidated granular media display a peculiar nonlinear elastic behavior, which is normally analysed with dynamic ultrasonic testing exploiting the dependence on amplitude of different measurable quantities, such as the resonance frequency shift, the amount of harmonics generation, or the break of the superposition principle. However, dynamic testing allows measuring effects which are averaged over one (or more) cycles of the exciting perturbation. Dynamic acoustoelastic testing has been proposed to overcome this limitation and allow the determination of the real amplitude dependence of the modulus of the material. Here, we propose an implementation of the approach, in which the pulse probing waves are substituted by continuous waves. As a result, instead of measuring a time-of-flight as a function of the pump strain, we study the dependence of the resonance frequency on the strain amplitude, allowing to derive the same conclusions but with an easier to implement procedure.

  9. Preconceptional nutrition and pregnancy outcomes: review and Dietitian-Nutritionist intervention proposal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucia Fernández Molina

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The nutritional status of the mother before and during pregnancy has been observed in recent years as one of the most influential environmental factors on fetal development. This study focuses on the early stages of gestation or periconception period: preconception, conception, implantation, embryogenesis and placentation; since they represent a critical step in pregnancy outcomes. After an extensive literature review of 66 studies published between 1990 and 2015, iron, iodine, omega 3 fatty acids, folic acid and other B vitamins, minerals and micronutrients for which more evidence of a positive relationship with the development of the offspring were found. The approach of a dietary intervention by the dietitian, both individually and collectively, in the preconception period in women of childbearing age and/or pregnancy intentions is proposed in this study, being able to continue the intervention in periods of gestation, breastfeeding, postpartum and even offspring, causing long-term benefits, which are likely to remain and manifest throughout an individual’s life.

  10. Continuous Change Detection and Classification Using Hidden Markov Model: A Case Study for Monitoring Urban Encroachment onto Farmland in Beijing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Yuan

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a novel method to continuously monitor land cover change using satellite image time series, which can extract comprehensive change information including change time, location, and “from-to” information. This method is based on a hidden Markov model (HMM trained for each land cover class. Assuming a pixel’s initial class has been obtained, likelihoods of the corresponding model are calculated on incoming time series extracted with a temporal sliding window. By observing the likelihood change over the windows, land cover change can be precisely detected from the dramatic drop of likelihood. The established HMMs are then used for identifying the land cover class after the change. As a case study, the proposed method is applied to monitoring urban encroachment onto farmland in Beijing using 10-year MODIS time series from 2001 to 2010. The performance is evaluated on a validation set for different model structures and thresholds. Compared with other change detection methods, the proposed method shows superior change detection accuracy. In addition, it is also more computationally efficient.

  11. The Bush administration climate proposal: rhetoric and reality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blanchard, O.

    2003-03-01

    This paper examines the Bush administration proposal and subsequent actions in terms of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It has four sections. Section one describes the main features of the Bush Administration climate proposal. Section 2 identifies the main underlying factors that shape this proposal. Section 3 rebuts the Administration critique in deciding to reject the Kyoto protocol. Section 4 explores the prospects of the US climate mitigation actions over the next few years. (A.L.B.)

  12. Integrating Diversity Education and Service Learning: A 15+ Year Journey Continues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Womble, Myra N.; Adams, Elaine

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the 15+ year journey undertaken by university faculty to integrate service learning with diversity education. It has taken the faculty from its initial integration of academic community learning and diversity education in 1999 to its current course offering in 2015. The purpose of this integration has remained the same, to…

  13. RF MEMS suspended band-stop resonator and filter for frequency and bandwidth continuous fine tuning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Yun-Ho; Kim, Yong-Kweon; Llamas-Garro, Ignacio; Kim, Jung-Mu

    2012-01-01

    We firstly propose the concept of a frequency and bandwidth fine-tuning method using an RF MEMS-based suspended tunable band-stop resonator. We experimentally show the feasibility of the continuously tuned resonator, including a second-order filter, which consists of cascaded resonators to achieve center frequency and bandwidth fine tuning. The structure consists of a freestanding half-wavelength (λ/2) resonator connected to a large displacement comb actuator. The lateral movement of the λ/2 resonator over the main transmission line produces different electromagnetic decoupling values from the main transmission line. The decoupled energy leads to continuous center frequency and bandwidth tuning using the band-stop resonator circuit for fine-tuning applications. The freestanding λ/2 resonator plays the role of a variable capacitor as well as a decoupling resonator in the proposed structure. The fabricated tunable filter shows suitability for Ku-band wireless communication system applications with continuous reconfiguration

  14. Mining continuous activity patterns from animal trajectory data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Y.; Luo, Ze; Baoping, Yan; Takekawa, John Y.; Prosser, Diann J.; Newman, Scott H.

    2014-01-01

    The increasing availability of animal tracking data brings us opportunities and challenges to intuitively understand the mechanisms of animal activities. In this paper, we aim to discover animal movement patterns from animal trajectory data. In particular, we propose a notion of continuous activity pattern as the concise representation of underlying similar spatio-temporal movements, and develop an extension and refinement framework to discover the patterns. We first preprocess the trajectories into significant semantic locations with time property. Then, we apply a projection-based approach to generate candidate patterns and refine them to generate true patterns. A sequence graph structure and a simple and effective processing strategy is further developed to reduce the computational overhead. The proposed approaches are extensively validated on both real GPS datasets and large synthetic datasets.

  15. Return on investment (ROI) proposal preparation guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    BOOM, R.J.

    1999-01-01

    Section I: Background Return on Investment (ROI) Proposal Preparation Guide-- Over $1.9M is available to fund fiscal year (FY) 2000 waste minimization projects on the Hanford Site. This money was allocated by the US. Department of Energy Headquarters (DOE-HQ). The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations (RL) and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of River Protection (ORP) are currently seeking pollution prevention proposals from across the Hanford Site that provide a high return-on-investment (ROI) by reducing waste and associated management costs. Purpose of ROI Training The ROI Proposal Preparation Guide is a tool to assist Hanford waste generators in preparing ROI proposal forms for submittal to RL for funding. The guide describes the requirements for submitting an ROI proposal and provides examples of completed ROI forms. The intent is to assist waste generators in identifying projects that meet the criteria, provide information necessary to complete the ROI forms, and submit a proposal that is eligible to receive funding. This guide accompanies the one-hour training workshop on how to prepare and submit an ROI proposal

  16. Cash flow in the context of economic equation of continuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Gómez Villarraga

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available The mathematic scheme, known as economic equation of continuity, is established for the balance of economic resources. In order to apply this equation it is necessary to determine an economic volume of control. The patrimonial equation is also proposed as a speed equationfor this volurne. The integral equation of economic continuity is applied to the «cash» system along with the integral patrimonial equation and so it gets expressions that correspond to model to elaborate cashflow statement with the particularities of the direct and indirect method. This model generales a useful definition for the calculation of this basic financial statement classified by operating, investing and financing activities.

  17. Stochastic volatility of volatility in continuous time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barndorff-Nielsen, Ole; Veraart, Almut

    This paper introduces the concept of stochastic volatility of volatility in continuous time and, hence, extends standard stochastic volatility (SV) models to allow for an additional source of randomness associated with greater variability in the data. We discuss how stochastic volatility...... of volatility can be defined both non-parametrically, where we link it to the quadratic variation of the stochastic variance process, and parametrically, where we propose two new SV models which allow for stochastic volatility of volatility. In addition, we show that volatility of volatility can be estimated...

  18. 76 FR 44306 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fisheries Finance Program Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fisheries Finance Program Requirements AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing...

  19. Training Pathology Residents to Practice 21st Century Medicine: A Proposal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black-Schaffer, W Stephen; Morrow, Jon S; Prystowsky, Michael B; Steinberg, Jacob J

    2016-01-01

    Scientific advances, open information access, and evolving health-care economics are disrupting extant models of health-care delivery. Physicians increasingly practice as team members, accountable to payers and patients, with improved efficiency, value, and quality. This change along with a greater focus on population health affects how systems of care are structured and delivered. Pathologists are not immune to these disruptors and, in fact, may be one of the most affected medical specialties. In the coming decades, it is likely that the number of practicing pathologists will decline, requiring each pathologist to serve more and often sicker patients. The demand for increasingly sophisticated yet broader diagnostic skills will continue to grow. This will require pathologists to acquire appropriate professional training and interpersonal skills. Today's pathology training programs are ill designed to prepare such practitioners. The time to practice for most pathology trainees is typically 5 to 6 years. Yet, trainees often lack sufficient experience to practice independently and effectively. Many studies have recognized these challenges suggesting that more effective training for this new century can be implemented. Building on the strengths of existing programs, we propose a redesign of pathology residency training that will meet (and encourage) a continuing evolution of American Board of Pathology and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements, reduce the time to readiness for practice, and produce more effective, interactive, and adaptable pathologists. The essence of this new model is clear definition and acquisition of core knowledge and practice skills that span the anatomic and clinical pathology continuum during the first 2 years, assessed by competency-based metrics with emphasis on critical thinking and skill acquisition, followed by individualized modular training with intensively progressive responsibility during the final years of

  20. Observing proposals on the Web at the National Optical Astronomy Observatories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pilachowski, Catherine A.; Barnes, Jeannette; Bell, David J.

    1998-07-01

    Proposals for telescope time at facilities available through the National Optical Astronomy Observatories can now be prepared and submitted via the WWW. Investigators submit proposal information through a series of HTML forms to the NOAO server, where the information is processed by Perl CGI scripts. PostScript figures and ASCII files may be attached by investigators for inclusion in their proposals using their browser's upload feature. Proposal information is saved on the server so that investigators can return in later sessions to continue work on a proposal and so that collaborators can participate in writing the proposal if they have access to the proposal account name and password. The system provides on-line verification of LATEX syntax and a spellchecker, and confirms that all sections of the proposal are filled out. Users can request a LATEX or PostScript copy of their proposal by e-mail, or view the proposal on line. The advantages of the Web-based process for our users are convenience, access to on-line documentation, and the simple interface which avoids direct confrontation with LATEX. From the NOAO point of view, the advantage is the use of standardized formats and syntax, particularly as we begin to receive proposals for the Gemini telescopes and some independent observatories.

  1. Understanding the unbundled utility conservation bidding proposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joskow, P.L.

