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Contains fulltext : 238841.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) AIMS: To illustrate the practical and technical challenges along with the safety aspects when performing MRI-guided electrophysiological procedures in a pre-existing diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. METHODS AND RESULTS: A dedicated, well-trained multidisciplinary interventional cardiac MRI team (iCMR team), consisting of electrophysiologists, imaging cardiologists, radiologists, anaesthesiologists, MRI physicists, electrophysiological (EP) and MRI technicians, biomedical engineers, and medical instrumentation technologists is a prerequisite for a safe and feasible implementation of CMR-guided electrophysiological procedures (iCMR) in a pre-existing MRI environment. A formal dry run "mock-up" to address the entire spectrum of technical, logistic, and safety issues was performed before obtaining final approval of the Board of Directors. With this process we showed feasibility of our workflow, safety protocol, and bailout procedures during iCMR outside the conventional EP lab. The practical aspects of performing iCMR procedures in a pre-existing MRI environment were addressed and solidified. Finally, the influence on neighbouring MRI scanners was evaluated, showing no interference. CONCLUSION: Transforming a pre-existing diagnostic MRI environment into an iCMR suite is feasible and safe. However, performing iCMR procedures outside the conventional fluoroscopic lab, poses challenges with technical, practical, and safety aspects that need to be addressed by a dedicated multi-disciplinary iCMR team.

To optimize the on‐line cleaning process parameters of aero‐engines, the influence of the engine's dry run Speed on the cleaning flow field was analysed. Through the reverse modelling and numerical simulation of the CFM56‐7B compressor, the changes of static pressure, velocity and vorticity of the cleaning flow field under different dry run speeds were analysed. The results showed that the static pressure and speed of the cleaning flow field increased linearly with the increase of the dry run speed; the vortex of the cleaning flow field decreases with the increase of the speed, but the increase of the speed was beneficial to the cleaning of the compressor. Through the aero‐engines online cleaning test, comparing the recovery of EGTM at different speeds, when the engine dry run speed was 323 r/min, a better cleaning effect and higher economic benefits can be obtained. The research can provide a theory for engine online cleaning.

Big data pipelines are becoming increasingly vital in a wide range of data intensive application domains such as digital healthcare, telecommunication, and manufacturing for efficiently processing data. Data pipelines in such domains are complex and dynamic and involve a number of data processing steps that are deployed on heterogeneous computing resources under the realm of the Edge-Cloud paradigm. The processes of testing and simulating big data pipelines on heterogeneous resources need to be able to accurately represent this complexity. However, since big data processing is heavily resource-intensive, it makes testing and simulation based on historical execution data impractical. In this paper, we introduce the SIM - PIPE Dry Runner approach - a dry run approach that deploys a big data pipeline step by step in an isolated environment and executes it with sample data; this approach could be used for testing big data pipelines and realising practical simulations using existing simulators.

The study aimed to determine the effects of classroom observation of parents to the performance of pupils in Pandayan Elementary School for the school year 2019-2020. A descriptive research method was utilized in this study. A research – made instrument for pre-test and post-test aligned with the given learning competencies in the K to 12 Curriculum Guide in Grades 4-6 was designed and undergone validity and reliability examination by peer-experts. After the validation from other Principals, the Division Research Chairperson has approved the instrument. The researcher also carried out a dry run before the actual pre-test and post-test assessment to the respondents. The gathered data from the tests were recorded and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The findings showed that the post-test scores have increased after the classroom observation of parents. In conclusion, there was a significant difference on the academic performance of pupils in Mathematics before and after classroom observation of parents.

IntroductionSuccessful adoption of POCTs (Point-of-Care tests) for COVID-19 in care homes requires the identification of ideal use cases and a full understanding of contextual and usability factors that affect test results and minimise biosafety risks. This paper presents findings from a scoping-usability and test performance study of a microfluidic immunofluorescence assay for COVID-19 in care homes.MethodsA mixed-methods evaluation was conducted in four UK care homes to scope usability and to assess the agreement with qRT-PCR. A dry run with luminescent dye was carried out to explore biosafety issues.ResultsThe agreement analysis was carried out on 227 asymptomatic participants (159 staff and 68 residents) and 14 symptomatic participants (5 staff and 9 residents). Asymptomatic specimens showed 50% (95% CI: 1.3%-98.7%) positive agreement and 96% (95% CI: 92.5%-98.1%) negative agreement with overall prevalence and bias-adjusted Kappa (PABAK) of 0.911 (95% CI: 0.857-0.965). Symptomatic specimens showed 83.3% (95% CI: 35.9%-99.6%) positive agreement and 100% (95% CI: 63.1%-100%) negative agreement with overall prevalence and bias-adjusted Kappa (PABAK) of 0.857 (95% CI: 0.549-1).The dry run showed four main sources of contamination that led to the modification of the standard operating procedures. Simulation after modification showed no further evidence of contamination.ConclusionCareful consideration of biosafety issues and contextual factors associated with care home are mandatory for safe use the POCT. Whilst POCT may have some utility for ruling out COVID-19, further diagnostic accuracy evaluations are needed to promote effective adoption.

