3,210 research outputs found
Histoplasma capsulatum Infection in an Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patient Receiving Voriconazole Prophylaxis
Histoplasma capsulatum infection is a rare complication in the allogeneic stem cell transplant patients. Minimal guidance exists on how to appropriately manage histoplasmosis in these patients. We report a patient who developed Histoplasma pneumonia while receiving voriconazole prophylaxis at a therapeutic trough level. The patient experienced significant clinical improvement after initiation of itraconazole pharmacotherapy. We recommend a lower threshold for evaluation for histoplasmosis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients who live in endemic regions, regardless of their antifungal prophylactic regimen
Software-Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model
The Software Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model is described which was developed at JPL. SEPS is a dynamic simulation model of the software project development process. It uses the feedback principles of system dynamics to simulate the dynamic interactions among various software life cycle development activities and management decision making processes. The model is designed to be a planning tool to examine tradeoffs of cost, schedule, and functionality, and to test the implications of different managerial policies on a project's outcome. Furthermore, SEPS will enable software managers to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of software project development and perform postmodern assessments
The development and application of composite complexity models and a relative complexity metric in a software maintenance environment
A great deal of effort is now being devoted to the study, analysis, prediction, and minimization of software maintenance expected cost, long before software is delivered to users or customers. It has been estimated that, on the average, the effort spent on software maintenance is as costly as the effort spent on all other software costs. Software design methods should be the starting point to aid in alleviating the problems of software maintenance complexity and high costs. Two aspects of maintenance deserve attention: (1) protocols for locating and rectifying defects, and for ensuring that noe new defects are introduced in the development phase of the software process; and (2) protocols for modification, enhancement, and upgrading. This article focuses primarily on the second aspect, the development of protocols to help increase the quality and reduce the costs associated with modifications, enhancements, and upgrades of existing software. This study developed parsimonious models and a relative complexity metric for complexity measurement of software that were used to rank the modules in the system relative to one another. Some success was achieved in using the models and the relative metric to identify maintenance-prone modules
Importance of the direct knockout mechanism in relativistic calculations for (gamma, p) reactions
Results of relativistic calculations of the direct knockout (DKO) mechanism
for the photon induced removal of a proton from a target nucleus over a wide
range of energies and nuclei are presented. Spectroscopic factors used in the
calculations are fixed from consistent analyses of the quasifree electron
scattering process (e,e'p). The results indicate that within the uncertainties
of the model, the knockout contributions are generally close to the
experimental data for missing momenta below approximately 500 MeV/c. This is in
disagreement with nonrelativistic analyses which often find that the direct
knockout contribution can be quite small compared to the data and that meson
exchange corrections can be important. The present study suggests that meson
exchange current contributions may not be as large when treated in a
relativistic framework. We also point out some difficulties we encountered in
analyzing the data for a 12C target at photon energies below 80 MeV.Comment: 25 pages, LaTeX with 8 postscript figure
Long-Range Planning Cost Model for Support of Future Space Missions by the Deep Space Network
A simple model is suggested to do long-range planning cost estimates for Deep Space Network (DSP) support of future space missions. The model estimates total DSN preparation costs and the annual distribution of these costs for long-range budgetary planning. The cost model is based on actual DSN preparation costs from four space missions: Galileo, Voyager (Uranus), Voyager (Neptune), and Magellan. The model was tested against the four projects and gave cost estimates that range from 18 percent above the actual total preparation costs of the projects to 25 percent below. The model was also compared to two other independent projects: Viking and Mariner Jupiter/Saturn (MJS later became Voyager). The model gave cost estimates that range from 2 percent (for Viking) to 10 percent (for MJS) below the actual total preparation costs of these missions
Model for Small neutrino masses at the TeV Scale
We propose a model for neutrino mass generation in wich no physics beyond a
TeV is required. We extend the standard model by adding two charged singlet
fields with lepton number two. Dirac neutrino masses are
generated at the one loop level. Small left handed majorana neutrino masses can
be generated via the seesaw mechanism with right handed neutrino masses
are of order TeV scale.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure
The Network Operations Control Center upgrade task: Lessons learned
This article synthesizes and describes the lessons learned from the Network Operations Control Center (NOCC) upgrade project, from the requirements phase through development and test and transfer. At the outset, the NOCC upgrade was being performed simultaneously with two other interfacing and dependent upgrades at the Signal Processing Center (SPC) and Ground Communications Facility (GCF), thereby adding a significant measure of complexity to the management and overall coordination of the development and transfer-to-operations (DTO) effort. Like other success stories, this project carried with it the traditional elements of top management support and exceptional dedication of cognizant personnel. Additionally, there were several NOCC-specific reasons for success, such as end-to-end system engineering, adoption of open-system architecture, thorough requirements management, and use of appropriate off-the-shelf technologies. On the other hand, there were several difficulties, such as ill-defined external interfaces, transition issues caused by new communications protocols, ambivalent use of two sets of policies and standards, and mistailoring of the new JPL management standard (due to the lack of practical guidelines). This article highlights the key lessons learned, as a means of constructive suggestions for the benefit of future projects
Nuclear Medium Effects in the Relativistic Treatment of Quasifree Electron Scattering
Non-relativistic reduction of the S-matrix for the quasifree electron
scattering process is studied in order to
understand the source of differences between non-relativistic and relativistic
models. We perform an effective Pauli reduction on the relativistic expression
for the S-matrix in the one-photon exchange approximation. The reduction is
applied to the nucleon current only; the electrons are treated fully
relativistically. An expansion of the amplitude results in a power series in
the nuclear potentials. The series is found to converge rapidly only if the
nuclear potentials are included in the nuclear current operator. The results
can be cast in a form which reproduces the non-relativistic amplitudes in the
limit that the potentials are removed from the nuclear current operator. Large
differences can be found between calculations which do and do not include the
nuclear potentials in the different orders of the nuclear current operator. In
the high missing momentum region we find that the non-relativistic calculations
with potentials included in the nuclear current up to second order give results
which are close to those of the fully relativistic calculation. This behavior
is an indication of the importance of the medium modifications of the nuclear
currents in this model, which are naturally built into the relativistic
treatment of the reaction.Comment: Latex, 26 pages including 5 uuencoded postscript figures. accepted
for publication in Phys. Rev. C
Relativistic calculations for photonuclear reactions; 2, nonrelativistic reductions and nuclear medium effects
The relativistic amplitude for the direct knock-out contribution to \left( \gamma, p \right) reactions on nuclei is reduced to a nonrelativistic form using an effective Pauli reduction scheme. The reduction is carried out to second order in the inverse nucleon mass. It is found that the interaction Hamiltonian appearing in the nonrelativistic amplitude has significant dependence, starting at second order, on the vector and scalar mean nuclear potentials. These strong medium modifications are absent in traditional nonrelativistic calculations. Detailed comparisons show that these modifications are crucial to understanding the differences between relativistic and nonrelativistic models. These differences are also examined through reduction of the relativistic amplitude via the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation. Similar medium modifications are obtained in this case as well. We discuss the implications of these medium modifications for the consistency of existing nonrelativistic calculations
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