    1990-01-01

    For several years regulatory advisers have been engaged in controversy about the propriety of integrating energy conservation measures into the total resource planning processes of electric utilities, and of proposed methods of doing so in the competitive supply procurement programs which have been initiated by some utilities. Two prominent economists conceived a method for doing this in competitive bidding programs and at the same time overcoming objections to previous proposals which were based on perceived violations of basic economic principles. They explained their concept and its operation in an article published here in June of last year. In this article another economist subjects the concept to further analysis, identifying its essential elements, and point to inevitable results of their application

  2. Interval-Valued Hesitant Fuzzy Multiattribute Group Decision Making Based on Improved Hamacher Aggregation Operators and Continuous Entropy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Liu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Under the interval-valued hesitant fuzzy information environment, we investigate a multiattribute group decision making (MAGDM method with continuous entropy weights and improved Hamacher information aggregation operators. Firstly, we introduce the axiomatic definition of entropy for interval-valued hesitant fuzzy elements (IVHFEs and construct a continuous entropy formula on the basis of the continuous ordered weighted averaging (COWA operator. Then, based on the Hamacher t-norm and t-conorm, the adjusted operational laws for IVHFEs are defined. In order to aggregate interval-valued hesitant fuzzy information, some new improved interval-valued hesitant fuzzy Hamacher aggregation operators are investigated, including the improved interval-valued hesitant fuzzy Hamacher ordered weighted averaging (I-IVHFHOWA operator and the improved interval-valued hesitant fuzzy Hamacher ordered weighted geometric (I-IVHFHOWG operator, the desirable properties of which are discussed. In addition, the relationship among these proposed operators is analyzed in detail. Applying the continuous entropy and the proposed operators, an approach to MAGDM is developed. Finally, a numerical example for emergency operating center (EOC selection is provided, and comparative analyses with existing methods are performed to demonstrate that the proposed approach is both valid and practical to deal with group decision making problems.

  3. KSC SBIR/STTR 2004 Program Year Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    The Kennedy Space Center Level III SBIR/STTR management staff is under the Technology Transfer Office within the Spaceport Engineering and Technology Directorate. The SBIR and STTR programs provide an opportunity for small high technology companies and research institutions to participate in Government-sponsored research and development (R&D) programs in key technology areas. The SBIR program was established by Congress in 1982 to provide increased opportunities for small businesses to participate in R&D programs, increase employment, and improve U.S. competitiveness. The program's specific objectives are to stimulate U.S. technological innovation, use small businesses to meet Federal research and development needs, increase private sector commercialization of innovations, and foster and encourage participation by socially disadvantaged businesses. Legislation enacted in December 2000 reauthorized the program and strengthened emphasis on pursuing commercial applications of SBIR projects. An SBIR Phase I contract is the opportunity to establish the feasibility and technical merit of a proposed innovation. Selected competitively, the Phase I contract lasts for 6 months and is funded up to $70,000. SBIR Phase II contracts continue the most promising Phase I projects based on scientific! technical merit, expected value to NASA, company capability, and commercial potential. Phase II contracts are usually for a period of 24 months and may not exceed $600,000. NASA usually selects approximately 40 percent of Phase I projects to continue to the Phase II level. Phase III is the process of furthering the development of a product to make it commercially available. The STTR program awards contracts to small business concerns for cooperative R&D with a nonprofit research institution. Research institutions include nonprofit research organizations, Federal laboratories, or universities. The goal of the program established by Congress is to facilitate the transfer of technology

  4. 77 FR 21795 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Public Housing Agency Plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-11

    ... proposals. It is expected that Qualified PHAs, as a matter of good business practice, continue to keep their... matter of good business practice, continue to keep their residents, the general public, and the local HUD..., Project- based vouchers, required or voluntary conversion, homeownership, or capital improvements, etc...

  5. Continuous Monitoring of Glucose for Type 1 Diabetes: A Health Technology Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandersluis, Stacey; Kabali, Conrad; Djalalov, Sandjar; Gajic-Veljanoski, Olga; Wells, David; Holubowich, Corinne

    2018-01-01

    Background Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. People with type 1 diabetes must manage their blood glucose levels by monitoring the amount of glucose in their blood and administering appropriate amounts of insulin via injection or an insulin pump. Continuous glucose monitoring may be beneficial compared to self-monitoring of blood glucose using a blood glucose meter. It provides insight into a person's blood glucose levels on a continuous basis, and can identify whether blood glucose levels are trending up or down. Methods We conducted a health technology assessment, which included an evaluation of clinical benefit, value for money, and patient preferences related to continuous glucose monitoring. We compared continuous glucose monitoring with self-monitoring of blood glucose using a finger-prick and a blood glucose meter. We performed a systematic literature search for studies published since January 1, 2010. We created a Markov model projecting the lifetime horizon of adults with type 1 diabetes, and performed a budget impact analysis from the perspective of the health care payer. We also conducted interviews and focus group discussions with people who self-manage their type 1 diabetes or support the management of a child with type 1 diabetes. Results Twenty studies were included in the clinical evidence review. Compared with self-monitoring of blood glucose, continuous glucose monitoring improved the percentage of time patients spent in the target glycemic range by 9.6% (95% confidence interval 8.0–11.2) to 10.0% (95% confidence interval 6.75–13.25) and decreased the number of severe hypoglycemic events. Continuous glucose monitoring was associated with higher costs and small increases in health benefits (quality-adjusted life-years). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) ranged from $592,206 to $1,108,812 per quality-adjusted life-year gained in analyses comparing four continuous glucose monitoring

  6. One-step generation of continuous-variable quadripartite cluster states in a circuit QED system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhi-peng; Li, Zhen; Ma, Sheng-li; Li, Fu-li

    2017-07-01

    We propose a dissipative scheme for one-step generation of continuous-variable quadripartite cluster states in a circuit QED setup consisting of four superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators and a gap-tunable superconducting flux qubit. With external driving fields to adjust the desired qubit-resonator and resonator-resonator interactions, we show that continuous-variable quadripartite cluster states of the four resonators can be generated with the assistance of energy relaxation of the qubit. By comparison with the previous proposals, the distinct advantage of our scheme is that only one step of quantum operation is needed to realize the quantum state engineering. This makes our scheme simpler and more feasible in experiment. Our result may have useful application for implementing quantum computation in solid-state circuit QED systems.

  7. Continuous-variable quantum key distribution with Gaussian source noise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen Yujie; Peng Xiang; Yang Jian; Guo Hong

    2011-01-01

    Source noise affects the security of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV QKD) and is difficult to analyze. We propose a model to characterize Gaussian source noise through introducing a neutral party (Fred) who induces the noise with a general unitary transformation. Without knowing Fred's exact state, we derive the security bounds for both reverse and direct reconciliations and show that the bound for reverse reconciliation is tight.

  8. Proposals for an effective application of the continuous improvement at the ININ according to the IAEA 50-C/SG-Q new code; Propuestas para una aplicacion efectiva del proceso de mejora continua en el ININ, de acuerdo al nuevo codigo 50-C/SG-Q del OIEA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cardenas A, B.M.; Olivares O, L.A. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, A.P. 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

    1997-07-01

    This work contains the requirements of continuous improvement contained in the IAEA new code {sup Q}uality assurance for safety in nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations, code 50-C/SG-Q. Assuming that it was the base for to elaborate the review No. 5 of the Quality assurance plan at ININ, it was done an analysis to give proposals for the application of continuous improvement in effective way. The relevant points which must be taken in account at the continuous improvement process are: Direction responsibility, involucring of all personnel, process planning, education and training, elaboration of improvement projects, investigation of processes which can be improved, continuation of the improvement process and its evaluation. With the implantation of an effective continuous improvement system it will be obtained to get a better quality and a more efficient safety. (Author)

  9. The Influence of Service Quality on Satisfaction and Information System Continuance Intention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Semina Halilović

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The expectation-confirmation model of IS continuance (ECM-IS explains determinants affecting the behavior of information system (IS users which can also have an impact on their decision whether to continue or discontinue the IS use. Service quality is considered a potential motivator which can influence users’ IS behavior. Likewise, one may expect service quality to be a motivator of users’ IS continuance intention influencing their future behavior after the initial IS use, and to be an important factor of IS success in general. In this study, an extension of the ECM-IS has been proposed in order to examine whether the perception of service quality by users plays an important role in shaping IS user behavior, as well as whether it affects the level of satisfaction with and the decision to either continue or discontinue the IS use. The Extended ECM-IS (EECM-IS has explained 66% of the variance dependent variable of IS continuance. Findings of this study confirm that perceived usefulness, satisfaction and perceived service quality are significant predictors of users’ IS continuance intention.

  10. Adaptive-impulsive synchronization in drive-response networks of continuous systems and its application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Mei; Zeng Changyan; Tao Yangwei; Tian Lixin

    2009-01-01

    Based on the comparison theorem for the stability of impulsive control system, adaptive-impulsive synchronization in drive-response networks of continuous systems with time-delay and non-time-delay is investigated. And the continuous control input, the simple updated laws and a linear impulsive controller are proposed. Moreover, two numerical examples are presented to verify the effectiveness and correctness of the theorem, using the energy resource system and Lue's system as the nodes of the networks.

  11. Organizational structure and continuous improvement and learning: Moderating effects of cultural endorsement of participative leadership

    OpenAIRE

    Xiaowen Huang; Joseph C Rode; Roger G Schroeder

    2011-01-01

    Building upon the culturally endorsed implicit theory of leadership, we investigated the moderating effects of national culture on the relationship between organizational structure and continuous improvement and learning. We propose that the relationship between organic organizations (characterized by flat, decentralized structures with a wide use of multifunctional employees) and continuous improvement and learning will be stronger when national cultural endorsement for participative leaders...

  12. Toward a Dependable Peace: A Proposal for an Appropriate Security System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansen, Robert C.

    This booklet proposes that citizens and governments think imaginatively about national and international security and take action for comprehensive arms reductions. The document is presented in eight chapters. Chapter I reports that global insecurity exists despite continuous arms control negotiations since World War II. Chapter II discusses…

  13. Mathematical Formalization Of Theories Of Motivation Proposed By Abraham Maslow And Frederick Herzberg

    OpenAIRE

    Ivan Kotliarov

    2008-01-01

    the present article gives an outline of a mathematical model of theories of motivation proposed by Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg. This model is built on a basis of special non-continuous functions.

  14. A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method for reconstruction of two-dimensional piecewise continuous inhomogeneous domains

    KAUST Repository

    Sandhu, Ali Imran; Desmal, Abdulla; Bagci, Hakan

    2016-01-01

    A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method (BIM) is proposed for efficiently reconstructing two-dimensional piecewise-continuous inhomogeneous dielectric profiles. Such profiles are typically not spatially sparse, which reduces the efficiency of the sparsity-promoting regularization. To overcome this problem, scattered fields are represented in terms of the spatial derivative of the dielectric profile and reconstruction is carried out over samples of the dielectric profile's derivative. Then, like the conventional BIM, the nonlinear problem is iteratively converted into a sequence of linear problems (in derivative samples) and sparsity constraint is enforced on each linear problem using the thresholded Landweber iterations. Numerical results, which demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method in reconstructing piecewise-continuous dielectric profiles, are presented.