Integrity of the cloud is the most important requirement for mission-critical enterprise workloads. NIST SP 800–53 states that information systems must prevent the installation of any components that have not been verified digitally with a signed certificate that is recognized and approved by the organization's information system. On a Kubernetes cluster, the admission controller can control requests for application installation, and it would be a powerful protection tool if it could control requests for Kubernetes resources based on signature verification. However, there are various technical challenges when it comes to verifying the signature for a Kubernetes resource at the admission controller because a signed resource is rewritten automatically by internal cluster work and many requests that include internal mutation without a signature are generated. In this work, we propose an approach to protect the integrity of a Kubernetes resource with signature verification at the admission controller. Our approach addresses the issue that the differences between the signed resource in the admission request and the signature message occur automatically in Kubernetes and conducts signature verification properly by using Dry Run. We also propose a profile framework to address the internal mutation request that cannot be attached to the signature. Our experimental results demonstrate that standard applications can be protected by our approach.

Purpose The digitization of healthcare for patient safety and efficiency introduced third party networks into closed hospital systems increasing the probability of cyberattacks and their consequences(1). In April 2021, a major vendor of a Radiation Oncology (RO) record and verify system (RVS) suffered a ransomware attack, affecting our department and many others across the United States. This article summarizes our response to the ransomware event including workflows, team member roles, responsibilities, communications and departmental recovery. Methods and Materials The RVS created or housed accurate patient dose records for 6 locations. The immediate response to the ransomware attack was to shut down the system including the ability to treat patients. With the utilization of the hospital EMR and pre-existing interfaces with RVS, the department was able to safely continue patient radiotherapy treatments innovatively utilizing a direct DICOM transfer of patient data to the linear accelerators and implementing paper charting. Human capital costs included communication, outreach, workflow creation, quality assurance and extended clinical hours. Results No patients were treated in the first 24 hours of the attack. Within 48 hours of the ransomware event, 50% of patients were treated, and within 1 week, 95% of all patients were treated using direct DICOM transfer and paper charts. The RVS was completely unavailable for 2.5 weeks and full functionality was not restored for 4.5 weeks. A phased approach was adopted for re-introduction of patient treatments back into the RVS. Conclusions Key lessons learned were to have a back-up of essential information, employ ‘dry run' emergency training, having consistent parameter requirements across different vendor hardware and software, and having a plan for the recovery effort of restoring normal operations once software is operational. The provided report presents valuable information for the development of cyber-attack preparedness for RO departments.

Background: Belgium has a problem with inappropriate use of emergency services. The government installed the number 1733 for out-of-hours care. Through a dry run test, we learned that 30% of all calls were allocated to the protocol ‘unclear problem’. In only 11.9% of all cases, there was an unclear problem. Methods: The study aimed to determine whether the adjusted protocol ‘unwell for no clear reason’ led to a safer and more efficient referral and to evaluate the efficiency and safety of the primary care protocols (PCPs). The study ran in cross-sectional design involving patients, General Practitioner Cooperatives and telephone operators. A random sample of calls to 1733 and patient referrals were assessed on efficiency and safety. Results: During 6 months in 2018, 11 622 calls to 1733 were registered. Seven hundred fifty-six of them were allocated to ‘unwell for no clear reason’, and a random sample of 180 calls was audited. To evaluate the PCPs, 202 calls were audited. The efficiency and safety of the protocol ‘unwell for no clear reason’ improved, and safety levels for under- and over-triage were not exceeded. The GP’s judged that 9/10 of all patient encounters were correctly referred. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the 1733-telephone triage system for out-of-hours care is successful if protocols, flow charts and emergency levels are well defined, monitored and operators are trained.

Introduction The surge in the number of trauma cases following relaxation of lockdowns in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic, has strained the existing infrastructure to cater to these patients and also prevent the spread of infection. Moreover, with the rise of newer strains, the period ahead has to be tread carefully to prevent resurgence of infections. There have been recommendations regarding the ideal setup to operate orthopaedic cases in this pandemic scenario. However, many of the hospitals in India with financial and logistic constraints are unable to implement these structural changes into their existing setup. We propose a model which can be used in an existing operation theatre which has a single entry and exit corridor, which is the layout in many hospitals. Methodology A protocol with the consultation of a panel of health care professionals was designed on the basis of WHO guidelines in a way so as to remain dynamic. Prior to its implementation, online classes were conducted and a dry run of the protocol was done with the whole team involved. The theatre layout is one with a single entry and exit and had predesignated rooms. The personnel were divided into 3 teams, each with a fixed set of people and preset workflow, to be followed during entry and exit. Five COVID positive cases have been operated since then using the protocol and has been used as a pilot study to further amend the protocol. Conclusion This model can be used as a guideline by hospitals having a limited infrastructure, to develop their own protocol to operate on COVID positive cases, in the present situation of increasing trauma cases post the relaxation of lockdown and also in any subsequent waves of infection with newer strains. Simulation and periodic stringent audits with the entire team would prove successful in rectifying errors and avoiding any possible contamination.

