An Analysis of the Efficacy of Wayside Hot-Box Detector Data

Wayside hot-box detectors (HBDs) are devices that are currently used to monitor bearing, axle, and brake temperatures as a way of assessing railcar component health and to indicate any possible overheating or abnormal operating conditions. Conventional hot-box detectors are set to alarm whenever a bearing is operating at a temperature that is 94.4°C (170°F) above ambient, or when there is a 52.8°C (95°F) temperature difference between two bearings that share an axle. These detectors are placed adjacent to the railway and utilize an infrared sensor in order to obtain temperature measurements. Bearings that trigger HBDs or display temperature trending behavior are removed from service for disassembly and inspection. Upon teardown, bearings that do not exhibit any discernible defects are labeled as “non-verified”. The latter may be due to the many factors that can affect the measurement of HBDs such as location of the infrared sensor and the class of the bearing among other environmental factors. A field test was performed along a route that is more than 483 km (300 mi) of track containing 21 wayside hot-box detectors. Two freight cars, one fully-loaded and one empty, and one instrumentation car pulled by a locomotive were used in this field test. A total of 16 bearings (14 Class F and 2 Class K) were instrumented with K-type bayonet thermocouples to provide continuous temperature measurement. The data collected from this field test were used to perform a systematic study in which the HBD IR sensor data were compared directly to the onboard thermocouple data. The analyses determined that, in general, HBDs tend to overestimate Class K bearing temperatures more frequently than Class F bearing temperatures. Additionally, the temperatures of some bearings were underestimated by as much as 47°C (85°F). Furthermore, the HBD data exhibited some false trending events that were not seen in temperature histories recorded by the bayonet thermocouples. The findings from the field test suggest that HBDs may inaccurately report bearing temperatures, which may contribute to the increased percentage of non-verified bearing removals. To further investigate the accuracy of the wayside detection systems, a dynamic test rig was designed and fabricated by the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) research team at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). A mobile infrared sensor was developed and installed on the dynamic tester in order to mimic the measurement behavior of a HBD. The infrared temperature measurements were compared to contact thermocouple and bayonet temperature measurements taken on the bearing cup surface. The laboratory-acquired data were compared to actual field test data, and the analysis reveals that the trends are in close agreement. The large majority of temperature measurements taken using the IR sensor have been underestimated with a similar distribution to that of the data collected by the HBDs in field service

The Impact of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Electronic Accounting Information Systems on the Quality of Accounting Information

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of Efficiency of EAIS and Effectiveness of Electronic Accounting Information Systems on Accounting Information Quality. The total number of respondents in this survey was 168, with the bulk of them working as accountants in Jordanian enterprises. The quantitative analysis test, which comprises the validity test, reliability test, traditional assumptions test, and hypothesis test, is used during the data analysis process. The efficiency and effectiveness of electronic accounting information systems are independent factors in this study. The quality of accounting information is the studys dependent variable. The outcomes of this study reveal that the efficiency and effectiveness of EAIS have a significant or modest impact on the quality of accounting information. The (F) simoultant test and (t) partial findings reveal that the two independent variables have a significant point, confirming the hypothesis. As a result, it is commonly assumed that the efficiency and effectiveness of EAIS have an influence on the accounting information of Jordanian enterprises

Multiple Myeloma Baseline Immunoglobulin G Level and Pneumococcal Vaccination Antibody Response

Infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of the immune system. Vaccination clinical efficacy endpoints have not been demonstrated, and there are limited data on surrogate markers of efficacy. This pilot study evaluated sequential immunologic markers after standard pneumococcal vaccination (PV) in patients with MM and non-MM controls. Vaccination was standard for PV (PCV13 or PPV23), with laboratory testing at baseline and at 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after vaccination. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to pneumococcal antigens were detected by ELISA. Prevaccination total IgG levels and IgG subclass levels were also measured by ELISA. Four of 6 controls responded with at least a 2-fold increase in antibody concentration; only 2 controls had a sustained increase in concentration. Six of 8 patients with MM had at least a 2-fold antibody increase; however, only 2 of these patients showed a sustained increase of antipneumococcal antibody. Response rate differences were not statistically significant in this small pilot, and there was no relationship between responsiveness to PV and initial serum total IgG levels or IgG subclasses at study entry. Future prospective studies are needed to ascertain the immunological and clinical efficacy and effectiveness of various vaccines and vaccination strategies in MM

Systematic review protocol for assessing central auditory functions of Alzheimer\u27s disease and its preclinical stages