  15. Continuous-variable quantum cloning of coherent states with phase-conjugate input modes using linear optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Haixia; Zhang, Jing

    2007-01-01

    We propose a scheme for continuous-variable quantum cloning of coherent states with phase-conjugate input modes using linear optics. The quantum cloning machine yields M identical optimal clones from N replicas of a coherent state and N replicas of its phase conjugate. This scheme can be straightforwardly implemented with the setups accessible at present since its optical implementation only employs simple linear optical elements and homodyne detection. Compared with the original scheme for continuous-variable quantum cloning with phase-conjugate input modes proposed by Cerf and Iblisdir [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 247903 (2001)], which utilized a nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier, our scheme loses the output of phase-conjugate clones and is regarded as irreversible quantum cloning

  16. Continuing education in health from the perspective of Augustine of Hippo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabíola Chaves Fernandes

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To reflect about continuing education from the perspective of Augustine of Hippo and his theories based on the construction of knowledge and the learning process. Method: This is a theoretical reflection study whose aim is to propose dimensions of analysis, emphasizing the history and challenges of continuing education. Such dimensions analyze the production of knowledge in Augustinian pedagogy, its historical aspects and its close relationship with lifelong education in health professions. Results: The results show the difficulty of continuing education to reach adequate importance in health services, and that of academia in appropriating the thoughts of renowned philosophers such as Augustine. This is a result of ignorance about the convergence of these principles and their relevance. Final considerations: Continuing education and Augustinian pedagogy walk hand in hand in terms of care, meeting the needs that originate from practice and that are reflected in it, challenging isolated knowledge and putting different areas of knowledge to work together.

  17. Impulsive control of a continuous-culture and flocculation harvest chemostat model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Tongqian; Ma, Wanbiao; Meng, Xinzhu

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, a new mathematical model describing the process of continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes is proposed. By inputting medium and flocculant at two different fixed moments periodically, continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes is implemented. The mathematical analysis is conducted and the whole dynamics of model is investigated by using theory of impulsive differential equations. We find that the model has a microalgaes-extinction periodic solution and it is globally asymptotically stable when some certain threshold value is less than the unit. And the model is permanent when some certain threshold value is larger than the unit. Then, according to the threshold, the control strategies of continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes are discussed. The results show that continuous culture and harvest of microalgaes can be archived by adjusting suitable input time, input amount of medium or flocculant. Finally, some numerical simulations are carried out to verify the control strategy.

  18. Risks from proposed nuclear waste dump unacceptable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veevers, John

    1999-01-01

    The author has a critical look at the proposal by Pangea Resources Australia Pty Ltd (PARPL) to establish in Australia a permanent underground disposal site for radioactive waste from around the world. In his opinion, the inevitable risk in the proposal stems from the magnitudes: 250,000 tonnes of enormously dangerous RADwaste in the northern hemisphere 20,000 km from its destined dump in Australia, where it must remain intact for at least 10,000 years. These magnitudes - of tonnage, lethality, distance of transport, and time - entail great inherent risk. He also argue that the job of the Australian scientists is to apply due diligence to PARPL proposal

  19. The method for determination of parameters of the phenomenological continual model of soil organic matter transformation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. I. Bartsev

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available A possible method for experimental determination of parameters of the previously proposed continual mathematical model of soil organic matter transformation is theoretically considered in this paper. The previously proposed by the authors continual model of soil organic matter transformation, based on using the rate of matter transformation as a continual scale of its recalcitrance, describes the transformation process phenomenologically without going into detail of microbiological mechanisms of transformation. Thereby simplicity of the model is achieved. The model is represented in form of one differential equation in first­order partial derivatives, which has an analytical solution in elementary functions. The model equation contains a small number of empirical parameters which generally characterize environmental conditions where the matter transformation process occurs and initial properties of the plant litter. Given the values of these parameters, it is possible to calculate dynamics of soil organic matter stocks and its distribution over transformation rate. In the present study, possible approaches for determination of the model parameters are considered and a simple method of their experimental measurement is proposed. An experiment of an incubation of chemically homogeneous samples in soil and multiple sequential measurement of the sample mass loss with time is proposed. An equation of time dynamics of mass loss of incubated homogeneous sample is derived from the basic assumption of the presented soil organic matter transformation model. Thus, fitting by the least squares method the parameters of sample mass loss curve calculated according the proposed mass loss dynamics equation allows to determine the parameters of the general equation of soil organic transformation model.

  20. 77 FR 27801 - Notice of Proposed Revisions for the LSC Grant Assurances for Calendar Year 2013 Funding

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-11

    ... recipient's chief executive officer (CEO). The proposed change specifies that LSC recipients must provide... incorporates the full title of the LSC CSR Handbook. Grant Assurance 5 informs LSC recipients of financial... guidelines for planning the orderly conclusion of its role and responsibility as an LSC grantee. The proposed...

  1. An Indoor Continuous Positioning Algorithm on the Move by Fusing Sensors and Wi-Fi on Smartphones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huaiyu; Chen, Xiuwan; Jing, Guifei; Wang, Yuan; Cao, Yanfeng; Li, Fei; Zhang, Xinlong; Xiao, Han

    2015-12-11

    Wi-Fi indoor positioning algorithms experience large positioning error and low stability when continuously positioning terminals that are on the move. This paper proposes a novel indoor continuous positioning algorithm that is on the move, fusing sensors and Wi-Fi on smartphones. The main innovative points include an improved Wi-Fi positioning algorithm and a novel positioning fusion algorithm named the Trust Chain Positioning Fusion (TCPF) algorithm. The improved Wi-Fi positioning algorithm was designed based on the properties of Wi-Fi signals on the move, which are found in a novel "quasi-dynamic" Wi-Fi signal experiment. The TCPF algorithm is proposed to realize the "process-level" fusion of Wi-Fi and Pedestrians Dead Reckoning (PDR) positioning, including three parts: trusted point determination, trust state and positioning fusion algorithm. An experiment is carried out for verification in a typical indoor environment, and the average positioning error on the move is 1.36 m, a decrease of 28.8% compared to an existing algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the influence caused by the unstable Wi-Fi signals, and improve the accuracy and stability of indoor continuous positioning on the move.

  2. The JET Project (Design proposal)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-01-01

    This proposal describes a large Tokamak experiment, which aims to study plasma behavior in conditions and dimensions approaching those required in a fusion reactor. The maximum plasma minor radius (a) is 1.25 m and the major radius R 0 is 2.96 m. An important feature is the flexibility to study, for plasma currents in the 1→3 MA range, a wide range of aspect ratios R 0 /a=2.37→5), toroidal magnetic fields (up to 3.6T), minor radii (0.6→1.25 m) and elongation ratios (b/a=1→3.5). The cost of the apparatus, power supplies, plasma heating equipment and specific diagnostics is estimated as 70.1 Muc (March 1975 prices, 1 uc=50 FB). The total construction phase cost including commissioning, buildings and staff is 135 Muc. These figures include an average overall contingency of 30%. The construction time for the project is estimated at 5 years and requires 370 professional man years of effort in the construction organisation with additional effort deployed by the Associated Laboratories in such areas as diagnostics and plasma heating. This design proposal is arranged as follows: The preface gives an introduction to the field of fusion research and relates JET to the European and international programmes. Chapter I is a concise summary of the design proposal, it describes the objectives of research with JET, and gives a brief description of: the apparatus; the cost and construction schedules; the proposed experimental programme and the possible modes of operation of the device. A detailed account of the project is given in the rest of the report of which Chapters IV and VII comprise the engineering design and the staff and cost estimates respectively

  3. 78 FR 56775 - Waste Confidence-Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-13

    ... structures that are constructed from thick, reinforced concrete walls and slabs that vary between 0.7 and 3... are being proposed to address continued storage for license renewal? C. Decision C1. Introduction C2... confinement of the spent fuel. Each cylinder is surrounded by additional steel, concrete, or other material to...

  4. Vague but exciting…CERN celebrates 20 years of the Web

    CERN Multimedia

    2009-01-01

    Twenty years ago work started on something that would change the world forever. It would change the way we work, the way we communicate and the way we make our voices heard. On 13 March CERN will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the birth of the World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee with Nicola Pellow, next to the NeXT computer.In March 1989 here at CERN, Tim Berners-Lee submitted a proposal for a new information management system to his boss, Mike Sendall. ‘Vague, but exciting’, were the words that Sendall wrote on the proposal, allowing Berners-Lee to continue with the project, but unaware that it would evolve into one of the most important communication tools ever created. Tim Berners-Lee used a NeXT computer at CERN to create the first web server running a single website – info.cern.ch. Since then the World Wide Web has grown into the incredible phenomenon that we know today, a web of more than 60 billion pages, and hundreds of ...

  5. Continuing Studies on Lead/Scintillating Fibres Calorimetry (LFC)

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    Starting from the results obtained in the framework of the LAA Project~2B, we propose a continuation of the R&D on lead/scintillating fibres calorimetry (``spaghetti calorimetry''), including further tests on the old calorimeter prototypes and the construction and testing of new prototypes. The main results we pursue concern the performances of a projective calorimeter built with new, cheaper, techniques and the radiation hardness of the scintillating fibres, the optimization of a preshower detector system is also studied.

  6. Completely continuous and weakly completely continuous abstract ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    An algebra A is called right completely continuous (right weakly completely continuous) ... Moreover, some applications of these results in group algebras are .... A linear subspace S(G) of L1(G) is said to be a Segal algebra, if it satisfies the.

  7. 78 FR 15123 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Accountable Official...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Fiscal Service Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of...) Program AGENCY: Financial Management Service, Fiscal Service, Treasury. ACTION: Notice and Request for comments. SUMMARY: The Financial Management Service, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork...

  8. 76 FR 45881 - National Endowment for the Arts; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-01

    ... desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are.../or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.... Currently, the NEA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information collection on grant applicant...

  9. 76 FR 70110 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Miscellaneous Short Supply Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of Industry and Security Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Miscellaneous Short Supply Activities AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and...

  10. The inverse Gamma process: A family of continuous stochastic models for describing state-dependent deterioration phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guida, M.; Pulcini, G.

    2013-01-01

    This paper proposes the family of non-stationary inverse Gamma processes for modeling state-dependent deterioration processes with nonlinear trend. The proposed family of processes, which is based on the assumption that the “inverse” time process is Gamma, is mathematically more tractable than previously proposed state-dependent processes, because, unlike the previous models, the inverse Gamma process is a time-continuous and state-continuous model and does not require discretization of time and state. The conditional distribution of the deterioration growth over a generic time interval, the conditional distribution of the residual life and the residual reliability of the unit, given the current state, are provided. Point and interval estimation of the parameters which index the proposed process, as well as of several quantities of interest, are also discussed. Finally, the proposed model is applied to the wear process of the liners of some Diesel engines which was previously analyzed and proved to be a purely state-dependent process. The comparison of the inferential results obtained under the competitor models shows the ability of the Inverse Gamma process to adequately model the observed state-dependent wear process

  11. The development of mixer machine for organic animal feed production: Proposed study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leman, A. M.; Wahab, R. Abdul; Zakaria, Supaat; Feriyanto, Dafit; Nor, M. I. F. Che Mohd; Muzarpar, Syafiq

    2017-09-01

    Mixer machine plays a major role in producing homogenous composition of animal feed. Long time production, inhomogeneous and minor agglomeration has been observed by existing mixer. Therefore, this paper proposed continuous mixer to enhance mixing efficiency with shorter time of mixing process in order to abbreviate the whole process in animal feed production. Through calculation of torque, torsion, bending, power and energy consumption will perform in mixer machine process. Proposed mixer machine is designed by two layer buckets with purpose for continuity of mixing process. Mixing process was performed by 4 blades which consists of various arm length such as 50, 100,150 and 225 mm in 60 rpm velocity clockwise rotation. Therefore by using this machine will produce the homogenous composition of animal feed through nutrition analysis and short operation time of mixing process approximately of 5 minutes. Therefore, the production of animal feed will suitable for various animals including poultry and aquatic fish. This mixer will available for various organic material in animal feed production. Therefore, this paper will highlights some areas such as continues animal feed supply chain and bio-based animal feed.