The rapid growth of the wide urban residential areas imposes the expansion and modernization of the existing water supply facilities. In the mountainous city of Zintan, for example, the water system suffers from a lot of limitations including low reliability and maintainability due to the manual operation. This paper presents transferring the current water system to a complete robust automatic system to ensure a reliable and low-cost water supply system. A new piping and instrumentation diagram that involves feedback control system and sensors is developed. The control algorithm uses a smart level system for two tanks in which different water suppliers, including well pumps and feeding each tank to the other, are switched ON or OFF depending on the water level in each tank independently. The advantage of this strategy is to avoid dry run issue and to ensure continuous water supply to the urban area. To improve the bearing life of wells submersible pumps, they are divided into groups and each group feeds a certain tank for a limited period of time. The control algorithm is implemented using the Programmable Logical Controller (PLC). Simulation of the proposed system shows an elegant, flexible and easy configurable system designed on a low cost and accurate performance with almost zero human interaction.

Статья посвящена важности изучения английского языка специалистами в производственной сфере. Современное производство насыщено высокоточным оборудованием. Это оборудование использует цифровое программное обеспечение, которое зачастую разработано зарубежными специалистами. Более того, производители оборудования используют универсальное программное обеспечение для его внедрения на различных предприятиях мира. Авторы констатируют, что для работы и обслуживания таких станков необходимы знания инженерного английского языка, который выступает в качестве языка международного общения. В статье представлены примеры терминов, которые используются инженерами на производстве.

Agricultural sector in India is one of the most prominent sectors of Indian economy which accounts for 18% of India’s gross domestic product. Out of number of irrigation sources, the tube wells and traditional wells account for more than 50% of irrigation sources. In summer, the groundwater sources get depleted, and there may be possibility of dry run of the pump, which creates serious consequences such as excessive heating of motor winding. This paper is aimed to present a way which implements Internet of Things tools to protect the water pump from dry run and to enhance the control on ongoing operations in agriculture. The paper describes a new approach to make sensors and automation affordable and inter-operable by designing a system and using well-established standards for data communication by using Global System for Mobile Communications. A system is presented to prevent the dry run of the pump used in farms and its switching ON and OFF whenever required by using suitable microcontrollers and sensors. The proposed system uses an Arduino Uno microcontroller, GSM module, relay, a rotameter, centrifugal pump and humidity sensor. The design is made in such a way that to keep its operation simple and setup cost less. The limitations of traditional practices in agriculture have overcome by proposed system, which utilizes water resource efficiently, saving labor costs and safe operation of water pump.

Submersible motor is subjected to hazard problems which may harm the motor winding. The motor running in fault condition causes more mechanical damages to it. This paper proposes a cost effective, Arduino Microcontroller installed submersible motor protection system to prevent high load, dry run, fault conditions along with over temperature. The electrical current and working temperature of the motor is sensed for the implementation of proposed system. Global System for Mobile communication (GSM module) interface enables the remote monitoring of the system.

We present a “rich” Petrol Station Replenishment Problem (PSRP) with real-life characteristics that represents the complexities involved in actual operations. The planning is optimised over multiple days and therefore, the new variant can be classified as the Multi-Period Petrol Station Replenishment Problem (MP-PSRP). A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation is developed and a decomposition heuristic is proposed as a solution algorithm, which is evaluated with a case study from a real-life petrol distributor in Denmark. To determine delivery quantities, the heuristic uses the newly introduced simultaneous dry run inventory policy. A procedure is applied to improve the initial solution. A commercial solver is able to find feasible solutions only for instances with up to 20 stations and 7 days for the MILP model where optimality is guaranteed for instances up to 10 stations and 5 days. The heuristic on the other hand provides feasible solutions for the full case study of 59 stations and 14 days, within a time limit of 2 h.

The machining operations post casting of cylinder blocks are traditionally performed at different stations of a shop floor. The cylinder block accounts for 20–25% of the total weight of an engine leading to increased time and man power during arrangement at different machining platforms. A horizontal machining center (HMC) can perform all these machining operations by virtue of its maneuverable tool magazine; the requirement is to develop a fixture to accommodate the same. The work in this paper demonstrates the conceptualization of a machining fixture to cater for all the three machining operations i.e., face milling, drilling and boring on a 4-axis HMC (Starrag IWK 7000). The machining forces were calculated and 3D realization of the fixture elements was done using PTC Creo 2.0. To ensure repeatability, standard fixturing elements were used. After manufacturing and dry run, it was seen that the cycle time for a single block is 4.4 min.

China's most advanced lunar mission yet will fill gaps in the moon's history and could be a dry run for sending humans, reports Donna Lu