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Introduction A number of studies have reported an association between peripheral hearing impairment, central auditory processing and Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) and its preclinical stages. Both peripheral hearing impairment and central auditory processing disorders are observed many years prior to the clinical manifestation of AD symptoms, hence, providing a long window of opportunity to investigate potential interventions against neurodegenerative processes. This paper outlines the protocol for a systematic review of studies examining the central auditory processing functions in AD and its preclinical stages, investigated through behavioural (clinical assessments that require active participation) central auditory processing tests. Methods and analysis We will use the keywords and Medical Subject Heading terms to search the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE and CINAHL Plus. Studies including assessments of central auditory function in adults diagnosed with dementia, AD and its preclinical stages that were published before 8 May 2019 will be reviewed. This review protocol will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. Data analysis and search results will be reported in the full review. This manuscript has designed the protocols for a systematic review that will identify the behavioural clinical central auditory processing measures that are sensitive to the changes in auditory function in adults with AD and its preclinical stages. Such assessments may subsequently help to design studies to examine the potential impact of hearing and communication rehabilitation of individuals at risk of AD. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required as this manuscript only reports the protocols for conducting a systematic review as primary data will only be reviewed and not be collected. The results of this systematic review will be disseminated through publication and in scientific conferences. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017078272

Designing An Intervention Program To Control Glucose Level In Intensive Care Unit (ICU) In King Hussein Medical Center, Royal Medical Services

Controlling blood glucose level in ICU is one of the main priorities in ICU to decrease mortality rates and morbidity rates and to decrease the healthcare cost. The main objective of the present study is design and implement an intervention protocol in ICU. The method involved a suggested intervention protocol which was applied for 25 ICU patients and their findings were compared with 25 ICU patients in control group. Study findings showed that the intervention protocol was able to reduce mortality rates, positive blood cultures, decreased morning glucose level in the intervention group compared with control group. As a conclusion, controlling blood glucose level in ICU is considered an appropriate approach and leads to better outcome of the patients

Coping Strategies of Jordanian Adolescents With Cancer: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Study

Interpretive phenomenological analysis methodology was used to explore coping strategies used by hospitalized Jordanian adolescents with cancer. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 Jordanian adolescents, aged 13 to18 years, who were receiving chemotherapy for cancer. During treatment, participants were confronted with physical, psychosocial, and emotional distresses resulting from the disease process, the treatment, and its associated side-effects. To cope with the impact of their illness, participants utilized 4 coping strategies: "Strengthening spiritual convictions," "Being optimistic and rebuilding hope," "Enhancing appearance," and "Finding self again." The findings of this study can assist health team members to promote positive psychological care to Arab Muslim adolescents with cancer in a supportive and therapeutic treatment environment

Aggressive Fibromatosis of the Left Mesocolon Mimicking a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: A Case Report

Mesenteric fibromatosis (MF) is a proliferative fibroblastic lesion of the intestinal mesentery. It constitutes 8% of all desmoid tumors, representing 0.03% of all neoplasms. It is benign histologically, although it could infiltrate locally and recur following excision; however, it is free from the potential to metastasize. It is spontaneous or associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP]) mutation as a part of Gardner’s syndrome. This case report discusses the radiological, intraoperative, and histopathological findings from a 45-year-old male patient who presented with abdominal pain and a palpable mass in the left hemiabdomen. The pain was dull and aching, extending to the back and unrelated to any other gastrointestinal symptoms. There was no history of severe weight reduction. Furthermore, he is not a smoker. There were no comorbidities, severe medical diseases, or prior surgical procedures. Computerized tomography revealed a well-defined, lobulated, heterogeneously enhancing altered signal intensity mass at the mesocolon. Ultrasonography of the abdomen showed an intra-abdominal mass. Macroscopic mass characteristics include a well-defined mass measuring 22 × 14 × 11 cm connected to a small intestine segment measuring 21 × 2 × 2 cm. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations of the resected tumor, including positive nuclear immunostaining for beta-catenin, confirmed a postoperative diagnosis of desmoid-type fibromatosis. Based on its clinical presentation and computed tomography results, this case demonstrated how desmoid-type fibromatosis of the colon might mimic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Due to the varied therapies and follow-up methods used for these lesions, the differential diagnosis between desmoid-type fibromatosis and GIST is clinically significant

An Analysis of Pedestrian Waiting Time at Uncontrolled Crosswalks Using Discrete Choice Model

A study of pedestrians crossing behavior is conducted at an uncontrolled mid-block crosswalk in Istanbul Turkey, to model the pedestrians waiting time, related to their behavior for making the crossing decision. This article focused on the issues encountered in the modeling of the operational behavior of pedestrians. The discrete choice framework is used because of its capacity to deal with individuals’ choice behavior. Pedestrians waiting time is classified into three levels, including low, medium, and high levels based on the level of service of pedestrians waiting time. The pedestrians’ behavior prediction has been improved by analyzing, taking into account three levels for pedestrian behavior

Completion of the Brightness upgrade of the ALS

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Berkeley Lab remains one of the brightest sources for soft x-rays worldwide. A multiyear upgrade of the ALS is underway, which includes new and replacement x-ray beamlines, a replacement of many of the original insertion devices and many upgrades to the accelerator. The accelerator upgrade that affects the ALS performance most directly is the ALS brightness upgrade [1], which reduces the horizontal emittance from 6.3 to 2.0 nm (2.5 nm effective). Magnets for this upgrade were installed in late 2012 and early 2013 followed by user operation with the reduced emittance