  12. Proposed environmental remediation at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-05-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared an Environmental Assessment evaluating proposed environmental remediation activity at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E), Argonne, Illinois. The environmental remediation work would (1) reduce, eliminate, or prevent the release of contaminants from a number of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and two radiologically contaminated sites located in areas contiguous with SWMUs, and (2) decrease the potential for exposure of the public, ANL-E employees, and wildlife to such contaminants. The actions proposed for SWMUs are required to comply with the RCRA corrective action process and corrective action requirements of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; the actions proposed are also required to reduce the potential for continued contaminant release. Based on the analysis in the EA, the DOE has determined that the proposed action does not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Therefore, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not required

  13. Discrete and Continuous Models for Partitioning Problems

    KAUST Repository

    Lellmann, Jan

    2013-04-11

    Recently, variational relaxation techniques for approximating solutions of partitioning problems on continuous image domains have received considerable attention, since they introduce significantly less artifacts than established graph cut-based techniques. This work is concerned with the sources of such artifacts. We discuss the importance of differentiating between artifacts caused by discretization and those caused by relaxation and provide supporting numerical examples. Moreover, we consider in depth the consequences of a recent theoretical result concerning the optimality of solutions obtained using a particular relaxation method. Since the employed regularizer is quite tight, the considered relaxation generally involves a large computational cost. We propose a method to significantly reduce these costs in a fully automatic way for a large class of metrics including tree metrics, thus generalizing a method recently proposed by Strekalovskiy and Cremers (IEEE conference on computer vision and pattern recognition, pp. 1905-1911, 2011). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

  14. 26 CFR 1.806-2 - Taxable years affected.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Taxable years affected. 1.806-2 Section 1.806-2 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Investment Income § 1.806-2 Taxable years affected. Section 1.806-1 is applicable only to...

  15. Continued development of modeling tools and theory for RF heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    Mission Research Corporation (MRC) is pleased to present the Department of Energy (DOE) with its renewal proposal to the Continued Development of Modeling Tools and Theory for RF Heating program. The objective of the program is to continue and extend the earlier work done by the proposed principal investigator in the field of modeling (Radio Frequency) RF heating experiments in the large tokamak fusion experiments, particularly the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) device located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). An integral part of this work is the investigation and, in some cases, resolution of theoretical issues which pertain to accurate modeling. MRC is nearing the successful completion of the specified tasks of the Continued Development of Modeling Tools and Theory for RF Heating project. The following tasks are either completed or nearing completion. (1) Anisotropic temperature and rotation upgrades; (2) Modeling for relativistic ECRH; (3) Further documentation of SHOOT and SPRUCE. As a result of the progress achieved under this project, MRC has been urged to continue this effort. Specifically, during the performance of this project two topics were identified by PPPL personnel as new applications of the existing RF modeling tools. These two topics concern (a) future fast-wave current drive experiments on the large tokamaks including TFTR and (c) the interpretation of existing and future RF probe data from TFTR. To address each of these topics requires some modification or enhancement of the existing modeling tools, and the first topic requires resolution of certain theoretical issues to produce self-consistent results. This work falls within the scope of the original project and is more suited to the project's renewal than to the initiation of a new project

  16. Multi-rate h2 tracking control with mixed continuous-discrete performance criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kahane, A.C.; Palmor, Z.J.; Mirkin, L.

    1998-01-01

    Control goals defined both in continuous and discrete time arise naturally in many sampled-data tracking control problems. The design methods found in the literature deal with each kind of those control goals separately, over-emphasizing one kind at the expense of the other. We formulate and solve these tracking control problems as an H2 optimization problem with a mixed continuous/discrete performance criterion. It is argued that the proposed setup enables tradeoff between the various control goals in a natural manner and thus leads to better tracking characteristics

  17. An Analysis of the President’s Budgetary Proposals for Fiscal Year 1979

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-01-28

    1.1 billion in reforms, for a net corporate income tax reduction of $5.1 billion. These reductions are in addition to the $8.3 billion reduction that...treatment of capital gains and income from unemployment insurance benefits. The cuts in business taxes would include: o reducing the maximum corporate income tax rate...impact on business investment per dollar than the change in the corporate income tax rate. In addition, tax cuts that lower costs—such as the proposed

  18. 75 FR 13629 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Order Granting Approval of Proposed...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-22

    ... opinion that expresses doubt about the ability of the company to continue as a going concern. Nasdaq... expressing doubt about the ability of the company to continue as a going concern. The Commission notes that... going concern requirement because it will no longer apply. In addition, Nasdaq is proposing to remove...

  19. Separation of complex fringe patterns using two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokorski, Krzysztof; Patorski, Krzysztof

    2012-12-10

    A method for processing fringe patterns containing additively superimposed multiple fringe sets is presented. It enables to analyze different fringe families present in a single image separately. The proposed method is based on a two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform. A robust ridge extraction algorithm for a single fringe set extraction is presented. The method is fully automatic and requires no user interference. Spectral separation of fringe families is not required. Simulations are presented to verify performance and advantage of the proposed method over the Fourier transform based technique. Method validity has been confirmed using experimental images.

  20. An improved simplified model predictive control algorithm and its application to a continuous fermenter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. H. Kwong

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available The development of a new simplified model predictive control algorithm has been proposed in this work. The algorithm is developed within the framework of internal model control, and it is easy to understanding and implement. Simulation results for a continuous fermenter, which show that the proposed control algorithm is robust for moderate variations in plant parameters, are presented. The algorithm shows a good performance for setpoint tracking.

  1. Proposed Treatment Protocol for Frostbite: A Retrospective Analysis of 17 Cases Based on a 3-Year Single-Institution Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun-Kyung Woo

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Background This paper discusses the treatment protocol for patients with frostbite.Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of a series of 17 patients with second- andhigher-degree frostbite who had been treated at our medical institution between 2010 and2012.Results Our clinical series of patients (n=17 included 13 men and four women, whosemean age was 42.4±11.6 years (range, 22-67 years. The sites of injury include the foot in sixpatients (35.3%, the hand in six patients (35.3% and the facial region in five patients (29.4%.Seven patients with second-degree frostbite were completely cured with only conservativetreatment during a mean period of 12.7±3.3 days (range, 8-16 days. Of the five patients withthird-degree frostbite, two underwent skin grafting following debridement, and the remainingthree achieved a complete cure with conservative treatment during a mean period of 35±4.3days (range, 29-39 days. Five patients with fourth-degree frostbite were treated with surgicalprocedures including amputation.Conclusions With the appropriate conservative management in the early stage of onset,surgeons should decide on surgery after waiting for a sufficient period of time until thedemarcation of the wound. Continuous management of patients is also needed to achievefunctional recovery after a complete cure has been achieved. This should also be accompaniedby patient education for the avoidance of re-exposure to cold environments.

  2. Proposed Treatment Protocol for Frostbite: A Retrospective Analysis of 17 Cases Based on a 3-Year Single-Institution Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun-Kyung Woo

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundThis paper discusses the treatment protocol for patients with frostbite.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of a series of 17 patients with second- and higher-degree frostbite who had been treated at our medical institution between 2010 and 2012.ResultsOur clinical series of patients (n=17 included 13 men and four women, whose mean age was 42.4±11.6 years (range, 22-67 years. The sites of injury include the foot in six patients (35.3%, the hand in six patients (35.3% and the facial region in five patients (29.4%. Seven patients with second-degree frostbite were completely cured with only conservative treatment during a mean period of 12.7±3.3 days (range, 8-16 days. Of the five patients with third-degree frostbite, two underwent skin grafting following debridement, and the remaining three achieved a complete cure with conservative treatment during a mean period of 35±4.3 days (range, 29-39 days. Five patients with fourth-degree frostbite were treated with surgical procedures including amputation.ConclusionsWith the appropriate conservative management in the early stage of onset, surgeons should decide on surgery after waiting for a sufficient period of time until the demarcation of the wound. Continuous management of patients is also needed to achieve functional recovery after a complete cure has been achieved. This should also be accompanied by patient education for the avoidance of re-exposure to cold environments.

  3. Banach spaces of continuous functions as dual spaces

    CERN Document Server

    Dales, H G; Lau, A T -M; Strauss, D

    2016-01-01

    This book gives a coherent account of the theory of Banach spaces and Banach lattices, using the spaces C_0(K) of continuous functions on a locally compact space K as the main example. The study of C_0(K) has been an important area of functional analysis for many years. It gives several new constructions, some involving Boolean rings, of this space as well as many results on the Stonean space of Boolean rings. The book also discusses when Banach spaces of continuous functions are dual spaces and when they are bidual spaces.

  4. The problems of over exploitation of aquifers in semi-arid areas: characteristics and proposals for mitigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez-Estrella, T.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents a general analysis of the problems arising from overexploited aquifers in semi-arid areas, based on research carried out in the Region of Murcia (one of the most over-exploited areas in Europe). Among the negative impacts of this over exploitation are: the drying up of springs, the continuous drawdown of water levels (up to 10 m/y), piezo metric drops (over 30 m in one year if it is a karstic aquifer), an increase in pumping costs (elevating water from a depth of more than 450 m), abandonment of wells, diminishing groundwater reserves, deteriorating water quality, presence of CO 2 , compartmentalizing of aquifers, etc. A series of internal measures is proposed to alleviate the over exploitation of the region. (Author)

  5. The problems of over exploitation of aquifers in semi-arid areas: characteristics and proposals for mitigation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez-Estrella, T.

    2014-06-01

    This article presents a general analysis of the problems arising from overexploited aquifers in semi-arid areas, based on research carried out in the Region of Murcia (one of the most over-exploited areas in Europe). Among the negative impacts of this over exploitation are: the drying up of springs, the continuous drawdown of water levels (up to 10 m/y), piezo metric drops (over 30 m in one year if it is a karstic aquifer), an increase in pumping costs (elevating water from a depth of more than 450 m), abandonment of wells, diminishing groundwater reserves, deteriorating water quality, presence of CO{sub 2}, compartmentalizing of aquifers, etc. A series of internal measures is proposed to alleviate the over exploitation of the region. (Author)

  6. The effects of continuous cropping and fallowing on the chemical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, soil chemical properties were determined in a cleared forestland continuously grown to cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), maize (Zea mays) and their combination for seven years and from then was fallowed for ten years. Soil samples were also collected from the adjacent ...