Background The use of simulation-based education in psychiatry has been increasing in recent years outside of Ireland. Its use has been demonstrated to be an effective means of training in management of acute agitation¹, and advancing communication skills amongst psychiatrists². However, adoption of simulation has been slow in psychiatry training in Ireland. A need was identified for the development of a simulation-based education workshop to improve management of psychiatric emergencies, for trainees new to psychiatry, such as Foundation Year trainees and GP trainees. Summary of project Four scenarios were identified and developed using an iterative collaborative process involving a consultant psychiatrist, psychiatry trainees, psychiatry nurses and simulation staff. The scenarios were: the difficult discharge of a patient; completing an involuntary admission under the Mental Health Act, 2001; management of an acutely agitated patient in the Emergency Department; and risk assessment of a suicidal young man. The scenarios were scripted and actors were trained as simulated persons, and a detailed dry run took place in advance of the workshop. Workshop participants ranged from Foundation Year trainees to Higher Specialist Trainees. Debriefing was led by consultant psychiatrists and the actors. Post workshop satisfaction surveys were circulated and semi-structured reflective interviews were conducted after 3–4 weeks to examine impact on clinical practice. Summary of results Post evaluation data (n=12) was positive with 100% agreeing that the workshop addressed their learning needs. Participants highlighted the benefits of reflection with consultant feedback after each scenario, and an improvement in communication skills. Participants also enjoyed the social aspect of the workshop, and more senior trainees found it a beneficial refresher of basic skills. All wanted further training with suggestions for other scenarios including psychiatry-specific medical emergencies, and assessment of emergency presentations of children and adolescents. Delayed interviews (n=5) showed that participants had applied their learning to their practice in the domains of situational awareness and communication. A handbook was developed following the workshop, detailing the scenarios and including all paperwork relevant to the scenarios, for implementation in other training sites. Discussion, conclusions and recommendations Simulation-based education is a suitable method of training for psychiatric emergencies. The design of a workshop requires detailed scenario development and training of actors in playing simulated persons. There is scope for a roll-out of simulation-based education in post-graduate psychiatry training nationally, supported by the handbook developed from this workshop. References Vestal HS, Sowden G, Nejad S, Stoklosa J, Valcourt SC, Keary C, Caminis A, Huffman J. Simulation-Based Training for Residents in the Management of Acute Agitation: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Acad Psychiatry. 2017 Feb; 41(1): 62–67. Brenner A. Uses and limitations of simulated patients in psychiatric education. Acad Psychiatry. 2009; 33: 112–119.

Water is a basic need for all living beings. At present, due to a large population, water level is getting depleted at an alarming rate particularly in urban region. During summer season, there is no continuous flow of water or availability of water. In electrical contingency situations, bore-wells are prone to damages. The utilization of power at dry run condition affects the economy of the consumers. Despite having no water in the bore-well, if the motor runs, the motor windings may burdened and gives rise to unnecessary power loss. In the present scenario, conservation of energy is a major concern. The conservation of energy as a whole will take place when an individual take an active part by using autonomous and effective methodologies or controllers. The issue is solved by managing the borewell using Internet of Things (IoT) as a platform to automate and manage. The IoT based borewell management system is designed to provision scheduling, manual operation, avoidance of borewell motor running at dry run condition and also nullifies energy loss. The automated borewell operations can be executed from a remote control and measurement unit by the measurement of electrical parameters and analytics. The proposed system minimizes man power, saves time and conserve energy loss. The paper presents operating the conventional borewell by deployment of smart controller which handles the information and communication technology at client and base units.

Data pipeline platforms hosting big data analytics can span multiple clouds. Backup and restore service is typically applied to deal with data corruptions in such platforms. This paper proposes a novel approach to providing consistency to the restored state of a multi-cloud data pipeline platform from its backups, and also presents the performance of the approach demonstrated in a dry run test.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • We aimed at quantifying inter-observer Pancoast tumors delineation variability. • Experts’ delineations were used to define ground truth. • Other observers’ delineations were compared against ground truth. • High degree of variability was noted for most target volumes except GTV_P. • This unveils potentials for protocol modification for future IMRT studies., Introduction Target delineation variability is a significant technical impediment in multi-institutional trials which employ intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), as there is a real potential for clinically meaningful variances that can impact the outcomes in clinical trials. The goal of this study is to determine the variability of target delineation among participants from different institutions as part of Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Radiotherapy Committee’s multi-institutional in-silico quality assurance study in patients with Pancoast tumors as a “dry run” for trial implementation. Methods CT simulation scans were acquired from four patients with Pancoast tumor. Two patients had simulation 4D-CT and FDG-FDG PET-CT while two patients had 3D-CT and FDG-FDG PET-CT. Seventeen SWOG-affiliated physicians independently delineated target volumes defined as gross primary and nodal tumor volumes (GTV_P & GTV_N), clinical target volume (CTV), and planning target volume (PTV). Six board-certified thoracic radiation oncologists were designated as the ‘Experts’ for this study. Their delineations were used to create a simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) contours using ADMIRE software (Elekta AB, Sweden 2017). Individual participants’ contours were then compared with Experts’ STAPLE contours. Results When compared to the Experts’ STAPLE, GTV_P had the best agreement among all participants, while GTV_N showed the lowest agreement among all participants. There were no statistically significant differences in all studied parameters for all TVs for cases with 4D-CT versus cases with 3D-CT simulation scans. Conclusions High degree of inter-observer variation was noted for all target volume except for GTV_P, unveiling potentials for protocol modification for subsequent clinically meaningful improvement in target definition. Various similarity indices exist that can be used to guide multi-institutional radiotherapy delineation QA credentialing.

This report provides the technical results of the second dry run transporting mangoes and avocados from Haiti to the US. For both fruits, temperature has been registered from the moment of harvest till arrival at destinations. Also logistical data like planning preparing the test, time needed for each step, and quality of fruits has been analysed, following the procedures as presented in the Standard Operational Procedures for both fruits. The process was organised together with the two new partners Haiti Mango Consortium and Agriledger, both contracted by MCI for the next phase of exporting fruits to the US. After an introduction chapter, technical observations and remarks are provided for both mango and avocado in the next two chapters, with a concluding last chapter afterwards that provides overall analysis, lessons learned and recommendations. Based on the lessons learned the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) will be updated. A major change will be that Collection Points will be introduced as transport from tree to truck cannot be controlled by project partners. SOPs will be updated over the coming months June-July 2019.

This study described the teacher preparedness in teaching Kindergarten in private schools in the School Division of City of Meycauayan, Bulacan. The respondents of the study were 50 kindergarten teachers chosen by universal sampling. The researcher used the descriptive method of research. A devised questionnaire was prepared, tested, and validated through a dry run. After the researcher sought permissions, the administration and distribution and retrieval of the questionnaires commenced, after which the results were consolidated, organized, tallied, and tabulated in distribution tables using statistical tools such as frequency, weighted mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that teachers were very much prepared with their strategic/approaches, instructional materials, classroom environment, social environment, communication skills and recess activities. Therefore, it is concluded that teachers teaching Kindergarten are ready to handle the training and development of children at their tender age, which they carry over when they grow older. On the test of significant difference in preparedness of teachers and the six aspects of decision was to not reject hypothesis, not significant. Respondents are all prepared in teaching Kindergarten as to the six aspects of teacher preparedness in teaching: strategies or approaches, instructional materials, classroom environment, social environment, communication skills of teachers, and recess activities. It is recommended that teachers should be prepared in using cross curriculum teaching.

Just like armed forces mock drills, dry run is a dummy process that helps the government in assessing how ready we are for the COVID-19 immunization at the national level. India had approved two COVID-19 vaccines namely, Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. The main objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine introduction was to assess operational feasibility in the use of Co-WIN application in the eld environment, to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the challenges and guideway forward prior to actual implementation of the immunization drive.

The human quest towards the exploration of the solar system and beyond will likely continue to grow in the next few decades. Many scientific and technological challenges still need to be approached and solved to enable long deep space human exploration. Once answers to these challenges are available, they will be integrated in the flight plans as ad hoc operational strategies. For the solution of specific scientific and technological problems, experiments using ground analogues may provide optimal responses; however, only the International Space Station (ISS) can play the role of integrated analogue, where the impact of micro-gravity, radiation, living and psychological conditions that astronauts will face during a deep space cruise, can be mimicked at the same time, in part or in whole. Today the ISS is a unique technological and scientific platform that enables researchers from all over the world to work on innovative experiments that could not be performed anywhere else. However, it is conceivable to use the deep space analogue features of the ISS to perform integrated tests of those operational strategies needed to allow for deep space voyages, towards a potential final integrated in-space test of the entire voyage to Mars, with a fidelity as high as achievable. This utilization strategy for the ISS would help focusing research and technology on open questions for deep space exploration, also enabling further tests of the journey to Mars using other advanced platforms that will be available on Moon orbit or surface in the near future. It will also provide the ISS with the rank of “springboard” towards deep space for the general public, increasing the awareness for human space exploration. In this paper we present the ISS4Mars idea, underlining its major goals and challenges.

Purpose Error identification in radiation therapy is critical to maintain a safe and efficient therapeutic environment. A verification simulation (VS; also called a dry run for patient information) provides a dedicated time prior to treatment to duplicate steps of patient setup, imaging, and treatment process as a final quality assurance step. Through the use of surveys and analysis of reported incidents, we sought to determine the value of a VS before initiating patient treatment. Methods and materials In November 2014, a VS was instituted across our network of 11 radiation oncology clinics. A comparison of the incident rate reported through our departmental incident learning system (ILS) was made between a non-VS group (965 patients who were treated in the 18 months prior to instituting the VS) and a VS group (984 patients who were treated over 18 months with the VS policy in place). From August to December 2016, surveys were completed by 211 patients and 55 physicians, nurses, and therapists detailing their perspectives on the VS. Results There were 28 incidents (2.9%) in the non-VS group compared with 18 incidents (1.8%) in the VS group (P = .03). In the VS group, more incidents were detected before the day of treatment (P = .03) and fewer incidents on the day of treatment (P = .02). In addition, a trend toward fewer incidents after treatment started (P = .09) was observed. Patient surveys indicated that 99.5% of patients were informed of the VS, 83% reported decreased anxiety during treatment, and 5% indicated concerns about delaying treatment. The majority of staff members (67%) were satisfied with the VS. Conclusions A VS helps identify and correct incidents before the administration of radiation therapy and reduces patient anxiety.

International Transaction Journal of Engineering, Management, & Applied Sciences & Technologies, 9, 6, 589-595

This report provides the technical results of a dry run transporting mangoes and avocados from Haiti to the US, Canada and The Netherlands. For both fruits, temperature has been registered from the moment of harvest till arrival at all destinations. Also logistical data related to the planning and preparation of the test, time needed for each step, and quality of fruits has been analysed. After the introduction chapter, technical data are provided for both mango and avocado in the next two chapters, with a concluding last chapter afterwards that provides overall analysis, lessons learned and recommendations. Use of the QR codes has allowed a transparent and digital process where all chain partners have open access to all information. The report presents a block chain test at limited level and actual implementation and scaling of block chain procedures might still need refinement like the longer ripening and/or storage before retail distribution.