  7. Determination of area reduction rate by continuous ball indentation test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zou, Bin; Guan, Kai Shu; Wu, Sheng Bao

    2016-01-01

    Rate of area reduction is an important mechanical property to appraise the plasticity of metals, which is always obtained from the uniaxial tensile test. A methodology is proposed to determine the area reduction rate by continuous ball indentation test technique. The continuum damage accumulation theory has been adopted in this work to identify the failure point in the indentation. The corresponding indentation depth of this point can be obtained and used to estimate the area reduction rate. The local strain limit criterion proposed in the ASME VIII-2 2007 alternative rules is also adopted in this research to convert the multiaxial strain of indentation test to uniaxial strain of tensile test. The pile-up and sink-in phenomenon which can affect the result significantly is also discussed in this paper. This method can be useful in engineering practice to evaluate the material degradation under severe working condition due to the non-destructive nature of ball indentation test. In order to validate the method, continuous ball indentation test is performed on ferritic steel 16MnR and ASTM (A193B16), then the results are compared with that got from the traditional uniaxial tensile test.

  8. 78 FR 51184 - Air Pollution Control: Proposed Actions on Clean Air Act Section 105 Grant to the Lane Regional...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-20

    ...The EPA has made a proposed determination that a reduction in recurring expenditures of non-Federal funds for the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) in Eugene, Oregon is a result of agency wide non-selective reductions in expenditures. This determination, when final, will permit the LRAPA to continue to receive grant funding under Section 105 of the Clean Air Act for the state fiscal year (SFY) 2014. This determination will also reset the LRAPA required maintenance of effort level for SFY 2012 and 2013 to reflect the non-selective reductions made to address reductions in revenue due to adverse economic conditions in Lane County, Oregon.

  9. One step linear reconstruction method for continuous wave diffuse optical tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukhrowiyah, N.; Yasin, M.

    2017-09-01

    The method one step linear reconstruction method for continuous wave diffuse optical tomography is proposed and demonstrated for polyvinyl chloride based material and breast phantom. Approximation which used in this method is selecting regulation coefficient and evaluating the difference between two states that corresponding to the data acquired without and with a change in optical properties. This method is used to recovery of optical parameters from measured boundary data of light propagation in the object. The research is demonstrated by simulation and experimental data. Numerical object is used to produce simulation data. Chloride based material and breast phantom sample is used to produce experimental data. Comparisons of results between experiment and simulation data are conducted to validate the proposed method. The results of the reconstruction image which is produced by the one step linear reconstruction method show that the image reconstruction almost same as the original object. This approach provides a means of imaging that is sensitive to changes in optical properties, which may be particularly useful for functional imaging used continuous wave diffuse optical tomography of early diagnosis of breast cancer.

  10. The Role of Self-Determination Theory in Explaining Teachers' Motivation to Continue to Use E-Learning Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorebo, Oystein; Halvari, Hallgier; Gulli, Vebjorn Flaata; Kristiansen, Roar

    2009-01-01

    Based on self-determination theory, this study proposes an extended information systems continuance theory in the context of teachers' utilization of e-learning technology in connection with on-site courses. In the proposed model teachers' extrinsic motivation (i.e. perceived usefulness), confirmation of pre-acceptance expectations and intrinsic…

  11. Proposal of experimental device for the continuous accumulation of primary energy in natural gas hydrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siažik Ján

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydrates of the natural gas in the lithosphere are a very important potential source of energy that will be probably used in the coming decades. It seems as promising accumulation of the standard gas to form hydrates synthetically, stored, and disengage him when is peak demand. Storage of natural gas or biomethane in hydrates is advantageous not only in terms of storage capacity, but also from the aspect of safety storage hydrates. The gas stored in such form may occurs at relatively high temperatures and low pressures in comparison to other Technologies of gas- storage. In one cubic meter of hydrate can be stored up to 150 m3 of natural gas, depending on the conditions of thermobaric hydrate generation. This article discusses the design of the facility for the continuous generation of hydrates of natural gas measurement methodology and optimal conditions for their generation.

  12. Green gold. 15 tax proposals for a green and innovative economy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Engelen, D.; Wit, R.; Blaauw, K.; Winckers, J.

    2010-06-01

    This publication contains 15 proposals for green taxes in the Dutch economy. The benefit of these 15 proposals is over 11 billion euros per year and leads to a reduction of CO2 emissions of at least 12.5 megatons per year. Greening taxes involves a budget neutral shift from taxing labor and profits to taxing environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources. The proposals reward businesses and citizens which invest in the development and application of innovative green solutions. This leads to an improvement of climate, environment and nature as well as the competitiveness of the Dutch economy. [nl

  13. Reconstructing continuity of care in mental health services : a multilevel conceptual framework

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wierdsma, Andre; Mulder, Cornelis; de Vries, Sanne; Sytema, Sjoerd

    Continuity of mental health care is a key issue in the organization and evaluation of services for patients with disabling chronic conditions. Over many years, health services researchers have been exploring the conceptual boundaries between continuity of care and other service characteristics. On

  14. Establishing ecological and social continuities: new challenges to optimize urban watershed management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitroi, V.; de Coninck, A.; Vinçon-Leite, B.; Deroubaix, J.-F.

    2014-09-01

    The (re)construction of the ecological continuity is stated as one of the main objectives of the European Water Framework Directive for watershed management in Europe. Analysing the social, political, technical and scientific processes characterising the implementation of different projects of ecological continuity in two adjacent peri-urban territories in Ile-de-France, we observed science-driven approaches disregarding the social contexts. We show that, in urbanized areas, ecological continuity requires not only important technical and ecological expertise, but also social and political participation to the definition of a common vision and action plan. Being a challenge for both, technical water management institutions and "classical" ecological policies, we propose some social science contributions to deal with ecological unpredictability and reconsider stakeholder resistance to this kind of project.

  15. A new system for continuous and remote monitoring of patients receiving home mechanical ventilation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battista, L

    2016-09-01

    Home mechanical ventilation is the treatment of patients with respiratory failure or insufficiency by means of a mechanical ventilator at a patient's home. In order to allow remote patient monitoring, several tele-monitoring systems have been introduced in the last few years. However, most of them usually do not allow real-time services, as they have their own proprietary communication protocol implemented and some ventilation parameters are not always measured. Moreover, they monitor only some breaths during the whole day, despite the fact that a patient's respiratory state may change continuously during the day. In order to reduce the above drawbacks, this work reports the development of a novel remote monitoring system for long-term, home-based ventilation therapy; the proposed system allows for continuous monitoring of the main physical quantities involved during home-care ventilation (e.g., differential pressure, volume, and air flow rate) and is developed in order to allow observations of different remote therapy units located in different places of a city, region, or country. The developed remote patient monitoring system is able to detect various clinical events (e.g., events of tube disconnection and sleep apnea events) and has been successfully tested by means of experimental tests carried out with pulmonary ventilators typically used to support sick patients.

  16. Nuclear Physics Laboratory, University of Colorado technical progress report, 1976 and proposal for continuation of contract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-01-01

    This report summarizes the work carried out at the Nuclear Physics Laboratory of the University of Colorado during the period November 1, 1975 to November 1, 1976. The low energy nuclear physics section is dominated by light-ion reaction studies which span a wide range. These include both two-neutron and two-proton transfer reactions, charge exchange and inelastic scattering, as well as single nucleon transfer reactions. The nuclei studied vary widely in their mass and characteristics. These reaction studies have been aided by the multi-use scattering chamber which now allows the energy-loss-spectrometer beam preparation system (beam swinger) to shift from charged particle studies to neutron time-of-flight studies with a minimum loss of time. The intermediate energy section reflects the increase in activity accompanying the arrival of LAMPF data and the initiation of (p,d) studies at the Indiana separated-sector cyclotron. The nucleon removal results provided by the π beam at EPICS previous to completion of the spectrometer have shown that nuclear effects dominate this process, so that the widely used free interaction picture is inadequate. The section entitled ''Other Activities'' reveals continuing activities in new applications of nuclear techniques to problems in medicine and biology. Reactions important to astrophysics continue to be investigated and our trace-element program remains at a high level of activity. The theoretical section reports new progress in understanding magnitudes of two-step reactions by inclusion of finite-range effects. A new finite-range program which is fast and economical has been completed. Intermediate energy results include calculations of π-γ angular correlations, low energy π-nucleus interactions, as well as (p,d) and nucleon scattering calculations for intermediate energies

  17. Risks and benefits of citrate anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shum, H P; Yan, W W; Chan, T M

    2015-04-01

    Heparin, despite its significant side-effects, is the most commonly used anticoagulant for continuous renal replacement therapy in critical care setting. In recent years, citrate has gained much popularity by improving continuous renal replacement therapy circuit survival and decreasing blood transfusion requirements. However, its complex metabolic consequences warrant modification in the design of the citrate-based continuous renal replacement therapy protocol. With thorough understanding of the therapeutic mechanism of citrate, a simple and practicable protocol can be devised. Citrate-based continuous renal replacement therapy can be safely and widely used in the clinical setting with appropriate clinical staff training.

  18. Inorganic Arsenic Determination in Food: A Review of Analytical Proposals and Quality Assessment Over the Last Six Years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorente-Mirandes, Toni; Rubio, Roser; López-Sánchez, José Fermín

    2017-01-01

    Here we review recent developments in analytical proposals for the assessment of inorganic arsenic (iAs) content in food products. Interest in the determination of iAs in products for human consumption such as food commodities, wine, and seaweed among others is fueled by the wide recognition of its toxic effects on humans, even at low concentrations. Currently, the need for robust and reliable analytical methods is recognized by various international safety and health agencies, and by organizations in charge of establishing acceptable tolerance levels of iAs in food. This review summarizes the state of the art of analytical methods while highlighting tools for the assessment of quality assessment of the results, such as the production and evaluation of certified reference materials (CRMs) and the availability of specific proficiency testing (PT) programmes. Because the number of studies dedicated to the subject of this review has increased considerably over recent years, the sources consulted and cited here are limited to those from 2010 to the end of 2015.

  19. An Equivalent LMI Representation of Bounded Real Lemma for Continuous-Time Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xie Wei

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract An equivalent linear matrix inequality (LMI representation of bounded real lemma (BRL for linear continuous-time systems is introduced. As to LTI system including polytopic-type uncertainties, by using a parameter-dependent Lyapunov function, there are several LMIs-based formulations for the analysis and synthesis of performance. All of these representations only provide us with different sufficient conditions. Compared with previous methods, this new representation proposed here provides us the possibility to obtain better results. Finally, some numerical examples are illustrated to show the effectiveness of proposed method.

  20. 75 FR 75453 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Five-Year Records Retention Requirement for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-03

    ... Request; Five-Year Records Retention Requirement for Export Transactions and Boycott Actions AGENCY... parties involved in export transactions and the U.S. party involved in a boycott action are required to... boycott documents and reports. The five-year record retention period corresponds with the five-year...

  1. An investigation into the challenges facing the future provision of continuing professional development for allied health professionals in a changing healthcare environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gibbs, Vivien

    2011-01-01

    This paper outlines current challenges facing healthcare providers and education providers in trying to ensure Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are fit for practice, in a climate driven by financial constraints and service improvement directives from the Department of Health (DH). Research was undertaken in 2009 to investigate the current provision of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the southwest region of England. The purpose was to define exactly what problems existed with this provision, and to propose changes which could be implemented in order to ensure that the provision meets the needs of stakeholders in future years.