Due to the increase of product complexity, 5 axes machining centers are becoming more and more important. Rotary tables are usually chosen for the 4th and 5th axis. Additional hydraulic or pneumatic mounting clamps are often needed on these tables. The feeding of the required media is realized by a so-called rotary manifold. For this application, commonly several rotary seals are used to seal the transmitted media. Different sealing materials, based on the carrier polymer PTFE, have been examined during this research. In tribological model tests, friction and wear characteristics have been investigated during an oscillating movement under dry run conditions and equal load spectrums (surface pressure). The counter running surfaces were specific textured as a result of various machining processes to research the effects of possible micro-and macroscopic patterning on the sealing system. The tribological behavior of the analyzed combinations and the topography of the counter surfaces have been evaluated.

We need more skilled cybersecurity professionals because the number of cyber threats and ingenuity of attackers is ever growing. Knowledge and skills required for cyber defence can be developed and exercised by lectures and lab sessions, or by active learning, which is seen as a promising and attractive alternative. In this paper, we present experience gained from the preparation and execution of cyber defence exercises involving various participants in a cyber range. The exercises follow a Red vs. Blue team format, in which the Red team conducts malicious activities against emulated networks and systems that have to be defended by Blue teams of learners. Although this exercise format is popular and used worldwide by numerous organizers in practice, it has been sparsely researched. We contribute to the topic by describing the general exercise life cycle, covering the exercise's development, dry run, execution, evaluation, and repetition. Each phase brings several challenges that exercise organizers have to deal with. We present lessons learned that can help organizers to prepare, run and repeat successful events systematically, with lower effort and costs, and avoid a trial-and-error approach that is often used.

We describe the process for setting up and conducting a usability session. This starts with the “day before” testing, which include preparing the equipment and organizing the materials. We then provide guidance on how to moderate the session in an unbiased manner, with special consideration for remote moderating. We provide tips on dealing with common situations as well as moderating challenges. We then discuss the roles of the moderator compared with note-takers and other observers and how to involve stakeholders in the usability testing process. The chapter ends with a discussion of how to collect and record data during the session and how to log observations.

PurposeEnsuring that ethical values are embedded into day‐to‐day working practice is a challenge for multinational organisations. Training on the subject can be dull and can fail to engage staff in the issues, but using scenarios helps to convey ethical messages and gives staff the tools to identify and deal with ethical dilemmas. The purpose of this paper is to summarise the case for business ethics training and the role of scenarios. It seeks to suggest ways to develop effective scenarios and to describe a case study of how one company incorporated them into its training.Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on the Institute of Business Ethics' experience of developing scenarios for its subscriber organisations.FindingsThe paper shows that scenarios give employees practice at applying ethical frameworks and company standards to workplace situations. Scenario training is an opportunity for a “dry run” so that employees will know what to do when confronted with a real situation.Practical implicationsThis work assists organisations with the development of effective training and communications to support their commitment to high ethical standards.Originality/valueA more in‐depth examination of the subject is published in the IBE's Good Practice Guide Developing and Using Business Ethics Scenarios (available from www.ibe.org.uk). The study draws on original research to incorporate good practice in this area.

In the different schools I attended during my childhood, teachers repeatedly encouraged me to develop linguistic, acting as well as visual-artistic skills. Already in kindergarten, I was allowed to play the part of the prince. If there was any event at school, the headmaster would take me out of class and I was able to make posters that were then hung in the school community, or I’d be asked to participate in the model construction of the new school. At that time I built structures that looked very much like modern, white, cardboard church models.

Objective To decrease waiting times for colorectal cancer diagnosis. Methods Following extensive negotiations on three sites, we replaced the standard referral route of GP to outpatient clinic with city-wide implementation of a protocol driven sequence based on the patient's declared symptoms, the initial consultation being replaced by the first test taking place within 31 days. No choice in test allocation was granted; difficult cases were adjudicated by named consultants. We used a ‘dry run’ to make sure that our planned changes would not overload our local capacity, leading to a pilot run involving 1/3 clinicians, followed by a full cross-city implementation over two months. Results In 2001, before the pilot only 116/188 (62%) of our colorectal cancers who were referred either under the 2-week-wait arrangements or on a ‘soon’ basis were diagnosed within 31 days of referral. Our ‘dry run’ established that we did have the capacity to service our planned sequence of tests. In the pilot, all colorectal cancers were diagnosed within 31 days of referral, and 95% of all diagnoses (no abnormality or benign disease) were reached within 31 days of referral. After full implementation 19/19 (100%) of our cancers coming through our protocol system were diagnosed within 31 days and 95% of patients with benign disease. Conclusion Follow-up audit of our system one and two years later shows that we now diagnose approximately 80% of our colorectal cancers who are referred under the 2 week wait or as ‘soon’ referrals within 31 days. We have successfully redesigned our service, at minimal expense, in a way, which should enable us to meet the government targets in the National Cancer Plan.

V diplomski nalogi smo se lotili reševanja problema suhega teka črpalk. Problem je rešljiv z raznimi merilniki pretoka, vendar se pojavi težava, ko je montaža tovrstnih merilnikov neprimerna oziroma onemogočena. Tudi v tem primeru je sicer na trgu kar nekaj rešitev, a predstavljajo za uporabnika precej visok strošek. Zato smo se odločili, da poizkusimo najti rešitev kar v okviru programa logičnega krmilnika, ki ga programiramo s programskim orodjem Step 7. V diplomskem delu smo predstavili problem suhega teka črpalke, možne rešitve in tudi trenutno rešitev, ki jo uporabljajo v Cinkarni Celje. Predstavili smo idejo, kako bi bilo možno problem rešiti s programskim orodjem Step 7, ter jo v nadaljevanju tudi realizirali. Poleg samega postopka izdelave projekta smo opisali tudi vso uporabljeno ter predstavili delovanje programa. Na koncu smo opisali tudi testiranje programa ter podali rezultate in ugotovitve po zaključenem projektu. Our diploma thesis deals with solving the problem of dry running of pumps. The problem is solvable by using variuos flowmeters, but the problem arises when the installation of such flowmeters is unsuitable or even impossible. There are also, several solutions available on the market, but they come at a high cost to the end-user. Therefore, we decided to find a solution within the framework of the logic controller program, which is programmed with the Step 7 software tool. In the thesis we have illustrated the problem of dry running of pumps, as well as the possible solutions, including the current solution applied at Cinkarna Celje. We have presented and later realized the idea of solving the problem by using the Step 7 software tool. Beside the project engineering procedure we have also described all the applied equipment and presented the software performance. Finally we have described the software testing and presented the results and findings upon the conclusion of the project.

Introduction Access to radiotherapy treatment units, treatment planning systems and appropriate dosimetry equipment is an ongoing challenge throughout Africa. This is coupled with a need for the implementation of 3-D conformal therapy protocols and likewise the appropriate skills training for staff. The Access to Care centre based at Groote Schuur Hospital is designed to be an innovative technology-based teaching platform for the radiation oncology treatment team, namely: radiation oncologists (RO), medical physicists (MP) and radiation therapists (RTT). It is a joint collaborative training initiative between Varian Medical Systems, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) creating a program that links with the global Varian Access to Care program. Materials and methods The first Access to Care course was preceded by a “dry run” course to test the curriculum. This consisted of three participants per team, who attended a physics course (physicists and RTTs) followed by a clinical course (including Radiation Oncologists). The feedback from participants resulted in the physics and clinical courses being conflated into a three-week integrated course for the treatment team members. Specific recommendations included additional time for practical planning; and, for all to attend equipment procurement sessions. The integrated A2C course (Aug–Sept 2015) consisted of three weeks at the centre followed by a three-month mentorship of participant teams. Four teams (RO, MP & RTT) attended and the twelve participants evaluated the course by completing surveys before, during and after the course. Consent was given to use this information. Results In the post-course survey, participants indicated a 25% improvement in familiarity with immobilisation devices. Imaging and localisation improved by 41% and 3-D planning familiarity improved by 30%. The technology, Eclipse and VERT, was found to enhance participants’ learning. Conclusion Challenges identified were existing hierarchical structures, team work and financial constraints. Participants have been asked to comment on the mentorship process.

During the finishing of contact surfaces of rotary shaft lip type seals, unwanted lead patterns may appear. Depending on the direction of rotation, these spiral marks may lead to early leakage or dry run, which may affect directly the longevity of the parts. New methods for satisfying the high requirements of the automotive industry are presented to determine the lead angle, the period length, and the number of starts. In contrast to earlier approaches, with a new fusion strategy, a robust extraction of the parameters of interest is attained even in the case of slightly pronounced lead structures. Moreover, by enhancing the measurement set-up with additional optical components, an in-line inspection becomes possible.

Introduction : A dry run of a clinical trial (EORTC 22911) is presented in which 12 centres have participated. These are the centres which have contributed the largest number of patients to the trial. Material and methods : Each participating centre received data from a suitable patient. Investigators were asked to plan and ‘treat' the patient according to the protocol guidelines and return the data for evaluation of compliance. Results : The results show that compliance to the protocol guidelines was generally good. There were a few minor deviations in the dose and fractionation schedule, in the volume reduction for the booster dose and in the dose prescription point. None of these deviations will affect the outcome of the study. The most important observation is the large inter-centre variation in target volumes. Conclusions : The results of this study underlines the need for a strict definition of the target volume and the adoption of the ICRU 50 recommendations in future protocols.