  2. Adaptive Robust Motion Control of Direct-Drive DC Motors with Continuous Friction Compensation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianyong Yao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Uncertainties including the structured and unstructured, especially the nonlinear frictions, always exist in physical servo systems and degrade their tracking accuracy. In this paper, a practical method named adaptive robust controller (ARC is synthesized with a continuous differentiable friction model for high accuracy motion control of a direct-drive dc motor, which results in a continuous control input and thus is more suitable for application. To further reduce the noise sensitivity and improve the tracking accuracy, a desired compensation version of the proposed adaptive robust controller is also developed and its stability is guaranteed by a proper robust law. The proposed controllers not only account for the structured uncertainties (e.g., parametric uncertainties but also for the unstructured uncertainties (e.g., unconsidered nonlinear frictions. Furthermore, the controllers theoretically guarantee a prescribed output tracking transient performance and final tracking accuracy in both structured and unstructured uncertainties while achieving asymptotic output tracking in the absence of unstructured uncertainties, which is very important for high accuracy control of motion systems. Extensive comparative experimental results are obtained to verify the high-performance nature of the proposed control strategies.

  3. Cigarette continuity programs and social support for smoking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumner, W; Dunaway, M; Dillman, D G

    1998-01-01

    To describe smokers' participation in cigarette continuity programs and the prevalence and structure of cooperative teams of smokers. Cross-sectional survey of smoking histories and continuity-program participation by individuals and their family members in a convenience sample of 176 current smokers at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, Lexington. Fisher exact test or chi2 tests were used to compare proportions. One of 3 smokers collected coupons for a continuity program. Three quarters of the collectors redeemed their own coupons, and one quarter gave coupons to another collector. Coupon collectors reported an average team size of more than 2 members. One fifth of collectors were teammates with another generation of family members, and one quarter of collectors aged 24 to 35 years were teammates with their children. Smokers were often aware of their relatives' coupon-collecting habits. Continuity programs have been a popular means of reinforcing smoking, especially within families and groups of friends. Continuity programs are novel in encouraging smoking and brand loyalty between generations. Continuity-program participants need to be aware of the risk of promoting smoking initiation by their children. Health advocates could use similar strategies to promote smoking cessation and prevention within families and other social groups.

  4. 7 CFR 984.7 - Marketing year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Marketing year. 984.7 Section 984.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... Regulating Handling Definitions § 984.7 Marketing year. Marketing year means the twelve months from September...

  5. 7 CFR 1205.320 - Marketing year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Marketing year. 1205.320 Section 1205.320 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... Research and Promotion Order Definitions § 1205.320 Marketing year. Marketing year means a consecutive 12...

  6. 7 CFR 982.17 - Marketing year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Marketing year. 982.17 Section 982.17 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements... WASHINGTON Order Regulating Handling Definitions § 982.17 Marketing year. Marketing year means the 12 months...

  7. Continuous method of natrium purification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batoux, B.; Laurent-Atthalin, A.; Salmon, M.

    1975-01-01

    An improvement of the known method for the production of highly pure sodium from technically pure sodium which still contains several hundred ppm metallic impurities is proposed. These impurities, first of all Ca and Ba, are separated by oxidation with sodium peroxide. The continuous method is new which can also be performed on a technically large scale and which results in a degree of purity of less than 10 ppm Ca. Under N 2 -atmosphere, highly dispersed sodium peroxide is added to a flow of sodium, and at 100 0 C to 150 0 C, thoroughly mixed, the suspension is heated under turbulence to 200 0 C to 300 0 C, and the forming oxides are separated. Exact data for an optimum reaction guide as well as a flow diagram are supplied. (UWI) [de

  8. Continuous method of natrium purification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Batoux, B; Laurent-Atthalin, A; Salmon, M

    1975-05-28

    An improvement of the known method for the production of highly pure sodium from technically pure sodium which still contains several hundred ppm metallic impurities is proposed. These impurities, first of all Ca and Ba, are separated by oxidation with sodium peroxide. The new continuous method can be performed on a technically large scale and results in a degree of purity of less than 10 ppm Ca. Under N/sub 2/ -atmosphere, highly dispersed sodium peroxide is added to a flow of sodium, and at 100/sup 0/C to 150/sup 0/C, thoroughly mixed, the suspension is heated under turbulence to 200/sup 0/C to 300/sup 0/C, and the forming oxides are separated. Exact data for an optimum reaction guide as well as a flow diagram are supplied.

  9. Sustaining motivation for continuous improvement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Frances; Kofoed, Lise Busk

    2007-01-01

    The objective of this article is to explore possibilities for improving motivation for participation in Continuous Improvement (CI). Due to a number of issues, for example, challenges with measuring outcomes of CI activities on performance, the inherent slower, incremental rather than big bang...... activities is an important issue for managers. The paper begins with a short description of CI, with an emphasis on barriers to successful implementation cited in the literature. Thereafter, a number of widely-acknowledged-albeit perhaps somewhat dated-theories of motivation are explored in relation...... to the elements of CI in practice. Based on their own experiences with CI implementation in numerous action-research based studies, the authors propose a scenario for motivating CI participation through emphasis on factors common to the presented motivational theories. The paper ends with insights into future...

  10. 75 FR 60398 - California: Proposed Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revision

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-30

    ...: Proposed Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revision AGENCY: Environmental... its hazardous waste management program by November 1, 2010. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments... waste management program. EPA continues to have independent enforcement authority under RCRA sections...

  11. Entrepreneurship Education: Non-Linearity in the Satisfaction – Continuation Relationship = Podjetniško izobraževanje: nelineranost v razmerju med zadovoljstvom in nadaljevanjem izobraževanja

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boštjan Antoncic

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we propose one possible explanation of the interrelationships between education continuation or avoidance, satisfaction level, and experience (entrepreneurial maturity of potential and practicing entrepreneurs. By using the cusp catastrophe model we propose that relationship between education satisfaction and continuation tends to be linear for less experienced entrepreneurs (pre-entrepreneurs, whereas for more experienced entrepreneurs the relationship is proposed to be positive but non-linear (s-shaped. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire from 122 participants in management and entrepreneurship education and training programs. The proposed model was tested with linear and non-linear regression equations. The relationship between satisfaction and continuation (loyalty was found to be positive for all entrepreneurial and nonentrepreneurial groups. The appropriate functional form for the satisfaction-continuation relationship discovered for non-entrepreneurs and people that are only thinking about entrepreneurship (maybe-entrepreneurs is close to linear and less steep than for more entrepreneurial groups. By contrast, prospective entrepreneurs (people in the process of pre-start up and practicing entrepreneurs tend to be more sensitive to their education satisfaction in their future education continuation decisions. The appropriate functional form for these entrepreneurial groups tends to be cubical, which is close to the s-shaped function proposed in the cusp model. The study provided evidence that the relationships between entrepreneurial maturity, education satisfaction and education continuation may be modeled as a cusp catastrophe model. The proposed model can be helpful for education and for training providers (and marketers in explaining and predicting of education loyalty or the switching behavior of entrepreneurs.

  12. Remarks on a gauge theory for continuous spin particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rivelles, Victor O. [Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Fisica, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2017-07-15

    We discuss in a systematic way the gauge theory for a continuous spin particle proposed by Schuster and Toro. We show that it is naturally formulated in a cotangent bundle over Minkowski spacetime where the gauge field depends on the spacetime coordinate x{sup μ} and on a covector η{sub μ}. We discuss how fields can be expanded in η{sub μ} in different ways and how these expansions are related to each other. The field equation has a derivative of a Dirac delta function with support on the η-hyperboloid η{sup 2} + 1 = 0 and we show how it restricts the dynamics of the gauge field to the η-hyperboloid and its first neighbourhood. We then show that on-shell the field carries one single irreducible unitary representation of the Poincare group for a continuous spin particle. We also show how the field can be used to build a set of covariant equations found by Wigner describing the wave function of one-particle states for a continuous spin particle. Finally we show that it is not possible to couple minimally a continuous spin particle to a background abelian gauge field, and we make some comments about the coupling to gravity. (orig.)

  13. Securing the Continuity of Medical Competence in Times of Demographic Change: A Proposal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasebrook, Joachim Paul; Hinkelmann, Jürgen; Volkert, Thomas; Rodde, Sibyll; Hahnenkamp, Klaus

    2016-12-21

    University hospitals make up the backbone of medical and economic services of hospitals in Germany: they qualify specialist physicians, ensure medical research, and provide highly specialized maximum medical care, which other hospitals cannot undertake. In addition to this assignment, medical research and academic teaching must be managed despite a growing shortage of specialist physicians. By the year 2020, the need for the replacement of retired physicians and increased demand will total 30,000 positions. The situation will become more difficult because, on the whole, patients are becoming older and sicker and because specialist physicians are able to find more attractive working conditions in smaller hospitals, abroad, or outside of curative medicine. In order to retain sufficient qualified employees, major improvements in quality are required in terms of working and training conditions. For this purpose, a sustainable innovation process is necessary, which incorporates solutions from outside of the health care sector in order to be able to learn from experiences and mistakes from other industries. The FacharztPlus project aims to find suitable measures in order to retain specialist physicians for more years after the completion of 5 years of professional training. This should determine the suitability of additional qualifications alongside the professional career and an expertise-related work organization oriented to different stages of life. Structured interviews, surveys, and repertory grids are used as preparation for cross-industry expert panels to create future work scenarios for university hospitals. Industries involved are harbor logistics (container terminal), airports, and digitized industrial production ("industry 4.0") because these industries are also facing a shortage of qualified staff and have to respond to rapidly changing demands. Based on the experts' scenarios, consensus groups will be established in each university hospital trying to reach

  14. A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method for reconstruction of two-dimensional piecewise continuous inhomogeneous domains

    KAUST Repository

    Sandhu, Ali Imran

    2016-04-10

    A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method (BIM) is proposed for efficiently reconstructing two-dimensional piecewise-continuous inhomogeneous dielectric profiles. Such profiles are typically not spatially sparse, which reduces the efficiency of the sparsity-promoting regularization. To overcome this problem, scattered fields are represented in terms of the spatial derivative of the dielectric profile and reconstruction is carried out over samples of the dielectric profile\\'s derivative. Then, like the conventional BIM, the nonlinear problem is iteratively converted into a sequence of linear problems (in derivative samples) and sparsity constraint is enforced on each linear problem using the thresholded Landweber iterations. Numerical results, which demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method in reconstructing piecewise-continuous dielectric profiles, are presented.

  15. Continuation of connecting orbits in 3d-ODEs' (i) point-to-cycle connections.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Doedel, E.J.; Kooi, B.W.; van Voorn, G.A.K.; Kuznetzov, Y.A.