Purpose: Intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) is a method for delivering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) using rotational beams. During delivery, the field shape, formed by a multileaf collimator (MLC), changes constantly. The objectives of this study were to ( 1 ) clinically implement the IMAT technique, and ( 2 ) evaluate the dosimetry in comparison with conventional three-dimensional (3D) conformal techniques. Methods and Materials: Forward planning with a commercial system (RenderPlan 3D, Precision Therapy International, Inc., Norcross, GA) was used for IMAT planning. Arcs were approximated as multiple shaped fields spaced every 5–10° around the patient. The number and ranges of the arcs were chosen manually. Multiple coplanar, superimposing arcs or noncoplanar arcs with or without a wedge were allowed. For comparison, conventional 3D conformal treatment plans were generated with the same commercial forward planning system as for IMAT. Intensity-modulated treatment plans were also created with a commercial inverse planning system (CORVUS, Nomos Corporation). A leaf-sequencing program was developed to generate the dynamic MLC prescriptions. IMAT treatment delivery was accomplished by programming the linear accelerator (linac) to deliver an arc and the MLC to step through a sequence of fields. Both gantry rotation and leaf motion were enslaved to the delivered MUs. Dosimetric accuracy of the entire process was verified with phantoms before IMAT was used clinically. For each IMAT treatment, a dry run was performed to assess the geometric and dosimetric accuracy. Both the central axis dose and dose distributions were measured and compared with predictions by the planning system. Results: By the end of May 2001, 50 patients had completed their treatments with the IMAT technique. Two to five arcs were needed to achieve highly conformal dose distributions. The IMAT plans provided better dose uniformity in the target and lower doses to normal structures than 3D conformal plans. The results varied when the comparison was made with fixed gantry IMRT. In general, IMAT plans provided more uniform dose distributions in the target, whereas the inverse-planned fixed gantry treatments had greater flexibility in controlling dose to the critical structures. Because the field sizes and shapes used in the IMAT were similar to those used in conventional treatments, the dosimetric uncertainty was very small. Of the first 32 patients treated, the average difference between the measured and predicted doses was −0.54 ± 1.72% at isocenter. The 80%–95% isodose contours measured with film dosimetry matched those predicted by the planning system to within 2 mm. The planning time for IMAT was slightly longer than for generating conventional 3D conformal plans. However, because of the need to create phantom plans for the dry run, the overall planning time was doubled. The average time a patient spent on the table for IMAT treatment was similar to conventional treatments. Conclusion: Initial results demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of IMAT for achieving highly conformal dose distributions for different sites. If treatment plans can be optimized for IMAT cone beam delivery, we expect IMAT to achieve dose distributions that rival both slice-based and fixed-field IMRT techniques. The efficient delivery with existing linac and MLC makes IMAT a practical choice.

This paper reviews the role that the National Institute of Standards and Technology has played in the “Broadcast News” research community. The 1995 “Dry Run” Marketplace set the scene for the introduction of broadcast materials, followed by larger-scale benchmark tests in 1996, 1997, 1998 and (most recently) 1999. This paper discusses the 1998 test results in some detail; these also involve tests based on Broadcast News corpora, including the Spoken Document Retrieval, Information Extraction – Named Entity, and Topic Detection and Tracking tasks.

Agriculture is the back bone of Indian economy. Timely and sufficient supply of water is the most important requirement for agriculture. There is a continuous need of monitoring the moisture level at agriculture lands. The focus is on developing project with a simple GUI system along with mathematical modelling of a new and cost effective irrigating system. This paper introduces an automatic module to supply appropriate amount of water to the field by sensing the crop humidity requirement. It even reduces probability of soil erosion and protects the crop rotting due to over irrigation during heavy rainfall with advanced rainfall unit. This system will be economical in terms of hardware cost and power consumption. It proposes a humidity level sensor at field where sprinkling has to be done w.r.t. The quantity of water needed. The circuit monitors the water level of the tank, to prevent dry run and damage to pump.

An ablation planning system plays a pivotal role in tumor ablation procedures, as it provides a dry run to guide the surgeons in a complicated anatomical environment. Over-ablation, over-perforation or under-ablation may result in complications during the treatments. An optimal solution is desired to have complete tumor coverage with minimal invasiveness, including minimal number of ablations and minimal number of perforation trajectories. As the planning of tumor ablation is a multi-objective problem, it is challenging to obtain optimal covering solutions based on clinician׳s experiences. Meanwhile, it is effective for computer-assisted systems to decide a set of optimal plans. This paper proposes a novel approach of integrating a computational optimization algorithm into the ablation planning system. The proposed ablation planning system is designed based on the following objectives: to achieve complete tumor coverage and to minimize the number of ablations, number of needle trajectories and over-ablation to the healthy tissue. These objectives are taken into account using a Genetic Algorithm, which is capable of generating feasible solutions within a constrained search space. The candidate ablation plans can be encoded in generations of chromosomes, which subsequently evolve based on a fitness function. In this paper, an exponential weight-criterion fitness function has been designed by incorporating constraint parameters that were reflective of the different objectives. According to the test results, the proposed planner is able to generate the set of optimal solutions for tumor ablation problem, thereby fulfilling the aforementioned multiple objectives.

Background: The importance of faculty development to improve clinicians’ teaching skills has been well articulated in the literature. There are few objective measures of the impact of faculty development on teaching skills. The objective structured teaching exercise (OSTE) is a faculty development tool that may meet this challenge. It also has great potential to be used in the development and enhancement of teaching skills. The OSTE consists of a simulated teaching scenario involving a standardized learner with objective and immediate feedback given to the teacher, and includes a pre-determined behaviourally based scale or checklist to assess teaching performance. Aim: There is little information in the literature on the practical aspects of how to develop and deliver an OSTE in a faculty development context. Based on our experience, we created a framework to guide the use of the OSTE for faculty development. Methods: Twelve tips for using the OSTE for faculty development are outlined in this article. These include: clarifying the goal and target audience, identifying what teaching skills to focus on, developing the scenario and the assessment tool, choosing and training the standardized learner, holding a dry run, protecting the teacher, integrating the OSTE into one’s own context and promoting buy-in, and evaluating the activity. Conclusions: The OSTE is a novel tool to enhance faculty development. We describe 12 key elements that are important for its successful development and delivery.