    2008-01-01

    We propose new methods for the numerical continuation of point-to-cycle connecting orbits in three-dimensional autonomous ODE's using projection boundary conditions. In our approach, the projection boundary conditions near the cycle are formulated using an eigenfunction of the associated adjoint

  16. Bell inequalities for continuous-variable measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Q. Y.; Reid, M. D.; Drummond, P. D.; Cavalcanti, E. G.

    2010-01-01

    Tests of local hidden-variable theories using measurements with continuous-variable (CV) outcomes are developed, and a comparison of different methods is presented. As examples, we focus on multipartite entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and cluster states. We suggest a physical process that produces the states proposed here, and investigate experiments both with and without binning of the continuous variable. In the former case, the Mermin-Klyshko inequalities can be used directly. For unbinned outcomes, the moment-based Cavalcanti-Foster-Reid-Drummond inequalities are extended to functional inequalities by consideration of arbitrary functions of the measurements at each site. By optimizing these functions, we obtain more robust violations of local hidden-variable theories than with either binning or moments. Recent inequalities based on the algebra of quaternions and octonions are compared with these methods. Since the prime advantage of CV experiments is to provide a route to highly efficient detection via homodyne measurements, we analyze the effect of noise and detection losses in both binned and unbinned cases. The CV moment inequalities with an optimal function have greater robustness to both loss and noise. This could permit a loophole-free test of Bell inequalities.

  17. Continuous-wave room-temperature diamond maser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breeze, Jonathan D.; Salvadori, Enrico; Sathian, Juna; Alford, Neil Mcn.; Kay, Christopher W. M.

    2018-03-01

    The maser—the microwave progenitor of the optical laser—has been confined to relative obscurity owing to its reliance on cryogenic refrigeration and high-vacuum systems. Despite this, it has found application in deep-space communications and radio astronomy owing to its unparalleled performance as a low-noise amplifier and oscillator. The recent demonstration of a room-temperature solid-state maser that utilizes polarized electron populations within the triplet states of photo-excited pentacene molecules in a p-terphenyl host paves the way for a new class of maser. However, p-terphenyl has poor thermal and mechanical properties, and the decay rates of the triplet sublevel of pentacene mean that only pulsed maser operation has been observed in this system. Alternative materials are therefore required to achieve continuous emission: inorganic materials that contain spin defects, such as diamond and silicon carbide, have been proposed. Here we report a continuous-wave room-temperature maser oscillator using optically pumped nitrogen–vacancy defect centres in diamond. This demonstration highlights the potential of room-temperature solid-state masers for use in a new generation of microwave devices that could find application in medicine, security, sensing and quantum technologies.

  18. Hand disinfection in a neonatal intensive care unit: continuous electronic monitoring over a one-year period

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helder, O.K.; van Goudoever, J.B.; Hop, W.C.J.; Brug, J.; Kornelisse, R.F.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Good hand hygiene compliance is essential to prevent nosocomial infections in healthcare settings. Direct observation of hand hygiene compliance is the gold standard but is time consuming. An electronic dispenser with built-in wireless recording equipment allows continuous monitoring of

  19. Start-up Strategy for Continuous Bioreactors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.C. da Costa

    1997-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract - The start-up of continuous bioreactors is solved as an optimal control problem. The choice of the dilution rate as the control variable reduces the dimension of the system by making the use of the global balance equation unnecessary for the solution of the optimization problem. Therefore, for systems described by four or less mass balance equations, it is always possible to obtain an analytical expression for the singular arc as a function of only the state variables. The steady state conditions are shown to satisfy the singular arc expression and, based on this knowledge, a feeding strategy is proposed which leads the reactor from an initial state to the steady state of maximum productivity

  20. 75 FR 9158 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Identification of Northeast Regional Ocean...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information... Social Network Analysis AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent...

  1. Accelerator based continuous neutron source.

    CERN Document Server

    Shapiro, S M; Ruggiero, A G

    2003-01-01

    Until the last decade, most neutron experiments have been performed at steady-state, reactor-based sources. Recently, however, pulsed spallation sources have been shown to be very useful in a wide range of neutron studies. A major review of neutron sources in the US was conducted by a committee chaired by Nobel laureate Prof. W. Kohn: ''Neutron Sources for America's Future-BESAC Panel on Neutron Sources 1/93''. This distinguished panel concluded that steady state and pulsed sources are complementary and that the nation has need for both to maintain a balanced neutron research program. The report recommended that both a new reactor and a spallation source be built. This complementarity is recognized worldwide. The conclusion of this report is that a new continuous neutron source is needed for the second decade of the 20 year plan to replace aging US research reactors and close the US neutron gap. it is based on spallation production of neutrons using a high power continuous superconducting linac to generate pr...

  2. Estimating global, regional and national rotavirus deaths in children aged <5 years: Current approaches, new analyses and proposed improvements.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Clark

    Full Text Available Rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoeal mortality in children but there is considerable disagreement about how many deaths occur each year.We compared CHERG, GBD and WHO/CDC estimates of age under 5 years (U5 rotavirus deaths at the global, regional and national level using a standard year (2013 and standard list of 186 countries. The global estimates were 157,398 (CHERG, 122,322 (GBD and 215,757 (WHO/CDC. The three groups used different methods: (i to select data points for rotavirus-positive proportions; (ii to extrapolate data points to individual countries; (iii to account for rotavirus vaccine coverage; (iv to convert rotavirus-positive proportions to rotavirus attributable fractions; and (v to calculate uncertainty ranges. We conducted new analyses to inform future estimates. We found that acute watery diarrhoea was associated with 87% (95% CI 83-90% of U5 diarrhoea hospitalisations based on data from 84 hospital sites in 9 countries, and 65% (95% CI 57-74% of U5 diarrhoea deaths based on verbal autopsy reports from 9 country sites. We reanalysed data from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS and found 44% (55% in Asia, and 32% in Africa rotavirus-positivity among U5 acute watery diarrhoea hospitalisations, and 28% rotavirus-positivity among U5 acute watery diarrhoea deaths. 97% (95% CI 95-98% of the U5 diarrhoea hospitalisations that tested positive for rotavirus were entirely attributable to rotavirus. For all clinical syndromes combined the rotavirus attributable fraction was 34% (95% CI 31-36%. This increased by a factor of 1.08 (95% CI 1.02-1.14 when the GEMS results were reanalysed using a more sensitive molecular test.We developed consensus on seven proposals for improving the quality and transparency of future rotavirus mortality estimates.

  3. Hot demonstration of proposed commercial nuclide removal technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, D.D.; Travis, J.R.; Gibson, M.R. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1997-10-01

    Cesium, strontium, and technetium radionuclides are a small fraction of the mainly sodium and potassium salts in storage tank supernatants at the Hanford, Oak Ridge, Savannah River, and Idaho sites that DOE must remediate. Radionuclide removal technologies supplied by the ESP-CP have been previously proposed and tested in small batch and column tests using simulated and a few actual supernatants. They must now be tested and the most appropriate ones selected using a flow system of a scale suitable to obtain engineering data that can be applied to the design of pilot-scale equipment. This task involves operation of an experimental unit designed and constructed to test radionuclide removal technologies during continuous operation on actual supernatants. The equipment diagram, consists of the tanks, pumps, tubing and fittings, filters, and intrumentation for testing radionuclide removal technologies in a continuous-flow system in an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) hot cell. The task provides a test bed for investigating new technologies, such as 3M`s SLIG 644 WWL WEB and AEA Technology`s EIX electrochemical elution system, and complements ESP`s comprehensive supernatant task (TTPOR06C341) by using larger engineering-scale, continuous equipment to verify and expand that task`s batch studies. This task complements the Tanks Focus Area`s (TFA`s) Cesium Removal Demonstration (CsRD) at ORNL by providing sorbent selection information, evaluating and testing proposed sorbents, and providing operational experience and characteristics using the sorbent and supernatant to be used in the demonstration, followed by evaluating and comparing small-scale to demonstration-scale performance. The authors cooperate closely with other ESP-CP tasks and the TFA to ultimately transfer the technologies being developed to the end user.

  4. Continuous-variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox with traveling-wave second-harmonic generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsen, M.K.

    2004-01-01

    The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and quantum entanglement are at the heart of quantum mechanics. Here we show that single-pass traveling-wave second-harmonic generation can be used to demonstrate both entanglement and the paradox with continuous variables that are analogous to the position and momentum of the original proposal

  5. Continuous fractional-order Zero Phase Error Tracking Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Lu; Tian, Siyuan; Xue, Dingyu; Zhang, Tao; Chen, YangQuan

    2018-04-01

    A continuous time fractional-order feedforward control algorithm for tracking desired time varying input signals is proposed in this paper. The presented controller cancels the phase shift caused by the zeros and poles of controlled closed-loop fractional-order system, so it is called Fractional-Order Zero Phase Tracking Controller (FZPETC). The controlled systems are divided into two categories i.e. with and without non-cancellable (non-minimum-phase) zeros which stand in unstable region or on stability boundary. Each kinds of systems has a targeted FZPETC design control strategy. The improved tracking performance has been evaluated successfully by applying the proposed controller to three different kinds of fractional-order controlled systems. Besides, a modified quasi-perfect tracking scheme is presented for those systems which may not have available future tracking trajectory information or have problem in high frequency disturbance rejection if the perfect tracking algorithm is applied. A simulation comparison and a hardware-in-the-loop thermal peltier platform are shown to validate the practicality of the proposed quasi-perfect control algorithm. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Continuous photocatalytic fuel production over wide-bandgap metal oxides

    OpenAIRE

    Bazzo, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Artificial photosynthesis has been proposed as one of the possible solutions to the energetic and chemical-feedstock problems to cope with the anticipated near future depletion of fossil fuel resources. This doctoral thesis deals with the study of promising catalysts and reactor designs to enhance the reaction efficiency and understand the origin of photocatalytic activity. A continuous flow reaction system was designed and constructed to study CO2 photoreduction with H2O and photocatalytic w...

  7. Numerical tools for musical instruments acoustics: analysing nonlinear physical models using continuation of periodic solutions

    OpenAIRE

    Karkar , Sami; Vergez , Christophe; Cochelin , Bruno

    2012-01-01

    International audience; We propose a new approach based on numerical continuation and bifurcation analysis for the study of physical models of instruments that produce self- sustained oscillation. Numerical continuation consists in following how a given solution of a set of equations is modified when one (or several) parameter of these equations are allowed to vary. Several physical models (clarinet, saxophone, and violin) are formulated as nonlinear dynamical systems, whose periodic solution...

  8. Continuous 500,000-year climate record from vein calcite in Devils Hole, Nevada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winograd, I.J.; Coplen, T.B.; Landwehr, J.M.; Revesz, K.M.; Riggs, A.C.; Ludwig, K.R.; Szabo, B.J.; Kolesar, P.T.

    1992-01-01

    Oxygen-18 (δ 18 O) variations in a 36-centimeter-long core (DH-11) of vein calcite from Devils Hole, Nevada, yield an uninterrupted 500,000-year paleotemperature record that closely mimics all major features in the Vostok (Antarctica) paleotemperature and marine δ 18 O ice-volume records. The chronology for this continental record is based on 21 replicated mass-spectrometric uranium-series dates. Between the middle and latest Pleistocene, the duration of the last four glacial cycles recorded in the calcite increased from 80,000 to 130,000 years; this variation suggests that major climate changes were aperiodic. The timing of specific climatic events indicates that orbitally controlled variations in solar insolation were not a major factor in trigering deglaciations. Interglacial climates lasted about 20,000 years. Collectively, these observations are inconsistent with the Milankovitch hypothesis for the origin of the Pleistocene glacial cycles but they are consistent with the thesis that these cycles originated from internal nonlinear feedbacks within the atmosphere-ice sheet-ocean system

  9. Proposal for the study of laminar relativistic electron beam generation by a foilless diode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, M.E.; Thode, L.E.

    1979-02-01

    The continuation of an analytical and numerical study of intense relativistic electron beam generation by foilless diodes is proposed. The investigation is aimed at optimizing the diode design to produce a laminar flow

  10. A propulsion technology challenge — An abortable. Continuous use vehicle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czysz, Paul A.; Froning, H. David

    1996-02-01

    Propulsion is the enabling technology for an abortable, continuous use vehicle. Propulsion performance purchases margin in the other material, structural, and system requirements. But what is abortability, and continuous use? Why is it necessary? What are its characteristics? And, what specifically is required in the propulsion system to enable these characteristics? Is the cost of the launcher really trivial, or is that the incomplete cost analysis limited to expendables and rebuilt, reusables. This paper identifies what constitutes an abortable, continuous use vehicle, the propulsion characteristics required, and the technology necessary to provide those characteristics. The proposition resulting is that this is not a technology issue, it is a concept of operation and a bureaucratic issue. The required goal is not as distant as some might propose, and the technology not as unprepared for commercial application as some assumed. The conclusion is that clearly we cannot continue to base the next century's orbital operations on an expendable rebuilt for reuse concept. What is required is a rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) engine based on those now in space operation 1,2; not a combination of cycles that remains to be shown as a practical, achievable reality.

  11. Estimates of the continuously publishing core in the scientific workforce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ioannidis, John P A; Boyack, Kevin W; Klavans, Richard

    2014-01-01

    The ability of a scientist to maintain a continuous stream of publication may be important, because research requires continuity of effort. However, there is no data on what proportion of scientists manages to publish each and every year over long periods of time. Using the entire Scopus database, we estimated that there are 15,153,100 publishing scientists (distinct author identifiers) in the period 1996-2011. However, only 150,608 (1000 citations in the same period. Skipping even a single year substantially affected the average citation impact. We also studied the birth and death dynamics of membership in this influential UCP core, by imputing and estimating UCP-births and UCP-deaths. We estimated that 16,877 scientists would qualify for UCP-birth in 1997 (no publication in 1996, UCP in 1997-2012) and 9,673 scientists had their UCP-death in 2010. The relative representation of authors with UCP was enriched in Medical Research, in the academic sector and in Europe/North America, while the relative representation of authors without UCP was enriched in the Social Sciences and Humanities, in industry, and in other continents. The proportion of the scientific workforce that maintains a continuous uninterrupted stream of publications each and every year over many years is very limited, but it accounts for the lion's share of researchers with high citation impact. This finding may have implications for the structure, stability and vulnerability of the scientific workforce.

  12. Estimates of the continuously publishing core in the scientific workforce.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John P A Ioannidis

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The ability of a scientist to maintain a continuous stream of publication may be important, because research requires continuity of effort. However, there is no data on what proportion of scientists manages to publish each and every year over long periods of time. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using the entire Scopus database, we estimated that there are 15,153,100 publishing scientists (distinct author identifiers in the period 1996-2011. However, only 150,608 (1000 citations in the same period. Skipping even a single year substantially affected the average citation impact. We also studied the birth and death dynamics of membership in this influential UCP core, by imputing and estimating UCP-births and UCP-deaths. We estimated that 16,877 scientists would qualify for UCP-birth in 1997 (no publication in 1996, UCP in 1997-2012 and 9,673 scientists had their UCP-death in 2010. The relative representation of authors with UCP was enriched in Medical Research, in the academic sector and in Europe/North America, while the relative representation of authors without UCP was enriched in the Social Sciences and Humanities, in industry, and in other continents. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of the scientific workforce that maintains a continuous uninterrupted stream of publications each and every year over many years is very limited, but it accounts for the lion's share of researchers with high citation impact. This finding may have implications for the structure, stability and vulnerability of the scientific workforce.

  13. Breeding Bird Community Continues to Colonize Riparian Buffers Ten Years after Harvest.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott F Pearson

    Full Text Available Riparian ecosystems integrate aquatic and terrestrial communities and often contain unique assemblages of flora and fauna. Retention of forested buffers along riparian habitats is a commonly employed practice to reduce potential negative effects of land use on aquatic systems. However, very few studies have examined long-term population and community responses to buffers, leading to considerable uncertainty about effectiveness of this practice for achieving conservation and management outcomes. We examined short- (1-2 years and long-term (~10 years avian community responses (occupancy and abundance to riparian buffer prescriptions to clearcut logging silvicultural practices in the Pacific Northwest USA. We used a Before-After-Control-Impact experimental approach and temporally replicated point counts analyzed within a Bayesian framework. Our experimental design consisted of forested control sites with no harvest, sites with relatively narrow (~13 m forested buffers on each side of the stream, and sites with wider (~30 m and more variable width unharvested buffer. Buffer treatments exhibited a 31-44% increase in mean species richness in the post-harvest years, a pattern most evident 10 years post-harvest. Post-harvest, species turnover was much higher on both treatments (63-74% relative to the controls (29%. We did not find evidence of local extinction for any species but found strong evidence (no overlap in 95% credible intervals for an increase in site occupancy on both Narrow (short-term: 7%; long-term 29% and Wide buffers (short-term: 21%; long-term 93% relative to controls after harvest. We did not find a treatment effect on total avian abundance. When assessing relationships between buffer width and site level abundance of four riparian specialists, we did not find strong evidence of reduced abundance in Narrow or Wide buffers. Silviculture regulations in this region dictate average buffer widths on small and large permanent streams that

  14. Low power and self-reconfigurable WBAN controller for continuous bio-signal monitoring system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lee, S.; Yoo, H.J.

    2013-01-01

    The WBAN controller with Branched Bus (BB) topology and Continuous Data Transmission (CDT) protocol with low power consumption and self- reconfigurability is proposed for wearable healthcare applications. The BB topology and CDT protocol is a combination of conventional Bus and Star topology and a

  15. An Indoor Continuous Positioning Algorithm on the Move by Fusing Sensors and Wi-Fi on Smartphones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huaiyu Li

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Wi-Fi indoor positioning algorithms experience large positioning error and low stability when continuously positioning terminals that are on the move. This paper proposes a novel indoor continuous positioning algorithm that is on the move, fusing sensors and Wi-Fi on smartphones. The main innovative points include an improved Wi-Fi positioning algorithm and a novel positioning fusion algorithm named the Trust Chain Positioning Fusion (TCPF algorithm. The improved Wi-Fi positioning algorithm was designed based on the properties of Wi-Fi signals on the move, which are found in a novel “quasi-dynamic” Wi-Fi signal experiment. The TCPF algorithm is proposed to realize the “process-level” fusion of Wi-Fi and Pedestrians Dead Reckoning (PDR positioning, including three parts: trusted point determination, trust state and positioning fusion algorithm. An experiment is carried out for verification in a typical indoor environment, and the average positioning error on the move is 1.36 m, a decrease of 28.8% compared to an existing algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the influence caused by the unstable Wi-Fi signals, and improve the accuracy and stability of indoor continuous positioning on the move.

  16. Providing Continuous Assurance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kocken, Jonne; Hulstijn, Joris

    2017-01-01

    It has been claimed that continuous assurance can be attained by combining continuous monitoring by management, with continuous auditing of data streams and the effectiveness of internal controls by an external auditor. However, we find that in existing literature the final step to continuous

  17. CERN Pensions: A constructive proposal

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2014-01-01

      A new endangering of the Pension Fund   In 2010 and 2011 Council adopted a package of measures (see Echo 195 for background information) that commits staff, retirees and the Organization to all contribute to the balancing of the Pension Fund by 2041. In particular, CERN’s Member States agreed to pay a special contribution of 60 MCHF per year for 30 years or until full funding is achieved, if this arrives sooner. Today, less than four years later, some Member States already want to find ways to come back on their commitment. The fact that one of the parties that accepted the package wants to change its commitment unilaterally is in evident disagreement with the 2011 Council resolution(1)  and therefore unacceptable. Nevertheless to be helpful we put forward a constructive proposal. Special contribution or...   Currently the Fund has a yearly outflow of around 300 MCHF to pay pension benefits of which some 60 MCHF (approximately 20% of pensions received) a...

  18. Hazards of radiation from continuous nuclear bomb tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leipunskii, O I

    1958-01-01

    The hazards from radioactive fallout due to continuous nuclear bomb tests equivalent in intensity to 11 megatons of TNT are studied. Concentrations of /sup 90/Sr in the bones, the rate of leukemia, and the number of the victims of genetic damage are evaluated. The calculations show that towards the end of the century the concentration of /sup 90/Sr in the spine in large groups of the population could exceed the officially permissible dose and each year of continuous tests would result in the birth of 44,000 persons burdened by hereditary sickness, and 29,000 cases of leukemia.

  19. Continuous-Curvature Path Generation Using Fermat's Spiral

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasios M. Lekkas

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel methodology, based on Fermat's spiral (FS, for constructing curvature-continuous parametric paths in a plane. FS has a zero curvature at its origin, a property that allows it to be connected with a straight line smoothly, that is, without the curvature discontinuity which occurs at the transition point between a line and a circular arc when constructing Dubins paths. Furthermore, contrary to the computationally expensive clothoids, FS is described by very simple parametric equations that are trivial to compute. On the downside, computing the length of an FS arc involves a Gaussian hypergeometric function. However, this function is absolutely convergent and it is also shown that it poses no restrictions to the domain within which the length can be calculated. In addition, we present an alternative parametrization of FS which eliminates the parametric speed singularity at the origin, hence making the spiral suitable for path-tracking applications. A detailed description of how to construct curvature-continuous paths with FS is given.

  20. Adaptive modification of the delayed feedback control algorithm with a continuously varying time delay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pyragas, V.; Pyragas, K.

    2011-01-01

    We propose a simple adaptive delayed feedback control algorithm for stabilization of unstable periodic orbits with unknown periods. The state dependent time delay is varied continuously towards the period of controlled orbit according to a gradient-descent method realized through three simple ordinary differential equations. We demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm with the Roessler and Mackey-Glass chaotic systems. The stability of the controlled orbits is proven by computation of the Lyapunov exponents of linearized equations. -- Highlights: → A simple adaptive modification of the delayed feedback control algorithm is proposed. → It enables the control of unstable periodic orbits with unknown periods. → The delay time is varied continuously according to a gradient descend method. → The algorithm is embodied by three simple ordinary differential equations. → The validity of the algorithm is proven by computation of the Lyapunov exponents.